PURE Digital TV-RiPs?

[Frogbutt]

Iv seen a few Tvrips like this:
12/10/2001 SVCD CSI: Crime Scene Investigation S01E11 *PDTV* FE [xx/56]

this is from the nfo,
"Some info on PDTV:
Basically we capture the mpeg stream as it comes from the satellite. There is no analog processing at any time, the file that tmgenc is fed with, is digital quality, where there is zero loss. Whatmore is that file fed has a dvd-like bitrate (4000-6000). Now you probably have an idea of why we've decided to call it PURE Digital TV-RiP
We insist you DOWNLOAD THE SAMPLE and check the quality out for yourself, after all a picture is worth a thousand words. "

The quality is really nice, so I was wondering exactly what kind of capture card I would need to do this for myself. Iv encoded to svcd/DivX from dvds but no experience in tv capture so recomendations on the card is apreciated. Just need a few brandnames of cards that will work with my satalite to capture with zero loss, hopefully somthing that isnt crazy expenseive.

[JHebert]

There is a Dish Network or DirectTV receiver (not sure which) that has a built-in ReplayTV recorder. My understanding of it is that it records the mpeg stream from the satellite broadcast directly on the ReplayTV without any digital>analog>digital conversion, unlike a typical standalone ReplayTV or Tivo that captures from analog inputs.
There are also hacks to copy the files from ReplayTV and Tivo boxes to your PC by either physically moving the drive, or by networking the device. Once the files are on the PC you could process them into whatever format you want.
This might be how they are getting these "Digital TV Rips". I'm not sure if there are any PCI cards that would let your PC act as a satellite receiver and capture directly into it without need for a ReplayTV or Tivo.

[Nihilator]

I've been spending a lot of time on the TiVo forums, looking at stuff like this...pretty cool. I don't know about ReplayTV (or UltimateTV, for that matter), but TiVo boxes (both standalone and DirecTV) are basically just Linux boxes that store mpg streams onto hard drives. By the way, there is currently no TiVo-enabled satellite receiver for Dish Network...when I got my mother a TiVo, she was forced to switch from DN to DirecTV. Also by the way, she says "TiVo rocks."

No matter what brand (Sony, Philips, Hughes, etc.), all TiVo "motherboards" have a PCI-type edge connector. The edge connector can be fitted with an adapter that can hold an ISA-type NIC. Some wicked clever people have figured out how to get a prompt, read the file system, etc...the tools currently exist that allow you to transfer the actual video and audio files from the TiVo to your PC, but you have to be something of a Linux geek to understand it (I ain't). You also have to do quite a bit of searching for them, because the TiVo hacker community has a huge amount of respect for the company itself and doesn't want to do much to jeopardize their still-good relationship with them.

To comment on some specific points: The TiVo file system is somewhat proprietary, I think, and there is still work being done to understand it. At the moment I believe the only way to get the information from your TiVo to your PC is through the TiVoNet adapter mentioned above...while physically moving the drive may work with other PVR systems, I don't believe you can do it with a TiVo...besides, that seems like a lot of work. And yes, DirecTV-TiVo systems do store the raw satellite feed. My standalone does the analog>digital conversion.

For more information, see http://www.tivocommunity.com, and check out the forums, especially the "underground". It was only with their help that I was able to do an end-user upgrade by adding a second (60GB) hard drive, and expanding my capacity from 30 hours of recording time to 101 hours. Others have gotten their TiVo's up to over 300 hours.

Mom is right. TiVo rocks.

--Nihilator

[mod_man]

Dish does make a recorder TiVo type unit. The only difference is they dont charge a fee. Its the 501 model receiver. I would like to have more info as im sure everyone would on how they are getting the files from the receiver to the pc.

[vhelp]

case anyone was wondering of the file in question, have a look
over here:
* Crime Scene Investigation S01E11 *PDTV* FE [xx/56]

...wasn't hard to find, But I could be wrong.

-vhelp

[Nihilator]

I looked up the PVR on Dish Network's site...you have to subscribe to a more expensive service, made specifically for the PVR customers, in order to use it.

To get America's Top 100, you pay $30.99 per month with a standard receiver, but if you have the PVR then you pay $44.99 per month. So you *are* paying a fee...$14.00 per month...to use their PVR, although if you're a new customer, you get the receiver for "free". TiVo costs $9.99 per month, or you can just get the lifetime transferable subscription for $249 (a wise move). Also, TiVo has a number of features that are not mentioned with Dish Network's PVR, like Season Passes and TiVo Suggestions.

I think overall the TiVo's a better deal, but I don't know if Dish's PVR has a more "accessible" file system for downloading the raw data files. Does anybody know?

--Nihilator

[dhardy123]

Take a look at this link:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl2196440497d&hl=en&selm=u0sspusau54t19%40corp.supernews.com

Don't know if this will help because he gets the signal as AVI first, but this is an explanation of how someone built a TIVO using linux. I am sure there is a way of doing this as MPEG instead of AVI first but the card would need to have Linux drivers...