HTPC will not be good on cable with out have a 2way cable card system. So M$ stuck waiting for that to get moving on HTPC.dbsdave said:It doesn't look good. Growing consensus is there will be no update for windows vista to enable directv support until windows 7 comes out. So I don't see how the hdcp would work unless they completely change the concept behind the device. We may know more when microsoft gives their big press conference in a few weeks.
Bottom line is directv is going to need to something to move things along because other providers are rapidly passing them when it comes to htpc use.
Good move. Why wait around for vaporware when there is a product out there that works right now.morphy said:Microsoft, DirecTV, Cablelabs, and the shams known as cable companies have done everything they can to make sure that the Hauppauge HD-PVR is the way to go. I'm making tentative plans now to change all of my networked media to an H20 -> Hauppauge HD-PVR -> SageTV.
Well there are a lot of different cables companies out there but most along with fios allow you to use a cablecard which allows you to use an hd tivo. That at least allows to transfer hd videos back and forth to a media center pc or other devices, which is more than we can do with directv.JoeTheDragon said:HTPC will not be good on cable with out have a 2way cable card system. So M$ stuck waiting for that to get moving on HTPC.
The media cetern addon aka Fiji has gone gold. It is only available to OEM builders and does not show any support for the Directv units, these where dropped. Big discussion going on over at the Green Button siteGrentz said:Well the Vista Media Center addon is being tested in beta still. My thoughts would be that when we see that soon to release or release, the HDPC-20 will follow soon after.
and HOPEFULLY not be something like the external cable card devices that only large OEMs could get their hands on.
I disagree that it's a messy solution. I have one and it works just fine. The software is a bit crude at this point, but is there any evidence the software that will be used with the HDPC-20 is going to be any better?dbsdave said:The hauppage is definitely an option but kind of a messy solution with directv compared to what the hdcp-20 was supposed to be.
Maybe not messy so much as complicated. I don't see the average sub paying for and setting up 2 directv receivers for full functionality as you need to do with the hauppage and other media center extenders. Not to mention you can't really use hdmi connections at all. Or setting up and using software in conjunction with IR serial controls to control the hr and h20s with their pcs. It does work pretty well though once its setup properly. I do agree the hdpc will be bugridden for quite some time if it ever comes out however. But still much more plug and play for the average user.rcoleman111 said:I disagree that it's a messy solution. I have one and it works just fine. The software is a bit crude at this point, but is there any evidence the software that will be used with the HDPC-20 is going to be any better?
The Hauppauge PVR is a snap to set up. You just connect it to the component outputs of your DVR or receiver, connect the USB cable from the PVR to a USB input on your PC, install the software, and you're ready to record. Recording to a PC doesn't get much more plug-and-play than that. I'm not familiar enough with the details of the HDPC20 to make a direct comparison, but I do know that the Hauppauge PVR is not hard to set up at all. Maybe you can provide some details about the HDPC20 that demonstrate why it would be easier to work with.dbsdave said:Maybe not messy so much as complicated. I don't see the average sub paying for and setting up 2 directv receivers for full functionality as you need to do with the hauppage and other media center extenders. Not to mention you can't really use hdmi connections at all. Or setting up and using software in conjunction with IR serial controls to control the hr and h20s with their pcs. It does work pretty well though once its setup properly. I do agree the hdpc will be bugridden for quite some time if it ever comes out however. But still much more plug and play for the average user.
The Hauppauge PVR is also controlled by the PC. It does control the receiver and is itself controlled by the PC, but what you're describing really doesn't offer much of an advantage. I'm really just interested in being able to archive certain content from my PVR, so it really isn't any big deal to me whether it's slow changing channels or that it's single-tuner at the moment.Grentz said:The HDCP20 would be fully controlled directly by the PC, it is a direct peripheral instead of the Hauppauge where that is the peripheral that then in turn needs to control the receiver.
The tuning and control is much slower and not all integrated into Media Center as much like it would be with the HDCP20.
Good information, thanks. Here's another question I have: if you record programs to your PC's hard drive using the HDPC-20, will it be unencrypted, unlike what is stored on DirecTV's DVRs?Grentz said:The idea in my mind is Media Center + HDPC20 is a full replacement for the receiver and DVR and you use Media Center as your DVR. Which at this point, might even be better than Directv's own DVRs and has some very cool tricks (like the MRV I stated above). It is also very configurable and lets the do it yourselfers and power users setup a very powerful whole home entertainment system.
It really just brings together more closely nit integration. I know its not here, but for a whole house system based on Media Center it would be amazing, and I for one would absolutly love it. I would have a server with tons of storage space and the HDPC20 that I could connect to from any of my TVs with Media Center Extenders (including the 360!) to get all of my video, music, and directv content!
No, one of the things that Media Center can afford is encrypted storage. It may be tied to the attached tuners as well.rcoleman111 said:Good information, thanks. Here's another question I have: if you record programs to your PC's hard drive using the HDPC-20, will it be unencrypted, unlike what is stored on DirecTV's DVRs?
No, it would most likely be locked inside the media center application/server.rcoleman111 said:Good information, thanks. Here's another question I have: if you record programs to your PC's hard drive using the HDPC-20, will it be unencrypted, unlike what is stored on DirecTV's DVRs?
