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HTPC DVR?

CornOnJacob
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Hey everyone,

  I've seen a few posts about HTPCs with TV Tuner cards to record live TV. One potential problem is that encrypted channels can't be viewed with a TV Tuner card. Would having the connection run:

 

Cable Box>Cheap TV Tuner Card that can't decrypt signals--mobo--HDMI out>TV

 

solve the problem of not being able to view channels (since the Cable box would decrypt/descramble the channels before they got to the HTPC)? I hope I explained this well.

 

P.S. I live on the East Coast of America, if that makes a difference as far as TV signals go.

[spoiler=My Current PC]AMD FX-8320 @ 4.2 Ghz | Xigmatek Dark Knight Night Hawk II | Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 | 8GB Adata XPG V2 Silver 1600 Mhz RAM | Gigabyte 3X Windforce GTX 770 4GB @ 1.27 Ghz/7.25 Ghz | Rosewill Hive 550W Bronze PSU | Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 | Samsung Evo 250 GB SSD | Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD | ASUS VS239H-P | Razer Deathadder 2013 | Partlist

 

LTT Build-Off Thread: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/35226-the-ltt-build-off-thread-no-building-required/

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  • 5 weeks later...
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Nobody has replies so I'm bumping this. Even I forgot this thread existed  :P

[spoiler=My Current PC]AMD FX-8320 @ 4.2 Ghz | Xigmatek Dark Knight Night Hawk II | Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 | 8GB Adata XPG V2 Silver 1600 Mhz RAM | Gigabyte 3X Windforce GTX 770 4GB @ 1.27 Ghz/7.25 Ghz | Rosewill Hive 550W Bronze PSU | Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 | Samsung Evo 250 GB SSD | Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD | ASUS VS239H-P | Razer Deathadder 2013 | Partlist

 

LTT Build-Off Thread: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/35226-the-ltt-build-off-thread-no-building-required/

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I've been thinking about getting a TV tuner to replace my DVR for a few months now, and I think this might work. Get a TV Tuner that accepts a CableCARD, and plug it into a computer.

 

Specifically, you could use a HD HomeRun Prime and plug it into a computer with USB. If you have a cable provider that uses coaxial  then you can rent a CableCARD for a small fee, and access the encrypted channels. For Time Warner cable where I live, the CableCARD rental is like $3 per month, whereas the HD DVR is about $30 a month. And I like a USB solution because you can easily use it with many devices (desktop, laptop, NAS).

 

This solution would bypass any encryption and would be affordable. 

 

Here is the link to the HD HomeRun Prime: http://www.silicondust.com/products/models/hdhr3-cc/

 

Again, I haven't tried this, but from my research, it should work.

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