DVR (tuner) for the computer?

[Mr Bob]

"There are some cards that do unencrypted QAM"
- Isn't that just for grabbing the HD channels? If so, that doesn't really help me..

"there is no service fee"
- There is a service fee, I called them last week to confirm. Even at $11/mo additional, if I could run it all through the computer it would still save me money.

 

[Childs]

Originally posted by: Mr Bob
"There are some cards that do unencrypted QAM"
- Isn't that just for grabbing the HD channels? If so, that doesn't really help me..

Thats as close to getting a card that will do digital as you're going to get. Otherwise, as someone else already said, you need a cable box, and a ir blaster to have your PVR software change the channels on your cable box. But then you dont even really need a tuner, can you simply use a video card with video in ability. If your cable box has firewire, that might be another way to go.

 

[Mr Bob]

"But then you dont even really need a tuner, can you simply use a video card with video in ability. If your cable box has firewire, that might be another way to go. "
- How would the software automatically change to the correct channel so I could record a show?

 

[kpb]

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

From what I've seen there are no consumer level cards able to handle capturing component hd, or dvi/hdmi for that matter. The reason seems to be these are uncompressed signals so the cards would need to handle real time compression of 720p or 1080i which is still a pretty difficult task. When tuning in the OTA, or unencrypted QAM signals they take the signal and just record the signal as it's encoded when broadcast so no encoding hardware is nessicary. All then need to do is tune the signal in and then either decode it to view it or just record it to the HD.

As far as working with your existing cable box you can use a ir blaster and then connect a tuner card to the output of the cable box to record things. Depending on what cable box you have you might also be able to use http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/98686.aspx to change channels and possibly record over a firewire connection. We've got a cable box from comcast and use that program to change channels on the cable box and even record hd over the firewire connection.

 

[Childs]

The PVR software would still need to use an IR blaster to change the channel on the cable box, but you dont need a tuner in your PC because, well, you aren't tuning anything, the cable box is. The PVR software is changing the channel via IR blaster, but locally its just monitoring a single channel, and recording when you say.

 

[Mr Bob]

Where could I get an IR Blaster that will work with the setup you describe?

 

[Mr Bob]

I called Cox Cable and none of these boxes have an IR sensor (i dont understand why because the remote i thought is IR). They also said that there is no way for me to use another digital cable box with Cox.

Cox uses Scientific Atlanta boxes, and I went to the SA site and found this: http://www.sciatl.com/customers/source/4005303.pdf

 

[kpb]

Originally posted by: Mr Bob
I called Cox Cable and none of these boxes have an IR sensor (i dont understand why because the remote i thought is IR). They also said that there is no way for me to use another digital cable box with Cox.

Cox uses Scientific Atlanta boxes, and I went to the SA site and found this: http://www.sciatl.com/customers/source/4005303.pdf

I'm pretty sure the person you talked to at cox had no clue what they where talking about. A remote pretty much has to be IR. The only other possiblity would be some radio frequency. If so you could tell this easily because you'd be able to use the remote from another room or pointed the wrong way. If you can't then it's an IR remote.