VOOM Moves Target For DVR to Nov 04 or Earlier (?)

[GabeNet]

Exactly! I haven't found a Component video capture card or for that matter any HD capture card under $2000! I too would have a HTPC DVR but I can not find a good way to get the signal (in HD) from the Voom STB to the computer. I would love to capture using Windows Media 9 encoder ( a free download to boot! ) and then playback from DVI out on the computer. As cheap as 100gb+ hard drives have become you could record just about as much content as you would want.

If anyone has any information about a HD capture card (no, not the OTA HD tuner cards, those are not usable in this case) please post it up!

Well I guess I get to answer my own post, I found this:

http://www.pluggedin.tv/sweetspot/

Looks pretty cool and costs about $270 usd (the company appears to be in Britain).

 

[DarrellP]

Better grab one before Hollywood bans them.

 

[GabeNet]

Of course now that I have read more about it I'm confused as to whether or not it does true HD. It keeps talking about its component inputs and their superior quality but it never says the key words; High Definition.

 

[smasuch]

It's only 480i SD. I'd role my own too if I could find a HD component capture card.

Specs listed on web site:

PAL B, G, D, H, I and N, combination
PAL N, PAL M, NTSC M, NTSC-Japan,
NTSC 4.43 and SECAM
480i, 576i
Composite Video
S-Video
Component Video YPbPr
RGB (Composite Sync)
RGB (Sync on Green

 

[smasuch]

Opp's I mean Roll....

 

[squicken]

Ilya and I shall find out Tommorow as we will be meeting with VOOM.

When is this meeting? Has it happened yet?

 

[dankgus]

Exactly! I haven't found a Component video capture card or for that matter any HD capture card under $2000! I too would have a HTPC DVR but I can not find a good way to get the signal (in HD) from the Voom STB to the computer.

Do you know of a $2000 card that can capture HD? Somebody else once told me there was a card available and even used that same number, $2000, but when I asked about it they didn't tell me what it was. Where did you see it? I still probably wouldn't buy one, but I would be tempted.......

I built a HD capture PC that only works on cable or OTA, it is really useless for Voom unless Svideo quality satisfies you. Right now it just sits under my TV doing pretty much nothing. But it is nice to have a portable DTV tuner/recorder PC like that. Total cost was around $500.

THANKS!
--Dan

 

[GabeNet]

Do you know of a $2000 card that can capture HD? Somebody else once told me there was a card available and even used that same number, $2000, but when I asked about it they didn't tell me what it was. Where did you see it? I still probably wouldn't buy one, but I would be tempted.......

The ones that I ran across were for mostly video editing and used an SDI connection. A quick google search brought me here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=search&Q=&ci=6702

All of those solutions are cost prohibitive (at least for what I would want to pay to have an HDHTPC).

Still, one can dream.....

 

[Dvlos]

Enough with the 2 grand vid cards... where's our secret spies with the down low dirty info? I hope they took all the Voom execs out for a night of liquor, darts, and dirty jokes, so they can loosen up and gives us dates... maybe Scott G. can even plant a hypnotic suggestion regarding PQ.

 

[rgarbonzo]

You forgot strip bars!

 

[Dvlos]

Only Strip Bars in HD... I don't think any exist right now...Bacardi 151 and coke though is a HD drink.

 

[madpoet]

It costs $6k plus to build a PC that could capture HD off component, and it records in 600gb/hour or so chunks that then have to be re-encoded. And no, I am not kidding. I need solid PVR evidence.

 

[rollerfink]

I'm giving Voom about another two weeks to announce the release of the DVR (any release this year will do!). The good news for you guys is that I can almost guarantee that the day after I drop Voom they will release the DVR to all existing customers and new and returning customers will have to sign up for a 2-year waiting list.

 

[Dvlos]

I'm giving Voom about another two weeks to announce the release of the DVR (any release this year will do!). The good news for you guys is that I can almost guarantee that the day after I drop Voom they will release the DVR to all existing customers and new and returning customers will have to sign up for a 2-year waiting list.

Yeah well that's Voom's only hook, if you drop and come back it will cost you more $$$, you also will be last on the waiting list.. be patient.

 

[rollerfink]

Yeah well that's Voom's only hook, if you drop and come back it will cost you more $$$, you also will be last on the waiting list.. be patient.

I am being patient. That's why I'm giving them two more weeks! They don't need to release it in two weeks. Just some kind of official announcement about when it will be coming.

 

[Dvlos]

Oh, I see, we'd all like that, but if they did and there is a problem, the "Voom is lying" comments will never stop.

 

[madpoet]

At least we'd have a new lie to talk about .

Sorry, just had to say it.

 

[TVH]

Uhhmm...is this what everyone is talking about?

