Choose between dish, direct tv, or comcast cable/archive to DVD

[LT9000]

Trying to choose between dish, direct tv, or comcast cable. (gonna get a new TV too, but I'll probly stay SD for TV.)

What would you recomend, and what setup could I get to be able to archive the audio/video I recieve to DVD. (That's really my question. And I don't really care if the provider wants me to do it or not.)

I have a Pio DVD burner and know how to do all that.

But I want a way to record and archive audio/video without vhs tapes. Is there any way this can be done with tivo, or dish's equivalent at all? If not, what are the alternatives?

[Barnabas]

Dishnetwork runs just 480x480 on most channels, according to the dishnetwork techs. I have heard that the DirecTV res is a little bit higher. Don't know what Comcast digtal cable runs at.

With both Dishnetwork and DirectTV, you can get a PVR/DVR, that will record your programs to it's hardrive. Dishnetwork records the actual mpeg-2 stream, so no extra compression is used. If you want to make a DVD from what you recorded on the PVR however, you have to do it via analog means, to a capture card or, a DVD Recorder.

[LT9000]

"If you want to make a DVD from what you recorded on the PVR however, you have to do it via analog means, to a capture card or, a DVD Recorder. "

Will this mean quality loss?

And alternatively, can I go straight into a PC or stand-alone DVDR and record to a DVD from the service provider's signal?

[Barnabas]

Will this mean quality loss?

Some, but depending on how well you do it, the archive can look about as good as the original.

And alternatively, can I go straight into a PC or stand-alone DVDR and record to a DVD from the service provider's signal?

No, you have to run it from the video and audio outputs on the satellite receiver.

I have 2 methods I use to capture from my Dishnetwork PVR-508 receiver.

1: Analog from the PVR-508 to the Canopus ADVC-55 which is a DV converter. I use this for stuff that I want to tweak, removing logos etc.

2: Polaroid DRM-2001G DVD Recorder.

[Dv8ted2]

I use dish network. I have a 2 room DVR box that records two different programs at the same time. The dish gives you a longer buffer time as well. You can pause a television show for up to two hours.

[TBoneit]

Dishnetwork SD files I've seen are 544 by 480 or 640 by 480.

Feding a HD channel from the Dishnetwork dual tuner HD DVR VIP622 into a Pioneer 531h makes a decent looking DVD at the two hour speed even on my HDTV. I can press the fill button on the TV remote and fill the screen and it looks good to me. YMMV. Of course I'm losing the 5.1 audio that way and only getting two channel.

Yes going from a HD broadcast to a Standard DVD will lead to a quality loss. you are capturing at 720 by 480 instead of HD resolutions. But as I say it isn't bad.

Cheers

[LT9000]

"Yes going from a HD broadcast to a Standard DVD will lead to a quality loss."

I'm gonna get a SD TV. So I wouldn't need to recieve HD signal, isn't that correct? (Maybe it's a digital signal though.)

[TBoneit]

OTOH the HD signal will produce a better looking DVD.

Sooner or later you'll have to get a HDTV. 2009 cutoff for SD broadcasts. However if you feel you have to have a SD TV, then be sure to get one that has a tuner that receive HD broadcasts and display them on your tv.

I didn't really want a HDTV, however I wanted tosimplify my life so I started with the Dishnetwork VIP622 HD DVR, then Got a HDTV 32" Now I can watch from multiple sources or switch to the computer at 1280 by 768 on a 32" screen or go up to 1360 by 768. all at a touch of the remote.

[neomaine]

You will not need an HDTV once the SD broadcasts have gone DTV. A cheaper solution would be to simply get a DTV tuner to connect to your TV. Even this will look very good to most people compared to what they are getting now. And, this is only for over-the-air signals.

Nearly everyone already does this with either satelite or cable now. I wouldn't trade my DishNetwork for any cable, analog or so-called digital cable. I've got a 35" Sony that has an excellent picture with Satellite. Most of my friends ask if we have HD on it. I have to break it to them that that is the diffence between what we get from the crap cable signal and a dish's true digital signal. I won't go HD until the satelitte providers have our locals in HD...and NESN and FSNE...need my Red Sox and Bruins games.

If all you need is SD, then your current TV is just fine. Only go the HDTV route if you WANT to go the HDTV route.

[LT9000]

You will not need an HDTV once the SD broadcasts have gone DTV. A cheaper solution would be to simply get a DTV tuner to connect to your TV. Even this will look very good to most people compared to what they are getting now. And, this is only for over-the-air signals.

Nearly everyone already does this with either satelite or cable now. I wouldn't trade my DishNetwork for any cable, analog or so-called digital cable. I've got a 35" Sony that has an excellent picture with Satellite. Most of my friends ask if we have HD on it. I have to break it to them that that is the diffence between what we get from the crap cable signal and a dish's true digital signal. I won't go HD until the satelitte providers have our locals in HD...and NESN and FSNE...need my Red Sox and Bruins games.

