NextPVR or WMC? Cablecards....

[aladine]

Hello everyone,

I am building a HTPC that will be replacing my DVR. I will be using a HDHomeRun PRIME with a cablecard. With that apparently there is a DRM issue that cablelabs requires some licence that WMC has. I will probibly use XBMC (KODI) as the front end just to keep everything easy.

So in a nut shell is there any reason I should us WMC rather than NextPVR? I really like how you can customize something and have the built in commercial remover.

[JavaWiz]

WMC will allow you to record copy-once protected shows/networks (i.e. HBO, Showtime, etc...) from the HdHr cable card, NPVR can record all the other channels via cable card.

In my setup:

• I still have a cable box to send analog signal to my Hauppauge 2250 card for the copy protected signals (only one tuner from the STB)
  
• use the HDHR to record all the other channels (3 tuners)
  
• use Kodi (OpenElec) on Rasp Pi as front-end for my TVs
  

This way I can record multiple programs and record the copy protected ones outside of WMC.

Downside is I have 1) Hauppauge 2250 and 2) XFinity set-top box
Upside is NPVR does all my recordings, I can remove commercials, don't have to fuss with WMC, RaspPI can play all my recordings.

[sub]

When it comes to viewing in XBMC/Kodi, it'll make no difference. Both ServerWMC and NextPVR are only provide Kodi with the copy-freely channels.

[johnsonx42]

WMC will allow you to record copy-once protected shows/networks (i.e. HBO, Showtime, etc...) from the HdHr cable card, NPVR can record all the other channels via cable card.

That isn't always true. Some cable companies flag all shows on every channel other than basic broadcast as "Copy Once". I've read Time Warner is often guilty of this. Conversely I've read that Cox is pretty good about only flagging premium channels as Copy-Once while leaving everything else "Copy Freely", as are many of the smaller cable companies.

[pcostanza]

So far, Cox has been good about this. For me, only HBO and other pay stations are Copy-Once. I've never run into any other problems with Cox with this.

[JavaWiz]

Ditto for me with xfinity in northern California, only the premium movie channels are locked (HBO, showtime, max,..).

[HarryH3]

I have to run both. It sometimes causes problems with availability of tuners. NPVR does an awesome job on the channels that are not flagged with DRM. Only WMC can record the others. We use NPVR for most of the channels for one reason, Comskip. It handles skipping the endless, repeating ads for stuff that we aren't even slightly interested in. I don't watch much TV, but if I have to watch it in real time I find that I often just turn it off before a show ends because of the absurd amount of interruptions that are on most channels these days.

[NYPlayer]

Why do you not use comskip on wmc works just like any other you just have to create the comskip file for wmc.
All you need is DTBAddin - 1.0.0.7 (R3) a change in comskip ini output_dvrmstb=1. It will Autoskip WTV files when played in WMC.