How can i record HBO, Showtime,etc.. in full HD

[rdefino]

I haven't check on this lately, but is there a way. I hate recording those channels and not getting the full HD. I just get a smaller HD looking box on my screen. It's all the HD channels that are out there, other than the few I get OTA. I have Comcast cable and I'm using their STB to dump into sage through S-video right now.

Thanks
For any direction

[m1abrams]

Originally Posted by rdefino

I haven't check on this lately, but is there a way. I hate recording those channels and not getting the full HD. I just get a smaller HD looking box on my screen. It's all the HD channels that are out there, other than the few I get OTA. I have Comcast cable and I'm using their STB to dump into sage through S-video right now.

Thanks
For any direction

Order this http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hd_pvr.html

They say they are shipping May 1st, we will see.

[rdefino]

Wow, How would this integrate with Sagetv?

[m1abrams]

Originally Posted by rdefino

Wow, How would this integrate with Sagetv?

Not sure sage has mentioned how they plan to support it yet, however I am pretty sure they will be.

My guess is the device will look just like any other tuner, since the device has its own blaster for changing the STB channels SageTV can really treat it as just a tuner.

[Djc208]

The HD-PVR looks like the best option but as m1abrams said the release date isn't as solid as we would like and the support issue is still out there.

Otherwise your only current options are to try the firewire port http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9288 which may or may not work and can be tricky.

Or the R5000 mod to your cable box, which is expensive and limited in which boxes it works with but is currently the only guranteed method of getting everything HD.

[stuckless]

I wonder how long it will be before cable/sat companies start shipping HD boxes without component video.... or limit the component video output to 480p (hdmi out would contain the 1080p).... to prevent the onslaught of these component video capture devices.

[Djc208]

Originally Posted by stuckless

I wonder how long it will be before cable/sat companies start shipping HD boxes without component video.... or limit the component video output to 480p (hdmi out would contain the 1080p).... to prevent the onslaught of these component video capture devices.

That thought has been floating around in one of the other threads by yours truely. I keep hearing about all these cable companies eventually killing off their analog broadcasts and requiring a cable box, and I wondered the same thing.

I don't think it's an immediate worry, I'd give it a few years depending on how progressive your cable company is, but I don't doubt it's coming. The only advantage on our side is that as much as the companies want a stranglehold on the content they're too cheap to actively replace all their boxes until they have to.

[Slipshod]

Originally Posted by Djc208

That thought has been floating around in one of the other threads by yours truely. I keep hearing about all these cable companies eventually killing off their analog broadcasts and requiring a cable box, and I wondered the same thing.

I don't think it's an immediate worry, I'd give it a few years depending on how progressive your cable company is, but I don't doubt it's coming. The only advantage on our side is that as much as the companies want a stranglehold on the content they're too cheap to actively replace all their boxes until they have to.

I don't think they will actively kill the analog hole (prohibitive hardware costs if they do anything causing them to have to replace STBs). I'd be more worried about them forcing the component output to be downconverted to 480p. I don't remember where the legislation is at for this currently, but the content providers have been trying to get a flag (that the content providers control) inserted which forces STBs to downconvert HD content over analogue. They already do this for Blu-ray.

This gives the Comcasts of the world plausible deniability with their customers (I'm sorry, I have no control over this. We are legally required to do this if the content provided sets this flag), and doesn't require a HW swap. The content providers get what they want (control), and the consumer gets shafted along with fair-use.

It was kind of in the back of my head when I opted to go the R5000 route over the HD-PVR, but wasn't a big concern because I don't see this happening soon.

Cheers,
Slipshod