Thinking of Switching Back - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

Roadhouse · 2007-08-01, 12:54 PM

I switched to local HD cable here in Newfoundland two years ago when we moved here. It looked like a good deal at the time, however we want to go back to *C.

We will most likely be getting a 505 or 530 for the main unit, however I wanted to set up a unit to drive two TV's in separate parts of the house, with simply a remote at each TV. I was able to do this with my older 401 receivers and the UHF remote/range extender kit. Do the newer lower end *C receivers have that cabability or does one have to go with a home theatre level receiver? Is it possible also to purchase a 401 or 405 off eBay and have that activated?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

RH

smp01 · 2007-08-01, 02:51 PM

You would probably be better off to get a 3rd receiver, say a 207 - very plain-jane and only $70 or cheaper.

The new LNBs have 4 ports enough to drive a 530 and 2 other receivers. The multi-receiver fee ($5) is the same and there is no increase in your monthly fee for the 3rd receiver.

AvengeR77 · 2007-08-01, 03:14 PM

I would also stay away from buying used receivers, unless you can get the serial number and let Star Choice verify that there is no outstanding balance on that receiver. If there is a balance, then you cannot activate the receiver until the balance is paid off.

If you want just 1 receiver to output to 2 tv's , only the HD receivers have the UHF antenna.

Roadhouse · 2007-08-02, 05:13 AM

Thanks folks....excellent points.

What I'm after is receivers to drive 5 TV's throughout the house. The 505 or 530 will be in the family room with the HT. There only needs to be two additional channels available for the remaining 4 TV's. That's where my old 401's would have worked good as I had a similar setup before....and thus what I figured would be an economical way to get the same results.

From what I can glean from the *C website and what has been said here, is that only the 505 and 530 have the ability to use the remote control from other rooms. Is that correct? Would I be able to do that with a 317 receiver?

Any other ideas on how I can acheive this? I don't really want to buy 3 505's if I can avoid it. (Would a standard dish be able to supply 3 505's?)

Anyhow, thanks much for the advice so far.

Cheers,

RH

TJ77 · 2007-08-02, 12:06 PM

A standard dish has 4 coax connectors, so yes. The 317 is not UHF, though it is an excellent box.

WolfDV · 2007-08-02, 01:33 PM

I also say just get a cheap 207 . . or maybe a used 505 or 315 (i bought another 505 for only $40b, and a 315 for $20) . . just make sure prior to purchase that the serial #'s check out to not have any outstanding charges.

********** , buysell.com , ebay , craigslist ,etc all have cheap units on them

SensualPoet · 2007-08-02, 01:50 PM

Living in St. John's, I am guessing your cable company is Rogers. While Star Choice has a good and growing offering on HD, and a strong HD PVR, there are some features you may lose by switching.

These include:

Bundle pricing such as Home Phone, Internet and Cable -- 10% off all recurring charges

On Demand services and VIP packaging (including Food, HGTV, National Geographic, Treehouse, MTV all free On Demand)

Upgrades to TMN such as TMN On Demand not available from Star Choice

A good selection of HD channels with more on the way and, when the fibrelink is done, eventually the full range available in ON and NB

The downside is the delays in a dual-turn HD PVR.

In any case, look carefully at what you are trading off from switching.

Roadhouse · 2007-08-04, 07:34 AM

Again, more excellent points and thanks very much. I hadn't considered the On Demand features. I'll have to discuss this more with Mrs. Roadhouse. We just find the quality of the signal and customer service both leaving a lot to be desired. We were originally promised a dual tuner PVR, but they never came through and I finally got fed up of fighting it.

Anyhow, more to think about.

Cheers,

RH

classicsat · 2007-08-04, 10:32 AM

You can use the 207 or 317 with 3rd party remote extender.

