Recently I spent some time looking into how to share my TiVo with all the TVs in my house I didn’t want to have to buy another TiVo nor did I want to pay the additional amount for another TiVo subscription. My search for the ideal product, started with the Leapfrog’s Wavemaster 20. This was a decent product however; I had several problems with it none of which I was able to resolve. The next product that I decided to try was the CrossBar MediaKit. The product only cost me $99.95, which I think is cheap considering the fact that I would have had to pay a lot more if I wanted to purchase another TiVo.
The product arrived at my door step rather fast (as fast as UPS can deliver it). My initial thought was that I was extremely happy with how they packaged the product. I don’t think I’ve seen packaging done as well ever before.
As you’d expect, I removed the product from the packaging as soon as I brought it in the door. This reminded me of the days when I would get a Star Wars guy and have to open it in the car 
. To my surprise, the product came with a complete manual. When I say complete, I mean complete. The manual includes every little detail on how to setup the system.
My initial setup gave me a couple of problems. 1.) I had to split the signal to my cable modem prior to going into the CableCaster. This wasn’t a big deal infact; I probably should have done this right from the start. 2.) I had to purchase another power adapter (Radio Shack) for the CableCaster. According to the manual, the CableCaster is supposed to be able to receive power over the coax via the power supply that you plug into the IRCaster/IRDetector. This however, was not my experience.
Once I figured out these two issues, I was as happy as I could be with the product. Now I have TiVo in every room of my house! As you can imagine, this is a geek’s dream come true. As a side note, I’ve actually gone ahead and purchased an additional IRCaster/IRDetector for my room upstairs. The initial kit that I purchased only contained one IRCaster/IRDetector.
If you have any questions or comments please let me know. I am extremely happy with this product. I think that anybody who wants to share an entertainment device with other tvs in their house should definitely consider the CrossBar MediaKit.
btw, here is a link to an image that depicts my current setup.
Updated 7/27/04: I went ahead an purchased another IR Caster / IR Detector now I can control my TiVo from my bedroom! Installation was a snap!
Updated 01/05/06: I’ve put together this post which details how my TiVo is setup.
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