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EC posted:Anybody seen this guy: Interesting...it looks like the pro-market HD capture stuff is starting to make inroads to consumer devices. This is less than ideal though, as you would be converting from digital (source) to analog (component) back to digital (cap card) and recompressing. This would potentially introduce some quality problems.
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Jan 23, 2008 17:30
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It sucks to have to go D->A->D with recompression, but that sort of device is unfortunately going to be the only option for home-brew PVRs that want to record digital cable content.
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Jan 23, 2008 18:01
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Alowishus posted:It sucks to have to go D->A->D with recompression, but that sort of device is unfortunately going to be the only option for home-brew PVRs that want to record digital cable content. That's not entirely true. Yes it's the only way you could capture anything being output by a cable box, but it is possible to capture the digital stream via the firewire port directly. I've discussed this at length in previous posts in this thread (it's how my MythTV setup currently operates w/ Comcast digital cable) And it will always be possible to capture clear QAM stuff from cable as well.
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Jan 23, 2008 18:09
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vanilla slimfast posted:That's not entirely true. Yes it's the only way you could capture anything being output by a cable box, but it is possible to capture the digital stream via the firewire port directly. I've discussed this at length in previous posts in this thread (it's how my MythTV setup currently operates w/ Comcast digital cable)
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Jan 23, 2008 18:27
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has anybody used the blackmagic intensity or can point to a review of it? I can't seem to find a real review only reviews from shill sites. If I understand it doesn't do any compression so it'd be like getting a multi gigs for minutes of footage.
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Jan 23, 2008 20:54
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Has anyone used their HTPC with a 360 controller? Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, I'm building modest HTPC that I'm hoping to do some gaming on. I floated the idea of grabbing a bluetooth keyboard + dongle, but now that I think about it, I could just use my 360 controller if I pick up one of those wireless PC receivers plus a messenger pad for typing. This strikes me as a much more compact solution. Also, wouldn't the controller support voice chat for Vent and such if I use a headset? The idea of playing WoW with a gamepad, mapping all my spells to buttons and triggers might be enough to suck me back in.
SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Jan 23, 2008 |
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Jan 23, 2008 20:55
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As an addition to SnatchRabbit's question, is there any compatibility issues with using the same 360 controller for the 360 AND the HTPC?
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Jan 23, 2008 22:09
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SnatchRabbit posted:Has anyone used their HTPC with a 360 controller? I use mine for emulators, it works great and maps to most systems perfectly. I can't comment on the voice chat as I've never tried it. Edit: EC posted:As an addition to SnatchRabbit's question, is there any compatibility issues with using the same 360 controller for the 360 AND the HTPC? No problem at all, I use the same pad for both. Well, I found out afterwards that the sync button on my 360 is broken (it doesn't even try to connect to anything, so it's not a problem with the pads), but plugging in the play and charge pairs it back to the 360 again. With a properly working 360 it should be fine. Froist fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Jan 23, 2008 |
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Jan 23, 2008 22:11
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Alowishus posted:Except that on most providers, the encrypted stuff is still encrypted over firewire, making that useless for anything except the same channels you could get over clear QAM anyway. Perhaps you're lucky in your area with Comcast... but can you seriously record something like Discovery HD over firewire? It really depends on the local branch of the cable company in question, and whether they choose to implement 5C or not. In my case (Comcast in central Denver), almost everything is available through the firewire port, including HD channels. I'm pretty sure this includes Discovery but I haven't tried it recently so I'm not 100% on that. I do know that the other non-local HD channels like TNT and A&E do come in unencrypted on the firewire port. I don't pay for premium channels (like HBO, etc) so no telling if those would work or not. The downside of course, is that this is fully in Comcast's control, so at any point they can choose to turn on 5C for almost everything and I'd be SOL. But having this possibility is not the same thing as not having it be possible at all. vanilla slimfast fucked around with this message at 22:16 on Jan 23, 2008 |
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Jan 23, 2008 22:14
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Has anyone played around much with the Linux port of XBMC? I will be using the guts of my current system in a HTPC build in the next month or so, and I'd really love to put XBMC on it.
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Jan 24, 2008 01:23
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Goldmund posted:Has anyone played around much with the Linux port of XBMC? I will be using the guts of my current system in a HTPC build in the next month or so, and I'd really love to put XBMC on it. I could never get it working reliably in a virtual machine, so never took the plunge to try and dual-boot a system. I'm not a linux guru by any stretch, though, so take that for what you will. The next time I rebuild the machine (shortly) I might toss a linux partition on there to screw around with.
