When I upgraded from cable TV to satellite I lost the ability to broadcast video over my cable network using MediaCaster. In this article I explain how I solved this problem.

I have a PC configured as a media server. It combines the functions of a TiVO/PVR, DVD player, MP3 jukebox, photo album, gaming system, FM radio and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound system. The PVR component consists of a hardware MPEG-2 encoder/decoder (Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-250), Snapstream's Beyond TV PVR software and an ATI Radeon graphics adapter, which provides an S-video output to a TV. The PVR software performs the same functions as a TiVO. MediaCaster allowed me to access the media server content on any TV in our house. So, I could record a program and watch it or a DVD remotely in the bedroom. I use FM remote controls (ATI Remote Wonder) to control the PC from anywhere in the house.

Unfortunately there are two problems with a satellite-based system:

·         The satellite receivers apply a DC bias to the cable, which is incompatible with CATV signals. Plugging in a MediaCaster caused interference with the satellite signal either completely blocking the signal or degrading it such that many channels were lost.

·         The satellite signal is digitally encoded and encrypted. Currently, the only way to decode the signal is to use a satellite receiver. So, you can't use the TV tuner in the PVR card to directly tune channels. You need to change channels on the satellite receiver. If you were scheduling a recording you'd have to switch the channel on the receiver first before staring the recording. This is obviously unacceptable for a PVR system that is required to operate autonomously.

The solution wasn't obvious, but the end result is remarkably simple and the performance of MediaCaster in this environment is outstanding.

The solution to the first problem lies in a device called a diplexer. A diplexer allows a satellite and an antenna/cable TV signal to share the same cable. A diplexer at the signal input combines the satellite and CATV signals and then at the other end the signal is split by another diplexer connected the other way around. This solved the problem of broadcasting CATV signals on the satellite network. I could connect the CableCaster and MediaCasters to the CATV input/output of the diplexers and transmit video over the network. The second problem was a little more involved. The media server PC is located near the family room where most of our TV/DVD watching takes place. The family room also has the 5.1 speaker system driven by the media server. There's a satellite receiver in the family room. If we'd programmed the PVR to record a program we wouldn't be able to view another channel at the same time because the PVR shares the same, one channel at a time, satellite receiver with the TV in the family room. We've found that there's frequently a conflict between what we want to watch and what the PVR is recording. So, we needed a way for the PVR to get its signal from another satellite receiver and to be able to remotely control that receiver to switch channels automatically. We realized that if we were watching TV in the family room, we'd probably not be watching TV in the master bedroom, so we hooked up the master bedroom satellite receiver to a MediaCaster and connected it into the cable network using a diplexer. The MediaCaster was set to channel 66. In the family room we split the signal again and feed the CATV output into the PVR card's TV input. The PVR software is tuned to channel 66. Now the PVR software can record from the satellite receiver in the bedroom.

The next problem was how to automatically change channels. Fortunately there's a solution to this too. Snapstream's Beyond TV product has a plug-in architecture that allows it to control external tuners (such as cable boxes and satellite receivers) using a universal IR control utility (HERemote) and an IR transmitter (MyBlaster). When Beyond TV needs to change channels it transmits the IR code using the HERemote software and the MyBlaster IR transmitter. Now, the PVR is near the family room, but the satellite receiver it needs to control is in the master bedroom, out of IR range. This was easily solved by placing an IR Detector and an IR Caster next to the MyBlaster unit and connected to the CATV side of the same diplexer that's providing the TV input signal to the PVR card. In the master bedroom and IR Emitter connected to the MediaCaster transmits the IR channel change command to the satellite receiver. Now we have the ability to remotely control the satellite receiver and record the TV signal from this remote receiver.

This configuration is shown in the diagram. (further below)

Note that this does not show the output from the PVR being broadcast over the cable network. This would simply require a second MediaCaster to be connected next to the IR Caster by the media server. It would take the video out from the PC and broadcast the signal on a channel other then 66. The TV in the master bedroom could be switched to that channel to view video on the PVR. The ATI Remote Wonder would provide remote control of the PVR, including local satellite receiver channel changing! The RF signal would be received by the PVR and then the corresponding channel change IR signal would be sent back over the cable network to the IR Emitter, which would control the satellite receiver in the master bedroom.

I also don't show VCRs but who needs them with a PVR!

There's one oddity with this configuration: the CableCaster is not powered! The diplexer appears to block the DC signal, so the CableCaster does not receiver remote power from the IR Caster. I installed a local power supply for the CableCaster but it didn't make any difference to the video signal quality, which is outstanding even though the TV signal is multiplexed with the satellite signal, broadcast over the cable network before being encoded by the PVR.

I'm extremely pleased that I was able to solve my satellite dilemma using MediaCaster! Here's the list of the components I used:

·         1 x MediaCaster

·         1 x CableCaster

·         1 x IR Detector

·         1 x IR Caster

·         1 x IR Emitter

·         1 x Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-350 (MPEG-2 encoding/decoding card) http://www.hauppauge.com/html/wintvpvr350_datasheet.htm

·         1 x MyBlaster (IR transmitter) http://www.mytvstore.com/product_id_001.html

·         1 x HERemote (IR control software for MyBlaster) http://www.tvscheduler.net/

·         1 x Snapstream Beyond TV (PVR software) http://www.snapstream.com/Products/Products_PVS3.asp

·         4 x RCA D920 Diplexer Switches http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/0,2588,PI700104,00.html?

·         1 x ATI Remote Wonder (RF remote control) http://www.ati.com/products/remotewonder/index.html

·         Numerous high quality S-video, composite video, RCA cables