Vchat20, that was a tremendous help, I did the following:

“For the record, VLC should be dead easy:
Select the AV/C Tuner device as the video capture device and 'None' for audio, click the 'Stream' button (on the latest versions it is under a drop-down arrow next to the play button), check the 'File' output checkbox and select a save location followed by checking 'Dump raw input' and then the 'stream' button to get it going.”

All seems to go well ,, it says its streaming, but the file I create, no matter where I direct it to, never gets created. Another words when I create the file name, and send it to any directory of my choosing, that file is never created to play it back? If I just run “Play” the video and audio show up and run though?

Try the strict playback method and see if VLC shows anything. If the window is still in minimal mode with no video or audio after a little while it's probably a case where the channel/program is set Copy Once or Copy Never and you can't record it.

Playback works and I see and hear. And if this means anything, I went into the cable box menu (using power off, select select,,,,,) and "Copy Control" = Copy Free.

When I tried making a file name, I experimented with implementing file extentions manually like .ps & .ts or no file extentions at all, still wouldnt save? Something is no set right in my opinion?

Im onto something,,, I dont know why I cant record directly from VLC yet, but right now, I dont care. I was able to capture from CapDVHS, and playback using VLC, and the files are on my hard drive. I will start looking at how to take those file and convert them so I can put burn them to DVD. So far,,, thanks a million!

I just wanted to mention it again... I am developing a new driver that will work on 64-bit windows. Currently testing with win7 x64, using a Motorola DCT-6200.

My goal is to provide an up-to-date interface using the newer kernel streaming class (AVStream) which will expose the stream as a direct show filter just like the current driver. It will work with XP SP3, Vista, and Win7, 32 and 64 bit, and perhaps afterward if there is a demand for win 2000 I can add legacy support.

Ultimately my goal will be to expose the device to windows as a tuner device which will be natively supported by MCE and other tv tuner suites.

If you're interested please show your support here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1145429

Good day to all. I am in Vienna VA using COX. I have a HD DVR box and I want to transfer shows from my DVR to my computer. It would be great if I can transfer shows/video from my computer to my DVR. Is this possible if so what do I need to do this.

Thanks for all the help.

See the link in post # 4998.

Hello everyone,

Well, I am brand new to the possibility of recording premium/subscription HD channels to my PC.

I believe I am all ready to go with my PC that is running 32 bit Vista and newly IEEE 1394 enabled. I am planning on using the capdvhs and drivers from the exdeus page:

Now, here is where I am looking for input.

I have labored about the decision to go with either Verizon Fios or Comcast for my HD programming and HD set top box (STB). I have current, first hand reports of Comcast HD subscribers that can record ALL HD channels from their HD STB to PC via IEEE 1394 (firewire).

The forum reading I've done gives me the impression (I don't know if it is the correct one though) that Comcast HD stbs are more likely to work right away for recording to PC via IEEE 1394. Where, FIOS HS stbs seem to have more issues with copy protection.

I live in Richmond, VA. As of now, I have opted for a Comcast install because it seems there are more success stories of being able to record ALL or nearly ALL premium HD channels.

Please let me know if you can offer any thoughts on whether or not comcast hd stbs might be less hassle than verizon fios hd stbs when it comes to recording premium HD channels to PC?

Hello everyone,

Well, I am brand new to the possibility of recording premium/subscription HD channels to my PC.

I believe I am all ready to go with my PC that is running 32 bit Vista and newly IEEE 1394 enabled. I am planning on using the capdvhs and drivers from the exdeus page:

Now, here is where I am looking for input.

I have labored about the decision to go with either Verizon Fios or Comcast for my HD programming and HD set top box (STB). I have current, first hand reports of Comcast HD subscribers that can record ALL HD channels from their HD STB to PC via IEEE 1394 (firewire).

The forum reading I've done gives me the impression (I don't know if it is the correct one though) that Comcast HD stbs are more likely to work right away for recording to PC via IEEE 1394. Where, FIOS HS stbs seem to have more issues with copy protection.

I live in Richmond, VA. As of now, I have opted for a Comcast install because it seems there are more success stories of being able to record ALL or nearly ALL premium HD channels.

Please let me know if you can offer any thoughts on whether or not comcast hd stbs might be less hassle than verizon fios hd stbs when it comes to recording premium HD channels to PC?

Premium channels such as HBO can't be transfered to a PC.

Premium channels such as HBO can't be transfered to a PC.

That's not true; it depends on your cable system. I can dump HBO flicks to my PC - in fact, I posted a bunch of Star Wars screencaps (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12986099#post12986099) on here a while ago from the HBO presentations.

That's not true; it depends on your cable system. I can dump HBO flicks to my PC - in fact, I posted a bunch of Star Wars screencaps on here a while ago from the HBO presentations.

Thank you for the first couple replies. I am ready to accept not being able to record premium movie channels such as HBO. (although like the one person mentioned, some people can do this) It looks like it depends on the given cable company and how much tinkering they do or don't do with their set top boxes.

I will count the experiment as a success if I can record HD channels such as ESPN HD, CNN HD, etc...

does anybody know How to record via IEEE 1394 (Firewire) to MAC OS?

Any help is appreciated.

does anybody know How to record via IEEE 1394 (Firewire) to MAC OS?

Any help is appreciated.

There's a thread dedicated to this topic here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=3616279#post3616279).

There's a thread dedicated to this topic here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=3616279#post3616279).

Thanks!
I guess I am out of luck since it seems that my SA 8300hd is not supported by this method.
Thanks anyway.

I tried searching this thread but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for ...
I have Verizon FIOS and QIP 6416 DVR. Is it possible to use this to record to PC via firewire ? Anybody know if it is enabled in Portland area ?

The box does work, but a number of the channels are protected and will not work.

Do any HD channels work at all ?
Are the instructions on page 1 applicable to the verizon box (QIP 6416) also ?

Do any HD channels work at all ?
Are the instructions on page 1 applicable to the verizon box (QIP 6416) also ?

I don't know specifically about your box, but the drivers generally work with a certain protocol for streaming data. It's pretty standard so many boxes all work with the same driver. The driver itself has a few issues so it might not be as flexible as it could be but if the driver recognizes your device (per the .inf that comes with the driver), then it will probably work.

Best try and see what happens. I think QIP is similar to the motorola 64xx 62xx series.

In a couple of weeks I should have my new driver semi functional, and if you'd like to test it with your hardware I can try to make sure the new driver properly supports your hardware.

`John

In a couple of weeks I should have my new driver semi functional, and if you'd like to test it with your hardware I can try to make sure the new driver properly supports your hardware.

`John

Thanks, John!

Just to make sure of what I have seen there is no support of this method for 64 bit versions of Windows correct? Also would it be possible to take out the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD's hard drive and put it in a PC and boot up Linux and transfer the videos off of the SA hard drive to the PC?

None at the moment, and no.

None at the moment, and no.
Has it been tried before? (taking the hard drive out of the DVR)

It's not possible to do, period. The drive is encrypted and tied to a key specific to that single box. And it's not like the xbox drive encryption where it is opened up and readable on boot. It's been tried and doesn't work that way.

Hi everyone,

Please let me know your thoughts on this one. I just got a Comcast install today. They gave me a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3250HD.

I connected it by IEEE 1394 to my PC. My PC is:

- Gateway with Windows Vista 32 bit Home Premium Service Pack 1.

I followed all of the install instructions and used the drivers from the exdeus webpage. The install did not have any issues and I see the Scientific Atlanta device in the CapDVHS "Capture Device" window.

When I first tried to record with CapDVHS, I got "Cannot open output file". Then I tried running CapDVHS as administrator and get "Error 800705AA: Cannot start capture" when I try to record.

Please let me know what you think. I REALLY appreciate all feedback.

Change the Save folder on the Setting tab to something your account has access to. It will default to c:\ which Vista doesn't like.

Change the Save folder on the Setting tab to something your account has access to. It will default to c:\ which Vista doesn't like.

Thanks for the quick reply.

I just tried your suggestion. I created c:\test and changed the Setting tab Save Folder.

I get the same "Cannot start capture". This is what I get 99.9% of the time. About twice CapDVHS was able to run for a second, then crash; it was able to create a 94 KB mpg file.

Other thoughts? Thanks again for a quick reply on a holiday weekend. :)

Point it to something under your profile. C:\Users\Username\whatever. This will rule out Vista trying to be smarter than you. Try watching in VLC. The success rate with SA boxes is maybe 5% at best, so if you never get it working, you're just one of many.

Point it to something under your profile. C:\Users\Username\whatever. This will rule out Vista trying to be smarter than you. Try watching in VLC. The success rate with SA boxes is maybe 5% at best, so if you never get it working, you're just one of many.

Thanks for another suggestion. I will give that a try tomorrow. Although, I have more to report.

I tried unplugging the SA HD stb and reconnecting the firewire so the stb would boot up fresh while being connected to my PC. I'm not sure if it was this or something else, but I can now press the Rec button in CapDVHS to record but all of the fields on the Data Info tab are blank. I tried recording on a number of channels on the stb including the low numbered local channels and every time no info. on the Data Info tab of CapDVHS.

So, from what I understand, either Comcast is encrypting everything or the firewire ports on the STB are not working/enabled. I don't think everything is encrypted because on another tv upstairs I connected a coax cable right from the wall outlet to a tv and the tuner scanned around 100 channels. I have to look further, but I think some of the HD channels which appear on channels 210 and up on the STB had duplicates in the 90's or 100's on my tv connected right to the wall outlet with no STB.

Well, thanks again. I will try your suggestions, tinker some more and report back. :)

If the ports were disabled, you'd never get a prompt to install the device.

When you plug in the set without the STB you're getting the Analogue signal, unless your tv has digital, but even then it's a different signal, using Clear QAM. Often cable companies provide all the channels that are also broadcast over the air, with no encryption. and there are probably many more channels encrypted but available to Clear QAM.

As for your box, if you got it to work even briefly it's probably not anything wrong with your stb or anything. I'd blame the driver.

You've probably read I'm working on a new driver which will also support 64 bit, see this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16419936#post16419936

If you can wait a couple weeks, post your device info (from device manager) in the thread and I'll make sure the driver I write can be loaded for your STB, and you can test it out for me.

ExDeus, can you add the Motorola QIP 7100 to the INF? It's the new HD non-DVR box Verizon is giving out.
Tuner is AVC\MOTOROLA&QIP-7100&TYP_5, panel is AVC\MOTOROLA&QIP-7100&TYP_9.
I'd like to second this request. :)

If the ports were disabled, you'd never get a prompt to install the device.

That's a good point. I was thinking the same thing. I might re-try the installation process from device manager where you set up the tuner and panel devices for the STB.

I did this per the ExDeus advanced installation instructions for Vista. Everything went fine. The difference is, I think ExDeus makes mention of selecting the firestb file during installation. I remember pointing the installation to the "drivers" folder, but I don't remember being allowed to select a particular file. (in order to select firestb)

In addition, my SA 3250HD stb was listed on the list of stbs for ExDeus.

Thanks again, and I'll report back if I have success or more/different clues from failure.

When you plug in the set without the STB you're getting the Analogue signal, unless your tv has digital, but even then it's a different signal, using Clear QAM. Often cable companies provide all the channels that are also broadcast over the air, with no encryption. and there are probably many more channels encrypted but available to Clear QAM.

As for your box, if you got it to work even briefly it's probably not anything wrong with your stb or anything. I'd blame the driver.

You've probably read I'm working on a new driver which will also support 64 bit, see this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16419936#post16419936

If you can wait a couple weeks, post your device info (from device manager) in the thread and I'll make sure the driver I write can be loaded for your STB, and you can test it out for me.

Thank you for the info johnb003. I did see your post for the 64 bit support. I would love this because I do have a 64 bit Vista machine. I will add my info your thread.

Just a couple quick questions, when you said "channels encrypted but available to Clear QAM" in reference to the channels my tv connected right to the wall outlet receives; if something is available to clear qam, doesn't that mean its not encrypted?

Also, please forgive me if your 64 bit post answers this or you answer it elsewhere. I could be mistaken; but, I thought a number of people have posted that 64 bit support or drivers would never be possible. Or maybe they were saying that CapDVHS would never run on a 64 bit machine.

Just so I understand, are you saying that you are working on something that will allow me to connect my 64 bit vista home premium pc by firewire to my stb AND use CapDVHS?

Just because a channel is available in clear QAM doesn't mean they don't have copy protection on the Firewire, and vice versa. Some cable companies have a blanket policy of flagging everything copy-once, meaning Firewire to a PC doesn't work for any channels.

Just because a channel is available in clear QAM doesn't mean they don't have copy protection on the Firewire, and vice versa. Some cable companies have a blanket policy of flagging everything copy-once, meaning Firewire to a PC doesn't work for any channels.

Now this sounds like a possibility. Can anyone in the Richmond or Midlothian, Virginia area speak of success w/ recording comcast cable from a stb w/ firewire?

You might have better luck searching/asking in the Richmond thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=435750).

You might have better luck searching/asking in the Richmond thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=435750).

Thanks again; you really know your way around the forum.

I'll have a look; I'm so frustrated that my set-up didn't work. I was so optimistic when I heard a number of success stories with firewire recording and Comcast as the provider.

I might now consider the Hauppauge HD PVR which connects to the component out of the HD stb.

or maybe I'll first see if I can switch my Scientific Atlanta box for a Motorola and see if I have better luck with IEEE 1394.

Most success stories from Comcast are with the Motorola boxes. Something like 85% of Comcast's systems use Motorola, with the main exceptions being the areas that were swapped from TWC as part of the Adelphia deal. You normally don't get a choice between them because they use different, incompatible systems, but that might be a thing of the past once tru2way is fully implemented.

You were exactly right about not having a choice between Scientific Atlanta and Motorola.

Just got off the phone w/ Comcast. In the Richmond area; Richmond and counties north and west use Motorola; where, my county, Chesterfield County, has to exclusively be on Scientific Atlanta.

