[speed32219]

I do not know much about HD homerun products. I have been looking at a cable card (centon) device that will take a cable card and provide tv across the network.

To my understanding and testing, in order to use the Centon I wuold need to install tvheadend as a backend and xbmc+dvr as a frontend, including the xbmc+dvr release on my other xbmc boxes within my home.

Now, for a bit cheaper I can install an HDHR3-CC or Prime and with cable card
and be able to access three virtual tuners as opossed to 4 with Centon.

But, do I need TVheadned and xbmc+dvr installed for the HDhomerun devices?

I thought I have seen that for a while now XBMC supported HDhomerun devices. Does that mean it will support the latest 3 tuner ones? It would be great if it would support dvr, epg, time shifting, etc. etc. right out the box without any major xbmc upgrades. Hey, I've been using TVheadend and xbmc+pvr using a OTA setup and it works great, except for the darn epg and xmltv stuff. They work, but I have been concerned about them keeping up with the latest xbmc releases.

Thanks

[wsume99]

I'm not that familiar with the applications that you are mentioning (tvheadend & xbmc+dvr) but let me just say this...

If you are planning on using a cablecard tuner (ceton or HDHR) to record encrypted content then you must use PVR software that is certified by cable labs. Right now the only one that I am aware of is Windows Media Center. I hope someone here will tell me that I'm wrong but I believe that this is correct.

[rdoac]

It will be the same with the HDHomerun. Using a non WMC backend you can only get a subsection of channels. In fact, you can see which channels are possible to get if you connect a firewire cable to your cable box (Comcast Motorola box in my case) and send the output to your PC. If it streams then it'll work with the HDHomerun, if not, then it's encrypted up a tier and you'll need WMC or a cable box to decode it.

A solution could be to use the HDHomerun for the majority of channels, and a Hauppuage PVRHD for the remaining off a cable box.

[speed32219]

It will be the same with the HDHomerun. Using a non WMC backend you can only get a subsection of channels. In fact, you can see which channels are possible to get if you connect a firewire cable to your cable box (Comcast Motorola box in my case) and send the output to your PC. If it streams then it'll work with the HDHomerun, if not, then it's encrypted up a tier and you'll need WMC or a cable box to decode it.

A solution could be to use the HDHomerun for the majority of channels, and a Hauppuage PVRHD for the remaining off a cable box.

Whoa, I thought that the digital cable card provided the decryption of the channels that you subscribed to. What the hell do I need to pay comcast for then, just a card to get me the basic OTA channels that are free with an antenna. That kinda sucks, so I would need to setup a WMC (XP ?) as a backend and then either a HDhomerun/Ceton with cable card and I would be able to stream live tv encyrpted to xbmc frontends?

This really throws a monkey wrench into what I wanted to do, that is replace all comcast boxes with a streaming backend device using a cable card so I would have 3-4 PVR's and no stb rentals. Back to the drawing board.

[speed32219]

"HDHomeRun PRIME supports CableCARD™ conditional access, providing access to the premium cable channels from your PC. Insert an M-Card from your cable provider and you’ll be able to watch and record all the digital cable channels you subscribe to, including HD and premium channels in 100% digital quality. Do away with that $16-22 per month set-top box rental."

This really sucks, for Ceton and HDhomerun Prime, you need MS 7 WMC!

PS. Sorry for the mispelling, but Ceton (not Centon) is the other cable card company with a 4 tuner pcie device.

[angrycamel]

It actually can work. I just finished going through the very same thing with my Prime. I share your goal of wanting to get rid of the cable boxes and using xbmc as a front end for the 3 tuner hdhr instead. I am glad to say that I've accomplished it using the TVGuide plugin and strm files generated from a channel scan on the hdhr.

I had trouble with the various perl scripts floating around so I wrote a program to handle it. It also auto configures the TVGuide addon to play the selected channels. You CAN play channels other then OTA as I have it playing TNT, USA, ESPN, Golf, etc. Any premium channels like HBO will not be decrypted but I don't have those.

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid...id=1177126

[wsume99]

It actually can work. .... You CAN play channels other then OTA as I have it playing TNT, USA, ESPN, Golf, etc. Any premium channels like HBO will not be decrypted but I don't have those.

