HDMI to multiple TVs - a solution

[pmsherman]

For our second trip in our 327DS last year, we decided to take the DTV DVR receiver with us. It's a perfect fit in the cabinet above the passenger seat and an RF modulator and RF amplifier let us send an analog quality signal to all of the RF outlets in the motor home. A carry-out dish was used to feed a signal to the DVR using the park cable wire in the rear electrical compartment.

The major problem with this hookup is that we didn't have an HDMI connection to the TV. A second TV will be installed in the bedroom this Summer and we've been looking for a way to get HDMI to both TVs. We just found a relatively simple solution to this that requires no wiring!

We purchased an Actiontec "My Wireless TV" kit. This kit includes one transmitter, one receiver, AC power supplies, HDMI cables, and a remote control for the receiver. The transmitter is connected to the DTV box's HDMI output and has an HDMI pass through connector for a TV located near the box. The receiver has an HDMI output that is connected to the TV's HDMI input. The AC supply's output is 5v @ 2a which means that it wouldn't be difficult to run these units on 12V using a DC-DC buck voltage regulator. These units will transmit all HD signals except 480I. The receivers can be optimized for quality (watching movies) or speed (for games). Actiontec claims a maximum of 150' between transmitter and receiver, but I suspect that's with no intervening walls.

This system supports multiple transmitters and receivers. At least four receivers can be linked to a single transmitter which allows viewing the same program on all of the TVs at the same time. A receiver can be connected to one of four transmitters, letting you use one transmitter for a satellite box and another for another device such as a blu-ray player. The receiver remote control allows you to select which transmitter to connect to. An alternative to multiple transmitters would be to have an HDMI switchbox connecting to multiple HDMI sources but this would allow using only a single device at a time.

The transmitter has a choice of three frequencies in the a and b wifi bands. band a is at 5Ghz while b is 2.4Ghz which usually has interference from wifi networks.

The units are not cheap. The initial kit with both units cost $200 while additional receivers cost $120 at the local computer store. The cost of the units needs to be compared with the cost of running HDMI cables through the motor home. A temporary installation of the units at home has shown that a good signal is available through multiple interior walls. I expect no problems using these in our motor home.

We're currently using the units at home to feed the signal from the DTV box to three TVs on the first floor. The only problems we've found are:
1. There's about a 1/4 second delay between the TV connected to the transmitter and the ones connected to the receivers.
2. When a receiver drops the connection to the transmitter then reconnects, there's a couple of second loss of signal to all TVs. This occurs only when there's a poor signal between the transmitter and receiver. We had this problem with our kitchen TV because the room between the transmitter and the kitchen has metallic foil wallpaper - a bad choice for passing RF signals. Moving the kitchen receiver 5" solved the problem and we now have an excellent signal on that receiver.

Phil

[gkupsch]

I own a 2012 Georgetown 351DS and just noticed they ran RCA cables to the main TV instead of an HDMI cable. I like your idea, but I can pick up a cable for much less then $200. My only question is, where do I find a "wiring diagram" to see HOW I can run the cables from the front of the class A to the middle where the TV is? I'm amazed right now because I can't find any cables that run anywhere.

[pmsherman]

That's exactly why I looked at the wireless solution. I'm also interested in getting an HDMI signal to the TV in the bedroom, at the rear of the coach. Posts from other threads indicate that there's little chance of discovering exactly what paths the wiring follows. You'll probably have to do some disassembly of cabinetry to see the initial direction it takes and hope that they didn't run it through any areas that have foam insulation. One of the issues when running an HDMI cable is that the connector at the cable end is larger than the cable. This will make it a little more difficult to thread it through tight spaces.

The wireless unit I purchased supports up to four receivers attached to a single transmitter, a process called multicasting. The receivers support attaching to a maximum of four transmitters. The transmitters support three different frequencies, making it easy to use a satellite box and a DVD player, each with its own transmitter. Another option would be a single transmitter and an HDMI switchbox, allowing you to transmit a signal from any of your sources.

I also would have liked to see a 2" plastic conduit between the cabinet above the driver's and passenger's seats. Both of these have 110AC outlets in them and the conduit would make it very easy to split audio/video equipment between them and run cables between the cabinets.

Phil

[Harley Dave]

Originally Posted by pmsherman

That's exactly why I looked at the wireless solution. I'm also interested in getting an HDMI signal to the TV in the bedroom, at the rear of the coach. Posts from other threads indicate that there's little chance of discovering exactly what paths the wiring follows. You'll probably have to do some disassembly of cabinetry to see the initial direction it takes and hope that they didn't run it through any areas that have foam insulation. One of the issues when running an HDMI cable is that the connector at the cable end is larger than the cable. This will make it a little more difficult to thread it through tight spaces.

The wireless unit I purchased supports up to four receivers attached to a single transmitter, a process called multicasting. The receivers support attaching to a maximum of four transmitters. The transmitters support three different frequencies, making it easy to use a satellite box and a DVD player, each with its own transmitter. Another option would be a single transmitter and an HDMI switchbox, allowing you to transmit a signal from any of your sources.

I also would have liked to see a 2" plastic conduit between the cabinet above the driver's and passenger's seats. Both of these have 110AC outlets in them and the conduit would make it very easy to split audio/video equipment between them and run cables between the cabinets.

Phil

Thank you for this thread. Very helpful. I have a 2015 Georgetown 351DS. Just hooked up Direct TV. I currently use two boxes, one in bedroom, one in main TV cabin. I use the main shore cable connection in right rear storage bay to hook up satellite which seems to work pretty well. While for the most part the main TV stays connected with good signal, at times I have signal loss in the bedroom. I have been thinking going the wireless route. Use one box in the front passenger side overhead cabinet and hook up an HDMI transmitter to multiple TVs. I don't really care that I can only watch one channel on all TV's. I would like to transmit HDMI signal to all TV's including the outside TV. I am thinking that by hooking up the DTV box directly to the satellite input in the overhead cable I would get a stronger signal to the box. Then transmit to each TV receivers. Questions are, will this work better than putting separate boxes for each TV (better signal??) Thanks, your posts are appreciated.