D
DevillEars
Guest
Not being a great fan of the gogglebox, I've resisted the pressures to get DSTV and have now come under fire...
Being surrounded by females - one wife and two daughters - and outnumbered 3:1, it looks as if maybe the time has come to bow to the inevitable and provide them with DSTV (even if only to keep the listening room to myself).
The quandary? How to go about in such a way as to satisfy a number of conflicting requirements!
We currently have, spread across 4 rooms, a hodge-podge of video-related gear:
a) 4 x TV sets (all CRT-based)
b) 2 x VCRs
c) 3 x HTIB DVD reproduction systems
d) 1 x MNET analogue decoder
e) 2 x TV licences (just to stay legal)
I won't bore you with the process that resulted in this overkill situation - suffice to say that the four of us all have rather different preferences in viewing...
When we moved in here I had to re-do the aerial and wiring as the electrician that did the compliance certification had simply cut all links to any and all "non-compliant" sub-systems - including the TV aerial, which had no earthing stake. The antenna array (UHF/VHF & FM) feeds from the roof into the lounge, where it is connected to the input of the analog MNET decoder. The decoder's output is fed into a set-back amplifier to boost the signal which then feeds around the house to a total of eight aerial points, each with both TV & FM sockets.
DSTV adds a level of complexity that is beyond my current state-of-mind to comprehend...
Some posers:
a) Where, logically, should the DSTV decoder be sited? (replace the analogue decoder in the circuit or elsewhere?)
b) How to approach the decoder purchase? (1 x dual-view vs 2 x single-view? To PVR or not to PVR?, etc)
c) If no to a PVR, what options? (Add a DVD/HDD recorder? Add a Media Server?)
d) Remote control implications of a-c above?
The reason for even considering a 2 x single-view decoder approach is the elder daughter who will probably depart the familial nest sometime and she is one of the major proponents - so could take one with her.
Has anyone else here faced a similar dilemma? What route was adopted?
Any other thoughts, considerations?
Damn these females and their viewing needs that compete for disposable income that could be much better spent on either more music or more gear!!!
Being surrounded by females - one wife and two daughters - and outnumbered 3:1, it looks as if maybe the time has come to bow to the inevitable and provide them with DSTV (even if only to keep the listening room to myself).
The quandary? How to go about in such a way as to satisfy a number of conflicting requirements!
We currently have, spread across 4 rooms, a hodge-podge of video-related gear:
a) 4 x TV sets (all CRT-based)
b) 2 x VCRs
c) 3 x HTIB DVD reproduction systems
d) 1 x MNET analogue decoder
e) 2 x TV licences (just to stay legal)
I won't bore you with the process that resulted in this overkill situation - suffice to say that the four of us all have rather different preferences in viewing...
When we moved in here I had to re-do the aerial and wiring as the electrician that did the compliance certification had simply cut all links to any and all "non-compliant" sub-systems - including the TV aerial, which had no earthing stake. The antenna array (UHF/VHF & FM) feeds from the roof into the lounge, where it is connected to the input of the analog MNET decoder. The decoder's output is fed into a set-back amplifier to boost the signal which then feeds around the house to a total of eight aerial points, each with both TV & FM sockets.
DSTV adds a level of complexity that is beyond my current state-of-mind to comprehend...
Some posers:
a) Where, logically, should the DSTV decoder be sited? (replace the analogue decoder in the circuit or elsewhere?)
b) How to approach the decoder purchase? (1 x dual-view vs 2 x single-view? To PVR or not to PVR?, etc)
c) If no to a PVR, what options? (Add a DVD/HDD recorder? Add a Media Server?)
d) Remote control implications of a-c above?
The reason for even considering a 2 x single-view decoder approach is the elder daughter who will probably depart the familial nest sometime and she is one of the major proponents - so could take one with her.
Has anyone else here faced a similar dilemma? What route was adopted?
Any other thoughts, considerations?
Damn these females and their viewing needs that compete for disposable income that could be much better spent on either more music or more gear!!!
