Can I watch one cable TV channel and record another?

[El Cid]

Hello,

The cable company recently eliminated all our analog cable channels and is urging subscribers to get its set-top boxes in order to view the new digital channels.

I dislike this change because, when the Clear QAM channels get encrypted down the road, it will become impossible for us to view one channel while recording another (something we do several times a week), or to set multiple recording sessions on different channels while we're away. That is, unless we pay $16 a month for their DVRs.

We have had VCRs connected to each of our TV sets for years, they worked perfectly, and we used them all regularly. We could even take a tape from the VCR in the bedroom and simply pop it in the family room VCR, no problem. What we used to be able to do in three different rooms by just purchasing $80 VCRs that lasted a decade, we would now have to pay nearly $600 PER YEAR to accomplish (3 DVRs at $16/month). Even one DVR will cost us more to rent in a single year than what we paid for two VCRs that lasted indefinitely (and which we owned outright).

We find this unacceptable. Therefore I'm exploring alternative ways to do most or all of what we used to be able to do. I know that, for the time being, we can still receive and record Clear QAM channels without a set-top box (I have the right equipment), but the future of that looks ever more doubtful.

I'm wondering, then, if a PC equipped with a multistream CableCARD might do the trick. Remember that the idea is to retain the ability (a) to watch one channel and record a different channel at the same time, and (b) to schedule the recording of different channels when we're away from home. (Porting recorded media from one TV to another is something I'm willing to sacrifice, if I can retain the other two capabilities.)

So, can I do this in the GB-PVR environment, or is it an impossible or impractical proposition? Is there any other way to do it using the GB-PVR system? I'm no techie, but I'm not afraid of tinkering with my PC when motivated.

Thank you in advance for any help you might provide, and please accept my apologies if I have posted this in the wrong section -- I'm new here.

[Graham]

The are two issues here and the second is encryption.

You can use GBPVR to resproduce (and upgrade) you existing three recorder setup ... GBPVR on one computer and connected to one TV plus two extenders (Popcorn Hour or somesuch) connected by network to drive the other two TVs.

I'm in the wrong country to help with the encryption stuff but it has been much discussed in this forum ... search for "cablecard" and search for "comcast" among other search terms.

[soccerdad]

The cablecards are not available yet so that really is not an option today. They might be in the future, but not a lot of information is out on them yet. The clear QAM is easy with availble cards, but for the encrypted stuff your only option is a STB and an HDPVR for HD stuff. You can use a STB and a regular analog capture card through Svid if you only want SD stuff. You then have to look at extender options. The PCH or other compatible NMT type extender will work, or you can use PCs as clients, again, depending on a ton of variables.

You can record one show and watch another if you a) have multiple tuners in the PC, or b) the shows are on the same base channel and then you can do this with the built in multirecord function. There are lots of ways to do the scheduling built into the program. It is MUCH better than any VCR could ever dream of.

This forum is a great source of information, so I think just searching the archives will help. Then ask more specific questions with details.

[dennit]

The cablecards are not available yet so that really is not an option today.

One way cablecards are available for PCs. ATI makes one (I think at least one other mnfr does too.) You are supposed to buy them as part of an integrated system. The software checks the BIOS to make sure the cablecard is operating on an approved system, but workarounds are widely known. This is fairly common for Vista Media Center. I haven't seen anyone doing this with GBPVR. The 2-way cablecards have not been released yet, but he's not interested in VOD and other features they offer.

I agree that an HDPVR with an STB is currently the best option.

I'd be interested in comments from anyone about using a cablecard with GBPVR.

He's facing what many are facing - the digital transition with analog being replaced with a DTA. I expect to be in that boat soon. Currently DTA's do not need to decrypt, and I have hopes that if/when they encrypt the signal the encryption will be broken. It's well known that the decryption capabilities of DTA are very limited - so the signal can't be as strongly encrypted as it is for an STB. This was required in order for the DTA's to be granted a waiver in the U.S. from the FCC's integration prohibition.

[soccerdad]

Thanks dennit for the clarification. I knew the cablecards were available for the factory built systems (expensive). I know this may now be changing but the new generation are not out yet. Since this is still obscure, I did not want to send him off on a wild hunt. But your comments are really more accurate and give the entire picture.

I am sure we will have a lot more choices in a year or two, but for now, we are kind of limited. I have not heard of anyone using cablecard and gbpvr. (but I have not heard of a lot of things)....

[pcostanza]

I use the OEM cablecard tuners but by with the announcement that MS and cable labs are relaxing some of it's rules, by about the end of this year, you'll see new cablecard tuners that will work with non OEM systems. Ceton even has one that should allow 1 card to get 4 HD channels.
The firmware for current cablecard tuners should be out about the time W7 is released.

[El Cid]

Thank you Graham, soccerdad, dennit, and pcostanza for the informative replies! You've given me something to think about, and stuff to investigate.

Right now I'm leaning toward waiting for the cableCARD concept to develop a bit more, because I'm trying to stay away from the set-top box model -- it seems to be much too limiting unless you're willing to pay through the nose. AFAIK, with a STB you have to leave the darn thing on all night if you want to record something in the middle of the night, and forget about recording programs off different channels when you're not there to change the channels. (We did get one cableco DVR for $5/month on a promotion, but that only goes for six months, and then the rent shoots up to $15.95 a month.)

So I'll make the most of the clear QAM model while it lasts (I can still do everything I need to with our VCRs and DVD recorders without going into a lot of contortions), and in the meantime I'll look around the forum for additional info as you folks suggested.

Thanks again!

[Reddwarf]

When you guys say cablecard, du you actually mean a dvb-c card (for NTSC I guess)?

[soccerdad]

When you guys say cablecard, du you actually mean a dvb-c card (for NTSC I guess)?

We don't have dvb-c here so I don't know the specifics, but cablecard is a subscription card that goes in a slot of a capture card to allow you to view premium channels that you have subscribed to. It opens up the "non-clear" channels that you have paid for to allow your card to decrypt the stream.

@ el cid- You can use IR transmiters that come with may capture cards (called blasters) that will change the cable box channels when you are not around. GBPVR fully supports this on some cards.

[Reddwarf]

DVB-C is a capture card for the cable frequency range. So what you are talking about is the CI/CA module that you attach to the capture card to decrypt the channels you have payd for. The subscription card is a "smartcard" (credit-card size with a small chip on), and instead of a CI/CA module you can use a Phoenix cardreader and a software-decrypter ( sw cam). I use both at the moment, and it works like a dream (after some adjustments).