Distribution amp for output of Virgin+ box?

[Lobster]

Apologies if this is a bit OT... I posted this to uk.tech.digital-tv but got a stony silence - must be a pretty straightforward question so don't know why.

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I have Virgin cable at home, with their V+ PVR box. I want to take the output from that (coax) and distribute it around the house to several rooms - I know that means you can't control the channels or PVR output in the other rooms, but that's OK.

Cabling to most of the rooms are already actually in place from a previous TV distribution system, and I know it does work, using an old existing cheapo Maxview 3-way amp thing which I already have plugged in upstairs in the airing cupboard, however (a) I'm sure better picture quality is possible with a decent amp and (b) I need a new one with a minimum of 7 outputs.

Any recommendations for a suitable bit of kit?

Thanks David

----------------- Since my original post I've come across what's apparently a dedicated distribution amp for Virgin cable - product ref TVX 67A at

Can anyone confirm - do you need a special amp because it's a cable TV output rather than terrestrial TV? The above is quite pricey at 39 quid compared with 'ordinary' kit - is it worth it?

[Rod]

I do not know much about these things, but it seems to me that the box you identified is to fit between the Virgin Media cable and two (or more) set top boxes (whether V+ or crappy, ordinary ones like I have).

Evidence:

This is equipped with F connectors where I would have expected ordinary co-ax plugs/sockets as fitted to other distribution amplifiers (even in the same catalogue).

Return path is surely unnecessary for a simple TV signal coming out of a Virgin Media box to a simple TV? But this has such a path.

Perhaps someone who really knows will be along soon? ...

[Bovvered?]

39 quid is cheap if it's decent quality. The box output is 'standard' UHF so any TV distribution amp should do like this one:

[Andy Burns]

Something like Blake proSTR10S will distribute your V+ RF output to 10 other positions (along with FM and DAB aerial feeds if you have them)

you also use the Blake starlink with a "magic eye" at some or all of the remote TVs, and an infrared emitter (or higher powered blaster) pointing at the V+ you *can* control it remotely.

[John]

Well I've got Sky, not cable but it's distributed around the house just like you want to do, on an "ordinary" distribution amp. I don't see why Virgin should be any different.

John

[marc]

I have the similar setup at home with a V+ box. The V+ box does not give an output on RF, only via Scart (well I couldn't find an RF output from it).

I ended up using one of these boxes from Maplin:

RF feed comes in from the loft, loops through the modulator box, then back up to my Labgear distribution unit in the loft again. It then sends the signals out to the other TVs on the distribution unit.

This modulator is better than some. The first box I bought cut off the input TV RF signal when a Scart signal was applied, so no one else could watch Terrestrial TV =83=BC

The Maplin box puts the RF input along with the Scart signal out.

The picture quality seems OK for a cheap box - my roof mounted TV aerial is rubbish - but that's another project - so can't really tell if the terrestrial signal is degraded much! Sound is Mono only, but fine for in the bedroom, kitchen etc.

Only gotcha is that Maplin had a batch of duff boxes - this is number

3 and seems OK now!

HTH Marc

[Andy Champ]

Why on earth do you have your newsreader set to post in Chinese?

Andy

[stevelup]

Lee is a common Chinese surname. Perhaps Marc is Chinese?

It shouldn't bother any proper newsreader as all the latin characters are included in Big5

Steve

[Andy Burns]

Check photos on his website?

[marc]

Sorry, I'm not the son of Bruce!

I posted from Google, so not sure how I got set to Chinese! This is probably in Chinese as well :-(

[Andy Champ]

Back to ISO-8859-1, which is as it should be.

Stevelup, it works OK, it just *looks* funny!

Andy