Yes you can get channels other than OTA IF your cable provider flags them a copy freely. So it depends on how your provider sets the CCI flag. Some providers only mark premium channels like HBO as copy protected (like FIOS) while others mark everything except for OTA as copy once (like TWC). If you have a provider like TWC (which I do) then you will have to use WMC to view ALL the non-OTA channels. So just beware - if your provider ever changes their CCI flag policy, which has happened in the past on a few, then you'll no longer be able to view those channels with anything but WMC.

[angrycamel]

Ah excellent information, thanks for the clarification. Yes I do use Fios, so let's hope they keep it this way. I tell you what though, if they don't it will be the final straw for me and I will simply shut it off. As it is now there are so many other options and with addons like PseudoTV, FreeCable, and the MyLibrary tool, all I need is the Internet connection

[parapeggy]

It actually can work. .... You CAN play channels other then OTA as I have it playing TNT, USA, ESPN, Golf, etc. Any premium channels like HBO will not be decrypted but I don't have those.

Yes you can get channels other than OTA IF your cable provider flags them a copy freely. So it depends on how your provider sets the CCI flag. Some providers only mark premium channels like HBO as copy protected (like FIOS) while others mark everything except for OTA as copy once (like TWC). If you have a provider like TWC (which I do) then you will have to use WMC to view ALL the non-OTA channels. So just beware - if your provider ever changes their CCI flag policy, which has happened in the past on a few, then you'll no longer be able to view those channels with anything but WMC.

That's right!

Anyone thinking about the Prime or Ceton, make sure you clearly understand the game that is going on here.
You are NOT going to be able to view ANY networked video channels which are flagged as anything other than "copy freely".... UNLESS.... you are using Microsoft WMC.
Addtionally if you intend to network your video and view it on convential displays around your home you will be REQUIRED to use "extenders", or a dedicated computer runing WMC, to view ANY copy protected channels.
Make sure you understand what extenders are and make sure that they are appropriate to your system and desires.

Remember, even after paying for it, the ONLY way you can view COPY PROTECTED content OVER YOUR NETWORK is through the use of Windows Media Center..

My carrier is local and has been playing games with CCI flags.
I've had it.
My Prime is back in it's box because of this DRM mess.

[RandomNinjaAtk]

I'm on FIOS and it works for everything but Premium channels, I don't subscribe or care to have those anyways! So it's no big deal! Best to check with your cable provider first to know which channels are Copy Freely though...

[wsume99]

My advice would be this - do not buy a Ceton or Prime unless you are planning on using WMC otherwise you are just setting yourself up for a major disappointment.

[teaguecl]

My advice would be this - do not buy a Ceton or Prime unless you are planning on using WMC otherwise you are just setting yourself up for a major disappointment.

I unfortunately have to +1 this. If you're not willing to use WMC, then you're better off just sticking with the crappy equipment your cable company has provided. The media companies have conspired to make piracy infinitely more convenient than legitimately accessing their content.

[Kirky99]

^^ That's the truth... The HDHomerun concept is great, until you pull a cable company into the mix. I use mine to distribute OTA channels and it works great. Cancelled cable a year or so ago, and until I can do what I need to do with cable , I'm fine with my current setup.

[parapeggy]

The media companies have conspired....

Well sort of....in 1988 the cable content DISTRIBUTORS collectively funded and formed the "not for porfit" "Cablelabs".
The unspoken charter of the day was "stop the theft".
It was a handful of powerful guys, sitting in cable company boardrooms (both large and small) who wanted to put a stop to all of the unpaid viewing.
And if you remember the 60's and 70's, the unpaid viewing was massive.
The ultimate result....movie stars and content industry mogals making multiple milions per year.
Welcome to DRM...the supply and demand UNequalizer.

Next stop, replace the forward facing cameras with endorphin release sensors and charge the viewer by measuring his viewing satisfaction.
They already have a name for it..."Pay per Endorphin"

[parapeggy]

So it's no big deal!

There are an awful lot of real recent reports out there that Verizon is going to kill "copy freely"...real soon.
Good luck to you.