[mythtv-users] Capture card with component video in?

Brad Templeton brad+myth at templetons.com
Sun Jul 2 19:08:19 UTC 2006


On Sun, Jul 02, 2006 at 12:28:43PM -0400, Robert La Ferla wrote:
> > The only one I've ever seen mentioned was somewhere around 3,000 USD,
> > and it seems like the discussion was around whether it would actually
> > be able to capture true HDTV.
> >
> > So, I think that if you actually are planning on capturing from an
> > HDTV you check the following options:
> > * Firewire from your cable box to your mythbox (but only of the
> > unencyrpted channels)
> > * Down converting the video via an S-Video out on your cable box and
> > into something like a PVR-150.
> > * For the few channels that you cannot get unencrypted, give up the
> > ability to "Myth" them and just pipe them directly into your TV.
> >
> > Until the day when hardware manufacturers are able to somehow get
> > component captured (maybe with PCI-e), this is about the extent of
> > what you'll find.
> >
> 
> I would like to interface Dish Network (DBS satellite) to MythTV.   
> I'm running the output to a DLP projector so I want the best possible  
> picture quality (at the source.)
> 

Then you're out of luck.  I don't recall seeing anybody reporting
using MythTV to capture HDTV.   As noted, there are >$1000 capture cards
for HD but are there v4L or other such drivers for them that would
work with Myth?

Now moore's law is going to bring the cost of these capture cards down.
I've talked with people who have been thinking about making them, at least
perhaps to capture 1280x720 or 1280x540 off of DVI (preferred) but they
are not yet on the market.

Even when we get them though, it will be a kludge.  You'll have your
cable or satellite box decode a compressed stream, just so you can capture
it and recompress it (with transcoding artifacts.)   It is a curse
that MythTV currently can't get around.  As an open system it can't support
5C/HDCP, so it can't get legal digital output of the original.

There are web sites that talk about selling satellite boxes modified
(against the wishes of the satellite company, though not necessarily illegally)
to have 1394 output.   That would be your best bet.




More information about the mythtv-users mailing list