TV Tuner in reverse?

[Ian Petersen]

On Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 12:02 PM, William Park <opengeometry-FFYn/CNdgSA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----
>> From: James Knott <james.knott-bJEeYj9oJeDQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org>
>> To: tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org
>> Sent: Thu, September 2, 2010 12:39:47 PM
>> Subject: Re: [TLUG]: TV Tuner in reverse?
>>
>> William Park wrote:
>> > Hi,
>> >
>> > TV tuner will decoded ATSC  signal from RG-6 input and record it to local
>> > harddisk.
>> > Is there  a way to do in reverse?  That is, send a recorded TV program into
>>RG-6
>> > coax
>> > cable in its original format, so that on the remote  side, it would be as
>>though
>> > it's coming
>> > from antenna.
>> >
>> > I have lots of leftover RG-6 cable/connectors.  And, I would like  to connect
>>my
>> > TV to
>> > my computer using RG-6 cable, and install  A-B switch ($10) at TV, so that I
>>can
>> > pick
>> > which input to watch  from.  As far as TV is concerned, it wouldn't know if
>>the
>> > signal  is
>> > coming from antenna or from my computer.
>> >
>> What you're looking for is referred to as a "video modulator".  Many  years
>>ago, personal computers such as the Apple II, Commie 64 etc. used them to  hook
>>up to a TV.  There are also some that will convert VGA to NTSC video,  but with
>>those you're greatly limited in resolution to what NTSC supports.   You could
>>get a good picture with something that can take HDMI or DVI from a  computer and
>>convert it to ATSC video on RF, but I haven't seen any and I expect  they'd be
>>fairly expensive.  Of course, many TVs these days have VGA input,  as well as
>>HDMI/DVI, which would give excellent picture quality.  My own  computer uses DVI
>>@ 1080P on a 23" wide screen monitor.  I could, if I  wish, connect it to a HDMI
>>input on my TV.  Does your TV not have any HDMI  or VGA inputs?
>
> Yes, it does.  My TV is "HD ready", so it has every possible input connectors.
> Right now,
> its HDMI port is connected to external Kworld settop tuner, which in turn is
> connected to
> my antenna.  So, I can watch live TV, just fine.
>
> Soon, I will run a cable from the antenna to my computer in my room.  So, I
> should be
> able to watch/record on my computer.
>
> My problem is how to watch on my TV, as cheaply as possible, when computer and
> TV
> are not in the same room.
>
>    - I don't want to upgrade to Wireless-N
>    - I don't want to get another computer for MythTV frontend, just to watch
> occasional
>      recorded TV.
>    - I don't want to carry my computer to/from living room, whenever I want to
> watch
>      recorded TV.
>    - I can use my laptop (Pentium-M, Intel 915), but it's barely capable.
> There is hint
>      of stuttering, and VGA/audio cables are messy.
>
> Cheapest solution is to run RG-6 cable between my computer and my TV.  Of
> course,
> assuming I can send recorded MPEG-2 files out into RG-6 cable as ATSC/QAM
> signal.
>
> I'll google "ATSC modulator".

I don't know if this'll help you, but I've seen "HDMI-over-ethernet"
hardware before.  Basically, it was a pair of wall plates with HDMI
ports on the front and RJ-45 connectors on the back.  With two Cat-5
(or maybe Cat-6, I don't know) cables, you could create a
long-distance HDMI cable for cheap.  If you're planning to run RG-6
cables anyway, maybe you could run Cat-5 instead and transmit in HD.

Ian
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