"Press Release:

OpenTV and Ucentric to Show Whole Home Entertainment Solution

Joint approach to be featured at IBC2004
Ucentric also featuring whole home showcase with Samsung

Chicago, Ill. - Sept. 6, 2004 – OpenTV (Nasdaq: OPTV), one of the world's leading interactive television companies and Ucentric Systems, a leading provider of home media networking software, are teaming up to demonstrate whole home entertainment offerings to OpenTV's customers worldwide. The two companies are nearing completion of their first joint deployment with Cablevision's VOOM, an HDTV DBS operator in North America. The integrated solution for VOOM will include ITV from OpenTV and Ucentric's Whole Home DVR, Whole Home Music and Whole Home Photo applications.

Ucentric's software manages an IP-based digital home media networ k that runs over existing phone, cable or power lines in the home. The joint demonstration with OpenTV and Ucentric software will utilize very low cost IP media clients to enable the complete set of ITV, DVR and digital media and communications services to all connected locations in the home. OpenTV and Ucentric will feature the multi-room entertainment experience in the OpenTV booth (#1.121) at the 2004 International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam, September 10-14.

"As an industry matures the focus often shifts from basic market penetration to increased Average Revenue Per Unit (ARPU). Media home networking provides the most affordable way to enable additional outlets for revenues to flow from ITV and other operator services," said Michael Collette, Ucentric chief executive officer. "It is clear now that consumers are willing to pay for DVR services. Those who have DVR want DVR functionality on all the TVs in the home. OpenTV has been a pioneer and leader in bringing compelling interactive TV services to viewers worldwide and with our IP-based solution we are providing one of the most advanced and cost efficient whole home experiences available on the market today."

Ucentric will also showcase a demo with Samsung (booth #3.311) at IBC2004. The company will demonstrate multi-TV networking capability using a Samsung media center and Ucentric's Whole Home DVR, Whole Home Music and Whole Home Photo applications.

Ucentric's Whole-Home DVR application creates a single recording library, shared among multiple television sets that allows users to independently record, pause, play, rewind and fast forward live or recorded programming from any TV in the network. Additional applications available from Ucentric include Whole-Home Music and Whole-Home Photo applications that allow users to access, share, and transfer their complete digital music and photo collections to any connected device in the home.

Ucentric works with leading players in the cable, telecommunications and digital home industries. In addition to VOOM, Samsung and OpenTV, the company has announced a vendor relationship with Motorola to bring home entertainment solutions to the market. Ucentric also has trialed Multi-TV DVR and Whole-Home Music with Comcast and Samsung.

About Ucentric Systems
Ucentric is a leading provider of home media networking software for the new digital home. Its patented technology enables the secure, high quality digital distribution of HD and SD video signals from broadcast, satellite or cable sources to all connected rooms in the home, over low-cost, in-home wired or wireless networks. Ucentric's embedded software platform provides CE manufacturers and operators maximum integration and branding flexibility for enabling multi-TV DVR, whole-home music and other networking applications for advanced set-top boxes, home media servers and entertainment PCs.

Ucentric is a member of the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) and the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) Forum and actively supports CableLab's Open Cable initiative. Based in Maynard, Massachusetts, Ucentric is backed by Polaris Venture Partners. For more information, please visit www.ucentric.com."

 

[T2k]

Exactly! I haven't found a Component video capture card or for that matter any HD capture card under $2000! I too would have a HTPC DVR but I can not find a good way to get the signal (in HD) from the Voom STB to the computer. I would love to capture using Windows Media 9 encoder ( a free download to boot! ) and then playback from DVI out on the computer. As cheap as 100gb+ hard drives have become you could record just about as much content as you would want.

If anyone has any information about a HD capture card (no, not the OTA HD tuner cards, those are not usable in this case) please post it up!

1. There are HD capture cards under $2000 - but all SDI only. I'm using Blackmagic's Decklink HD - I paid $995, now it's only $595:

If you don't have SPDIF in your machine already, you can get it as well with Decklink HD Plus for $995.

2. You'll need an AJA HD10A converter- $2000:

3. You have to maintain very high writing speed consistently, up to as high as ~140MB/s (say uncompressed 1080 8bit), so you'd need as much as 7 pcs of 10K or 5pcs of 15K SCSI drives striped. Faster costs more, especially when it comes to large drives - and this REALLY comes to large drives: I captured morethan an hourand it was well over half terabytes...
So better to count with seven times 146GB 10K which goes around $400/ea on eBay - approx. $3000 total.

4. You'll need a pretty good machine: at least one PCI-X 133Mhz slot in your machine, SCSI160-rated controller etc.

Roughly $8-10K. You can lower it if you don't maintain the high quality but currently no capture card with HW VM9 encoding - so if you want to save on the SCSI bandwidth needs, you need to lower your PQ.

But wait - then why did you spent already thousands?

 

[GabeNet]

But wait - then why did you spent already thousands?

Ha, wow. That is so much money. I guess I should stop dreaming and just be patient and wait for the DVR. Thanks for the info though, it really is more involved than I had original anticipated.

One thing comes to mind though, if the DVR is going to (most likely, this is speculation) have just IDE drive(s) how can they get away with HD recording? Does the HD from the sat get re-compressed for storage on the hard drive? I need to see if there is more information on the ucentric website and read more about HD data rates.

Oh well, maybe an HDHTPC some day.....