The good news is that I am entitled to swap my current HD stb for another Scientific Atlanta HD stb that has HDMI output (current one doesn't).

So, this should be good in 3 ways:
1) nicest connection from HD stb to my HDTV (HDMI)
2) another potential chance of getting the firewire to PC working
3) this should free up the component output of the stb in case I have to go the route of the Hauppauge HD PVR

So coyoteaz, looking into the future it looks like I'm going to be right where some people were a year ago with the SA 4250HD (I'm guessing this is what Comcast will give me today in exchange for my 3250HD)

I'm anticipating having no luck with the 4250HD firewire; so, it looks like I may be purchasing the HD PVR after all; we'll see.

I'll try an uninstall and re-install on my PC for the new box Comcast gives me today just to try the IEEE 1394.

Back when I had an SA box, if I had the HDMI plugged in but the TV off or on a different input, I would get a blocked messages on the other outputs. Just another fun caveat.

So I can pretty much say that my experiment in Chesterfield County, VA with Comcast and attempting to record to PC via IEEE 1394 is over.

Today Comcast took my SA 3250HD and swapped it for a SA 4250HDC (w/ HDMI output)

I carefully went through an uninstall and re-install on my PC for the new SA box. CapDVHS still just gives me a blank data info tab when I press record.

So, Hauppauge HD PVR here I come as soon as I can stomach the extra expense.

Now, question, the HD PVR should work pretty reliably because it connects to the stb component out, right? (and isn't this considered the "loop-hole" because a cable company can't specifically tie copy protection to component out)

And last, my gut is telling me that trying the same IEEE 1394 experiment w/ Fios would also result in failure because of copy protection outlined on Exdeus' webpage.

So I can pretty much say that my experiment in Chesterfield County, VA with Comcast and attempting to record to PC via IEEE 1394 is over.

Today Comcast took my SA 3250HD and swapped it for a SA 4250HDC (w/ HDMI output)

I carefully went through an uninstall and re-install on my PC for the new SA box. CapDVHS still just gives me a blank data info tab when I press record.

So, Hauppauge HD PVR here I come as soon as I can stomach the extra expense.

Now, question, the HD PVR should work pretty reliably because it connects to the stb component out, right? (and isn't this considered the "loop-hole" because a cable company can't specifically tie copy protection to component out)

And last, my gut is telling me that trying the same IEEE 1394 experiment w/ Fios would also result in failure because of copy protection outlined on Exdeus' webpage.

dont forget - the Hd-dvr is h.264 - there is no tuner device for it to integrate into VMC. Youll need something like DVBSBridge and a plug-in

It works natively with other applications like SageTV, but there are plenty of reports of pain and frustration with that. Seems that it's taken Hauppauge a year to get it to the level that you might actually want to use it.

"dont forget - the Hd-dvr is h.264 - there is no tuner device for it to integrate into VMC. Youll need something like DVBSBridge and a plug-in"

I don't know what VMC is? Thanks for the reply, but I really hope that I don't actually need anything additional to do what the HD PVR claims it can do.

The product description says that it comes with the software to record HD from the set top box (h.264 up to 13 mbps). I just plan on using the simplest technique/software that works for recording a HD show from my HD stb.

I'm not concerned, (at least in the beginning), with integration to other products. If I make the connections, install the software it comes with, and can record HD programs from my STB, that is what I'm expecting.

I did order it last night, so it should be here in a few days. We'll see.

Once upon a time, I had a Motorola box that allowed firewire recording flawlessly. Comcast disabled that box and gave me an SA4250HD that doesn't work with firewire recording.

So I've followed this thread forever, hoping to see something new that would allow me to regain HD recording to Media Center (XP or Vista).

The Hauppauge HD DVR sounds great, but it seems it would require either an MCE plugin or switching to something like Sage. Correct?

Is there a thread for using the Hauppage HD DVR in MCE? Or can someone post some specifics on what is needed (and where to download) in order to get it working with MCE? Or is the included software comparable?

On a related subject, these forums are great, but I think it would be nice if someone could periodically post a current summary of what actually works (and links for getting everything). Having such a "sticky" note would spare us all from wondering through miles of text hoping to piece together a solution. And having a common solution would encourage a broader range of people to use and support a PC DVR solution. :)

Thanks for any help.

Once upon a time, I had a Motorola box that allowed firewire recording flawlessly. Comcast disabled that box and gave me an SA4250HD that doesn't work with firewire recording.

So I've followed this thread forever, hoping to see something new that would allow me to regain HD recording to Media Center (XP or Vista).

The Hauppauge HD DVR sounds great, but it seems it would require either an MCE plugin or switching to something like Sage. Correct?

Is there a thread for using the Hauppage HD DVR in MCE? Or can someone post some specifics on what is needed (and where to download) in order to get it working with MCE? Or is the included software comparable?

On a related subject, these forums are great, but I think it would be nice if someone could periodically post a current summary of what actually works (and links for getting everything). Having such a "sticky" note would spare us all from wondering through miles of text hoping to piece together a solution. And having a common solution would encourage a broader range of people to use and support a PC DVR solution. :)

Thanks for any help.

There is no "plug-in" for MCE. there are some weird middle wear stuff that can trick MCE into thinking its a DVB-S device to get it into MCE. But this will only work with Vista with TV Pak or windows 7, as DVB-S support was not available prior to these. google SVBSBridge for info.

"dont forget - the Hd-dvr is h.264 - there is no tuner device for it to integrate into VMC. Youll need something like DVBSBridge and a plug-in"

I don't know what VMC is? Thanks for the reply, but I really hope that I don't actually need anything additional to do what the HD PVR claims it can do.

The product description says that it comes with the software to record HD from the set top box (h.264 up to 13 mbps). I just plan on using the simplest technique/software that works for recording a HD show from my HD stb.

I'm not concerned, (at least in the beginning), with integration to other products. If I make the connections, install the software it comes with, and can record HD programs from my STB, that is what I'm expecting.

I did order it last night, so it should be here in a few days. We'll see.

VMC = Vista Media Center
7MC = Windows 7 Media Center
MCE = Windows XP Media Center Edition

Media Center integration is the holly grail of all this non-sense. If you are happy using the software scheduler included with the HD-DVR, cool.

Once upon a time, I had a Motorola box that allowed firewire recording flawlessly. Comcast disabled that box and gave me an SA4250HD that doesn't work with firewire recording.

So I've followed this thread forever, hoping to see something new that would allow me to regain HD recording to Media Center (XP or Vista).

The Hauppauge HD DVR sounds great, but it seems it would require either an MCE plugin or switching to something like Sage. Correct?

Is there a thread for using the Hauppage HD DVR in MCE? Or can someone post some specifics on what is needed (and where to download) in order to get it working with MCE? Or is the included software comparable?

On a related subject, these forums are great, but I think it would be nice if someone could periodically post a current summary of what actually works (and links for getting everything). Having such a "sticky" note would spare us all from wondering through miles of text hoping to piece together a solution. And having a common solution would encourage a broader range of people to use and support a PC DVR solution. :)

Thanks for any help.

I'm sorry you lost your firewire recording capability, but glad I'm not the only one who can't it to work w/ the SA 4250HD (mine actually is SA 4250HDC to be specific)

I'll find out when I get my HD PVR in a few days if my following hopes are accurate; but I'm not sure why anyone thinks that the Hauppauge HD PVR needs or requires anything additional to record HD from a STB. It comes with the software to record from the cable box and playback a recording to your pc. There are several demos and reviews on youtube.

"VMC = Vista Media Center
7MC = Windows 7 Media Center
MCE = Windows XP Media Center Edition

Media Center integration is the holly grail of all this non-sense. If you are happy using the software scheduler included with the HD-DVR, cool."


Ahh, thank you; I was losing people with the above acronyms. From my perspective; I have been able to record over the air HD for a while now (I know, no big deal) But, I have never been able to do a HD recording from subscription cable. I will probably at some point aspire to more integration/organization/convenience. But, yes, I will be wide-eyed and amazed when I'm able to make my first HD recording from cable. Manuall recording, a scheduler, and IR blaster, will suffice for a while.

I probably didn't give Windows Media Center a fair chance, but when I just got my latest pc and did a recording from the media center and saw that it recorded to a proprietary format instead of .ts or .mpg; I was completely turned off. (I know you can later do file conversions; but what a pain!; it should go right to .ts or .mpg) I can't stand the feeling or perception of feeling like I'm navigating through restrictions and closed systems.

I went ahead and switched to Beyond TV. Of course Hauppauge says their PVR has some support for SageTV.

"VMC = Vista Media Center
7MC = Windows 7 Media Center
MCE = Windows XP Media Center Edition

Media Center integration is the holly grail of all this non-sense. If you are happy using the software scheduler included with the HD-DVR, cool."


Ahh, thank you; I was losing people with the above acronyms. From my perspective; I have been able to record over the air HD for a while now (I know, no big deal) But, I have never been able to do a HD recording from subscription cable. I will probably at some point aspire to more integration/organization/convenience. But, yes, I will be wide-eyed and amazed when I'm able to make my first HD recording from cable. Manuall recording, a scheduler, and IR blaster, will suffice for a while.

I probably didn't give Windows Media Center a fair chance, but when I just got my latest pc and did a recording from the media center and saw that it recorded to a proprietary format instead of .ts or .mpg; I was completely turned off. (I know you can later do file conversions; but what a pain!; it should go right to .ts or .mpg) I can't stand the feeling or perception of feeling like I'm navigating through restrictions and closed systems.

I went ahead and switched to Beyond TV. Of course Hauppauge says their PVR has some support for SageTV.

Unfortunatly, TS and MPG contain no metadata, so u dont get any episode/actor/info in the files, the odd file formats is just MS implementation of a asf container format. The TS is simple to extract from the ms-dvr or wtv file for transport.

but even the MS formats are still MPEG2. FYI.

but even the MS formats are still MPEG2. FYI.

yup

hey guys, im having trouble getting videos off of my new Pace DVR. i used to have a motorola box and a winxp machine, and it worked flawlessly. now i have a pace box and a vista 32bit laptop.

i used the drivers on ExDues's page instead of the other drivers. everything seemed to install correctly, except the Pace Micro Technology TDC778X AV/C Panel. the inculded driver did not install for this. i dont know if this is my problem or not.

my problem is with capdvhs, i have all the settings correct, disabled UAC in vista, ran as administrator, changed the capture folder to a User folder to avoid vistas security problems. i keep getting an error or the program just crashes. when i get the error, nothing shows up in the data fields. if the program crashes however, i will see theh data fields full for a second, and the resulting file is about 400kb.

i have tried vlc, and am able to playback the video, but it is really jerky and stuttering. i blame this on directshow, as i have never had any good luck with it. i am also able to capture using vlc, but again it is too jerky to watch.

EDIT: i can record SD programs with capdvhs...well kind of. sometimes it will record for a minute, sometimes longer before it crashes. but the end result is it still crashes. and hd video is still out of the question. so it seems to me there is a problem with capdvhs on my vista basic machine. i have tried to find a different version but have been unable to


any help here? thanks

I was thinking of getting an HTPC and one of its purposes would be to record from either a Comcast Motorola HD STB or HD DVR via Firewire. I do not subscribe to any premium movie channels. I had presumed that since I pay for Discovery HD for example, that I would be able to record it. That since it's unscrambled from the HDMI output that it would be unscrambled from the Firewire output. But after reading through some of the postings here I now have some doubts.

Bottom line is that while I may be able to record from Firewire, there is no guarantee. Is that correct?

To me it sounds like the driver isn't producing a good stream from the device. It's not direct-show's fault it, the filter node the firestb driver produces that's failing for your device.

If you ask again in a few weeks I'll probably have my streaming driver done using the windows avcstrm which might work better for you than the meistb driver.

I was thinking of getting an HTPC and one of its purposes would be to record from either a Comcast Motorola HD STB or HD DVR via Firewire. I do not subscribe to any premium movie channels. I had presumed that since I pay for Discovery HD for example, that I would be able to record it. That since it's unscrambled from the HDMI output that it would be unscrambled from the Firewire output. But after reading through some of the postings here I now have some doubts.

Bottom line is that while I may be able to record from Firewire, there is no guarantee. Is that correct?

This is true. Different cable companies scramble different sets of channels. I can't capture SpeedHD off firewire, but many of the other channels work fine.

EDIT: i can record SD programs with capdvhs...well kind of. sometimes it will record for a minute, sometimes longer before it crashes. but the end result is it still crashes.
You could try using GrafCorder (http://forums.snapstream.com/vb/development-discussion/40076-grafcorder.html) or even just GraphEdit with a dump file filter. Since the stream is just dumped to a file, even if there are errors in it, they won't crash the recording. If needed, use videoredo's quickstream fix to clean up the recording...

yeah ive been trying that the past few days. doesnt crash anymore, but the resulting recordings are out of sync and pixelated every few seconds, just like what happens when i record with vlc. maybe my box is messed u? has anyone else gotten luck from a pace 778? i know the channels arent encrypted.

Is there anyone that has COX as a provider and has the 1394 IEEE enabled and working??

Is there anyone that has COX as a provider and has the 1394 IEEE enabled and working??

Yes, Cox is my provider, and I'm capturing shows through the firewire output o n the Motorola DVR.

The Motorola boxes used in OC usually work, but the SA boxes used in Las Vegas and elsewhere usually don't.

Motorola DCT-3412, Vista, VLC 1rc3 - always get choppy audio for HD content when viewing live. non-HD content with stereo audio plays fine. Changed VLC Audio output to SPDIF, stereo and 5.1 for HD content and both play equally bad.

Same when recorded using capdvhs plays fine.

Anyone has gotten vlc live view to work properly without any audio problems with HD content using Motorola DCT-3412 ?

Motorola DCT-3412, Vista, VLC 1rc3 - always get choppy audio for HD content when viewing live. non-HD content with stereo audio plays fine. Changed VLC Audio output to SPDIF, stereo and 5.1 for HD content and both play equally bad.

Same when recorded using capdvhs plays fine.

