Capturing video from a PVR - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Bryan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 09:59:27 am
content: Hello folks, wondering if someone could point me in the right direction. Local cable provider (Telus) provides a PVR. I have recorded some programs that I want to archive and store on my PC. You can not copy from the PVR. And even if you took it apart to access the HD, apparently the contents are encrypted. I have researched that a possible solution is a video capture unit. Connects to the composite cables on the back of the PVR. You play the video on the PVR and the unit captures the output to a PC in various formats. Anyone familiar with something like this, I have heard about TV capture cards that can be used in a pc like a tv card, but would not work with my provider (IPTV). Just not sure what type I should be looking for.

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 10:20:31 am
content: In the US you would be in luck. By law all of our STB's have Firewire for recording onto PC.If your looking for a capture card, I suggest something like the Happauge PVR2. You would need to get COMPONENT leads for a HD signal (No SCART for silly Americans). Or you could get the PVR2 and a SCART to HDMI converter.The nicest option for recording TV is to see if you can hook up a TV card to your cable box so you can get the decoded channels off of it (QAM in Canada I thinks). If you can do that you would have to re-record everything, but you now have a physical copy.Most STB's have HDCP on them, a splitter MIGHT be able to help you, then again might not.

author: Bryan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2016, 09:37:30 pm
content: Thanks all. Looks like the Happauge using component leads would be the simpler solution, although a HDMI splitter would probably work as well but would need to send it off to a capture card or some other type of recording box. I think the HDCP HDMI splitters remove the HDCP coding so a user can watch content on a older TV that does not have the HDCP handshaking.I don't believe there is the option of using a dedicated tv card to the cable as it communicates over the network or whatever the correct terminology is IPTV I think.

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2016, 04:57:55 pm
content: Quote from: Bryan on October 28, 2016, 09:37:30 pmIn the states (NY/Albany area) we have encrypted QAM signals coming through cables that go to most houses. That is decrypted by the STB and displayed with it's built in tuner.

author: Bryan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2016, 09:25:04 pm
content: Up here with Telus it is distributed over the telephone line to a router/modem (Actiontec VT1000H) and then on to the PVR or your computer for internet. Only hope that I see to capture or re-record is from the HDMI or the composite post PVR box.

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2016, 02:57:10 am
content: Quote from: Bryan on October 30, 2016, 09:25:04 pmUse component, not composite. Composite is gonna look like crap, think laserdisc quality if you've ever had one.Component divides the YPbPr colourspace into three separate signals, think RGB, but different. You can actually get decent looking 1080p60 video over component leads, not HDMI quality, but not different enough to be able to tell in most cases.

author: Bryan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2016, 08:40:32 am
content: Yes component, not composite. Always get the two mixed up <g>. Looking at the manual there is a TV out coax connector. May have to try it on my TV and see what it does, although suspect the output is downgraded and certainly not 720 or higher. If not then I would suspect this could be used directly into a PC video capture card?