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High, I'm very new to FTA (getting my first FTA receiver soon, Viewsat Platinum) and I've also been building up my HTPC w/ Media center.
Media Center is great and I'm able to use it for lots of things, however one thing I never got to do was record video from broadcasts and use the media center guide. Since my house did not have satallite or even cable, I never bothered buying PVR card. I figure once we get satellite or digital cable, then I will dive into that.
So my question is how or if the FTA receiver works together with an HTPC and what limitations are there. Will i be able to record programs? schedule when to record? Access the EPG via my PC? Control the FTA receiver with media center? things like that.
Does anyone here have an FTA receiver integerated in their HTPC home theater?
Media Center is great and I'm able to use it for lots of things, however one thing I never got to do was record video from broadcasts and use the media center guide. Since my house did not have satallite or even cable, I never bothered buying PVR card. I figure once we get satellite or digital cable, then I will dive into that.
So my question is how or if the FTA receiver works together with an HTPC and what limitations are there. Will i be able to record programs? schedule when to record? Access the EPG via my PC? Control the FTA receiver with media center? things like that.
Does anyone here have an FTA receiver integerated in their HTPC home theater?
12 Replies
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5061 views
I just wanted to add to KS's remarks as Tivo seem to have some kind of a bad rap.
Yes the monthly fee sucks. $300 for a lifetime sub solves that problem. The hardware is next to free (I paid less than $5 for the last one I bought a couple months ago, after rebate). I have all of $305 invested for a lifetime of Tivo. If and when I decide I need more space, IDE hard drives are cheap. I have a 120 Gig drive chomping at the bit to go in my 40 hour Tivo.
As far as the .tivo format is concerned - it's not a codec, it's DRM on MPG2. Tivo would like you to use the Sonic software who they've partnered with for .tivo --> DVD conversion. The Sonic software won't even install on my machine
.
It took about 2 seconds on google to find the software to get the files into .MPG. It's REALLY fast too.
Tivo's software is what makes it such a benefit. It's hard to explain why it's better than the normal run of the mill DVR. It just is. Using Tivo provided software (no hacks) I can:
Record shows by name having no idea when they actually are on.
I can search for shows and schedule recordings from anywhere via the web (Tivo.com).
Transfer shows between the Tivos and play them back in real time (or darn close to it)
Transfer shows from any of the Tivos to any of my PCs
I can access shows stored on any of my PCs from any of the Tivos
I've almost forgot what the guide on my cable box looks like - I never use it.
After having bought my first Tivo, I had to have another. The one thing the stand alone Tivos can't do is record more than one thing at once. I have all but quit watching live TV aside from FTA / 4DTV.
If and when a standalone HD Tivo comes to be, I'll be first in line for one.
What kills Tivo for FTA is that you can't do up a custom guide - at least not that I know of. This means no guide, and when you do record a program manually, the program description will be wrong. So you record the Space Shuttle launch feed and the description says whatever show is on the channel you told the Tivo it was tuning to. This also means that the Tivo will not be changing the channels on yout FTA box which kills all the automation which makes Tivo usage painless / seamless.
So in short, I love Tivo. In the case of FTA though, a well-setup HTPC seems to be the way to go. I might give MythTV a whirl if I ever get a PCI / USB DVB box. The big advantages I see with a HTPC vs a Tivo are being able to record full rez HD / play it back and being able to build a custom guide.
Yes the monthly fee sucks. $300 for a lifetime sub solves that problem. The hardware is next to free (I paid less than $5 for the last one I bought a couple months ago, after rebate). I have all of $305 invested for a lifetime of Tivo. If and when I decide I need more space, IDE hard drives are cheap. I have a 120 Gig drive chomping at the bit to go in my 40 hour Tivo.
As far as the .tivo format is concerned - it's not a codec, it's DRM on MPG2. Tivo would like you to use the Sonic software who they've partnered with for .tivo --> DVD conversion. The Sonic software won't even install on my machine
.It took about 2 seconds on google to find the software to get the files into .MPG. It's REALLY fast too.
Tivo's software is what makes it such a benefit. It's hard to explain why it's better than the normal run of the mill DVR. It just is. Using Tivo provided software (no hacks) I can:
Record shows by name having no idea when they actually are on.
I can search for shows and schedule recordings from anywhere via the web (Tivo.com).
Transfer shows between the Tivos and play them back in real time (or darn close to it)
Transfer shows from any of the Tivos to any of my PCs
I can access shows stored on any of my PCs from any of the Tivos
I've almost forgot what the guide on my cable box looks like - I never use it.
After having bought my first Tivo, I had to have another. The one thing the stand alone Tivos can't do is record more than one thing at once. I have all but quit watching live TV aside from FTA / 4DTV.
