GBPVR (server) with PCH questions

[topperdude]

Hi,

I'm considering using PCH as a frontend GBPVR client for the various TVs around the house (currently mix of SD and HDTVs). Ideally, I'd like to use it to stream LiveTV (SD & HD), DVD and Blu-Ray movies and recordings/music stored on a FreeNAS box, Internet video (using Ubustream plugin) from the GBPVR server to possibly more than one TV (upto max of 3 simultaneously).

I've been following posts here and on the PCH forums and it looks like I might be able to get the PCH and make it work with my GBPVR server to do these things. However, I believe I read in one of the posts here (cant find it now) that with the current implementation of GBPVR as server and PCH NMT as client, the decoding of the media (LiveTV, DVD, Blu-Ray) is done at the GBPVR server instead of on the PCH even though each of the PCH units should have the power to decode the various streams natively. Is this true?

Ideally, I'd prefer to continue using my current GBPVR server hardware (after upgrading the software to WinXP with the latest version of GBPVR), but if above is true, it sounds like I may need to upgrade the server hardware?

Edit: I understand DVD and Blu-Ray/HD material playback might be possible only for non copy-protected material?

Thoughts?

Thanks,
-Topper

[sub]

I've been following posts here and on the PCH forums and it looks like I might be able to get the PCH and make it work with my GBPVR server to do these things. However, I believe I read in one of the posts here (cant find it now) that with the current implementation of GBPVR as server and PCH NMT as client, the decoding of the media (LiveTV, DVD, Blu-Ray) is done at the GBPVR server instead of on the PCH even though each of the PCH units should have the power to decode the various streams natively. Is this true?

No, thats incorrect. All the decoding is done by the PCH. GB-PVR just streams the raw bytes from the file the user is playing and the PCH takes care of the rest.

DVD playback is also decoded by the PCH, but isnt streamed and instead works over a file share.

Ideally, I'd prefer to continue using my current GBPVR server hardware (after upgrading the software to WinXP with the latest version of GBPVR), but if above is true, it sounds like I may need to upgrade the server hardware?

Your existing hardware should be fine. Faster servers do give faster UI on the PCH/NMT/MVP devices though.

Edit: I understand DVD and Blu-Ray/HD material playback might be possible only for non copy-protected material?

Correct.

You'd have needed to rip any blu-ray discs you wanted to play anyway, since it doesnt have the java vm and other stuff required to view the blu-ray menus etc.

[mvallevand]

UbuStream and UbuRadio still think of the PCH as an MVP device. Ubu gave me the code and I am looking at it, but there are many challenges in getting it to work and I don't expect any short term solution to providing the native format to the PCH.

Martin

[topperdude]

sub and martin - Thanks for the clarifications!

UbuStream and UbuRadio still think of the PCH as an MVP device. Ubu gave me the code and I am looking at it, but there are many challenges in getting it to work and I don't expect any short term solution to providing the native format to the PCH.

Martin

I was hoping to completely replace XBMC/xbox with GBPVR+PCH solution (major WAF if we can have just PCH/client + A/V receiver hooked to TVs instead of a rack of equipment ) but may have to keep it around for streaming internet video streams not availabe through PCH's SayaTV, unless there's a way to do this through PCH that I am not aware of?

Follow-up questions regarding watching Live TV with GBPVR as the server (with mix of SD and HD tuners) and multiple clients (PCH and/or MVP) connected to mix of HD and SDTVs:

a) Is there a way to configure things so that content from HD tuner on GBPVR server goes to HD client (PCH hooked to HDTV) and SD content goes to SD client?

b) For SD client I would prefer using the SD (outputs of PCH) to connect to SDTV so that I can continue using the same client device (PCH) when the SDTV is replaced by an HDTV. Plus using PCH gives the option of having surround sound with SD material (e.g. DVDs). Not sure if this is possible though and may consider MVP hooked to SDTV if that's the only way to ensure SD tuner content goes to SDTV. Thoughts?

Thanks again,
-Topper

[mvallevand]

The PCH does such a good job of showing HD content on an SD tv I am amazed, I can't imagine a better combination then GBPVR and the PCH in dealing with the transition to HD with a minimum investment.

Sorry I haven't had time to look at ubustream at all yet.


Martin

[topperdude]

The PCH does such a good job of showing HD content on an SD tv I am amazed, I can't imagine a better combination then GBPVR and the PCH in dealing with the transition to HD with a minimum investment.

Sorry I haven't had time to look at ubustream at all yet.


Martin

Martin,

Thanks for the reply! I too am pretty excited based on what I have read about PCH and Sigma Designs chip (have been a fan of theirs since I purchased the Hollywood Plus card and used it on my P2-300Mhz for DVD playback many many moons ago).

However, what I am wondering is whether its possible to avoid the opposite scenario, namely getting SD content (from say the SD tuner of my HVR-1600) through the PCH hooked up to my HDTV. Can I ensure that the PCH connected to the HDTV only gets content from the ATSC tuner on my HVR-1600 and not the SD tuner on this card?

Thanks for any input,
-Topper

[mvallevand]

I guess I don't really understand the scenario but I know with multiple tuners you can't guarantee anything but priority. Here's my scenario

Choosing SD and HD isn't an issue for me since except for one channel I have individual guide entries for the SD and the few HD channels I get because the digital channels have either a DT or HD added to the callsign. I did give the NTSC tuner LiveTV priority so that when I channel surf I see the SD signal for that one channel that is both SD and HD and the tuning is quicker. If I want to see that channel in HD, I record it and view in time shift.

Martin

[martint123]

Can I ensure that the PCH connected to the HDTV only gets content from the ATSC tuner on my HVR-1600 and not the SD tuner on this card?

How would this work with recordings? you would have to ensure they were all HD. Then live TV would be SD.

Over here there are very few overlaps of SD/HD yet and what I have done is to have a slightly different name on the EPG so that I get to choose which I want to record/watch. Not sure how easy. if possible, this would be with your EPG supplier?