nick12:

I'm using the dvb-t (not dvb-s yet) but that keeps my hd-pvr on all the time too.  I think it's supposed to.

Yes, I was referring to the dvblogic workaround, for which I also tried the dvb-t driver.
Looks pretty weird to me that the hdpvr is on all the time. It really should only be running when it is recording.

You make a good point considering the included Arcsoft TotalMedia Extreme software allows for live preview without having to be in a recording mode. The preview window isn’t in full resolution though.

Perhaps the DVB-T solution is doing this due to some service its running,…..?

Hi guys!

Here it is!

The new DVBS-enabled version of DVBSBridge has been launched!

The new product is called DVBLink for HDPVR.

You can download it and read the full announcement in the DVBLink thread.

Fred

OMG,…….!!!

Good news indeed,...;)

 

Hey everyone, I'm new here and found myself highly interested in Media Center for the past couple of months. The awesome polished look of media center and the support for HDTV pushed me to build the ultimate HTPC setup. I'm glad I was able to avoid the whole cablecard crap and utilize the analog hole as they call it.

But anyway, here's a video of Windows 7 + DVBSBridge + HD PVR running on my HTPC:
http://www.peoplehunter.org/hdpvr.wmv

In the video you'll notice that the receiver is receiving a dolby digital 5.1 signal from the HD PVR - awesome. Also, the video quality is just great, despite it being converted a few times. Everything works flawlessly including the guide, recording and time shifting.

My setup:

HTPC:
Windows 7 build 7057 RC1
Shuttle XPC with 2.66 GHz Intel Duo
2 GB DDR2
ATI 3450HD 512 MB VRAM
Liteon Blu-ray drive
Hauppauge HD PVR
Explorer 3250HD STB
Optical audio output

TV + Audio:
Pioneer Elite Receiver
Klipsch Reference series 5.1 speakers
Sharp 42" Aquos 1080p HDTV
Monster cabled

Now that the new version is out, I can't wait to download it. :)

This is sweet. can't wait to dust off the old hd pvr, and try this :)

The video looks great.  Appears to work flawlessly.

Besides the cost of two HD-PVRs and the DVBSBridge, is there any reason NOT to do this?
Is there any additional maintenance?
Is there any functionality that is not provided?
Are there problems using with extenders? (I have several XBOX 360s).
Is setup reasonably straight forward?

Also, if I have two D* STBs but only want to buy/connect one HD-PVR ($500 for HD is hard to swallow), can it be setup to control that?  I realize I'll only get HD from the STB that's connected to the HD-PVR.......but I could set that one up as primary and just deal with SD for the backup STB.

Anything else I should be aware of in terms of setup, cost, etc?

Thanks.

I have been following these products in their forums, and you need to understand that this is a group of "enthusiasts."  The downside of this is that the instructions are hard to follow and you may not understand all the terms being thrown around and tools being referenced.  It appears to me that, for those of us in North America, you cannot simply hook this up to the W7 computer and tell it you get DirecTV and expect to see all the W7 guide functionality.  You must download and utilize a set of 3rd party tools to map channel freguencies to channel numbers on your STB.  You must then access a 3rd party guide service to get guide data?  It also appears that this mapping gets wiped out occasionally.

Also, extender support appears not to be there, although some have claimed to have it working with XBox360 and the W7 transcoder.

I am looking towards trying the DVBLink product myself, but it may take a long weekend to do it.

agreed, step-by-step instructions would be great. I downloaded the dvblink and searched the forums but I can't find simple step-by-step instructions. I am very encouraged by the development though. I suspect once it is out of beta detailed instructions will follow. I tried the setup last night and have to admit, I was lost.

I upgraded from the dvb-t drivers to the dvb-s drivers, and it was a pretty easy install.  It took me maybe an hour altogether.  I'm using Vista with the h264 hack and did not have to install any 3rd party programs for the guide... The only downside I see right now is the hd-pvr is still buggy and it gets screwed up every once and a while and I have to power cycle it, but I think that's just bad hauppauge drivers because I hear that from other people that are using sagetv/beyondtv too.

kingwr:

I have been following these products in their forums, and you need to understand that this is a group of "enthusiasts."  The downside of this is that the instructions are hard to follow and you may not understand all the terms being thrown around and tools being referenced.  It appears to me that, for those of us in North America, you cannot simply hook this up to the W7 computer and tell it you get DirecTV and expect to see all the W7 guide functionality.  You must download and utilize a set of 3rd party tools to map channel freguencies to channel numbers on your STB.  You must then access a 3rd party guide service to get guide data?  It also appears that this mapping gets wiped out occasionally.

Also, extender support appears not to be there, although some have claimed to have it working with XBox360 and the W7 transcoder.

I am looking towards trying the DVBLink product myself, but it may take a long weekend to do it.

I’ll just say many of us have gone through hoops with respect to Clear QAM support pre-2008 TV Pack,….assuming you had the requisite hardware (Silicondust HDHomeRun, Avermedia M780, Hauppauge HVR-1800 / HVR-1600 and so on). QAM was well worth the effort back then IMO and I had both the HDHomeRun (x2) and the Avermedia M780 culminating two different install / configuration methods. Again well worth it. I don’t typically consider such install methods to be daunting either and I have read through install methods for DVBLink (for HDPVR) although admittedly I haven’t attempted it. The newest virtual DVB-S solution should be simpler especially from a technical stand point.

For what its worth, I’m still going to assume that this is theoretically functional in Vista with the 2008 TV Pack.

***edit***

Ooops didn’t see the post made by nick12. Its great to hear that it will work with Vista but what is the “H.264 hack”? Are you referring to the modified Beta msdtvvde.dll,….?

 

 

Yes, I meant the msdtvvdec.dll described in http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/295384.aspx

And I agree, even if it takes you a night or 2 of trying things out and posting on forums for help... isn't high def live tv worth it?? 

I know that the configuration process of DVBSBridge was not easy, specially when it was first launched, but I think it got much easier as releases went by. Most problems being related to the use of mc2xml (the third party application).

The DVBLink for HDPVR beta 1 is a great step forward. The HDPVR channels are now bound to the native Media Center guide listings. It also installs in any regions, keeping all the Media Center regional features available. The cream on top of that is the scan-less channel configuration that allows you to add channels with a few clicks before you can watch them.

But we are not finished. The next beta version should get rid of mc2xml completely. This will hopefully make the configuration process much more easier and provide better integration to Media Center.

Fred

Thanks for the update Fred, quick question, is there some guide of step by step instruction guide available. I have read through the read me notes (a couple of times) and looked through the forum. This is certainly not a criticism as thisi is a beta release I assume the target audience are people that are quite familiar with the setup of other DVBLogic products. I unfortunately, am not, so the readme can be a little confusing. Thanks and keep up the great work.

You're right, the readme might not be obvious for new users.

Can you PM your questions? I'd love to hear your difficulties and update the readme to make it easier to understand.

Fred