Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Mechanicsburg
An aging analog TV system became a connected HD experience—built around the building’s existing coax network and the way patients actually use their televisions.
Property spotlightEncompass Health · Mechanicsburg, PA
01 / The challenge
Better television starts with understanding the property.
For a rehabilitation hospital, television is part of the everyday patient experience. The project needed to improve the picture, simplify controls, and work with a mixed fleet of LG and Samsung commercial displays.
Before the upgrade
An analog system showing its age
Degraded picture quality and inconsistent television service.
Coax routes that differed from the original installation plan.
Different HDMI channel assignments across TV brands, making streaming harder to find.
The installed solution
HD throughout. Familiar controls.
DISH Smartbox 2 delivers encrypted HD over the existing coax network.
A relocated headend aligns with the building’s actual distribution paths.
HDMI inputs appear on the same channels across the hospital’s displays.
02 / The solution
Designed for the building. Refined in the field.
Star Connection, the team behind LodgeVision, traced the existing cabling and adapted the installation around the hospital’s real infrastructure.
Satellite reception on a ballasted, non-penetrating rooftop mount.
A smarter headend location
On-site tracing revealed that the patient wings connected through two second-floor distribution closets. Moving the Smartbox headend to the second floor shortened the signal path and avoided a long exterior conduit run. The existing feeder also served the first-floor displays.
HD over the existing coax network
The centralized Smartbox 2 system supplies DISH HD programming, with local programming and an in-house information channel. Pro:Idiom encryption supports compatible LG and Samsung commercial televisions.
Power protection and remote support
A battery backup supports the headend through power interruptions. A dedicated Teltonika cellular gateway provides a separate connection for remote system management.
A coordinated room-by-room cutover
The team prepared manufacturer-specific television configurations and worked with hospital maintenance to apply and verify the channel map across the facility, including after-hours work.
01 / ReceptionSatellite + local antenna
→
02 / ProcessingDISH Smartbox 2
→
03 / DistributionExisting coax network
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04 / ExperiencePatient + common-area TVs
03 / At the bedside
One channel map. One less thing to figure out.
Patients already use pillow speaker controls from their beds. The installation made those familiar controls the path to both television and connected streaming devices.
By assigning the same virtual channels to HDMI inputs on LG and Samsung displays, the team created a consistent way to reach streaming content across the hospital.
06Hospital information
55HDMI 1 / streaming
56HDMI 2 / auxiliary input
Channel assignments shown are specific to this installation. HDMI channels select inputs on the television.
The LG display’s HDMI and pillow speaker connections, documented on site.
04 / The outcome
A smooth installation. An exceptional response.
“Exceptional”
Customer evaluation recorded in the post-installation review.
The field notes report that the facility was pleased with the smoother installation, improved channel appearance, and HDMI access through the pillow speaker controls.
At project handoff
✓ Installation accepted and signed off
✓ No unresolved service issues reported
✓ Customer satisfied with the channel lineup
✓ Willing to provide a testimonial and reference
Based on the project’s post-installation review.
The technology behind the experience
A connected system, from roof to room.
01
DISH Smartbox 2
Centralized HD programming with Pro:Idiom encryption.
02
In-house information
An HD modulator and T95 media player deliver facility content on Channel 6.
03
Commercial distribution
Balanced coax taps and existing risers carry the signal across the property.
04
Support infrastructure
Battery backup and cellular management support the installed system.
Your property. Your next chapter.
Ready to rethink your patient television experience?
Let’s talk about your displays, your building, and the people who use them.
