Cable TV & Capture?

[kimera]

if i plug my raw cable feed into a tv tuner/capture card will it decode the channels? If not is their anything available to decode? or am i best using an external box and capturing the output?

[txpharoah]

You cannot "grab" the video stream files, but you can surely capture it with a tv tuner or similar rig-up.

[kimera]

so a card with a tv tuner will decode the channels if they are encrypted?

[txpharoah]

If you can see it on tv, yes.
If you are trying to steal cable, no.

[kimera]

lol, no i pay for all channels just aware that the cable box itself decrypts the channels, will the tv card do this if i just plug straight into the card

[txpharoah]

No. Cable box has special stuff your card does not. You'll just need a good RG6 splitter and RG6 cables (not cheaper RG55 or you'll lose signal strength) and rig it to plug out of the box into both the tv and the card. If not the same room, buy longer cable and make it work.

[ronnylov]

You cannot "grab" the video stream files, but you can surely capture it with a tv tuner or similar rig-up.

Yes, you can if you have digital cable TV based on DVB-C format (in Europe). I capture the mpeg2 video and audio stream directly using this type of card: http://www.hauppauge.de/prod_dvb-c.htm

[painkiller]

Kimera,

A tv tuner card plugged into a pc will effectively turn the computer into a televeison. Depending on the number of channels the tuner card supports, then it will decode all the stations that it sees from the cable and display the tv screen on the computer monitor.

Basically, the tv tuner card will show you all the stations for basic cable without needing the cable box itself, if the tuner card has the number of channels available. For the premium channels like HBO and Cinemax, the tuner card will NOT decode those, so you would have to plug the cable from the cable box to the tuner card - then you leave the channel (for the turner card) on 3 or 4, then select the channels you want just with the cable box itself.

[sysrq]

i have once plugged cable directly into my TV and all it recieves is the basic terrestrial channels but i then plugged it into my TV tuner card and it picked up cable channels, which all came out fuzzy and not in the correct position on the screen. the problem is that i managed to pick up channels that i wasnt paying for. this means that your decoder sorts out what channels your paying for or are free and the ones you havent subscribed to and so it blocks them. in conclusion, theres no point, infact, my tuner couldnt pick up some of the terrestial channels becuase they had a slightly poor signal. so the answer is to use your video out on the decoder and plug it into your capture card

[finny]

I'm getting confused now, as i plan to do a similar thing

I have a COMCAST CABLE receiver which has standard RCA Input/Output.
I plan to get a Canopus ADVC-100 and connect the CABLE BOX directly do the ADVC-100 via RCA output and record the programs from CABLE while watching on my computer. (my graphics card is a Geforce Ti-4200)

Will this setup work?

[geek rock]

I have a COMCAST CABLE receiver which has standard RCA Input/Output. I plan to get a Canopus ADVC-100 and connect the CABLE BOX directly do the ADVC-100 via RCA output and record the programs from CABLE while watching on my computer. (my graphics card is a Geforce Ti-4200)

Will this setup work?

yes, it'll work perfectly. don't be confused by the above threads, they were talking about using their capture cards as cable decoders, which isn't what you'll be doing.

[finny]

phewwwwwww!

that relives me!