Anyone has gotten vlc live view to work properly without any audio problems with HD content using Motorola DCT-3412 ?

Are you recording at the same time? I get those kind of problems with it while recording and viewing simultaneously. VLC recording never did work for me, so I went to CapDVHS exclusively.

Are you recording at the same time? I get those kind of problems with it while recording and viewing simultaneously. VLC recording never did work for me, so I went to CapDVHS exclusively.

Hi bwer, thanks for responding.

No, I am not recording at the same time, just viewing. Stereo audio seems to work fine with SD content and with 1080i content. 5.1 or SPDIF audio is choppy with 1080i. All audio (stereo, 5.1 or SPDIF) is choppy with 720p.

Yeah CapDVHS works fine (thankfully!) - I was hoping that VLC would work so that I dont need yet another program.

Sorry I can't be more helpful directly...

What kind of CPU and graphics do you have? HD speed (and interface), memory? It very well could be a computer horsepower problem, but I doubt it. I'm using XP, I don't know if Vista acts different.

Since CapDVHS seems to work fine for you, I don't think it's your firewire interface.

It's too bad this is all a nasty kludge, and there aren't more polished applications for this stuff. Then again, if it was more well known, the 5C hammer might be dropped on more content. :rolleyes:

wondering if I could get a little help here:

Moto DCH6416-firewire is active in diagnostic/xmission active/5C is off and copy free for the channel is listed
Windows XP SP3
Belkin Firewire card
6 pin to 6 pin firewire cable
drivers installed from this thread(panel and unknown device disabled)

CAPDVHS is giving me no data info and the .ts files are blank

any tips are appreciated

thanks

-Gary

wondering if I could get a little help here:

Moto DCH6416-firewire is active in diagnostic/xmission active/5C is off and copy free for the channel is listed
Windows XP SP3
Belkin Firewire card
6 pin to 6 pin firewire cable
drivers installed from this thread(panel and unknown device disabled)

CAPDVHS is giving me no data info and the .ts files are blank

any tips are appreciated

thanks

-Gary

Do other channels produce valid Transport Streams? Have you tried streaming the channels live on VLC? Or perhaps recording the channel on the DVR then playing it back and trying to record it on CapDVHS?

I have a few channels that act wonky with CapDVHS live, that work fine when played back through the DVR, stuff that is listed as 5C Copy Free. Other channels seem to be 5C'd based on a per-show basis, or at weird times of the day. Sometimes this stuff just doesn't want to work.

I checked my CCI and DRM and it is 0x02 and 0x00 on all channels

this be bad correct? :(

edit/update: just checked NBC-HD, its CCI is 0x00/DRM is 0x00 and it records fine in CAPDVHS :(

-Gary

That does sound like your cableco is blanket-prohibiting everything but locals, yeah. :(

There is a legitimate (in terms of the specs) way for it to be showing as 5C Copy Freely but not working with the computer. The cable box could require a 5C encryption key exchange/handshake, but not be encrypting the content. I'm not sure how that shows up in the Motorola boxes' diag menus.

If that's the case, it may or may not be possible to record to a D-VHS and then output from the D-VHS to the computer. I haven't tried it (My 40K hasn't arrived yet), though.

I have a soft spot for DVHS, so may be time to break it back out :D

another question, my channels are all showing 0x01 DRM as well(only one non local showing 0x00), being that the Tivo ignores this could it be that the moto is setting CCI to 0x02 on its own and the Tivo will ignore this? sounds like the case from what I have gathered reading up on this

-Gary

IIRC, Tivos have no problem recording 0x02 content, they just won't let you get it off the HD. Tivos are approved devices in the DTCP foodchain.

thanks, I was meaning offloading from the Tivo to PC, which is my main interest

what I don't know is if my provider is sending DRM 0x01 only and the Moto is doing CCI 0x02(which it does when DRM is present) or the provider is sending both CCI and DRM, if it is the DRM only then the Tivo ignores that and offloading to PC works fine

-Gary

thanks, I was meaning offloading from the Tivo to PC, which is my main interest

what I don't know is if my provider is sending DRM 0x01 only and the Moto is doing CCI 0x02(which it does when DRM is present) or the provider is sending both CCI and DRM, if it is the DRM only then the Tivo ignores that and offloading to PC works fine

-Gary

TiVO works exactly as its required to do. It sounds like your cable company doesnt have the DRM settings correct.

When I install firestb.msi I get the following error. 'This application requires Microsoft Media Center 2005'. How do I get around this?

It sounds like your cable company doesnt have the DRM settings correct.

in what way? and is there anything that can be done about it? :p

thanks

-Gary

When I install firestb.msi I get the following error. 'This application requires Microsoft Media Center 2005'. How do I get around this?
There are command line arguments mentioned in this thread and the guides...

in what way? and is there anything that can be done about it? :p

thanks

-Gary

Supposedly if you contact your cableco they might change it. The impression I've had personally, though, is that if you contacat them about a channel not working, they'll break more. :mad:

Supposedly if you contact your cableco they might change it. The impression I've had personally, though, is that if you contacat them about a channel not working, they'll break more. :mad:

Standard low pay CSRs are worthless and don't know jack. Unless you know how to get a hold of someone working with the headend in your area, I wouldn't waste the time on the phone.

Hi guys,

here is where I stand. I have succesfully installed the tuner and panel. CAPDVHS is able to capture but only at 1280 x 720 not 1920 x 1080i...

My understanding is that I should be able to get 1920x1080i, correct?

Can anyone help?

Thanks

There's no conversion involved. You'll get the native format of whatever channel you're recording, whether it's 480i, 720p, or 1080i.

Hi guys,

here is where I stand. I have succesfully installed the tuner and panel. CAPDVHS is able to capture but only at 1280 x 720 not 1920 x 1080i...

My understanding is that I should be able to get 1920x1080i, correct?

Can anyone help?

Thanks

Sure, if you are recording a 1920x1080 source. Sounds like you are recording ABC, or another one of the channels that broadcasts in 1280x720. It's just a bit caputure, so you only get the resolution being broadcast.

What of the DCX3400 series? I've tried various Motorola drivers but thus far none offer channel change.

TIA

I have a similar problem ... somehow I lost the Capdvhs device and when I try to reinstall, I get an error message saying I need media center..I have XP, no media center.
No idea how this happened but need help please...
Any know where I can get the XP version drivers?

slmurray:
did you figure out how to get firestb.msi installed??
I have the identical problem
Thanks

The drivers, capdvhs, and everything else has been working flawlessly on my Win7 box for some time now. No driver signing issues or anything. Just comes up with a warning and asks me if I really do want to continue installing them.


I installed the drivers ok but VLC doesn't show any video when I select the av-tuner. It worked fine on XP but not on Windows 7 RC1 32bit(7100).

I installed the drivers ok but VLC doesn't show any video when I select the av-tuner. It worked fine on XP but not on Windows 7 RC1 32bit(7100).

Couple things could cause that: Most probably thing is if the channel is locked down with anything but a Copy Always 5C flag (for DVR boxes. Copy Once or Copy Always SHOULD work on non-DVR boxes). If this confuses you, try your Local broadcast channels and they should work. If so, good. Probably just certain channels flagged against copies. If not, it is an issue with the box or your setup.
Secondly, if your box is a real strange one like a SciAtl brand, you might need to toy with it. On my SA8240HDC with Navigator, shows have to be recorded to the DVR first, stopped, then play them back again before it'll pick up in VLC or CapDVHS.

Couple things could cause that: Most probably thing is if the channel is locked down with anything but a Copy Always 5C flag (for DVR boxes. Copy Once or Copy Always SHOULD work on non-DVR boxes). If this confuses you, try your Local broadcast channels and they should work. If so, good. Probably just certain channels flagged against copies. If not, it is an issue with the box or your setup.
Secondly, if your box is a real strange one like a SciAtl brand, you might need to toy with it. On my SA8240HDC with Navigator, shows have to be recorded to the DVR first, stopped, then play them back again before it'll pick up in VLC or CapDVHS.

OH I see, your thinking XP is ignoring the 5c flag but Windows 7 might not? Hmm, and I thought OS's were supposed to get better with time....UGH!

OH I see, your thinking XP is ignoring the 5c flag but Windows 7 might not? Hmm, and I thought OS's were supposed to get better with time....UGH!

Such a thing is not possible. For a device to ignore 5C, it must have the hardware implemented, and have an working key. No mainstream (or, in my knowledge, currently produced) 1394 cards support 5C. Therefor any encrypted content will not work with your computer.

Where the computers/boxes used on XP and Win 7 different? If it was the same computer, what was the timeframe between your attempts? It is fully possible your cableco pushed 5C status updates to your box.

I had mine do it recently. Alas, I was enjoying TNT, TBS, HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime on my laptop :rolleyes:.

it's been a while....easy to check though. I will hook up my laptop to the Motorola 3416...brb

hmmm

Hooked up the laptop and it plays. I might try reinstalling the drivers manually. How did the Windows 7 installation go for you...I'm 7100ver.

Hooked up the laptop and it plays. I might try reinstalling the drivers manually. How did the Windows 7 installation go for you...I'm 7100ver.

works fine on win7 rc1. You need to unplug the 1394, change 1394 driver to legacy driver, reboot, replug STB, then change channel on STB once or twice.

however, the MYtray app will not work, as its harded coded to ONLY work with .dvr-ms files, win7 and vista with tvpak use .wtv files.

WOW! I really think we have different driver packs. legacy? Mytray? I just made the device manger find the drivers in the drivers folder that I extracted from the zip file.

WOW! I really think we have different driver packs. legacy? Mytray? I just made the device manger find the drivers in the drivers folder that I extracted from the zip file.

win7 1394 legacy drivers = Vista/XP 1394 drivers

win7 has updated 1394 drivers, they dont work properly, you have to change them to the legacy drivers (just update them in the device manager, they come with win7.) If you got it working without changing to the legacy drivers, you are super lucky, very few people can.

****this is for windows 7 only - NOT vista or XP******


You need both the 1394 drivers for the firewire bus, and the Firestb drivers for the STB.

Just like with USB, you need a USB bus driver, and a device driver for you webcam. You just dont normally fiddle with the bus driver because it comes with windows

if you use something other than MyTray (wich you will have to because it doesnt work with wtv files), you dont need to worry about anything other than the 2 driver sets.

Oh man! I never thought about changing the FIREWIRE driver. UGH! I was only working with the STB drivers. And now I just dumped windows 7 32bit and went to windows 7 64bit cause the only reason that was holding me back was the fact I couldn't record in 64 bit. But since I couldn't record in 32bit either now, I figured I might as well make the switch.

Oh man! I never thought about changing the FIREWIRE driver. UGH! I was only working with the STB drivers. And now I just dumped windows 7 32bit and went to windows 7 64bit cause the only reason that was holding me back was the fact I couldn't record in 64 bit. But since I couldn't record in 32bit either now, I figured I might as well make the switch.

woops...lol

there should be no reason to not get your local stations through the STB, so those should be your test stations, once thats working, you can muck with the rest of them.

id highly recomend using videolan for testing, as it doesnt require any setting up non-sence so you can rule out any application configuration errors.

Its not working...yet.
1.) Cox told me the 1394 is working although the STB info screen shows 1394 "disabled" and when I plug in firewire it says "Unavailable" The Cox rep was adamant that although software screen says Unavailable, it is working. My STB is SA 4240 HDC
2.)After plugging in firewire, my Device Manager shows 61883 Device Class and under that 61883 Class Bus Device with a yellow exclamation mark. Under Imaging devices, it shows my scanner, and under that it shows Unknown IEEE 1394\5068 Device, and udner that Unknown IEEE 1394\989 Device.
I have downloaded and tried to install stb_firwire_drives, and CapDVH, and firestb.msi.
I guess I have not followed or understand all the instructions to install these drivers.
Overall, nothing is working. Help.

My system:XP pro, SP3. AMD Athlon 64x2 dual core 4800
ASUS MB-A8N-SLI Delux 1024 MB-Memory.
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS

Sounds like you ran into the same problem I did. The SA HDC boxes seem to have a borked 1394 system that doesn't talk right to the legacy drivers in XP/Vista/etc.. The only workaround I have found is to use Windows 7. The updated 1394 drivers in it seem to work with these boxes.

The cox dude said it was tested on an apple machine and worked...and basically said he did not care if I had a pc...it works is all he said.
I wonder if there is an update to 1394 drivers......

Doubtful. Apple has the advantage because 'Firewire' is their own branding for IEEE1394 and they've been working with the architecture for as long as I can remember (the first gen ipods only connected through firewire) so it's not hard to believe. But the legacy windows drivers and even Linux when I tried the mythtv diagnostic tools don't seem to work with these SA HDC boxes.

And unless someone is really courageous enough to recode the base 1394 drivers in their entirety for just this one single purpose, it's not gonna happen.

Windows 7 or Apple hardware are the only alternatives I know of.

FWIW, Windows 7 should work just fine on your system and fly.

Just seems that somewhere I can get a proper driver for XP pro SP3

OH...and I tried to install drivers using instructions if I dont have MCE (msiexec /i firestb.msi IDENT=0) and I get "This installation package could not be opened. Verify that the package exist......."

Just seems that somewhere I can get a proper driver for XP pro SP3

What do you mean proper? The existing drivers work just fine for their intended purpose. The issue is with the 1394 stack in the STB. Only difference being something changes just enough in W7's updated drivers just enough for it to ignore whatever the STB has messed up.

Considering the members of this particular thread are the only ones who'd really care about such a 'fixed driver' and an even smaller group own these SA HDC boxes, I doubt very many would have the know-how, patience, or care to even attempt to recode said drivers.

Sad to say, but you are asking more for a miracle than anything. You'd waste much less time and effort to just go to Windows 7 to get it all working.

You'd waste much less time and effort to just go to Windows 7 to get it all working.

Or buy an old mac. It takes almost no horsepower to capture from a 1394 source.

