[mythtv-users] Unitymedia (Germany) and Mythtv

[Jan Schneider]

Zitat von Sven Bretfeld <sven.bretfeld at gmx.ch>:

> Hello to all (primary German) Mythtv users
>
> This is a bloody beginner's question. I have searched the web for hours
> without finding a solution. So I would really appreciate help from the
> list.
>
> I need information about some hardware usable for a Mythtv machine to
> capture the cable stream of Unitymedia/Germany. Unitymedia provides a
> settop box (TT-micro C 264) with a slot for a TV-card. Private channels
> are encrypted, even the free ones like RTL. And this is the problem.
>
> I have purchased a DVB-C card which is working under GNU/Linux but it
> can capture only the unencrypted of the channels (ARD, ZDF etc.).
>
> There is much information on the web about CI modules and CAM, but I
> have found no secure solution that promises to solve the following three
> problems:
>
> 1) Is there a card/CI/CAM working with Unitymedia cards (USB preferred),

Like Raymond already noticed, USB is probably not an option.

I began with Technotrend cards, which didn't work out to work well at  
all. Since then I've switched over to Satelco EasyWatch (same chipset  
as KNC1), and it works kinda well with Unitymedia. I have some issues  
with CAM decryption ceasing to work after running the backend for some  
time (about a day usually). I never found if this is a problem with  
the CI, the CAM, Unitymedia, some driver, or any combination of those.  
This is no longer a problem after I configured MythTV to shutdown the  
backend when it's idle.
Beside that, this setup works reliably.

> 2) does it work under GNU/Linux, 3) is it available in German stores or
> online-shops?

Yes, the card is (or at least was, when I looked last time) available  
in any German online shop that has a good DVB lineup.

> The price is of secondary importance. I just want a working solution.
>
> Can anybody give me a good hint? There must be Mythtv users with a
> Unitymedia contract. What do you do?
>
> Are there other solutions? Can I, for example, use the settop box with an
> analog capture card? I don't care much about HDTV.

That's not an option. As a side benefit, you would get the HDTV  
channels for "free" with that card, because those kind of cards just  
record the raw stream from DVB, and it's up to your MythTV frontend to  
decode and display the HD content.

Jan.

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