All MCE features with Foxtel - can it be done???

BGH · **24th May 2005, 12:29 PM**

Ok

I've been scouring these forums for the last few days trying to suss out how viable using Foxtel with my MCE box is. It seems like I have been going round in circles trying to find a solution, with many unanswered questions and conflicting reports. It also seems a lot of other peole are after answers to these same questions so hopefully this thread will put all the unanswered queries to rest.

For reference I currently only have one tuner in my MCE box and it is a DVICO full.

1. I will need an analogue tuner to be able to capture the input from the Foxtel box correct.

2. After reading the posts floating around here the Hauppauge PVR250 MCE seems quite popular. Is this still the most recommend card?

Ok this is where I start to get confused

3. After connecting the Foxtel box to the card will doing a tune in MCE pick up hte signal from the new card as just another channel? Because it is just one feed it wont pick up all the channels as distinct signals will it?

4. Can someone explain to me how changing channels works? I've read that you can program the MCE remote to change channels. Once this is done you just add channels in MCE for Foxtel shows. So if Fox Sports 1 is channel 801 on the Foxtel box pressing 801 on the MCE remote changes to that channel? What if you press channel up on the remote when u r on the last FTA channel? How does it know to send out an IR signal to the Foxtel box to change it to the first Foxtel channel and start displaying from it (the Hauppauge PVR250 MCE as opposed to the DVB tuner). Am I completely on the wrong track here?

5. Is it possible to record on FTA while watching Foxtel and vica versa?

6. Will MCE wake from standby and change to the correct channel to record shows on Foxtel?

Sorry for such n00bish questions but I am struggling to get my head around how this whole setup works. If someone could explain their setup in depth and maybe how they achieved it that would be great.

Cheers

BGH

arkay · **24th May 2005, 12:56 PM**

Hi BGH,

I won't answer all your questions as I think the first point is a showstopper.

It isn't possible in the current version of MCE to have both an analog and a digital card functioning in MCE at the same time. It has to be either analog or digital. Equally as frustrating is that the analog inputs on digital cards do not work either.

To go the foxtel route you have to go pure analog, others have done it so I'll let them tell you of their experiences.

Cheers,
Arkay.

TiggerK · **24th May 2005, 12:59 PM**

really sorry for all the SHOUTING, I'm still learning the ropes of this posting thing.

1. I will need an analogue tuner to be able to capture the input from the Foxtel box correct. CORRECT. AND YOU CANNOT THEN USE A DIGITAL ONE AS WELL.

2. After reading the posts floating around here the Hauppauge PVR250 MCE seems quite popular. Is this still the most recommend card? THE 150 AND 250 BOTH SEEM TO BE THE BEST CARDS FOR ANALOGUE. AND YOU'LL PROB WANT A SCART TO SVHS ADAPTOR. (FROM THE FOXTEL BOX INTO THE 150/250)

Ok this is where I start to get confused

3. After connecting the Foxtel box to the card will doing a tune in MCE pick up hte signal from the new card as just another channel? Because it is just one feed it wont pick up all the channels as distinct signals will it? YOU CONNECT THE FOXTEL BOX VIA A SVHS OR COMPOSITE SIGNAL, IT JUST GETS ONE SIGNAL (ONE CHANNEL), THAT OF THE FOXTEL BOX.

4. Can someone explain to me how changing channels works? I've read that you can program the MCE remote to change channels. Once this is done you just add channels in MCE for Foxtel shows. So if Fox Sports 1 is channel 801 on the Foxtel box pressing 801 on the MCE remote changes to that channel? What if you press channel up on the remote when u r on the last FTA channel? How does it know to send out an IR signal to the Foxtel box to change it to the first Foxtel channel and start displaying from it (the Hauppauge PVR250 MCE as opposed to the DVB tuner). Am I completely on the wrong track here?
YOU NEED THE MICROSOFT REMOTE, IT HAS AN IR SENDER BUNDLED WITH IT THAT SITS IN FRONT OF THE FOXTEL BOX AND FLASHES THE CHANNEL CHANGING INFO AT IT. ONCE YOU'VE SET UP A GUIDE (EPGRUNNER) YOU FIRST REMAP THE GUIDE CHANNELS AS 100, 101 102 ETC AND YOU CAN THEN CHANGE CHANNELS VIA THE GUIDE, OR MANUALLY (BUT I FIND VIA THE GUIDE IS MORE RELIABLE). YOU CANNOT 'MIX' FTA AND FOXTEL CHANNELS, YOU HAVE TO ONLY WATCH ANALOGUE FTA THROUGH THE FOXTEL BOX, SO CHANNEL 7 IS JUST 107 AND SO ON.