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Jan 24, 2008 02:05
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Another Linux alternative to XBMC (which will surely be awesome when done) is Elisa. I'm dissatisfied with Myth's ability to handle media other than TV recordings, and am dying for XBMC or something like it. Going to be trying Elisa out and will report back, but thought I'd link it now anyway.
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Jan 24, 2008 03:51
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After looking at a bunch of guides, I'm still confused about QAM. Basically, I want my HTPC to be able to hook up to cable and be able to use all the channels I'm signed up for (even the digital ones) without the need for the cable box. Can I get that sort of functionality by using a card like this?: http://www.digitalconnection.com/products/video/fusion5.asp
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Jan 24, 2008 20:13
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Saddamnit posted:After looking at a bunch of guides, I'm still confused about QAM. Basically, I want my HTPC to be able to hook up to cable and be able to use all the channels I'm signed up for (even the digital ones) without the need for the cable box. Can I get that sort of functionality by using a card like this?: http://www.digitalconnection.com/products/video/fusion5.asp Nothing that confusing about it. On your cable there are both encrypted and unencrypted signals. The unencrypted ones are "clear" QAM which any digital tuner that advertises QAM compatibility can tune. OTOH the encrypted channels can only be tuned/decrypted by cablecard based tuners of which the only one available outside of a prebuilt machine is the ATI occur external tuner box. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm fairly certain that the occur tuner won't work with DVR software aside from vista media center. So, if you want "all the channels [you] are signed up for" you will need to have a cablecard tuner if any of those channels is encrypted, which unless you only have basic cable will likely be the case.
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Jan 24, 2008 20:31
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dfn_doe posted:Nothing that confusing about it. On your cable there are both encrypted and unencrypted signals. The unencrypted ones are "clear" QAM which any digital tuner that advertises QAM compatibility can tune. OTOH the encrypted channels can only be tuned/decrypted by cablecard based tuners of which the only one available outside of a prebuilt machine is the ATI occur external tuner box. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm fairly certain that the occur tuner won't work with DVR software aside from vista media center. There are other possibilities as well if you put the cable box back into the mix: * Firewire capture from the cable box (what channels you can get depends on your cable co) * Analog capture from the cable box (not HD capable) Kinda sucks, huh? The situation is pretty similar for satellite as well...the content providers are making it hard for homebrew PVR solutions to work.
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Jan 24, 2008 20:50
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Thanks for your help, guys. I have a cable box through Comcast that has a USB port on the front of it. Any way I can use that in conjunction with an HTPC? I want to be able to watch one thing on my TV, while having something on a totally different channel being recorded on the PC at the same time.
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Jan 24, 2008 21:57
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Saddamnit posted:Thanks for your help, guys. I have a cable box through Comcast that has a USB port on the front of it. Any way I can use that in conjunction with an HTPC? I want to be able to watch one thing on my TV, while having something on a totally different channel being recorded on the PC at the same time. no, most of the jacks on those boxes are disabled. The only ones that generally work are the outputs and the firewire.
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Jan 25, 2008 00:53
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Saddamnit posted:Thanks for your help, guys. I have a cable box through Comcast that has a USB port on the front of it. Any way I can use that in conjunction with an HTPC? I want to be able to watch one thing on my TV, while having something on a totally different channel being recorded on the PC at the same time. What is the brand and model of your cable box? The ones with firewire ports (on the back) are usually the Motorola DCH or DCT series. If your box does not have a firewire port (might also be labelled ieee1394), by law Comcast has to give you one if you request it. Any recent HD STB will probably already have a firewire port available and active. edit: the USB port on the front is for displaying pictures off of flash media/cameras, not for any kind of output.
