Tag: HDTV

MythTV Rig Update: Back to the Home Theater Frontend

by

Since we last spoke of our Home Theater Frontend, it has gone through some changes. You can click here to see the pictures from the previous iteration.

After writing that, we started thinking about our lack of HDMI support, and started preparing for our glorious HDMI filed future. HDMI is the standard which is, and will be used going forward for digital video content, and carries both audio and video in a single cable. So, we wired up an HDMI cable with two DVI adapters to replace our existing DVI cable.

But that wasn’t enough, so we hopped on a Newegg deal for a video card that output to HDMI…one adapter down. Then, even though we hadn’t planned on it so soon, we upgraded the computer monitor we were using to a 32″ Westinghouse HDTV. It had an SPDIF line out, so the audio signal can return to the older receiver. It is amazing how one little decision…to prepare for a future upgrade can induce you to invest earlier.

Why 32″ and not 42-47″ or beyond? Well, size considerations for the room. Here’s a picture from when we emptied the area to work on it. You can see the preparations mounting the new TV waiting there. High above is the room wi-fi antenna.

Here is the new mount and HDTV. It can extend a foot and a half from the wall, and tilt to a variety of different angles. And the mount is rated for roughly four times the weight of the television. HDTVs have been getting lighter. Either way, that mount is bolted into two studs, something we wanted. If it comes down, which it isn’t, it’s taking the wall with it.

The Future of Internet Video

by
A server used for the My Home
Image via Wikipedia

We like Hulu. We think it is a great service, and like any services that offer good content at the wonderfully low-low price of free. However, Hulu is considering adding a premium product…where they could offer things they don’t offer now at a premium.

Some people, despite its free nature, don’t like Hulu. And it hasn’t exactly made a great deal of profit. Mark Cuban wrote today on the subject of Internet Video vs the Cable Company DVR. As the owner of HDNet, a television channel offered on cable, he may be biased though. But the fact that content providers, cable companies, and the other organizations involved just don’t get the possibilities is not one we can argue with.

Cuban makes the case for better cable hardware with better improved features and remote access so you can enjoy your programs on the go. Beyond that, there is also the network DVR, where the videos are stored on a cable company server, instead of in the house. The library of On-Demand programming offered by all carriers continues to increase.

Cuban makes the point that with the current limitations of Internet based video, cable may be the more popular option for the foreseeable future. At least, in that regard, we agree.  If you are paying for something, you should receive good quality service at a good price.

More on the Analog Loophole

by
Component video cable with RCA connections.
Image via Wikipedia

In our previous post on the subject, we discussed the Analog Loophole, and how we were using the HD-PVR 1212 to capture HD video.

We’d had some problems, and reduced the quality to 720p and AAC analog audio only. After a week, on Thursday night we switched back to AC3 digital audio delivered using an optical toslink cable. So far, the recordings are stable. Our next step will be to switch from 720p only to 1080i only. And we ultimately hope to allow both 720p and 1080i to record, so that we can record both HD formats that are broadcast without any scaling.

But, what if they close the Analog Loophole? There is a solution out there. GeekTonic recently had a guest-post on the subject. It discusses the HD-Fury2 It provides an HDMI input, and a component video output. The HD-Fury2 and the HD-PVR will work together, so even if they turn off the component outputs, this will enable an analog path.

Why do we need the analog loophole? Well, our cable company encrypts almost everything. If they missed something, any day it could be gone. We have, in addition to the HD-PVR, a Silicondust HDHomeRun, with is a dual digital tuner that works with cable and broadcast. One day, we came home and they’d encrypted TNT-HD, one of the few channels outside of broadcast they offered.

We use the Silicondust HDHomerun for unencrypted cable and broadcast, mostly to allow us to record cable and broadcast channels simultaneously, although us not to have to rely exclusively on the one cable box hooked into the system. The HDHomerun is a very well supported device. The developers are very involved, and continue to release new firmware. The latest version of the firmware improves channel scanning and handling, among other things.

Like anything, you have to find the solution that works for you. Even if we lost cable entirely tomorrow, we could switch to Broadcast and maintain a good selection of programming. We choose however, to continue to push what we can do and learn and explore new things.  More on this to come.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]