# Driving multiple TVs from TiVo DVR



## phydeauxman (Jan 18, 2013)

Is it possible to drive 2 TVs from a single HDMI output, out of the TiVo? I have a Premier 4XL in my living room and want to add a TV in my garage to mirror whatever is being shown on the TV in the living room. Not looking to watch things independently between the garage and the living room...looking to watch the same thing in both places at the same time. This is mostly for football games. I know I would have to get a spliter or something but wanted to see how other people have solved this problem.


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## drewdog (Feb 3, 2007)

the absolute easiest way to do this is hdmi to tv 1 and component to tv 2


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Though if you have TV 1 turned off, the component to TV 2 might not work anymore ("hdmi connection not permitted").

you may have to use a powered HDMI splitter. I have never used one, but they're apparently cheap nowadays.


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## phydeauxman (Jan 18, 2013)

mattack said:


> Though if you have TV 1 turned off, the component to TV 2 might not work anymore ("hdmi connection not permitted").
> 
> you may have to use a powered HDMI splitter. I have never used one, but they're apparently cheap nowadays.


I guess this would be relatively easy to test. I actually did not realize that both outputs would work at the same time...ever. I thought you had to use one or the other.


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

mattack said:


> Though if you have TV 1 turned off, the component to TV 2 might not work anymore ("hdmi connection not permitted").
> 
> you may have to use a powered HDMI splitter. I have never used one, but they're apparently cheap nowadays.


That the way Setup is, I have my living on HDMI and my bedroom has components.It works good. I was using a powered HDMI for about a year but that started to give troubles with the picture so I went back to components


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

phydeauxman said:


> I guess this would be relatively easy to test. I actually did not realize that both outputs would work at the same time...ever. I thought you had to use one or the other.


I have my tivo set up with HDMI going my living room tv and components going to my bedroom tv.


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## 9300170 (Feb 21, 2003)

I've used an HDMI switch/splitter for years. Currently, I'm using a pretty fancy one that allows me to send 4 different HDMI feeds to two rooms (TiVo, Roku, DVD, VCR [yes, I still have one]). Go to Monoprice dot com and search for "hdmi switch."


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

phydeauxman said:


> I guess this would be relatively easy to test. I actually did not realize that both outputs would work at the same time...ever. I thought you had to use one or the other.


Yes, all outputs are active at all times.. which generally is a huge benefit.. but is a detriment in this case (yes, due to DRM.. I wouldn't mind the DRM-on-HDMI part if it only cared when you were actually connected through HDMI.. Though I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not sure what it's actually TRYING to protect in this case... and I am NOT making an anti-all-DRM case.. I understand why it's there generally and accept the business realities.)


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## bd177 (Oct 22, 2010)

phydeauxman said:


> Is it possible to drive 2 TVs from a single HDMI output, out of the TiVo? I have a Premier 4XL in my living room and want to add a TV in my garage to mirror whatever is being shown on the TV in the living room. Not looking to watch things independently between the garage and the living room...looking to watch the same thing in both places at the same time. This is mostly for football games. I know I would have to get a spliter or something but wanted to see how other people have solved this problem.


I drive four TV's off of 1 TIVO with a 4 port HDMI splitter. Works great.


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## Austin Bike (Feb 9, 2003)

I spent a lot of time messing with an HDMI splitter as well as a wireless HDMI transmitter (that I eventually ditched in favor of a 100' HDMI cable that I need to install...)

There are 2 kinds of HDMI splitters - active and passive.

When I say active and passive, I could be overstating for simplicity, they could actually both be active, but it is easier than saying "the cheap kind and the expensive kind." And mind you the expensive is not that expensive when you consider the alternative.

I went with this initially because I thought it would be one less power connection to deal with:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10113&cs_id=1011306&p_id=8153&seq=1&format=2

Looked like a pretty siple y-adapter. But what they don't show you in the picture is that there is also a power adapter that you have to use. It kept cutting out with the wireless HDMI device. I would lose the signal on the sending end.

Then a friend gave me one of these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10113&cs_id=1011306&p_id=8204&seq=1&format=2

Now suddenly I had a strong signal and the HDMI never went out, not once. However the signal on the wireless unit was just too weak outside and I was getting terrible pixelation.

I held on to the wireless unit, I might use it in another place in the house, but essentially putting the better splitter on and the 100' cable cleared everything up and I essentially had a tivo mini out in the shack for the price of a cable, an IR relay and splitter (under ~$160).

