We still use basic, over-the-air TV service. We have a roof antenna and there are cords to attach to each TV to connect it to the antenna system. Works great, except I want to wall-mount one TV to a wall where the cord can’t reach without adding cord and tacking it along the ceiling and just generally looking like a hot mess.
I know we could drill a hole and reroute some cable like they did when I added a second phone line years ago, but I don’t want/have the time and expertise to do that right now. Is there some sort of wireless transmitter thingy that I can buy for fairly cheap that I can hook up to the existing cable (which is nicely hidden behind stuff) and send the signal to something small hooked to the back of the TV which is only going to be about five feet away? I looked online but I’m not sure of the exact terms to use and everything I found has technical jargon that doesn’t seem to fit my situation…it seemed like it was more for cable or satellite service than basic over-the-air reception. Short of putting old-fashioned bunny ears back on the set (why did I ever throw those away!) I’m at a loss to know what to ask for or order. Any help?
On the one hand, your idea is totally logical and sensible. Basically, you want your tv to look for the nearby signal (being transmitted by your “wireless transmission thingy”) instead of the very distant signal from the actual TV broadcaster. It sort of sounds like a Bluetooth earpiece that receives signal from the nearby device instead of from the radio broadcaster. But I still don’t know what they’d call the thingy that you want to buy.
Maybe just buy new bunny ears? Those are pretty easy to find. I would’ve presumed that the reception from the roof antenna is much better than from the ears, but if you regret throwing it away, then maybe the reception was good enough that you should just replace them. Try Amazon – “tv antenna rabbit ears” produced lots of hits, half of them below $20.
Yes it does, because I’ve done it.
You plug sender A into the outlet of a Set top box, and the receiver into the video “in” on the TV, and set the TV to “component 1” or something similar. The picture comes from the set top box.
You’ve missed the point. The post you’re responding to, and the OP, are pointing out that they’re using the TV as the tuner. You’re insisting your solution will work, AS LONG AS YOU’RE NOT USING THE TV AS THE TUNER (using the STB instead).
Spherical cows are nice, but it’s often useful to solve the existing problem rather than a similar one.
Maybe the STB idea will work. But we haven’t heard from OP saying they’re willing to start tuning with an STB in another corner of the room instead of tuning with the TV in front of them.
These senders can send from his existing TV to the wall mounted TV, is that a feasable idea? I have been doing this for years and don’t see what the problem is.
You’ll have to route the power cord for the TV anyway so I’d use a cable management solution like johnpost suggested. The ones I’ve used are paintable so you can match them to your wall. How big is the TV? If your signal is strong the bunny ears many not have to have the ears fully extended and you might be able to tuck them behind the TV depending on the type of mount.
Did you post the correct link? It looks to me like this will take a video signal, and the corresponding left and right audio signals, and send them wirelessly to the other box, which will give those three signals to the (other) television. I’m not an expert on these things, but this setup seems to prohibit use of the receiving tv as a tuner. The video signal for example, is not a combined signal of all the channels currently being broadcast from Nearby Big City, but it is the video of one specific channel that a tuner or cable box has already separated from the others.
If I’m correct, then it will NOT do what the OP wants. The OP wants something which will take the combined signal of all the channels currently being broadcast from Nearby Big City, as supplied by the outdoor antenna, convert it to another frequency or whatever so that it can be sent to another box, which will connect to the Antenna Input of the television, whose own tuner will select the channels.
The only potential problem is the one you’ve continued to ignore: you won’t be tuning the TV, you’ll be tuning the STB. Which, judging from the description originally given, may not be particularly close to the TV. Which means pointing the remote someplace other than the TV when changing the channel.
Maybe that’s not a problem for you. I can tell you that it would be a problem for me. Therefore, there’s at least a miniscule likelihood that it would be problem, or at least a disqualifying inconvenience, for the OP.
Yes. No one is arguing against the technical feasibility of your clever clever plan. Only the possibility that it’s inapplicable for human factors reasons.
Plus, those things need power so you’re running a power cord to it and the TV regardless. You might as well just route the antenna cable with the power cord.
The electrical outlet I will be using is close enough to the wall the tv will be mounted on that the cord won’t be as unsightly as running black ugly antenna cord up and over and around two doors and down again would be, and I don’t plan on painting for a few more years. And yes, I want to avoid having another box of any sort. I want the tv to be the tuner. And a flat screen on a wall with bunny ears just seems so silly. I may have to beg my brother and son in law to drill holes and run cable but they don’t seem enthusiastic about that.
Is there a basement or crawlspace under the wall where you want to mount the television? If so, you could run the cable for the TV under the floor. Or at least, under the two doors and then run it along the baseboard.
That was what I was trying to avoid. I’ve ordered 25 feet of white coax (thought it only came in black) and some connectors and some decorative wall clips and I just have to scrub the walls and put up Command cord clips.