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Curt Palme
CRT Tech
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 24396
Location: Langley, BC
TV/Projector: All of them!
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 3:45 am Post subject: A new product: HD RF modulator that uses existing cable! |
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Guys, I saw this at CES last year, and waited until I installed a couple so I could see what they do, and if they do it well, and they do!
This is an HD RF modulator that will modulate an HD source or computer SVGA output to one of the HD channels for a flat screen with a built in tuner. I've put two of these into a pub, and simply fed the output on top of the cablevision feed coming into the pub... and no sweat, 1080i is playing on all the flat screens in the pub.
The only catch of course is that the flat screen needs a built in tuner, so these won't work with a monitor style flat screen, but a buddy of mine also tried tying one of these into a hotel's cable system and distribution, and every room he checked worked fine with no interference.
I'm going to market these to restaurants and pubs, but some of you here might find this useful as well.
At $999 retail for the basic Zv150 unit, $2499 for the pro unit, it could be a lot cheaper to wire one of these babies in rather than running component, CAT5 or other cabling around the house.
I'll sell the basic one for $850, the pro for $2300.00. (I've only played with the basic.
Here's a link to the site, feel free to ask questions.
http://www.zeevee.com/connected-home/zvbox150
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AnalogRocks
Forum Moderator
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 26706
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV/Projector: Sony 1252Q, AMPRO 4000G
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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Wow how did I miss this post?
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ecrabb
Forum Moderator
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 15909
Location: Utah
TV/Projector: JVC RS40, Epson 5010
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting product. Pricey, but interesting. Looking at the specs, it looks like they don't support any interlaced resolutions, nor does it support 1080p... So, no 1080i, no 1080p. Over component, it look like only 480i/p and 720p. Hmmmm...
SC
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ecrabb
Forum Moderator
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 15909
Location: Utah
TV/Projector: JVC RS40, Epson 5010
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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Whoah! Hold the phone... Have they lowered the prices? Amazon has the basic bundle for $407!!!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018L7NUA/curtpalmecrtp-20
That's actually really reasonable. Somebody buy one of these and put it through its paces and let us know how it works!
SC
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ecrabb
Forum Moderator
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 15909
Location: Utah
TV/Projector: JVC RS40, Epson 5010
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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Weird. In their specs, their encoder profile reads: MPEG2 HD Profile 2: ISO13818-2 MP@HL (1920x1080 or 1280x720).
But, their component input only accepts 480i/p and 720p. I wonder why they did that?
SC
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AnalogRocks
Forum Moderator
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 26706
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV/Projector: Sony 1252Q, AMPRO 4000G
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| ecrabb wrote: | Weird. In their specs, their encoder profile reads: MPEG2 HD Profile 2: ISO13818-2 MP@HL (1920x1080 or 1280x720).
But, their component input only accepts 480i/p and 720p. I wonder why they did that?
SC |
Ok that is weird.
I wonder if that's the difference between the regular and the pro?
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HD done right!
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nuttall_chris
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 832
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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ecrabb
Forum Moderator
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 15909
Location: Utah
TV/Projector: JVC RS40, Epson 5010
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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Oh, OK. I suppose they intentionally crippled the low-end version to up-sell the pro product. Looks like they're taking lessons from Apple and Microsoft.
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Clarence
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 3827
Location: Smith Mtn Lake, VA
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 5:24 pm Post subject: Re: A new product: HD RF modulator that uses existing cable! |
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| Curt Palme wrote: | | The only catch of course is that the flat screen needs a built in tuner, so these won't work with a monitor style flat screen, but a buddy of mine also tried tying one of these into a hotel's cable system and distribution, and every room he checked worked fine with no interference. |
So all it's doing is encoding a single source to QAM on an empty channel... then putting the QAM stream onto coax where each TV needs a tuner to decode it.
Aside from your pub where they might want the same football game (or Olympics) pumped to 6 TVs, I don't see the use case for any of us. And since the TVs in the pub must already have a tuner, why not just display the cable channel directly (and better yet, be able to choose from multiple channels... 4 different football games... 4 different Olympic events)?
Maybe a workaround for a PPV event, but I'm still struggling to see the value.
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Zebu Fellenz
Joined: 21 Dec 2006
Posts: 2567
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:59 pm Post subject: Re: A new product: HD RF modulator that uses existing cable! |
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| Clarence wrote: | | Curt Palme wrote: | | The only catch of course is that the flat screen needs a built in tuner, so these won't work with a monitor style flat screen, but a buddy of mine also tried tying one of these into a hotel's cable system and distribution, and every room he checked worked fine with no interference. |
So all it's doing is encoding a single source to QAM on an empty channel... then putting the QAM stream onto coax where each TV needs a tuner to decode it.
