Multiple channels without multiple CAMcards? (1 Viewer)

BestRip

Portal Member
February 20, 2007
29
0
Stockholm
Home Country
Sweden Sweden
I have a Samsung DCB-P850Z cable box that has a single CAMcard holder but can tune/record 2 different channels at the same time, not only from the same transponder as suggested in the introinfo about the new TVserver:
Watch/Record multiple channels with a single dvb tv card?
on 29-01-2007 11:40
Update: this feature is now placed in svn
The most requested feature for the tvserver is to be able to watch/record multiple tv channels at the same time with just 1 tv card
Impossible?... no, the upcoming tvserver does it!
So what does this mean ?
You can watch/record multiple tv/radio channels at the same time with just 1 (DVB/ATSC) tv card. Offcourse those channels should be located on the same transponder and are free-to-air (not encrypted)

Now I have a question: Is there a tuner/card that can do this trick, available for use in MediaPortal? I'm not suggesting or after anything illegal. (and then again what would be illegal about looking at the channels I already pay for? just asking for a more flexible point in time for watching...)
 

Paranoid Delusion

Moderation Manager
  • Premium Supporter
  • June 13, 2005
    13,062
    2,978
    Cheshire
    Home Country
    United Kingdom United Kingdom
    Now I have a question: Is there a tuner/card that can do this trick

    Everything i have read points to 1 cam = 1 encrypted channel (not transponder).

    Recording a FTA channel at same time is possible though.

    The only way around this is if the technology changes for the cam functions to support more than one channel, as softcams are not supported here.
     

    Arn01805

    Portal Pro
    July 31, 2006
    206
    9
    Breda
    Home Country
    Netherlands Netherlands
    Now I have a question: Is there a tuner/card that can do this trick

    Everything i have read points to 1 cam = 1 encrypted channel (not transponder).

    I've alphacrypt cam working in a firedtv-C and can record at least 3 encrypted channels within SAME transponder. But this trick works only with channels in the same transponder. Also the cam must be capable of decoding more as 1 simultanious channel. You can try to set the number of channels on 2 or 3 in tv-server-setup.
     

    Paranoid Delusion

    Moderation Manager
  • Premium Supporter
  • June 13, 2005
    13,062
    2,978
    Cheshire
    Home Country
    United Kingdom United Kingdom
    Also the cam must be capable of decoding more as 1 simultanious channel. You can try to set the number of channels on 2 or 3 in tv-server-setup

    Stand corrected, would be nice to know of a list of which cams support this function.

    Thanks Arn01805
     

    BestRip

    Portal Member
    February 20, 2007
    29
    0
    Stockholm
    Home Country
    Sweden Sweden
    Makes me just wonder, is it possible to use 2 FireDTV, 1 equiped with cam, but decoding for both Firedtv's

    Would be very interesting to know!

    I'm just thinking that the cable company "comhem" in Sweden can't oppose the idea that one could see 2 (or more?) shows at the same time or they wouldn't have approved that Samsung DCB-P850Z cable box for use in their net. It has 1 CAM and 2 digital tuners, and can record up to 2 separate channels simultaneously onto a 160GB HDD, so apparently it is possible to feed 2 tuners from 1 CAM...
    So why could there not be a PC-card/box that can do the same?
     

    Redfish

    Portal Member
    December 2, 2007
    45
    0
    Home Country
    Netherlands Netherlands
    I assume they would want you to buy another decoder for every other television you have in your home. So I assume they won't support 1 CAM decode for 2 or more TV's at the same time.
     

    Arn01805

    Portal Pro
    July 31, 2006
    206
    9
    Breda
    Home Country
    Netherlands Netherlands
    I assume they would want you to buy another decoder for every other television you have in your home. So I assume they won't support 1 CAM decode for 2 or more TV's at the same time.

    Well, as stated in my previous post. There are cams that support simultanious decoding of multiple channels, the technical limitation that we are talking about is that ONE tuner can only tune to ONE transponder at a time. So the tuner will receive all channels that are in the same transponder at the same time. So you can see all the channels at the same time. If you have a cam that can decode 10 simultanious channels, then all 10 channels can be decrypted. So 1 tuner can only tune to 1 frequency that contains multiple channels!

    What would be nice to have, is a dual tuner (I vote for fire/floppy DTV!) with CI slot. with 2 tuners you can tune to 2 different transponders. (same as the samsung (and other brands) that have dual tuner setopboxes with 1 smartcard and 1 cam.

    What I'm unaware of is, takes the decryption (read here: routing of the channelstream) of the channel place within the firedtv box, or is the cam adressed by software, so that the unencrypted transportstream(channel) is send back(after receiving by the PC) to the cam after 'demuxing'.

    I guess it takes place within the box, without sending the channelstream back to the CAM to avoid unnecesairy traffic over the firewire, but i'm not sure about this.

    If this is the case then this is the limitation that a CAM can't be used for 2 different tuners. I still don't see any problem why a dual tuner shouldn't work with 1 CAM in this; only firedtv/floppydtv still don't have dual DVB tuners. To be honest, I never saw one from any brand.

    If the channelstream is send back to the CAM, after received by the PC, to decode the stream I think there should be no technical limitation to use a cam in firedtv(#1) to decode a channel from firedtv(#2). There could be even a market for standalone CAM interfaces that can be attached to a computer to decode DVB channelstreams. I never saw these, but I think softcam and other 'possible' illegal solutions use these technique.

    Still, if any of the above is possible to route 'foreign' streams to the cam, there will be still a limition of what the CAM can do. Some CAMs can do simultanious decoding and some CAMs don't!

    It would be nice if a developer or other technician can tell/explain about the routing of a channelstream and about what can or can't be done what I stated here.

    I'll ask a developer to review this.
     

    gibman

    Retired Team Member
  • Premium Supporter
  • October 4, 2006
    2,998
    1,372
    Aarhus
    Home Country
    Denmark Denmark
    Have u read the wiki on this ?

    http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/TV-Engine_0.3/listofcams?highlight=(cam)

    All dvb devices can only tune one trasponder/mux regardless of FTA or scrambled.

    So the cam limit stuff is only working when the channels in question are located on the same mux.

    U can specify the cam-limit in setuptv in tve3.

    Also I have no fire/floppy DTV cards - so no firsthand experience there.
    Having 2 would be awesome - but also expensive.

    /gibman
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Top Bottom