I like miracles.
What do you mean proper? The existing drivers work just fine for their intended purpose. The issue is with the 1394 stack in the STB. Only difference being something changes just enough in W7's updated drivers just enough for it to ignore whatever the STB has messed up.
When FCC said in '04 that 1395 had to be working upon request, the intended purpose was for a common user, like myself, to be able to utilize it. I agree the issue is within the stb.
Where there is a will, there is a way. To buy a new OS from microsoft is...futile at this point.
Will I then go without STB 1394 usage? Perhaps. We shall see.

Your understanding of the FCC ruling is slightly off. HDTV regulations in the latter part of the last century were written to accommodate D-VHS for archival purposes. As long as the STB works with a D-VHS VTR or a TV with 1394, they are compliant. Anything else is unsanctioned, and unsupported; The fact that it works (at some capacity) for some people is irrelevant. None of the software is explicitly designed for these purposes.

As mentioned before, SA STBs have terrible 1394 support. The Cablecos that use them get away with it because the interface is sparsely implemented in low and mid-end consumer electronics, and the archival units are discontinued. The computer solutions are ugly kludges at best. Yelling at your Cableco for a while might do something, it made mine give me an STB (Motorola, thankfully) with working 1394. Or, it might not. The FCC would appear to give more concern about words in the dictionary, alas. Perhaps when the first Blu Ray recorders arrive, presumably with 1394, there will be a bit more enforcement. Myself, I'll continue breathing.

Changing platforms, 1394 stacks, and etc may or may not solve your problems. If it doesn't, your options are the Hauppauge HD-PVR, and the R5000-HD Modification for E* Satellite. Or to use some of the wacky workarounds for SA boxes that have been posted previously in this thread.

Your understanding of the FCC ruling is slightly off. HDTV regulations in the latter part of the last century were written to accommodate D-VHS for archival purposes. As long as the STB works with a D-VHS VTR or a TV with 1394, they are compliant. Anything else is unsanctioned, and unsupported; The fact that it works (at some capacity) for some people is irrelevant. None of the software is explicitly designed for these purposes.
The FCC document telling cable companies that 1394 must be enabled when requested also states that cable companies "replace or upgrade
subscriber-leased high definition set-top boxes upon subscriber request to ensure that such boxes
have “functional” 1394 interfaces.60 For these purposes, a “functional” 1394 means a 1394
interface with appropriate software support.
Although I understand your point, the FCC was not that specific. And my computer is a digital device.

But in the end this might be an uphill battle. Last Wed. the FCC called me for info so they can process my complaint. We shall see.
:)

Well, good luck. I certainly hope the FCC will kick your cableco around. It'd be good for everyone to have a win under our belt. :)

Oh, one more thing...After plugging in firewire, my Device Manager shows 61883 Device Class and under that 61883 Class Bus Device with a yellow exclamation mark. Under Imaging devices, it shows my scanner, and under that it shows Unknown IEEE 1394\5068 Device, and udner that Unknown IEEE 1394\989 Device.
Does this mean that the IEEE output on my STB is working and I just dont have the right software to make it work??

Oh, one more thing...After plugging in firewire, my Device Manager shows 61883 Device Class and under that 61883 Class Bus Device with a yellow exclamation mark. Under Imaging devices, it shows my scanner, and under that it shows Unknown IEEE 1394\5068 Device, and udner that Unknown IEEE 1394\989 Device.
Does this mean that the IEEE output on my STB is working and I just dont have the right software to make it work??

Most likely yes. You PC can see the hardware, and once you get the driver working, the yellow exclamation marks should go away, and then you can test the capture.

I tried to install part of the file for XP only using "msiexec /i firestb.msi IDENT="1"
But what I get is This installation package could not be opened. Verify that the package exist......"

Oh, one more thing...After plugging in firewire, my Device Manager shows 61883 Device Class and under that 61883 Class Bus Device with a yellow exclamation mark. Under Imaging devices, it shows my scanner, and under that it shows Unknown IEEE 1394\5068 Device, and udner that Unknown IEEE 1394\989 Device.
Does this mean that the IEEE output on my STB is working and I just dont have the right software to make it work??

Like I have pointed out earlier: This is the exact same thing I see on my SA HDC box and it is due to the ugly 1394 support in the boxes. Nothing you can do about that and even complaining won't do you any good as compliant hardware like D-VHS decks and 1394 capable displays are forgiving enough to work as advertised with them.

The alternative is a Mac or upgrading to Windows 7 which both have similarly forgiving 1394 drivers that will talk to the HDC boxes and pick up the Tuner and Panel devices.

And asking for someone to code new drivers is not gonna get anywhere considering many of us do this as just a hobby or even simply toying around with it. You MAY get somewhere if you put a huge bounty on it though. ;)

(Let me recap here exactly what I originally went through. I have an SA8240HDC box. Essentially identical to your 4250HDC but with slightly different hardware and a different look. On XP I would get the same 5068 and 989 unknown devices. Linux with the mythtv 1394 debug tools wouldn't even work. Upgraded the machine to Windows 7 and in addition to the same unknown devices the Tuner and Panel devices also showed up and installed with the same firestb drivers used by everyone else here. And barring the 5C issues just like everyone else, both CapDVHS and VLC capture work as expected and capture the unfettered transport stream off the box. Only caveat is I can only capture stuff that is already recorded to the hard disk in the DVR. This may or may not be due to the Navigator software on it. YMMV.)

well poop

win7 1394 legacy drivers = Vista/XP 1394 drivers

win7 has updated 1394 drivers, they dont work properly, you have to change them to the legacy drivers (just update them in the device manager, they come with win7.) If you got it working without changing to the legacy drivers, you are super lucky, very few people can.

****this is for windows 7 only - NOT vista or XP******


You need both the 1394 drivers for the firewire bus, and the Firestb drivers for the STB.

Just like with USB, you need a USB bus driver, and a device driver for you webcam. You just dont normally fiddle with the bus driver because it comes with windows

if you use something other than MyTray (wich you will have to because it doesnt work with wtv files), you dont need to worry about anything other than the 2 driver sets.

Is this just for Motorola STBs, or all STBs? I tried fiddling around with installing and capturing last night, but couldn't get my system to even see the stb. I'm running Windows 7 32 bit and have a Motorola STB (I will update with the model number when I get home).

Is this just for Motorola STBs, or all STBs? I tried fiddling around with installing and capturing last night, but couldn't get my system to even see the stb. I'm running Windows 7 32 bit and have a Motorola STB (I will update with the model number when I get home).

I had similar problems after I reformatted my capture computer and installed Win 7. No matter what driver I used, in what installation order, if I uninstalled or deleted the unknown device, the capture would never work. Sometimes it wouldn't find the Tuner, other times it would but CapDVHS gave the variety of errors (8005007A, Samplegrabber, etc). Legacy 1394 stack or regular.

The computer had no problem finding my D-VHS deck and tuner, though. It's just not too useful to have the D-VHS's tuner, because it won't passthru the STB's signal, alas.

Has anyone had success recording off their FIOS Moto QIP 7216's firewire port? I had great success with my 6412 a few years back when i was with 'TimeWORST/ComCRaP.

Whoo Hooo! my recordings work great!

Been through quite a few of the 171 pages here...

Is there a way to record DVR recorded programs?

I ask this because recording DVR recorded shows causes the playbak to pause until I kill the capture.

I ask this because recording DVR recorded shows causes the playbak to pause until I kill the capture.

This is an unfortunate result of the latest firmware. Using the "workaround" recently discussed, CapDVHS is recording the stream, but the other video outputs on the box(specifically HDMI) are frozen. I have to use a stopwatch to time how long I need to capture.

But what you are seeing is 'normal' for now, when you use this workaround of starting capture and then resuming playback, for DVR'ed shows.

Live capture, so long as I am not watching the already buffered video at all, seems to still work 100% correct last time I checked. It has to really be live, not 20 or even 3 seconds behind live TV.

This is an unfortunate result of the latest firmware. Using the "workaround" recently discussed, CapDVHS is recording the stream, but the other video outputs on the box(specifically HDMI) are frozen. I have to use a stopwatch to time how long I need to capture.


thanks. I'll try this tonight!

The "workaround" worked...sort of. I get audio/video recording but the audio skips and isn't in sync with the video. If this is at good as it gets then it isn't worth the hassle. The computer is relatively speedy so I don't think that's the issue. I have a very fast Vista 64 bit laptop but haven't found any 64 bit drivers for the DCT6412 box. Anyone have any?

What are the PC requirements for transferring HD from a DVR?

From what I’ve read, it does not appear that a lot of processing power is needed when recording MPEG-2 because you are just moving digital data, versus having to convert an analog signal to digital.

My Windows XP PC is about 35’ from my DVR. I could use this, but I’ve read that firewire cable length should be 15’ max unless repeaters are used. But I’m having difficulty finding inexpensive firewire repeaters or cables with repeaters. One computer store said 50’ was the max length, but that doesn’t agree with anything else I’ve read.

I have an unused PC with a 466MHz Celeron and Windows 98 that could be put into use. But I cannot find any info if Windows 98 can be used, or if this CPU will do.

Any advice on firewire cable length or where to buy inexpensive repeaters?

Will a Celeron Windows 98 be up to the task?

Any & all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

But I’m having difficulty finding inexpensive firewire repeaters or cables with repeaters. One computer store said 50’ was the max length, but that doesn’t agree with anything else I’ve read.
.

I believe 15' is max. Check monoprice.com for prices, they are very good.

I believe 15' is max. Check monoprice.com for prices, they are very good.

I already checked them & did not find any Firewire repeaters nor cables with repeaters. I've purchased from them before so was hoping they would have what I needed now. Bummer.

What are the PC requirements for transferring HD from a DVR?

From what I’ve read, it does not appear that a lot of processing power is needed when recording MPEG-2 because you are just moving digital data, versus having to convert an analog signal to digital.

My Windows XP PC is about 35’ from my DVR. I could use this, but I’ve read that firewire cable length should be 15’ max unless repeaters are used. But I’m having difficulty finding inexpensive firewire repeaters or cables with repeaters. One computer store said 50’ was the max length, but that doesn’t agree with anything else I’ve read.

I have an unused PC with a 466MHz Celeron and Windows 98 that could be put into use. But I cannot find any info if Windows 98 can be used, or if this CPU will do.

Any advice on firewire cable length or where to buy inexpensive repeaters?

Will a Celeron Windows 98 be up to the task?

Any & all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Many people have a lot of difficulty making DVR - Firewire transfers and recordings work successfully. You may want to move your XP PC closer to do some testing first. I do not think you would be able to use Windows 98.

Is it possible yet to record via firewire with the Motorola DCX3425? I have one and can't seem to get it to work correctly. I get the video, but no audio. Any help would be appreciated. I had no problems with my DCH 3416 - should have kept it.

Hello. I have the DCH3416 box and have been trying to get Firewire recording working with Windows 7 RC. It just doesn't detect the devices at all. I've switched to the legacy bus driver, rebooted several times, and it still doesn't work. I've restarted the box, unplugged the cable, etc, and it just doesn't detect it. The channel I'm on isn't 5C or anything and I've tried switching channels but it just refuses to be recognized. I get no Found New Hardware wizard and it doesn't show in Device Manager. I don't know what else to try - could someone help me with this?

EDIT: The diagnostics menu says the port is enabled but is not active.

If you don't even get new hardware showing up, it sounds like your Cableco has disabled the firewire connectivity completely on the box. Gotta fight with them about it.

Just installed a new firewire card in my comp today. it is working but it's kinda choppy. I am using the new dcx box. Is there update drivers for the dcx box? I had to manually install DCH-3416 AV/C Tuner device and it seems to work but is choppy.

If you don't even get new hardware showing up, it sounds like your Cableco has disabled the firewire connectivity completely on the box. Gotta fight with them about it.

But it does say that it is Enabled. Could it be a problem with my PC?

Just installed a new firewire card in my comp today. it is working but it's kinda choppy. I am using the new dcx box. Is there update drivers for the dcx box? I had to manually install DCH-3416 AV/C Tuner device and it seems to work but is choppy.

When I installed the DCX3425 I let windows search for the drivers and it actually found them. I also have a DCH3416 and swap between the two to the computer, and they both work without issues and don't need to reinstall the drivers.

When I installed the DCX3425 I let windows search for the drivers and it actually found them. I also have a DCH3416 and swap between the two to the computer, and they both work without issues and don't need to reinstall the drivers.



hmmm, did it have to search online? Which drivers did you download on the front page, I know there is a few - maybe I will try a different one. I am also using vista, are you on vista?

I got my DCX3425 to record to my Vista 32bit computer after trying a couple of different methods. I use Capdvhs to capture via firewire. The procedure I used was to hit the record button first on Capdvhs, wait a couple of seconds, then hit the play button on the DCX3425. This method gives me both video and audio now. I didn't have to do this with my DCH3416. My Vist 64 bit laptop will not work on either STB. There are no drivers that I know of for firewire capturing for 64 bit computers.

mine works and records, it's just really choppy - I have a fast computer - not sure what the deal is

I've been following this thread for a while, and set up a dual boot system with Vista and XP (vista installed 1st). I've been trying to get xp to recognize my Motorola QIP 7216 (Verizon Fios) with no luck. I can't even get the firestb drivers to load. Also, I can't even get into a screen on my DVR to check if the firewire port on it is enabled. Any help would be appreciated.

hmmm, did it have to search online? Which drivers did you download on the front page, I know there is a few - maybe I will try a different one. I am also using vista, are you on vista?

I use XP. When I connected the DCX3425, Windows popped the Found New Hardware dialog. I chose the first option for kicks, and it found the drivers. Well, there are actually three things it tries to find. The Image Device, the AV/C Panel, and an Unknown Device. Only the Image Device will find drivers, the other two say none found.

Now, when I swap between the DCX3425 and the DCH3416, the drivers automatically recognize which is connected.

I'm not sure what/where the front page is. If there is any info I can provide, or you can direct me to where that page is, maybe I can figure it out for you.