If and when a standalone HD Tivo comes to be, I'll be first in line for one.
What kills Tivo for FTA is that you can't do up a custom guide - at least not that I know of. This means no guide, and when you do record a program manually, the program description will be wrong. So you record the Space Shuttle launch feed and the description says whatever show is on the channel you told the Tivo it was tuning to. This also means that the Tivo will not be changing the channels on yout FTA box which kills all the automation which makes Tivo usage painless / seamless.
So in short, I love Tivo. In the case of FTA though, a well-setup HTPC seems to be the way to go. I might give MythTV a whirl if I ever get a PCI / USB DVB box. The big advantages I see with a HTPC vs a Tivo are being able to record full rez HD / play it back and being able to build a custom guide.
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He was 71 yrs old. One of my favorite songs is Seminole Wind....the violin is killer.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sh9P3X33w
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sh9P3X33w
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12 views
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
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447 views
LOL. It depends if the person saw it during the years when they were actually still available which is 1968 to 1983 meaning the person could be 43-58 years old or they can even be a few years old if they learned to read and write at a young age and actually saw a telephone with that label somewhere recently just like even here in San Francisco, payphone still exist physically in public places but whether they can be used or not is a different issue. It still looks like this even today:
I opened my Radio Shack in Sept 1984 and right about that time they did the whole deregulation thing with the phone companies. I bought TONS of those phones that had been refurbished with a new outer shell. You could throw one of those out of a 3 story high window and it would still work.
That was an interesting time in history. I would have older customers come in and ask about phones.....they were terrified that they were going to get into trouble hooking up a second phone without the phone company knowing about it. One of the funniest episodes of WKRP was the one where Johnny thought the cops were showing up because they had an unregistered phone. I guess younger folks can't conceive of a time when you were limited to the number of phones you could have in your house....and limited to the length of the cord
That was an interesting time in history. I would have older customers come in and ask about phones.....they were terrified that they were going to get into trouble hooking up a second phone without the phone company knowing about it. One of the funniest episodes of WKRP was the one where Johnny thought the cops were showing up because they had an unregistered phone. I guess younger folks can't conceive of a time when you were limited to the number of phones you could have in your house....and limited to the length of the cord
Interesting article about the work being done to develope an ATSC 3 converter box. Yes it does mention affordable.
www.tvtechnology.com
Pearl TV Issues Progress Report on Low-Cost 3.0 Converters in Advance of NAB Show New York
Group has secured lower pricing from key tech players to make less costly boxes available
www.tvtechnology.com
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192 views
It's dead, they just don't know it yet. They killed it by forcing DRM on it, and that TOTALLY botched implementing it.
There is absolutely NO compelling reason for anybody to switch to ATSC3.0. They only want it as a total and complete money grab.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bRMaZHVPGg
Direct YouTube Link - Club TWiT: Mikah's Crafting Corner
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bRMaZHVPGg
Direct YouTube Link - Club TWiT: Mikah's Crafting Corner
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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3 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHxdmb3SE2E
Direct YouTube Link - Security vs. Features: The Windows Update Problem
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHxdmb3SE2E
Direct YouTube Link - Security vs. Features: The Windows Update Problem
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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2 views
Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.
Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.
Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.
4 Replies
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130 views
USA and SyFy content is on Peacock, you can receive the rest of those channels via Philo, only $25 a month.
Philo - Stream Live and On-Demand TV
Why pay more for TV? Start your Philo free trial and enjoy live TV plus on-demand content starting at just $25/month. Stream hit shows, movies, and more.
www.philo.com
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I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
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171 views
My OTA is not working anymore. This started after the latest update. I have the OTA dongle with a OTA antenna that I've been using for years. My hopper does not recognize the dongle anymore and when I go to the OTA setting, it has a screen that says to plug a dongle into the USB. I tried unplugging and plugging back, in the same usb port and other ports. The Hopper does not recognize it. Anyone have same issue?
200 Replies
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5067 views
Did you people having this issue contact Brittany yet? Shes trying to keep track of things and it would be good for you to contact her as maybe she can get this somewhere and get fixed.
Now while unofficial, I am hearing this issue wasn't caused by DISH's software team, but was caused by a chipset driver update that seemes to have hosed some older USB devices. If this is indeed the case I can see why DISH didn't know and why they are slow in fixing it as they need the chipset company to fix its drivers and release them to DISH so they can be pushed out to all.
DISH does not hate you guys nor do they want you to buy new USB dongles. I am rather sure they didn't even know this was an issue until they saw it posted.
Again contact Brittany if you are having this issue, so she has your info and hopefully she can do something for you to keep you happy.
