<div dir="ltr"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Oct 1, 2008 at 2:49 PM, R. G. Newbury <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:newbury@mandamus.org">newbury@mandamus.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c">Bobby Gill wrote:<br>
>><br>
>>> Well, yes. But even now most analog is echoed on the SD multiplex. In my<br>
>>> area, digital gets me what I need. Maybe with cable it's different but I<br>
>>> would suspect that getting an analog tuner set up and running will only<br>
>>> give you a few weeks of use at best.<br>
>>><br>
>>> --Yan<br>
>>><br>
>>> Pretty much same thing going on here. The only one that for me has<br>
>> different programming on analog is the local PBS station.<br>
>><br>
>> Richard<br>
>><br>
>><br>
> Okay, lost me here. Are you saying that if I get a card that captures<br>
> Digital TV only (no analog input), and I just have regular analog cable TV<br>
> right now, I can capture it fine? ie., Digital is kind of "backwards<br>
> compatible" to grab analog?? I think this area confuses me most lol.<br>
><br>
> FYI I am using Rogers Cable TV (regular cable) in Canada. Family room has a<br>
> Rogers Digital box (that I don't use as part of Myth; frontend is desktop PC<br>
> in bedroom).<br>
><br>
> Thanks<br>
> Bob<br>
<br>
<br>
</div></div>You get Rogers Cable. That is analog. You also have, at least, some<br>
digital capability. Think of these just like different radios: AM and<br>
FM. Can't listen to AM on the FM radio and vice versa.<br>
<br>
Digital is NOT backwards compatible with analog.<br>
<br>
Rogers no longer even offers an analog basic package, so the writing is<br>
on the wall, that it will (eventually) move all the analog channels to<br>
digital streams only.<br>
<br>
At the moment, you record off the cable with a PVR-150. It has on-board<br>
hardware compression, and does only Standard Definition TV.<br>
<br>
EVERYTHING which Rogers sends as a digital signal is encrypted. Rogers<br>
used to transmit about 35 QAM encoded, unencrypted channels, but stopped<br>
that about June 2007. Now everything digital is encrypted, which means<br>
you must use a set top box to unscramble the signal.<br>
<br>
It is clear that Rogers wants to suck as much as possible from the<br>
customer, and CONTROL the customer's capability to record, as much as<br>
possible. And there are no 'must-carry' rules in Canada from the CRTC as<br>
there are in the US from the FCC.<br>
<br>
Your digital set-top-box, MAY have a firewire output (but I don't think<br>
anyone has confirmed that wrt Rogers supplied boxes). If so, you can<br>
record the digital stream using a firewire input on your mythbox. ( I am<br>
fairly sure you can buy firewire capable STB's which work with Rogers.)<br>
<br>
The only other choice at the moment, is the new Hauppauge HD1212 which<br>
takes (analog) component video output from the set top box and encodes<br>
to to digital, which you then record. The STB must have component<br>
output. Only the most basic (cheapest) STB's do not have component.<br>
<br>
HDMI generally does not work for output because it is crippled to only<br>
talk to HDCP recognized devices, like your LCD TV but to never allow a<br>
digital stream 'into the wild' so to speak. In other words, it is DRM<br>
crippled. (I don't know of any TV's which will pass through an HDMI<br>
sourced signal, and strip it. The only not-so-reasonably priced unit<br>
which was advertised to strip HDCP from a HDMI/DVI signal was made in<br>
Germany and is apparently no longer available: the Spatz DVIMagic box<br>
amd it was listed at 400 euros.)<br>
<br>
The next problem either way is that you need one set top box per channel<br>
to be recorded: that is, one set top box, plus firewire/HD1212 input<br>
(plus an IR blaster for channel changing) is equivalent to your PVR150<br>
in terms of tuning the channel and recording a stream.<br>
<br>
If you want more channel recording capability at present, you could add<br>
another PVR150. That would be the cheapest route to add extra capability<br>
for the foreseeable future. Best guess is that Rogers will not force a<br>
changeover until Canada goes all-digital in August 2011 (although there<br>
will probably be some changes in February 2009 when the US changes). So<br>
you can get good use of a $60-75 purchase. If you do not have a spare<br>
slot you could change to a PVR500 for 2 tuners, or add one of the<br>
Hauppauge USB analaog tuners.<br>
<br>
If you want to future proof yourself, then you have to think about the<br>
digital route.<br>
<br>
And HDHomeRun is a great little unit, but it only works with unencrypted<br>
QAM cable signals, or OTA. I have one connected to my antenna (in<br>
Mississauga, south of Lakeshore) and I get 23 channels ( ignoring SD<br>
versions of HD feeds). So unless you are able to put up an antenna this<br>
box is not for you. The antenna installed cost me less than $200 with<br>
all parts, and coax cable, but I did the installation.<br>
<br>
So far I have said nothing about HD. If you get HD channels on your STB,<br>
then the same questions arise. You need firewire or another form of<br>
output from the STB to feed your mythbox. Once you are digital the<br>
definition level makes no real difference on the input side. The<br>
differences are all on the output side, in terms of what your screen can<br>
do, and your hardware provide. But what you have will be fine for<br>
standard def for a couple of years.<br>
<br>
Geoff<br>
<font color="#888888"><br>
--<br>
</font></blockquote></div><br>Holy crap, you guys are amazing! Been reading the thread now and trying to let it all sink in. Lots of new info for me :)<br><br>So now with the explanation of the Rogers digital box, I'm curious. Let's say I get another Rogers digital box (same as one already in family room). Now if I want to use it exclusively with Myth, I would what-- plug it in to my server? ie., Connect it to the PVR-150 and my PVR-150 now captures from the digital box?<br>
<br>With the Rogers box having its built-in Guide and all that, how would that affect my desktop PC as frontend? Would I have to have the digital box plugged into my desktop PC as frontend? Or can I just use my mythfrontend as is?<br>
<br>I am edging closer to another PVR-150 or 500 for now but just want to be sure and not waste $70-$80 if it makes more sense to spend a bit more and improve things.<br><br>Thanks a TON!<br>Bob<br></div>