Total Newbie here

[Bandit]

Ok, I've been searching on this topic for days and I just cant get all the information I need in a brief answer on one page. Hopefully someone here can answer my few questions:

I have Comcast Digital Cable which of course has premium channels and PPV channels.

1. After setup, SageTV with the use of an IR Blaster will be able to control changing channels on the Comcast Digital Cable Box(General Instruments) without any interaction on my part?

2. SageTV will know to tune internal Tuner to channel 3 and then automatically change channel on cable box?

3. If answer to #1 and #2 is yes, what Tuner card and IR Blaster is recommended to use with SageTV?

Thats really it, I just want to me able to use my other very powerful PC as a multimedia PC and PVR. However, I want to be able to tune to all the Digital Cable channels without needing to manually put TV Tuner on channel 3 and then picking up cable box remote.

Thanks in advance for any help you give!

[justme]

I'm just a user as well but, I can answer some of you questions.

1)Yes

2)I pretty sure the newest release allows this. Though I have not personally tested it.

3a)As for TV tuner/capture card get either a Hauppauge PVR250 or PVR350. These are currently the two most popular cards according to a recent user poll. The PVR350 has both hardware encoding and decoding, but is more expensive. The 250 is basically a 350 without the hardware decoding and accompaning output jacks. I personally use the PVR250 for capture/encoding and use my videocard's SVHS output to connect to my TV.

3b)Frey sells the Actisys IR-200L at their online store. Frey offers a nice bundle that has both SageTV and the PVR250. So you could do one stop shopping.

SageTv really is a great product. Best of luck

[dkardatzke]

Bandit,

I would recommend using either the S-video or composite connection from your Cable Box. Then you wont' have to worry about the channel 3 tunner issue (although we do support it).

[Bandit]

Thanks for the great answers!

dkardatzke - only connections on back of my cable box are coax.

[Bandit]

I stand corrected, there are RCA outs on bac of cable box.

So the IR Blaster works well with General Instrument cable boxes? Or is there a site I can check for compatability?

Thanks again

[justme]

I am sure it would. I had an IrTrans(different device) and it worked great with my GI cable box. There was another thread on this site about IR blasters, and in that thread Dan(dkardatzke)
posted a picture of his setup. I could not read the name on his box but it looked just like my GI cable box. I can't imagine the software not working with a cable box owned by the one of the software's makers.

[Bandit]

Sweet, thats definately the same GI I have...looks like I have to place an order, hehe.

[Bandit]

Well, I placed my order

I was deciding between a couple different applications and decided on Sage due to the active discussion in these forums and the quick answers I got to my questions. Thanks alot to those that answered me.

After the order, I loved the amount of emails I got as well. My IR Blaster has shipped so just waiting on it and the 250 card and I'll be up and running, after I ask a bunch more questions in here I'm sure.

Thanks again for making my decision easier!