I just hired a guy to install a Wineguard outdoor TV antenna. HD/OTA comes in beautifully now, nary a glitch as before with an amplified indoor antenna, and we have many new channels to choose from, since our stations offer 2-4 programs each.
Ihe antenna cable comes into the basement. I want one cable to go from the basement to the TV area just above, where a 4-way amplified splitter would distribute it to 4 devices in the AV cabinet. 3-4 other cables will go to other parts of the house to improve FM reception or TV.
I can imagine a few ways to do this, and I'd like your opinions about which is best.
1. Cascade two 4-way amplified splitters (take one cable from the output of the first first to feed the second). One in the basement, one near the AV equipment. I would have double amplification. Don't know if that would be good or bad. Most units have greater than unity gain. Even with unity gain, there could be some distortion introduced by two amps in cascade.
2A. Use a passive 2-way splitter to feed the two active 4-way splitters. This avoids potential distortion and noise of double-amplication as in #1, but degrades the signal before amplifying it.
2B. Use an active 2-way splitter to feed the two active 4-way splitters. This avoids the degradation, causes double-amplication, and costs more.
3. I could buy an 8-way amplified splitter and have enough outputs. But I want only one wire going from the basement, through the wall, to the furniture that has four devices on it, and the other feeds around the house have to go through the basement.