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Carl_D

hi there
well i have now been the owner of a rather nice discounted xl201 for a couple of months (thanks for updating your product range Sony!). As i have just moved house i have also got myself broadband with free basic tv via cable and a Samsung 1080p 37" telly with freeview card in. so now i have myself a tv tuner in the tv, one in the pc and the STB for cable.

fore the last couple of weeks i have been perusing the forums with a view to getting the optimum setup for my system but havent really found anything yet that easily describes the connectivity options (thanks again sony for the 1sheet of a4 instructions)

so i look for advice... what is going to be the best way to go to get mediacenter working well on tv, as well as having access to freeview via the tv. i have recently bought a splitter for the arial coming into the flat but it has detrimented the signal quality on both machines when they are both connected. is the only option to encase the splitter in lead, invest in a nice expensive one and hope it does the trick, or is there a sneaky option 3 that i dont know about.

i suppose question 2 is the next step...if some time in the future i decide i MUST just have several hundred channels of repeats and shopping channels (!) via cable, or even get lured by HD content (which is more likely over time), what is going to be the optimal setup for connectors and cables, as yet i havent worked out the cable setup to get the cable box into the equation.

has anyone out there done some lovely pictures of their connections that may shed some light on best practice/best results??

thanks in advance
Carl
(covered head to toe in cables and sockets)

update:
my HDMI isnt sending audio either so at present i have
pc to tv via hdmi
tv audio out into pc (this seems like a complete waste but saves switching amp between pc and tv mode)
audio out from pc to amp (not running 5.1 here as no room for speakers)
stb into tv via scart

MattWilson

 or is there a sneaky option 3 that i dont know about.

Masthead for the aerial is always a good bet as it improves signal strength at the source.

Altenitively a booster just before the splitter would to the trick.

Buying a gold coated connector etc doesn't really have a noticable effect its just a way to make money out of you by charging £25 instead of £10!

ChalkyWhite71

Hi Carl, I had similar problems with signal on freeview, when connecting both using a cheap Y splitter. One may work sometimes, the other no signal at all. I bought an SLX2P booster from Maplin recently, and if you can ignore the bright blue LED which is always on, it's done the trick. I still get the odd stutter of picture/sound, but this can be attibuted I think to weather interference what with all the stormy conditions recently.

This site is useful to learn where your nearest transmitter is and what type of antenna you'll best use: http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?

Mine is Hannington, a good 16 miles away, but i have a neighbours loft space and their boiler right next to where i would be pointing any in-loft aerial. My only option is a replacement roof aerial or a masthead like Matt suggests.

Not too sure on the connection from the cable box, but I assume that S-Video would be best. I ditched my free-to-air Sky box setup in favour of freeview to get all my eggs in the one XL201 basket, and love it. I'm now just waiting for a PCI card arrangement like they already have in the US, to enable me to get HD Sky/satellite into the back of my Vaio directly, although I assume the PCI card will need some sort of viewing card slot to confirm the subscription.

Hope this helps

jumpsuit

Freeview? you lucky people - I stil can't get it.

MattWilson

Well you had better hope you can get it before the switch over in your area.

Lucky for me i live on the south coast and we don't get switched over until 2011 so i get the best of both worlds for a few years to come!

Carl_D

thanks for the tips. i think a trip to Maplins is on the cards. if only my stoopid samsung would sort out getting sound via HDMI then all would be good...

intrigued by the talk of the PCI card thingummy. have you got a link to something on this?

i reckon by the time i get an optimal setup the pc will be ready for an upgrade anyway!! luckily the missus is away for a few weeks so its time to get cabling round the back of the boxes

next stop Blue Ray 😐

ChalkyWhite71

Do a search for "freesat PCI" on google or have a look at this mob's products: http://www.digital-everywhere.com

Not sure they'll fit our Vaio's, but the technology is there. Would be interested to hear if anyone has got a Vaio XLxxx working with a dish.