When I tried to run the component to the TV and the HDMI out to the shack I was receiving error messages on the inside TV. I need to try that again some time to see if a splitter is even needed at all.


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## NoVa (Feb 26, 2006)

Austin Bike said:


> I held on to the wireless unit, I might use it in another place in the house, but essentially putting the better splitter on and the 100' cable cleared everything up and I essentially had a tivo mini out in the shack for the price of a cable, an IR relay and splitter (under ~$160).
> 
> When I tried to run the component to the TV and the HDMI out to the shack I was receiving error messages on the inside TV. I need to try that again some time to see if a splitter is even needed at all.


You say you have a Tivo Mini like setup with either of the setup above but are you able watch TV in either room independently of the other?


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## NoVa (Feb 26, 2006)

bd177 said:


> I drive four TV's off of 1 TIVO with a 4 port HDMI splitter. Works great.


Are all 4 TV's projecting the same channel at the same time?


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## Austin Bike (Feb 9, 2003)

NoVa said:


> You say you have a Tivo Mini like setup with either of the setup above but are you able watch TV in either room independently of the other?


No, both TV's broadcast the same thing. But my wife and I are rarely in the two rooms simultaneously so there is never a conflict.

Also, I picked up an IR extender. You need one that is dual band, the normal ones will not work with a Tivo remote.

I used one of these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10110&cs_id=1011009&p_id=9194&seq=1&format=2

Sitting out in the shack I have an old tivo remote and can do anything with the HD that I could sitting in the room. Of course the first thing my wife wanted to do was watch hulu. Crap. That only works on the premier. Why does technology have to be so hard?


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## ah30k (Jan 9, 2006)

Didn't read all the posts so sorry if this is duplicative...

The device attached to the HDMI port can report a couple of different statuses when 'turned off' and different manufacturers handle it differently.

The short answer is that component output while the hdmi device is 'off' may or many not work.

I've seen both. With my Pioneer Receiver it DOES work. I think with one of my former Sony TVs it did NOT work.


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## Austin Bike (Feb 9, 2003)

What I was unsure of was whether the device being "off" was causing the problem or if that problem was being caused by wireless HDMI losing the handshake for a split second. Have not tried it with a hard cable and now that the blowtorch has started here in texas, I will not need to sit out in the shack until the fall.


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## riz (Dec 30, 2000)

mattack said:


> Though if you have TV 1 turned off, the component to TV 2 might not work anymore ("hdmi connection not permitted").
> 
> you may have to use a powered HDMI splitter. I have never used one, but they're apparently cheap nowadays.


I have discovered if you change inputs (on the hdmi connection) on your tv or monitor it seems to bypass this weird hdmi flaw, example below...

So, my setup is this, component out to hdtv, hdmi out to 24" asus monitor via hdmi. When i turn off asus, i get the error on the component saying 'hdmi not permitted', when i switch inputs on the asus to say 'vga' from hdmi then turn off the monitor, component still works! This may be specific to my setup but its worth a shot


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## drewdog (Feb 3, 2007)

Mine says "hdmi not permitted"... then it comes right back on. I've been using the hsmi / component simultaneously for several yeas. The only problem is when someone in the hdmi room shuts off the home theater, the component tvs will flash on and off for a few seconds.


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## gtaylor (Jan 8, 2002)

We have a Premiere in the bedroom. Comcast.

Composite out goes into an old SlingBox that I can watch remotely or on any local PC/Laptop here in the house and passthrough to an old tube tv.

The HDMI feeds into an IOGear 3D/HD transmitter that feeds wirelessly out to the kitchen (the only HDMI TV in the house). I believe it is this: GW3DHDKIT, but I don't see that on the transmitter and the retail box is up in the attic.

The transmitter has a pass-through if we ever get a HDMI set in the bedroom and it has a second HDMI input to add something like a DVD player or such.

The kitchen receiver has an infra-red pass-back to the bedroom to control the Premiere remotely.

Really happy with this setup.

gary


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## NoVa (Feb 26, 2006)

So just to confirm what Austin Bike said - splitting the TiVo HDMI signal will result in the same picture at the same time between 2+ TV's correct?


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## bd177 (Oct 22, 2010)

NoVa said:


> Are all 4 TV's projecting the same channel at the same time?


Yes


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