If you have several TVs at home do you need separate decoders for each set or is there a way of connecting them?
If you want to watch different programmes on different TVs, you need a decoder for each.
With satellite, you will also need a "Quad LNB" on the dish, as each satellite decoder requires a separate "LNB" connection for each.
For digital cable and Freeview, the incoming cable can be split and shared.
There are a few options (such as the Pace Twin PVR) that can be used as a decoder for a second room, using only a standard connection for the second TV.
If you simply want to be able to watch the same programme in a second room, this can be done using a standard TV "UHF" cable.
Click here for the list of questions
Click here to ask a new question
Your comments
First comments 
Earlier comments ◊ Your comments are always welcome. Please use the form below to add your thoughts or questions to this page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
Lyn DuckworthSunday 14 August 2011 10:11AM
Hi I wonder if you can help me please?? I have a Panasonic Viera Freesat TV in conservatory. In my lounge I have Sky setup which connects fine to a tv upstairs through a magic eye. I have connected a magic eye to this tv through the LMB box. However when I search on the analogue it doesn't pick up any channels! The TV is picking up the sky dish and allows me to view all free channels, but I get encrypted messages when I try to view any pay channels. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks. Lyn Duckworth: I'm really confused. You can't connect an "Magic Eye" to the LNB.
Either you connect the TV to the RF out of the Sky box, or you have a FreeSAT TV and it connected directly to the dish's LNB. Lyn DuckworthThursday 18 August 2011 11:56AM
Hmmm maybe this is where I am getting confused then. The TV in my main room is connected to the sky box via the RF2 which allows me to pick up sky from an analogue tv upstairs with magic eye. The other TV is the Freesat one which is connected to the dish's LNB - but what I would like to do is to get this tv to pick up sky too?? Is this possible?? I have switched it to analogue but it doesn't pick anything up. However the TV is picking up all the free stations from SKY just not the pay ones which is where I get the encrypted message!!! Sorry if this is confusing.jb38Thursday 18 August 2011 1:33PM
Lyn Duckworth: To put it simply, if anyone requires to use a Sky boxes analogue RF output to feed Sky channels to more than one room, then what they require to do is split the RF output from the Sky box via a two way (or more) powered splitter, the lead from the Sky box going into the splitters common input and with each of the two outputs going to the analogue, or dual /triple standard TV's as required.
However as you are using a magic eye on one of the TV's the splitter you purchase will have to be the type advertised as having a "DC by-pass" facility, as if it hasn't the eye wont work, but the plus point with this type of splitter is that you can also use a magic eye on the second TV should it be required at some time.
If though you have no intention of ever doing that, then a standard powered splitter would suffice, but with it being used "after" the magic eye, as if it was before it the magic eye wouldn't work.
This being said taking it that your Freesat TV does have the capability of analogue reception, and as such has a standard aerial input socket as well as the dish one.
sarahWednesday 24 August 2011 12:28PM
When using Magic Eye can you watch one channel in the front room and another in the bedroom or is whatever is on in the front room will be shown in the bedroom?jb38Wednesday 24 August 2011 5:03PM
sarah: Yes! the latter, as the magic eye doesnt give you any more channels that you already have, its just simply a way of being able to change the Sky boxes channel without actually being in the same room as the box.
SamWednesday 21 September 2011 9:08AM
I have a tv connected to a freeview box in my conservatory.In my living room is my sky box.Can I have a magic eye to my conservatory from my living room to watch sky and keep the free view box.If so how do i do this.I have bought a magic eye and seperate remote.thanks Samjb38Wednesday 21 September 2011 11:54AM
Sam: If your Freeview box is connected to your TV via a scart lead, then all you do is run a co-ax cable from the living room Sky boxes RF2 output into the conservatory and fit the magic eye to the end of the co-ax cable, the other end of the magic eye going into the conservatory TV's aerial socket.
If your conservatory TV is dual standard it has to be set on analogue, then you carry out a scan to pick up the Sky boxes RF output channel.
