[mythtv-users] Myth and DTV Converter Box

[Brad DerManouelian]

On Oct 7, 2008, at 9:19 PM, Jesse Michelsen wrote:

> So I am a real cheap guy and don't really want to pay for cable or
> satellite TV when there are enough perfectly good TV shows coming over
> the waves free. I got my free coupons for DTV converter boxes from the
> government so I can keep watching free TV until my wife finally says  
> "I
> WANT REAL CHANNELS"
> Well my question here is this. Has anyone had success running mythtv
> with DTV + antenna as the input? I am having trouble here, heres how  
> its
> set up.
> The DTV box:
> has antenna in (coax)
> coax out
> AV out
>
> normally the antenna would come in, and coax or av would go out to a  
> TV
> tuned to channel 3 or 4, whatever the dtv box was set to. The channels
> then have to be changed via the dtv remote, the TV staying on ch3/4
>
> tvtime is the same way, tune to ch3/4 and dtv+antenna come in fine and
> channels are changed on the dtv
>
> with mythtv I figure it would work the same way but then I wouldn't
> really be able to record anything in the normal fashion. I could set
> myth to record channel 3 and change the channel on the dtv to the  
> show I
> wanted to record but that isn't quite the setup one would want and  
> even
> that I am having trouble with. This is my first PC-TV setup ever and  
> its
> been quite a painful journey but I think it will be worth it in the  
> end.
> Until then, does anyone have any ideas? I have searched all over the  
> net
> but its kinda weird and unique setup I think and I haven't found any  
> info.
> sorry so lengthy

You have two choices for (strictly) over the air programming. The  
first one is exactly like you thought it would work:
1. Use your converter box and current analog capture device. Tell myth  
to tune the analog capture card to channel 3 and tell mythtv to change  
the channel on the DTV box. This will require an IR blaster to send  
the correct commands to the DTV box. This is assuming you have a DTV  
box with known remote control that lirc can control.

2. Replace your analog capture card with a digital one and let mythtv  
tune the card to the correct channel. I only have expensive digital  
capture cards ($129 for my pcHDTV-5500 and $170 for an HDHomeRun with  
2 tuners), so I don't know how well the cheaper ones work but I know  
there are cheaper ones.

-Brad