Now while unofficial, I am hearing this issue wasn't caused by DISH's software team, but was caused by a chipset driver update that seemes to have hosed some older USB devices. If this is indeed the case I can see why DISH didn't know and why they are slow in fixing it as they need the chipset company to fix its drivers and release them to DISH so they can be pushed out to all.
DISH does not hate you guys nor do they want you to buy new USB dongles. I am rather sure they didn't even know this was an issue until they saw it posted.
Again contact Brittany if you are having this issue, so she has your info and hopefully she can do something for you to keep you happy.
Thanks, but until they do, can't Dish just revert to the old driver that worked? Then test the new driver when delivered,d before pushing it again.Did you people having this issue contact Brittany yet? Shes trying to keep track of things and it would be good for you to contact her as maybe she can get this somewhere and get fixed.
Now while unofficial, I am hearing this issue wasn't caused by DISH's software team, but was caused by a chipset driver update that seemes to have hosed some older USB devices. If this is indeed the case I can see why DISH didn't know and why they are slow in fixing it as they need the chipset company to fix its drivers and release them to DISH so they can be pushed out to all.
DISH does not hate you guys nor do they want you to buy new USB dongles. I am rather sure they didn't even know this was an issue until they saw it posted.
Again contact Brittany if you are having this issue, so she has your info and hopefully she can do something for you to keep you happy.
But then what does an old CIO know! I've only reamed quite a few buttholes from my people that didn't do that!
S
dish can't revert back to older drivers or updates. although just one reason not to buy the ota dongle!!!Thanks, but until they do, can't Dish just revert to the old driver that worked? Then test the new driver when delivered,d before pushing it again.
But then what does an old CIO know! I've only reamed quite a few buttholes from my people that didn't do that!
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Cutting Edge
The TPN Map Excel Presents all DIRECTV Channels:
Understanding the TPN Map
Making Sense of the TPN Map Display Conventions
National (50-States or wide/NAT+PR beams)
Local (Local-Into-Local or narrow/Spot beams)
Local (Local-Into-Local or narrow/Spot beams)
Additional tabs provide:
OTA the (Over-The-Air) Database
VOD (Video On_Demand) Records
Offline Records
Engr Records
Net Decoder a graphic presentation of all satellites and transponders
VOD (Video On_Demand) Records
Offline Records
Engr Records
Net Decoder a graphic presentation of all satellites and transponders
Domestic Satellites
@99W...... D11, D14
@101W.... D16
@103W.... D12, D15
@110W.... D5
@119W.... D8
@99W...... D11, D14
@101W.... D16
@103W.... D12, D15
@110W.... D5
@119W.... D8
Understanding the TPN Map
Making Sense of the TPN Map Display Conventions
2153 Replies
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935414 views
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I've been using APC UPS units to protect my computer and Home Theater equipment for many years, but now there are a number of companies producing "Glamping" power accessories that can provide hours of 120 VAC power for off-grid use at a camp site or a few hours of power when severe weather knock out the power. I had mentioned elsewhere that I picked up a Jackery HomePower 3000 to use instead of a gasoline generator to provide emergency power for our refrigerator. The 3.0 kWh of Lithium Iron Phosphate battery cells can supply power for over 24 hours and is "light" enough that I can move it into the kitchen to allow it to power the fridge. However, it's not an automatic operation, as I need to move it from its home in the closet to the kitchen, in addition to rolling the refrigerator out from its alcove so I can plug it in.
The Jackery wasn't my first LFP Power Bank; I had purchased an EcoFlow River 2 unit with 512 Wh of capacity. I had purchased this to use on our Home LAN to give it a longer run time than the three hours that I had with the APC UPS I had been using. This isn't an odd use case, EcoFlow advertises this capability on its website and a transfer time of 16 mS. I used this River 2 to supply power to a 16-port Cisco gigabit switch, the AT&T router, Printer Server, MoCA adapter, and surveillance camera NAS. All told, about 35 W of load. With the EcoFlow River 2, it reported approximately 12-13 hours of run time. So far, so good.
After it had been in use for a month or so, I was down in the basement and heard a whirling sound. Turns out the State of Charge was 24% and it appeared the River 2 was off-grid even though it was still plugged in. Well, turns out that the firmware had a big bug in it for people that were using it like I was. I communicated with EcoFlow and eventually they sent a newer firmware that fixed this problem. But before they fixed it, I decided that I had such a good experience with the Jackery, that I bought their Explorer 1000 (1,070 Wh capacity) which should run our home network for over a day. It worked great right out of the box, and even when it was charging, the cooling fan was practically silent.
After the River 2 was patched, I put it to work, replacing the APC UPS powering the bedroom TV with Dish 4K Joey and Apple TV. The LG OLED uses quite a lot more power than I expected, depending on the scene, it can have a 120 Watt power draw. With the River 2, that might limit power-out watching to 4-5 hours. Also, the River 2 still had the issue with its cooling fan, I find it disturbing the quiet bedroom environment.