In use, you simply use the TV's A/V button to switch between the Freeview box and the normal TV, which will be the analogue signal from the Sky box, the magic eye switching channels as required.
You will also have to go into the Sky boxes engineers menu to make sure that the Sky boxes RF2 power is on, this done by pressing services then "4 - 0 - 1 - select" the latter done in a smooth operation without uneven gaps, this best achieved by NOT looking at the TV whilst doing it.
Should have any variations to your assumed connections, the instructions can be altered to suit.
johnMonday 24 October 2011 2:59PM
i have recently had freesat fitted, can i use anything to connect it to a t.v. in another room JanSaturday 5 November 2011 11:20AM
I have a sky box in my lounge and there is a cable set up which allows me to watch sky on Sony televisions in other rooms but only in analogue mode. All the televisions are digital and have freeview. Is there any way I will be able to watch sky when analogue is no longer available.ross walkerSunday 1 January 2012 3:40PM
Glenrothes hiya there,ive read through alot of comment.i cant seem to find the answer. i have connected to rf2.i have a 15 m cable running to my second tv with one split (needed 20 m)i have a eurovision sky eye which is connected (the box isnt connected directly in to tele,its the cable that comes out of it thats connected directly in to it,the coaxial cable runs in the the littl box with light on it)i can change the channel in the room so it chages the main tele but picture or sound. i dont have a clue how to tune 2nd tele in. doesnt pick up analogue or dtv. i dont have anything else in to the back of the tv. i have chaged to rf out channel to 60 as staed above for my area code.any help? its an lg 42" plasma in my room (2nd tv)jb38Sunday 1 January 2012 7:50PM
ross walker: Are you in effect saying that the LG Plasma device does not have any normal sockets on the rear? as if you are meaning that then the Plasma device is purely a monitor for purposes of working in conjunction with PC devices via a VGA socket, something which you should see somewhere on the rear.
Maybe you could confirm or otherwise if this is correct, although if it is then you cannot use it for that purpose intended, but could you indicate the model number of the device so that its specifications can be checked on, as although I am aware that there are a few of these devices around that does have tuners built in I cant quite remember too many details about them.
ross walkerMonday 2 January 2012 10:48AM
Glenrothes ross walker: hiya the model is lg42pq3000 model.i know a family member had problems getting hios sky eye tuned in aswell. but i looked at his and it seemed that the sky eye plugged directly in to his tv rather than the cable that comes off it.would this make any difference? if it does then i will have to get a converter to change it from male to femal or vice versa.thanksross walkerMonday 2 January 2012 11:14AM
Glenrothes also to add,when i go to tune it in i go in to setup.comes up with auto tuning (doesnt detect anything) or manual tuning where i can change between dtv and tv. in the tv section there is a subheading storage,system,band,channel and name.any ideas what to put these.bearing in mind the rf outputs at 60.sorry i am new to thisross walkerMonday 2 January 2012 1:03PM
Glenrothes ross walker: thanks dave i will try that. and do i just go to manual tune..tv..then programme 37?ross walker: Yes. Remember that you need to tune to Ch37 using the analogue part of your TV and not the digital (Freeview) bit.
As analogue has been switched off in your area, you might as well put it under programme number 1. That said, you shouldn't need to actually press the 1 button to get it as it will be the only analogue channel that you will watch. So having switched to analogue, the Sky channel should come up straight away. ross walkerMonday 2 January 2012 3:33PM
Glenrothes this is where i dont have a clue what i am doing.there is 4 different sub headings..storage,system (bg,i,dk,l) then band (v/uhf, cable,)and channel. is it maybe the case that i hve set it up wrong. as i say it does switch the channel on the main tv but no picture or sound or tuning :(ross walkerMonday 2 January 2012 4:09PM
Glenrothes i manged to find my manual and says to use bg for europe. few more questions.if it eye is working is it merely a tuning problem or can it still be a connection problem..do i have to reset the box everytime i change the rf2 channel..thirdly has any one got any spare hair because im pulling mines out with this jb38Monday 2 January 2012 5:22PM
ross walker: Obviously there are a selection of inputs on the rear! however as far as setting it up is concerned I take it you have repeatedly pressed to TV/RAD button on the remote control until "TV" is shown and not DTV? if you have done this and subsequently selected "auto-tune" then the selection box containing bg-I-dk etc should not have came on, as that's associated with "manual" tuning, however if you have one of the many variations on these models and it did request this, then its "I" that you select and not bg.
