comcast encrypts everything

[sleeeves]

Well I just found that comcast has encrypted just about all their channels except the locals. Since the WAF was based on those now-encrypted channels, we're going back to the cable box. Great. I guess the HDHomeRun will make a nice door-stop...and the PC might be decent for games... Oh well, SageTV, it was fun while it lasted...

* merged *

[QueOnda]

Have you heard about the HDPVR?

[Brent]

They should not be able to encrypt the local channels....

And as mentioned above, check out the Hauppauge HD-PVR to get all the channels including encrypted ones into your SageTV.

[appelm]

Also, as crazy as it sounds, capturing s-video is not the end of the world. I have two s-video capture cards, an hd-pvr, and an hdhomerun. I watch as much in hi-def as possible but when a tuner is in use, s-video is acceptable (barely).

[mistergq]

I second the HD PVR. Right now I don't have 5.1 on HD PVR because of an issue with the Verizon FIOS box and Hauppauge HD PVR. But other than that, the picture is unbelievable and I am loving it.

Oh, and the WAF with the HD PVR is great. She will miss the other features of the Sage once you get the Comcast DVR.

[Polypro]

QAM and/or ATSC ABC-HD, CBS-HD, FOX-HD, NBC-HD, PBS-HD, CW-HD, NTSC 2-80, S-Video or HD-PVR, your entre music library, videos, pictures, online content, DVD player, DVD backups, commercial skip, on every TV in the house if you so choose...

Really? Your dumping Sage?

P

[sleeeves]

No, I won't be dumping SageTV. It's been more than valuable for all the things Polypro said. It just sucks to have to bend over again for comcast to get TV. The HD-PVR seems pretty cool but still seems to requires the comcast box, and then looks like only one channel recording at a time. That's a blow because I frequently record 3 shows at once. No longer - well maybe 2 with a comcast DVR...

[evilpenguin]

What about those Digital to Analog converts that Comcast is offering in areas where they removed all of the analog channels? Would that help or is all the stuff you want in the Digital Tier?

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/12/03...-gets-unboxed/

[btrcp2000]

Same thing happened with me this past year with Time Warner. I signed up with Dish for one of the all HD packages, and kept TW for everything else. I am paying around $120/mo for everything including reg cable, nonHD digital cable, roadrunner, and Dish HD. Plus I ended up with more tuners, and the ability to tell TW that I am already halfway gone to Dish so let's roll back that recent rate hike.

[farscapesg1]

Yeah, Comcast just keeps ticking me off more and more as they continue to encrypt their QAM channels. At least we still get the local ones.... for now.

As for the HD-PVR I'm having an issue with forking over $200+ to record one channel, in addition to the cost of renting the HD cable box. I frequently record 2 HD channels just from locals at the same time so that would be $400+ 2 HD STBs (monthly charges).

[SWKerr]

Cable is not an option at my house (stops about a mile from my house) but based on my viewing habits I could easily get away with just one HD-PVR on a cable box and an HDHR. HDHR would give you HD two at a time for the unencrypted locals and the HD-PVR could get the rest. I have found it is rare that really want two of the extended channels at once. If I am doing two or three at a time it is usually network stuff and one premium. I have also noticed that most of the cable channels play the same show several times in a night or week so there is still the capability to record it later.

Also: I have DirecTV and they also charge extra for each receiver.

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by SWKerr

Cable is not an option at my house (stops about a mile from my house) but based on my viewing habits I could easily get away with just one HD-PVR on a cable box and an HDHR. HDHR would give you HD two at a time for the unencrypted locals and the HD-PVR could get the rest. I have found it is rare that really want two of the extended channels at once. If I am doing two or three at a time it is usually network stuff and one premium. I have also noticed that most of the cable channels play the same show several times in a night or week so there is still the capability to record it later.

Also: I have DirecTV and they also charge extra for each receiver.

This is key. I have Directv as well, but I only ended up needing one HDPVR. The big majority of the HD we watch comes via the networks and my OTA tuners. You should really look at your recording schedule and determine if you would in fact need more than one HDPVR.

Yes, you would still need a couple of cable boxs, but I think it is only a matter of time before the cable co's force you to use them anyway.

Jesse

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by evilpenguin

What about those Digital to Analog converts that Comcast is offering in areas where they removed all of the analog channels? Would that help or is all the stuff you want in the Digital Tier?

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/12/03...-gets-unboxed/

From what I can gather it's just a really cheap QAM STB for those without QAM TV. Doesn't sound like it gets any encrypted channels. Further you control it with a remote, it doesn't just "convert" digital to analog in the background.

It's basically for those who have pure analog cable but are going to lose that when Comcast (or any other provider) moves all channels (even the basic tier) digital (not Feb 2009 switchover though, that's different). It's basically the digital version of the old analog cable box for non-cable-ready TVs.

