I need to record HDTV on to computer - TELL ME what to buy

[MAILER-DAEMON]

I want to grab the sat-box HD output and feed it to the computer and record
HD content. I want to be able to schedule these recordings. Then I want to
play it back on the TV in High Definition (1080i ot 720p). My TV already
has a ASTC tuner I don't use since there are no OTA in my area so I really
only want to record HDTV and play it back.

How can I do this ?
What hardware do I need ?

 

[Veritech]

If only you knew what you were getting your self into...

Lots of HDD's or one honking big one, think 400GB at least.
An HD TV capture card,(software should come with the card, make sure it has
hardware compression)
the cables to conect the two,
the cables for the sound.
and then comes the troubleshooting.

The secret to making it work is the encoding codec you use, i imagine your
not a mac user(would you want to be after yesterday) so H264 is out, for
now. DIVX and XVID are good, but i don't know if they support HD, so you
might have to go with what ever the software says.
Microsoft's Media centre version of win xp, might be helpful, or if you like
like linux i've heard good things about "myth tv"

hope that was helpful

 

[Clem Dye]

I want to grab the sat-box HD output and feed it to the computer and record
HD content. I want to be able to schedule these recordings. Then I want to
play it back on the TV in High Definition (1080i ot 720p). My TV already
has a ASTC tuner I don't use since there are no OTA in my area so I really
only want to record HDTV and play it back.

How can I do this ?
What hardware do I need ?

Please would be nice .....

 

[johns]

Start looking and reading about the Hauppauge WinTV cards. I can't make
up
my mind either. Note: some of those cards look great .. and yet
Hauppauge
has discontinued them ????????? They aren't stupid, so there's a
reason.
I assume they don't meet some kind of standard that is either here, or
is
coming. I have one of their older WinTV cards, and I can already do
what
you are trying to do. I can record cable TV to my hard drive as mpg2
.... I
just guessed at the compression "codec", and it worked fine. It creates
the file at about 4.5 gig / hour, and puts it where I tell it to on the
hard
drive. I can use that file to burn DVDs, but I prefer to just store it
on my USB
drive ( 160 gig ) until I get tired of seeing it over and over.
Anyway, my home PC
is a kick-ass game box based on AMD 64 and ATI video, so playback is
really nice.

johns

 

[Bishman]

In the UK ( not HD TV ) I am have succesfully replaced my VHS video with a
Hauppauge WinTV - PCI card and Media MVP for playback through the TV, all
sitting in a PC in the same room as the TV.

Excellent results but a bit fiddly to get set up right.

JB

 

[PosterGuy]

Please would be nice .....

Thanks for your answer

 

[PosterGuy]

In the UK ( not HD TV ) I am have succesfully replaced my VHS video
with a Hauppauge WinTV - PCI card and Media MVP for playback through
the TV, all sitting in a PC in the same room as the TV.

Excellent results but a bit fiddly to get set up right.

JB

Thanks. I may just resign myself to recording in SD instead of HD. How
d'you like the MVP ?? Have you tried doing the same but wireless ?

 

[PosterGuy]

Start looking and reading about the Hauppauge WinTV cards. I can't make
up
my mind either. Note: some of those cards look great .. and yet
Hauppauge
has discontinued them ????????? They aren't stupid, so there's a
reason.
I assume they don't meet some kind of standard that is either here, or
is
coming. I have one of their older WinTV cards, and I can already do
what
you are trying to do. I can record cable TV to my hard drive as mpg2
... I
just guessed at the compression "codec", and it worked fine. It creates
the file at about 4.5 gig / hour, and puts it where I tell it to on the
hard
drive. I can use that file to burn DVDs, but I prefer to just store it
on my USB
drive ( 160 gig ) until I get tired of seeing it over and over.
Anyway, my home PC
is a kick-ass game box based on AMD 64 and ATI video, so playback is
really nice.

johns

Sounds like a cool setup -
I'm in the same boat as you - the more I read the more I get confused )

 

[peterk]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695

after you read that look at the rest of the forum
peterk

 

[PosterGuy]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695

after you read that look at the rest of the forum
peterk

mmmm.... that seems to be a discussion regarding "How to record via
1394/Firewire to WindowsXP"

Was there anything in particular that you were recommending or were you
just referring me to that site for information in general.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Kill Bill]

Thanks for your answer

I'm a little late but there's this?
http://www.ati.com/products/hdtvwonder/index.html

 

[TeamTwentySeven]

It will be tough/impossible to capture encrypted signals from your
sat-box. I use the FusionHDTV 5 card (http://www.dvico.com) to capture
unencrypted HDTV from my comcast. I can schedule recordings and
playback 1080i & 720p, just as you want to do.

 

[jaykchan]

I have two Media MVPs in my house. They work great given the fact that
they are cheap (around US $80). They are so cheap that I can buy more
than one and distribute it around my house. But it has two problems:
(1) Its program is a bit buggy; I am not sure if the problem has to do
with their program or the Beyond-TV "skin" that I use as the interface
to Media MVP. (2) It is not HDTV compatible; this means I probably can
only use it for SD TV programs, and not HD.

The bottom line is: For such a low price, I can live with the problems.
But if I started thinking about expensive gears like a "large" HDTV in
LCD, I probably would want something better to complement the expensive
gears.

Jay Chan

 

[dg]

The only way you can record cable/satellite HD is with the providers DVR OR
if your box has a firewire port that IS ENABLED. There is no consumer grade
equipment that can record uncompressed HD. The requirements are HUGE.

--Dan

 

[Mike T]

I want to grab the sat-box HD output and feed it to the computer and record
HD content. I want to be able to schedule these recordings. Then I want to
play it back on the TV in High Definition (1080i ot 720p). My TV already
has a ASTC tuner I don't use since there are no OTA in my area so I really
only want to record HDTV and play it back.

How can I do this ?
What hardware do I need ?

Go to this forun-
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/
and then to this group- HDTV Recorders & Players and read a lot about
cable boxes and software and 5C encryption that may NOT let you record the
HDTV from your cable box.

Mike T