As far as the eye is concerned just leave that off just now and connect the co-ax straight into the LG's aerial socket, then temporarily use RF1 out on the Sky box (or whatever you are using) so as to eliminate the danger of the TV shorting the Sky boxes RF2 voltage, as there isn't any voltage on RF1.
Once you have done that carry out an auto-tune, although it would have been better if you could have temporarily powered up the Sky box next to the LG and used a jumper between each, as the dish doesn't require to be connected because the Sky boxes menu would be seen on the LG if the tune was successful.
The reason I suggest that is just in case your extension lead is defective in some way and which could cause confusion if it was, as you wouldn't know if it was the tuner or the cable at fault.
ross walkerMonday 2 January 2012 6:15PM
hiya.when i auto tune it doesnt pick anything up so thats why i went in to manual tune. has the sky eye box to go directly in to the tele or is it the lead that comes off it, or does this not matter. basically nothing comes on when i auto tune or manual tune. yeah when i manual tune i have it on tv rather than dtv. i can put my money on it being something sillyross walkerMonday 2 January 2012 7:56PM
another update.went around to my uncles house who has the setup. i checked my sky eye with his and its perfect so i am pretty much thinking its a tuning issue.he lives down the road and has his rf2 to 68 and tunedit in with a little difficulty. i would have given up by now if it wasnt for the fact i spent ages putting the cable under my carpet ect :(jb38Monday 2 January 2012 7:58PM
ross walker: If you have the type with a lead on one side then its this lead to connects into the TV, and the co-ax from the sat boxes RF output goes straight into the eye.
Although I still say that you would be best temporarily sitting the Sky box near to the LG so as to eliminate any possible cabling problems, but for a test if you connect the long co-ax lead from the RF 2 into the eye "without it connected to the TV" does the light on the eye operate? as it should if all is OK.
Also, if you are splitting the co-ax anywhere it "has" to be done via a DC pass splitter or the light will not work, this only mentioned in case it doesn't, although some wont work even if connected properly as long leads can stop them working, a common problem!ross walkerMonday 2 January 2012 8:13PM
the red light doesnt stay on.only stays on if its connected to the tv.as soon as i take it out the light goes out. i just have the cable going direct from rf2 to sky eye and in to tele.only 1 join wher i ran out of cable. jb38Monday 2 January 2012 8:54PM
ross walker: The eye shouldnt need to be connected into the TV to stay on, try it into the Sky boxes RF2 output and see if it stays on doing that "without" coupling the co-ax into its output.ross walkerMonday 2 January 2012 9:02PM
so what can be the cause for this?it goes out either way if i disconnect it fom the tv or i keep it in the tv and disconnect the coaxial cable.it only stays on if its all connected together.sorry for being a painjb38Tuesday 3 January 2012 8:05AM
ross walker: Well the 9 volts or so that operates the LED light simply gets this via the Sky boxes RF2 output socket and so it does "not" require anything to be plugged into the eyes output for the light to work, so if its not lit then there has to be either a short or open circuit in evidence, this is why the standard test is always to try it straight into the Sky box to make sure its working in the first place, as these are notoriously erratic devices. (what name / model is printed on the device?)