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Jan 25, 2008 01:44
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vanilla slimfast posted:What is the brand and model of your cable box? The ones with firewire ports (on the back) are usually the Motorola DCH or DCT series. Hmm, just checked my own HD STB and lo and behold there are 2 firewire slots marked 1394 and a coax out on the back. Does this mean I don't need a cable tuner card if my PC has a Firewire jack? Would I also required an IR blaster for changing channles if I want set up some type of DVR functionality? edit: assuming that I go FW or PCI card, what are the chances I'll be able record from all the channels I get? (I subscribe to Cablevision IO digital cable basic package). I don't really care about HD since SD content looks fine on my Vizio. Mainly I just want to be able to record stuff off of comedy central, and G4. edit2: I'm probably going with the Hauppauge PVR 150 if that makes a difference. SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Jan 25, 2008 |
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Jan 25, 2008 02:02
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SnatchRabbit posted:Hmm, just checked my own HD STB and lo and behold there are 2 firewire slots marked 1394 and a coax out on the back. Does this mean I don't need a cable tuner card if my PC has a Firewire jack? Would I also required an IR blaster for changing channles if I want set up some type of DVR functionality? It means that you might be able to use the firewire output in lieu of your own tuner. And no, you wouldn't need an IR blaster as the channel change commands are also sent across the firewire cable. This, of course, is all dependent on whether the HTPC platform you are running supports firewire capture in the first place (it might not). Also, there is a possibility that the port is not active on your box, which would mean you'd need to get your cable co to replace it before the port could be used. Since trying it out would only cost you a few bucks for a firewire cable, you might as well give it a try. quote:edit: assuming that I go FW or PCI card, what are the chances I'll be able record from all the channels I get? (I subscribe to Cablevision IO digital cable basic package). I don't really care about HD since SD content looks fine on my Vizio. Mainly I just want to be able to record stuff off of comedy central, and G4. You'll be able to record everything, the question is, at what quality. If you aren't concerned with HD, then doing standard analog (NTSC) capture directly with a tuner card, or analog capture out of your cable box via composite/svideo will work just fine. Do note that doing the analog capture from the box *will* require your HTPC to send channel change commands to the cable box (IR blaster or possibly firewire). Chances are that if you have digital cable service, that the analog channels are still being broadcast across the line as well so you could opt to bypass the cable box altogether.. Do remember that analog broadcasts on cable are going to be turned off forever starting next year (2009). quote:edit2: I'm probably going with the Hauppauge PVR 150 if that makes a difference. Seems to be one of the more popular models from what I've read. It does have composite and svideo in so that is definitely an option.
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Jan 25, 2008 03:34
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vanilla slimfast posted:It means that you might be able to use the firewire output in lieu of your own tuner. And no, you wouldn't need an IR blaster as the channel change commands are also sent across the firewire cable. This, of course, is all dependent on whether the HTPC platform you are running supports firewire capture in the first place (it might not). Also, there is a possibility that the port is not active on your box, which would mean you'd need to get your cable co to replace it before the port could be used. Thanks for the info, I'm leaning heavily towards XP and Media Portal, any idea if that one supports Firewire? Also, how would go about determining if my firewire on my STB is enabled and what do I do if it is not? Also, assuming I get the firewire option working, does that mean I'll have the option of recording HD if I so choose? If I bypass the STB altogether with a tuner card, is it possible that I won't get access to all the channels I want to record? SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Jan 25, 2008 |
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Jan 25, 2008 04:01
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SnatchRabbit posted:Thanks for the info, I'm leaning heavily towards XP and Media Portal, any idea if that one supports Firewire? No idea, I run Linux  I bet you could google the answer to this pretty quicklyquote:Also, how would go about determining if my firewire on my STB is enabled plug it in and try it? There's some software/drivers/etc for plugging in firewire, try googling your box's model number along with firewire and you're bound to get some hits quote:and what do I do if it is not? Call up Comcast and ask them to replace the box. They are legally required to do so quote:Also, assuming I get the firewire option working, does that mean I'll have the option of recording HD if I so choose? Yes, assuming the channels in question are not 5C encrypted (this is a crap shoot, it depends on your local carrier). You'll *always* be able to pull the local channels in the clear, same as if you were plugging the cable straight into a QAM-capable tuner. quote:If I bypass the STB altogether with a tuner card, is it possible that I won't get access to all the channels I want to record? For an analog tuner, you'll be able to record anything available in analog on your cable line, all in SD. For a digital (QAM) tuner, you should be able to pick up the same stuff as analog plus whatever SD/HD channels are available in QAM in the clear. If you want to know what to expect in terms of clear QAM, check out this page that silicon dust hosts: http://www.silicondust.com/wiki/hdhomerun/channels Put in your zip code and it will tell you what channels you should be able to get OTA or on your cable via clear QAM edit: the tuner you listed in your previous post (PVR-150) is *not* QAM compatible. You will not be able to pull any digital content this way, regardless of your cable service. You'd need to go with one of the later models that explicitly states that it supports QAM
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Jan 25, 2008 07:20
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vanilla slimfast posted:Do remember that analog broadcasts on cable are going to be turned off forever starting next year (2009).
