HdHomeRun - Our Answer to QAM?!

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by Spratley

Does the HDHomeRun rely on windows software to interact with sage? I know it will work with MythTV, but will it work with SageTV for Linux?

Thanks

Paul

It's a Windows program that interacts with Sage. I don't think they tackled Sage for Linux yet.

Gerry

[oddjob]

it sounds like Sagetv does not provide the needed hooks for HD network capturing for Linux OEM version.

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by oddjob

it sounds like Sagetv does not provide the needed hooks for HD network capturing for Linux OEM version.

The hooks are probably there. Silicondust Engineering would just probably need to create the little stub application like it did for the Windows version. A question probably best asked on the Silicondust Engineering forum.

Gerry

[Polypro]

While searching...

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...1&postcount=11

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...6&postcount=28

[salsbst]

Originally Posted by Spratley

Does the HDHomeRun rely on windows software to interact with sage? I know it will work with MythTV, but will it work with SageTV for Linux?

Thanks

Paul

It should work fine with SageTV for Linux (as far as I know the SageTV Linux version isn't crippled in its ability to interact with network encoders), but you would need to install and run the HDHomeRun app on a Windows machine (unless you can run it under Mono or Rotor).

[tmiranda]

Just received my HDHR. Installed .NET2, upgraded the firmware, ran a scan, and found all encrypted channels. When I called the cable company a few weeks ago they told me they did carry unencrypted QAM. Needless to say I am peeved.

I am fairly convinced I have not done anything wrong. The installation and setup was easy and went exactly as described by SiliconDust. I wonder what excuse the cable company will give me?

Is there anybody out there with some technical knowledge who can say if it is easy or difficult for the cable company to to change a channel from encrypted QAM to unencrypted QAM? I would think this is an easy technical matter but a difficult business matter.

I live in a rural (but growing) area serviced by a small cable company. Hopefully I will find somebody reasonable to listen to me.

[Goodspike]

Have you tried AVSforum.com's local forum, to see if there's a thread for your small community system? They might know where the unencrypted channels are. Alternatively, your cable company may be able to tell you the assignments for the local channels.

[blade]

New firmware has been released today that appears to fix all of my problems. I now get 6-8 additional channels that were previously showing as no data.

I highly suggest running a new channel scan especially if you weren't getting all the channels you were expecting. It is possible that some of the unencrypted channels were showing incorrectly as no data.

tmiranda,
Be sure to try the new firmware. If you're certain they're encrypted it won't help, but if you're just assuming because they weren't detected there may be hope.

[RicoSuave]

Hello all - I needed to express my excitement and also ask a few questions...
Background - I'm a ReplayTV user - 3 networked units on 3 TVs. But I now have 2 HDTVs and I need HD recording and multi-room capability. SageTV with the HDHomerun seemed like part of the answer.

Today my HDHomerun arrived and I have it working with SageTV, recording 2 things at once and it's just great. The device is perfect for my needs. I tend to record 80% regular network TV - but I also need to occasionally record stuff off the encrypted channels. Sure, the cablecard solution will come someday but I can't wait for that. So I tried the DCT firewire solution which I got working but all my non-network stuff was 5C protected (even ESPN, TBS, SciFi, etc) So I figure if I'm going to record from the cable box, I'll just need to do it the old-fashioned way with an IR blaster and an S-Video input. (yuck, SDTV).

So, I want something just like the HDHR, but instead it's just for controlling a cable box that is a capture device that streams the results to the network and it works in SageTV. Does anything like this exist? If not, and the answer is a USB-based Hauppauge device or something, which is the easiest and cleanest (well-supported) to use with SageTV? The goal is to pipe SVideo output from the cable box to SageTV, and have SageTV control it as a 3rd tuner. Do I want to try to have the capture device IR-blasting the cable box, or should I be using the USB-UIRT solution?

thanks for all the help...-Ed

[tmiranda]

Goodspike - I checked AVS, nothing there at all for my provider. Can you explain your suggestion about calling the cable company and asking for assignments? Are you implying that even though the HDHR reports "no signal" there still may be channels?

Blade - I downloaded and installed the latest firmware last night.

[MTuckman]

I ended up calling Comcast when I was having trouble with one of the QAM channels I was "almost" receiving to ask about the unencrypted channels they send out. It wasn't until I talked to the 4th or 5th technician that I was able to get some straight answers. One of the customer service reps told me they didn't "like the idea" of my tuning in the QAM channels directly, they would prefer me to use their cable box!

In the end, when I found the right technician, he was able to confirm the channels I was already receiving OK, and that the couple I was having trouble with were "partially" encrypted.

