Anyone receiving Chorus Digital on a home-made box?

gphelan

I'm wondering if anyone out there has any experience of using a DVB-T/DVB-C card with a CAM module to receive Chorus Digital on a PC? I think this should work in principle - the encryption scheme is Nagravision and CAMs are available to decrypt this.

My Chorus set-top box tells me the signal frequency is 218 mHz, Tx mode is 8k and modulation is QAM64 - this means I would need a DVB-C card? I'm on Chorus' MMDS network, not cable.

I'd appreciate hearing anyone's thoughts/experiences on this.

Thanks in advance,

watty

Yes AFAIK the the same downconvertor is used for Analog MMDS and Digital MMDS, In both cases the same set top box as actual cable, though the channels are not on same frequencies.

A PC DVB-c card may work with a suitable CAM and a legitimate chorus viewing card. But there may be custom SW and other non-standard stuff in the Sagem boxes for Chorus.

It may contravene T&C, though there is nothing illegal if you only receive the channels you pay Chorus for.

Jumpy

Sounds difficult. Would you not be better off with a video-in card and a usb remote channel changer?

watty

Much lower quality. Especially recording and potentially much higher CPU overhead.

If it works it is easy. If it is hard, probabily it wont work

Druid

Hi

From the sagem website the ITD boxes are dvb-t receivers. I remember someone telling me that mmds uses these boxes (itd631 I think).

So would you not need a dvb-t for your homebrew box?

- Dru

gphelan

Druid wrote:

Hi

From the sagem website the ITD boxes are dvb-t receivers. I remember someone telling me that mmds uses these boxes (itd631 I think).

So would you not need a dvb-t for your homebrew box?

- Dru

The box I have is indeed an ITD-631, and I also thought that as the signal was wireless (not cable) it would be DVB-T. After reading Watty's posts in the threads 'Settle an argument' and 'Digital cable on PC-card?' and looking at the technical info in the installation menu on my ITD-631 it seems that the signal frequency and modulation conform to DVB-C. I double checked this by looking at the technical info for the card I was going to buy (Technotrend DVB-C Budget or Premium on dvbshop.net) and the frequency range the card is designed for is right for what my chorus box says it is receiving. The freq. range for the same card for DVB-T is much higher than the frequency the chorus signal is at.

Could it be that the boxes were custom-built for Chorus?

Watty wrote:

Much lower quality. Especially recording...

In any event I'd like to have everything in the same box/remote, I plan to put a DVB-S card in as well eventually and schedule recordings over the internet.......I was thinking Freevo or MythTV.

watty

Analog MMDS used cable boxes, why expect Chorus to change for Digital?
The "real" frequency of MMDS is 2.5GHz = 2500MHz, and needs near line of sight. Compared with Terrestrial TV which is 170 MHz to 300MHz and 470 MHz to 860MHz the likely hood of interference and multipath is slight. The exact same downconvertor from 2.5GHz to cable frequencies is used on Analog and Digital MMDS.

So the box uses DEFINATELY cable TV frequencies. It is no surprise that they use Cable QAM and not DTT COFDM really? It's cheaper and harder to buy a box for public and simpler for their network.

I'd be surpirsed if anything other than encryption and EPG is custom to Chorus. Maybe not even those.

watty

Arrgh not Myth TV.. ProgDVB on Windows XP. Digiguide for EPG.

gphelan

Thanks for the input, folks.
Encryption is Nagravision, according to the Chorus box - I'm assuming this means any CAM capable of decrypting this along with the viewing card from the Chorus box should work?

watty

I wouldn't assume it, but a useful starting point for trying a legitmate viewing card.

Apparently Dish TV users have some difficulties with Nagravision, even with the genuine viewing cards:

Dish Network uses their own version of Nagravision 1 and 2. The only change to the standard nagravision encryption scheme is the use of a “BOXKEY”. This “BOXKEY” is what “Marries” your smartcard to your receiver and its built-in CAM.

To use the PC, the boxkey has to be extracted from your Dish Receiver

They don't say how.

I doubt though that Chorus marry a card to a box, easily tested, try your card in someone else's Chorus box.


Telewest are supposted to use Nagravison too. I wonder does their PVR work on Chorus Digital Cable and Digital MMDS?
http://www.telewest.co.uk/html/tv_drive/New_Tabs/

What does NTL use? Now that they are the same company in future they will move to a single CA supplier to reduce royalty payments.

Interestingly the Telewest box is a cable version essentially of sky's next PVR the Sky HD, as it can show HD TV on an HD monitor. Telewest are starting some HD channels shortly.

Jumpy

watty wrote:

Much lower quality. Especially recording and potentially much higher CPU overhead.

If it works it is easy. If it is hard, probabily it wont work

But you would have no EPG this way surely?

watty

I use Digiguide which is about 18 EURO PER YEAR. Sky charge 15 Euro per month for EPG usage on Sky+

You can customise Channel list on Digiguide, link it to email, SMS, PC analog ot digital recording for Satellite, DAB, Cable etc.

