DVR (tuner) for the computer?

[Mr Bob]

Right now we have Cox Digital Cable (not HD and no plans for HD) and I want to upgrade our cable box to a DVR. The problem is that there is an additional $15/month for this.

I tried an ATI All in Wonder Radeon 9800 card about a yr ago and it sucked horribly in terms of video recording. The ATI tech support mentioned that it would only be able to record up to 20-30 minutes until I would have to stop/start it again.

I already have a video card that can output to my TV, however, I would like to have a tuner (that actually works with our Cox Cable) to record exactly like a DVR.

It would need to be able to record shows on a recurring basis, without any issues.

Is there a tuner that works just as good as a DVR for Digital Cable?

 

[Dman877]

I believe there are no pci cards for pc's yet that can tune digital cable. I think you'll have to wait for pc compatible cablecards. The current crop of digital tuners for pc's only work with OTA digital broadcasts.

I could be wrong here so anyone feel free to correct me.

I'm sort of curious how you got the AIW to record at all though. I thought digital cable required digital tuning and the AIW cards just use standard NTSC tuners (and crappy ones at that).

What outputs does your cable box have? You might be able to rig up a video capture record if it has some composite of svideo outs that you don't need for your tv.

 

[Mr Bob]

Most tuners can capture the standard channels within the 125 range, but none (that I have found) work just like a DVR. DVRs can capture ALL channels you are paying for, as well as sometimes allow you to watch a different show while you record another.

My cable box has the standard coaxial cable in/out as well as some digital audio outs.

 

[Peter]

Oh, there are cards that do digital cable, including card slots for encryption.

DVB-C cards, CI (common interface) slots for the license cards, all done and sorted.

It's just not usable in the US, since the digital broadcast there isn't using the DVB standards like everywhere else. Sorry.

For simultaneous watching and recording, you'll of course have to have twin tuners, just like in those better DVR boxes.

 

[Mr Bob]

So you don't know of any turners in the US that will do what I want?

 

[bobbydole]

an older standard is the 150 card you can get one here:
http://www.pcalchemy.com/product_info.p...sCsid=2ba704f1194f8eda8df8ccc5be3fff87

It's on-board tuner can tune all the non-digital stations. If you use a cable box or something like that you can set it up to use the IR blaster to switch the channels. It's a little wire thingy that you use in place of the remote, or a cable that hooks up to the back of box, then you just run the output from the box to the S-Video or composite inputs of the card.

I hope this helps..

Also what software will you be using ? the bundled software is usually pretty bad. You might want to think about using MCE, SageTV or MythTV.

 

[Peter]

All those solutions just resample the (low quality analog) SVideo output from the decoder box. Proper solutions - native digital TV cards - let the computer have the original digital stream.

Conspiracy theorists may now go figure why there is no such product in the US. (Hint: Ask the MPAA.)

 

[bobbydole]

I blame the government.

 

[Insidious]

Clearly a terrorist plot...

Isn't there somewhere we can invade or something...


Love,

King George

 

[Mr Bob]

"Proper solutions - native digital TV cards - let the computer have the original digital stream. "
- Any models for me to check out?

 

[bobbydole]

Originally posted by: Mr Bob
"Proper solutions - native digital TV cards - let the computer have the original digital stream. "
- Any models for me to check out?

If you are in the USA there is nothing that will tune your digital stations. The best you can do right now is to send the output of the digital box to a tuner card via S-Video, and control it using an Ir-blaster (the MCE Remotes come with this). If you don't care about the digital stations you can plug the cable directly into one a capture card and record stations 1-99 There was some talk of a CableCard ATI capture card thingy, but that's for Vista only and I haven't heard anything about it since it was announced..

 

[kmmatney]

A friend of mine tried to set something like this up, but in the end just bought a cheap DVD-R recorder. I believe it was a little more than $100. He just sticks a DVD-RW disk in the thing, and it automatically records his shows on it. If there is something he wants to keep, he just saves the DVD-RW, and puts in another. It records his shows automatically and he is happy with it.

 

[Mr Bob]

But would that work with Cox Cable? I would much rather pay for a DVR than rent the box and pay for the service through Cox. Cox wants to charge me for the box AND the service.

 

[dfuze]

I am in the same boat. I have cox too (CT).

I went the dvd recorder route, but those things seem to be tempermental at best. I don't remember the brands, but I returned them pretty darn quick. I settled on a Toshiba, but lately that one has been flaking on me (recording when it wants to).