That said I would forget about that side of it just now, as your main concern is not being able to pick up (or tune it) the signal from the Sky box and which "might" be caused by a problem with your extension cable, this why by far the easiest way of verifying if this applies (or not) is to temporarily site your Sky box near to the LG and use a co-ax jumper lead between both devices aerial sockets, then carry out an auto-tune on the TV whilst its on its "TV" input, this selected via its remote controls TV/RAD button, and if it does pick it up making sure you select "store" or it will vanish again when the TV is turned off.
Remember, if you do try the Sky box next to the LG you do "not" require any dish input, just press services so that if the LG picks it up something will be seen on the screen.
ross walkerWednesday 4 January 2012 11:16AM
hiya.relised that the cable goin in to the sky box wasnt connected properly.so i now get a light on the sky eye without it bein connected to box.still cant get it tuned.unfortunately i cant get my sky box near my tele.but if i disconect the sky eye and run the coaxial from the rf2 straight to the 2nd tele.should it pick up freeview?i also tested the sky eye in to back off box and the light came on.so im presuming its just a tuning issuejb38Friday 6 January 2012 5:21PM
ross walker: The second TV will not pick up Freeview unless you are in a Freeview reception area and have a normal aerial feeding into the Sky box aerial input socket, as the Freeview signal will pass through the Sky box and out the RF2, then travel along your extension cable and into the second TV, and which has to be a Freeview capable TV and not an analogue only one. (albeit this OK for the Sky boxes RF2 signal)
But though, if the second TV is Freeview capable it has to be set on "analogue" to pick up the RF2 signal from the Sky box, as its not a digital signal.
In other words, the cable is carrying a digital Freeview signal as well as an analogue one from the Sky box and you having to set the second TV accordingly or it wont pick one or the other up, this aspect being the area I think you are going wrong in.James Friday 20 January 2012 7:15PM
Hopefully someone can help!
Ive ordered a sky eye and the necessary cable etc to fit it and have researched how its done, so hopefully all goes to plan! I will be running a coax cable from the back of the sky box in the living room up to my bedroom and into the sky eye etc. My samsung TV has freeview built into it, so i was wondering if when i plug my sky eye in will i only be able to watch the 'sky channels' or will i have an option to flick to sky or just the normal tv channels? Example: If my parents are watching sky downstairs and im unable to watch sky, will i be able to still watch my freeview channels that are built into the TV? ITV2 & E4 etc. If so, what way does this work?
Thanks in advance! JamesJames : You can watch the channel that the Sky box is showing on the main set, plus any Freeview channel you want (via Freeview), as long as you have a connection to a rooftop aerial. Old GadgeeSaturday 10 March 2012 1:25PM
Henley-on-thames I have four televisions connected to a outside high gain ariel on roof via a boosted splitter box. On Hannington changeover on 8th.Feb and 22nd. Feb all went well. However on 9th. March I have lost ITV3 both on epg and screen formerly listed No.10 on epg and transmitted on channel 41. This has only affected one room with Technica digi recorder and Hitachi digital TV both connected by scart. All four are connected to the same box.Why is only one affected? Old Gadgee: From the splitter towards the TVs there are variables. They are:
1. Cable and connectors. The longer the cable the more loss along its length and therefore the lower the level of the signal will come from the output end for the same level of input signal.
2. Differences between tolerances of tuners such as signal level needed to work, level of noise/poor signal that they will work with.
The reason some work and some don't could be one or the other or both to a certain degree. AlisonWednesday 18 April 2012 11:04PM
Hi I had my Sky Magic Eye connected to my Technica Tv and had no problems using it before the switchover. I now have a Toshiba 22BV501B and have connected the eye to it exactly the same way but can't get the tv to recognise it. The eye was professionally installed and has worked perfectly well. Before the switchover I used channel 6 of the analogue.
How can I get it to work again.
ThanksChris RimmerSunday 22 April 2012 6:45PM
Alison: Hi, you need to switch your TV back to analogue and see if its still there on CH6 in fact your Sky box on CH6 will be the only analogue channel still there. If after switching your TV back to analogue you still can't find it you may need to carry out an analogue retune to restore it, you may then find that it has been stored on analogue CH1.
