Comcast Digital Adaptors!!!!

[ww4397]

I should have pointed out that you can have gbpvr automatically convert .ts recordings to .mpg format after the recording is complete. If most of your viewing is via MVPs this option might work best for you, instead of having gbpvr convert on-the-fly and on-demand. Converted once and saved, all the normal features of gbpvr should be available to you on the MVP.

Thanks for the replies, wtg.

Would you happen to know if ShowAnalyzer (commercial detector) will work with .ts files? The way I'm set up now, SA is detecting commercials is real-time as each show is recorded. I sometimes like to start watching a show after it has been recording for about 20 minutes, but has not yet finished. For a one hour show, waiting about 20 minutes, is just enough time to watch the show commercial-free and finish at about the same time the real-time show is finishing. Can I do this same thing with SA and a .ts file, or do I have to wait until the show finishes recording, then gets converted to .mpg and then run SA to find the commercials?

Thanks.

[wtg]

I'm pretty sure that watching any .ts file via the MVP, live or not, you'll lose commercial detection since the file gets converted to MPG to a temporary file for viewing.

I can't say whether SA supports .ts files or not. I know comskip does. But again I can't say for sure whether the commercial cut-points of a .ts file are usuable for a .mpg. I think they are. If so, then once the file is converted to .mpg after the recording is complete, since the converted .mpg shares the same filename, the SA/comskip file should work.

[SLR_65]

If that were the case, they wouldn't allow the cable companies to offer DVR's and Tivo would be forced out of business.

The cable co DVRs usually wont let you move the shows off their machine (no burning dvds, etc.). Though not heavily implement yet, most honor digital rights management which means among other things the programmers can limit how long you keep particular shows on your dvr, or if you can even dvr the program to start with. M$ Media Center also honors DRM. Search Google with the terms "media center drm nbc".

TIVO is simply comforming to work with DRM - they are designing TIVOS that can use the upcoming cable card so they will have access to all the programming one pays for, but they will also be honoroing the programmers DRM restrictions.

This is was one of the main reasons why I chose GBPVR over using MCE, or a cable co DVR, TIVO, etc.!

One would hope that the cable cos would simply treat their basic and expanded basic programming packages using QAM the same as they did analog but alas I'm afraid that probably wont be the case - you will get the local over the air broadcast channels in clear QAM, but I'm sure you'll eventually see the rest encrypted. In fact I'll bet that future clear QAM / OTA Dgital cards will have some way to honor DRM built into them too!

The future of my DVR may not be too bright I'm afraid, but I'm enjoying it while I can and even if I couldn't use it any more from this day forward I think I still got my money's worth as we've enjoyed it immensely!

[khaver]

The cable co DVRs usually wont let you move the shows off their machine (no burning dvds, etc.). Though not heavily implement yet, most honor digital rights management which means among other things the programmers can limit how long you keep particular shows on your dvr, or if you can even dvr the program to start with. M$ Media Center also honors DRM. Search Google with the terms "media center drm nbc".

TIVO is simply comforming to work with DRM - they are designing TIVOS that can use the upcoming cable card so they will have access to all the programming one pays for, but they will also be honoroing the programmers DRM restrictions.

I was only making the point of recording programs and that I think TIVO and cable company DVR's have a 30 second skip button so you can basically skip through the commercials. (I don't have TIVO or a cable co. DVR so maybe I am wrong)

[wtg]

I was only making the point of recording programs and that I think TIVO and cable company DVR's have a 30 second skip button so you can basically skip through the commercials. (I don't have TIVO or a cable co. DVR so maybe I am wrong)

My cable's STB certainly doesn't allow a 30 second skip feature, and TIVO's is only enabled via a hack (a trivial hack) - it's not an advertised feature. I believe it was now-defunct ReplayTV's 30 sec skip feature that brought the wrath of the media companies down on it, wasn't it?

[SLR_65]

I was only making the point of recording programs and that I think TIVO and cable company DVR's have a 30 second skip button so you can basically skip through the commercials. (I don't have TIVO or a cable co. DVR so maybe I am wrong)

The commercial skip ability is also being curtailed, they are making it so you can ff/rw within the recorded program but will be unable to skip through the commercials.

As I said, enjoy it while you have it as it appears that in the future our ability to record shows and edit/manipulate our recordings will be severely limited (but I'm sure the hackers will also be busy reverseing all of this . . .)

[kayphoonstar]

So I have to say that the Comcast switch seems to have turned out pretty well here in Oregon. There are far more channels available for QAM than there were on Analog straight cable connection (like MSNBC, MPlex, BIO and Science). And since their new boxes will probably be using this setup for a while, the likelyhood of a stable collection of channels is greater than before.

QAM tuners allow for avoiding the little mini-box that they've sent out which I doubt are very easy to use a blaster on - I've never found a remote code that works for them very well.

Anyway, just my two cents: More channels, easier to record, works well with Comskip!

The signal strenght

[kayphoonstar]

. . . oops

The signal strength seems better to me now too. . . ( is where I was going there.)

[superflysocal]

i normally use an old angel usb tuner (dell branded) to record disney shows from the disney channel as well as nickolodeon. both are analog channels, 41 and 43. When i hooked up my hvr-950q qam card (which right now i cn only get to work with BeyondTv, but that's another post), I find out that there is no unencrypted qam for nickolodeon and disney channel with my comcast. Without using stb with ir blasters do i have any further options?

[kayphoonstar]

I have comcast here and get both nick and disney. Check http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels and double check to see what you should be able to get.