[mikejaner]

I agree with Jesse and the others. I myself have Verizon and they are doing the same thing, encrypting all channels but the locals, and music channels. They have done this since the day I signed up, but you are lucky to have had any other channels unencrypted up to this point.
Anyways, if you hook your HDHR's up, you get the Locals, which will still give you the 2+ local station based HD recordings you said you do, and just leave one cable box hooked up to a tuner for the rest of the channels, whether it be an HDPVR, or an Svideo input to a normal card. You should see minimal impact.

[mistergq]

I have my Sage set up that HD Homerun is the first tuners so the network shows are usually taped by HD Homerun. Then I have two cable boxes recording two HD channels. Yeah, I am paying 20 bucks a month to Verizon for those two boxes plus the cost of two HD PVRs, but I am using Sage, I am not limited to Verizon DVR box. And once VideoReDo releases a version that can edit h264 files (which should happen sometime in 2009), I will have all the advantages of the original setup. Maybe I am just lucky, but my wife has no problem with the monthly cost to verizon because she prefers it this way. We do have 1 additional Verizon STB on 1 tv which is a fall back if anything goes wrong, or I have guess use so they don't screw up Sage.

[sleeeves]

It now looks like I'm going to have a dual setup - part SageTV, part comcast DVR - along the lines of what mikejaner and mistergq are talking about. I called comcast and ordered the full monty. I'll be using the comcast DVR for any recordings of extended channels and use SageTV for the locals, along with all its other media center goodness. Eventually, after the shock of having to "go back" to comcast wears off, I may tinker with IR blaster / firewire, etc. to feed the DVR stuff into Sage...

Thanks to all of you for the great input. It's helping to take the edge off an increasing price tag.

[TakeFlight]

Originally Posted by sleeeves

It now looks like I'm going to have a dual setup - part SageTV, part comcast DVR

This is what I've been doing since I went with Comcast digital cable 3 years ago to get HD. Before that I just had basic/extended cable and two analog tuners. Since then I've had a Comcast DVR in the living room along with a SageTV client PC. And second HD box in another room hooked up to another SageTV client for firewire recording via network encoder and a SageTV server in the basement using a HDHR for recording the local digital channels. I generally only used the firewire recording for special things I knew I wanted to keep/archive. Mainly because I didn't want to leave two computers on all the time. So, for recording encrypted channels I used the Comcast DVR and for local digital channels I used Sage. I also still recorded the analog channels below 100 with the two analog tuners. A little over a month ago I switched to FiOS and now I have a FiOS DVR in the living room. I no longer record via firewire because everything is encrypted over firewire (except locals) with FiOS. With Comcast everything was in the clear over firewire except premium channels. I still record with the HDHR and I've since retired the analog tuners. I also just recently added a HD PVR for recording my FiOS HD STB (which I moved from the other room to the basement with my server).

That was a longer post then I was planning but I just wanted to point out that a hybrid model works for me using both a FiOS DVR and SageTV.

[sleeeves]

Originally Posted by TakeFlight

... I just wanted to point out that a hybrid model works for me using both a FiOS DVR and SageTV.

That quite a setup you've got there! I'm picking up two comcast DVR boxes today (who needs one of their "techs" to come out? ) I'll be playing with various ways to set everything up, integrating Sage as much as possible. After cooling off a bit from finding comcast suddenly encrypting all my extended channels, I'm actually getting excited to set all this crap up again. I'm a geek like that, yes.

[TakeFlight]

Originally Posted by sleeeves

That quite a setup you've got there! I'm picking up two comcast DVR boxes today (who needs one of their "techs" to come out? ) I'll be playing with various ways to set everything up, integrating Sage as much as possible. After cooling off a bit from finding comcast suddenly encrypting all my extended channels, I'm actually getting excited to set all this crap up again. I'm a geek like that, yes.

3 years ago when I signed up for digital cable I attempted to get 2 DVRs but at that time they were only allowing (at least in my area) 1 DVR per house! Anyway, their DVR generally is reliable for recording. The only complaint I had (and it was a big one because it got frustrating) was the annoying delays that would happen from time to time when I would push a button on the remote and wait 10 seconds for it to respond. When this would happen, I wasn't sure if it was this problem or it just didn't see my remote control command so then I would push the button again and then when it finally responded it completed all the button pushes in queue. Really annoying! And I know I wasn't the only one with a Comcast DVR that had this problem. Hopefully your DVRs will be a newer rev and not have this issue. My FiOS DVR has been rock solid and no delays at all. Good luck!

[sleeeves]

Well, everything is connected - Comcast DVR (Motorola DCH3416), SageTV, and Xbox 360 - all easily switchable via my Onkyo TX-SR505. Not a bad setup really. Every TV channel with the Comcast DVR; DVD's, videos, music, photos, and more with SageTV; Netflix and games with the 360...