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Jan 25, 2008 10:13
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Do you have to have digital cable to get the QAM unencrypted channels? I stopped my Comcast service a few days ago, and the standard cable still comes through, but I couldn't pick up anything with QAM, so I'm thinking maybe digital cable has to be turned on. I guess it's an OTA antenna for me until DirecTV gets HD locals in Colorado Springs.
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Jan 25, 2008 16:52
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Ok, I'm going to try out connecting my STB to my Powerbook via firewire over the weekend. Just one thing-- how can I tell if the jacks are 4 or 6 pin?
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Jan 25, 2008 17:35
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Bender posted:Do you have to have digital cable to get the QAM unencrypted channels? I stopped my Comcast service a few days ago, and the standard cable still comes through, but I couldn't pick up anything with QAM, so I'm thinking maybe digital cable has to be turned on. You sure your tuner is scanning correctly?
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Jan 25, 2008 18:09
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Edit: Wrong thread!
EC fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Jan 25, 2008 |
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Jan 25, 2008 18:16
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Bender posted:Do you have to have digital cable to get the QAM unencrypted channels? I stopped my Comcast service a few days ago, and the standard cable still comes through, but I couldn't pick up anything with QAM, so I'm thinking maybe digital cable has to be turned on. No, I was doing QAM capture for 6+ months before I signed up for digital cable. I don't think there's any easy way for them to turn it "off" anyways. When you do a scan for all the QAM types (64,128,256) and for the correct frequency/channel ranges? Its possible you didn't pick anything up because you didn't look in the right place. Check that Silicon Dust link I posted above to see what QAM channels come in for your zip code, that will tell you the type and channel range to scan for them. SnatchRabbit posted:Ok, I'm going to try out connecting my STB to my Powerbook via firewire over the weekend. Just one thing-- how can I tell if the jacks are 4 or 6 pin? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE1394 It's probably 6-pin vanilla slimfast fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Jan 25, 2008 |
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Jan 25, 2008 18:22
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vanilla slimfast posted:No, I was doing QAM capture for 6+ months before I signed up for digital cable. I don't think there's any easy way for them to turn it "off" anyways. When you do a scan for all the QAM types (64,128,256) and for the correct frequency/channel ranges? Its possible you didn't pick anything up because you didn't look in the right place. Check that Silicon Dust link I posted above to see what QAM channels come in for your zip code, that will tell you the type and channel range to scan for them. Interesting. The QAM scan got a lot of channels, but ALL of them had no video, and only 1 of them had audio (sounded like a Comcast channel that advertises Comcast services). I use the WinTV software in Vista. It appears to be a piece of poo poo. This sucks... I don't know whether to get an antenna or not.
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Jan 25, 2008 19:20
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Bender posted:I don't know whether to get an antenna or not. You could research what channels are available and at what strength based on your location: http://www.antennaweb.org
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Jan 25, 2008 20:17
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vanilla slimfast posted:You could research what channels are available and at what strength based on your location: http://www.antennaweb.org I know the channels are available, but if the card/software I have can't get the QAM channels that are there, I don't want to waste money buying an antenna only to have the retarded card/software be unable to get any channels.
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Jan 25, 2008 21:27
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Bender posted:I know the channels are available, but if the card/software I have can't get the QAM channels that are there, I don't want to waste money buying an antenna only to have the retarded card/software be unable to get any channels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atsc QAM is specific to cable. Over-the-air channels coming in from an antenna would be a different variation of ATSC known as 8VSB. Most HD tuner cards support both formats natively (and when they support terrestrial broadcast they usually say "ATSC support"). What make/model card do you have?
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Jan 25, 2008 22:43
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vanilla slimfast posted:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atsc I have a Hauppauge HVR-1600. I know it supports QAM and ATSC. My fear is simply that if the card sucks at getting QAM (something it SHOULD be getting and something that is available in my area), then why should I assume that it will be any better at getting the ATSC OTA stuff? It seems to me that ATSC is better supported by more software products, so maybe the WinTV software that's included with the card just really loving sucks and can't tune to channels. Hell, it couldn't even tune normal, analog channels that Vista's media center had no trouble whatsoever picking up.
