TV

[laurenu]

i have zero knowledge on cable and how it works but just wondering if someone can answer my question....
On the main floor of my house I have a tv with the digital box for it. I want to be able to watch t.v. in two of the bedrooms upstairs, if I have Rogers come and run the cable lines upstairs:
1) Do I have to purchase additional digital boxes for t.v.'s placed upstairs
2) With new digital boxes do I have to get a new t.v. plan with Rogers, or can it run off my old plan?

I'm a little confused. What's the easiest way to get cable upstairs??

Any help is appreciated!! 

[Gdkitty]

Rogers WILL run lines.. so to speak.  Rogers themselves, will only run the lines where they have access to.. WITHOUT going into walls, etc that are not open access.  IE: they wont feed cables through the house walls, etc.
They WILL run them along the outside of the house and into those rooms that way if you wish.  They could also run them along the outside and into the attic... and then you could do short run down through the walls yourself in those rooms.
You could just run them along baseboards, etc internaly if you wished.. or you could pay a 3rd part to run them through the walls and just leave a connection at where the others come into the house.

1)  For the next short little bit, no you wouldnt... untill the analog is completely shut off (You would also only get basic TV, not all channels).  But that time is aproaching, and you will need a digital box (SD, HD or PVR) to get ALL the digital subscribed channels, or you can get DTA's which will give you the same as the no box now, after the cutover getting rid of analog)

2) This all depends on the plan you are on.  Each plan, has a specific number of 'digital' outlets with it.  Basic cable packages, only have 1 i beleive.. but by the time you go up to the VIP, etc.. you get 3-4.  You need these digital outlets on your account, to be able to assign a digital box, or a DTA to your account and watch TV.
So.. basic packages.. you cant add the extra DTA even, without paying a small fee to add extra outets to your plan ($7 an outlet i beleive?).. so you would have to do some calculating.. your package now + outlets could be just as much as the next package up, which gives more channels anyways.

The DTA's that i have been saying, again will only give you BASIC channels, not the full digital lineup.  But as long as you have these 'digital outlets' on your account, the DTA is FREE from rogers (compared to renting a digital box)

If you can post which cable plan you have, we could help further figure out the final details

[Pauly]

I did all the wiring in my house.

I had a choice between calling a professional cable installer, and paying $400 bucks, or doing it myself and only paying about $100 in materials, and my labour was free since i did it with my father and next door neighbour.

If you really do not want them to staple the cable along your baseboards and door entranceways, then simply see if its something you can do yourself, sometimes its not as hard as u think, especially if you have unfinnished rooms or return ducts in your walls

[Gdkitty]

Yeah.. i really all comed down to HOW the house is laid out, etc..

Unfinished basement helps get from one side to the other.. than its just going up.

You CAN use a heat register as Pauly said, if you wanted.  its never RECOMENDED due to the heat... but i have run coax and cat5 that way just fine.

Again if you want, you can get them to run it along the edge of your house up to the attic if you want.. then its a very simple drop down through the wall.

Many options

[Pauly]

I actually used a Cold Air Return duct, its diferent than a heat register.  Its usually a hollow cavity in the wall and they usually go up from the basement celing to the 2nd floor.  i ran all my wires up this place.

[Gdkitty]

True, cold air return would be better if you have the choice (depends on where it is i guess).

I run..ALOT through the cold air return at my place from the basement to the living room (where one of the cold air vents is).. 1x cable line, 1x HDMI line, 3x cat5 line, 1x usb line, and 4 speaker wires

Heat ducts will work.. but again, are not as recomended.. may lessen the life of the cable by a bit.

[laurenu]

I have the VIP Cable package already.

I am renting the rooms that we are running the cable into and are just wondering which is the better option (as cable in their rooms in not included in their rent... only in the common area).

If I run the lines up are they able to get their own Digital Boxes (or something alike) or do I have to order them from my account?

Just wondering which is easier..  I have no problem ordering the boxes from my account and getting them to pay for it up front (and I assume if they do this they will still have access to the VIP package as well?) 

[Gdkitty]

Unless they were paying for completely 2nd rogers account in the household for those rooms... then yes, every box, needs to be at least REGISTERED on your account.  They could buy their own, and just register it on your account, etc.. but to RENT them, yes they have to be on your account.

And yes, they will have access to EVERYTHING that you do, if you rent full rogers digital boxes for them.  (just make sure you change the code for ordering pay per view, pay movies from Rogers on Demand, etc.. so they cant order stuff on your account).

Now.. another option.. since you have the VIP and are alloted to them.. you could get a DTA.  With the move from analog, these are the MIN required to watch TV very soon.  They are even more basic that a rogers digital SD box.  They will give channel 1-60 (ish, i beleive).  Based on the # of current digital boxes you have, and the # of outlets, you could get 1-2 of these.. and they are FREE (you just have to return them if you cancel).