Thread: Using unSubscribed Receiver/PVR for FTA

I plan to eventually terminate my Shaw Direct pay TV subscription. After I do, I would like to connect my Motorola HDPVR630 HD receiver/PVR, which I own but was supplied by the pay TV company, to the loop out connector of my FTA receiver so I can use the PVR to record FTA signals. The PVR has the capability to manually enter data (channel, date, time) for programs to record so an EPG is not required to use the record function. I also wanted to use this PVR to record OTA signals as tuned by my HDTV.

The problem is there is only a satellite input connector on the pay TV receiver/PVR, presumably that needs a 950-1450 MHz L-band signal. No A/V or other inputs on the pay TV receiver/PVR at all. I guess there also isn't any OTA video output from the TV either. How would you tune the pay TV receiver since it can only move between pay TV channels with its remote.

Is any of this possible? Or should I just sell the pay TV box and find an OTA receiver with PVR capability, and have a separate FTA PVR and OTA PVR?

As far as I know the pay TV receiver is locked into it's own set of frequencies & mapped in channels, so it wouldn't be possible to use it in this way. It's recording abilities are part of the subscription package. Not sure about a Shaw box, but a Dish/DTV one usually turns into a pretty doorstop without the sat signal from it's provider.

I agree (mostly) with you; I see no way forward with this. The recording capability seems to be independent since I can type in the specific data (channel, date, time, length, etc.) necessary for the recording. But the tuning capability seems locked to their channel assignments. Unless...the down-converted pay TV channel frequencies just happen to coincide with discrete down-converted frequencies in the 950~1450 MHz range of regular FTA frequencies. Unlike Dish, Shaw Direct does not operate on DBS frequencies. Their tps are linear and they all lie in the regular FTA band of 11.7 ~ 12.2 GHz. This would suggest that their channels would fall on top of FTA frequencies.

There are many innovative knowledgeable experienced people on here. I was hoping...

I looked into seeing if anyone built an inexpensive ATSC channel modulator for recording on my Dish DVR manually myself using inputs from other devices and gave up. Since I have separate DVRs with various inputs it really did not make sense but the mad scientist in me gives me such ideas.

NTSC modulators can be found locally for less than $20. I thought it would be nice to have the ability to send the digital ATSC signal to other rooms on separate channels as another use. Perhaps there is no market for such devices?

I have my S9 feeding a
Frequency agile NTSC modulator

on an unused channel feed into the cable. Cable, with FTA satellite, fed into a
Magnavox MDR-513H/F7 320GB DVR and DVD Recorder ? Walmart.com


. The DVR can record cable or satellite. Satellite via the cable channel or the direct connection. (The DVR function of the S9 is just used for short pieces - 8Gb USB Stick) Another modulator, on another unused channel, is fed by the DVR output. This allows all TV's, in the house, to watch cable, satellite, or the DVR.
Although it would be nice to have an ATSC modulator, $2k is a bit pricey.

That receiver will only work with the Shaw maps...
Shaw uses weird programming too as TP 1-16 is veritcal and 2-32 is horizontal. Normally they alternate polarity

You could use it for the freebies on Shaw. Access, Knowledge, Shopping, BCTV, CKUA

To use an NTSC modulator and lose the D not to mention the HD is too much to accept. I can't go back to analog; I've tasted quality. It would be nice to keep Knowledge and CTV 2 Alberta, but it's a lot to ask to dedicate the box only for those two channels although at least the PVR could capture anything 24 hours / day for convenient viewing, and the dish is already on the roof and would likely stay even after I cancel. Canadian sat companies usually leave dishes on houses in hopes subscribers (or next resident) will re-subscribe later even though they own the dish.

I was thinking about the idea of using an unsubbed receiver idea last night and remembered something. Last Halloween eve we had a out of season snowfall here that killed power for a few days and my Dish receiver missed the authorization key. Before I called to get it reset, the DVR recordings were not available that were on the EHD until reauthorized. Seems that all functionality is lost at least with Dish Network.