PVR350 TV Out and DVD's?

[RobDMB]

I'm considering getting a pvr 350 since I am now planning on using sage to play through my tv and understand the 350 would let me do this while taking a load of the cpu, but I am wondering if I could play dvd's through the tv out as well or if those are blocked because they are encrypted. Would it be possible to view dvds on the tv on the pvr 350 or would I need to stick to the svid out of my graphics card. Thanks, Rob

[redman]

The simple answer is no.
The PVR-350 will only pass out the OSD and TV itself.
Evem playing mp3 will not come out of the PVR-350.
If you want to play DVD's or MP3's or anthing else like a web browser you need a seperate output from your board.

[RobDMB]

Is there any kind of decently priced card I could purchase that would allow me to output video both in the form of sagetv and also output dvd video without taxing my cpu (built in decoder)?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by RobDMB

Is there any kind of decently priced card I could purchase that would allow me to output video both in the form of sagetv and also output dvd video without taxing my cpu (built in decoder)?

Yes: Sigma Designs Xcard. It is a hardware decoder. The downside with the Xcard is that you don't get the SageTV UI output through it onto your TV. I use one & have a nearby monitor where I view the UI. All video goes to the TV. Oh -- and DVD playback won't work in SageTV with it; I just use the software that comes with it for DVD playback.

- Andy

[McTurok]

Is this really true about the 350 OSD????
I have a 250 in my Sage PC right now and I can play DVD's and Mp3's great.

I really wanted to add a 350 so I could have better PQ going to my TV but
now you are saying that I would no longer be able to watch DVD's from within
Sage??? I am using Sage for everything and no other software at all.

Please advise me.
Thanks,
Chris

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by McTurok

Is this really true about the 350 OSD????
I have a 250 in my Sage PC right now and I can play DVD's and Mp3's great.

I really wanted to add a 350 so I could have better PQ going to my TV but
now you are saying that I would no longer be able to watch DVD's from within
Sage??? I am using Sage for everything and no other software at all.

If you were to add a 350 & used its TV-out functionality to view recordings, you would not be able to watch DVDs through the 350. (Unless someone has a way to rip/decrypt the DVD to your hard drive & play it that way.) You can, however, continue to play DVDs through your video card. The 250 has nothing to do with output since it is only an encoder and not a decoder.

- Andy

[McTurok]

Originally Posted by Opus4

If you were to add a 350 & used its TV-out functionality to view recordings, you would not be able to watch DVDs through the 350. (Unless someone has a way to rip/decrypt the DVD to your hard drive & play it that way.) You can, however, continue to play DVDs through your video card. The 250 has nothing to do with output since it is only an encoder and not a decoder.

- Andy

I was looking at using the 350 for doing everything and not wanting to deal with another hook-up to my TV via the video card I'm using. I've seen a lot of threads about the 350, do you know if they are going to add support for using more features via the 350 & Sage UI then just the recordings? What is the main issue here causing this situation?

PS - I do have a few DVD on my HD, but I don't really want to to use the Geforce 5200 Videocard to display my DVD. I just don't like the color. I'm sure the 350 issue is bigger then I understand it right now. I guess I'll have to do some digging in the forums to learn more.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by McTurok

What is the main issue here causing this situation?

The fact that the 350 is only capable of decoding non-encrypted mpeg2 files. It is a hardware limitation on the card.

- Andy

[McTurok]

Originally Posted by Opus4

The fact that the 350 is only capable of decoding non-encrypted mpeg2 files. It is a hardware limitation on the card.

- Andy

Ahhhhh, such a simple answer. Thanks so much!