Setting Up QAM Cable With NPVR and Motorola DCT700 STB

[Greg Smith]

I'm in Canada (Shaw Cable), where the QAM channels are encrypted, necessitating the use of the Motorola DCT700 STB. I have ordered one of them from my cable company for use with NPVR. With analogue, I've been using Schedules Direct as the EPG. When I'm up and running with the DCT700 and my Hauppauge HVR-1950 and NPVR, will I still be able to use Schedules Direct? From what I understand, I'll have to set up the DCT700 as a separate channel in NPVR much like I would a VCR, hook it into the HVR-1950 using RCA cables, and then tune the STB to the channel I want to record for the duration of the program. That would seem to indicate that Schedules Direct would be rendered useless, since it would be recording the separate channel of the STB and not the channel of the tuner.

Also, when I record a program in NPVR with the Hauppauge HVR-1950 with the DCT700, is the resulting file truly digital? There seems to be conflicting information around the Internet as to what the DCT700 actually does. I've read that it takes the digital signal and converts it back into analogue, and if that is the case, the file would be analogue. Lastly, how easy is it to set up the HVR-1950 and DCT700 with NPVR with QAM? I'm still using GB-PVR, and found it impossible to set up NPVR with analogue, so I went back to GB-PVR. Once I get the DCT700 next week, I want the QAM to be using NPVR for recording.

[sub]

I'm in Canada (Shaw Cable), where the QAM channels are encrypted, necessitating the use of the Motorola DCT700 STB. I have ordered one of them from my cable company for use with NPVR. With analogue, I've been using Schedules Direct as the EPG. When I'm up and running with the DCT700 and my Hauppauge HVR-1950 and NPVR, will I still be able to use Schedules Direct? From what I understand, I'll have to set up the DCT700 as a separate channel in NPVR much like I would a VCR, hook it into the HVR-1950 using RCA cables, and then tune the STB to the channel I want to record for the duration of the program. That would seem to indicate that Schedules Direct would be rendered useless, since it would be recording the separate channel of the STB and not the channel of the tuner.

Schedules Direct is still useful. With set top boxes like this, people typically import all their channels from schedules direct or xmltv, and at the time say all these channels come from the composite input. These channels and all the listings will then be visible in the TV Guide. You can also specify an irblaster so that NextPVR can tell the DCT700 to change channels when it needs to record or watch live tv from a specific channel.

Also, when I record a program in NPVR with the Hauppauge HVR-1950 with the DCT700, is the resulting file truly digital? There seems to be conflicting information around the Internet as to what the DCT700 actually does. I've read that it takes the digital signal and converts it back into analogue, and if that is the case, the file would be analogue.

The recording is digital, but it was made from an analog source. ie, the DCT700 converted the original digital broadcast to analog and sent it out over the composite video cable, then the HVR-1950 encoded that analog signal to MPEG2 digital, so a bit of quality lost during these conversions.

Lastly, how easy is it to set up the HVR-1950 and DCT700 with NPVR with QAM? I'm still using GB-PVR, and found it impossible to set up NPVR with analogue, so I went back to GB-PVR. Once I get the DCT700 next week, I want the QAM to be using NPVR for recording.

I'm pretty sure your DCT700 doesnt output QAM. I think it only outputs standard def analog on composite or coax (CH3 or similar for VCR compatibility).

If you cable network broacasts clear QAM channels though then you can probably put a splitter before the DCT700, and have the second feed go directly to the HVR1950's digital input. The app should then be able to access analog channels from the DCT700 and QAM channels direct from the cable.

[Greg Smith]

Thanks for the reply, sub. Once the DCT700 arrives, I'll post again.

[Greg Smith]

Okay. I've set up the DCT700. I don't see any channels. Do I have to add another capture device solely for the box? I have done that. I set it up as analog.

[sub]

So you're trying to setup analog channels coming from your DCT700 STB?

In this type of situation you dont scan for channels. You tell it what channels you have. ie, you'd go into the Settings->Devices screen, double click your analog device, click 'Import', set the input source to composite (assuming you're connected to the device via composite), select your xmltv file or select your schedules direct lineup, make sure your channels are selected, then click 'ok'.

[mvallevand]

For clear QAM you don't need the STB at all, you just hook your cable up to you your tuner. There is however almost no clear QAM in Canada so you probably need svideo/composite. Also you need to check out the wiki on how to record analog with NPVR http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?...ugeSoftPVR

Martin

[Greg Smith]

So you're trying to setup analog channels coming from your DCT700 STB?

In this type of situation you dont scan for channels. You tell it what channels you have. ie, you'd go into the Settings->Devices screen, double click your analog device, click 'Import', set the input source to composite (assuming you're connected to the device via composite), select your xmltv file or select your schedules direct lineup, make sure your channels are selected, then click 'ok'.

