3 Plasma setup

[bernernj]

Ok here's what I am looking to do. If I want to set up three 50 inch plasma's next to each other in one room. I want to be able to have a 5.1 setup with good speakers and a receiver but my main concern is having 3 cable boxes hooked up to the TV's. The purpose is to be able to watch 3 NFL/College football games at a time. The part I am confused with is can I hook up the sound/video for all 3 TV's to one receiver. I am looking to have 2 of the TV's always silent while playing the sound from the third game but also having video playing on all 3 TV's all the time. BUT, I still need to be able to instantly switch the sound from one game to the next using ONE remote if possible so I can listen to the desired game when an exciting play happens or one goes to commercial. Can this be done?

 

[Pyrrho]

Yes, it can be done. Simply hook up the video from the cable boxes directly to the TVs, and send the audio to three different inputs on the receiver. Turn off the speakers on the TVs. Then simply use the receiver's remote to select the input corresponding to whatever TV you want to hear.

 

[itschris]

What Pyrrho said... but more importantly, I think all your newest friends here at Audioholics are waiting for their invites to the 150 inches of glorious sports.

 

[crashkelly]

What Pyrrho said... but more importantly, I think all your newest friends here at Audioholics are waiting for their invites to the 150 inches of glorious sports.

I'll bring the beer!!

 

[jostenmeat]

My brother's place has two tv's. One large DLP in the corner, and a plasma on the adjacent wall. There's a lot of sports being viewed.

The one pain in the butt that you will deal with is when using the remote for the cable box. When you hit pause, all 3 boxes will pause. If you hit record, all three record. My brother has the cable boxes set apart by a good distance, maybe 8 ft or so, and he and roommates use a pillow flush against one side of the remote to command any certain box. It helps a lot, but they still often accidentally command both boxes to do the same thing.

Im sure you'll figure something out.

 

[Warpdrv]

Jostenmeat, I was thinking the same thing....

But you could use a RF remote where the receiver has 4 outputs, and have the cable boxes on separate channels of the receiver/transmitter. Then program each cable box as a separate page on the receiver, and when you select that page or output device, it will also change the input on the receiver.

This way you can also have all the boxes and receivers in the same spot and just run the HDMI of each box to the individual TVs... Simple... yes..?

 

[jcPanny]

Display setup.

I know that most displays offer picture in picture so you can view 2 different channel. You might look for a video box or scaler that will accept 3 or 4 video inputs and output the combined signal to the display. With this setup you could use a 100"+ screen with a front projector giving you the same area as 4 50" plasmas. You could also watch a movie on the single 100" screen. This setup might also be cheaper than the 3 plasmas.

 

[bernernj]

Would I even be able to use HDMI since the video is going to the TV and the sound to the receiver?

 

[Pyrrho]

Would I even be able to use HDMI since the video is going to the TV and the sound to the receiver?

Yes. Use the HDMI for video only, and connect it from the cable box to the TV. Use another digital audio output from the cable box to each TV. Alternatively (though I don't recommend this way), you could also send both sound and picture to the TV via HDMI and use the digital output of each TV to go to the receiver (the reason I don't recommend this method is that a lot of TVs will not pass through a 5.1 digital signal that way; check your particular model(s) of TV to see about that).

 

[jostenmeat]

Jostenmeat, I was thinking the same thing....

But you could use a RF remote where the receiver has 4 outputs, and have the cable boxes on separate channels of the receiver/transmitter. Then program each cable box as a separate page on the receiver, and when you select that page or output device, it will also change the input on the receiver.

This way you can also have all the boxes and receivers in the same spot and just run the HDMI of each box to the individual TVs... Simple... yes..?

Warpdrv,

I'm afraid you are talking over my head. Could you please expound, or mention a couple of models that would do what you are speaking of?

My brother would be pretty interested, assuming the costs are modest, and is not too difficult to either implement or troubleshoot. I'm sure the OP would be interested too... Thanks...

 

[Warpdrv]

I can give an example of what I have, as I didn't do a whole lot of research on other products.

My Pronto Remote operates over WiFi and has a base station that has 4 outputs for IR blasters. Each IR port has 2 basters which will operate 2 pieces of equipment. you paste the blasters (IR eyes in front of the receiving area of each piece of equipment)
If you are running 3 of the same Cable boxes, you would have to put them on different channels not the same channel. See HERE

When you change inputs with the remote then all your doing is changing to one of the different audio signals, since the video is running full time.


So for example with the remote, you setup INPUT 1 to switch to Cable box 1 (audio) on the receiver, you control both cable box 1 channels, and volume on the receiver which is running on IR port 1.

If you switch to Input 2 on the reciever, you get Cable box 2 (audio) on the receiver and control the channels and the volume and that is setup on IR port 2.

Same thing for Input 3 and Cable box 3 on IR port 3.

With Pronto, you can globally tell the remote to use the volume for 1 receiver, and each input will have the ability to choose which IR port, and how you want to control that piece of equipment. They are complicated, but very flexible, once you figure it out, it comes easy. They set it up just like building your own webpage.