[mythtv-users] pcHDTV 5500 - NTSC and QAM?

[Steven Sartorius]

On Mar 5, 2007, at 18:23, Glenn Harris wrote:

> On 3/4/07, Steven Sartorius <ssartor at bellatlantic.net> wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> I'm looking at upgrading my current Myth setup (SD only, version .18)
>> to something capable of handling HD.  I'm a Comcast analog cable
>> subscriber and recently picked up an external HD tuner (a Samsung  
>> DTB-
>> H260F) to see what I could get via QAM off my coax.  There's enough
>> unencrypted HD content (all the local OTA channels, DiscoveryHD,
>> Universal HD) that I'd like to have the option to record in either HD
>> or SD.  A little research turned up the pcHDTV 5500 -- a QAM capable
>> card with both ATSC and NTSC tuners.  My question is (of course!) how
>> well does it work in Myth?  Specifically, is anyone using the card to
>> record both HD and SD (not at the same time of course)?  If so, how
>> does this work?  Do you specify two different inputs to Myth? Does
>> the card show up as having two different tuners? What's the quality
>> of SD capture?  Any insight into the nuts and bolts of how the 5500
>> handles both QAM and SD would be much appreciated...
>>
>> thanks,
>>
>> Steve
>
> I have the pchdtv 5500.  It works great, and is easy to setup.
> However, my understanding is that it can only be configured as a
> digital (atsc/qam) or analog card when the drivers are loaded.  So you
> either load up the DVB (digital) or analog drivers.  I suppose you
> could work up elaborate system to unload and load drivers depending on
> which channel you are recording from.  Seems overly complicated.
> And as someone else mentioned, it does not do on-board mpeg encoding,
> so you have to do that in software for analog channels.
>
> I am assuming by 'SD' you mean analog.  You can get both SD (standard
> definition) and HD channels over QAM and the pchdtv can record both of
> those just fine through the DVB setup.
>
> Other than that, I will also throw my support behind the HDHR.   
> Very nice.
>
> --Glenn
A couple of people have suggested the HDHR and I did look at it when  
formulating my upgrade plans.  My main beef with it is that it's yet  
another box (along with a hub) to have attached to my machine --  
thereby lowering the WAF!  My goal is to have a single piece of  
computer gear sitting next to my receiver/tuner/dvd player all  
underneath my flat panel screen.  The machine I'm looking at (a  
Pundit P1-AH2) has 2 PCI slots -- I'd like to put a capture card in  
one and a wireless network card in the other.  Trying to get away  
from a lot of clutter.... :)

thanks,

Steve