I think there was a firmware update recently for me, I have not tried to record since then. I'll try switching again and see what happens.

cm

I use XP. When I connected the DCX3425, Windows popped the Found New Hardware dialog. I chose the first option for kicks, and it found the drivers. Well, there are actually three things it tries to find. The Image Device, the AV/C Panel, and an Unknown Device. Only the Image Device will find drivers, the other two say none found.

Now, when I swap between the DCX3425 and the DCH3416, the drivers automatically recognize which is connected.

I'm not sure what/where the front page is. If there is any info I can provide, or you can direct me to where that page is, maybe I can figure it out for you.

I think there was a firmware update recently for me, I have not tried to record since then. I'll try switching again and see what happens.

cm
Here is the front page...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695

I have other computers with xp but they are not by my moto box and they are slow compare to my vista pc.

Am I trying to install the "firestb. files wrong?
I am running XP only.
Do I bring up a command prompt and under my C drive, type in msiexec /i firestb.msi IDENT="1" ??????

Here is the front page...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695

I have other computers with xp but they are not by my moto box and they are slow compare to my vista pc.

I have the forum sort the posts so the newest are first ... I went to the first post and see what you mean now.

I did not choose one from there when I installed at the Windows prompt, rather an assortment of files were loaded. I'm not really sure which is being used as the driver itself? Windows seemed to do the work for me.

Regarding my previous post about the Verizon FIOS Motorola QIP-7216, it seems that the firewire port is enabled. However, my PC doesn't detect any kind of device (image device or unknown) connected by firewire. Could it be that my cable is bad (I bought a cheap one off ebay)? Any other ideas?

Also, if someone needs them, custom drivers for the 7216 can be found here:


http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22585412-DVR-STB-Firewire-IEEE-1394-Capturing

i was able to get my motorola DCH3416 from comcast working. i used the CAPDVHS software. i will admit though, it is extremely quirky. it records fine if i just click 'Rec.' and i was also able to set up a timer reserve. when i went to test a timer reserve with the cable box off (letting CAPDVHS turn it on), it created a video file, but i wasn't able to play it in VLC. has anyone gotten that to work? if the box is on when the recording starts, all videos play perfectly.

also, i was wondering if there is some newer software that allows you to change the channel on the cable box, rather than just recording the channel that it is currently set to.

thanks for any help. i'm glad i stumbled across this forum and thread.

Also, if someone needs them, custom drivers for the 7216 can be found here:
That's just a link back to the package made by Exdeus, of the same driver that everyone in this thread has been using, nothing new... ;)

when i went to test a timer reserve with the cable box off (letting CAPDVHS turn it on), it created a video file, but i wasn't able to play it in VLC.
So either don't let the cable box go in standby (you're probably saving like 1 Watt anyway), or try using VideReDo's quickstream fix, possibly chopping the start of the file...

also, i was wondering if there is some newer software that allows you to change the channel on the cable box, rather than just recording the channel that it is currently set to.
There is a channelw.exe (and .dll) distributed by Tim Moore for that, or pretty much every PVR application (SageTV, BeyondTV, GBPVR, etc.) has some third party support to handle the whole process for you, like if it was another tuner...

thanks fonceur. VideoReDo wasn't even able to open my .ts file. i'll have to do some more testing to figure out the best solution. i'll definitely give beyondTV a try.

When VRD chokes on my TS files I try to run them through Project-X (http://sourceforge.net/projects/project-x/). Caution: the interface sucks, terribly, and making TSes work can often rely on digging through the almost completely opaque settings menu and trying different tweaks. Even after that sometimes I'll have to run it through mpeg2repair. Usually they work after that, unless they've got tricky bits with 5C, in which case the captures are occasionally completely ruined.

thanks fonceur. VideoReDo wasn't even able to open my .ts file. i'll have to do some more testing to figure out the best solution. i'll definitely give beyondTV a try.
From the command line I'm pretty sure you can chop the start of the file with VRD, I had to do that when I had some switch of resolutions at the start (i.e. going from 1080i to 720p).

Several years ago, one could take a comcast DVR (6412?) and transfer recorded offerings off the DVR as well as capture live video (off a HD channel).

Then all the DVRs were crippled over night and the ability to transfer DVR footage was indeed disabled. (video tends to be choppy or low frame rate).

It looks like I'll still be able to record, but only off a live HD feed (or time record using CapDVHS). Getting DVR recordings is still no longer an option?

What model numbers should I keep a look out for? The week they crippled the DVRs (this was back in 2005-2006) was the day I downgraded my service back to limited basic (using QAM capture). Also, will I have to deal with going through multiple STBs until I get one that will auto-detect in device manager?

Several years ago, one could take a comcast DVR (6412?) and transfer recorded offerings off the DVR as well as capture live video (off a HD channel).

Then all the DVRs were crippled over night and the ability to transfer DVR footage was indeed disabled. (video tends to be choppy or low frame rate).

I have no idea where you're located, but here in the Chicago area Comcast never crippled the ability to record live/captured content via 1394. I can still record live broadcasts, as well as playback and record a stored program from the DVR's hard drive.

I have no idea where you're located, but here in the Chicago area Comcast never crippled the ability to record live/captured content via 1394. I can still record live broadcasts, as well as playback and record a stored program from the DVR's hard drive.

I live in Seattle and yeah they did cripple the DVRs a few years back. I assumed this was nation wide and they went back to offering a DVR with an enabled firewire port.

I have a DCT 3416, I can capture live TV streams but when I try to capture the recorded shows the DVR stops playing.

It looks like I'll still be able to record, but only off a live HD feed (or time record using CapDVHS). Getting DVR recordings is still no longer an option?


It depends on many things - where you are, which DVR you have, what firmware version it has, which channel you're trying to record, etc. I've been doing this for quite a while and have gone through many different phases with Comcast. Sometimes I can record just about anything with no problems, there have been periods when it seems they turned on 5C protection for just about everything, then there was a firmware bug (see this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1032148)) and who knows what else may come down the road.

I have a DCT 3416, I can capture live TV streams but when I try to capture the recorded shows the DVR stops playing.

See the thread I linked above.

It depends on many things - where you are, which DVR you have, what firmware version it has, which channel you're trying to record, etc. I've been doing this for quite a while and have gone through many different phases with Comcast. Sometimes I can record just about anything with no problems, there have been periods when it seems they turned on 5C protection for just about everything, then there was a firmware bug (see this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1032148)) and who knows what else may come down the road.



Thank you very much, and to confirm, this will only work on their DVRs. The normal HD-STBs dont have a firewire port.

I haven't been around the forum for awhile, I have 3 dvhs decks and about 200 dvhs movies. I am now about to upgrade my computor. I'll be sure to have a bd burner. What hardware or software from dell or else would I need to burn from cable mpeg like I do now?

I haven't been around the forum for awhile, I have 3 dvhs decks and about 200 dvhs movies. I am now about to upgrade my computor. I'll be sure to have a bd burner. What hardware or software from dell or else would I need to burn from cable mpeg like I do now?I don't know for absolutely sure, but if your movies on DVHS are offloads from DVR of "premium channels" then the 5C flag may prevent you from burning anything to BluRay (at least not without some external "uncracking" facility).

I know that my DVHS decks from JVC will not provide source signals via firewire to a secondary recorder (e.g. a second DVHS machine) for content that has "copy once" set. The only thing you can copy from DVHS to DVHS is "copy always/freely".

I assume that since no computer is 5C-compliant (e.g. you can't even copy from DVHS machine to computer hard drive using CapDVHS these "copy once" tapes) that your DVHS machine would similarly refuse to provide the digital content to your computer for purposes of duplicating perfectly that DVHS recording onto a BluRay disc.

Yes, you can do this (i.e. write to BluRay) with home HD camcorder videos (which are obviously not 5C-protected), and I'm sure you can do this with "copy always/freely" content which WILL be provided by the DVHS machine.

But unless I'm wrong, I don't think you will be able to make your own BluRay versions of old DVHS tapes that are 5C-protected (e.g. from HBOHD and SHOHD). I'm actually not sure if HDNet Movies is "copy once", but I do know that HDNet is "copy always/freely"... at least in my experience.

But unless I'm wrong, I don't think you will be able to make your own BluRay versions of old DVHS tapes that are 5C-protected (e.g. from HBOHD and SHOHD). I'm actually not sure if HDNet Movies is "copy once", but I do know that HDNet is "copy always/freely"... at least in my experience.

5C status could very well have changed during time, FWIW. I had HBO, Showtime, and HDNet Movies as copy free for a few weeks here from Charter. I was hoping their oversight would be permanent :p

My cable is still copy freely on all premium channels. It's been like that for 4 years. Lucky I guess.

Just FYI, I got both the panel and tuner drivers to load up the ExDeus/TimMMoore windows drivers for XP, these lines need to be added to the firestb.inf file:

%AVC\MOTOROLA&DCX-3425&TYP_5&ID_0.DeviceDesc%=MEITUNER.MOTO,AVC\MOTOROLA&DCX-3425&TYP_5&ID_0
%AVC\MOTOROLA&DCX-3425&TYP_9&ID_0.DeviceDesc%=MSPANEL.MOTO,AVC\MOTOROLA&DCX-3425&TYP_9&ID_0

to the [Motorola] section of the INF

AVC\MOTOROLA&DCX-3425&TYP_5&ID_0.DeviceDesc="Motorola AV/C Tuner Device (DCX-3425)"
AVC\MOTOROLA&DCX-3425&TYP_9&ID_0.DeviceDesc="Motorola AV/C Panel Device (DCX-3425)"

and in the [Strings] section.

Update the drivers for the tuner and install the driver for the panel. Haven't tested the tuner, but the channel changing utilities definitely work.

Cheers!

Update: Recording with CapDVHS works just fine in its usual kludgy way.

Is there a driver that works with Windows 7 64-bit yet? I get the dreaded "Windows could not find driver software for your device", despite correctly pointing to the same driver folder that works in Vista 32-bit.

I'm trying to point Win 7 Computer Management > Device Manager > (?) Motorola DCH-3416 AV/C Tuner and Panel to \stb_firewire_drivers_2009-02-25\drivers.

Is this something I'll have to boot up in Vista for? I hate booting up in Vista, it takes like 10 minutes to boot, whereas Windows 7 is more like 30 seconds.

has anyone gotten win 7 x86 to work? Capdvhs gives me an error though the drivers look ok

Anyone having this problem trying to capture by firewire with DCX3425? When I try to capture from the DVR using CAPDVHS, I first hit pause on the DVR, then record on CAPDVHS,then play on the DVR, the program then begins to play faster than normal. When the recording is done, I play it back on VLC, but in spots the picture might break up or stop, but then it will continue to play. I never had this problem with my DCH3416. Do you think I have a bad DCX3425 or is this common with this unit?

sigh.. TWC LA just recently started encrypting all the channels except for locals. just when i got a new computer so i could edit lakers games faster than i did before. now i can only record away games in HD.

Apologies in advance - this is going to be long. I really need help though so I would appreciate folks taking the time to read this. Thanks!

About 2-3 years ago (when this forum only had 2500 posts in it :)), I jumped in and attempted FW recording. It never worked right for me at that time - I could record streams but everything I got was pixellated garbage except for one or two channels. Over time my DVRs got replaced and last week I decided to give this another try. That's where the headaches began.

The short story is that no matter what combination of hardware, O/S, and drivers I use, CapDVHS crashes all the time.

I have BrightHouse cable in Orlando. My DVRs currently (I have two of them) are both the same model: SA8300HDC.

Since I am an IT professional, I have tried to be systematic about this and troubleshoot things logically, the way I would with a customer's problem. So I have tried to take the variables one at a time:

1) I have tried both of my SA8300HDC DVRs.

2) I have tried three different PCs:
-Machine one is an Abit P4 3.0 GHz single-core desktop
-Machine two is an HP Xeon 3.2 GHz Dual-CPU desktop
-Machine three is a Centrino 2.2GHz Core2Duo laptop

3) I have reloaded the O/S on these machines multiple times. I have used:
-XP SP1
-XP SP3
-XP MCE2005
-Vista SP2
-Windows 7 RTM

4) I have tried various drivers:
-the original meitape.inf drivers
-the meistb.inf drivers
-the Timmoore drivers
-the ExDeus drivers.


Basically, in every one of these cases, I am unable to get a useful capture. I have been able to successfully capture some SD material with CapDVHS. In that case, I let it run for about 15 minutes and had no issues.

But as soon as I attempt anything HD, I get one of two scenarios:

1) CapDVHS crashes quickly, often as soon as 1-2 seconds after starting a capture. I will ocassionally get as much as 30 seconds out of it before it crashes. In these cases, I do see information in the Data Info fields. And the quality of the short segments it captures does look fantastic (which is part of why this is so frustrating). In one case several days ago, it ran for 4 minutes before a crash. I thought I had magically fixed something that time - but no. And I haven't been able to reproduce that level of success since.

or

2) CapDVHS runs fine but creates a 0 length file. In these cases, nothing appears in the Data Info fields. I know this will happen with 5C protected material but it also happens sometimes with the same unencrypted recordings that do work for a short capture in the scenario above. Not sure why that is.

This behavior is the same whether I am capping live TV or recorded shows. And it is pretty much the same whether I am on a 720p or 1080i channel. Only the 480 (SD) stuff really works.

{EDIT} I should also add that I am unable to view or capture using VLC. Viewing gives me nothing and capturing gives me either a very small or empty file that has no video.

FYI - I have also tried using the old DCTRECORD command-line app. It works for me - sort of - in the sense that it doesn't crash. It will run for the specified length of time. But it seems to only capture content for the first few seconds. In one case, for example, it ran for 10 minutes but produced a 3MB file with 5 seconds of high-quality 720p video.

Anyway, sorry that this post is so darn long.
Any suggestions for me?

I've read over and over that the Windows drivers suck. Ok.
And that the SA boxes are crappy. Ok again.
But does that really explain the issues I'm having? When so many other people seem to be able to get this to work consistently?

