How can I watch/Record HDTV in MCE

Ok I have been searching for this everywhere and everything is very
vague and this is what i have pieced together

I have a MCE2005 and an HDTV. I want to upgrade from standard analog
cable to comcast digital cable. I want to get HD stations, and then I
need comcast's STB. I want to be able to use digital cable and HD in
the same way that I use analoge cable with MCE now. I've heard that I
can connect the Motorola 62xx to my MCE via Firewire, using a program
called firestb, and use the nice MCE interface just as I have been
using it with analog cable (guide, scheduled tv, recorded tv, etc.).
There are a few things that arent clear however

1. Using this method, i could only record digital cable stations and
unecrypted TV, not encrypted HD such as ESPNHD and HBO. Will Vista fix
that problem and let me record the stations that I pay for?

2. If I get an ATI X1600, which says it is HDCP-ready, does that mean
in conjunction with Vista I will be able to record those encrypted
stations?

3. If no to the above, if I get a capture card with component-in, and
the Motorola has component out, could I connect the decrypted signal
from the STB directly to the PC, and then record whatever I want with
MCE? How would anyone know that the STB is connected through the pc
instead of direct to the TV? Then I would control the box with firestb.

4. If I got a capture card with QAM input, could I interface with MCE
direct without a STB for $7/mo? And could Vista+ATI HDCP decode the
encrypted channels for me? I AM NOT buying a new pc for cable card DRM
infested garbage.

I've seen similar questions posted all over the internet but I have
heard so many mixed awnswers. More than anything else i am SICK and
TIRED of the MP** treating me like a criminal and deciding what I can
do with the content that I PAY FOR. Any help would be greatly
appreciated...

wrote:
Ok I have been searching for this everywhere and everything is very
vague and this is what i have pieced together

I have a MCE2005 and an HDTV. I want to upgrade from standard analog
cable to comcast digital cable. I want to get HD stations, and then I
need comcast's STB. I want to be able to use digital cable and HD in
the same way that I use analoge cable with MCE now. I've heard that I
can connect the Motorola 62xx to my MCE via Firewire, using a program
called firestb, and use the nice MCE interface just as I have been
using it with analog cable (guide, scheduled tv, recorded tv, etc.).
There are a few things that arent clear however

1. Using this method, i could only record digital cable stations and
unecrypted TV, not encrypted HD such as ESPNHD and HBO. Will Vista fix
that problem and let me record the stations that I pay for?

2. If I get an ATI X1600, which says it is HDCP-ready, does that mean
in conjunction with Vista I will be able to record those encrypted
stations?

3. If no to the above, if I get a capture card with component-in, and
the Motorola has component out, could I connect the decrypted signal
from the STB directly to the PC, and then record whatever I want with
MCE? How would anyone know that the STB is connected through the pc
instead of direct to the TV? Then I would control the box with firestb.

4. If I got a capture card with QAM input, could I interface with MCE
direct without a STB for $7/mo? And could Vista+ATI HDCP decode the
encrypted channels for me? I AM NOT buying a new pc for cable card DRM
infested garbage.

I've seen similar questions posted all over the internet but I have
heard so many mixed awnswers. More than anything else i am SICK and
TIRED of the MP** treating me like a criminal and deciding what I can
do with the content that I PAY FOR. Any help would be greatly
appreciated...


Here's my experience:

I found enough instructions here to get me going, even though through
trial and error I discovered that some of the instructions did not apply
to my setup:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post3818890

My set top box has an IEEE 1394 (Firewire) output socket. So I bought a
cable off the internet to connect the set top box to my computer's IEEE
1394 socket.

As soon as I connected the cable, WinXP recognized a new device was
attached, and as I recall, installing the drivers for the set top box
was a snap. Don't really remember where WinXP found the drivers. I
think I just told WinXP to search for drivers and it found them
automatically.

I installed the CapDVHS application on my computer to capture the IEEE
1394 video signal from my set top box. Got it off the internet. With
the drivers installed as described above, CapDVHS listed my set top box
by name as a video source device. Very easy.

Via IEEE 1394 my set top box outputs whatever channel it's tuned to --
high definition included. Nothing is scrambled, so far, anyway. My
subscription includes all the HD services, including HBO, Showtime,
Starz, ESPN, etc. I get 'em all.

When I want to record a HD movie on my hard drive, I just start CapDVHS
and it grabs whatever is coming out of the set top box. It doesn't
provide a video display of what it's capturing -- the only indication
that it's working is the frame counter.

When I'm done, I have a new transport stream (.ts) file on my hard
drive. VLC Media Player will play these files, but I have found I get
better results if I pass the .ts files through VideoReDo to turn them
into .mpg files. Takes only a minute, and the results are outstanding.
The .mpg files will play in Windows Media Player or any video file
player that I have on my computer, and they look great. I assume
Windows Media Center Edition would open and play them too.

I have a Panasonic plasma screen that has a computer monitor input. So
I send captured HD video from the computer to the plasma screen TV and I
send the sound from the computer to my stereo system under the TV.
Works great.

A caution though: HD captures make very large files. My captured copy
of 2001: A Space Odyssey, for example, takes up almost 19 gigabytes on
my hard drive. I bought a second 500 gigabyte drive just this past week
to use for storage. Others have recommended purchasing external
removable hard drives for storage. I may need to resort to that some day.

As for your questions:

1) I don't have an encryption problem. But I'm pretty confident that
Vista won't have a built-in feature that defeats encryption.