There are 3rd party channel listings too. I get listings for all the Terrestrial and Sky Channels I watch also many FTA channels not on Sky or Irish TV.
Also does many, many radio channels.

An IT TX on a PC/laptop can even be used by Digiguide to control PVR/VHS/Cable/Satellite etc Setboxes as well or instead of PC cards.

http://www.digiguide.com/

gphelan

watty wrote:

The only change to the standard nagravision encryption scheme is the use of a “BOXKEY”. This “BOXKEY” is what “Marries” your smartcard to your receiver and its built-in CAM.

I'll test that at the w/end - I have a horrible feeling that I overheard the Chorus techie phoning base to do exactly that (marry card to box).

jumpy wrote:

But you would have no EPG this way surely?

I was going to use XMLTV freshmeat.net/projects/xmltv/ - free tv listings, UK & Irish channels are covered AFAIK.

rogue-entity

As I said on another thread, NTL uses Nagravision as well, it seems to be standard among most Cable providers. I thougt that this "box key" was the same as the serial number of the box. But then they would never make it that easy:rolleyes:

gphelan

rogue-entity wrote:

NTL (at least in Ireland) uses Syster's Nagravision system. NagraVision CAMs exist and can be gotten. IIRC Nagravision decoders have a serial that is tied to the card. With the CAMs that you can buy you can change the serial to that of your decoder. I think the serial is shown in the Engineers menu on the NTL decoder.

If the Chorus boxes also yield this info, that might solve my problem (if there is a problem). I'll have a look at the w/end.

watty

gphelan wrote:

I was going to use XMLTV freshmeat.net/projects/xmltv/ - free tv listings, UK & Irish channels are covered AFAIK.

I looked at that. Typical UNIX Command line thing. Very poor compared with Digiguide. I'd rather pay the 17 Euro a year. Also Digiguide much better supported with listing info. Not for the faint hearted either.

darraghrogan

gphelan wrote:

If the Chorus boxes also yield this info, that might solve my problem (if there is a problem). I'll have a look at the w/end.

Bit of a bump, but I was curious - did you manage to find anyway of extracting this code from the STB? Did it work?

Cause I'd really like to use NTL digital with something like this TV:

http://www.sony.ie/view/ShowProduct.action?product=KDL-20S2030&site=odw_en_IE&pageType=TechnicalSpecs&imageType=Main&category=TVP+LCD+TV#tab

it would be a lot neater...

Darragh

darraghrogan

gphelan wrote:

If the Chorus boxes also yield this info, that might solve my problem (if there is a problem). I'll have a look at the w/end.

Bit of a bump, but I was curious - did you manage to find anyway of extracting this code from the STB? Did it work?

Cause I'd really like to use NTL digital with something like this TV:

http://www.sony.ie/view/ShowProduct.action?product=KDL-20S2030&site=odw_en_IE&pageType=TechnicalSpecs&imageType=Main&category=TVP+LCD+TV#tab

it would be a lot neater...

Darragh

tw0nk

watty wrote:

I use Digiguide which is about 18 EURO PER YEAR. Sky charge 15 Euro per month for EPG usage on Sky+

You can customise Channel list on Digiguide, link it to email, SMS, PC analog ot digital recording for Satellite, DAB, Cable etc.

There are 3rd party channel listings too. I get listings for all the Terrestrial and Sky Channels I watch also many FTA channels not on Sky or Irish TV.
Also does many, many radio channels.

An IT TX on a PC/laptop can even be used by Digiguide to control PVR/VHS/Cable/Satellite etc Setboxes as well or instead of PC cards.

http://www.digiguide.com/

Sorry to be hijacking thread but watty , Im in the process of researching what media centre and tv service to get for my house, wondering if you could give me an idea of what setup you have and if it works well with FTA ?

Thanks a million for any advice.

gphelan

darraghrogan wrote:

Bit of a bump, but I was curious - did you manage to find anyway of extracting this code from the STB? Did it work?

Cause I'd really like to use NTL digital with something like this TV:

http://www.sony.ie/view/ShowProduct.action?product=KDL-20S2030&site=odw_en_IE&pageType=TechnicalSpecs&imageType=Main&category=TVP+LCD+TV#tab

it would be a lot neater...

Darragh

Hey Daragh, All that info is available from the install menu on the box, there's no hacking needed. I gather you can get that info off NTL boxes the same way.

I note your TV has a PCMCIA slot, I assume you're planning to stick your CAM into that?

I've never tried it, so I'll be interested to hear how you get on - keep us posted.

watty

Remember using anything other than the Chorus /NTL box invalidates your T&C and you are liable to be cut of.

Using anything other than the offical NTL / Chorus card and for anything more than paid for is a criminal offence..

Cable or NTL MMDS won't work on a Digital TV directly without set box. Only Chorus MMDS. And offically they will cut you off.