Aside from your pub where they might want the same football game (or Olympics) pumped to 6 TVs, I don't see the use case for any of us. And since the TVs in the pub must already have a tuner, why not just display the cable channel directly (and better yet, be able to choose from multiple channels... 4 different football games... 4 different Olympic events)?
Maybe a workaround for a PPV event, but I'm still struggling to see the value. |
I think the use is more aimed at businesses that want to have an internal TV channel, or in a retail setting where they need to be able to take a source with component, VGA, or other input and easily distribute it to every display.
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Curt Palme
CRT Tech
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 24396
Location: Langley, BC
TV/Projector: All of them!
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:36 pm Post subject: Re: A new product: HD RF modulator that uses existing cable! |
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[quote="Clarence"] | Curt Palme wrote: |
Maybe a workaround for a PPV event, but I'm still struggling to see the value. |
So you have a media server in a house that is wired for cable, but not for CAT 5. You can either spend days cutting into walls to run CAT 5 everywhere, or tie into your existing cablevision run at the splitter/amp, and have it already done for you.
In a house with 5000 sq ft+ it's sure cheaper using a modulator or two. In a pub with no HD runs, it's priceless.
BTW, the modulator was also tested in a 5 star hotel to see if the mod could be used with all their HD sets, and my satellite guy went to the furthest room in the hotel and the signal was perfect.
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Clarence
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 3827
Location: Smith Mtn Lake, VA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:18 am Post subject: Re: A new product: HD RF modulator that uses existing cable! |
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| Curt Palme wrote: | | So you have a media server in a house that is wired for cable, but not for CAT 5. You can either spend days cutting into walls to run CAT 5 everywhere, or tie into your existing cablevision run |
Yep, press play at the source, run to the other rooms to watch the feed, then run back down to your media room to press pause or rewind 
I can see where it would be useful in a school/classroom environment... e.g. if a church wanted to play the same HD source in every Sunday School classroom or if a high school got a new HD camera for their morning announcements.
But I still can't see one of us ever wanting one at home.
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ecrabb
Forum Moderator
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 15909
Location: Utah
TV/Projector: JVC RS40, Epson 5010
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| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:25 am Post subject: |
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What about a media server with a touch-panel or iPhone-based remote, Clarence? I couldn't install one because I have no way to distribute the video... I can handle the automation part easy, but I have no way to (easily) get the video from the basement to any of the rooms upstairs.
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Clarence
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 3827
Location: Smith Mtn Lake, VA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:56 am Post subject: |
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If you can find a way to squeeze it in and make it work and find a way to control it... go for it.
90% of my viewing is in the HT.
For the other 10%, each HDTV has it's own HD cable box or HD DVR.
Switching sources at the source is complex enough. But then you also have to make sure that you re-route audio away from your usual HT receiver/amp into the QAM encoder.
Meh. Don't they already have 802.11N wifi that can handle 720p wireless streaming from a media center?
I'm more excited about Curt's helicopter with 2 cameras controlled by the iTouch/iPhone.
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Curt Palme
CRT Tech
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 24396
Location: Langley, BC
TV/Projector: All of them!
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| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:23 am Post subject: |
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Frankly, I wouldn't spend the coin either, but then again, I've never seen the point of Kalidescape either.
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paw
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 1176
Location: Arvada, CO
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| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Curt Palme wrote: | | Frankly, I wouldn't spend the coin either, but then again, I've never seen the point of Kalidescape either. |
I've seen the Kalidescape and thought it was cool. Having your music and movies stored on one server. Flipping through the cover art, clicking it and seeing the other movies/music rearrange themselves. Until I learned you can NOT search by title?!?! You have the scroll through the entire list of movies or music to find an individual title. If I have 500 movies on this box, I don't want to have to scroll through all of them to get to Xanadu or Zombie Strippers! 
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mattmorris1
Joined: 13 Jul 2011
Posts: 1
Location: london
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2011 8:03 pm Post subject: hd modulator |
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i have new HD DVB-T tvs around my home and would like to deliver my hd set top box to all these
I've searched around for something that could do hd over coax at a reasonable price.
I've found www.provideoinstruments.com web that seems to sell video to RF coax boxes.
Anyone has any idea about pricing ?
Is there any other DVB-T hd modulator on the market ?
Thanks
Matt
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