Recording HDTV (1 Viewer)

[Johnboat]

Can MediaPortal record HDTV from a cable provider?

 

[Johnboat]

bump????

 

[Inker]

Hi,

If you have a HDTV capable cable card and a relatively fast PC then I see no reason why it wouldn't work. I know some people are already using HD with Mediaportal and they seem to be able to record just fine. For "most of us" here in good old Europe HD still lies in the future, so I can't give you a more specific answer.

Try searching on the forum for HDTV you should find some relevant threads there.

Hope this helps
Inker

 

[ziphnor]

I have succesfully recorded 1080i MPEG-2 material, dont know what happens if its MPEG-4.

 

[Johnboat]

Now you have done this with Cable provided HDTV using Media Portal?

I don't care about premium channels, I just care about Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC. Windows Media Center won't unless you use a firewire hack because MCE doesn't support unencrypted QAM. Does Media Portal?

 

[ziphnor]

Now you have done this with Cable provided HDTV using Media Portal?

I don't care about premium channels, I just care about Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC. Windows Media Center won't unless you use a firewire hack because MCE doesn't support unencrypted QAM. Does Media Portal?

It was a recording off Danish TDC digital cable(ie DVB-C). The channel was C More HD. I dont pay for any premium channels, but for some reason i can still see this one channel.

I dont think MP really cares about whether its High Def or not as long as its MPEG-2. I cant answer your last question but i would be surprised if it didnt. Why dont you just try to install MP on your MCE machine? MP can play nice with MCE. It would give you a chance to test it directly.

 

[shuot]

I dont think MP really cares about whether its High Def or not as long as its MPEG-2. I cant answer your last question but i would be surprised if it didnt. Why dont you just try to install MP on your MCE machine? MP can play nice with MCE. It would give you a chance to test it directly.

. . . I think you didn't understood the problem (because it wasn't fully explained).

In North America, the cable operators uses cables-boxes with Firewire (IEEE-1394) output, that allows recording HDTV or SD streams encoded MPEG-2 to external devices. Example of these cable boxes: Scientific-Atlanta 3250HD, Scientific-Atlanta 8300HD. They are quite common.

The provided Firewire output is primarly meant for digital-VHS recorders (DVHS), and in the future, blu-ray recorders (or HD-DVD recorders), but people on internet has developed needed drivers for Windows (meant to be used with MCE, but potentially usable with any application). Some specific application also has support for TV coming from Firewire (MythTV, BeyondTV and Sage TV, I think).

So, in order to be able to record HDTV from cable service in NA, you need:

- A Firewire driver.
- An HTPC software that supports access to devices from Firewire (and typically needs to select proper stream, because Firewire provide MPEG-2 in a TS).

The big question: is Media-Portal allowing to access to HDTV content from an MPEG-2 stream from a Firewire device ?

Bye!

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Firewire input as far as i have ever read on this forum does not exist.

I cannot see any particular reason why it could not be added as an alternative input in the future.

Surprised this feature has never been requested before.(lot of people in NA i believe LOL).

 

[Commodore 64]

I believe the OP is asking about QAM support and the answer is No. MP does not have QAM support, and I don't know of any other front ends that do.

QAM probably won't be widely supported until M$ supports it.

So for now, MP does not support HD content from a cable provider, in the US.

I get my HD programming in MP via an antenna from OTA sources.

 

[sinceRe]

I believe the OP is asking about QAM support and the answer is No. MP does not have QAM support, and I don't know of any other front ends that do.

QAM probably won't be widely supported until M$ supports it.

So for now, MP does not support HD content from a cable provider, in the US.

I get my HD programming in MP via an antenna from OTA sources.

This is correct, there will probably be no support on Windows till M$ supports it. It should be available in Vista.

MyHD supports QAM. It's a great little card, but the software to use it horrible and it does not play well with other media software.

MythTV also supports QAM. I'm a big fan, just wish linux had better graphic driver support.