TV distribution advice please

Lochlannach

I'm looking for advice on what would be the best setup to go with for the house we've just moved into. I've put this in the satellite section as the main queries I have are with regard to that side of the setup.

I am in the process of fitting an aerial for Saorview as there wasn't one. I can get a strong signal here (quick test on the ground worked without issue).

I will also be fitting a new satellite dish & lnb shortly to replace the old one which is at the point of falling apart (and isn't in a great location either). This will be used for freesat/free to air channels.

Internally there are a few points dotted around but they are not necessarily in the right place or may need cables changed (20+ years old). I haven't paid huge attention to where they end up (though some are just a bundle of cable in the attic for example) as I know it needs some work and I can sort it then. I'm going to be doing a combination of tv and network at the same time so want to get it right.

The plan is to take the feed from both satellite & aerial to a single point and distribute to the various rooms/points from there - currently looking at the following:

4 - Satellite & Saorview

1 - 2 x Satellite & 2 x Saorview (to facilitate occasional recording)

There are a couple of other rooms which I'm not planning on connecting up though I may end up running cables to these just in case.

It seems to me a single cable with diplexers will solve the majority of the points over a single cable. This would have the benefit of much less cable to buy/run. The main point would need a minimum of two cables to achieve the desired result.

In terms of satellite I had initially thought that a multi lnb would be the way with the feeds connected up to those coming from the relevant points at my central distribution point. This obviously would mean multiple cable runs for the dish to central & central to main point.

However I've also stumbled across unicable II. This would potentially be neater with one cable to each point and one to the dish sufficing. It would also allow potential expansion to other rooms & multiple points with dual satellite etc. as the number of tuners available is greater.

What do ye reckon would be the best solution here? I'm open to suggestion as I've pretty much got a blank slate here.

Am I better with a multi lnb or a unicable II? If unicable would I be better with a round dish rather than the sky style (given I'm changing it anyway)?

Is a multi switch the best way to combine and distribute the satellite & aerial signals for this amount of points? If I'm understanding correctly I may be able to get away with a quad/quatro lnb if using one?

Do I need to consider amping the aerial signal before splitting given the number of points? Some of the points may not be used so maybe not initially as I could add later?

The Cush

Look at a multiswitch, 4 sat feeds in from a quad/quattro LNB plus Saorview aerial feed in.

They are available with multi outputs.

Each output carries both Saorview and satellite signals, without interference. These can be split as required at the TV point via a diplexing faceplate or standalone diplexer.

My own setup is a Whyte 5/16 multiswitch (5 in as above, 16 outputs), a pre-amp is required for the aerial feed before the multiswitch.

Irish Steve

if you're looking at Multiswitch, which is a good system, if you're thinking of going for Sky Q, be careful, there are two different types of multiswitch, and only one type will work with Sky Q, and for reliability, the Sky Q repeaters will work with WiFi, but are more reliable and stable if wired via ethernet.

I'm not sure if the Sky Stream devices are capable of Ethernet connection, that may also be a consideration, there's no certainty about how long Sky Q will still be around for, if they can persuade people to go for the Internat based system, it will save them huge sums on satellite distribution costs, so there's serious motivation for them to get away from dishes and all the other related costs. As for how many customers they'll lose as a resulf of that change, I suspect that their bean counters won't be in the least bit worried about that loss, given the huge savings to be made, it's very evident from recent announcments that their future is Internet based, and the resultant company will be very different, both in size and in terms of what they offer.