Analogue Video to DTV Conversion ...

Bit OT but following on from the interesting discussions we had on the 'End of Analog TV', has anyone come across a commercial stand-alone converter, that will take in analogue video, and output an RF DTV signal ? Sort of like a standard UHF modulator, but producing a DTV compatible signal. I know that such items have been put together by hams for digital ATV transmissions, but as far as I know, it has all been homebrew stuff.

The reason I am looking for such an item is that I am about to buy a new LCD TV for the kitchen that I've just done up. I currently have a UHF distribution system running round the house, which is fed with off-air signals from the roof antenna, as well as output from the Sky+ sat box / recorder, and my TiVo box. I would like to be able to watch the Sky and TiVo signals on that new set in the kitchen. Trouble is, most of the sets now being sold in the UK, have a built in Freeview digital tuner, and no analogue capability, so they would not respond to any of the analogue signals being fed round the distribution system, including my Sky and TiVo.

Seems to me that this is going to be a problem in the future, as many people feed analogue signals from recorders and sat receivers around their houses, to watch on portables in the kitchen and bedrooms etc. As these sets get replaced, even if you continue to feed DTV RF signals around the house, you are not going to be able to get the additonal signals from your other kit, that you previously did. That will mean that the only set that you can watch your Sky signals on, will be the one that is directly video linked to the box.

I am sure that many people just don't realise what facilities they are going to lose in the weeks immediately following the closing down of their analogue service. How many people realise that every portable TV, VCR, DVD recorder, HDD recorder etc that they now have all around their houses, is going to need a DTV STB ahead of it ?

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily
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On Dec 2, 5:33=A0pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote: > Bit OT but following on from the interesting discussions we had on the 'End > of Analog TV', has anyone come across a commercial stand-alone converter, > that will take in analogue video, and output an RF DTV signal ? Sort of like > a standard UHF modulator, but producing a DTV compatible signal. I know that > such items have been put together by hams for digital ATV transmissions, but > as far as I know, it has all been homebrew stuff. >

A DTV modulator is a good deal more complicated than a simple AM transmitter used for analog video though I expect there may be some down the road. With the interfacing to computers pretty simple for many HDTVs, I suspect it will be more common to use the CAT 5 or 6 networking to watch video from a server computer. I've been doing this for 4 years now. Gigabit is nice for moving files around the network but it's perfectly fine to watch a file real time from another PC even while IT is recording another HD show. 10-100 is more than adequate as the US datasteam is 19 Mbits max. You don't need anything special to do this as you can use the router / switch you probably have already. USB 2.0 is adequate as well and those 500gig drives for $80 can hold

100-200 1 hour shows after the commercials are edited out.

G=B2

Reply to
stratus46

Most of the TV made in the last dozen years accept component video signals as inputs, S-video , for example.

DTV converters put out Channel 3 analog and component video analog....

VCRs accept component video inputs and put out component video outputs...

... I really don't see the problem.....

If worse comes to worse, once can use an old VCR with a bad transport to take in component video and put out channel 3 or 4..... Bulky, but puts the old junk to good use...

Also, you can google " Digital TV encoder " , and find the manufacturers of the chips that do what you are talking about ---- taking analog input and making encoded DTV output...... I'm sure that those who make the chips have application circuits in their data sheets...

Andy in Eureka, Texas

Reply to
Andy

I can't help you with what you want, but may be able to help you with something that works.

Look up "WinFast TV Pro II Leadtek". It's one of many devices that are designed to share a computer monitor with your video needs. It has RF, S-Video and composite inputs and outputs VGA type RGB signals.

My guess is that it will be around 30 quid in the UK.

You just have to buy a TV that has a "VGA" type input.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm@mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM
Reply to
Geoffrey S. Mendelson

A DTV modulator is a good deal more complicated than a simple AM transmitter used for analog video though I expect there may be some down the road. With the interfacing to computers pretty simple for many HDTVs, I suspect it will be more common to use the CAT 5 or 6 networking to watch video from a server computer. I've been doing this for 4 years now. Gigabit is nice for moving files around the network but it's perfectly fine to watch a file real time from another PC even while IT is recording another HD show. 10-100 is more than adequate as the US datasteam is 19 Mbits max. You don't need anything special to do this as you can use the router / switch you probably have already. USB 2.0 is adequate as well and those 500gig drives for $80 can hold

100-200 1 hour shows after the commercials are edited out.

Agreed that this would probably be the way to go if starting again from scratch. Just seems a bloody nuisance to have to start running CAT 5 cable around the house, and then to have to use the TV in its monitor mode to hang on the end of a 'receiver' computer, when there is a perfectly good UHF network running around the house, which has worked well for years, and continues to carry the digital multiplexes well enough to be useable, just about, and hopefully even better when they jack up the power levels on them after the analogue closedown.

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

That's fair enough Andy - given that we are UHF here in the UK rather than VHF - but you miss the primary point of what I am saying. Already, LCD TV sets are being sold, which have no facilities to receive analogue *RF* signals. Yes, for sure, they can accept every other type of input known to man, but not a simple, UHF, off-air analogue signal, as presumably, the makers are thinking "no off-air analogue being broadcast, no need to be able to receive any, then".

So yes, I could split the RGB or whatever output from the Sky box, and feed it to more than one TV set, but with the best will in the world, it's not going to be practical to feed it to many more TV sets. At the moment, the output from my additional sources feeds into a trunked UHF distribution system which I put in when I had the house built. There are at least 9 drop-offs in the main house that I can think of right now, plus a couple more in my electronic repair shop area. My neighbour has a similar system, and whilst that many drops on a trunked system is a bit unusual in a normal house, I know many people who have three or four rooms fed from a multiway UHF distribution amplifier located in their attic space, and fed, like my system, with both off-air signals from their roof antenna, as well as output from their Sky boxes and so on. I'm pretty sure that they probably don't realise that when they replace any of the TV sets, they are not then going to be able to 'receive' that additional content on the new TV.

So it's not a case of using the modulator in an old VCR. If it were that easy, standalone modulators which take in AV and output a UHF PAL compatible signal with sound, are readily available.

A number of ham ATV repeaters, both here and in the US, I believe, are now running digital in tandem with analogue. Although many hams are using ex-broadcast equipment to do the DTV signal construction from analogue baseband inputs, I seem to recall reading that there are schematics around for homebrew, presumably, as you say, using dedicated chips for the job. I might try having a look down the homebrew route, and see what is around. In the meantime, last night, I found what might be a suitable TV for my kitchen which, as well as having the DTV receiver built in, along with every other possible input also has - oh joy! - a bog standard UHF analogue tuner in it ...

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

there are plenty of tellies about, flat screens or otherwise, which have UHF analogue tuners in. Just go for those models, and not a brand new one . There will be plenty about for years to come on the second hand market!

not ideal but that's the quick answer to your predicament!

-B

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But Arfa would like to be able to get a tv that accepts both types of inputs

Reply to
hrhofmann

I use a ReplayTV 4500 for just such a purpose; its handling of composite and y/c, component, and RF video in, and a flawless conversion to progressive VGA out, is unique in my opinion - these inputs can be directly routed to output (outputs also include composite, y/c, and component) or handled by the digitizing chain (recorded, streamed over ethernet, etc.)

Used prices may make this a useful alternative.

Michael

Reply to
msg

Don't know it it would help, but you could try reposting in uk.tech.digital-tv.

--
Jeff
Reply to
Jeff Layman

Wouldn't that be uk.tech.analogue.tv?

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm@mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM
Reply to
Geoffrey S. Mendelson

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