Okay, sub. I was finally successful in setting up NPVR. However, in using your method above, I now have two entries in the TV Guide for each channel. For example, two channel 2s, two channel 3s, etc. The first entry in the TV Guide for channel 2, for example, has the program name, but if you click on it to watch it, it's only static, as it is obviously trying to pull from the internal tuner of the Hauppauge HVR-1950. The second entry in the TV Guide for channel 2, instead of having the show name, says "no show details," and that is the one that is accessing the DCT700 through the composite hookup, and the one I am able to watch. How do I eliminate the problem of having two entries in the TV Guide for each channel, and how can I have the channels that are accessing the DCT700 through the composite hookup be labelled with the correct show names instead of "no show details?"

Also, the digital box's channel still isn't being changed through IR Blaster. If I want to make a recording, I still have to set it to the channel I want to record on the digital box beforehand. I have the Channel Changer in settings pointed at haupblast.exe, but the BlastCfg program is showing "No WinTV Channel Selected!" under WinTV Blaster Source Channel, and using the drop-down menu yields no additional selections, so I'm not sure if that is causing the problems or not. The IR Blaster code I need for the DCT700 is 80, and I have confirmed that it works. Please give me some ideas here. Thank you.

[Greg Smith]

Just as an addition to the thread, I went in to the settings of NPVR and deleted all the channels in the hope that this would fix my problem of having each channel listed twice. I re-added the channels and now when I try to watch one, it says "unable to find available capture device." The device is there. I tried running GBPVR, and it works there.

[sub]

Okay, sub. I was finally successful in setting up NPVR. However, in using your method above, I now have two entries in the TV Guide for each channel. For example, two channel 2s, two channel 3s, etc. The first entry in the TV Guide for channel 2, for example, has the program name, but if you click on it to watch it, it's only static, as it is obviously trying to pull from the internal tuner of the Hauppauge HVR-1950. The second entry in the TV Guide for channel 2, instead of having the show name, says "no show details," and that is the one that is accessing the DCT700 through the composite hookup, and the one I am able to watch.

The same setup is working fine for stacks of other users, so I'm pretty sure this is just something odd you've done at your end. It sounds like you've imported the channel twice of something similar. Given you got snow, then it sounds like (at least one of those channel imports) forgot to set the input to 'composite'.

I'd try deleting your database, and setting it up again. If it happens again on the second attempt, zip and attach your npvr.db3 and I should be able to tell what you're doing wrong.

how can I have the channels that are accessing the DCT700 through the composite hookup be labelled with the correct show names instead of "no show details?"

Assuming you've imported your channels from xmltv or schedules direct, then you should just be able to hit 'update epg' and it'll pull in the listings.

Also, the digital box's channel still isn't being changed through IR Blaster. If I want to make a recording, I still have to set it to the channel I want to record on the digital box beforehand. I have the Channel Changer in settings pointed at haupblast.exe, but the BlastCfg program is showing "No WinTV Channel Selected!" under WinTV Blaster Source Channel, and using the drop-down menu yields no additional selections, so I'm not sure if that is causing the problems or not. The IR Blaster code I need for the DCT700 is 80, and I have confirmed that it works. Please give me some ideas here. Thank you.

Check BlastCFG is working correctly by doing the following test. If you've got a channel 30, then from the command line run "HaupBlast.exe 30" and check that it changes channels. If it doesnt, then BlastCFG is configured correctly for you box. If it does work, then try changing channels a few times in NextPVR, then post the nrecord.log and I'll check haupblast.exe is being run.

[Greg Smith]

The same setup is working fine for stacks of other users, so I'm pretty sure this is just something odd you've done at your end. It sounds like you've imported the channel twice of something similar. Given you got snow, then it sounds like (at least one of those channel imports) forgot to set the input to 'composite'.

I'd try deleting your database, and setting it up again. If it happens again on the second attempt, zip and attach your npvr.db3 and I should be able to tell what you're doing wrong.

Assuming you've imported your channels from xmltv or schedules direct, then you should just be able to hit 'update epg' and it'll pull in the listings.

Check BlastCFG is working correctly by doing the following test. If you've got a channel 30, then from the command line run "HaupBlast.exe 30" and check that it changes channels. If it doesnt, then BlastCFG is configured correctly for you box. If it does work, then try changing channels a few times in NextPVR, then post the nrecord.log and I'll check haupblast.exe is being run.

I zipped the npvr.db3 file and tried attaching it, but it exceeds the maximum file size attachment limit. It is 4.22 MB. I can't see where I am supposed to run HaupBlast.exe 30. If I run the cmd command off the start menu and enter haupblast.exe 30, it says it isn't recognized as an internal or external command. And, besides, as I've said, NPVR says "unable to find available capture device" when I try to view programming, so I won't be able to tell if the channel is being changed.