Setup advice requested - Canada

[Highspade]

I have a couple questions that I hope people can shed some light on. I’m located in Edmonton, AB

I had a system hooked up in my living room using MCE 2005 but found the quality depressing artifacts, stuttering, and using the IR blasters was a PITA. I was using a Shaw Digital STB at the time.

I will be moving into a new house in December and would like to hear your Ideas on what I should have for a setup.
What provider should I use? Shaw, Starchoice, Bell ExpressVue? Keeping in mind that I would prefer a working serial channel changing method.

I have a Hitachi 46” rear projection wide screen TV that has a DVI input on it. Should I use the DVI or –Svideo, component?
Currently have a PVR-150mce and was thinking of adding a dual tuner card any suggestions?

Would be willing to purchase different remotes etc. to achieve ideal setup.

System specs
XP pro SP2, AMD 2200+ Gforce ti4200, IDE 320 GB, Haup PVR 150mce, MCE Remote

[zehd]

Hi, From Edmonton, Living in Calgary now (don't give me any lip), worked for Shaw and been doing this for a while. I can probably help...

I have a couple questions that I hope people can shed some light on. I’m located in Edmonton, AB

I had a system hooked up in my living room using MCE 2005 but found the quality depressing artifacts, stuttering, and using the IR blasters was a PITA. I was using a Shaw Digital STB at the time.

I will be moving into a new house in December and would like to hear your Ideas on what I should have for a setup.
What provider should I use? Shaw, Starchoice, Bell ExpressVue? Keeping in mind that I would prefer a working serial channel changing method.

If you have been succesfull getting the serial cable working with your Shaw Set Top Box, then you have an old box, and whatever you do, don't give it up unless it's starting to die. You will not be able to get the serial cable working with just about any Cable Box Shaw has... I won't go into it, but it's a long history of Shaw not allowing, by policy, customer's access to the serial port... It's in the firmware...

That said, I have been able to use the IR Blaster quite reliably to control the cable box...

I have a Hitachi 46” rear projection wide screen TV that has a DVI input on it. Should I use the DVI or –Svideo, component?

That's up to you. Whichever works. I think that DVI is better quality, but the recorded picture will only be as good as the connection from your video source to the PVR card (Which isn't necessarily bad... I use SVideo from STB to PVR150)

Currently have a PVR-150mce and was thinking of adding a dual tuner card any suggestions?

The way I had it was three pvr 150s (I found two pvr150s to be easier to use then one pvr500 dual tuner -- had to returne it three times, and finally gave up)

One PVR150 set to svideo input from the STB, and two PVR150 using standard Shaw Cable RF...

I did get two Shaw STBs to run simultaneuosly, and have independant control of the two boxes, but that only lasted a while. I had to give one of the boxes away...

Would be willing to purchase different remotes etc. to achieve ideal setup.

System specs
XP pro SP2, AMD 2200+ Gforce ti4200, IDE 320 GB, Haup PVR 150mce, MCE Remote

I noticed you mentioned you had a 150MCE AND a MCE remote. Because of the potential for confusion, there is a MCE version of the 150 which comes with a MCE remote and it's own style of IR Receiver and blasters, but it is different from the standalone MCE Remote that comes with a Microsoft IR receiver beanbag and two IR buds

Refer to the wiki here...

Anyway, I hope you have the Microsoft MCE remote rather than the Hauppauge, but if you don't we can work with it...

If you need further or more specific information, ask...

[Highspade]

Thanks for your reply, I never did get the serial connection working with the shaw STB and was using the ir blaster that came with the MCE remote that I purchased separately from the PVR150.

The reason I was open to changing providers was that I am aware of shaw's policy on the serial port. but have not found any information on the Canadian Sat providers, perhaps they allow this?