Hi,

Sorry if this has already been ask...

I would like to make a pvr with a pc and record from an express vu receiver 6000. Do you know if this possible ? As far as i can tell there is no PCI card that can capture from a component input ou a DVI input. Do you know if this kind of card exist ?

See the Digital Home FAQ "Recording HD". Your only option is the (expensive) 169Time...

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=30

Options to record HDTV via component exist and have been discussed here and the ExpressVu forum so please search and you will find.

The 6000 doesn't have DVI output

I have the 6000 and just use a regular tuner card, the cheapest one I could find that had S-Video in. The picture is still amazing and I would highly recommend it. I use WinDVR for my tuner software.

Options to record HDTV via component exist and have been discussed here and the ExpressVu forum so please search and you will find.
I could not find anything about recording HDTV from component. Can you tell me where it is?

I could not find anything about recording HDTV from component. Can you tell me where it is?I don't believe there is anything. There are no consumer recording devices that can record HD from Component, DVI, HDMI, etc, as indicated in the FAQ referenced in post 2.

There are some DVD Recorders with component video inputs, however, they are limited to 480i input.

The only HD "recording" connection is firewire and BEV doesn't have it, unless you go to 169time, also as indicated in post 2.

Or The R5000-HD for HDTV recording. bit cheaper then 169time

http://www.nextcomwireless.com/r5000/products.htm

Ok - I know from reading the posts, including the FAQ, that there are no consumer devices that record from component video. My question is: Why? We have capture cards for s-video, but not component - I haven't seen a good explanation.

The FAQ suggests that it is because of the high-bandwidth video stream this would generate, but this would not be the case if the capture device did MPEG encoding on-the-fly (just like existing s-video capture cards such as the Hauppage 150). Perhaps the computational horsepower is too much??

I have also seen it suggested that there are copyright issues associated with capturing HD component streams. While I suppose this is possible, it's hard to understand why I can capture an HD broadcast from the s-video output of my HD satellite box (which I regularly do), but not from the component outputs.

It is a copyright issue. You cannot capture HD via S-video as you state. S-video is only capable of 480i. Component video can provide 720P or 1080i. That's the difference.

I also believe that the bandwidth of a PCI slot is not large enough to handle a captured HD stream. In a PCI bus, all attached devices share the bandwidth.

This will change with PCIE but you will need more that a 1x connection. You will need at least an 16x connection to record it.

It is a copyright issue. You cannot capture HD via S-video as you state. S-video is only capable of 480i. Component video can provide 720P or 1080i. That's the difference.

I should have been more clear. I _am_ recording downcoverted HD broadcasts in 480i from the s-video connection on my HD receiver. My point was that I don't see why I can't also capture 1080i or 720p from the same broadcast from the component outputs.

Also, to the other gentleman's point about the PCI bandwidth - I don't believe it would be an issue if my mythical "component video capture card" perfomed MPEG encoding. The MPEG encoding would reduce the bandwidth requirements sufficiently (I think).

I don't think it's a matter of encoding so much as a matter of the card getting the data over to the processor via the PCI bus. The amount of data it would be processing and needing to send to the CPU could be more than the allowed bandwidth of the PCI bus.

Lobo

Lobo,

I think that was the point, most good video capture cards do the MPEG encoding right on the card, so the data going on the PCI bus would be MPEG data at a much lower bit rate.

I think the issue is that such a card would be costly right now, but I can see in the future there might be a card with a DVI, HDMI and component input, that would only accept component video at 480P, but DVI and HDMI at high def rates. I can also see a HD DVD or Blue-Ray recorder being available in a few years with such inputs also...

Then I expect that some time later someone will come up with a backdoor method of getting such a unit to accept component at high def too not unlike the upconverting DVD players we have today.

This all assumes that component video does not go the way of dodo before such devices become available.

Skippy31

There is already a method of connection that works for recording HD. That is firewire. The HD recording device connected to the firewire can communicate with the "sending device" to see if the connection is "allowed". There is simply no need for DVI, HDMI or Component video inputs on "legal" HD recording devices.

There is already a method of connection that works for recording HD. That is firewire. The HD recording device connected to the firewire can communicate with the "sending device" to see if the connection is "allowed". There is simply no need for DVI, HDMI or Component video inputs on "legal" HD recording devices.

There is a need if your satellite receiver doesn't have Firewire, but does have component and DVI outputs, which is the case with me.

I'm not looking to do anything illegal.

I assume it is legal to record HD material downconverted to SD since my Starchoice HD receiver allows me to do exactly that.

I assume it is legal to record HD onto a hard drive since the HD PVRs from Bell, Shaw, Rogers & Starchoice allow you to do that.

I just can't record HD onto my Media PC since my satellite receiver doesn't have Firewire and there currently is no other way of capturing HD material. Seems like capturing HD content from the component outputs would be a convenient way to do just that.

I will just patiently wait ...

I assume it is legal to record HD onto a hard drive since the HD PVRs from Bell, Shaw, Rogers & Starchoice allow you to do that.Only the Motorola DVRs have the firewire port active. I don't believe the BEV DVR has firewire active. The SA DVRs are not firewire active. I'm not sure about *C.

Capturing HD via component video (or DVI or HDMI) would be convenient, but that's exactly why it's not allowed and why you won't ever see it in a consumer device.

57 are suggesting that when HD-DVD and/or Blue Ray recordables become available they will not allow us to record HD content? These devices will surely become available in computers, and eventually some how, some way people will record HD content be it legally or not quite so legally. The studios need to make this stuff available in a legal regulated manor.

I guarantee if they keep blocking this type of recording that eventually they will be in same boat that the music studios were in a year or so ago with regard to MP3s.

I think this stuff will be available eventually, but I think it will take a few years yet.

Skippy31

Let's be clear. There's legal, fair use recording, which will be allowed and there's "illegal" (non-fair-use) recording, which will not be allowed.

The various connections that will be "allowed" will "allow" fair use recordings as the equipment is brought to the public.

Some people are already distributing illegal HD content on the web, but those sites will be shut down and those sites are not discussed on this forum.

The future is crystal clear - it will be exactly like the past except, just a bit later. -Jeffy (just now).

Consumer devices will be "restricted"...
- at least until someone release updated firmware on the Internet.
- until some Far East company with a limited interest in listening to sales pitches from MacroVision markets a perfectly legal 'adapter' that just happens to also solve certain trivial interfacing issues (ahem).
- <the list is endless, but I'm bored...>

So does "fair use" recording mean I should be able to record my favorite TV show and be able to archive it onto a DVD type device? It should IMO.

In terms of non-fair use, we have the technology to copy DVD at will now, and I still buy them...

If they allow HDMI/DVI to be used to record they can still limit you to not being able to make copies of copies etc.

Skippy31