Re: www.badvista.org

The only boxes that have a firewire port as far as I'm aware are the
DVR boxes, if you've got one and don't have a firewire port just head
down to a GCI store and have them swap your box for you. I seem to
remember all of mine having one but to be honest I've swapped it a
few times so I'm not positive.

If your box is old enough that it doesn't have firewire it might also
be a single tuner vs. a dual-tuner model, which is also worth
upgrading for so you can watch one channel while recording another. I
don't know if they are still stocking them but you used to be able to
get either DVI or HDMI digital outputs as an option on the Motorola
boxes, on the Pace boxes I think you are stuck with HDMI but am not
sure.

-Alan

On Jul 9, 2007, at 6:36 PM, jonr@destar.net wrote:

> Quoting "Alan C." <r.andom@noshut.com>:
>
>> To preface this: You should check out www.avsforum.com. They are one
>> of the best audio/video sites on the Internet and I am assured by my
>> coworkers interested in MythTV that they have some really good
>> threads on Linux integration with HD content. Anytime I'm looking for
>> information on Home Theatre/High Definition or other related
>> technologies it is one of the first places I visit. You can probably
>> pickup a ton of information there.
>>
>> To answer a few of the bullets:
>> -Yes, you can capture true HD content if by "True" HD you mean 720p,
>> 1080i, etc. since most (all?) HD broadcast stations have chosen one
>> of the two as their broadcast format.
>>
>> -On some GCI Cable boxes, which may defeat the purpose of this thread
>> - the Pace DVR silver box with blue display or the Motorola DVR boxes
>> there is a firewire port, which you can record the video streams off
>> of. It is a digital feed and although I haven't seen it record HD I'm
>> told it is capable.
>>
>> Otherwise you can go for a Component video + digital audio solution
>> to dodge the DRM from any high def (but not necessarily DVR) cable
>> box. I'm assuming at this time that there isn't a method to get HDCP
>> support in Linux DVR applications. On the GCI DVR's (I don't know if
>> this is the case with the non-DVR boxes) if you turn off the cable
>> box then hit the "Menu" or in some cases "Settings" a menu will pop
>> up allowing you to change the output video resolutions outputted by
>> the box.
>> If you are interested in using the Firewire port do some searching on
>> Motorola 6412 Firewire recording. It is probably one of the better
>> bets to avoid having to acquire a ton of new hardware or interface
>> cards yet be able to get good quality video off the box. Just to re-
>> state, the firewire port is on the DVR boxes so it maybe self-
>> defeating to discuss building a DVR using firewire as the source if
>> you already have a DVR :^). I have no experience with the non-DVR
>> boxes so I'm not sure what their port array is.
>>
>> -I don't know about HDCP hardware on Linux, last I knew the only
>> official OS to support HDCP/HDMI so far is Vista.
>>
>> -Alan
>>
>
> That is great information Alan, thanks for taking the time to write
> it =20
> all out for us. I wasn't aware the GCI receivers had firewire on
> them, =20
> I must have an older model because I don't have it on mine. :(
>
> Thanks again!
>
> Jon
>
>
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Received on Mon Jul 9 19:50:46 2007