Is there a guide out there?

[teddykgb]

Hi All,

Many months ago I had Sage set up to work with my local OTA channels, HD, etc and it worked great. I eventually missed my premium channels though and went with DirecTV. Just recently I switched to comcast due to some signal issues with DirecTV and holy crap is the Comcast solution a piece of crap! The guide and DVR functionality is nowhere near as good as DirecTV, not even close!

This got me to thinking about trying to use Sage with my Comcast signal again, but I don't know where to start. Is there some sort of guide out there? I do have the Hauppauge 2250 dual tuner card that I can put back into my PC.

Will I be able to get the premium channels in HD? I know these are basic questions but I've searched quite a bit this morning and can't find any succinct answers to how to go about this or if it's even possible. Basically I want to replace my Comcast HD DVR with Sage.

Thanks!

Ted

[Slugger]

Most likely your premium HD channels will be encrypted and not available over QAM. Assuming that to be the case, the only way to record those channels in HD is by using an Hauppauge HD-PVR capture device. And the HD-PVR will only work if the STB you have from Comcast has component outputs. If the channels you want to record are available unencrypted via QAM then a digital ATSC tuner would be able to record them in HD (though this is very unlikely to be the case, especially with premium channels such as HBO, etc.). You should be able to record your local OTA stations (CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, PBS, etc.) via QAM, but that's not even a guarantee. And further more, even if you can record it all today via QAM, your cable company can flip the "encryption switch" tomorrow and break everything on you. To ensure you can record in HD, you need a STB from your cable co (or sat provider) with component outputs hooked into an HD-PVR.

[teddykgb]

Thank you for the information. Those HD PVR's are expensive so we'll see.

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by teddykgb

Those HD PVR's are expensive so we'll see.

No arguement there, but keep in mind that it is a one time cost. I bet you are paying a monthly fee for your Comcast DVR. With SageTV and a HD-PVR, you can drop the cable company DVR and the monthly fee. So eventually you will break even, and then even save money by moving to the HD-PVR.

Also, the other advantage to the HD-PVR is that you can use it with any service providers, so if you switch from Comcast to Satellite or someother provider, you don't have to buy new tuners. You simply hook the new STB to the HD-PVR and change the IR blaster codes and channel lineup in SageTV. No lost recordings, etc.

Of course once you get a HD-PVR, you'll probably want a Sage HD Theater extender for playback (rather than using the computer for playback) since it is simply plug and play where as a computer can take lots of tweaks to get playback right. So the expenses could keep piling on! But it is certainly worth it in the long run.

[teddykgb]

Good point on the one time cost. Actually I already have the HD Theater which I use for movies all the time and love. So you're right that would be a good combo.

On a total side note, have you heard anything about Moxi products? I'm curious how they compare to Sage. Obviously you don't need a PC, but that's really all I know.

Thanks!

[teddykgb]

So I'm a little confused here. How does the system change channels to get to different recordings? If the blaster is set to the HD PVR how does it change on the STB? Or does it do both? Do I need to leave the STB on 24/7 then?

Thanks!

[Naylia]

The two options for channel changing are IR or Firewire. All the Comcast cable boxes have firewire, and it's my preferred method of changing channels. I leave my STB on, but there are discussions around here about methods for switching the cable box on. So if you'd like to have it off then that's something to track down.

My personal setup with Comcast is one HD PVR controlling my Comcast STB with firewire, and an HVR2250 connected to a wall outlet. The HVR2250 is dedicated to the HD broadcast channels, leaving my HD PVR free for any of the premium channels.

[Nana Sarah]

I also have a Hauppauge 2250 and Comcast. You will be able to get only unencrypted channels; however, that will include the locals and their HD versions, and depending on which service tier you are buying, things like SciFi, TMC, TBS, USA, TNT, ESPN, CNBC etc, but not their HD versions.

If you are really interested in the premium channels, you need a tuner that takes a "cable card" like you would get from Comcast to go in the back of a TiVo box. What Comcast told me (Pittsburgh area) is that the first cable card is free, and the rental for each additional card is >$3 per month. There are not currently many tuner cards that will accept a cable card, but the Ceton InfiniTV 4 is coming out soon (I hope), takes a cable card, and has four tuners!!
http://www.cetoncorp.com/products.php

Not cheap, but it's on my birthday list.

[teddykgb]

Thank you all for your input. after all was said and done, I ended up going with the Moxi solution. Easier to use (especially for my wife), takes the cablecard and plays my movies over my home network. all in all a very elegant solution. I ended up selling my HD theater on ebay.

[tchapin]

Did you get one of the Moxi extenders as well?

[teddykgb]

Yes I did. It works very well. I am very happy with it.