Can I watch one cable TV channel and record another?

[El Cid]

soccerdad,

If the blaster can tell the STB to change channels, it sounds like it would go a long way toward solving our problem. One question: Can you program the blaster to turn on the STB, or do you have to leave the STB on all the time while you're away (or asleep)?

Also, it sounds like with this setup you don't really need to use a cableCARD, you can use the STB. Did I get that right?

More things to look into!

Thanks very much.

[El Cid]

DVB-C is a capture card for the cable frequency range. So what you are talking about is the CI/CA module that you attach to the capture card to decrypt the channels you have payd for. The subscription card is a "smartcard" (credit-card size with a small chip on), and instead of a CI/CA module you can use a Phoenix cardreader and a software-decrypter ( sw cam). I use both at the moment, and it works like a dream (after some adjustments).

Reddwarf,

This sounds pretty neat, but I'm fuzzy on the details. I guess I just don't know enough about "capture cards" and the GB-PVR concept yet to have a handle on what you're saying.

But it looks interesting because my purposes are (a) to find a way to avoid having to pay the cableco an extra fee for the box just so that I can watch the channels that I'm already paying them for; and (b) the STB makes it impossible to watch one channel while recording another -- which we do on several TVs around the house -- and we're NOT shelling out $600/year for multiple cableco DVRs!! If what you're using enables you to skip having a STB, that's great.

[Graham]

Simply stated, you can use a TV tuner in one of two ways with GBPVR (and most other TV software) ...

Plug the "reception source" (e.g. coax from a rooftop antenna or from a satellite dish or from a cable TV wall socket) directly into the tuner device. The tuner device can "hear" all of the frequencies/channels and tunes to the required channel.

Plug the "reception source" into an STB and connect the STB to the tuner device (in much the same way as you connect a real TV to the STB) typically using Svideo or composite. The tuner device is tuned to a single "channel" on the STB. The STB changes channels and is told what to do by a "blaster" connected to the tuner device that sends IR into the STB.

Variations on these themes include using option one (no STB) with a card reader (and other magic) to get access to encrypted channels.

[Reddwarf]

As graham points out, there are sevral ways to set tings up, but eighter way it's going to cost you some money. The STB can be controlled via an infrared device (most versatile is the USBUIRT), but it can only record/watch one cahnnel at a time.

A capture card can (in theory) record and/or watch more than one channel at a time, but ONLY if the channels are unencrypted (at least with the current GBPVR), so if you want to capture more than one encrypted channel you need more than one plug-in card in your pc (I have 3 and it works excellent). Now, capture-cards are much cheaper than a STB (at least in my country), but some providers won't give you the smartcard that is the key to decrypting unless you also buy an STB. I don't know what's the situation in your area, but it's worth checking out before you decide what to go for.

With a card-splitter (that electronically clones the smartcard) it is possible to have BOTH STB and capture cards working at the same time, so there are lots of ways to configure a htpc setup.

Hope this doesn't confuse you, in and case feel free to ask if there's anything you'r wondering about

[ElihuRozen]

My cable company (Comcast) is offering up to two DTA's for free. That price might change in the future, of course. I already have one STB that feeds my TV & GBPVR. I ordered two DTA's. One for the other TV & one for a second tuner with GBPVR.

Now I just wish that the ir receiver/blaster that came with my 1600 didn't have such a short length. The way I had it arranged, there was no slack. I forgot that & moved the PC to get to the back. The connector broke. I have one blaster that came with my PC that I can use, but now will need a second one for the DTA. My ir receiver has a second port for another blaster.

[El Cid]

Simply stated, you can use a TV tuner in one of two ways with GBPVR (and most other TV software) ...

Plug the "reception source" (e.g. coax from a rooftop antenna or from a satellite dish or from a cable TV wall socket) directly into the tuner device. The tuner device can "hear" all of the frequencies/channels and tunes to the required channel.

Plug the "reception source" into an STB and connect the STB to the tuner device (in much the same way as you connect a real TV to the STB) typically using Svideo or composite. The tuner device is tuned to a single "channel" on the STB. The STB changes channels and is told what to do by a "blaster" connected to the tuner device that sends IR into the STB.

Variations on these themes include using option one (no STB) with a card reader (and other magic) to get access to encrypted channels.