5. Is it possible to record on FTA while watching Foxtel and vica versa? NO, NOT REALLY. IN THEORY YOU CAN HUNT AROUND AND FIND COMPLICATED REGISTRY HACKS AND USE TWO TUNERS, BUT IT REALLY DOESN'T WORK AS WE'D LIKE. FORGET IT IMHO. BUMMER EH.

6. Will MCE wake from standby and change to the correct channel to record shows on Foxtel? YES IT SHOULD, BUT I MUST SAY I HAVEN'T TESTED IT YET. I LEAVE MY MCE BOX ON PERMANENTLY.

Sorry for such n00bish questions but I am struggling to get my head around how this whole setup works. If someone could explain their setup in depth and maybe how they achieved it that would be great.

So, In summary, Foxtel can be made to work well, but you can't record one channel and watch another, be it either FTA or Foxtel. But it's cool, go into the guide, pick the shows you like, click record, or record whole series (on this channel or all channels), and leave it. The channel changing for me has been 99% accurate, I think it missed one show out of about 50 so far (OK thats 98% - whatever) due to a missed IR flash, but I'm loving it nonetheless. Life's too short to worry about missing a TV show anyway.

The My Movies plug in is awesome for archiving your DVD collection, My Music for your audio, and with the guide, there's always a list of Tv programs that you've taped and ready to be watched. You can be watching a DVD or recorded TV show and be taping a live Tv program at the same time, and the fast forward through the ad's is fast and efficient.

Let me know any more questions you have....

Cheers
TiggerK

BGH · **24th May 2005, 03:19 PM**

Ok TiggerK, thanks for the info. Now I just have to decide whether I want to take the plunge and ditch my digital card and go the Foxtel route.

TiggerK · **24th May 2005, 05:24 PM**

Yes exactly. I suppose it all depends on how much you watch FTA vs Foxtel. Or how much you record FTA vs Foxtel. Most users here will quickly put down the image quality of Foxtel, and compared to a good Digital TV signal, fair enough, but on a 36" screen or smaller, it's debatable that you'd notice much difference. Once you get to big plasma's / LCD's etc, it's clear the future is Digital HDTV, so we can only hope that....

1) MCE has future support for Digital and Analogue cards together, and can differentiate what channels belong to what card.

2) Foxtel improve their signal to SD quality or hopefully High-Def as soon as possible. (and don't put the price up!!!)

In the meantime, it's one or the other!!!

Cheers
TiggerK

Mike · **24th May 2005, 07:10 PM**

Great info guys - you just helped me too cos I'm heading in that direction in about 6 weeks time.

BGH - also don't forget that if your HD panel has a built in tuner (of course your normal TV has), you can always use that to watch a show whilst your MCE box is recording another - and given that with PayTV you're restricted to a single analogue tuner - there is at least a lttle more flexibility that way.

Which is why when I finally get around to buying my you-beaut LCD panel - an integrated HD tuner is a must.

wallyboy · **25th May 2005, 11:25 AM**

Folks,

At the risk of a severe flaming....

Media Portal can support a combo Foxtel and Digital TV setup.

I'm building such a box at the moment with a Hauppage 150MCE and DNTV Live.

(I wish I could devote more time to this but the missus has plenty of weekend jobs for me.)

I promise that I'll report back when (if) I get a successful rollout

Regards
Jeremy

Mike · **26th May 2005, 10:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallyboy

Folks,

At the risk of a severe flaming....

Media Portal can support a combo Foxtel and Digital TV setup.

Wallyboy - you'll never get flamed in this forum for expressing an opinion - everyone is entitled to theirs and we want to hear it - but either in the correct forum or if it's relevant to the original question

In this case, if you're building a non XP MCE system, I don't see the point of making a post which is irrelevant to this thread, unless of course you have shares in MP

By all means, feel free to extol the virtues of whatever you're working with, we'd love to hear about it, but it might be best if you use the "Other Media Center Software/Hardware Setups" forum - then we can stay on topic for this question.

Mike

snaveint · **30th May 2005, 05:53 PM**

okay so i'm also almost converted but i am wondering... If i use the 250 card and take the analogue input im wondering about quality...

Will it look better foxtel --> tuner ---> lcd
or foxtel ---> lcd

Is there a diff in quality at all? Is one better? by much?

Thanks

TiggerK · **30th May 2005, 06:19 PM**

There will always be some loss in quality when passing the signal through more conversions etc, but I find the difference is minimal on my CRT 32" TV. Maybe more noticeable on an LCD, but it really depends how you would connect it up anyway, If I go RGB SCART Out from the Foxtel box into the TV RGB SCART In directly, it certainly does look better than going via SVHS Out into the MCE tuner, then SVHS Out from the MCE box into the SVHS in of the TV. But the features of MCE far outweigh the slight drop in image quality, and Foxtel is hardly High Def anyway!!!

Cheers
TiggerK