Tutor
Can I use a 90 degree coax adapter to turn a corner?
For the coax cable that goes from the satellite dish into my house, I want to insert a 90 degree coax adapter so I can keep the cable flat against the wall after it passes through the wall. I might do this for both the inside and outside sides of the wall. Will this affect my signal?
Also, I'm assuming I only need one coax line running into the house (through the exterior wall) from the dish, even though I'll have two DVRs with two inputs each (which I might upgrade to HD). Is this correct? I assume the line can be split into multiple lines (using a multi switch, whatever) once it's in the house.
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TexasBrit
ACE - Expert
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14.1K Messages
5 years ago
There are several 90 degree coax connctors that are sweep tested to 3GHz. try Monoprice.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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20.5K Messages
5 years ago
@directv_jsc
Boxes do not require a phone line, and starting with the 3rd generation Genie (HR54) they don't even have a phone jack.
Connecting to internet is optional, but does get access to the On Demand features. The Genies starting with the 2nd generation (HR44) have WiFi built in to connect to your home router. Can connect by 2.4Ghz or even 5Ghz if your router supports it.
Wireless setup which includes the owned accessory of the wireless video bridge (WVB) is $99. Only Mini Genie Clients have a wireless option, there is no wireless HDDVR. Wired is preferred over wireless, especially since you are replacing boxes that were already wired to begin with.
As for 4K it requires to be specifically ordered and you must have a 4K TV already or they will not install it. Wired Client is the only option for 4K and there are is limited programming at this time. Here are the requirements:
HR54 Genie on non 4K tv (Can connect to a 4K TV but cannot provide 4K itself)
Mini Genie Client (C61K) which is wired only
4K tv must support HDCP 2.2, HDMI 2.0, and 60fps (frames per second)
Direcv Installation, 4K tv must be there
Package Select or above as of 12/15/2016 (used to be only Ultimate or Premier)
Only 2 channels in 4K (plus a few PPVs)
No matter how many 4K Clients you have, only 1 TV at a time can use a 4K channel
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Constructive
Employee
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1.2K Messages
5 years ago
i dont believe there is anyone that makes a high frequency 90 degree connector, so this might cause freezing and pixelation.
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kelly_a
Scholar
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113 Messages
5 years ago
To your second question, it depends on the locations of of the DVRs. Normally the coax would enter via an exterior wall, closest to each dvr, with a splitter on the exterior. That keeps the coax snaking through the interior of your house to a minimum.
The 90 degree adapters are cheap enough you could try one to see if you notice any degradation - that is, assuming you get a plate on the interior rather than just a cable pass-through. Be sure you buy the type that’s threaded on the female side, rather than push-on. The exterior will almost certainly be pass-through so no where to insert a 90.
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litzdog911
ACE - Sage
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45.6K Messages
5 years ago
I don't think you'll have any issues. Give it a try.
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directv_jsc
Tutor
5 years ago
Thanks Constructive. FYI, in my setup, I only have 2 boxes (DVRs) and it's easy enough to snake cables through my house (through an unfinished basement). So I'd like to have just one coax cable enter my house, and then split it into separate lines go to each DVR (2 per DVR). Can I get away with having only one coax cable entering my house from the outside? My remodeling contractor unfortunately took down the dish and removed the cables, so I can't refer to my old setup. Thanks again for your help!
P.S. Won't I need a line to carry power to the dish as well?
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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20.5K Messages
5 years ago
What model boxes and which receiving dish do you have?
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directv_jsc
Tutor
5 years ago
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directv_jsc
Tutor
5 years ago
Both boxes are R16-500 DVRs. I guess I'll replace them with new HD DVRs.
I'm learning more about how these are set up (trying to answer my own question). It looks like I'll only need one line to run from the dish into the house. I think the connections would be as follows: Dish -> SWM8 multiswitch (or similar, mounted outside) -> power inserter (inside) -> splitter -> each DVR. The power inserter sends power upstream to the dish and forwards the satellite signal downstream to the splitter. Someone said I could instead put the power inserter between the splitter and one of the DVRs if I configure it properly. I guess I'll ask the installer about the options. Rumor has it there's a dish with the multiswitch built in.
I found diagrams and info here: https://www.swm8.com/swm-wiring-examples.php
and here: http://www.highdefinitionblog.com/?page_id=408
Thanks again for your help!
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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20.5K Messages
5 years ago
R16s are MPEG-2 (SD only) boxes. The last of the MPEG-2 feeds are shutting down beginning April 2019 so after that you will need MPEG-4 (SD and HD capable equipment). If those are the only 2 boxes you have and you have decided on utilizing your HD TVs, then it is simple.
Call DirecTV 1-800-531-5000. Because of the MPEG shutdown they have free swap or upgrade options depending what is needed. In your case you would request an upgrade to a Genie which will include a Mini Genie Client so both TVs are covered. This would provide you 5 tuners to use between the TVs for watching and recording with 1TB recording space. Cabling and receiving dish would receive updates as needed. Monthly bill would have $10 HD and $3 Whole Home DVR service. Upgrade comes with 24 month agreement as usual.
You could also get an HDDVR instead of a Mini Genie Client, which would have its own 2 tuners and 500GB recording space, and it and the Genie can still view each other's recordings. There is no monthly cost difference between Mini Genie Client and HDDVR, but the HDDVR would normally be beyond the free Genie upgrade so would have a one-time lease cost of $199.
The recordings of your existing DVRs do not transfer to the replacement boxes. So it is suggested to be comfortably caught up first.
A caution, if offered do NOT get the Genie-2 (HS17) as it is not yet a fully reliable system because of post launch bugs. Plus it forbids having other HDDVRs from being on the account, making it a restrictive setup. A regular Genie (2nd/3rd generation HR44/HR54) is the more reliable setup, especially if you have a regular HDDVR instead of a Client on the 2nd TV.
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directv_jsc
Tutor
5 years ago
Do the new direcTV boxes still need a phone or Ethernet connection? That
was always a pain.
I called DirecTV (which is not very knowledgeable on technical questions)
and they said I can do 1 genie box plus a mini for my needs (I have 2 TVs).
They said I can do wireless to the mini for added cost, but not if I want 4K
signal for the second TV, in which case they said I'd need 2 full genie
boxes. I can sort that out with them. But the phone/Ethernet question
remains -- do the full boxes need a phone/Ethernet connection? Thanks!
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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19.7K Messages
5 years ago
DTV only allows one Genie per account.
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directv_jsc
Tutor
5 years ago
I don't desperately need 4K or a wireless mini connection, and they cost
extra. So I'll save my money and skip those. I'll just run a coax line
from the main box to the single mini. I'll use wifi (not to be confused
with the wireless mini link) for special features, as you say.
All in all, this will upgrade my main box to HD, replace the other full box
with an HD mini, eliminate 1 of the 2 coax lines running the length of my
house to serve the mini, reduce the number of lines entering my house to one
(thanks to SWM) and eliminate phone/ethernet lines to my boxes. Wow.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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20.5K Messages
5 years ago
Sounds good. Just remember the Mini Genie Client is an extension of the main Genie, so they share the recording list, parental controls, etc. But the Genie is a 5 tuner HDDVR, which is an increase over the 4 tuners (2 each DVR) you have now.
If they are still available when you next have a free upgrade, I would replace the Client with an HDDVR for the dedicated 2 tuners and independent processing, for no difference in monthly cost. If you choose to do so before then (such as with the Genie upgrade instead of a Client) it would be a one-time lease cost of $199.
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