[mythtv-users] 169Time revisited

[Gene Stapp]

I'm going to call up my cable company and see if they will allow me to 
add a Motorola DCT 2000 series set top box onto the system. I currently 
have a 6412 dual tuner but almost everything above channel 100 is set to 
5c=1 GRRR.. anyway if they will let me add it with all the digital 
packages and the HDTV package I already pay for, I definately will grab 
myself one off fleabay and then get a r5000hd mod for it. It's annoying 
having to not get any true HD programming on the HD channels I pay for 
unless I switch over to the set top directly.

Michael Chmilar wrote:
> The XP machine hosting the r5000hd will talk to a DVHS deck. So, the
> goal is to make the MythTV machine appear to be a DVHS deck. There
> are two things that the XP machine needs to be satisfied that the
> Myth machine is DVHS:
>
> 1. The configuration ROM for the firewire port on the Myth machine
> (not really a "ROM", since you can alter it!) must say that the Myth
> machine is an AV/C device.
>
> 2. The XP machine will send some queries using the AV/C protocol,
> such as "Are you powered on?", "Do you have a tape inserted?", "Is
> the tape a DVHS cassette?", and so on. The Myth machine must respond
> with the correct answers.
>
> Once these requirements are satisfied, the r5000hd software will
> happily stream the MPEG-2 data over the firewire port.
>
> ddr1394 has a program that sets up the configuration ROM. It also has
> a program that does the AV/C chit-chat. However, I found that I had
> to modify the responses to make the r5000hd happy.
>
> I have created a modified version of dd1394 which combines the ROM
> config and AV/C chatter into one program. I also removed the stream
> capture from this program, since I want Myth to perform the capture.
>
> This setup should work with any device that talks to a DVHS deck,
> including the 169time.
>
> AVSForum.com has a couple of long threads about the r5000hd
> modification. Reading through it, you will find a number of people
> who started with 169time, and switched to r5000hd. I don't recall all
> of the reasons, but it seems like the 169time was just not reliable.
>
> The r5000hd is extremely reliable.
>
> I am using the r5000hd to record all of the HD channels from Directv,
> including HBO-HD, Showtime-HD, HDNet, Universal-HD, TNT-HD, and the
> network stations (NBS, CBS, FOX, ABC).
>
> The r5000hd also captures standard definition (SD) channels on
> Directv (which the 169time may not be able to do, IIRC). However, I
> have been having difficulty getting reliable recordings of SD in
> MythTV. The problem is that the r5000hd takes a few seconds to detect
> that the stream has changed from HD to SD, and resynchronize. During
> this transition, it is not sending a valid MPEG2-TS over firewire,
> and this appears to confuse MythTV's firewire capture. I have not
> spent much time addressing the SD issue, since my primary interest is
> capturing HD. (I have a second SD-only Directv receiver which is
> sufficient for my needs.)
>
> Is the r5000hd worth it? It is fairly expensive to get the
> modification, and you have the added expense of an XP machine to host
> it. However, it is very reliable, and works as advertised.
>
> I should also point out that r5000hd provides a complete set of
> XP-based software, including an application to schedule recordings by
> date/time (using web browser for program guide). I used the r5000hd
> strictly on XP for a year before I embarked on interfacing it with
> MythTV. My main complaint in XP world was that I needed to use the
> mouse and keyboard all of the time. I much prefer MythTV's interface.
>
> On XP, the r5000hd is now integrated into SageTV, as well. SageTV
> offers some similar features to MythTV such as client/server
> machines. I have never tried SageTV, so I can't compare it to MythTV.
>
> These XP setups allow you avoid having a separate machine acting as
> an intermediary.
>
> I am happy to share my hacked-up software (modified ddr1394 and
> channel-changing script) with anyone who wants to use them. Both are
> small enough that I can email them.
>
>
> --- Mario Limonciello <mario.mailing at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>   
>> Michael,
>>
>> I realize now that post was a bit old.  For some reason I read 2002
>> as 2006
>> :).
>>
>> I emailed Dan Dennedy about this and he was also mentioning
>> ddr1394.  He
>> said it is a bit rough around the edges, but said that it could be
>> hacked
>> together to something functional if I took some time with it. 
>> Which
>> firewire config ROM are you speaking of when you say AV/C
>> capability needs
>> to be enabled? Have you uploaded these patches to modify ddr1394 to
>> svn of
>> linux1394?
>>
>> Do you actually use the r5000hd as a recording source for all of
>> your
>> programming in myth then with this intermediatary XP Box?  Also the
>> 169Time
>> mod, you say that its not as reliable and robust, is that to be
>> taken in a
>> literal sense? eg - the box crashes, or streams just dont
>> consistently work?
>> I'm just kinda curious about this - as I may invest in one or the
>> other if
>> this is really a feasible working project...  If you do use the
>> r5000hd
>> often  - how is perfomance?  Would you call it a worthwhile
>> investement?
>>
>> I appreciate the info,
>>
>> On 7/31/06, Michael Chmilar <chmilar at acm.org> wrote:
>>     
>>> --- Mario Limonciello <mario.mailing at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>       
>>>> So anyone on the list actually have a 169Time mod done?  Would
>>>>         
>> you
>>     
>>>> care to
>>>> experiment with linux1394 svn to see if you can grab video?  Or
>>>> anyone else
>>>> have an opinion about why this shouldn't work?
>>>>         
>>> I am using MythTV with an r5000hd mod. This is similar to the
>>> 169time, but owners who have used both systems seem to find the
>>> r5000hd to be more reliable and robust.
>>>
>>> The r5000hd requires a Windows XP machine as an intermediary. The
>>> r5000hd software on the XP machine can send the MPEG2 TS over
>>> firewire to a DVHS deck.
>>>
>>> It is possible for MythTV to emulate a DVHS deck and capture the
>>> stream using the Firewire cable box tuner. These extra pieces are
>>> needed:
>>>
>>> - A modified version of ddr1394 to communicate with the XP
>>>       
>> machine
>>     
>>> using the AV/C command protocol, and set AV/C capability in the
>>> firewire config ROM.
>>>
>>> - Use plugctl to set up the firewire ports.
>>>
>>> - An external channel change script talks to the XP machine via
>>>       
>> ssh
>>     
>>> to change channels.
>>>       
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users at mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>
>