HD set top into Sage... How without dropping to SD?

[DRM2PVR]

Before I moved, I upped my Sage to version 6 and purchased a HVR-1600 so as to sample the QAM HD content. I never really got past the some HD tuning channel stutter but sometimes I was able to really enjoy the HD content. Downloaded HD content looks great!!! I just moved to a new area and I'm looking over all my video source options ( Cable or Satelite). Going with Dish or DirectTV seems really apealing due to the massive volume of HD channels available but how do you get HD video into sage from an external tuning source? On my previous Time Warner cable setup, I just ran a svideo cable from the cable box to the HVR1600 svideo input and settled for standard definition for all cable channels. Is it possible to setup the HVR1600 to tune to a specific HD Digital channel for all Set-top box output (like the old channel 3 method of analog)? Is there an HDMI capture method? Thanks!

[ke6guj]

Currently the only way to capture HD from Dish or DIrectTV is to mod the HD receiver with the R5000-HD mod. With that, you can capture the HD signal via a USB cable. No other way. And I'd go with Dish, since the newer Directv boxes can't be modded.

A hoped way would be to capture via the HDMI or Component cables into a HD-capture card. But there isn't a mainstream card out there is known to work. And the storage requirements are insane, on the order of a hundred of gigs per hour, or more. In another thread, a new user did mention using a BlackMagic Intensity Pro card to capture in HD with some transcoding, but that method has not been confirmed/duplicated/explained yet.

[stanger89]

This thread might be worth a look:
http://forums.sage.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=28618

[DRM2PVR]

Thanks guys. I originally overlooked the R5000-HD mod as a limited working hack, but see now its more integrated with Sage than I originally thought. At $500 its a little pricey but given the other options, perhaps thats the most logical aproach. It seems there is mixed success with it though. Tough Call!

The Black Magic card sounds interesting but does Sage see it as a valid source? Also, the last line on that page could present some challenges:

("The HDMI standard sometimes includes copy protection encryption, such as commonly found on DVD players and some brands of set top boxes. When connected to these copy protected sources, the HDMI specification defines that Intensity cards cannot capture.")

I wonder how the HDFury adapter handles the copy protection aspect, probably by blacking it out as well, but transcoding from RGB via hardware might be much easier to find. Intersting...