If all you need is SD, then your current TV is just fine. Only go the HDTV route if you WANT to go the HDTV route.

I saw the same thing in CC other day. Someone aked if the Sony was HD - it was just SD with a great picture. I'm just gettin a new TV cuz mine is too small for the main room.

OK what setup do I need to be like yours, and can I make DVD's of stuff I want to archive? (Maybe rig an external drive to a DVR and take it to my PC, and make a DVD?)

[neomaine]

Here's my setup...

Dish split four ways
- One to Dish DVR (508? About 60hrs) in living room, attached to Sony

- One to 301 (regular receiver) in office. Attached to ATI AIW to capture to PC. Capture to DVD specs of MPEG2 720x480 (cropped video) 4500/6000 avg/max (interlaced), mp2 audio 192k stereo using MMC 9.02. It gets me about 2.5 hours of tv per DVD-R. (See lordsmurf's site for other specific details on capture settings) The pc gives a great backup to the DVR. We don’t have a dual tuner on the DVR so we can only capture one channel at a time. But, we can watch something already recorded while recording another show.

Use Ulead MF2 to author to DVD-R for view in living room. Its virtually indistinguishable from Dish dvr. (Note: Satellite is already compressed to mpeg2 so some artifacts are expected. But, with such a clean signal, the added capture doesn't introduce any more than is already there.)

Actually, once I go to Windows Vista (don’t want to downgrade to Media Center Edition from XP Pro) I’ll setup the XBOX 360 as a media extender to the Vista PC for direct viewing. Then I won’t need to burn to DVD to watch in the living room.

- Two 301 receivers, one each to bedrooms for son one and son two. I had to replace the existing cable with RG6 for the long runs to keep the good sat signal.

One thing you've mentioned though is getting a new TV. Now given that choice I'd actually take a look at the jump to an HDTV set if you're going satellite. I'm really torn here. Its between getting a TUBE high-def set to help with the SD signal or, since this is a clean SD signal from satellite, get an LCD HDTV to save on space AND power. With my 35" we're talking about a difference of max 100-150 watts for the LCD to max 400-500 watts for the huge Sony. I'm thinking the LCD would pay for itself within a few years on power savings alone!

Prices on LCDs, both 720p and 1080p are dropping incredibly making them very attractive. If you’re going satellite AND going LCD, I’d look at the HD package with the satellite companies and kill two birds with on stone. The difference in price for the SD package and the HD packages isn’t that much. I can only speak to Dish and have been extremely happy with their top 120 package.

(PS: I think both Dish Network and DirectTV will offer up to 4 rooms and a DVR upgrade installation for free.)

[edDV]

Easiest for most people is to get the company's DVR to do initial recording and then dub what you want to keep to a standalone DVD recorder using the S-Video and audio outputs from the DVR.

Computers add much more complexity and time but give greater control if you think that is what you want.

[oldfart13]

Dishnetwork may be in some trouble with this ruling:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=televisionNews&storyID=2006-08-18T...archived=False

[oldfart13]

Or perhaps not...since they now have an injunction....

[LT9000]

Easiest for most people is to get the company's DVR to do initial recording and then dub what you want to keep to a standalone DVD recorder using the S-Video and audio outputs from the DVR.

Computers add much more complexity and time but give greater control if you think that is what you want.

2 Q on that:

1. Is it OK with the service providers to do that?

2. How would you rate the quality of the video (DVD) you would end up with using that method? (Are we talking fair, very good, excellent?)

[TBoneit]

Edit: with reference to Q1, I do not believe anyone has ever asked them. Do you ask a cable company, They are only the conduit not the source.

on Q2 Well I rate the HD Channels to DVD as excellent, The SD channels are variable to start with so I'd have to say good to fair. But easily watchable on a SDTV.

Since the signal isn't AFAIK encrypted on many of dishes DVRs it is easy to pull the drive and extract the video from the drive and author in the computer with no quality loss. Once again AFAIK the 501/508/510, and the Dishplayer 7100/7200 are not encrypted and since I know see software to extract from the VIP622 and 522 I'm pretty sure they are not encrypted either. You just join the appropriate Yahoo group and read the tutorials/ search and the software needed is in their files section.

No violation of the DMCA since you are not decrypting encrypted content. I'm not bothering with that since I have a Pioneer DVD recorder to use.

However I go along with neomaine as far as why not go HDTV at this point. I paid $849 + tax (of course) for a 32" LCD HDTV. It has replaced my old computer monitor and my old TV. The picture is brilliant and DVDs look much better. I've been watching a lot of concerts in HD on Rave, Chic, Fleetwood Mac, The Pretenders and more plus having scheduled Carlos Santana and Phil Collins... And on Univeral HD Sergent Peppers Lonely Heart club Band (Beatles animated).

2 Espn HD channels, NFLHD and NBAHD and WorldSportsHD which has things like CFL Football and Spanish Soccer for sports and so on.