How can I duplicate channels?

[wmguy]

I am trying something new with my setup. I have a WinTV-HVR-1600 which I am using to receive ATSC broadcasts. I have just connected a converter box to the Analog-In of my HVR-1600, with the intent of making recordings which I can use on my MVP without any transcoding.

Here is the sticky part: I want the channels from each capture source to show up independently, because sometimes I want to record via the digital input, and other times I want to record via the analog, depending on how I will be using the recording. If I just set up both capture sources, GBPVR treats them as equal, so I have no control over which capture source gets used.

It seems to me that the solution would require that I rename the channels that I am using from the analog input. Is there any way that I can rename the channels that come from the SchedulesDirect lineup, or any other way that I can choose the capture source when I schedule a recording?

[sub]

Sorry, there is nothing built in that would do this.

[rob11252]

I have HVR-1600 and am using both ATSC and NTSC sides of it so I can record 2 programs at once. I don't have converter box though and that can throw a monkey wrench into the whole setup.
Anyhow, I am using Yahoo Go TV (YApi2XML) as my EPG source. From yapi2xml I picked up Comcast Digital as my EPG program guide. Comcast Digital lists analog and digital channels separately in their lineup. So I have 12 channels listed in my EPG and I mapped 6 of them to ATSC channels and the other 6 to NTSC. I can assign my own channel numbers to them, so for example ABC HD is listed as ch7 and ABC Analog as ch107 in GBPVR. Please note that program guide is the same for analog and digital for all my stations EXCEPT PBS.
I don't quite see the need for a converter box in this setup (is picture quality that much better?) and after Feb2009 I will just buy another ATSC card.

[wmguy]

Yes, the picture quality with the converter box is much better than doing pure analog. I mostly want to record kids' shows for use with the MVP, and the local PBS station comes in pretty grainy analog, but crystal clear with digital. I also have some sub-channels that I may wish to record through the analog input. I just set up GBPVR to use the HVR-1600's IR Blaster to control an Insignia converter box I picked up at Best Buy.

I actually just got everything working. I switched my analog capture source to use the XMLTV plugin for listings, and I set up XMLTV to use the same Schedules Direct lineup that my digital capture source uses.

My original intent was to create a script which would re-map the channel names in my XMLTV output file, but I found that this was not necessary. The default channel names that GBPVR pulls in through the XMLTV have the channel number included, while the channels pulled in directly through Schedules Direct do not. This gave me the unique channel names I needed to get everything working as I wanted.

I assigned my channel numbers such that my analog tuner uses 3-digit channel number, and my digital tuner uses 4-digit channel numbers. That way 181 and 1181 access the same channel (18-1), but one using the analog encoder, and the other using ATSC.

[spidey24]

May I ask how you programmed your IR Blaster to work with the Insignia box? I just picked one up yesterday and did get it to work by using the Hauppauge IR tool and setting the code to 134. But the volume now doesn't work. Thanks

[wmguy]

May I ask how you programmed your IR Blaster to work with the Insignia box? I just picked one up yesterday and did get it to work by using the Hauppauge IR tool and setting the code to 134. But the volume now doesn't work. Thanks

Does the volume work from within Hauppauge WinTV? I could not hear any audio in any application using my HVR-1600, until I reinstalled hcwSMD05.EXE out of the SMD folder on the CD.

Other than that, I did exactly as you did, I used the Hauppauge application to determine that code 134 works, and then I set GBPVR up to use haupblast.exe as the channel changer. The only problem I have had is that the blaster transmitter always fell off my converter box, but that was easily fixed with a few inches of packing tape.

[wmguy]

Also, what connection are you using from your converter box? If you are using the component connection, have you connected the audio outputs from the box to the line-in on your tuner? It may seem like a silly question, but I've at times spent hours on similarly simple problems.

[spidey24]

I am using the RF coax line from my digital box to my 1600 card. I'm not home now, but I'll try reinstalling that .exe and see if that helps. Thanks a bunch!

[spidey24]

so my 1600 has 2 ports, one analog and one ATSC. What exactly is ATSC? Is this where I could plug my antenna directly into and pull digital signals w/o the need for a digital to analog converter box?

[wmguy]

so my 1600 has 2 ports, one analog and one ATSC. What exactly is ATSC? Is this where I could plug my antenna directly into and pull digital signals w/o the need for a digital to analog converter box?

Yes, ATSC is for over-the-air digital broadcasts. This would be the preferred input to use, because you do not lose any of the quality of the original broadcast. Using the converter box like you have set up gives you a second input so you can record two programs at once, but the quality on the analog port will not be as good.

My need was slightly different, since I wanted to be able to force some shows to record on the analog input so that they would be compatible with my MVP.

Oh, and with my 1600 I did run into problems a couple times where one of the tuners would not work...the resolution to this was to delete the capture card out of device manager and reboot the computer. I had similar experiences with my PVR-250, and just attribute it to some flakiness in the Hauppauge drivers.