Thank you very much, graham. It's getting clearer and clearer in my head what I'd have to do.

Right now I'm basically using option one -- in my office, the coax cable feeds directly into the TV and (with a splitter) into the DVD/VCR combo, no STB is involved. In fact this is what I've been doing for the last 20 years, the only wrinkle being that this year I bought a new TV and a new DVD/VCR with QAM tuners so that following the analog crush I could keep getting the channels I'm paying for without having to rent a STB.


The problem I'm facing down the road is that sooner or later Comcast will encrypt all those ClearQAM channels that we're getting instead of the analog channels. At that point I'll no longer be able directly to watch shows on my TV or record them on the VCR/DVD-recorder despite their QAM tuners. That's why I'm starting to explore these alternatives now, so I can be ready for that day.

When the day comes, some kind of decryption will be necessary. Since I'd rather keep STBs out of the picture, my preferred route would be the "option one" that you describe with the "card reader" variation.

Now, the "card" that this "card reader" would read -- is that the CableCARD, or something else altogether? I imagine that some kind of decrypting device from the cableco (box, DVR, or CableCARD) will be necessary, and I'd like to stay away from cableco boxes, so that leaves only the CableCARD, no?

[Graham]

Now, the "card" that this "card reader" would read -- is that the CableCARD, or something else altogether? I imagine that some kind of decrypting device from the cableco (box, DVR, or CableCARD) will be necessary, and I'd like to stay away from cableco boxes, so that leaves only the CableCARD, no?

I'm several miles and one ocean too far away to know anything about US eccentricities like Cablecard.

Did you find this ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CableCARD

[El Cid]

As graham points out, there are sevral ways to set tings up, but eighter way it's going to cost you some money. The STB can be controlled via an infrared device (most versatile is the USBUIRT), but it can only record/watch one cahnnel at a time.

A capture card can (in theory) record and/or watch more than one channel at a time, but ONLY if the channels are unencrypted (at least with the current GBPVR), so if you want to capture more than one encrypted channel you need more than one plug-in card in your pc (I have 3 and it works excellent). Now, capture-cards are much cheaper than a STB (at least in my country), but some providers won't give you the smartcard that is the key to decrypting unless you also buy an STB. I don't know what's the situation in your area, but it's worth checking out before you decide what to go for.

With a card-splitter (that electronically clones the smartcard) it is possible to have BOTH STB and capture cards working at the same time, so there are lots of ways to configure a htpc setup.

Hope this doesn't confuse you, in and case feel free to ask if there's anything you'r wondering about

Reddwarf,

Thank you very much for the explanation. I really appreciate the patience and willingness to share your expertise that you and other guys on this forum are showing to a newbie!

I don't mind spending some money to get a setup that will provide the functionality I'm trying to preserve. Compared to paying $400-600 a year for renting cableco DVRs, I figure it's going to save us $$$ in the long run. Plus, there's the satisfaction of rising to and meeting a technical challenge.

Now, I do have a question that should help to clear things up in my head. You mention a "capture card" and then a "smartcard." Are these different devices, or just two names for the same device? Would one or the other be the same thing as what (at least in the U.S.) is called a "CableCARD"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CableCARD

Thanks again!

[El Cid]

I'm several miles and one ocean too far away to know anything about US eccentricities like Cablecard.

Did you find this ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CableCARD

Yes, I did. Thank you. It looks like it might be the same device that you mentioned.

So now, what is this "other magic" that's involved to make it work? Is that GB-PVR, and/or something else?

[soccerdad]

I would use caution on trying to transfer much of the technology from the UK or Europe into this since US cable is much different. (dvb-c verses ATSC/QAM) There is no current attachable card reader and softcams for US cable. (at least none I have heard of.)

If you are sticking with cable, and we assume the channels you want are not in clear QAM then the following should apply. There might be other ways, but this is the normal path:

Bottom line in the US you either have to do something like a STB controlled by a blaster with the output of the stb would either connect directly to the analog input of an analog card (sdef) or to a HDPVR for HD.

OR

Buy a current PC with cablecard prebuilt into it and record what you want. You might be able to get one of the tuners for cablecard and work out some hack into your PC, but this is not mainstream. pcostansa has a lot more information on this than I do.

OR wait for the new cablecard tuners that you can put into your PC and go from there.