Three years ago, when I first attempted this, I got so obsessed with trying to make it work that I bought a MacBook laptop (forget what model now) off Ebay. It had the same problems as my Windows machines did at that time - I could capture without getting any errors per se but everything was green/black pixellated and choppy except for 1 or 2 channels. So I got frustrated after a couple days and put that laptop back up on Ebay.

Is there any real reason to think I would have more success with a Mac today? Or is the SA box just so unfriendly that even Macs have trouble capturing from it?

Should I try Linux? Is it worth the effort? Anybody using it successfully who can advise me on which flavor to try?

With all the combinations I have tried and all the failures... is it really likely that my problems are strictly O/S and Driver related? Or are they more likely to be hardware (STB) related, where no system is ever going to overcome them?


Thanks all,
brownmaxxx

Or is the SA box just so unfriendly that even Macs have trouble capturing from it?

It almost sounds like Brighthouse is just blanket 5Cing any HD channels, but he SA boxes are terrible. I know there are some wonky procedures that people have posted in the past to try to make the SA box work correctly, but I'm guessing you've tried those.

I've experienced the 'huge file that recorded for hours and gave 5 seconds of usable video' thing myself on my Motorola equipment. I'm guessing it has something to do with the 5C system letting a little bit of content slip.

The Apple Firewire SDK is generally fairly solid, and has one of the better 1394 implementations available (arguably the best one that doesn't require an NDA or extremely expensive equipment that's impossible to get as an individual), and even it gets hamstrung. They work, barely, with real D-VHS machines. As far as 'working consistently', I've never heard of one person who managed to make it work consistently, only kinda sorta.

Should I try Linux? Is it worth the effort?

As far as I'm aware, the 1394 device drivers on GNU/Linux are rather poor. Then again if you're technically inclined you may be able to do more with them, if you wanted to.

Or are they more likely to be hardware (STB) related, where no system is ever going to overcome them?

SA boxes blow, and absolutely no one makes anyone even pretend to care about fixing them. The FCC doesn't care, and they probably wouldn't even intervene if Brighthouse is encrypting the HD locals, even though that is also a violation. If you want a PD TS, you'd need to be in a cable system that uses Motorola Digicipher and get an R5000, or a similar device/modification. Which are not cheap.

My local cable company has been steadily breaking my Motorola STB, so I'm being forced to buy an HD-PVR. Which isn't as perfect for quality, but at least it'll work correctly.

What of the DCX3400 series? I've tried various Motorola drivers but thus far none offer channel change.

TIA
I recently exchanged my older Motorola DVR (don't remember which model) for a new DCX3400 at the local Comcast office. Firewire recording was working great previously, but is now problematic with the new box.

The older DVR had two firewire ports, the DCX3400 only has one, which isn't a problem but this new one certainly behaves differently. I'm only using the AV/C Tuner Device driver since I don't see that there's a driver available for this specific device, but I really only use CapDVHS anyway.

One weird thing is when I stop a recording with CapDVHS it powers off the DVR --- that didn't happen with the DVR I had before. Also, with the previous DVR I had no problem capturing a program that was stored on the DVR hard drive (as opposed to a live program). That doesn't work very smoothly with the DCX3400. I get the "speeded up" (with no audio) action that has been noticed by other posters here.

Is anyone going to try to make available to us a driver that is specific to this box? Also, I'm not absolutely clear on the model number --- DCX3400 is what is printed on the front of the box. I don't see a model number on the rear. Is it possible I have a DCX3425?

This seems to be a fairly new model --- anyone else have one of these?

I recently exchanged my older Motorola DVR (don't remember which model) for a new DCX3400 at the local Comcast office. Firewire recording was working great previously, but is now problematic with the new box.

The older DVR had two firewire ports, the DCX3400 only has one, which isn't a problem but this new one certainly behaves differently. I'm only using the AV/C Tuner Device driver since I don't see that there's a driver available for this specific device, but I really only use CapDVHS anyway.

One weird thing is when I stop a recording with CapDVHS it powers off the DVR --- that didn't happen with the DVR I had before. Also, with the previous DVR I had no problem capturing a program that was stored on the DVR hard drive (as opposed to a live program). That doesn't work very smoothly with the DCX3400. I get the "speeded up" (with no audio) action that has been noticed by other posters here.

Is anyone going to try to make available to us a driver that is specific to this box? Also, I'm not absolutely clear on the model number --- DCX3400 is what is printed on the front of the box. I don't see a model number on the rear. Is it possible I have a DCX3425?

This seems to be a fairly new model --- anyone else have one of these?

I posted earlier with the same problems. If you have a 250GB hard drive, then the model is a DCX-3425. I have since tried a second DCX-3425, with the same results. I then returned the DCX-3425 for a DCH-3416 and I now have no problem capturing a live or recorded program from the DVR. There is obviously something different with the DCX-3425 technology. Not worth the hassle to have the bigger hard drive if you plan on capturing DVR material via firewire.

I posted earlier with the same problems. If you have a 250GB hard drive, then the model is a DCX-3425. I have since tried a second DCX-3425, with the same results. I then returned the DCX-3425 for a DCH-3416 and I now have no problem capturing a live or recorded program from the DVR. There is obviously something different with the DCX-3425 technology. Not worth the hassle to have the bigger hard drive if you plan on capturing DVR material via firewire.
I will probably do the same thing, then --- return the DCX-3425 for a DCH-3416 or even the older model DVR that I was using previously, a DCT-6412.

What worries me is that the flaky firewire behavior of the DCX-3425 may also show up in future Motorola DVR models, and eventually the newer models will be the only ones available.

I'm strictly a PC guy, and am pretty happy with CapDVHS. But it would be interesting to know whether Apple PC's have any problem with the DCX-3425's firewire connection.

It almost sounds like Brighthouse is just blanket 5Cing any HD channels, but he SA boxes are terrible. I know there are some wonky procedures that people have posted in the past to try to make the SA box work correctly, but I'm guessing you've tried those.

SA boxes blow, and absolutely no one makes anyone even pretend to care about fixing them. The FCC doesn't care, and they probably wouldn't even intervene if Brighthouse is encrypting the HD locals, even though that is also a violation.

In case it helps anybody else, I wanted to follow-up on this topic, because with some persistence I have had a degree of success....

I am still unable to capture more than a snippet of anything using CapDVHS (it crashes within a few seconds) or DCTRecord (it just stops writing after a few seconds). VLC is also a no-go (it crashes as well), and I tried Firebus as well but it didn't do a thing for me.

I was ready to give up completely on FW capping when I decided to make myself go through the (minor) learning curve of GraphEdit and give GrafCorder a try. I am glad I did!

Using GrafCorder, I am able to capture full shows through FW! It doesn't crash, it doesn't stop writing, it just works.

To Fonceur -- thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

So far, my actual success in getting *usable* captures has been about 50% - but I don't blame the tool for that. I am finding that some of the shows are coming over with just WAY too many glitches to be watchable (audio dropouts and garbled video frames). And these seemingly are in the source material - although my TV handles them ok. Attempting to fix them with VRD or other tools just results in a file that is technically error-free but still unwatchable because 30% of the frames have been removed.:(

On the other hand, some shows are capping darn-near perfectly and for these, life is a beautiful thing. :D

For the shows that I can't grab through FW (including 5c protected stuff), I just picked up a Hauppauge HD PVR 1212. I must say, I am very impressed with the quality of the H.264 files it produces. Using the max CBR bitrate for that device (13.5 Mbps), my results are almost indistinguishable from the original. Too bad there aren't any really good (ie. frame accurate) H.264 editing tools yet. And playback requires a machine with some hefty horsepower!

http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/09/media-center-cablecards-freed-from-oem-requirement/
^once this is fully realized, this thread will no longer be needed =).

FINALLY! 64-bit Windows Media Centers will be supported by a digital tune and u can finally build ur OWN DVR =)

http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/09/media-center-cablecards-freed-from-oem-requirement/
^once this is fully realized, this thread will no longer be needed =).

FINALLY! 64-bit Windows Media Centers will be supported by a digital tune and u can finally build ur OWN DVR =)

Not if 7MC continues the trend with VMC and encrypts anything captured via CableCARD, whether set 5C or not.

do we know for sure? 7MC has been RTM for a while now.

It's not VMC/7MC that does the all encompassing encryption, it's the firmware on the ATI tuners that does it. It's been said for a while that IF and WHEN an upgrade comes out, it will alleviate that to only channels that are actually copy protected. But this has been noted and waited on for quite some time.

The release stated that copy protection would be scaled back to only shows/channels that are "copy protected", I'm assuming they mean 5c flags. However it's still in Microsoft's TV show format, and MPEG2 of course.

My last Comcast 3416DVR box worked, but the picture froze up on capture so I had to time how long I wanted/needed to capture and do the "workaround" that has been posted. I'm getting a DVR box back next week, I would like to get a DCX3400. If I get one I will be sure to play around and post my results.

The release stated that copy protection would be scaled back to only shows/channels that are "copy protected", I'm assuming they mean 5c flags. However it's still in Microsoft's TV show format, and MPEG2 of course.

Yeah. Exactly the point. Right now the ATI cablecard tuner firmware locks up every recording coming off the tuner where it can't be copied, transcoded, etc..

This supposed upcoming update would bring it back in line with these cable STBs and Tivo's amongst other 5C compliant devices. If the channel is copy protected it remains so on the media center PC. But if it is not copy protected like broadcast locals for example, it remains open to copy or transcode or do whatever you wish on the media center PC. No more, no less.

But again, this has been floating around for a while but there's been no real word on a solid date yet. Though if I recall we did get news of a multi-tuner card or something from ATI themselves with updated firmware included which rumor had it would have the copy protection fix.

Either way I am anxiously waiting. Especially with the news of DIY and SDV. Though with Time Warner protecting just about every channel here, it's gonna be just about useless. :/

sigh.. TWC LA just recently started encrypting all the channels except for locals. just when i got a new computer so i could edit lakers games faster than i did before. now i can only record away games in HD.I've noticed this too. Is there any way around this?

When I record an encrypted program to my DVR and play it later to capture it with CapDVHS, it starts recording but then stops in less than a second. Is there a way to keep it from stopping?

I've noticed this too. Is there any way around this?

When I record an encrypted program to my DVR and play it later to capture it with CapDVHS, it starts recording but then stops in less than a second. Is there a way to keep it from stopping?

Nope.

Is there some info on it? Like a press release or something? I just wanna read something about it to understand the situation.

Sorry to hijack the discussion, but this seems like the best place to ask this question. I am a long-time user of CapDVHS on my 6412 STB and have just switched computers to a machine running Vista Home Premium. I have downloaded several "vista drivers," but they don't work. I can't successfully install the tuner and panel devices. I don't even see the correct .inf file. Is Vista "protecting" me by not showing me the files I need?

Any help or links to threads that have solutions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Update: From further reading, it appears that Vista Home Premium is a 64-bit operating system. From what I've found here it looks like 64-bit drivers for Moto stbs don't exist, and probably will not exist. So am I screwed?

There are 32 and 64 bit versions of Vista. There are no 64 bit drivers, but the 32 bit drivers work on 32 bit versions of Vista.

that is correct hphase. but no worries, u can do one of the following:
1. Run WinXP as emulator, if u have a fairly new CPU, u can buy Win7 and run WinXP in emulation mode. install the CAPDVHS driver and it should (in theory) still work, or run Virtual XP now on ur Vista.

or

2. wait for approved cablecard 2.x digital tuners to come to the PC! finally! see my link a few posts ago. now u can freely cap anything using tuner cards off of cable (unless ofc they are 5c encrypted)

that is correct hphase. but no worries, u can do one of the following:
1. Run WinXP as emulator, if u have a fairly new CPU, u can buy Win7 and run WinXP in emulation mode. install the CAPDVHS driver and it should (in theory) still work, or run Virtual XP now on ur Vista.

or

2. wait for approved cablecard 2.x digital tuners to come to the PC! finally! see my link a few posts ago. now u can freely cap anything using tuner cards off of cable (unless ofc they are 5c encrypted)
So, in theory, I should be able to enter XP emulation mode and connect the device/load the drivers? Or do I have to do something like a dual boot into "XP" before it will work?

Is there some info on it? Like a press release or something? I just wanna read something about it to understand the situation.

The short version is that they're encrypted by your cable company because that encryption is a requirement in the carriage contract with that channel. Or your cable company are jerks and/or wimps, and just encrypt everything they possibly can.

The longer version is that the situation is that the media corporations in the United States have successfully scared the consumer electronics and network service corporations into giving into their every whim, which includes completely restrictive copy protection which violates even the most conservative concepts of fair use and assumption of good faith. They didn't have to convince the CE companies very much to go for copy protection restrictions- it locks you into specific formats and software/equipment. Vendor lock-in is quite effective in making sure your clients keep shoveling their money into your backyard, and has the beneficial side effect of keeping them from complaining too much as long as you're significantly ahead of your competitors. The people who manage the pipes are more than happy to help limit the amount of data that a person can store; After all if someone's acquiring data, there's a chance they might want to transfer it somewhere. And they have to keep up their myths that bandwidth is somehow expensive and differs from provider to provider, therefor justifying high prices and terrible service.

No, there's nothing you can do, because the media industry owns our government. If you'd like to record more things, you'll have to look into other routes, because there's essentially a snowball's chance in hell your cable company will ever set a channel in the clear after it's been encrypted, even if it's legitimately supposed to be open. It sucks. Welcome to the third world of the information society.

Yep. Pretty sad case. I guess a small victory is the fact that Cablecard tuners have become available to those in DIY (gotta wonder how many Cablelabs execs went to the ER over this one) and Ceton's upcoming tuners don't encrypt everything and strictly follow the 5C flags put there by the cable company so at least this firewire BS is bypassed. Still the same quality as firewire but without one of the big hassles. Though requires a higher entry cost. On the other hand there's the HD-PVR if you don't mind a slight loss in PQ but having every channel available to do what you wish with.

