🚀 go-pugleaf

"J. Clarke" <jclarke.usenet@cox.net> wrote in message
news:u0RfTfZPIHA.3556@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl
> Arny Krueger wrote:
>> "J. Clarke" <jclarke.usenet@cox.net> wrote in message
>> news:uKv$YLAPIHA.4272@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl
>>> Arny Krueger wrote:
>>>> "Romeo Rondeau" <eveyone@ease.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:FAn7j.77129$YL5.8985@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net
>>>>> Arny Krueger wrote:
>>>>>> "David B." <brooks.dj@nomail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>> news:uO0Gx22OIHA.4912@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl
>>>>>>> Do you even know what Media Center is/does?
>>>>>>> It's been around for 5 years and is used by many
>>>>>>> people as a PVR/cable box replacement, does a great
>>>>>>> job, it's also available in Vista.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Compared to running any of the PVR software packages
>>>>>> that are sold with video tuner and capture cards, it
>>>>>> really doesn't seem to do anything that is terribly
>>>>>> unique.
>>>>
>>>>> It does look cool on an HDTV, and that's what it was
>>>>> designed to do :-)
>>>>
>>>> Yes, but the PVR software/hardware does the same stuff.
>>>> If you're in the market, ADS cards come with what seems
>>>> to be the best software. I picked up a pretty
>>>> functional HDTV package for XP by ADS from Amazon for
>>>> about $60.
>>>>
>>>> If you want to expunge what the PVR software does to
>>>> your system from
>>>> your system, you just uninstall it. So far I haven't
>>>> found that it creates any big black holes while
>>>> installed, other than creating a lot of I/O when you
>>>> are recording or playing video, or when you are
>>>> time-shifting.
>>
>>>> One other thing is that the third party software that
>>>> comes with the TV tuner and video capture cards seems
>>>> to have a fair amount of cross-vendor compatibility.
>>>> For example, I've inter-operated PVR software and
>>>> cards from ADS and ATI.

>>>> If you run Windows MCE your tuner/capture card needs to
>>>> provide special software for running with Windows MCE.
>>>> I've run cards that came with MCE drivers with other
>>>> vendor's PVR software. So MCE reduces your options.

>>> However if MCE came bundled with the machine then why
>>> pay extra for a third party package?

The point is that MCE doesn't come bundled with lots of machines.

>> The third party package doesn't cost squat. I picked up
>> an ADS HDTV/video capture card on Amazon for like
>> $60-70.  I think it was cheaper than the cheapest HDTV
>> card that I could find that would work
>> with MCE, and not by just a little.

> Which ADS HDTV product doesn't support MCE?

I don't know offhand, but there were some products that I saw at Micro 
Center that did not say that they supported MCE. The ADS card I have 
supports MCE, but you have to run a separate setup program.

>>> MCE was never sold as a consumer product, the only way
>>> you could get it was with a machine or as an OEM System
>>> Builder product, so there's no scenario of going out and
>>> buying MCE to get PVR functionality.

>> Yes, there's no retail version of Windows MCE. Thus MS
>> forces people to learn how to spell Torrent if they want
>> to build their own hardware.

> Good luck activating it.  If you wanted the System
> Builder product all you had to do was shell out 150 bucks
> or so to newegg, but it wasn't something you'd find on
> the shelf at CompUSA--you had to go out and look for it.

Not to mention that Newegg had to hang all the usual OEM strings on every 
purchase.

>>> And none of those third party packages let you view the
>>> secured HD content on cable--for that Vista is the only
>>> game in town.

>> On Comcast, AFAIK the only way to watch secured HD
>> content is to have
>> one of their boxes, or a device that takes one of their
>> cards. I know
>> of no PC accessories that take a card.

> The technology is called "Cable Card" and several
> companies are making PCs that support it, all using ATI
> tuners and running Vista.

I've seen the ATI box, which appears to be USB-connected. I've got some 
concerns about running HiDef video over a USB connection.

>  The catch is that you have to
> buy the tuner and the PC together and they have to be
> certified by Cable Labs as a unit.

I wouldn't stake my life on that holding together over the long haul.

> You can also access the content from a PC using a
> networked HDTivo.

That could be awkward.

>> I've heard about secured HD content, but I know of no
>> providers who are actually delivering it nationwide
>> today.

> I know of no cable company that is _not_ doing so.

AFAIK Comcast is only providing HDTV around here using the means I described 
above.

>  Local
> stations and a few other channels are generally
> unscrambled QAM, but all the premium channels are
> scrambled in one manner or another.

That makes sense, but its awkward.

>  In some cases
> they'll show the first ten minutes on one frequency and
> then switch to another, in others the signal can't be
> deciphered by QAM hardware at all.

Hopefully, they'll eventually provide all content on the same basis they 
provide NTSC channels today.

Scramble the premium  like HBO, and let people tune in their own channels 
for content like Speed, TBS, History, A&E, Discovery, etc.

Providing an open implementation of the infrastructure that supports Cable 
Card would be a good move.