recording Payed scrambled channels

[IKK]

How can I set Sagetv to record payed programs not listes on there guide and that needs to go through the tunner to be descrambled. The way I have my vcr currently setup is. That my Time Warner box has a wire with infered conneted to the vcr and it tells my vcr to record the channel that the tunner is playing at the time. Is this something that Sage can do. Also I will be moving soon and I will be getting Directv. Will this be something I can do with them. For example I want to record techtv on channel 117 how would I go about doing this. Hardware, Software, Cableing.

Thank you.

[Mark Lamutt]

With your cable box, you need an IR transmitter like the Actisys IRT-200L connected to a serial port on your computer to change the channel on your cable box. SageTV controls the transmitter to cause the channel changes, just like your VCR IR transmitter does now. With directv, the IR transmitter works, or if you get a receiver that has serial control, the receiver can be controlled with that as well to change channels. The input source into your capture card is then either svideo or composite in, rather than coax in.

[SHS]

Payed programs have descrambled by the cable box with CableTV, The PVR 250/350 etc, etc TV Tuner dosen't do this.
Depend on DirecTV box you get you only need a Cable and some Software or you get the Actisys ACT IR-200L
Some DirecTV boxs don't have Low Speed Data Port or 9 Pin Sub-D Serial port so beware of that.
Here some use tools for DirecTV
http://www.pcmx.net/dtvcon/

[comprat]

I think it would be handy to have the ability to be able to record/view TV through channel 3. This way you could have such things as a satellite box, VCR, or video game system output through channel 3 and be able to record the output to your computer through the COAX connection. This is how I had it set up using the WinTV2000 program. I know you can often switch between channels 3 or 4 on the device and use channel 4 instead, but it would be nice to be able to use channel 3 as well.

comprat

[IKK]

Yes, it would be nice to be able to set it up that way. People with Cableboxes that have the ability to tell the VCR or in this case Sagetv , could have the cablebox tell sagetv to start recording a set time. That could maybe be put in the next revison. I havent tried SageRecoder yet but from the screen shots I prefer the SageTV layout. It seems more user friendly. For me not an issue but for my wife it is.

[Narflex]

1.3.7RC1 added the ability to configure externally tuned sources on a specific RF channel (i.e. 3 or 4, or whatever). It's in the Setup Wizard. Just select TV Tuner-Constant Channel as the input source and it'll ask you which channel to use. Then you'll have the option to configure an IR transmitter to use with it.

[IKK]

Ok I installed the new beta version 1.3.7RC1. I configured the the wizard to take channel 14 as my constant channel. Now I dont have an IR transmitter but if I were to go to channel 14 does that mean I would se what ever channel is playing on the box. If so it is not working for me all I get is snow.

[IKK]

OK I got it to work on channel 3 when I tried channel 14 it would not work.

[Narflex]

That's because your cable box outputs on channel 3. So that's the channel you'd need to select to make it work.

[IKK]

Boy Never ending. Here is another question. I have Time Warner Cable my cable box could control SageTV through a internal inferad. I am using a wintv 250. What infred code sets SageTv to start recording and end recording. Also how would that file be named. Is this something that would require Sage Recorder.

Thanks again

[Mark Lamutt]

IKK - what IR receiver do you have connected to your PC? About the only way I can think of that you could use your cable box IR transmitter to control a programm on your computer would be to set up Girder to take the IR signals from your box and convert them to Sage commands. It would be a pretty complicated setup. On the other hand, if you let SageTV control your cable box with an IR transmitter, it'd be a much cleaner and easier situation. Tell SageTV what you want to record from the guide, and let it change the box channels whenever it needs to. That way you don't have to set up manual recordings on the cable box.

And yes, you would need SageRecorder to do what you are describing. SageTV isn't meant to be a VCR replacement. SageRecorder could be used as one.