NTL Digital Cable + Linux

donlond

I am investigating setting up a HTPC using mythTV or freevo on Linux. I have an NTL digital cable package and a Pace STB which I want to connect to a TV-in on the tuner, connecting TV-out to the TV. After a couple of evenings research here, linuxtv.org, video4linux and one hundred other sites, I know more about TV broadcast standards and TV Tuner specifications than I ever wanted to know but am more confused than I was when I started

If anyone is successfully using a setup which includes :

NTL digital cable (DVB-C?) package + Linux + Freevo|MythTV + TV-tuner TV-out to TV

can they provide details of their setup - particularly in relation to the TV tuner and use of an IR. Finally, an honest appraisal of how well it works and where the problems lie would be very welcome!

Many thanks!
D

SouperComputer

The course of least resistance is to use a Hauppage PVR150 or 500 with the later version of MS's remote, the IR blasters on this remote are supported.

donlond

Thanks for the advice. However, it looks like the PVR-150 and 500 are both analogue only (useful link) :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauppauge_Computer_Works

As you indicated though - they are both well supported on Linux (as are their IRs). However, I'd end up having to splash out on an additional tuner for the DVB-C channels on NTL digitial (Channel 4, BBC News 24 etc.). Also - are the schedule listings are provided on the DVB-C signal via EIT/EGT on NTL digital?
This would be handy.

Thanks again.

SouperComputer

Indeed they are analog, which is why they are the course of least resistance

Simply use the composite or SVideo output (VIA RGB) from the NTL box. This is the easiest way to do it, of course there is a loss of quality.

If you want to have "native" DVB-C support with NTL's (encrypted) service, be prepared for a world of pain.


Not sure how the listings work on NTL TBH.

donlond

SouperComputer wrote:

Indeed they are analog, which is why they are the course of least resistance

Simply use the composite or SVideo output (VIA RGB) from the NTL box. This is the easiest way to do it, of course there is a loss of quality.

If you want to have "native" DVB-C support with NTL's (encrypted) service, be prepared for a world of pain.


Not sure how the listings work on NTL TBH.

The encryption ought not be an issue on the signal coming out of the STB though right?
That is to say - I doubt my TV knows much about how to decrypt Nagravision or whatever flavour of encryption that NTL happen to be using ) So it follows that the signal coming from the STB for the DVB-C channels should be "capturable" with an approrpriate tuner card. It isn't capturable using a composite cable into an analog tuner. But if I split the signal out of the STB and connect to an analog tuner (PVR-150) and a DVB-C supporting tuner (WinTV DVB-C Rev. 2.1) then would I not get the additional channels?

adrian.s

donlond wrote:

The encryption ought not be an issue on the signal coming out of the STB though right?
That is to say - I doubt my TV knows much about how to decrypt Nagravision or whatever flavour of encryption that NTL happen to be using ) So it follows that the signal coming from the STB for the DVB-C channels should be "capturable" with an approrpriate tuner card. It isn't capturable using a composite cable into an analog tuner. But if I split the signal out of the STB and connect to an analog tuner (PVR-150) and a DVB-C supporting tuner (WinTV DVB-C Rev. 2.1) then would I not get the additional channels?

So you have a couple of choices here, first off, you can connect your NTL cable directly to PVR-150 TV-IN connection and use it's on-board decoder to take the analogue channels only. Second option is you connect the NTL STB to the SVIDEO-IN device, then connect an IR Blaster from IR connector on the card and stick it over the IR receiver on the STB. SVIDEO is an analog tv format coming out from the box.

The item to note with each of these approaches it that is' always analogue signals your PC gets. Either directly from the co-ax or you have to rely on the STB to do the decoding for you (using the IR blaster as the interface to get it to switch channels). There is no DVB-C in the equation here at all, your PC is dealing with analogue no matter how you deal with it.

Hope this clarifies things a little for you.

Adrian.

donlond

adrian.s wrote:

So you have a couple of choices here, first off, you can connect your NTL cable directly to PVR-150 TV-IN connection and use it's on-board decoder to take the analogue channels only. Second option is you connect the NTL STB to the SVIDEO-IN device, then connect an IR Blaster from IR connector on the card and stick it over the IR receiver on the STB. SVIDEO is an analog tv format coming out from the box.

The item to note with each of these approaches it that is' always analogue signals your PC gets. Either directly from the co-ax or you have to rely on the STB to do the decoding for you (using the IR blaster as the interface to get it to switch channels). There is no DVB-C in the equation here at all, your PC is dealing with analogue no matter how you deal with it.

Hope this clarifies things a little for you.

Adrian.

Ah - now I think I get it! So even with a connect between STB and tuner using the NTL cable I would get all the UHF/VHF channels plus one channel corresponding to whatever channel happens to be selected on the STB. Is this right?

adrian.s

donlond wrote:

Ah - now I think I get it! So even with a connect between STB and tuner using the NTL cable I would get all the UHF/VHF channels plus one channel corresponding to whatever channel happens to be selected on the STB. Is this right?

Yip, that's the sum of it!

A.

subway

donlond wrote:

Ah - now I think I get it! So even with a connect between STB and tuner using the NTL cable I would get all the UHF/VHF channels plus one channel corresponding to whatever channel happens to be selected on the STB. Is this right?

no, the ntl box outputs the digital channels via scart only.

ethernet

donlond wrote:

Ah - now I think I get it! So even with a connect between STB and tuner using the NTL cable I would get all the UHF/VHF channels plus one channel corresponding to whatever channel happens to be selected on the STB. Is this right?

That should be the case, assuming the box's output is modulated and the analogue channels are merely looped through the box.