[mythtv-users] Advice Needed: Best Solution for Bell 9241, HD PVR --> MythTV?

[Mark]

On 12/05/2010 07:59 PM, Martin Lynch wrote:
>> On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 11:38 AM, Martin Lynch 
>> <martin.lynch.toronto at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >  Have been using MythTV for about four years, and love it. I recently
>>> >  switched from Rogers to Bell here in Toronto. Previously, I had a firewire
>>> >  connection between the Rogers STB and my MythTV box, which worked fairly
>>> >  well (except for the many 5C encrypted channels). The new Bell 9241 HD PVR
>>> >  STB does not have a firewire output (unlike in the US, there is no mandate
>>> >  in Canada that providers must include a functioning firewire port). So I've
>>> >  begun some research on how to get my beloved MythTV working with the new
>>> >  box. What seems to be the most common solution I'm coming across is to
>>> >  connect the STB to a Hauppage HD PVR 1212 via component cables. I assume
>>> >  (but am not certain) that the 1212 then connects via USB to the MythTV box.
>>> >
>>> >  Is this considered the best approach?
>>>      
>> That seems to be the current best practice if your channels are
>> encrypted. Of course if they are unencrypted you could use a DVB-S (S
>> for satellite) card to record them.
>>
>> With the HDPVR you are restricted to recording one channel per STB/HDPVR combo.
>>
>>    
>>> >  Are there viable alternatives (I
>>> >  assume any alternative will ultimately need to use component cables from the
>>> >  STB - correct? Or are there HDMI solutions? I did some reading on the HD
>>> >  Fury, but that just seems to me to be a way to turn an HDMI signal into a
>>> >  component signal to subsequently feed an additional unit (like the 1212) in
>>> >  the chain - correct?)?
>>>      
>> Yes but what it comes down to in the end is getting a component feed
>> to the hdpvr, if your stb only has hdmi out you will be forced to use
>> a HDFury, but if it has component out there is no need to get a Fury.
>>
>>    
>>> >   From what I've read of the HD PVR 1212, I'll likely
>>> >  want to/have to upgrade my graphics card to one with VDPAU, so I'm currently
>>> >  looking at ~$200 for the 1212 and another ~$100 for something like an NVidia
>>> >  8600.
>>> >
>>>      
>> Go for a 220 if you can.
>>
>>    
>>> >  Some additional questions: I currently have a Hauppage PVR-350, which I used
>>> >  as a second tuner for SD programming. Am I correct in assuming I cannot use
>>> >  the coaxial output from the Bell STB, nor the wall coax out, as an input for
>>> >  the PVR-350?
>>>      
>> If the STB has composite or s-video out you could feed the PVR350 with
>> it, but you will only get SD resolution because thats all
>> s-video/composite will do and that's all the PVR350 will do.
>>
>>    
>>> >I should clarify that the Bell system uses a satellite dish on
>>> >  the top of my building tower to feed individual units (the building is also
>>> >  wired for IPTV/Fibre TV, however because of an administrative issue, only
>>> >  random units in the building can actually sign up for IPTV). Also, strictly
>>> >  out of curiosity, why can't a coaxial cable be used for HDTV?
>>>      
>> Because you are confusing the digital signal that comes from the
>> satellite (or cable company)  and the analogue signal that you need to
>> record.
>>
>>    
>>> >The HDTV
>>> >  signal, after all, gets to the STB via coaxial. Or is it the case that it
>>> >  could carry HDTV signals but it has intentionally been disabled? OK, one
>>> >  last one: the Bell 9241 has two tuners, however I can't seem to think of a
>>> >  way to use both tuners in MythTV, as it seems there's only one output signal
>>> >  (ie the second tuner can record while the first is also recording or
>>> >  watching live TV, but only one output can be selected at any one time). Are
>>> >  there any workarounds? Or, presuming the PVR-350 can't work with this
>>> >  STB/coax signal, in order to get two tuners, would I need to have two STBs
>>> >  connected to two HD-PVR 1212s?
>>>      
>> yes see above.
>>
>>    
> Many thanks, Nick - exactly what I was looking for!
> -- 
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Martin
>
>
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How are you going to change channels on the Bell box?  I use firewire 
for that one a Shaw box in West Canada and it works well, though I have 
been thinking about going with Bell too.
Are  you going IRBlaster to change channels?


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