XtraView setup
The way I see it:
You need 2x decoders of a new
type that can do monitoring of the 2nd decoder.
Thus you need to have the 1110 decoder model on both sides, because they need to "chat" to each other to send "alive" signals to each other.
You link them up through the RF connection (layman's terms, the TV antenna, coax cable, with TV antenna plugs)
You need either 2x separate dishes with a single LNB, like with the current single views, OR 1x dish that has got a Twin LNB (like the current twinview/pvr setups). Where each cable would run directly to each decoder.
That would then also mean, that each decoder will have to have a smartcard. Because the decoding is not happening over the antenna cable. It would require you to register both decoder/smartcards with Multichoice.
It's exactly like the old/first Twinview decoder, except now it is 2 separate devices, which means you can have stereo on both TVs, because you can now plugin in your RCA cables into each decoder. You can now also have multichoice's propriety applications (e.g. the sport task bar info, TV guide etc) on each decoder's TV. Where as you previously could not have done this with a single TwinView or PVR decoder.
If you want to use the LNB out on the 1st decoder, you will then only limit the 2nd decoder because digital channels are in groups. Each group is on a unique frequency. e.g Mnet and MM1 is in the same group, but their digital video channel IDs differ, so the device doesn't always tune to a different frequency when you change the (digital) channel. Remember DSTV satellite is already digital. The current stream is in mpeg2-ts, similar to modern digital camcorders that record to tape.
There is about 8 groups for premium, which then splits up further into 70 odd video channels and a 100+ audio channels.
Now if decoder 1 was tuned to a channel where the polarity, Vertical or Horizontal and High or Low Frequency was, the other group must then also fall in that exact same range. Which is unlikely, thus the reason why you need a twin LNB with a twinview (2x tuner) or the PVR device.
Also the average Joe can't phone up Multichoice and ask: "Hey my splitter I bought over seas doesn't work, what frequency am I suppose to set the card reader to get the Irdeto II version 4/5/6 cards?"
