Cable signal; can I split and then re-split again?

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nintendokid

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Here's a picture of my current and proposed setup:

setup.jpg


The reason why I want to do this is because I recently got a HDTV and I can get HD channels with my ATSC tuner. But I still want access to my cable box.

Is it even possible to split a signal twice? If possible, how does it affect my internet bandwidth, if any?
 
I have my cable split up in a similar way and the signal got very weak. So weak that my internet couldn't stay connected. I had to buy a drop amp to boost the signal and everything is fine now, even better then before I started splitting a lot.
 
[quote name='Milkyman']why do you need a switch? shouldn't your cable box connect to your tv via video cables rather than coax?[/quote]

I can catch HD channels by plugging the coaxial cable directly into my TV because of the built-in ATSC tuner but by doing so, I lose function of the cable box such as On-Demand and channel/show guide. I could just switch back and forth but that would be a pain. Think of it like one TV with only one a/v input but you have 3-4 game systems that you have to switch in and out regularly.

And without a HD receiver to be able to run component or HDMI, there is almost no difference between coax and composite other than clearer audio and slightly less fuzz. Comcast got smart - just 2 years ago they use to issue cable boxes that had component video out.

Well now that I know I can split it twice, I'll try it. If I need an amp, I'll just have to get one. But I suspect that having a RF switch would just keep the signal splitted two-way (to PC and to TV) at any given time so it shouldn't matter, because I'm currently splitting it two ways, right..? *scratches head*
 
I understand why you want to split the signal, my question is why you need an rf switch between the cable box and your tv. are you saying you're using an old cable box that only outputs video through coax?

Typically a setup like this would have a coax cable going into the cable box, then composite or svideo cable from the cable box going into the television and the second coax line going directly into the tv for the ATSC tuner. Then you switch between the ATSC tuner and the Video input using the television controls.

Thats why i dont understand why you need an RF switch unless you're plugging two coax cables directly into the tv

edit:
The RF switch in your diagram will have no effect on your PC it would only effect anything that was further down on the diagram which is only the tv. your proposed extra split is along a different branch on your tree than the pc so it should have minimal if any effect on your pc in any case.
You'll probably need the amp to get decent video signal to your cable box and tv but i don't think your pc would be effected by your proposed split.
 
Just curious, what kind of cable box do you have? If it is Comcast, I would just get the HD-DVR (DVR is GREAT), and you get all your HD channels. The only reason to plug in directly is for OTA HD I would assume.

I have a signal booster in my house, buy I have the signal split in many places in my home (old house). Just be sure to put the signal booster at the INITIAL point of your coax run.
 
Comcast probably has more HD channels than you can get over the air anyway, just drop the 5 bones a month. That's all they charge for HD here, anyway..
 
if i were you id pay for a second line one for internet and the other for the tvs. like they said each time you split your cable the signal weakens in quality. back before present day cable it didnt matter much you could split cable up alot ( we had at least 4 tvs running off 1 cable line once).
 
I have in my apartment naturally two splits until you reach my main TV. I run a HD DVR cable box all of the other HDTV's use their ATSC QAM tuners to get locals over the cable line as they are free not needing OTA reception. The quality is = to antenna.

You do want a BI-DIRECTIONAL amp hooked up before the first split. It will give you 10 db more signal stength which is just enough to give you a good connection all the way around. You can get one at radioshack for about 30 bucks and everything will be A.O.KAY.

This sometimes helps boots cable speeds also if you have naturally low signal strength.
 
[quote name='Milkyman']
Typically a setup like this would have a coax cable going into the cable box, then composite or svideo cable from the cable box going into the television and the second coax line going directly into the tv for the ATSC tuner. Then you switch between the ATSC tuner and the Video input using the television controls.[/quote]

If a cable signal is routed to a cable box and then plugged into your TV via coax, doesn't the signal override your TV's tuner, meaning you won't get to utilize the ATSC tuner? If I also put in the composite to the TV, you're saying that the cable box will know that it is hooked up to an ATSC tuner?

Can someone explain to me why everything looks 10x sharper and clearer when I connect direct to my ATSC tuner even when it clearly states that the channel is being broadcasted as 480i? I also get some strange channels that I do not have access to through the cable box like CBS 4 HD. Why would I not have access to these through the cable box?
 
[quote name='nintendokid']If a cable signal is routed to a cable box and then plugged into your TV via coax, doesn't the signal override your TV's tuner, meaning you won't get to utilize the ATSC tuner? If I also put in the composite to the TV, you're saying that the cable box will know that it is hooked up to an ATSC tuner?

Can someone explain to me why everything looks 10x sharper and clearer when I connect direct to my ATSC tuner even when it clearly states that the channel is being broadcasted as 480i? I also get some strange channels that I do not have access to through the cable box like CBS 4 HD. Why would I not have access to these through the cable box?[/QUOTE]

If the output of your cable box is coax to the tv, then you would need an RF switch I guess, is your cable box ancient or something that it doesnt have any other output options? maybe you could pick up a new one.

The reason you get channels that you don't normally see through your ATSC tuner is that the broadcasters have extra bandwidth and divide their digital broadcast into sub channels. You could also be picking up channels being broadcast from outside your area.

As for image quality being better than your cable it is probably a combination of two things, cable companies only have so much bandwidth through their coax so they have to compress their programming in order to squeeze all those channels in. Over the air broadcasts don't have this same limitation so some people will say that even the cable/satellite HD channels will not look as good as broadcast HD because broadcasters don't have to compress their signal.

The second reason could be because you're connecting your cable box to the tv through coax rather than composite or s-video but I don't know how much that would really effect it given the low quality standard def output they are pumping into your cable box in the first place.
 
I've got one cable line coming into the house. From there it is split to four rooms. I have an additional split behind one tv, one cable for the hd cable box and one cable going into the tv. I've got 2 rooms with HDTV's with QAM tuners and they have no issues picking up the HD signals. I've got another room with the HDTV and HD cable box with no issues. The fourth split is for the cable modem, and I don't see any issues with the speed of the connection. When I did all of this I did replace all the co-ax with a higher grade wire and replaced the splitters with a higher grade splitter. I am not using a signal amp.
 
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