This and the other responses make me think this installer was carefully taught to get the DVR going first, but his instructors lied to him about the reasons. It was pitiful to watch him sincerely explain to me that the HD (he didn't say DVR, he said HD) needed to be connected first so it would get a better signal than the other units, which did not need as strong a signal.

It's not like the cabling would be run to the DVR location and then split off from there, making the other locations lower in signal; all the splitting was to be done outside the house at the west end. Four TV locations were closer (n wire footage) than the DVR.

I'm reminded of the installer I knew who ALWAYS ran a fresh cable instead of using an F81 to extend an existing cable. The pitiful thing is that you and I know the reasons to avoid using an F81, but it was hammered into his head that each F81 introduced a 3 dB signal drop, so an F81 was simply forbidden.

I agree with always running a new cable, but why must they teach lies to the installers, making them unable to think when it might be needed?