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Digital cable PVR?


Brantr

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I just got Media Center 2005 and I am new to it. I have a wintv usb tuner and I am not sure if it is compatable. If I have to get a new tuner that is fine, but how do you configure your cable set top box to work with the pvr. For example, If I have a tuner card and want to record a movie on channel 400, how does it know to record that channel? It seems to me you would have to manually set the channel on the set top to get it to work which voids the whole point of the PVR. I could obviously do the non digital channels with no trouble.

Sorry for being dumb about this.

Thanks

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Ok i don't have Digital nor do i have cable

but this is how i do it using good school antena which works:

1: ok open up WinFast PVR

2: click on configuration (its the button that kinda looks liek a spaner just to the left of the + and -

3: then when the next window opens click on the third tab

4: choose your area (USA i assume)

5: then where it says tv source leave it as cable

6: click the auto fine tune button

7: click scan channels

it will then hopefully add 73 stations (if theres more than this i have no idea what to do)

if you want to get really fussy

double click on the station in the right pane this should show u the station just above the scan channels button

then rigth click on the channel go to edit channel and change it to the correct name instead of being channel 1 takes

hope this helps

Mentalinc

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@mentalindustrie that's how it works for ANALOG cable, not digital!

@Brantr: don't quote me on this, but I believe your tv tuner isn't compatible.

As for changing the channels, your MCE remote's base/reeceiver has a IR blaster. You connect the output of your set top box to your capture card (thru s-video or else composite)

It just sucks having digital content delivered to your house thru cable or satellite, and having to degrade quality a LOT by making it analog and back to digital again, and to add insult to injury - needing an overpriced tv tuner to capture the crappy 480i stuff in low quality. I've given up on that a while ago, just not worth your time. MCE has a lot of issues, and limitations and annoyances (and so does all the other PVRs). Your best bet would be getting either a cable or satellite digital box which is also a PVR (if your provider offers it) by far imho. At least it captures digitally (NO quality loss at all, much unlike analog capturing), doesn't BSOD (no need to tell your family - "just a sec, gotta reboot the tv!"), nothing to setup, no need for IR blasters or any of that BS - it just works and does it well.

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  • 1 month later...

I know this is an old topic, but I just found it.

Best thing you can do is ditch MCE. Go to www.htpcnews.com and look through the forums there. They do the same thing for computer based PVR software/hardware that MSFN does for windows... i.e. user base devoted to helping others become familiar with and setting up different types of PVR arrangements.

Personally, I use SageTV 2.1. It will work with your WinTV USB and, through the use of a program called Girder and an IR flasher, will allow you to control the channel switching of your Digital Cable box.

SageTV is about $70. There are other programs out there like BeyondTV and, recently, Meedio (which is a new, commercial version of a freeware PVR that open-sourch ppl have been working on for a couple of years). SageTV utilizes a completely free scheduling database that lets you enter your city and state, along with your cable provider, and download a continuously updated program list. You can select programs to record, of course, as well as all the other nifty PVR functions like skipping commercials, pausing live tv, rewinding live tv, etc. etc.

There is as much variety to PVR software alternatives to MCE and TiVo as there are many ways to create a windows unattended CD. Go to that web site, look around, and if you have any other questions, ask here or post there. Someone's sure to help.

P.S. I really enjoy my SageTV, but the best thing it has going for it is that even my wife loves it! The WAF (wife approval factor) is REALLY important when you're setting up a HTPC! ;)

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