HDPVR --- CableCARD

[Merc1032]

Hey guys!

First a many thanks to all of you who have cleared everything htpc up for me and given hardware/build suggestions. Im going to be going the route of building a new 7 based htpc to do everything I have wanted to do.

I plan on purchasing most of the stuff in the next couple of days, and I just have one last thing Im not 100% sure of. The ATI CableCard tuner..the "TV Wonder" ..not the normal one but the one that accepts the cablecard, is that supported by sage or only through a recent developed plugin that somehow works with the media center that comes with 7?

If thats a realistic option, and could let me rent a cablecard for the 2-3 dollars a month on the cablevision website and not need another box, and it still allows true HD recording/playing like the hdpvr I would most likely go that route.

Or the

If not, HDPVR is the way I will be going I think. I only ask because in the list of supported drivers it says ATI Tv wonder, but ATI names alot of theirs "TV Wonder"..so I just want to confirm.

[Djc208]

No, Sage doesn't support cable-card tuners. Not sure if they'll be able to either due to the DRM required to handle those recordings, and even at that you would probably loose some of the flexability with those recordings that Sage allows (like I doubt an HD-200 or placeshifter would be able to play them back).

[Clift]

Originally Posted by Merc1032

Hey guys!

First a many thanks to all of you who have cleared everything htpc up for me and given hardware/build suggestions. Im going to be going the route of building a new 7 based htpc to do everything I have wanted to do.

I plan on purchasing most of the stuff in the next couple of days, and I just have one last thing Im not 100% sure of. The ATI CableCard tuner..the "TV Wonder" ..not the normal one but the one that accepts the cablecard, is that supported by sage or only through a recent developed plugin that somehow works with the media center that comes with 7?

If thats a realistic option, and could let me rent a cablecard for the 2-3 dollars a month on the cablevision website and not need another box, and it still allows true HD recording/playing like the hdpvr I would most likely go that route.

Or the

If not, HDPVR is the way I will be going I think. I only ask because in the list of supported drivers it says ATI Tv wonder, but ATI names alot of theirs "TV Wonder"..so I just want to confirm.

The SageMCTuner by babgvant (http://babgvant.com/blogs/andyvt/arc...l-release.aspx) will let you record your channels that are NOT DRM'ed. the only problem is that it is (next to) impossible to know which channels are and aren't flagged as "copy once" by your cable company. And even if you could, they can and do change their policies. Also, the "copy once" flag can be set on a show by show basis. So if you get a cableCARD tuner you may find that you can't record and watch a lot of channels. Likewise, you may get lucky. The best way to know is to check out the TiVO forums and ask about your area and cable provider and see what their experience is with CableCARD and Multi Room Viewing (MRV). OR you can just get the HD PVR and avoid all that mess to begin with. But the HD PVR has it's own set of issues/caveats. As far as the ATi "TV Wonder", yes ATi calls their tuners TV Wonder, but for the cableCARD tuner, it's called "ATI TV Wonder™ Digital Cable Tuner" (http://www.amd.com/us/products/pctv/...ble-tuner.aspx). But you're really better off waiting for the Ceton tuner (http://www.cetoncorp.com/) if you want to go CableCARD, because it has 4 tuners with one M-Card versus 1 tuner per card with the ATI. Though I wouldn't advise going cableCARD just yet until you either know what your provider sends as "copy once" and/or until you give the SageMCTuner a chance to mature. Also, Silicondust is working on a networked CableCARD tuner (http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/h...tuner-for-249/)

[Merc1032]

Fair enough!

Ill go with the HDDVR, and get everything up and running.

If the new card comes out, and down the line works awesome with sage, either with a plugin or a new version of sage itself, ill consider making a switch. In the mean time my choice has been made.

Thanks,

Joe