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  1. Member
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    Hey everyone.

    For the last couple of years I got sat TV, with the option to record TV shows using an external USB drive, or just a flash drive.
    It worked very well and I used the .ts files generated by the STV to play on the STB itself, on the computer, on my WDTV Live, etc.
    Now I'm changing to cable (long story) and I don't have the option to record.
    They gave me a decoder that looks just like the Technicolor DCI713 HD decoder. Indeed it says DCI713 on the front, but there is no mention of the brand on it. Seems like it was made just fo the carrier.
    I tried to use the USB ports, but the recording function is not enabled. The paper on the box, showing what LED and port was what, only stated "for future use" on the USB ports.
    Googling aroung I couldn't find a way to unlock the recording function.
    Anyway... is there anyway I can get the original stream, just like I used to on my sat receiver, from this decoder, using its HDMI output? I don't want to have the files reencoded.
    Is there the possibility to buy a new decoder, with recording capabilities, that would work with the card that's inserted on this DCI713?
    Any help is appreciated.
    Thanx.
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  2. Formerly 'vaporeon800' Brad's Avatar
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    No, HDMI is an uncompressed display standard, not a transport stream carrier.

    As for your other questions, I don't know since I'm not familiar with Brazilian TV tech.
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  3. Member
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    Yeah, I suspected the HDMI would not be an option.
    But I believe that if I use a decent capture device, like a Blackmagic one, I should get pretty decent results capturing from the HDMI output of the STB, right?
    I mean, that's the opposite of "garbage in, garbage out".
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    Originally Posted by Caple View Post
    Yeah, I suspected the HDMI would not be an option.
    But I believe that if I use a decent capture device, like a Blackmagic one, I should get pretty decent results capturing from the HDMI output of the STB, right?
    I mean, that's the opposite of "garbage in, garbage out".
    Products in Blackmagic's Intensity line are capable of producing very good results but use software on the PC to encode video. Using software to encode means that if you are capturing HD video in real time using a highly compressed format, you will need to use a powerful CPU like your i7 930 to get good quality. To be able to use a far less powerful PC to capture high-quality video, you'll have to capture using a low-compression lossless video format, which requires a vast amount of hard drive space. For these reasons, most people get a HD capture device with hardware encoding instead of one with software encoding. It is also nice to have a capture device that works with software that provides a program guide or a timer-based schedule to record TV. Devices in Blackmagic's Intensity product line don't come with that kind of software and don't work with popular third-party PVR software.

    In addition to a good HDMI capture device, you will also need a device that removes HDCP to be able to record the HDCP-protected output from a cable box
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 31st Jan 2014 at 19:31.
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  5. Member
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    Originally Posted by usually_quiet View Post
    Originally Posted by Caple View Post
    Yeah, I suspected the HDMI would not be an option.
    But I believe that if I use a decent capture device, like a Blackmagic one, I should get pretty decent results capturing from the HDMI output of the STB, right?
    I mean, that's the opposite of "garbage in, garbage out".
    Products in Blackmagic's Intensity line are capable of producing very good results but use software on the PC to encode video. Using software to encode means that if you are capturing HD video in real time using a highly compressed format, you will need to use a powerful CPU like your i7 930 to get good quality. To be able to use a far less powerful PC to capture high-quality video, you'll have to capture using a low-compression lossless video format, which requires a vast amount of hard drive space. For these reasons, most people get a HD capture device with hardware encoding instead of one with software encoding. It is also nice to have a capture device that works with software that provides a program guide or a timer-based schedule to record TV. Devices in Blackmagic's Intensity product line don't come with that kind of software and don't work with popular third-party PVR software.

    In addition to a good HDMI capture device, you will also need a device that removes HDCP to be able to record the HDCP-protected output from a cable box
    I thought Blackmagic used hardware compression.
    As for my computer specs, it's outdated.
    Can you recommend any hardware encoding device? The last capture hardware I had was a Canopus ADVC100. I haven't played with encoding for about 4 years. I'm totaly outdated.
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    If I needed an HDMI capture device for myself to record the ouput from my HD cable box, I would buy the Hauppauge Colossus because it works with the PVR software I have tried, and Hauppauge's WinTV7. It isn't the perfect choice for everyone. Some people want the ability to capture H.264 video at a higher bit rate. I don't know if it is available in Brazil.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 31st Jan 2014 at 20:51.
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  7. Member
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    I had a Hauppauge PVR 500 a loooooong time ago. Very nice card.
    I probably won't find the Colossus here, only the HD-PVR 2.
    And still I could have the trouble of the encrypted HDMI output. Have no ideia if it's encrypted or not.
    Anyway... gonna look for more options here.
    Thanx for the replies, everyone.
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  8. Member
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    The Hauppauge HD-PVR 2 might still be OK, although the maximum bit rate it supports is lower. It is supposed to work with WinTV 7 and NextPVR, but unlike the Colossus, it doesn't work with Windows 7/8's version of MediaCenter.

    Most people here use an HDMI splitter to get around HDCP. Not all HDMI splitters remove HDCP, but some do. A search here at Video Help will probably get you some useful information on which ones have worked.
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    Blackmagic captures Uncompressed video over HDMI. You'd need a raid 0 set up with two or more drives to handle it. It will not capture encrpyted HDMI streams, so you'd have to use a HDCP stripper.
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  10. Member
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    I read about the strippers yesterday. Some people use cheap ones, bought on Ebay or Amazon, and have no problemas.
    I'll still think about it. Even using a very good input signal I'm not comfortable with the reencoding process. Gonna look for more info about my decoder recording capabilities.
    The HDMI capture will be my last choice.
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  11. Member
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    Originally Posted by Arnold_Layne View Post
    Blackmagic captures Uncompressed video over HDMI. You'd need a raid 0 set up with two or more drives to handle it. It will not capture encrpyted HDMI streams, so you'd have to use a HDCP stripper.
    Capturing uncompressed video may be the highest quality option, but it isn't the only one. It is also possible to capture directly to a compressed format, so a RAID array isn't necessary.

    The Media Express software provided with the Blackmagic Intensity products will encode the card's uncompressed output to Motion jpeg, which is supposed to be compressed enough to allow capture to a single HDD, but is still very high quality. It is also possible to use other software (one option is AmarecTV) with the Intensity Pro (maybe the other Intensity products too), which encodes the uncompressed output from that card in real time to something even more manageable. The quality won't be quite as good, but sometimes it is worthwhile to trade a little quality for more convenience.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 1st Feb 2014 at 14:50.
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  12. Member
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    Originally Posted by Caple View Post
    I read about the strippers yesterday. Some people use cheap ones, bought on Ebay or Amazon, and have no problemas.
    I'll still think about it. Even using a very good input signal I'm not comfortable with the reencoding process. Gonna look for more info about my decoder recording capabilities.
    The HDMI capture will be my last choice.
    I wish you luck, but I suspect you cable provider has taken steps to prevent you from recording the stream in a portable format.
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