Complete A/V makeover - need advice

[LA-HODAG]

Our used bus conversion came to us with 50” plasma tvs in the living room and bedroom, each with a separate multi-component surround sound and audio system and each connected to a non-functioning MotoSat. We also have a bathroom TV and one exterior, but I don’t know if they are connected to the MotoSat. I’m sure all this stuff was state of the art 10 years ago and probably cost $20k or more, but now those huge plasma sets are outdated power hogs and way too big for us and we don’t need all those audio components. I plan to replace the tvs with 36-40 inch slim LED models that will take up half the space and use half the power. Here’s the part I need help with. If I replace the Motosat with something like the Travl’r that people rave about on this site, will I be able to use the existing co-ax runs from the tvs to the roof? Same for replacing the over the air antenna with HD. Any advice on which to get? Do the HD replacement heads for the crank up type antennas actually work well? One last thing. How can I test what the co-ax that ends at each TV is connected to? Thanks!

[redbaron73]

Not sure about the motosat but i can assure you that ANY antenna will work for HD. Most likely no need to replace what you have.

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by LA-HODAG

I plan to replace the tvs with 36-40 inch slim LED models that will take up half the space and use half the power.

Careful -- some LEDs are power hogs. I vote Samsung.

Originally Posted by LA-HODAG

Here’s the part I need help with. If I replace the Motosat with something like the Travl’r that people rave about on this site, will I be able to use the existing co-ax runs from the tvs to the roof?

Depends. If you use a Multimedia Over CoAx (MoCA) system, then probably yes.

Both DISH (Hopper & Joey) and DirecTV (Genie) systems use MoCA. Basically, MoCA is just a way to transmit HD over less-than-great-quality coax. So I believe the coax in most existing RVs will support a MoCA system.

I went with a Hopper. Here's my setup.

Both the Hopper and Genie systems are very good -- both are multi-TV "whole house" HD DVR systems which means any TV on a MoCA network can access, play, and record programs on the DVR.

Originally Posted by LA-HODAG

Same for replacing the over the air antenna with HD. Any advice on which to get? Do the HD replacement heads for the crank up type antennas actually work well?

I replaced my old batwing head with a Jack head. I think there is a difference, but not night and day to me. Remember that HD signals are transmitted on UHF, nothing special, so traditional TV antennas should work fine. There are no "HD antennas".

Originally Posted by LA-HODAG

One last thing. How can I test what the co-ax that ends at each TV is connected to?

I loaded a movie into a VCR, hooked it up to each cable one-at-a-time, and used a TV to check what came out on the other ends.