Does Fios require HD-PVR for HD

[personalt]

I run directv now into a HD-PVR. HD-PVR is the weak link. I have RMA'd it and tried all the tricks including new USB card, opening cover, using a fan etc.

I have a chance to go to fios for not much more then a pay for my fios internet/phone plan.

Does that need go through HD-PVR also?

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by personalt

I run directv now into a HD-PVR. HD-PVR is the weak link. I have RMA'd it and tried all the tricks including new USB card, opening cover, using a fan etc.

I have a chance to go to fios for not much more then a pay for my fios internet/phone plan.

Does that need go through HD-PVR also?

Correct. Currently the HD-PVR is the only SageTV supported device that connects to the component out of any set top box including FIOS and records full HD and 5.1 surround if it is broadcast at that spec level from all the channels the set top box receives.

Gerry

[vorius]

Originally Posted by personalt

I run directv now into a HD-PVR. HD-PVR is the weak link. I have RMA'd it and tried all the tricks including new USB card, opening cover, using a fan etc.

I have a chance to go to fios for not much more then a pay for my fios internet/phone plan.

Does that need go through HD-PVR also?

The HD-PVR gives a lot of problems??

That's disappointing - I was thinking of adding an HDTV source via HD-PVR.

I have Verizon FIOS and I have one HDTV source setup using an R5000 modded set top box. I had to send my set top box to them where they soldered something inside and has a usb cable sticking out which plugs into my SageTV HTPC. The video/audio quality are excellent and the R5000 modded set top box is fine but it's just that somethings it records corrupted video which SageTV cant handle (while something like VideoLAN can play it fine) and also it's very expensive solution to have the STB modded.

So I was looking into HD-PVR for a 2nd HDTV source instead...

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by vorius

The HD-PVR gives a lot of problems??

That's disappointing - I was thinking of adding an HDTV source via HD-PVR.

I have Verizon FIOS and I have one HDTV source setup using an R5000 modded set top box. I had to send my set top box to them where they soldered something inside and has a usb cable sticking out which plugs into my SageTV HTPC. The video/audio quality are excellent and the R5000 modded set top box is fine but it's just that somethings it records corrupted video which SageTV cant handle (while something like VideoLAN can play it fine) and also it's very expensive solution to have the STB modded.

So I was looking into HD-PVR for a 2nd HDTV source instead...

Personally I don't think the problems are that bad. I only get lockups every 2 weeks to 2 months with the average over a month and that is with a minimal upgrades (SageTV7 and newest 1.5.7 drivers). The quality of the recordings is excellent between lockups. I don't have R5000 so it may not be as good as that but I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference easily.

[vorius]

Originally Posted by BobPhoenix

Personally I don't think the problems are that bad. I only get lockups every 2 weeks to 2 months with the average over a month and that is with a minimal upgrades (SageTV7 and newest 1.5.7 drivers). The quality of the recordings is excellent between lockups. I don't have R5000 so it may not be as good as that but I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference easily.

Oh that doesn't sound bad then - what do you have to do - power cycle the HD-PVR when it locks up?

My SageTV locks up anyway more frequently than that!

Maybe the best then if I go that way and then I can compare it to the R5000 since it doesnt seem I can find anyone who can give me a side by side comparison of the two solutions.

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by vorius

Oh that doesn't sound bad then - what do you have to do - power cycle the HD-PVR when it locks up?

My SageTV locks up anyway more frequently than that!

Maybe the best then if I go that way and then I can compare it to the R5000 since it doesnt seem I can find anyone who can give me a side by side comparison of the two solutions.

It depends on the type of lockup. If the recording doesn't stop (only happened twice so far 50+GB recording for one and a 17GB on other) I cannot even stop the SageTV service. I have to reboot the computer. If it locks up and stops recording in the middle of one and then doesn't record anything scheduled after that one then I can usually just cycle the HD-PVR and get it back. Occasionally (probably only twice so far) I will have to reboot on this type as well. What I've thought about doing is getting an IR plug for each HD-PVR and having SJQ send a command to turn them off and then back on once a day when nothing is scheduled. Also I only started having lockups when I went to multiple HD-PVRs.

