Inserting a channel in Guide using HD Modulator and AM21

[Claude Greiner]

Just bought an 8VSB Digital 480I modulator the other day...
http://www.pviusa.com/MICROMOD-Compact-SD-RF-Modulator_p_31.html

I currently have several HD/DVR's in my house with AM21's to integrate off-air channels into the guide on my receivers.

Just recently subscribed to Comcast and got an SD box for just the RAI Italian channel.

So the idea here is to take the SD output of the Comcast Box, run it into an HD modulator and then integrate it into my OTA feed so therefore I would have the channel from Comcast integrated in my Directv guide.

I have done this with Dish several months ago in an MDU setup where we integrated security cameras into the guide on 23 model 222 receivers using the OTA input. Worked great!

So now im trying to do the same thing with Directv, and there is no way to manually add a channel....

So I put in my primary locals (Detroit) and then added a seconday DMA (Cleveland) and changed my modulator to the correct frequency and PSIP channel.

I can get the channel to show in the guide, eventhough I got guide data from cleveland, I just need the channel in the guide as I got an older family member who does not know how to change inputs on my tv, and only knows how to enter the channel number directly.

Does this seem like it would work?

The channel for the seconday DMA I decided to use was channel 3 Cleveland. I think the transmit channel was UHF 17 and the PSIP channel was 3,

 

[Claude Greiner]

There is also another way to do it as an IP channel using the DRE software used for hotels, but I can't get a copy of the DRE software from my distributor.

 

[rsmithwi]

Expensive little bugger!. There is another box made by ZeeVee, still high priced. Neat devices to distribute SD/HD programming over a QAM channel. I briefly played with one of the models from ZeeVee and the picture quality was excellent. Hopefully prices will come down in the future, sure makes it allot easier to distribute SD/HD AV over a signal coax cable. Combined with OTA ATSC broadcasts, make yourself a mini-headend.

Would be nice for them to add encryption so I can make my kids pay for their programming
(Just kidding of course)

Not sure about the EPG, under the impression you don't get any on the newly created channels.

 

[dishrich]

Expensive little bugger!. There is another box made by ZeeVee, still high priced. Neat devices to distribute SD/HD programming over a QAM channel.

Until the day comes that the prog provider of that STB decides to completely kill component outputs on HD channels (which I believe WILL happen sooner than later)...

 

[harshness]

So now im trying to do the same thing with Directv, and there is no way to manually add a channel....

I suppose you could try to spoof an existing station but I'm not sure where (or how) you would inject the station's Virtual Channel Table (an element of the PSIP data) into a modulator such that it would fool the receiver into thinking that it was a station from another market.

Since this asinine limitation is a function of a business decision implemented in the receiver firmware, perhaps DIRECTV could build you (or already has) a special firmware version that isn't so stinky.

 

[rsmithwi]

Until the day comes that the prog provider of that STB decides to completely kill component outputs on HD channels (which I believe WILL happen sooner than later)...

Yep, when component outputs are gone, forget doing any of this. HDCP over the HDMI port stops all this which sucks as I use the component out from my DVR to feed an HD pc encoder card to archive recordings on a hi-def DVD. It records analog but that's the only way without breaking HDCP and violating the DMCA.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I can spoof the psip data.

Output is 8vsb

 

[harshness]

I can spoof the psip data.

Output is 8vsb

If you can produce an ATSC channel complete with fake PSIP data, where's the problem?

 

[WoodieLA]

Zeevee units are not HDCP compliant and won't work with any STB or HDMI fed boxes. HD component could work but you're better off with a modulator that's HDCP compliant using HDMI so you can actually receive perfect 1080i picture quality.

 

[harshness]

Zeevee units are not HDCP compliant and won't work with any STB or HDMI fed boxes. HD component could work but you're better off with a modulator that's HDCP compliant using HDMI so you can actually receive perfect 1080i picture quality.

Nothing that is crammed into an OTA channel is going to be perfect picture quality by the time it gets where it is going.

The only issue as I understand it is fooling the idiotic DIRECTV OTA feature to tune a channel that they don't offer guide for.

 

[raoul5788]

Do you ever do anything but complain about how Directv works?

 

[satgirl51]

Do you ever do anything but complain about how Directv works?

I have noticed the same He is a dish fan boy, but I hate directv fan boys too. Just like the android/iphone fan boys, its so ridiculous. What most fanboys don't realize is its competition that makes things better.

 

[raoul5788]

I have noticed the same He is a dish fan boy, but I hate directv fan boys too. Just like the android/iphone fan boys, its so ridiculous. What most fanboys don't realize is its competition that makes things better.

I agree, but most of them stay in their own forum, they don't go to other forums for no apparent reason.

 

[harshness]

Do you ever do anything but complain about how Directv works?

I'm trying to figure out how to help the TS get around a DIRECTV business decision. What's your angle?

 

[satgirl51]

I'm trying to figure out how to help the TS get around a DIRECTV business decision. What's your angle?

I believe it was a rhetorical question

 

[raoul5788]

I'm trying to figure out how to help the TS get around a DIRECTV business decision. What's your angle?

By complaining about how Directv programmed the AM21? That's a crock. You didn't say anything to help the TS.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

Out of curiosity how exactly did you get this working? I have a surveillance system tied to a pvr with hdmi out.. not sure if it's hdcp or not I'd have to reread the specs.. but could you post a basic step by step for me to put the output on a channel my am21s can read plz?

 

[satgirl51]

Out of curiosity how exactly did you get this working? I have a surveillance system tied to a pvr with hdmi out.. not sure if it's hdcp or not I'd have to reread the specs.. but could you post a basic step by step for me to put the output on a channel my am21s can read plz?

You really just need a ATSC modulator, very expensive though...

 

[harshness]

You really just need a ATSC modulator, very expensive though...

You also need to figure out a way to sufficiently mimic a channel in the DIRECTV OTA database or the receivers won't tune it.

 

[raoul5788]

You also need to figure out a way to sufficiently mimic a channel in the DIRECTV OTA database or the receivers won't tune it.

A google search will find a station at the same rf channel number in another dma. It's not difficult like you make it sound.