What are your favorite coax TV splitters, the best quality after the split. Do you have favorite brands or are there just certain things you look for in any brand.

Trying to stock up on more 1x2 and 1x3 and just wondering?

We only use Channel Plus product for splitters. A little more money, but a balanced output.

I use Antronix. I recommend using the same brand your local CATV provider uses. It will eliminate 'your splitters' being the cause of signal quality concerns

Where I'm at, if you don't use the same splitters as the cable company, they will usually remove them when they do the install.

we use JVI splitters, less money then channel plus and (knock on wood) we haven't had any issues with them. Also our cable company is the same way, they have never seen an 8-way splitter, don't like our compression fittings and have absolutely no clue what a blocking filter is.

I use the same comp fittings that they use, so they love me as the electicians still use crimp style & twist on's. The other thing that I do for the cable company is run 2 feeds if more than 4 outlets. They really love me for that..

Often people just buy a splitter because it simply does a job, no more, no less. But as with all things there are good reasons why some manufacturers are more expensive and sometimes no reason at all. The best way to decide is to know what you're looking for on their spec sheet.

Some specs to look for are lowest insertion loss, typically 3.5dB or slightly less, (two-way splitter), and a high isolation from output port to port. Isolation becomes very important when combining signals more so than splitting. A low isolation level will allow one signal to backfeed to another leg potentially causing undesirable signal interactions.

Frequency response and bandwidth are also important and generally where you'll see the most variation from manufacturer to manufacturer, model to model. Cheaper splitters generally have a less than flat response accross the specified bandwidth although all should be within +/- 3dB peak to valley.

That 3dB could be critical though. Let's imagine you've designed an RF distribution system for cable TV and one outlet should have 5dB which is adequate for the cable box. If however the cable company's response is less than flat, which is typical, and one channel is 3dB down from the average level and that channel falls within a valley on the splitter, you're now down another 3dB leaving -1dB at the outlet. Before you know it you're in a low signal to noise situation and a grainy picture.

As with most things in our business it's great to get the best and charge the customer for that. If we can't do that because the splitters are kind of a hidden item I usually incorporate a misc. charge for such things.

I know it's easy just to say get the best you can afford but there's nothing more frustrating than getting a service call for a $3.99 splitter that's behind a wall plate, behind a rack of equipment.
On a Friday night.
When it's raining.
And it's Christmas.

I'm just surprised at how many of you let the cable company into the houses you are working on. I either have the customer pick up the cable boxes or get the cable company to just drop them off when they hook up the demarks.
If they argue with you, I usually tell them the installation inside the house isn't complete, but I need internet access while I am finishing.
They usually don't complain too much.

do you use splitters rated to 3 ghz, 2.5 or 1?

I don't!!!
The time it takes to 'repair' their installation is time wasted(hd box connected to channel 3; I don't know why your 'monitor' doesn't have audio to your surround speakers!) I'm not knocking the 'cable guy's'(o.k. I am)

I have developed a reputation with my local 'cable provider'.

They have become accustom to 'dropping off' the cable box's/modem and I take it from there.

I hate charging to do their job but it is still cheaper than a service call to correct their obvious inability to interface their equipment into anything other than a 'standard' tv connection.

I always schedule Comcast on a day I know I am there. I handle the CATV boxes and just have them bring service to the house. I do verify signal while they are there. They dig the fact that I handle the boxes for them. They just verify on demand works and they're out. They make more money and are more apt to work with you instead of against.

LiveWire 1ghz splitters

We use only 2 way splitters, this will allow us to select the priority monitors.

If you're using a purely Cable TV/Off Air system a 1GHz splitter will suffice. If however you have a satellite feed or the possibility of one day having one, then use a 2GHz or above.

There is an argument for and against going to 3GHz.

For: Good idea to future proof for a relatively small fee and maybe avoid a future service call.

Against: May never be used or could easily be changed out.

Let me rephrase what I met. When I do a new prewire, many of them are spec homes, so when sold and the new owner moves in, the catv company hooks up service. If I am doing a theatre install, I get the box or modem from the installer, and do the install. Obviously, the catv company does the drops to the house. My local catv Co. does not give out boxes or modems to customers, ever...