EcoFlow had one of the Spring sales and have a new EcoFlow Delta 3 1000 Air which was on sale for $299. That's a 960 Wh capacity power bank with a 10 ms power switching, so this seemed like a perfect solution. Well, except for two things: 1) It has one grounded NEMA 5-15 receptacle; 2) even though EcoFlow claims "35 dB @ 1m" quietness, it was even louder that the River 2 was. Not optimal!
So, I ended up swapping the Jackery Explorer 1000 with the EcoFlow Delta 3 1000 Air since the power demands for the Home LAN are less, and the loud fan noise won't bother anyone. The bedroom TV setup says it should be good for approximately 7 hours:
I realize that at some point the amount of money spent on these individual long-term Power Backup solutions will be more expensive than if we just bought a whole-house power solution. Those are coming down in price, but we're still looking at $16,000 at a minimum for a LFP solution, and $10,000 or so for a home LP generator solution. (With the LP generator solution, we would need to also pay the Gas utility to increase the size of our gas line, so that tilts me towards a the battery solution.)
Finally, I tried an Amazon 12 VDC LFP battery that replaces the Lead Acid Gel Cell in a normal UPS with an equivalent set of LFP cells. The price was roughly the same as a 12 VDC battery from Batteries+, and it's been running for about a year now with no difficulty. But these APC UPS units won't run for long, and are really intended to allow the powered equipment to be shut down in an orderly manner.
So, am I weird to use these Camping power banks for Home emergency power solutions? I haven't even touched the idea of Solar panels to supplement the run time in an Outage.
After it had been in use for a month or so, I was down in the basement and heard a whirling sound. Turns out the State of Charge was 24% and it appeared the River 2 was off-grid even though it was still plugged in. Well, turns out that the firmware had a big bug in it for people that were using it like I was. I communicated with EcoFlow and eventually they sent a newer firmware that fixed this problem. But before they fixed it, I decided that I had such a good experience with the Jackery, that I bought their Explorer 1000 (1,070 Wh capacity) which should run our home network for over a day. It worked great right out of the box, and even when it was charging, the cooling fan was practically silent.
After the River 2 was patched, I put it to work, replacing the APC UPS powering the bedroom TV with Dish 4K Joey and Apple TV. The LG OLED uses quite a lot more power than I expected, depending on the scene, it can have a 120 Watt power draw. With the River 2, that might limit power-out watching to 4-5 hours. Also, the River 2 still had the issue with its cooling fan, I find it disturbing the quiet bedroom environment.
EcoFlow had one of the Spring sales and have a new EcoFlow Delta 3 1000 Air which was on sale for $299. That's a 960 Wh capacity power bank with a 10 ms power switching, so this seemed like a perfect solution. Well, except for two things: 1) It has one grounded NEMA 5-15 receptacle; 2) even though EcoFlow claims "35 dB @ 1m" quietness, it was even louder that the River 2 was. Not optimal!
So, I ended up swapping the Jackery Explorer 1000 with the EcoFlow Delta 3 1000 Air since the power demands for the Home LAN are less, and the loud fan noise won't bother anyone. The bedroom TV setup says it should be good for approximately 7 hours:
I realize that at some point the amount of money spent on these individual long-term Power Backup solutions will be more expensive than if we just bought a whole-house power solution. Those are coming down in price, but we're still looking at $16,000 at a minimum for a LFP solution, and $10,000 or so for a home LP generator solution. (With the LP generator solution, we would need to also pay the Gas utility to increase the size of our gas line, so that tilts me towards a the battery solution.)
Finally, I tried an Amazon 12 VDC LFP battery that replaces the Lead Acid Gel Cell in a normal UPS with an equivalent set of LFP cells. The price was roughly the same as a 12 VDC battery from Batteries+, and it's been running for about a year now with no difficulty. But these APC UPS units won't run for long, and are really intended to allow the powered equipment to be shut down in an orderly manner.
So, am I weird to use these Camping power banks for Home emergency power solutions? I haven't even touched the idea of Solar panels to supplement the run time in an Outage.
3 Replies
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108 views
I would not trust a UPS designed for lead acid to properly charge, discharge and maintain a LFP battery.
Sounds like it'd be cheaper to move where the power is more dependable. Like near me. Quite a few houses in this neighborhood go for less than $1M.
Are you weird? If you seriously consider moving for this - YES!
Sounds like it'd be cheaper to move where the power is more dependable. Like near me. Quite a few houses in this neighborhood go for less than $1M.
Are you weird? If you seriously consider moving for this - YES!