How do I use VCL player with digital TV?

[Videogamer555]

Ok I've got VLC player and notice that when doing ctrl+c to get the capture dialog up, I have a dropdown list with 3 options, Directshow (for most devices), screencapture (just takes the images from the screen), and Digital TV. Normally I would think that VLC player would use Directshow in conjunction with a digital TV input device (which usually has DShow drivers) to control it.

But for some reason there is a dedicated Digital TV option for VLC player. I would like to know how to use it. I've got a WinTV-HVR 850 USB 2.0 device that handles both NTSC (analog) and ATSC (digital) TV transmissions. It's got a standard "f-connector" for cable/antenna connection. I would like to know if this device is compatible with VLC's Digital TV mode. If so, I'd like to know how to configure it for working with this device. If not, then what devices are compatible with VLC's Digital TV mode?

[usually_quiet]

I tool a look at VLC, and setting up VLC to watch digital TV requires you to know more about the TV signal that you want to watch than is typical for a TV ap, and it doesn't allow convenient channels changes. If you must use VLC for some reason there is a clue in one of the posts at the page below.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1357120/vlc-atsc-or-qam

There are free digital TV viewers and PVR programs that would be easier to set up than VLC. If you are open to using something else, I can recommend alternatives.

[[_chef_]]

VLC can be used to stream & view 4.2.2 feeds on a computer with a DVB card.....which have you found with crazyscan before.....

[Videogamer555]

I just need a simple guide to set up VLC player for this. Any help would be great.

[usually_quiet]

Most people are only aware of the ATSC major and minor virtual channel numbers, but tuning requires the physical channel number. You can find individual physical channel numbers for your area via http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php or tvfool.com. Some TVs have physical channel or frequency information available in their channel setup or info menus as well.

Although I have a fair amount of experience using PVR and TV apps for ATSC (I have successfully set up 5 different ones), and know the required numbers to plug in, ATSC tuning would not work for me in VLC. VLC could not build a working graph.

Also, VLC's developers have sometimes accidentally broken or intentionally disabled some features in various releases. ...and most of the information about using VLC for ATSC tuning is geared towards the Linux version of VLC. I suggest that you post on VLC's user forums and find out which VLC Windows builds include a working ATSC tuning module and how to use ATSC tuning in Windows.

[Videogamer555]

How do I make it control my TV tuner card? How do I make it detect and use my card? Nowhere in the digital TV section is there a box that says "here's a list of your current TV cards, please select the one you want to use". I do have only one card, but nowhere in the digital TV section of the VLC menu does it even report my installed hardware, so I don't know if it sees it or not. How do I cause it to perform the action of detecting my hardware?

Also does VLC work with USB connected ATSC receivers (such that they can work on a desktop or a laptop) or does it only work on card-slot ATSC receiver devices (like the PIC and PCIe cards, and thus is limited to desktop use)?

[usually_quiet]

VLC does not appear to work for ATSC any more. Stop dicking around and move on to something that can work. Pot Player is one option.

[themaster1]

if you want my advice, anything dvb/atsc (digital tv) related should be handled with dvbviewer pro (cost 15 bucks but they're worth it), for years i use it. You can try it for a few days before buying
See here for the supported cards http://www.dvbviewer.com/en/index.php?page=features

You can do many things with it
- iptv support
- use thrid party softwares to decode encrypted channels
- broadcast to your ps3 (with the dvbv recording service)

and many other things

[Smioreun]

I tool a look at VLC, and setting up VLC to watch digital TV requires you to know more about the TV signal that you want to watch than is typical for a TV ap, and it doesn't allow convenient channels changes. If you must use VLC for some reason there is a clue in one of the posts at the page below.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1357120/vlc-atsc-or-qam

There are free digital TV viewers and PVR programs that would be easier to set up than VLC. If you are open to using something else, I can recommend alternatives.

usually_quiet, What alternatives do you suggest to Windows Media Center? I have an avermedia A350, on a Sony Vaio all in one... Microsoft has stripped me of Windows Media Center which would allow me to record on Channel 3 (ATSC), I need another program that I can just set up and use... everything I have tried so far requires me to set up servers, and know frequencies... I don't have that info... nother but WMC works...

I want to simply DVR stuff from my cable box using my PC on channnel 3, and maybe be able to pick a start and end time... HELP LOL

[Videogamer555]

if you want my advice, anything dvb/atsc (digital tv) related should be handled with dvbviewer pro (cost 15 bucks but they're worth it), for years i use it. You can try it for a few days before buying
See here for the supported cards http://www.dvbviewer.com/en/index.php?page=features

You can do many things with it
- iptv support
- use thrid party softwares to decode encrypted channels
- broadcast to your ps3 (with the dvbv recording service)

and many other things

Can you recommend a FREEWARE that will work with an ATSC video tuner? And specifically, can you recommend one that will work with a USB dongle ATSC tuner (not an in-the-computer-case card like PCI-E)? I have a USB dongle that is an ATSC tuner.

[usually_quiet]

Can you recommend a FREEWARE that will work with an ATSC video tuner? And specifically, can you recommend one that will work with a USB dongle ATSC tuner (not an in-the-computer-case card like PCI-E)? I have a USB dongle that is an ATSC tuner.

NextPVR and possibly SageTV. (SageTV is now open-source software.) If you want data for the program guide, you will likely need to need to pay for that.