Recording NTL digital on a PC

blorg

Thinking of getting NTL digital - would it be possible to record this on a PC? Currently I'm using an analogue tuner in the PC with NTL but am getting really sick of the awful reception, also I figure a digital card would be easier on the CPU as it just has to copy the MPEG2 stream to the disk...

If it isn't possible with NTL, is it possible with Sky digital?

jozi

I'd say with the right capture card it should be possible.
I think Sky is a bit more tricky
I'll look up some satalite forums i have bookmarked at home later

Michael Collins

You have a few options. First of all if you get NTL Digital you won't be able to digitally transfer pictures to your TV, as there is no digital interface on the box. What you could do however is use an analogue card to capture the analogue output from the NTL box (maybe your current tuner card can do this, does it have an S-Video or RGB input? A composite input would do it too but not very well). Don't be scared just because it's analogue. I use a similar set up myself with except with a Sky Box and the quality is excellent.

Your next option would be to go for a PC MPEG2 Satellite Card, which as you say would receive the stream in MPEG2 quality and therefore use up very few of your PC's resources as all you'd have to do is save the MPEG2 steam direct to disk. The big problem with this is you can only get free to air channels. i.e. All the BBCs, Sky News and similar ones. RTE One & Two, TV3, TG4, any encrypted Sky Movies etc would all be impossible to get.

The third and best solution is also the most expensive. Basically it involves getting a Sky Plus box which has been modified to allow you to take the digital stream direct from it before conversion into analogue.
Here's a link to such a box: http://www.pluggedin.tv/item--Sky-satellite-receiver-SDI-modification-service--SDI-MOD-SKY

It's a good solution if you can afford it. It keeps the signal completely in digital format right down to the PC or even DVD if you burn video to that. But at the end of the day, I'm not sure you'd notice much difference between this and the first option. Especially because if you watch the DVD you've made on a TV, the link between your DVD player and TV is analogue anyway, thus making all the effort of keeping it in digital format more or less pointless!

blorg

Thanks, I know there are products like this but am primarily wondering about whether NTL uses some kooky encryption.

Tom Dunne

I have Sky hooked up to my Hauppauge USB TV card via the SCART socket.

Quality is fine, the only thing you will notice is a delay from when you press the Sky remote and when the computer screen updates.

blorg

Thanks for your reply Michael, I'm not really interested in the analogue option, there would just be too many hassles (for example setting something up to change the channel on the box for one.)

MrPinK

blorg wrote:

Thanks, I know there are products like this but am primarily wondering about whether NTL uses some kooky encryption.

They do alright. You can't just grab the digital feed without first sending it through the decoder box, so the digital cable card won't work.

AFAIK, recording the analogue output from box is the only option with NTL digital. All the setups I've seen do this and use a PC controlled IR emitter to change the channels on the box.

Michael Collins

Yeh I agree having to change the channels on the decoder isn't great. But as MrPinK said, it really is the only solution. I haven't bothered buying an IR controller myself as I have Sky Plus and that is ridicuously easy to use - if there's any show I want to keep I can just record it onto the PC whenever I get the chance.

Have you considered the Sky Plus option? It really makes everything much more seamless.

Of course the advantage of the PC route is that you have the programs right there on your hard drive ready to go straight to DVD after some editing etc. but the price is that you will need a more complicated set up.

Endurance Man

Bit off topic, but thought i would let u no, i watched a investigative report on ntl the other day and they are apparently bad news. Customer service is meant to be a joke :rolleyes: . It was a uk documentary so perhaps it only applied to that side?

blorg

Endurance Man wrote:

Customer service is meant to be a joke :rolleyes: . It was a uk documentary so perhaps it only applied to that side?

I, along with probably any NTL customer you might ask, could have told you that, without the need for an investigative documentary

People who are using the analogue link to the PC - what capture card and software are you using?

Michael Collins

I'm using the Hauppage PVR 350. Got a hardware encoder so very little resources used by the PC. Software is a bit outdated though, it's a pitty as the hardware is excellent as is the picture quality when using an S-Video link from the Sky box. Although the 2 -3 second delay can be a bit annoying at times, especially when trying to route sound through an amp...

Tom Dunne

Same as Michael Collins for me, apart from the fact that mine's a PVR 250.

The software that comes with the unit is crap and dated, but it does what it says on the tin. I haven't had a lot of luck with Media Portal - it either crashes or records in Jerk-o-vision(tm). GB-PVR isn't much better.

Gurgle

I use a 'MSI TV @nywhere Master, Tv-Tuner Stereo, PCI, Retail'.
Like everything else from MSI, the hardware is the dog's bollox, the software is dog**** & The price reflects the fact that it takes some effort & ingenuity to get it working.
It was €60 nearly 2 years ago, and now even MSI pretend it never existed. (Go on - search their website)
But it works & I've no intention of upgrading

- edit connected to Sky digibox using a split-up Scart lead

Endurance Man

I, along with probably any NTL customer you might ask, could have told you that, without the need for an investigative documentary

Well then it must be pretty bad :rolleyes: , why would u want to deal with a company like this. The program also said the actuall service is a joke. Is sky that much more expensive?

blorg

Endurance Man wrote:

Well then it must be pretty bad :rolleyes: , why would u want to deal with a company like this. The program also said the actuall service is a joke. Is sky that much more expensive?

Sky requires a satellite dish, that is not always possible.