The other thing I did was to sit down with the HDHR GUI, and go through each channel one by one, just checking each channel and sub channel, to confirm the channels. I also found that by changing some of my cables, I was able to tune in one or two channels that were not coming in.

Have you tried to hook up ONLY the HDHR to your inbound feed, with as little between it and the cable demarc point as possible? I am finding that even though the GUI reports a good signal on some channels, it is not enough for it to accurately tune in the channel.

[blade]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

Goodspike - I checked AVS, nothing there at all for my provider. Can you explain your suggestion about calling the cable company and asking for assignments? Are you implying that even though the HDHR reports "no signal" there still may be channels?

That's what was happening to me, which is why I had thought maybe the latest firmware might help you as well. I had 6 channels that worked perfectly and I knew for a fact that two more were in the clear. Once I found the frequency they were broadcast on I saw that they were being shown as having no data. I provided jafa with an unfiltered stream of the channel and he was able to create a fix (the newest firmware). I just counted and am now getting 10 more channels thanks to the new firmware.

If you know what channel they're broadcast on or even just the frequency you can determine if they're being detected as encrypted or no data. If it's no data then there might be something that can be done to fix it.

[Polypro]

If you call your cable company, ask the first person who answers the phone that you need to discuss "Quadrature Amplitude Modulation"...should cut down on the number of hand-offs

P

[Goodspike]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

Goodspike - I checked AVS, nothing there at all for my provider. Can you explain your suggestion about calling the cable company and asking for assignments? Are you implying that even though the HDHR reports "no signal" there still may be channels?

Blade - I downloaded and installed the latest firmware last night.

I didn't realize you were getting a no signal report--I just thought you were having trouble finding the unencrypted channels.

[White94Cobra]

Well I went to my local Charter office to discuss QAM reception of HD locals with a tech. He indicated to me that they encrypt everything except a few music channels. I mentioned the FCC must-carry rule and he said they don't care about it and good luck filing a complaint. It appears no HD locals for me, except the spotty reception I get OTA

[fyodor]

There's always firewire. Many channels that are QAM encrypted are still available through firewire.

[jkohn]

Originally Posted by White94Cobra

Well I went to my local Charter office to discuss QAM reception of HD locals with a tech. He indicated to me that they encrypt everything except a few music channels. I mentioned the FCC must-carry rule and he said they don't care about it and good luck filing a complaint. It appears no HD locals for me, except the spotty reception I get OTA

I suggest filing a complaint. Maybe even contacting local press to see if they're interested in the story, or if this cable co is an affiliate/branch go over his head and write to corporate headquarters.

[White94Cobra]

Here's the complaint I'm considering filing. I think I'll send it to Charter first to give them a chance to respond. Now I just need to find a good Charter address to send it to.

To whom it may concern -

It is my understanding the local cable operators are to provide the local area broadcasts in the basic programming tier. It is also my understanding that this rule applies to both the analog and digital broadcast format (QAM to be specific). I recently purchased a new TV that has a digital tuner (ATSC and QAM capable). Unfortunately I am unable to receive several of the local digital broadcasts via antenna. I subscribe to the basic tier of my cable company (as well as high-speed Internet), so I attempted to receive the digital broadcast of my local affiliates via the cable feed. Unfortunately our cable company encrypts the digital broadcast of these channels. In speaking directly with a technician at the local cable office, he indicated that it was his interpretation of FCC regulations that they should not be encrypting the digital broadcast of the local channels, but he was unable to do anything about it. If I wanted to receive the local digital channels via cable, I would have to subscribe to their digital cable tier and purchase the HD option (raising the cost from $20/month to over $60/month). I would like to lodge a formal complaint against Charter Communications in Medford, Oregon. The local administration office phone number is 541-779-1814. Please contact me if you require additional information. Thank you.

Sincerely,

David Forehand
d-forehand@charter.net

[AndyS]

I'd suggest doing some research before filing a complaint. It is my understanding that the must-carry rule requires the carrier to provide the station in analog OR digital format, but not necessarily both. As the carrier is certainly already providing the signal in analog format they may not be legally mandated to provide an additional QAM signal in-the-clear.

This is from what I've read on the web, and I'm not an expert.

I hope you end up with a successful outcome.

Andy.

[White94Cobra]

From the debates I've read on AVS it seems it can be interpreted either way. I did read a statement that quoted some FCC reg that the digital broadcasts are to be treated the same as the anolog.

I would think the worst that could happen is that the FCC doesn't respond. They could always reply that the cable company is in-the-right and I guess that would settle it.