The Sky link and Magic eye communicate with your TV on analogue and is not receivable by your TV in Digital mode. You simply switch to analogue for Sky and back to digital(DVB) for Freeview.
Regards,
Chris
DIANE PAGESaturday 3 November 2012 5:24PM
have 3 freeview T.V.'s in bedrooms going to one aerial in the loft. Keep losing channels (usually ITV)so I'm going to put an aerial on the roof. Have seen 48 element advertised which I note is for poor area (which I presume we are) Is this o.k.& does more expensive mean better? and I think I put each t.v. through with a splitter (any type?) & should I get a signal booster?
Regards Dianejb38Saturday 3 November 2012 5:34PM
DIANE PAGE: Questions of this nature really require a persons location to be known, this in the form of a post code or one from nearby as only then can the situation be properly assessed regarding the signal levels expected at the location, and from which transmitter.
However even without this knowledge, what you have reported would suggest that the use of a powered splitter might well be required.emmaFriday 4 January 2013 4:36PM
hi all..
stupid question but if i have sky in the lounge and have another mutibox in my room upstairs can i still get freeview on all my other tv's in the house???
as my dad says u cant??
can someone helpjb38Friday 4 January 2013 5:07PM
emma: If you are truly meaning "Freeview" and not Sky's "free to view" channels, then it entirely depends on whether or not your household has a satellite system (Sky) running in parallel with a Freeview TV (or box) that is coupled into a normal loft or roof mounted aerial, as Freeview does not use a dish.
If though you are not meaning the latter, then 3 or 4 Sky boxes can be run from one dish and with each box working independently from each other, the only thing to remember being that each box requires a separate feed from the dish, or if the box is Sky+ then these types require two feeds as recording is involved.emma: Freeview is the terrestrial service, which therefore uses a terrestrial aerial. Sky and Freeview can co-exist.
Presumably you have a distribution system for Freeview. You will need another feed from the dish to your upstairs room for the second multibox. AniaMonday 4 March 2013 8:37PM
Hi I have a panasonice Viera free view tv connected to a normal Ariel to decode the encrypted channels do I need a card for the slot if so where can I get one also will it work without sky or a box
moira mcregorWednesday 3 April 2013 2:20AM
jb38: i have got virgin installed in lounge as sky could not fit due to trees being in way of proposed installation, i was going to get extra box with sky for bedroom, but as said before it didnt happen.How can i get/install another virgin box into ajoining bedroom so that i can watch different channels to the lounge telly.i really need the easiest way as o.a.p and not at all technical. many thank jb38Wednesday 3 April 2013 3:14PM
Moira mcregor: Virgin is exactly the same as Sky as far as anyone wishing to view different channels in another room is concerned, that is the only way of achieving this is by having a second box installed.
However where Virgin is involved a person does not really have any choice but to have them carry out the entire work, as the additional box requires registering with their data base as well as being updated as required at the same time, plus as you may already be aware of, that unlike in the case of Sky where the box belongs to the viewer after the initial 12 months contract expires, where Virgin is involved the box is never owned by the viewer no matter how long they may have it and remains Virgins property at all times.
I would therefore advise you to contact Virgin and tell them exactly what you would like to do, but though beware of one thing that many can overlook, and being that the cost of "their" installation is over and above the price per month extra given for the additional box, albeit that the latter can seem to be quite reasonable.
updates
Automatic update every 1 minute
BBC must improve online offering - …
Ariel - BBC Trust: Online must impr…
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/m…
Google TV: silent but not forgotten…
Ofcom to crack down on sloppy subti…
The quality of live subtitling Impr…
Half-way mark for digital radio lis…
DTG :: News :: Talk Talk reports ne…
BBC iPlayer - Help - Frequent quest…
How do I change the RF output channel on a Sky Digibox? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice 
Show: 
