[mythtv-users] Can Myth 'tune' these 'free' converter boxes?

Mark Knecht markknecht at gmail.com
Fri Nov 20 12:51:03 UTC 2009


On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 9:50 PM, scram69 <scram69 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 1:35 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht at gmail.com> wrote:
>> There are no posts on the link you gave for the Bay Area since April,
>> 2008 so that's probably all changed.
>>
>> Once possibility might be to tune the STB using either 1394 or the IR
>> Link and then record in analog using my old PVR-150's? Same quality
>> we'd get from the free tuners but access to all the subscribed
>> channels I think...
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Mark
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> Mark,
> According to Silicon Dust
> http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineup_web/US:95030#lineup_1135827
> comcast is currently providing 127 channels in Los Gatos unencrypted
> over QAM.  You don't need their HDHomerun (although I would highly
> recommend it), any QAM tuner will do.  There's an outfit in Livermore,
> Retek Direct, selling myth-compatible ATI HDTV Wonder PCI cards for
> $14 a piece on fleabay.  I'm using one now, for when I need to record
> Disney, Sprout, and PBS all at the same time :)

Hi,
   I already have an HDHR so that (currently) covers the low channels
and a few high channel freebies that Comcast doesn't encrypt. As per
another response here I suspect that within the next 6 months it might
be useless if I am still with Comcast.

   I was speaking earlier of BBC, which my wife wants to record in
Myth but is only available to me using an STB and a subscription which
we already pay for. I could get it for the rental price of a second
STB and would presumably tune it with the IR blaster or 1394. Please
note that our usage of Myth is really very pedestrian compared to many
people who post here:

1) We never record HD as Myth cannot stream it reliably on my current
wireless network. This means I could use any STB with an S-video out
and then record it with the old PVR-150s, although that would require
a new backend as I currently use a Mac Mini.

2) Almost nothing other than cooking shows is saved more than a day or
two. Cooking shows my wife digs in once a month writing things down
and then blows away 40 titles in a day.

   If Comcast starts encrypting too much stuff then Myth might be dead
here as I doubt we'd rent a bunch of STBs, dedicate an area for all of
that and pay PG&E more for electricity. Either that or look for
another source of media.

Cheers,
Mark


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