I am trying to capture by firewire from my Motorola DCH-3416 using CAPDVHS on my dual boot 64 bit Windows 7/Windows XP PC. When I use XP I get this error message "Error: Cannot start capture". Is it possible to capture on a 64 bit PC while running XP? I can capture with no problem on my 32 bit PC.

I am trying to capture by firewire from my Motorola DCH-3416 using CAPDVHS on my dual boot 64 bit Windows 7/Windows XP PC. When I use XP I get this error message "Error: Cannot start capture". Is it possible to capture on a 64 bit PC while running XP? I can capture with no problem on my 32 bit PC.

Just to be sure, you are running 32-Bit XP on the XP partition, yes?

Might be a long shot, but have you tried cold booting into XP, instead of using a reboot?

Just to be sure, you are running 32-Bit XP on the XP partition, yes?

Might be a long shot, but have you tried cold booting into XP, instead of using a reboot?

I am running 32 bit XP on the XP Partition. I did some research last night on the forum and found a post that said you should copy the old XP SP1 IEEE 1394 drivers to the new XP SP2 "windows/system32/drivers" folder in safe mode, which I did. It actually made it worse - I couldn't even find the tuner or panel when installing the "found hardware". I decided to reinstall XP SP2 just to get everything back to where I started. To my amazement, the tuner and panel were found automatically, so I tried to run CAPDVHS. When I hit the record button, it recorded with no problems. Go figure!! So I guess CAPDVHS will run on a 64 bit machine using 32 bit XP.

coming soon i hope:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/23/video-intel-tru2way-server-streams-cable-all-over-your-house/

Although I do not doubt Intel's pushing power, Cablelabs is going to put a HUGE roadblock in the way especially if they plan to keep the idea of using unprotected clients like PS3's, PC's, etc.. They already made it a huge mess for Cablecard tuners for PC/Windows Media Center use and it's still limited to the point you have VERY few allowed 'client' devices/extenders that will play back encrypted digital cable content beyond the main Media Center machine.

But by all means if Intel has a trump card in this and can make it happen, awesome. I'm certainly all for it!

I searched for the minimum PC requirements, but most comments were a couple years old. What is recommended in the way of current processors? I was thinking about picking up a basic laptop to record with. It appears 32 bit Windows XP is typically used, but what CPU should I be looking for?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

If you are just recording, even an ancient Pentium Pro system will work. You are essentially just transferring the data stream off the firewire link to the hard drive. Very minimal processor work.

Playback on the other hand is a different story. SD 480i MPEG2 should be just fine on any system, 720p and 1080i will be a bit more but still any recent system over the past couple years will work just fine.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/25/curious-about-sdv-and-copy-freely-support-in-windows-7-media-cen/

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/09/24/a-first-hand-look-at-sdv-and-copy-freely-support-in-windows-7-me/

http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/25/curious-about-sdv-and-copy-freely-support-in-windows-7-media-cen/

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/09/24/a-first-hand-look-at-sdv-and-copy-freely-support-in-windows-7-me/


Curious, with the recent announcements of cable card ability on the local pc (custom built pcs).. does this mean devices like the ATI one, can record and show live tv on all the non local stations.. like sci fi, hbo etc (hidef recording)?

I have an HDHomerun, but they are locked down still.

Curious, with the recent announcements of cable card ability on the local pc (custom built pcs).. does this mean devices like the ATI one, can record and show live tv on all the non local stations.. like sci fi, hbo etc (hidef recording)?

I have an HDHomerun, but they are locked down still.

Yes, that is the whole point. You need a cable tuner(like the ATI one) along with a cablecard from your cable company, to be able to decrypt and view HD channels like ESPNHD, DiscoveryHD, etc. The HDHomeRun does not have a cablecard, so it can only get unencrypted HD channels, which typically are limited to just the local networks.

The recent announcement just states that you will be able to buy these special tuners seperate, and hook them up to any PC now. Previously the only way to get one was to buy an entire PC from a company like HP or Dell, that had the tuner with it.

Not sure if anyone else has heard, but there are a couple professional line BluRay recorders coming to the US(made by Panasonic), that will have 5C compliant firewire inputs. So you could record MPEG2 streams from a cable company's firewire output of an HD box to BluRay... but that's it. No tuners on these recorders, and they are expensive(thousands of dollars) and meant for professional/commercial use.

No tuners on these recorders, and they are expensive(thousands of dollars)

So were D-VHS VTRs in 1997 :)

Yes, that is the whole point. You need a cable tuner(like the ATI one) along with a cablecard from your cable company, to be able to decrypt and view HD channels like ESPNHD, DiscoveryHD, etc. The HDHomeRun does not have a cablecard, so it can only get unencrypted HD channels, which typically are limited to just the local networks.

The recent announcement just states that you will be able to buy these special tuners seperate, and hook them up to any PC now. Previously the only way to get one was to buy an entire PC from a company like HP or Dell, that had the tuner with it.

Not sure if anyone else has heard, but there are a couple professional line BluRay recorders coming to the US(made by Panasonic), that will have 5C compliant firewire inputs. So you could record MPEG2 streams from a cable company's firewire output of an HD box to BluRay... but that's it. No tuners on these recorders, and they are expensive(thousands of dollars) and meant for professional/commercial use.


Awesome news.. so once this ATI device has a firmware update, it should be good to go? I like it because it doesnt require a slot in the pc, which i have none..

Are there any other standalone devices like the ATI, or is it the best one out there right now?

I may dump my dvr service with comcast and get the cable card if this works like it should.

There dont seem to be many vendors for the ati, mainly this one at $232 http://www.tamayatech.com/parts.php?i=100703268

Keep in mind the following things:

a) It only works with Vista Media Center and Windows 7 Media Center. Not likely to see other systems be able to use it anytime soon.
b) So far I have not seen Microsoft make good on the DIY support as far as producing an application or somehow being able to bypass the digital cable key and OCUR BIOS stuff on DIY machines so DIY users are still left out for now. Though someone correct me if this is solved already.
c) With the new ATI firmware, channel/program copy protection is strictly followed. Which means if you have a provider like Time Warner, 98% of all your programs will be copy protected and can't be transferred, played back, converted, etc.. It will be locked to the media center machine (though certified extenders like the discontinued linksys box and xbox 360's should play them back fine)

And lastly, but should not be forgotten: Cable company techs are a pain in the a** to deal with and handhold when it comes to having the cablecards installed. And that is when things are working right.

It is certainly a worthwhile system if you know all the caveats, but it's not infallible.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/09/25/microsoft-media-center-cedia-predictions-wrap-up/

^more finer points. unfortunately ATI sold their HDTV division and there be no more tuners coming from ATI. Ceton is the name that is gonna be up&coming i suppose according to engadget anyway that and Haupaugge (sp)

Keep in mind the following things:

a) It only works with Vista Media Center and Windows 7 Media Center. Not likely to see other systems be able to use it anytime soon.
b) So far I have not seen Microsoft make good on the DIY support as far as producing an application or somehow being able to bypass the digital cable key and OCUR BIOS stuff on DIY machines so DIY users are still left out for now. Though someone correct me if this is solved already.
c) With the new ATI firmware, channel/program copy protection is strictly followed. Which means if you have a provider like Time Warner, 98% of all your programs will be copy protected and can't be transferred, played back, converted, etc.. It will be locked to the media center machine (though certified extenders like the discontinued linksys box and xbox 360's should play them back fine)

And lastly, but should not be forgotten: Cable company techs are a pain in the a** to deal with and handhold when it comes to having the cablecards installed. And that is when things are working right.

It is certainly a worthwhile system if you know all the caveats, but it's not infallible.


What is defined as certified extender though..

IE: my setup, i have a main windows 7 x64 ultimate machine, where all videos are recorded..

I play media center on there from time to time, but mostly i view the recordings on my mini HTPC in the other room (same OS, media center 7 etc) via network drives.. or on the xbox 360..

It sounds as if my HTPC may be out of luck for those recordings from the cable card..

Certified extenders are limited. Really about the only ones are the 360 and the discontinued linksys extenders like the DMA2100 and DMA2200. Anything else is SOL.

Copy-freely marked programming though you can watch and use any way you want AFAICR. But as already stated, this depends on your cable company. Time Warner locks just about everything down but the locals.

Certified extenders are limited. Really about the only ones are the 360 and the discontinued linksys extenders like the DMA2100 and DMA2200. Anything else is SOL.

Copy-freely marked programming though you can watch and use any way you want AFAICR. But as already stated, this depends on your cable company. Time Warner locks just about everything down but the locals.

So a second PC with win 7 wont qualify.. ? I guess i'd probably be better off attaching the cable card device to the HTPC than to the storage main PC.. i could still have the recordings recorded over the network to the main storage pc i would think, they just wouldnt be viewable on that one.

Yes, that should work. But yeah, any other PC will not be able to view recordings that are copy protected/not marked copy freely. Just Microsoft's list of certified extenders.

Is there ANY software which will replace the remote control and allow navigation/control of the DVR DCH3416 from the PC through firewire directly or through remote ir cables?
Windows or Apple, doesnt matter.
I mean like channel changing, going to the recordings screen and start playback of a recorded show.
I would like to be able to automate the process of transferring shows from the DVR to my XP machine if possible.

Thank You

I know this thread states Windows XP, but does anyone have any success getting firewire capture drivers to install on Windows 7 32-bit? I can't get firewire drivers to install.

I browse to ExDeus' package and it says:

Windows found driver software for your device but encountered an error while attempting to install it.

Motorola AV/C Panel Device (DCH-3416)

The system cannot find the file specified.



Interesting that it cannot find the file specified, even though I pointed the effer to the files. The file permissions are all full control, I've downloaded the package twice to rule out a bad download.

I even changed the 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller driver to the (Legacy) driver as reccomended on the green button.

Any idea's on how to get this driver installed on Windows 7? I'd like to capture some stuff off a DCH-3416 before I return it (upgraded to a DCX-3432 recently).

Hi, I installed the Tim M Moore's drivers and updated the driver set with ExDeus package for my Pace RNG110 cable box. I tried to test the firewire channel change, but it doesn't work. I tried the Pace, Samsung, and Motorola drivers, but none of them work. Any ideas?

I get this message:

C:\Program Files\Timmmoore\MCE 2005 STB Controller>channel -v 1 2
Firewire STB channel changer V1.0.15, by timmmoore
Device 1 Channel 2 Timeout 100 Dec 0
1 "FireBus MPEG2TS Tuner Subunit Device"
'Pace AV/C Tuner Device'
"@device:pnp:\\?\avc#pace&rng110&typ_5&id_0#5af5090000945000#{65e8773d-8f56-11d0
-a3b9-00a0c9223196}\global" 0
2 "AVC Panel Device"
'Pace AV/C Panel Device'

UniqueID '5af50900945000'
VendorID '5094'
ModelID '10755'
VendorText 'Pace'
ModelText 'RNG110'
"@device:pnp:\\?\avc#pace&rng110&typ_9&id_0#5af5090000945000#{65e8773d-8f56-11d0
-a3b9-00a0c9223196}\global" 0
This device is not supported, if you are sure then add the -f flag
Calling CoUninitialize
Called CoUninitialize

I see this is resolved in XP sp2 with a patch, but I'm using XP Pro Service Pack *3* on both my computers. On my other computer I can capture perfectly. On this computer, everything goes identically well until I hit the Rec. button and get that error.

please help!

if someone gets updated drivers to work with the DCX3400, kindly post it here. i will watch this thread for updates.. i am having the same issues as others in this thread who are using the DCX.. video speeds up, etc... the older 3416 drivers dont seem to be suffucient for this model...

Hey Everyone,

I have a cox motorola DCT 3416 I. Cant get it to record to my Windows XP SP3. I notice when i plug in either side of the firewire, I get a Beep, then two more Beeps.

Anyways here what i saw in the system
ICEE 1394
Active Port 1
5C implementation No
1394 Enable-Yes, Active- No

Does this mean i cant use the firewire ports?
thanks

I searched for the minimum PC requirements, but most comments were a couple years old. What is recommended in the way of current processors? I was thinking about picking up a basic laptop to record with. It appears 32 bit Windows XP is typically used, but what CPU should I be looking for?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Here is what I am using. And it works.
An old Dell Optiplex GX110 from the GoodWill Computer Store 4 years ago. 665MHz CPU, 512MB Ram. XP 32bit SP3. Plenty of HD space,
Now when I save the recordings I save it across the network to the harddrive of the newer better computer to watch them. Saves time copying/moving it later on. Running Vista 64bit. Which is connected to the HD Flat Screen.
Saving the stream doesn't tak all that much. It's when you go to watch the HD content that you need the extra horsepower.


Paul

EDIT: Forgot I did have to buy/install a Firewire/USB 2.0 combo card. I had to cut out the metal support of the case to get the cable to plug in a horizontal position though. Replaced former USB 2.0 card.

pittspgh,

you are using the IEEE option on the DCX 3400 to save content? you do not get any hiccups or any other issues with recording content off the DVR? i dont necessarily mean live TV , rather stored hard drive content... be it HD or SD...?

I see this is resolved in XP sp2 with a patch, but I'm using XP Pro Service Pack *3* on both my computers. On my other computer I can capture perfectly. On this computer, everything goes identically well until I hit the Rec. button and get that error.

please help!

Yeah, this is the same thing I am having. I am using the ExDeus package along with CapDVHS, and my box is the Pace RNG110. My IEEE 1394 Bus host controller is the Texas Instruments OHCI compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller. I am running SP3, and CapDVHS records once, but any new recording after that it fails and crashes, which also breaks VLC's playback. If I restart my computer, it will record once again, but then crash the next time I record. Sometimes it has crashed while in the middle of recording, but most of the time it is immediate and creates a 0 KB file.

p.s. The above is when I record SD channels. When I try recording HD channels, it crashes immediately the first time I try.

