[mythtv-users] Myth 0.22 for Comcast Digital in US - how would you build?

[Kenneth Emerson]

>
>
> Asking in ref:
> - Tuner devices/cards to work (as best as possible) with whatever Comcast
> box and link technology (firewire, composite)
>

It depends on what you watch.  Using the stats supplied by mythweb, I see
that 85% of what is recorded by my system is OTA.  I am fortunate that with
a simple bow-tie antenna on my roof, I get excellent reception of NBC, CBS,
ABC, FOX, and CW as well as PBS.  For this majority, I use a dual tuner
HD-HomeRun which is almost unanimously recommended on this list.   For the
other 15%, I have subscribed to my cable company's (MediaCom) digital
service at a cost of $9.95/month which gets me one STB.  I did get this to
work with firewire, but because of the 5C "encryption", the recordings were
not 100% reliable, so I bought Hauppauge's HD-PVR to record the component
output of the supplied Motorola STB.  If you do not have access to OTA
(can't/won't install antenna or not close enough to transmitters), you are
kind of stuck with the cable company's STB offering.

- Does HD change the recommendation
>

HD makes a difference when it comes to the size of the recordings and how
you plan to play them back.  Most of the newer systems will play the HD
content in mpeg format (HD-HR) (someone more knowledgeable can probably give
CPU specs required here), but you will need a video card that supports vdpau
to play back the H.264 from an HD-PVR.  The mpeg file sizes are about 3x
what the SD recordings are (6 GB / hour).  The HD-PVR will produce at about
half that at 720p resolution.


> - Does trying to make the Tuners and BE remote from FE change the
> recommendation?  (IR and blasting)
>
> I use an IR/RF converter to get to my remote backend and use the IR
receiver from one of my PVR-350's that I still have installed.


> I'm asking because I'm really unclear what would be most "turn-key" and
> reliable if budget and pre-existing equipment were not considerations.
> TIA!!!!!!!
>
> Turn-key?  That's not going to be the mythTV way, but I think you mean what
is the best way with the least complexity?



> p.s. "screw Comcast" is a very viable answer, but not quite what I'm
> looking for here...  ;-)
>