[mythtv-users] Satellite Receiver with ATSC (not analog/NTSC) output on Ch 3 or 4?

[Roger Heflin]

Larry on the Dell Laptop wrote:
> Brian Wood wrote:
>> Larry on the Dell Laptop wrote:
>>   
>>> Do any of the newer satellite receivers (DishNetwork or DirectTV or ??)  
>>> have an output on Ch 3 or 4 whose output is in the newer ATSC format?   
>>> The answer is apparently no from all the sources I've checked so far.    
>>> Dish technical support was a complete waste of time but Mike from Solid 
>>> Signal seemed knowledgeable.  He said there is a BlonderTongue Modulator 
>>> which will take composite video and modulate it on a TV channel as ATSC  
>>> but the price was approx. $500.
>>>
>>> The reason I ask?  I now have newer TV sets that take ATSC in.   My dish 
>>> receiver outputs the satellite channel it is tuned to on Ch 3 in so 
>>> called analog aka NTSC format.  This arrives and is displayed on my 
>>> newer TV degraded in quality.   Since the sets can receive ATSC, 
>>> wouldn't it make more sense to have the rear panel output on the 
>>> satellite receiver output in ATSC SD format so that it arrives crystal 
>>> clear at my new ATSC captable TV set?   This same Ch 3 or Ch 4 ATSC 
>>> signal could also be picked up by my growing list of PCs with ATSC tuner 
>>> cards, again without degradation caused by NTSC / analog transmission.
>>>     
>>
>> I don't think so. In order to output as ATSC the sat receiver would have
>> to re-encode the decoded satellite stream, as the satellite does not use
>>  ATSC format.
>>
>> Why not use the baseband output of the receiver?
>>
>> beww
>>   
> 
> By baseband output, you mean the RCA Video  out connector  or the 
> S-Video connector on back of the DishNetwork receiver?  If so, my 
> problem is distributing that signal on my internal house wiring through 
> my RG6 coaxial network.  I'm familiar with using a pc as a front end 
> then connecting to the backend via ethernet LAN.  That works well if you 
> have a PC nearby. Too bad my fancy yet expensive Sony ATSC sets don't 
> have a PC in them with a twisted pair ethernet input.  The guts of my  
> Sony Bravia must be pretty close as it is GPLed. 


I know it is not exactly what you want, but I would just get a modulator and 
make a house channel, then you can tune into that house channel anywhere else in 
the house if you wire it up correct, and have a space of several unused channels 
in a row.   It is not HD, but it is usually good enough, I have a couple of 
house channels, on is a mythtv device, and the other is a DTV converter.

I wish an ATSC modulator was made for a PC that could take a pre-existing mpeg2 
stream and make a house channel, but no one makes it.  This would seem to be 
pretty simple to build since you already have the mpeg2 stream.

But without a pre-existing mpeg2 stream you need hardware encoders that are not 
a volume item and are expensive.

                              Roger