Roadhouse · 2007-08-06, 06:43 AM

Third Party Remote Extender? I asked the guy at a local retailer about that and he said it couldn't be done. Could you PM me some more details on this? Thanks very much & cheers,

RH

2007-08-01, 12:54 PM	#1
Roadhouse Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: St. John's Posts: 147	Thinking of Switching Back I switched to local HD cable here in Newfoundland two years ago when we moved here. It looked like a good deal at the time, however we want to go back to C. We will most likely be getting a 505 or 530 for the main unit, however I wanted to set up a unit to drive two TV's in separate parts of the house, with simply a remote at each TV. I was able to do this with my older 401 receivers and the UHF remote/range extender kit. Do the newer lower end C receivers have that cabability or does one have to go with a home theatre level receiver? Is it possible also to purchase a 401 or 405 off eBay and have that activated? Any advice would be much appreciated. Cheers, RH

2007-08-02, 01:50 PM	#7
SensualPoet Veteran Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Downtown Toronto • Toshiba 52XL177 • HD DVD Toshiba • Rogers HDPVR Cisco 8642 Posts: 2,886	Living in St. John's, I am guessing your cable company is Rogers. While Star Choice has a good and growing offering on HD, and a strong HD PVR, there are some features you may lose by switching. These include: Bundle pricing such as Home Phone, Internet and Cable -- 10% off all recurring charges On Demand services and VIP packaging (including Food, HGTV, National Geographic, Treehouse, MTV all free On Demand) Upgrades to TMN such as TMN On Demand not available from Star Choice A good selection of HD channels with more on the way and, when the fibrelink is done, eventually the full range available in ON and NB The downside is the delays in a dual-turn HD PVR. In any case, look carefully at what you are trading off from switching.

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2007-08-01, 02:51 PM	#2
smp01 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Muskoka, Ontario Posts: 760	You would probably be better off to get a 3rd receiver, say a 207 - very plain-jane and only $70 or cheaper. The new LNBs have 4 ports enough to drive a 530 and 2 other receivers. The multi-receiver fee ($5) is the same and there is no increase in your monthly fee for the 3rd receiver.

2007-08-01, 03:14 PM	#3
AvengeR77 Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 192	I would also stay away from buying used receivers, unless you can get the serial number and let Star Choice verify that there is no outstanding balance on that receiver. If there is a balance, then you cannot activate the receiver until the balance is paid off. If you want just 1 receiver to output to 2 tv's , only the HD receivers have the UHF antenna.

2007-08-02, 05:13 AM	#4
Roadhouse Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: St. John's Posts: 147	Thanks folks....excellent points. What I'm after is receivers to drive 5 TV's throughout the house. The 505 or 530 will be in the family room with the HT. There only needs to be two additional channels available for the remaining 4 TV's. That's where my old 401's would have worked good as I had a similar setup before....and thus what I figured would be an economical way to get the same results. From what I can glean from the *C website and what has been said here, is that only the 505 and 530 have the ability to use the remote control from other rooms. Is that correct? Would I be able to do that with a 317 receiver? Any other ideas on how I can acheive this? I don't really want to buy 3 505's if I can avoid it. (Would a standard dish be able to supply 3 505's?) Anyhow, thanks much for the advice so far. Cheers, RH

2007-08-02, 12:06 PM	#5
TJ77 Veteran Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 1,991	A standard dish has 4 coax connectors, so yes. The 317 is not UHF, though it is an excellent box.

2007-08-02, 01:33 PM	#6
WolfDV Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 72	I also say just get a cheap 207 . . or maybe a used 505 or 315 (i bought another 505 for only $40b, and a 315 for $20) . . just make sure prior to purchase that the serial #'s check out to not have any outstanding charges. ********** , buysell.com , ebay , craigslist ,etc all have cheap units on them

2007-08-04, 07:34 AM	#8
Roadhouse Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: St. John's Posts: 147	Again, more excellent points and thanks very much. I hadn't considered the On Demand features. I'll have to discuss this more with Mrs. Roadhouse. We just find the quality of the signal and customer service both leaving a lot to be desired. We were originally promised a dual tuner PVR, but they never came through and I finally got fed up of fighting it. Anyhow, more to think about. Cheers, RH

2007-08-04, 10:32 AM	#9
classicsat Veteran Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Kincardine ON. Posts: 4,008	You can use the 207 or 317 with 3rd party remote extender.

2007-08-06, 06:43 AM	#10
Roadhouse Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: St. John's Posts: 147	Third Party Remote Extender? I asked the guy at a local retailer about that and he said it couldn't be done. Could you PM me some more details on this? Thanks very much & cheers, RH