[Offspring2099]

I have Time Warner SA 8300HD.


Do I need to have a QAM card to catch the signal from 8300HD?

 

[walford]

NO, you would use a QAM tuner card to capture clear QAM HD programs from your cable company by connecting the cable from the wall directly to the tuner card by using a splitter so you could also feed the signal to it and to your 8300.

 

[demonfoo]

Of course, most everything other than your HD locals (and maybe not even them, depending on how much your local TW affiliate actually cares about what the FCC thinks) won't be receivable with a QAM tuner card. You could use something like Hauppauge's component capture device, or you could try capturing MPEG transport streams via IEEE 1394 (which will only work for programming *not* flagged as "copy once"/"copy never" - depending again on your affiliate, that may be as little as just your HD locals). However, capturing via IEEE 1394 may not work, depending on if your TW affiliate activates the IEEE 1394 ports or not (again, if they don't care what the FCC says, they may not - there's a mandate, but that hasn't really won hearts and minds in the cable industry).

 

[Offspring2099]

Thanks for the replies guys.


Here is what I don't understand and maybe I should have started with this.


Why can't one just connect a PC Tuner card to 8300HD, just like TV is connected to 8300 and capture what ever channel the 8300 is currently on?


Is the signal coming out of 8300 unencrypted, I mean how else is the TV getting the reception?

 

[bfdtv]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Offspring2099 /forum/post/15463547


Thanks for the replies guys.


Here is what I don't understand and maybe I should have started with this.


Why can't one just connect a PC Tuner card to 8300HD, just like TV is connected to 8300 and capture what ever channel the 8300 is currently on?


Is the signal coming out of 8300 unencrypted, I mean how else is the TV getting the reception?

The only time you ever use the tuner in your TV is when you take the coax from the wall and plug it directly into the TV. The same goes for a PC tuner; the only time you use its tuner is when you take the coax directly from the wall.


When you use a STB/DVR, you are using the tuner in that STB/DVR, not the tuner in the TV. Once the signal is tuned, demodulated, and decoded by the STB/DVR, the output you get via HDMI is an encrypted, uncompressed picture signal at about 1Gbps (125 Megabytes/s). The TV decrypts that HDMI signal, applies its built-in video processing, and you see the result on the screen.

 

[demonfoo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Offspring2099 /forum/post/15463547


Why can't one just connect a PC Tuner card to 8300HD, just like TV is connected to 8300 and capture what ever channel the 8300 is currently on?


Is the signal coming out of 8300 unencrypted, I mean how else is the TV getting the reception?

Are you talking about a tuner card with a composite/S-Video aux in? If that's available to you, you could do that (obviously with the caveat that you won't be getting HD, but the box will convert to SD and letterbox the picture). If you're talking about using the RF in - no. I don't believe the SA 8300HD/HDC has an RF modulator integrated into it, so that wouldn't work.

 

[walford]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Offspring2099 /forum/post/15463547


Thanks for the replies guys.


Here is what I don't understand and maybe I should have started with this.


Why can't one just connect a PC Tuner card to 8300HD, just like TV is connected to 8300 and capture what ever channel the 8300 is currently on?

?

You can, just tune your tuner card to what ever channel your 8300 outputs on over its coax output(either channel 3 or channel4) as if the signal was coming from an antenna.

However, the signal your receive from either the coax or S-Video output is in NTSC SD 480i resolution regardless of the resolution of the channel the 8300 is tuned to.

 

[Offspring2099]

Again, Thanks for all the info guys.

Quote:
Originally Posted by walford /forum/post/15464812


You can, just tune your tuner card to what ever channel your 8300 outputs on over its coax output(either channel 3 or channel4) as if the signal was coming from an antenna.

However, the signal your receive from either the coax or S-Video output is in NTSC SD 480i resolution regardless of the resolution of the channel the 8300 is tuned to.

I see, that's a problem. I do want to be able to get HD.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv /forum/post/15464286


The only time you ever use the tuner in your TV is when you take the coax from the wall and plug it directly into the TV. The same goes for a PC tuner; the only time you use its tuner is when you take the coax directly from the wall.


When you use a STB/DVR, you are using the tuner in that STB/DVR, not the tuner in the TV. Once the signal is tuned, demodulated, and decoded by the STB/DVR, the output you get via HDMI is an encrypted, uncompressed picture signal at about 1Gbps (125 Megabytes/s). The TV decrypts that HDMI signal, applies its built-in video processing, and you see the result on the screen.