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Jan 25, 2008 23:03
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Bender posted:I have a Hauppauge HVR-1600. I know it supports QAM and ATSC. My fear is simply that if the card sucks at getting QAM (something it SHOULD be getting and something that is available in my area), then why should I assume that it will be any better at getting the ATSC OTA stuff? Not to belabor the obvious, but... You sure you have it hooked up correctly? The 1600 has two coax connector on the back, one is for analog cable and the other is for ATSC/QAM digital. In my experience the analog works just fine and I was able to tune a few ATSC digital stuff with an antenna. I've never tried to use it for QAM, but I've read many time in many forums that people having trouble have the cable jacked into the wrong connector. Also, its been a few pages since I last said it, so... Make sure you don't have too many splitters on the line, low signal strength will result in a poor analog picture and inability to get a proper lock on digital channels too. Every 1>2 split is at least a 3.5db drop in signal strength (more with crappy splitters or bad splices) which mean even the strongest cable-drops (usually 11db from the pole) can become unusable if they split to several rooms in your house and then to several devices in the rooms. It isn't uncommon for the pole drop to go directly to a 1>4 way splitter where it enters the premise which means that each wall jack will have 4db or less total available signal.
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Jan 25, 2008 23:53
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Well, I've just about given up trying to find out if Media Portal supports Firewire capture, at all. So can anyone recommend a media center platform that satisfies the following criteria: --SKinnable, needs to look as good if not better than XBMC --PVR functionality with Firewire capture option --Will serve up media files over the network, and preferably remotely (although, in a pinch I can use Orb) --Ability to read video RSS feeds like Crankygeeks, 1UP show, Webbalert, etc. --Preferably runs on XP since I'm going to be gaming and not really down with rebooting for Media/gaming. --Decent plugin library, web interface access I've looked at a few options like Sage, Beyond and GB PVR, still not sure which to get. I don't mind paying for the software if it will do everything I want it to do. SnatchRabbit fucked around with this message at 00:50 on Jan 26, 2008 |
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Jan 26, 2008 00:45
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SnatchRabbit posted:Well, I've just about given up trying to find out if Media Portal supports Firewire capture, at all. So can anyone recommend a media center platform that satisfies the following criteria: Sage support firewire capture and seems to have a reasonably large user base. As for the other stuff I don't know, but since firewire capture is the one 100% needed function for you I'd start with figuring out what supports that and sage is the first thing that comes to mind.
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Jan 26, 2008 02:31
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^^^ Sage has a great rep but I think you have to pay a monthly fee for the EPG. I could be wrong but don't MOST front ends make money off the Electronic Programming Guide? I know that MyHTPC did not somehow, and of course TitanTV is free with reg. I don't know about Meedio or Mediaportal and I don't use MythTV or Freevo cuz I am not a linux user. As far as I know the EPG is free with M$ MCE (not sure of the details with Vista MCE). Recording HD content through firewire sounds badass if it can be done.
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Jan 26, 2008 02:50
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dfn_doe posted:Sage support firewire capture and seems to have a reasonably large user base. As for the other stuff I don't know, but since firewire capture is the one 100% needed function for you I'd start with figuring out what supports that and sage is the first thing that comes to mind. And if Sage doesn't do all that other stuff, you can tie Sage into Meedio fairly seamlessly and it will. A little more complex, but HTPCs usually are. 
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Jan 26, 2008 03:06
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sigma 6 posted:^^^ Sage has a great rep but I think you have to pay a monthly fee for the EPG. I could be wrong but don't MOST front ends make money off the Electronic Programming Guide? I know that MyHTPC did not somehow, and of course TitanTV is free with reg. I don't know about Meedio or Mediaportal and I don't use MythTV or Freevo cuz I am not a linux user. As far as I know the EPG is free with M$ MCE (not sure of the details with Vista MCE). Poking around the sit, it's like a one time purchase. I'm almost pissed that I sold my Xbox w/ XBMC since there's apparently a plugin that let's you use one as a media extender. Guess I'll have to pick another one up and mod it again for the bedroom. But yeah, SageTV is looking pretty rad so far.
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Jan 26, 2008 03:19
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If I actually paid for TV I would go for the Sage / Meedio combo myself. Wanted to get your input on a cabling problem. The details are here. Basically I have a 35 foot span to wire across and I have never dealt with this problem before. This all stems with having a projector on one end of the room and lots of stuff which needs to connect to the projector on the other end.
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Jan 26, 2008 03:32
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