One trick I have found so I don't have to restart my computer after CapDVHS crashes, or after each recording, is to create a batch file using the microsoft utility devcon to disable and enable my IEEE 1394 host controller. This doesn't fix the scheduling problem, per se, but still saves time. If we had the source code to CapDVHS, we could write this feature into it to reset the firewire controller after a crash, and after it gets the "cannot start capture" error.

Here's the link to DevCon, and the corresponding batch file lines, your hardware id may vary:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311272

batch file code:
devcon.exe disable PCI\VEN_104C
devcon.exe enable PCI\VEN_104C

Yeah, this is the same thing I am having...CapDVHS records once, but any new recording after that it failsI can't even record once.

I can't even record once.

I can't record HD even once, just SD once. Is that your situation?

I can't record HD even once, just SD once. Is that your situation?I can't record HD even once...I haven't even tried recording SD, so maybe my situation *is* identical!

I can't record HD even once...I haven't even tried recording SD, so maybe my situation *is* identical!

I've noticed that some of the SD channels are really blocky and display decoding errors, but others are perfect, when I stream them through VLC. Could it be that the ones that are always digital (above ~100) are digital from source to box, while the ones below ~100 may be getting converted from analog to digital at the box and causing problems? That being said, I haven't an idea why HD would be crashing CapDVHS, though.

coyote2, one thing that definitely crashes my rng110, regardless of whether the box is on or not, is the "Video power on at capture start" option. I would make sure to disable that, and also enable "Does not video power on at reserve".

FYI, I installed the latest Vista 1394, avc, and 61883 drivers onto my XP machine, and while they didn't fix all the crashing, they do seem to be a little bit more stable than the latest respective XP drivers.

I have a Motorola 3416 on a Comcast system. I've been recording off the box for over 2 years now without any problems (other than the screen freeze that existed after the last firmware update). Well, Comcast has fixed that problem with a recent firmware update but now I have a much larger problem.

On both of the 3416s, whenever I plug in or unplug my firewire cable from my laptop...the DVR will completely reboot, wiping out the guide, clock, etc. This is extremely annoying, as you can imagine.

Any ideas?

I have a Motorola 3416 on a Comcast system. I've been recording off the box for over 2 years now without any problems (other than the screen freeze that existed after the last firmware update). Well, Comcast has fixed that problem with a recent firmware update but now I have a much larger problem.

On both of the 3416s, whenever I plug in or unplug my firewire cable from my laptop...the DVR will completely reboot, wiping out the guide, clock, etc. This is extremely annoying, as you can imagine.

Any ideas?

What version firmware did you get? I had the problem you described years ago, with a 6412 box. Whenever I plugged in firewire doing the wrong sequence, it would kill the DVR. If i unplugged and rebooted, the thing wouldn't even spin up the hard drive until I disconnected the firewire from the 6412!! Back in the spring I talked to someone at Comcast corporate who told me the next version would fix it blah blah, sounds like it really fixed it well for you. I've had the same firmware(16.53) for well over a year.

I have a Motorola 3416 on a Comcast system. I've been recording off the box for over 2 years now without any problems (other than the screen freeze that existed after the last firmware update). Well, Comcast has fixed that problem with a recent firmware update but now I have a much larger problem.

On both of the 3416s, whenever I plug in or unplug my firewire cable from my laptop...the DVR will completely reboot, wiping out the guide, clock, etc. This is extremely annoying, as you can imagine.

Any ideas?

I was updated to I think it was s/w version 78.44-A28p (program guide) f/w 18.73 on Comcast with the mydvdr updates and online scheduling. I also had no problems until this update and get the reboots as you describe. One way I was able to prevent the reboot was to turn the power off on the 3416 before and after connecting the firwire to my pc. I did not have a chance to check if I was still able to capture my recordings from the 3416 when using this work around.

I found a work around. You have to make sure that it is absolutely LIVE television. Not even the live you think you have after you stop a recording and go back to the TV.

As long as the DVR isn't playing back in any way, shape or form, you can plug and unplug with no problems.

So, if you are recording something, you can switch tuners...change the channel on THAT tuner and then plug the cable in or unplug the cable.

I have noticed with the latest firmware we got, 16.72 I get a LOT more INPUT errors when editing my recordings in VideoRedo. Used to be I would get 2 or 3 per 3 hour recording. Now, I'm getting 36 in one single 15 minute block.

Has anyone tried recording using an old computer. Maybe with Windows 98 before all this DRM was built into windows. I was thinking of throwing together a pc with some stuff from my Computer graveyard in the basement but if this has been tried I won't go through all the work.

Has anyone tried recording using an old computer. Maybe with Windows 98 before all this DRM was built into windows. I was thinking of throwing together a pc with some stuff from my Computer graveyard in the basement but if this has been tried I won't go through all the work.

You'd get no advantages using 98 over XP, in fact it'd be considerably worse. The problem with STB support isn't Windows trying to impose DRM, it's the boxes themselves.

Has anyone tried recording using an old computer. Maybe with Windows 98 before all this DRM was built into windows. I was thinking of throwing together a pc with some stuff from my Computer graveyard in the basement but if this has been tried I won't go through all the work.

If you are just looking for an easy way to download, I started using my Mac instead of my XP box, and now I do all the downloads on the Mac. It's never had any trouble, and the drivers are built into the OS. You can pickup and old Mac mini cheap for this purpose.

The frustration from this inexplicable increased amount of random input errors is frustrating. With the new firmware I described in my previous post, the video has NO problem playing on the TV but now there are a large number of 'glitches' in the signal when captured.

Before, when there was an INPUT error it was either because of a heavy load on the capture device (laptop, desktop PC) or there was an actual problem with the recording on the DVR. Now, the captures are creating them in random places that aren't the same from one capture to the next.

I've tried 3 different boxes (3416 (x2) and a 3412) and used 3 different capture devices (2 laptops and a desktop) and I get the same problems. Is anyone else on a Comcast system with these Motorola boxes experiencing these same difficulties? It is making my HD capture almost worthless and at the very least forces me to capture the same program 4 times to get near perfect recordings I used to get on the first try.

......Is anyone else on a Comcast system with these Motorola boxes experiencing these same difficulties? It is making my HD capture almost worthless and at the very least forces me to capture the same program 4 times to get near perfect recordings I used to get on the first try.

I have no problem on Comcast w/3416-current offloading AMC The Prisoner Eps 05&06-1080i.
In fact the transfers are more reliable today than 2 months ago. (Infrequent continuity errors)
Dunno if Comcast updated the fw or software though.
I'm a happy camper-Now AC HD running 12mbps 1080i is another discussion altogether!

the DCX models are having IEEE issues with not recording any reliable data... not the DCH models...

anyone tested this on windows 7 yet? ive had problems with these drivers with vista and am hesitant to install them on my new 7 machine

anyone tested this on windows 7 yet? ive had problems with these drivers with vista and am hesitant to install them on my new 7 machine

I wiped my capture laptop, and I put Win7 on it to see how I liked it. I tried the FireSTB, ExDeus, and even Panasonic D-VHS VTR drivers, and I had absolutely no luck getting anything working except my JVC D-VHS's analog tuner. I changed the firewire stacks, and nothing. I reformatted it and put XPSP3 back on it, which has been working fine since. Besides not working for FW capture, I didn't think it was any better than Vista.

That said, I know people who have had no success with XP and Vista who've found that Win7's actually made the process work for them. It was not my experience, however. It'll probably depend on your computer's firewire interface, brand of STB, and/or other intangibles. But if Vista isn't working for you now, you don't have much to lose.

anyone tested this on windows 7 yet? ive had problems with these drivers with vista and am hesitant to install them on my new 7 machine

I gave up trying to get the drivers to work with win 7 went back to xp

I had a comcast 3416 box, had to return it..

They gave me a dcx-3400.. it installs drivers for everything except the av/c panel (3425).. if i do a windows update install.. it doesnt find it.. if i browse to the firewire drivers i downloaded awhile back on this thread, it doesnt find it..

Am i out of luck with this new box and firewire?

Im on vista x86..

Thanks

the box does not work via IEEE right now.. its been discussed in this same thread.. you are not alone on this...

Hello all, found a great site with drivers etc. used for XP and the box I have, but was wondering if anyone knew off hand if these would work with Vista....If so great....

If not, do you know what drivers I need.....

Finally, for those looking around, here is a link and step by step for XP

actually email me since im a newbie and it won't let me post url.....schoolfinance at gmail

Thanks in advance....

Finally, for those looking around, here is a link and step by step for XP
actually email me since im a newbie and it won't let me postperhaps this is the link you're thinking of... http://replayguide.sourceforge.net/dct6412/

Much better and more up to date instructions (Including Vista + Pretty Guided Installation w/Pictures):
http://home.comcast.net/~exdeus/stbfirewire/

still dont see any support of the dcx series... i sent a PM asking if they have had a chance to play with the DCX boxes...

I'm where everyone else is it seems.

Trying to record recorded HDTV to PC VIA Firewire.:(

This is as far as I have got.

I can steam onto PC using VLC Direct Show, regular shows play fine but once I goto HD I get skips and Sync problems with both Audio and Video.

I can capture regular shows using CapDVHS v0.3.0.6 but once I goto HD it crashes.

I have searched far and wide and it seems there is more information in this thread than any other source out there.

I too, like many, will be following this thread and hopefully one day there will be a fix for this.:)

I'm where everyone else is it seems.fwiw...I can record HD perfectly well with the PC that has an onboard Firewire port. the error I mentioned getting occurred with another PC, using a (SIIG NN-830112-S2) PCI Firewire expansion card. I recently got a different PCI Firewire card which I plan to try there...maybe a different card will do it. Or maybe not, maybe there's some issue with the one (of the nearly identical XP Pro sp3) OS.

Guess I should have said where nearly most are.

I too am using onboard firewire on a Asus P5Q Pro running a Q9550 at 3.4Ghz with XP and service Pack 3

Can you list what you are using for programs to record etc.

Any links would be great..:)
Thanks
Don

EDIT:

Sorry I should have said trying to capture already recorded HD shows

I can capture HD and regular shows but not already recorded ones.

dapped, are you saying you can get data out of the ieee port on the dcx3400??

I have to be careful with my words and lingo here or someone will correct me.

I play the recorded HD movie on the DCX3400 and I can view it as it's playing on both my TV and Computer but with problems.

I am not actually transferring data as per a file. It is in real time.

I have been using Tim's firestb for a few years now. I am currently using it with Vista and my DCT 6416 Series III. Alas my 6416 is having hard drive problems after a few years and Cox has given me a DCX 3200 which I have been unable to get to work with my PC.

The channel program can see it but it is not supported and the -f option doe s not work. There is not AV/C panel in the devices that channel can see like there is for the 6416. Because the driver did not install of course.

Does anyone have a lead on getting a hold of these drivers?

I have been using Tim's firestb for a few years now. I am currently using it with Vista and my DCT 6416 Series III. Alas my 6416 is having hard drive problems after a few years and Cox has given me a DCX 3200 which I have been unable to get to work with my PC.

The channel program can see it but it is not supported and the -f option doe s not work. There is not AV/C panel in the devices that channel can see like there is for the 6416. Because the driver did not install of course.

Does anyone have a lead on getting a hold of these drivers?

If there is an unknown device but it did not install the driver, that is when you find the appropriate vendor and device id's from said unknown device and place them in the correct spots in the inf file. Not completely guaranteed to work (but then again this hack never is), but the first step.

If there's no devices showing up period or just one, you are pretty SOL.

Any chance of 64-bit drivers being released?

I'm workin' on it =\
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1145429

Honestly I discontinued trying to use a STB and went to windows 7 media center with cablecard tuners. You will be happier if you do.

Honestly I discontinued trying to use a STB and went to windows 7 media center with cablecard tuners. You will be happier if you do.

Yes, but the thing is this method produces unencrypted straight up raw MPEG2 data streams. Windows Media Center produces files in MS's proprietary format, and are subject to copy flags.

I am waiting to see this new batch of cablecard tuners coming out next year(models besides the ATI version)

Also ever since I reinstalled my Hauppauge HDPVR on my newly formatted Win7 x64 box, it works much better and is less touchy. So much easier to record that way than firewire via CapDVHS which Comcast seems to be crippling further and further with each firmware update. I mean come on I have to use a freaking stopwatch to time how long I want to capture, because when you record the video output on the Motorola box is frozen, so I don't know how long to capture unless I time it!

Yes, but the thing is this method produces unencrypted straight up raw MPEG2 data streams. Windows Media Center produces files in MS's proprietary format, and are subject to copy flags.

I am waiting to see this new batch of cablecard tuners coming out next year(models besides the ATI version)

Also ever since I reinstalled my Hauppauge HDPVR on my newly formatted Win7 x64 box, it works much better and is less touchy. So much easier to record that way than firewire via CapDVHS which Comcast seems to be crippling further and further with each firmware update. I mean come on I have to use a freaking stopwatch to time how long I want to capture, because when you record the video output on the Motorola box is frozen, so I don't know how long to capture unless I time it!

You can set CapDVHS to record a certain amount of time and stop. I usually add 1-2 extra minutes just to make sure. While that's recording I just pop a movie on my PopCornHour and watch that.

I also have the Hauppauge HDPVR 1212 and that does a very good job, you can watch while you record but the picture isn't quite as good. I wish the software (Total Media Extreme) would allow you to adjust picture settings. It has a setting page, contrast, brightness etc but they don't do a thing. I called Hauppauge and they said they don't work and it's up to the makers of TME to fix it. Who knows when or if they will.

MJCS, are you using the ATI tuners? Or is there something else available now?

Hello everyone,

I have DCH-3416 on Comcast. I was able to transfer MaxHD and EncoreHD videos from the box to my PC without any problems via firewire with CapDVHS. Several days ago I tried to transfer another movie from Max HD (recorded on HDD) and no luck. I tried to transfer live video from MaxHD and no luck. I still can transfer from EncoreHD.

I went to set up and compared two channels.

MaxHD has CCI: 0x002

EncoreHD has CCI: 0x00

Does this mean that Max HD (or Comcast) disabled firewire transfer to PC?

Thanks.