Since I do want to capture HD, here is what I still don't understand/know. Are there cards that will capture HD via hdmi inputs? And is the TV really decrypting the HD data? Can't that same decrypting technology be used in a PC card? Do those exist (expensive maybe)?

Quote:
Originally Posted by demonfoo /forum/post/15464717


Are you talking about a tuner card with a composite/S-Video aux in? If that's available to you, you could do that (obviously with the caveat that you won't be getting HD, but the box will convert to SD and letterbox the picture). If you're talking about using the RF in - no. I don't believe the SA 8300HD/HDC has an RF modulator integrated into it, so that wouldn't work.

I was thinking just coaxial from the wall to 8300 then coax to PC Tune, but you and others say that it will be SD and I don't want that for HD recordings.

 

[demonfoo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Offspring2099 /forum/post/15465841


Since I do want to capture HD, here is what I still don't understand/know. Are there cards that will capture HD via hdmi inputs? And is the TV really decrypting the HD data? Can't that same decrypting technology be used in a PC card? Do those exist (expensive maybe)?

There is a board that apparently will capture via HDMI, but that's misleading - if HDCP is used, it can't capture, and HDMI devices are required (through the license agreement) to use HDCP encryption. There aren't currently devices that can capture via HDMI, because HDMI Licensing *will not* license such a device (they don't want such a device). You could use the Hauppauge box I mentioned earlier to capture via component - and if the HDMI output is the only one available, you could probably use an HDFury2 to convert to component out. However, it requires a computer, and it's not cheap (somewhere in the $300 neighborhood, I believe - not prohibitively expensive, but a bit much for a lark).

 

[bfdtv]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Offspring2099 /forum/post/15465841


Since I do want to capture HD, here is what I still don't understand/know. Are there cards that will capture HD via hdmi inputs? And is the TV really decrypting the HD data? Can't that same decrypting technology be used in a PC card? Do those exist (expensive maybe)?

That would defeat the point, wouldn't it?


The whole point of HDCP encryption on HDMI is to prevent recording to the PC, and the unauthorized redistribution [by some] that will result.


If you are serious about this, you might consider the Hauppauge HD PVR ( review ). This product can capture 720p or 1080i component output, digitize it, and then encode it with MPEG-4 AVC on the fly. It can then be viewed on your PC. There is obviously some quality loss, but at the highest quality setting (AVC @ 13.5Mbps), most do not seem to notice except on motion-intensive content (sports) and/or larger screens.


Personally, I just download recordings directly from my TivoHD with a web browser . But you can't do that with a SA DVR. And even if you had the same DVR, what you could and couldn't download on a stock unit would depend on the CCI (copy control) bits used by your cable provider.

 

[Offspring2099]



Quote:
Originally Posted by demonfoo /forum/post/15466221


There is a board that apparently will capture via HDMI, but that's misleading - if HDCP is used, it can't capture, and HDMI devices are required (through the license agreement) to use HDCP encryption. There aren't currently devices that can capture via HDMI, because HDMI Licensing *will not* license such a device (they don't want such a device). You could use the Hauppauge box I mentioned earlier to capture via component - and if the HDMI output is the only one available, you could probably use an HDFury2 to convert to component out. However, it requires a computer, and it's not cheap (somewhere in the $300 neighborhood, I believe - not prohibitively expensive, but a bit much for a lark).

Got it, got it. Good stuff. Thank you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv /forum/post/15466287


That would defeat the point, wouldn't it?


The whole point of HDCP encryption on HDMI is to prevent recording to the PC, and the unauthorized redistribution [by some] that will result.


If you are serious about this, you might consider the Hauppauge HD PVR ( review ). This product can capture 720p or 1080i component output, digitize it, and then encode it with MPEG-4 AVC on the fly. It can then be viewed on your PC. There is obviously some quality loss, but at the highest quality setting (AVC @ 13.5Mbps), most do not seem to notice except on motion-intensive content (sports) and/or larger screens.


Personally, I just download recordings directly from my TivoHD with a web browser . But you can't do that with a SA DVR. And even if you had the same DVR, what you could and couldn't download on a stock unit would depend on the CCI (copy control) bits used by your cable provider.

Haha, got it. Sorry I'm such a noob to HD. Thanks for the help.


I currently use my hacked S2 Tivo to grab the recordings(pretty much ALL sports) and move them to my PC. I think S3 or TivoHD will be my best option, there is just not enough ppl willing(or afraid) to spend $250-$300 and PROM chip it, like s2, so there is a lot less documentation on it. I just wanted to find out everything before I go and blow my money on anything.


Thanks everyone I really appreciate the help.