DirecTV STB --> SVideo + AC3 --> Graphedit --> Network Encoder --> Sage (??)

[FLFireman]

I am seriously considering Sage as my HTPC PVR solution, but if someone could clarify the following I'd appreciate it. I have spent a few weeks now perusing the forums here as well as Doom9, SHS, and AVSForum for the answers I'm looking for, but can't find any posts that specifically spell it out... and I want to do it the best way from the beginning.

I want to record from an RCA DirecTV box that has svideo-out and AC3-optical-out (as well as RCA-stereo-out). It also has the low-speed data port on it. I won't be utilizing any tuner on whatever capture card I end up with... just changing the channels on the STB using a serial cable.

The HTPC is a hyperthreaded 3.0GHz P4 w/ 250MB SATA HD, with onboard sound & video (for now, until I decide on an AGP video card & PCI sound card).

The reason I want to record AC3 instead of 2-ch stereo or Prologic is that I spent quite a bit on my 5.1 setup in my living room and love to utilize it whenever possible.

OK, here goes...

1. Why could I not use graphedit along with AndersNolberger's network encoder to record svideo off some inexpensive non-tuner card like the CTX DVD Studio Xtra MD001, and to record AC3 from a sound card w/ S/PDIF-in like the M-Audio Audiophile? I do realize I'd be doing software-encoding and I'm fine with that, since I won't be using the HTPC for time-shifting or anything else that would suffer from the CPU utilization.

1a. If I can do #1 with a "network encoder", is the resulting capture written to a file (or multiple files) that SageTV then reads and re-encodes? Or is the resulting file something that Sage just directly imports?

2. As an alternative, would there be any way to just record normally with a PVR-USB2 and have Sage kick-off a separate capture of the AC3 stream from the card with the S/PDIF-in, using an external program? Then I could add AC3/DD5.1 as a menu option when I author a DVD with what I've recorded?

3. What graphedit sounds like to me is that it eliminates the hardware requirements for Sage, allowing you to pick-and-choose sources as long as they are compliant with (graphedit?)... if this is incorrect, how is it incorrect?

4. I can use the serial cable to change the channel on the STB no matter what video/audio inputs I'm using, right?

5. Would I have to end up writing my own module to do any of this with SageTV Studio (if I could get to be a beta-tester)? Being primarily a network engineer, I'm no coding guru but am quite versed in structured programming (VB6 / VB.Net). I'd rather not have to custom-write anything, but would do it if I absolutely couldn't do what I wanted with anything out-of-the-box.

Thanks in advance!

[SHS]

Well I think the main problem you may run in to is mux the audio/video where there in sync and most like going have write-custom app for all this any.
One problem you goign to run in to is editing the clip with AC3 far I'm ware of there nothing that I know can do this type audio format if I recall rigth but I haven't look at that in years, I think you have decoder the AC3 back in to there full 6Ch PCM audio wave file and using a highend Video Software to rebuild all this and any case you may as well just buy or wait for DVD that all ready done.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by FLFireman

I am seriously considering Sage as my HTPC PVR solution, but if someone could clarify the following I'd appreciate it. I have spent a few weeks now perusing the forums here as well as Doom9, SHS, and AVSForum for the answers I'm looking for, but can't find any posts that specifically spell it out... and I want to do it the best way from the beginning.

I want to record from an RCA DirecTV box that has svideo-out and AC3-optical-out (as well as RCA-stereo-out). It also has the low-speed data port on it. I won't be utilizing any tuner on whatever capture card I end up with... just changing the channels on the STB using a serial cable.

The HTPC is a hyperthreaded 3.0GHz P4 w/ 250MB SATA HD, with onboard sound & video (for now, until I decide on an AGP video card & PCI sound card).

The reason I want to record AC3 instead of 2-ch stereo or Prologic is that I spent quite a bit on my 5.1 setup in my living room and love to utilize it whenever possible.

OK, here goes...

1. Why could I not use graphedit along with AndersNolberger's network encoder to record svideo off some inexpensive non-tuner card like the CTX DVD Studio Xtra MD001, and to record AC3 from a sound card w/ S/PDIF-in like the M-Audio Audiophile? I do realize I'd be doing software-encoding and I'm fine with that, since I won't be using the HTPC for time-shifting or anything else that would suffer from the CPU utilization.

Yeah, capturing AC3 is very messy, you have to capture it separate from the video. You have to capture it as 16bit 48kHz PCM, IIRC, and run it through something to reformat it back into a "legal" AC3 stream, and then mux it back with the audio. There's just no way to do it in realtime AFIAK.

1a. If I can do #1 with a "network encoder", is the resulting capture written to a file (or multiple files) that SageTV then reads and re-encodes? Or is the resulting file something that Sage just directly imports?

While 1 isn't possible, what Sage expects from a network encoder is a single MPEG file in one of your recording dirs.

2. As an alternative, would there be any way to just record normally with a PVR-USB2 and have Sage kick-off a separate capture of the AC3 stream from the card with the S/PDIF-in, using an external program? Then I could add AC3/DD5.1 as a menu option when I author a DVD with what I've recorded?

Theoretically, possibly, but I don't think there's any way for you to impliment such a thing. It would require Studio (to do the extra recording kick-off), and some development of a simple capture app probably.

3. What graphedit sounds like to me is that it eliminates the hardware requirements for Sage, allowing you to pick-and-choose sources as long as they are compliant with (graphedit?)... if this is incorrect, how is it incorrect?

All graphedit is, is a tool for creating and working with Directshow Filter Graphs, it's actually part of the DirectX SDK. Of course in combination with Anders' UNE, you could do software encoding, although it's still not recommended.

4. I can use the serial cable to change the channel on the STB no matter what video/audio inputs I'm using, right?

I think the answer is yes, but I'm not entirely clear on your question.

5. Would I have to end up writing my own module to do any of this with SageTV Studio (if I could get to be a beta-tester)? Being primarily a network engineer, I'm no coding guru but am quite versed in structured programming (VB6 / VB.Net). I'd rather not have to custom-write anything, but would do it if I absolutely couldn't do what I wanted with anything out-of-the-box.

Probably, but I don't know what it takes to become a beta tester, more than asking I think though.

[FLFireman]

Thanks a ton for the replies! After thinking about it, I guess I'll just hold off on a PVR solution and just use TitanTV until Sage gets support for HD and I can capture .ts stream.

In the mean time I'm probably gonna spring for the Hauppauge USB2 (to avoid adding more heat to the HTPC), and then I can play around with capturing the AC3 manually.

As far as a sound card w/ S/PDIF-in, I'm not going to spend a ton on something like an Audigy, since all the audio from the HTPC is going out to the receiver via optical from the on-board chipset on the motherboard. But the motherboard doesn't have optical-in. So I was reading an audio FAQ over at Doom9, and there were some suggested sound cards for bit-true AC3 capture. Any good/bad comments either of these?

M-Audio/Midiman Audiophile 2496
AudioTrak Prodigy 7.1

If I do end up getting a viable MPEG2 file with the AC3 inculded, couldn't I just use Womble to edit? I don't think I'd really have a need for editing beyond Womble's capabilities, at least as far as recorded shows go.