Dish Network 322 and SageTV Help

[squeed]

What type of additional hardware would I need to be able to use SageTV's guide instead of my Dish Network guide ? I'm trying to use SageTV as a TIVO alternative but I don't know how to pump my DN box through my computer, what type of additional hardware do I need ?

-S

[stanger89]

Basically you need a TV "tuner" (really all you need is a card with S/Video and a hardware encoder, but pretty much all those are "tuners") and an IR blaster.

[squeed]

I have a skystar 2 DVB-S card. Does that count as a tuner ?

-S

[stanger89]

If it's got S/Video or composite, you might be able to make it work with some effort. But it doesn't have a hardware video encoder so it's not recommened. You really want something like a Hauppauge PVR or HVR card, one with a hardware MPEG encoder.

[Fuzzy]

For a single STB, you should be able to get by with a Hauppauge PVR-250... A PVR-500 would add a second device on the same card, and not cost a lot more. Then, get a second Dish box, and you'll have two tuners available to record from.

[squeed]

What function would the Hauppauge PVR-250 perform ? I'm thinking that I need to pump the output of the actual Dish Network box through my PC so that SageTV can record stuff, so does the signal go through the Hauppauge PVR-250 and you are basically not using 50% of what the card can do ?

-S

[stanger89]

The PVR 250 (or whatever card you get) digitizes the analog S/Video or Composite + Audio from your 322, then compresses it into an MPEG-2 program stream via the encoder on the card, which SageTV saves to the HDD.

True, you're not using the tuner, but the tuner is IMO, only about 10% of what the card does.

The 250 surves the same function as your Skystar. The difference is your Skystar pulls the unencrypted transport stream off a Satellite broadcast, where as with Dish, the 322 is doing that part, decoding it, outputting it as an analog signal, so you need a something more like the PVR250 which is built to handle analog signals and convert them back to a digital program stream.

[squeed]

Great answer. Now I totally get it. Now if I can only figure out if HDMI transmits both audio and video, I may be able to figure this thing out !

-S

[squeed]

Is the PVR-150 better than the PVR-250? It seems like you need to buy an a adapter for the 250 to get composite video and audio ?

-S

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by squeed

Great answer. Now I totally get it. Now if I can only figure out if HDMI transmits both audio and video, I may be able to figure this thing out !

-S

I'm not aware of any tuner card that accepts HDMI. So you probably won't use that output on the STB at all. You would want to use the composite or S-video output.

If you subscribe to HD and want to record the HD channels, you should look at the Hauppauge HD-PVR. It accepts the component signals from your STB and records it. Using component video will allow you to record full HD quality. While using composite or S-Video will only allow you to record SD quality.

In either scenerio, your STB strips out the encryption that is in the signal from the satellite provider. Then you output the signal and use one of the mentioned tuner cards to record the signal. Most people wouldn't even have the STB hooked up to a TV. You'll use Sage to record the shows, and some sort of Sage player (extender, placeshifter, client, etc) to view them as well.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by squeed

Great answer. Now I totally get it. Now if I can only figure out if HDMI transmits both audio and video, I may be able to figure this thing out !

-S

HDMI can carry audio, yes. But it's basically unrecordable.

Originally Posted by squeed

Is the PVR-150 better than the PVR-250? It seems like you need to buy an a adapter for the 250 to get composite video and audio ?

-S

The 150 is a bit newer, that's the main difference. And you don't want to use Composite, if possible you should use S/Video.

[squeed]

I thought S-Video was really bad vs. Composite ? Also, looking at the 150 it doesn't seem to have a port for an IR blaster to control the Dish Box ?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by squeed

I thought S-Video was really bad vs. Composite ?

Composite is the worst connection save RF. Video takes 3 signals to reproduce everything, usually brightness (Y), and two color signals (usually red and blue difference). Composite crams all that on one conductor. S/Video is better as it keeps Y and C (the two color signals) on separate conductors. Of course component is best giving each signal it's own conductor/cable.

Also, looking at the 150 it doesn't seem to have a port for an IR blaster to control the Dish Box ?

I use a USB-UIRT, but I think the 150 MCE comes with a blaster, though I'm not sure how that works with Sage.

[sic0048]

Don't confuse composite with component. In terms of picture quality from worst to best: Worst = composite, Better = S-Video (best SD option available), Even Better = component (can handle HD quality resolutions), Best = HDMI (for picture, HMDI has it's own issues).

[squeed]

Is composite the yellow plug and component the 3 plugs that look like the yellow plug but are R G and B ?

-S

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by squeed

Is composite the yellow plug and component the 3 plugs that look like the yellow plug but are R G and B ?

Yes.