WinTV 350 and Cable display/channel problems

[Guest]

GB-PVR is exactly what I have been looking for to set up my computer as a Media Centre having tried other programs with varying results. (SageTV, MyHTPC, GotTV, and Snapstream)

Set-up

Installed in the Study

Home built P4 1.7GHz with 512 Mb RAM and 2 HDDs (1x40Gb, 1x80Gb)
WinTV 350 card
Windows XP Home Edition with all current upgrades.
Pace analogue cable set top box. (ntl are required to supply an analogue signal to the set top box)
Cable broadband.

Installed in the lounge (20ft away)

Sony Digital TV
S-VHS and audio leads from WinTV 350 to TV
WinTV IR on extension lead

In order to use the cable analogue signal with thw WinTV 350 in place of an antenna, a CATV splitter is installed in the cable feed to supply signal to the set top box and the LAN card for broadband internet.

Direct cable feed to WinTV 350.
Cable source channels 21, 24, 27, 31, 35
I initially had problems with setting up the Live TV signal and recording any channel. I eventually realised that I was using a direct cable feed into the WinTV 350 card. It worked perfectly OK with WinTV 2000 but gave a terrible picture and sound, if at all, with GB-PVR.

Antenna feed to WinTV 350.
Antenna source channels 41, 43, 45, 47, 49
All channels displayed perfectly.

Antenna feed from the coax out on the cable set top box.
Antenna source channel 52
All channels displayed perfectly but channel changing requires to be done on the set top box. This makes it impossible to record on different channels automatically.

Where did I go wrong or is this how GB-PVR works?

[sub]

GB-PVR can change channels on your set top box using a IR blaster like the Actisys IR200L or USB-UIRT. These devices allow GB-PVR to fake the correct InfraRed codes to change channels as required.

[Guest]

So it's not possible to use the cable feed directly into the PVR 350

[sub]

I've read your original post a few times and your question is not clear to me.

Hauppauge use a private mechanism for tuning channels. GB-PVR has to use the Microsoft tuning API for changing channels. This approach relies on channels being transmitted on the correct pre-defined frequencies for the specific country. Its possible NTL are not transmitting on these pre-defined frequencies. If this is the case, you can set overrides in the registry using the frequencies which tuned correctly in WinTV.

For more reading:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library....ing.asp

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library....dom.asp

[Guest]

Basically
Using the ntl cable coax in place of an antenna on the PVR350.

WinTv 2000 displays sound and picture perfectly

GB-PVR has a 'badly tuned' sound and display (unable to use)

[Guest]

After I replied to you I looked at the Microsoft site and decided that I would input every channel into GB-PVR. Going through each channel on 'Live TV' I discovered that:-


BBC1 Five BBC2 ITV Ch4
Hauppauge Source Channel nos 41, 43, 45, 47, 49

GB-PVR Source Channel nos:- 60, 62, 64, 66, 68

Everything works as I want now. Can use the cable feed OR antenna

Thanks for your help