Prewiring Fiber Optic

[lessardrp]

I am planning a new home project and am thinking about how to install home theater related cables.

There are a lot of posts about the pros of using certain types of cable to reduce noise etc between the tv/receiver/dvd etc.

My question is whether one can wire optical cable from a satellite dish to the reciever. After all, if the source signal isn't top quality, what's the point? Do the satellite providers support optical cable from the dish?

 

[mtrycrafts]

My question is whether one can wire optical cable from a satellite dish to the reciever. After all, if the source signal isn't top quality, what's the point? Do the satellite providers support optical cable from the dish?

Why not call a dish company and see if optical capability is available? Most likely it is not though.

 

[markw]

The feed from the dish is RF. Ya can't feed RF thru a glass wire.

Why not call a dish company and see if optical capability is available? Most likely it is not though.

The signal is pure RF until it hits the converter box. Digital/optical is only an issue after it leaves the converter box on the way to the receiver.

 

[mtrycrafts]

The signal is pure RF until it hits the converter box. Digital/optical is only an issue after it leaves the converter box on the way to the receiver.

No dish can convert to digital at the horn?

 

[markw]

Not that I'm aware of.

They may be out there but I haven't seen any. I've been wrong in the past. Not often, but it happens.

What would it convert to digital? All the channels? To me, that sounds analogous to trying pass an audio signal to an amplifier directly from an antenna without the benefit of a tuner.

As far as I remember, one first needs to select a channel from the many the antenna receives and then it goes through the process of converting RF to audio and video, generally in a set top box.

 

[lessardrp]

Haven't seen any support for it

I think I may have confused some folks.

The signal from a dish to the tuner is going to carry the full bandwidth of available channels.

Of course the tuner would need to strip the carrer frequency off for the desired channel.

I just didn't know whether there were any optical media options vs the coax default.

I don't see any out there.

I'm not sure if there's any truth to this but a friend told me that the DC power to the dish is carried out the core of the coax to the dish also. If that's the case, fiber is not an option anyway.

 

[j_garcia]

There really is no issue with coax, as should be evident by the fact than basically 100% of all home installs use it (that I've seen), so I wouldn't worry about it. Not to mention, I have never seen optical used for what you are talking about.

 

[mtrycrafts]

They may be out there but I haven't seen any. I've been wrong in the past. Not often, but it happens.

What would it convert to digital? All the channels? To me, that sounds analogous to trying pass an audio signal to an amplifier directly from an antenna without the benefit of a tuner.

As far as I remember, one first needs to select a channel from the many the antenna receives and then it goes through the process of converting RF to audio and video, generally in a set top box.

Now that you introduce the RF signal conversion, how is a digital broadcast transmitted? I bet in a digital stream. So, why couldn't satellites send digital signals directly on all channels, then be converted to analog, or perhaps stay digital for digital tuners? Doesn't cable TV come in digital for those that are transmitted in digital? Then, all is needed in the horn is a RF digital conversion to light signals.

 

[markw]

Can't argue with your logic.

Now, if you can rush this to the market before anyone else realizes this you stand to make a fortune.

But, bare in mind that modems daily convert digital data from computers into analog waveforms to be sent out over analog telephone lines. Likewise, they convert that analog carrier with digital information into digital to feed computers. ...all you have to do find a way to send that digital signal without that nagging need for an analog carrier...

 

[mtrycrafts]

Now, if you can rush this to the market before anyone else realizes this you stand to make a fortune.

But, bare in mind that modems daily convert digital data from computers into analog waveforms to be sent out over analog telephone lines. Likewise, they convert that analog carrier with digital information into digital to feed computers. ...all you have to do find a way to send that digital signal without that nagging need for an analog carrier...

I had another thought I remembered well after my post.
Cable TV companies already use fiber optic cables to increase their bandwidths to offer more channels and high speed internet. There is a main fiber line in my neighborhood; was installed years ago now.

So, it is not new but getting fiber to homes is not yet available from cable TV companies. Satellites would be much easier to offer, I think. This would allow longer distances from the dish. And, another thought, this fiber could go all the way to the receiver perhaps one day, or to a TV and use all digital chain. Certainly LCD, plasma, etc type TVs would like all digital video

 

[markw]

and, like I said before...

...as soon as you can figure out how to transmit a digital signal over the air without piggybacking on that pesky RF carrier you may have something.