[mythtv-users] DISH Network HD capture?

[Dan Wilga]

At 10:19 PM -0800 12/6/06, Jon Hamkins wrote:
>Earlier messages on this mailing list indicate that there is not 
>currently a way to capture HDTV content from the output of a DISH 
>Network receiver (ViP211) with MythTV.  Is that correct?  The pcHDTV 
>cards, for example, want an ATSC (RF unencrypted HDTV) signal.  I 
>don't understand why this limitation exists, since the ViP211 has a 
>HDMI audio/video output that connects directly to my HDTV.  This is 
>an unencrypted, high-definition digital audio and visual signal, is 
>it not?

Yes, but it's also an *uncompressed* signal. You need hardware 
capable of processing a huge amount of data per second, which is 
currently very expensive (several thousand dollars.)

If Dish really cared about allowing their users to have their own 
PVR, they would provide a direct means of getting at the compressed 
data stream, like the firewire-enabled cable boxes do. But there's 
really very little financial benefit for them to do this (and, in 
fact, their content providers would likely rather they didn't), so I 
doubt you're going to see it anytime soon.

-- 
Dan Wilga                                                        "Ook."