Multi analogue channel freeview?

[MowerMan42]

Hi everybody

I understand that a standard Freeview STB will recieve whatever Freeview channels are vailable in my area, and output the selected channel on analogue UHF channel 38 (or whatever) so my standard analogue TV can recieve it.

I am after a STB that will recieve the Freeview channels, and output selected channels to DIFFERENT UHF channels, so that (after set-up) the STB box could be forgotten about (left down the back of the TV or whatever), and the TV will operate as it does now IE BBC1 will get DIGITAL BBC1, via the STB, which has mapped it onto the UHF channel that BBC1 occupies at present. Same for BBC2, ITV, etc. Unused analogue presets on the TV would then be used to get a user-selected sub-set of Freeview channels on the old TV.

From a technical point of view, this should not be difficult, and would mean that people such as my elderly parents would not have to re-learn how to operate their TV (let alone re-tunng their VCR.....)

Does such a box exist?

[Kymmy]

Most Freeview boxes I know don't output on UHF but instead via SCART.

Ditto that.
If it's got a UHF output, is there no frequency trimmer on the back (looks like a screw)?
If so, you can change the output channel this way.
Might be one on the inside tho - but I don't recommend you open it up if you're not sure what you're doing.

[MowerMan42]

Thanks kryo - but the point is to have multiple channels available IE BBC1 on 38, BBC2 on 40 etc.....

Got 3 STB's that have SCART and UHF.

Opening the box not a problem. Gonna build what I want the hard way if I have to, but I don't want to spend time on it only to walk into Tesco next week and find the same thing on sale for £29.99....

[Stuart]

For it to work, at the very least, you'd need multiple MPEG2 decoders, and a way of encoding multple RF signals on different frequencies.

Originally Posted by MowerMan42

Thanks kryo - but the point is to have multiple channels available IE BBC1 on 38, BBC2 on 40 etc.....

Got 3 STB's that have SCART and UHF.

Sorry chief - went back and re-read your post.
Sounds a tall order to me.

[BenMcr]

Surely any TV with inbuilt Freeview is easy to use. i.e press 1 for BBC 1, 2 for BBC 2 etc. You don't have to go fishing around in the EPG if you don't need to.

[MowerMan42]

Stuart C - Agreed. Would need to decode a number of channels simultaneously, and combine them into a single UHF feed.

Ben - true - but I was hoping to avoid replacing 4 TVs and 4 VCRs.

[altis]

Easy: multiple Freeview receivers with RF feedthrough - one for each channel.

[BenMcr]

There is this box http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/f2-foxt.asp that has an RF modulator (rather than just a passthrough), but it is £60!

---------- Post added at 22:36 ---------- Previous post was at 22:31 ----------

Apparently can do the following , so I assume you could tune each box to a seperate RF channel

- Modulator
RF/Loopthrough Input/ 75 D, IEC 169 - 2
Output Connector
Frequency 47 MHz ~ 862 MHz
Output Channel CH 21 - 69 for modulator
TV standard PAL B/G/I selectable by menu

Not quite sure how you would combine the signals, probably need several splitters in reverse

[dragon]

sounds like you want something that won't be an off the shelf consumer item you'd find in your local argos.etc

It wouldn't surprise me if such a thing existed (A DVB decoder with multiple inputs and Multiple UHF outputs) but I suspect if it did then it's aimed at the commercial market (E.g Hotels.etc where they need to take a feed and send it around multiple rooms). Probably wouldn't be cheap either.

[BenMcr]

There is also this one from Humax that has an RF modulator (thought might have been replaced by the one above)

http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/mg-tu1.asp

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by dragon

sounds like you want something that won't be an off the shelf consumer item you'd find in your local argos.etc

It wouldn't surprise me if such a thing existed (A DVB decoder with multiple inputs and Multiple UHF outputs) but I suspect if it did then it's aimed at the commercial market (E.g Hotels.etc where they need to take a feed and send it around multiple rooms). Probably wouldn't be cheap either.

I did find a few, but didn't post links as they had no prices (they wanted to quote), which in my experience, usually means they are expensive.

[MowerMan42]

Thanks, guys.

I had thought of the multiple box with passthrough solution, but even the cheapo boxes at £15 each make for an expensive solution - and not sure if any of them have RF AND adjustable frequency output.

I hadn't thought about the commercial solutions - but I suspect they will be even more expensive!

If anybody knows of a better way, let me know!

[Kymmy]

Sorry but why can;t you just detune the TV's, wire in a freeview box each (they're only £15 from Asda, Tesco or Sainsburies)

My mother and mother-in-law can use a freeview remote and they're both major technophobes