[vorius]

Originally Posted by BobPhoenix

It depends on the type of lockup. If the recording doesn't stop (only happened twice so far 50+GB recording for one and a 17GB on other) I cannot even stop the SageTV service. I have to reboot the computer. If it locks up and stops recording in the middle of one and then doesn't record anything scheduled after that one then I can usually just cycle the HD-PVR and get it back. Occasionally (probably only twice so far) I will have to reboot on this type as well. What I've thought about doing is getting an IR plug for each HD-PVR and having SJQ send a command to turn them off and then back on once a day when nothing is scheduled. Also I only started having lockups when I went to multiple HD-PVRs.

Yeah that doesn't sound too bad. Quite acceptable in terms of the normal frustrations computers gleefully provide us!

I just went ahead and ordered an HD-PVR from Amazon and hopefully I'll be able to play around with it this weekend!

And then I'll be able to compare the two HDTV solutions and see if R5000 is really worth the price.

Thanks for all your input I really appreciate it!

[JerryB]

Getting back to the original FIOS question, the answer is yes and no. At least where I live, local HD channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, etc.) are available as clear QAM signal and therefore don't require an HDPVR for SageTV. Higher level channels are encrypted and to view these channels in SageTV requires a FIOS STB connected to an HDPVR.

[personalt]

mine locks up so much I have a script that monitors the lockup and then powers a APC multiswitch to turn it on and off.

I get great over the air signal via HD-PVR so I was looking for fios for the Bravos/food network etc channels.

[spacecadet]

Originally Posted by JerryB

Getting back to the original FIOS question, the answer is yes and no. At least where I live, local HD channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, etc.) are available as clear QAM signal and therefore don't require an HDPVR for SageTV. Higher level channels are encrypted and to view these channels in SageTV requires a FIOS STB connected to an HDPVR.

I'll second the above. I have FIOS and use an HD HomeRun to record all the clear QAM locals. On FIOS, all of the channel numbered #1-49 and #501-549 are broadcast in clear QAM.

For any channel outside of those ranges (so for HD, that's any channel 550 and higher), you'll need an HD-PVR.

[mayamaniac]

Your mileage will vary with the HD-PVR. Some people have nothing but trouble like the original poster, and then there are people like me who haven't had any major issue. From the beginning, the HD-PVR suffered from heat issues, and then later on, there were driver problems for people who use digital audio output. I use analog audio so I never had to deal with the driver issues. Infact, I think I'm using the original driver that came on the CD and its working fine over the past two years, however long the HD-PVR has been out. I think it locks up on me maybe about 5 times over that span, and maybe out of every 100 recordings, there's one bad one.

As for FIOS, as spacecadet says, you can get the HDHomeRun for unencrypted (Clear QAM) channels, and the HD-PVR for the encrypted channels.

Nobody mentioned this, but the other option is the Ceton Quad tuner card. It is pricey at $400, but from what I've read, it can record most if not all FIOS channels. And it has 4 tuners, so with one FIOS cable card, you can record 4 shows at once. You'll need Windows 7 with Media Center and the SageMCTuner software.

[vorius]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

Nobody mentioned this, but the other option is the Ceton Quad tuner card. It is pricey at $400, but from what I've read, it can record most if not all FIOS channels. And it has 4 tuners, so with one FIOS cable card, you can record 4 shows at once. You'll need Windows 7 with Media Center and the SageMCTuner software.

Yeah that would be an awesome option if not for the DRM flags, there's probably not many useful content you can record which are flagged as copyable - or did I misunderstand how this card works?

[mayamaniac]

From what I read, FIOS does not put DRM (CCI flag) on their channels, so they are Copy Freely and recordable, but that could change in the future. Verizon doesn't control it.

[mistergq]

I have been running HD PVR with 2 HD set top boxes and change channels via firewire since the HD PVRs came out.

I find that most of my problems have been cleared up with two solutions: 1) run HWClear from Hauppauge and make sure there are no drivers for HD250 or 150 on your computer. For whatever reason, I have a feeling that Hauppauge's drivers may not be 100% compatiable with one another. The second solution was force a restart of the server every morning. That seems to clear out a lot of little issues that has strongly increased WAF. Finally, I don't do this often, but every once in awhile I go where the server and HD PVRs are, and just turn the poweroff on the HD PVR and turn them back on.