2) I have an ATI All-in-Wonder 9600XT and an ATI HDTV Wonder in my
computer. I use neither of them for recording HD. I could use the HDTV
Wonder for recording over the air broadcasts, but that's too much
trouble, considering I can get anything I want via IEEE 1394 FireWire.

3) Again -- I don't capture HD with a video capture card. I use
FireWire and CapDVHS. Maybe you could find a capture card that would
take HD component input. But I think my way is easy enough and it works
great for me.

4) I'm afraid I don't fully understand what you're asking, but it sounds
more complicated than necessary. Still, I'm pretty sure nothing in
unaltered Vista will help you defeat a scrambled video signal.

Of course I understand that if the FireWire output from your set top box
turns out to be scrambled on certain channels, then little of what I've
told you will be useful. Like I said -- this is just my experience.

--
Bill Anderson

I am the Mighty Favog

"Bill Anderson" wrote in message
...

2) I have an ATI All-in-Wonder 9600XT and an ATI HDTV Wonder in my
computer. I use neither of them for recording HD. I could use the HDTV
Wonder for recording over the air broadcasts, but that's too much
trouble, considering I can get anything I want via IEEE 1394 FireWire.

--
Bill Anderson

You can do exactly what you say your doing with 1394 on the HDTV Wonder
using WatchHDTV. Don't see how it could be too much trouble unless you don't
have a working antenna.

T Shadow wrote:
"Bill Anderson" wrote in message
...
2) I have an ATI All-in-Wonder 9600XT and an ATI HDTV Wonder in my
computer. I use neither of them for recording HD. I could use the HDTV
Wonder for recording over the air broadcasts, but that's too much
trouble, considering I can get anything I want via IEEE 1394 FireWire.

--
Bill Anderson

You can do exactly what you say your doing with 1394 on the HDTV Wonder
using WatchHDTV. Don't see how it could be too much trouble unless you don't
have a working antenna.



I live in a downtown area in a condo with a northern exposure directly
toward a big concrete building. Any OTA signal I get is weak at best
and intermittent always. Plus I can't get HBO, Showtime, Starz,
Cinemax, etc. etc. over the air. Clearer now?

--
Bill Anderson

I am the Mighty Favog

On 30 Dec 2006 06:58:53 -0800, wrote:

Ok I have been searching for this everywhere and everything is very
vague and this is what i have pieced together

I have a MCE2005 and an HDTV. I want to upgrade from standard analog
cable to comcast digital cable. I want to get HD stations, and then I
need comcast's STB. I want to be able to use digital cable and HD in
the same way that I use analoge cable with MCE now. I've heard that I
can connect the Motorola 62xx to my MCE via Firewire, using a program
called firestb, and use the nice MCE interface just as I have been
using it with analog cable (guide, scheduled tv, recorded tv, etc.).
There are a few things that arent clear however

1. Using this method, i could only record digital cable stations and
unecrypted TV, not encrypted HD such as ESPNHD and HBO. Will Vista fix
that problem and let me record the stations that I pay for?

Probably the opposite. Vista is very heavy on DRM.


2. If I get an ATI X1600, which says it is HDCP-ready, does that mean
in conjunction with Vista I will be able to record those encrypted
stations?

Bill did a pretty good job with the other stuff so I'll take the
Vista. Vista has a lot of Digital Rights management or DRM built in
that will most likely make it tougher to get around than with XP.
Tough enough that I have decided to stay with XP Pro.

Vista also has a built in system that requires (Hope I get this
straight) authenticated hardware and soft ware. If it finds something
it doesn't like it has a built in kill switch and will quite working.
This has been a very controversial issue that has stirred up a "fire
storm" in the trade journals. Much accurate information has been
difficult to obtain so "I think" I have it right. Right now it's
keeping a lot of power users away. Hopefully when the dust settles
they will get the kinks out, abandom the rigid DRM and it'll become a
useful OS.


3. If no to the above, if I get a capture card with component-in, and
the Motorola has component out, could I connect the decrypted signal
from the STB directly to the PC, and then record whatever I want with
MCE? How would anyone know that the STB is connected through the pc
instead of direct to the TV? Then I would control the box with firestb.

My 622 (Dish Netowrk dual tuner DVR) knows what I plug into it "on
some ports". It's supposed to work with my computer through the USB
ports but I haven't gotten that far yet, nor have I heard from any one
who has. There is also an RJ-45 (network?) connector on the back of
the 622. It has HDMI, Component, S-Video, and NTSC outputs. I'm not
sure if it only enables the HDMI, Component, and S-Video at the same
time. I have a connector box for the computer that fits the S-Video
input to my video card that simply runs the component lines out the
S-video connector. So it's not quite HDMI but that will work.


4. If I got a capture card with QAM input, could I interface with MCE
direct without a STB for $7/mo? And could Vista+ATI HDCP decode the
encrypted channels for me? I AM NOT buying a new pc for cable card DRM
infested garbage.

I've seen similar questions posted all over the internet but I have
heard so many mixed awnswers. More than anything else i am SICK and
TIRED of the MP** treating me like a criminal and deciding what I can
do with the content that I PAY FOR. Any help would be greatly
appreciated...
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Ok thanks

Alot of the information on this is very sketchy and the best way is to
experiment I guess?

Does anyone know if it is possible, on Comcast Digital cable, to ditch
the $7/mo set box and plug the digital cable directly into a card such
as the FusionHDTV or MyHd and still get the same (unencrypted)
channels? Or does comcast encrypt them and the set top box descrambles
them?