Cable TV.

[j2buttonsw]

I recently stayed in a hotel which had cable TV. Unlike my home where you tune the TV to the set top box then use the set top box zapper to change the channels, the signal to the TV in the hotel seemed to be already split into the constituent channels. The TV zapper could then be used to select which of the cable TV channels to watch. My questions are: how does the hotel set top box differ from my home one and where could I get one from?

[Ewood27]

I've just come back from staying in a place with a similar arrangement, though it may be Sky. It also allows one to watch one Sky/cable channel while videotaping another, which I can't do with my home setup.
I can only think they have a separate decoder for each channel, though I don't know for sure. Why not ask your cable company about it?

[smorodina]

I used to be involved in setting up such a system for some of the hotels in my area and, assuming things are still the same, they actually had a seperate receiver box for each channel they wanted, installed in a central room, and these then had their rf output adjusted to different channels so that each tv in the hotel could be tuned to all the different channels. They generally only had about four to six extra channels available, and it was still a nightmare setting them up. As I said, I haven't been involved in this for a few years so, unless things have changed, you can't do this with a single box.

[answerbok]

Rediffusion cable [70's] didn't use a set-top box, just a little selector knob at the (aerial) socket.

[smorodina]

Yes, but Rediffusion used a multi strand cable system that was severely limited in capacity i.e. about 12 channels in total including the terrestrial channels and radio.

[j2buttonsw]

Erm, when I said hotel I meant to say B + B, will this make a difference to your answers?

[Pickle]

In the USA you can buy cable ready TVs - which means that the set top box is built into the TV. Perhaps the B & B had one of those.

[smorodina]

Yes, we had some sets with built in satellitte receivers, but in order to record different channels you would need a video with the same and I haven't seen one. I would have thought that the average BandB might not have the resources to invest in such a complex system, but maybe it was an above average one...

[j2buttonsw]

It was a pretty modern B + B and the TV looked pretty conventional (it was connected to a rf breakout box on the wall with a standard coax cable). I think the likeliest thing is a posh set top box which splits the signal and allows the standard TV to tune into the constituent channels (as smorodina alluded to). Thanks for all the replies. Maybe I'll move into a local B + B!