[mythtv-users] Shouldn't have bought an HDTV

[Brad DerManouelian]

On Feb 10, 2008, at 6:30 PM, Doug Meredith wrote:

> I’ve been a MythTV user for over a year now, and the WAF has been  
> very high.  About six weeks ago I made the mistake of buying our  
> first HDTV.  My wife is quite disappointed that everything looks  
> “the same”.  To be honest, I’m pretty disappointed too.  Even DVDs  
> look amazing compared to my captures.  I’ve been investigating my  
> options for capturing HDTV, and have come up with the following:

I'm surprised. My standard definition captures look worse on my HDTV  
than on my old standard definition CRT.

> Over the air.  Not an option.  There are no HD broadcasts in New  
> Brunswick, Canada.

That's a shame.

> QAM capture.  I get four unencrypted HD stations and a number of  
> digital SD broadcasts.  I have an HD Home Run but I’m nervous about  
> deploying this at all due to reports of cable companies changing  
> what is available unencrypted or changing frequency assignments  
> without warning.  In any case, it isn’t going to get me HD.

So you're not going to use it because some day it *might* stop  
working? Everything *might* stop working some day. Why do anything at  
all?

> Get a cable box and hope that I get what I want through fire wire.   
> Some people have difficulty making this work, it seems.  No  
> guarantee there will be *any* unencrypted stations on fire wire, and  
> if there are, no guarantee they will stay unencrypted.  I don’t  
> think I would risk this even if it would work now.  Better to never  
> have HD than to have it and have to tell my wife we are going back  
> to SD.
> Get a moded cable or satellite box.  The two options I have seen are  
> Windows-only.  It isn’t clear how easy or convenient it would be to  
> tie Myth into there recording scheme.
>
> Unless I’m missing something, there are *no* good options.  Option  
> four, while expensive, looks the most hopeful.  I’m just not sure  
> I’m willing to put in the time required to be on the bleeding edge  
> with this.
>
> We can dream about the encryption situation changing, but I don’t  
> think that anything is going to happen that will let me record HD in  
> the next couple of years.  If anything, cable companies are likely  
> to clamp down more and more on options two and three.  It really  
> looks like option four may be my only hope.
>
> Have I missed anything that should give me reason to be optimistic  
> about being able to record HD in the (very) short term?  Personally  
> I wouldn’t give up Myth just to get HD.  But I worry greatly about  
> the WAF.

The only thing that looks like another option hasn't been released  
yet. the Hauppauge HD PVR promises HD capture via component cables.  
Reasonably priced and someone posted a response from Hauppauge that  
said they hope to have linux drivers when they release. Should be out  
in March. Not sure if there other things to consider being a US  
product and you want to use it in Canada. Google should come up with a  
bunch of info about this new device.

-Brad

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