My current solution that seems to be working great is a Hauppauge PVR-150 card and Vista RC2 (it has the Media Center built in). I was so impressed w/ how media center works, that I ordered it (on truck for delivery as I type!) from newegg. I can record channels up to 99 with basic cable going into the card, and if I want to record digital, I can just toss the IR blaster in front of a cable box to record them (I haven't set this part up yet).

With the PC recording to my hard drive(s), I have much more space than a DVR from Cox would ever give me. I also have the option of burning these recordings to DVD to watch in the living room if I want to watch on something bigger than my 20" widescreen.

 

[Mr Bob]

The problem with setting it up through the box is that you can't just "set it and forget it". You can only record a channel when YOU actually sit next to the box and change the channel. you can't set it up to always record channel 5 on M-F at 4-4:30 pm, and then record channel 6 at 4:30pm to 4:45pm...

It seems like these Cox DVRs are about the only thing that will work...

 

[Insidious]

I pipe my signal to a Hauppauge (PVR 250) and do my recording there. It is indeed capable of scheduled recording using the included software. Daily, Weekly, or whatever you want to do. It is EXACTLY the "set it and forget it" that you mention.

I don't sit and watch it work.... I have it recording on one station and use the TV's tuner to watch anything else I want.

I think you are misinformed about the PVR functionality of the Hauppauge solution.

-Sid

 

[dfuze]

Actually, the remote with the PVR-150 came with an IR Blaster; a wire that you put in front of the cable box IR sensor. If I set it to record a certain channel at a certain time, it will change the channel for you.

 

[Mr Bob]

"I pipe my signal to a Hauppauge (PVR 250) and do my recording there. It is indeed capable of scheduled recording using the included software."
- But if it is hooked up to your cable signal, then all you get are the 99 channels, if you have it hooked up through your cable box, you will get all the channels your box does, however the channel has to be changed everytime. I didn't think there was an automatic way to always change the channel.

"Actually, the remote with the PVR-150 came with an IR Blaster; a wire that you put in front of the cable box IR sensor."
- BINGO! That is exactly what I would need I think. Does it work good? Or is it a POS like the All-in-Wonder card was? I could connect my cable box directly to the tuner, and then use that IR Blaster to change the channels on my cable box.

I assume that the software will display ALL channels that my cable box picks up, right? (including premium channels..)

 

[dfuze]

I would assume it would list it.

For example, I am now using Media Center Edition, which uses a downloaded "TV Guide" to display it all. I've also used Beyond TV. When setting up, I was able to select the type of input (i.e- antenna, cable, digital cable, ...) so if I chose digital it would list all channels. If you have MCE or BeyondTV (even trial version), you can run the setup wizard, lie to it and say you are using digital and see what I mean.

 

[Mr Bob]

The PVR-150 comes with software that works for XP too right? I don't have MCE

 

[dfuze]

The PVR-150 does come with TV software, but I haven't used it, so I can't say if it's good or bad. I only installed the drivers and used it with MCE (during my trial of Vista).

EDIT: I should also note that if you want the IR Blaster portion of it to control a cable box as described earlier, you will have to buy the MCE (Media Center Edition) version of the card. You don't have to have MCE to use it, but that is the only version I know of that comes w/ the IR Blaster.

 

[Mr Bob]

So I need this one: http://www.club it.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A9600112&cmp=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r

Then it will let me use the IR Blaster stuff to change the channels of the cable box?

So I have the cable coming from the wall into my cable box, and then the out on my cable box goes to the PVR 150 on the back of my computer, and then I can use the software to set a schedule for shows to record (on a recurring basis). Correct?

 

[Childs]

There are some cards that do unencrypted QAM, but for all intent and purposes its unreliable (personal experience from the DVICO fusion cards), and I dont know of any PVR software that supports it. VBoxx makes good SD tuners, and their HD tuners for OTA are pretty good as well. I use MCE, but have used SageTV and GB-PVR for PVR software. Typically the software that comes with tuner cards are bad. PCAlchemy is a good place to get cards at the lowest, or fairly competitive prices.

 

[JBT]

Bob, Here in AZ with Cox the DVR only costs 15 total. not 15 in addition to it.... IE your regular $6 cable box fee is replaced with a $15 DVR charge and there is no service fee either... You are just renting the DVR for 15 and thats it.

 

[Midwayman]

Any cards that capture HD component streams though? I hate how buggy the cable co's dvr is.