coax splitter affecting quality

I'm planning on getting a TV tuner somewhat soon (looking at a Hauppauge PVR-500 MCE, maybe 150, can't decide whether I'd use both tuners or not ), and I was wondering how much the video/audio quality would be affected if I used a coax splitter to have one cable to my TV tuner and the other to the TV (this is for my dorm room, in case my computer was off and my roommate wanted to watch TV, or if we wanted to see different things).
If only one cable is being used at a time (either TV or tuner), would the video/audio still be affected? How much would they be affected otherwise?

On a side note, maybe the PVR-150 and having a coax splitter (since I already have a TV) would be a cheap way to work around dual tuner capabilities, considering I could record with the tuner then switch to the TV to watch another channel (if I had two shows I wanted to watch at the same time, of course, otherwise it would probably defeat the purpose). Or is any of the above not possible?

 

A powered splitter will go a long way to overcome those problems, BUT...

if you already have good signal strength it will hurt more than help. Regular splitters are cheap, should cost no more than $3, probably less. Try it first, then if you need a powered splitter (which aren't cheap) you can get one.

Something that will help more is using high quality coax. Regular RJ58 has a terrible loss over distance, while RJ8 (I think that is the right number) is much much better.

 

I'd be using the splitter on a Comcast basic cable line, and the split lines probably wouldn't be more than five feet long.
What would be an example of a powered splitter, or does it just have "powered splitter" in the name (are those the big boxes that cost something like $200)?
I'm assuming the RJ58/RJ8 info would be in the name or specs, or do they differ in bandwidth or something?

Also, could I use a coax splitter to record on a TV tuner and watch a different channel on the TV?

 

All a powered splitter is is an amplifier with a splitter in back of it, all in the same case. If you have a good strong signal from the antenna or cable company then the amplifier will saturate and distort the signal, which is bad. In that case a regular splitter is all that is needed.

Powered splitters should cost no more than $40, $30 is the norm. They can be had from Radio Shack, Lowe's, Home Depot...

Sorry about repeating myself, sometimes saying the same thing differently will make it clearer.

RJ58 is much cheaper than RJ8, which is why it is the norm. Over short hops there really isn't much difference, but give it 50 feet and it will show.

 

Yes if your using 2 different TV tuners then yes you can watch 2 different channels at the same time. Also, it doesn't matter if only 1 tv is on at the same time the signal will still be degraded.
Normally if you only split the signal once or twice you wont' see it. If you split it a bunch of times you'll definitely notice.

 

Just a correction, it is RJ6 .. and RJ56

Difference = RJ6 uses a heavier copper wire..

 

I'll double check, but I believe it is RG6. The difference in 100 feet is about 10db signal loss less than the standard RG59.

------

Just checked, it's RG59, so we both blew it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coax

Note, there is a significant price difference, but where it is needed it is worth paying for. The article claims RG6 is the standard, it's not. But I would suppose it could be called that since cable companies likely use it as their standard, and home standards may have changed since I started doing this stuff.

 

After rereading the article it says RG59 isn't even legal for use in CATV systems. I'm not sure I believe it, but there is no denying the reasoning if it is. RG59 tends to be a lot more flexable, so for short cables it is easier to use.

 

By the second TV tuner I'm assuming you mean the one inside the TV itself? If so, yay I can spend less on a PVR 150 to use as recording while watching another channel on the TV! (unless someone has a better recommendation on a TV tuner?)
I figured about the number of splits vs quality thing, but thanks for the reminder.

Thanks for the responses, all!
For the RJ/RG##...no wonder I wasn't able to find much.
I know I won't be using 50 feet of cable. In fact, I don't think I'll even be using 10 (for each cable). So with that length, an RG59 splitter (are they even rated in the "RG" line, or is it a frequency difference?) with two ~6 ft RG59 cables will make a negligible quality difference? Or would RG6 be better quality?
Worst case scenario one or both cables might be ~25 feet (if the box is on the other side of the room from the TV), but I'm going to assume less than 10. No idea about the CATV or MATV thing. Would this affect me at all, or is this some sort of long-distance thing?
If all is fine and well...any recommendations on specific models or brands or anything? I saw MONSTER has a 2GHz splitter, but is this overdoing it with the frequency?

Thanks again for the help!

 

For a short cable I'd use the RG59 just for convienence. You do loose a slight amount, but the splitter itself looses 3db (an electronic way of saying half the signal) every time you split. If you split a signal 3 ways each source gets 1/4 the original signal strength, 4 ways 1/8 (not absolutely sure of the fractions, it could be 1/3 and 1/4 respectively). This sounds dramatic, it's not really, the internal electronics in the TV adjusts easily. But a lot of splitting can add up fast.

But as for coax, short length I'd go for the flexablity (RG59) and not worry about loss. Most cases you don't have to worry about the signal strength reduction a splitter causes.

If you are ever routing the signal to another room then go with the good stuff (RG6).

The whole reason for splitting is each tuner gets its own signal, and can go from there. I'm not sure what will happen when the broadcast standards are changed next year due to an act of congress (originally passed in mid 1990's). I suspect the polititions put the date far enough away they would be gone. The old electronics will likely work, but not sure about that either. The transistion date has been pushed back once, it could be again.

 

I actually just read a couple "Consumer Alerts" within the descriptions of several TV tuners on Newegg:

So I'm guessing Comcast and other cable services will work fine since antenna will then require a box.

So any recommendations on splitters and/or cables? Is a MONSTER splitter worth the $20 for what I'm doing, or are there cheaper alternatives?

Since I can record/watch using a single tuner and TV, I also plan on getting a Hauppauge PVR-150 MCE (model 1062 for the remote, don't care about FM), if anyone has other suggestions.

Thanks for all the info!