Q I have a 42-inch plasma TV monitor that doesn't have a TV tuner. I used to hook up it up to a cable DVR, which cost an extra $15 a month on my cable bill. Since I didn't use it often, I returned the DVR to the cable company to save money.
Now, how I can get TV signal to this monitor? Can I buy a TV tuner or a DVR with a TV tuner and feed it with an HD antenna?
The other option is to hook it up to the cable DVR in the family room just on the other side of the same wall the monitor is installed. The problem is that I need to walk out to the family room if I need to change channel.
What do you think I should do?
A You can get a component with a tuner and connect it to the monitor, but I don't think that is the best solution for you. How about a solution that provides full functionality of your family-room cable DVR, without being in the family room?
Connect the monitor to the DVR in the family room, but use an infrared remote repeater to control it.
An infrared remote repeater will receive the signal from the remote and broadcast it via radio waves to a transmitter in another room, which will reproduce it and control the device. An infrared remote repeater costs $30 or less.
First, connect the monitor to the DVR through the wall. Set up the receiving unit of the remote repeater near the TV. Then place the transmitting unit in the same room as the DVR, facing it.