Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Setup, Round 1
With parts in hand, I decided to attempt setup today. The first step was to install the tuner in my PC and cable up everything, which was pretty well explained by the directions that came with all of the parts.
Then, it was time to setup the software.
Ceton includes a "Quick Installation Guide" with the tuner. Follow it!
You need to begin by downloading and installing their drivers. Easy enough.
The next step they mention was not obvious to me - in Windows Media Center, you need to go to the Extras Gallery, and run the "Digital Cable Advisor". This sets up all of the DRM stuff required to use a CableCARD.
A fun note on that, currently only Windows 7 (not Vista, not XP, and most certainly not Linux) support all of the DRM features required to watch and record digital TV channels from the cable service. Furthermore, Windows Media Center is the only software package that correctly supports the DRM.
After your computer has been DRM-approved (you need an HDCP compliant display also, btw) the setup process is basically to run the "Set Up TV Signal" dialog and do what it tells you.
This is where I encountered my first problem:
CableCARD not detected? I did a few cursory debugging attempts, like reseating the card in the tuner and rebooting windows. No dice.
At this point, I discovered Ceton installs a really awesome diagnostic tool with their drivers.
I noticed I had a firmware update available, and installed it. After the complementry reboot, I still had the same issue. I decided to explore the tool a little more, and see what else it had.
Well, shoot. I checked the CableCARD Time Warner sent me, and it is a "PowerKEY Model PKM600". A little googling and sure enough, it's an SCard.
Looks like I'll be going back to the Time Warner office tomorrow and asking to swap for an MCard.
Then, it was time to setup the software.
Ceton includes a "Quick Installation Guide" with the tuner. Follow it!
You need to begin by downloading and installing their drivers. Easy enough.
The next step they mention was not obvious to me - in Windows Media Center, you need to go to the Extras Gallery, and run the "Digital Cable Advisor". This sets up all of the DRM stuff required to use a CableCARD.
A fun note on that, currently only Windows 7 (not Vista, not XP, and most certainly not Linux) support all of the DRM features required to watch and record digital TV channels from the cable service. Furthermore, Windows Media Center is the only software package that correctly supports the DRM.
After your computer has been DRM-approved (you need an HDCP compliant display also, btw) the setup process is basically to run the "Set Up TV Signal" dialog and do what it tells you.
This is where I encountered my first problem:
CableCARD not detected? I did a few cursory debugging attempts, like reseating the card in the tuner and rebooting windows. No dice.
At this point, I discovered Ceton installs a really awesome diagnostic tool with their drivers.
I noticed I had a firmware update available, and installed it. After the complementry reboot, I still had the same issue. I decided to explore the tool a little more, and see what else it had.
Well, shoot. I checked the CableCARD Time Warner sent me, and it is a "PowerKEY Model PKM600". A little googling and sure enough, it's an SCard.
Looks like I'll be going back to the Time Warner office tomorrow and asking to swap for an MCard.
Parts are in
I finally have everything I need to start the project!
To recap, this is
1.) A Windows 7 PC (using one I already have)
2.) An InfiniTV4, fresh from Amazon:
3.) A CableCard.
I got this one by ordering it on my Time Warner account's webpage. It came in the mail about a week after I ordered it.
4.) A tuning adapter
This thing was supposed to come with the CableCARD in the mail, but it didn't. So, I drove over to the Time Warner Cable office and asked for one. They were super helpful, and I was out of there in under 5 minutes with it. I wish I had just gotten the cable card this way as well, it would have been a lot faster.
TIP: Tell the service people you are setting up a TiVO. It requires the same hardware (CableCARD, tuning adapter). They are much more familiar with that use case.
To recap, this is
1.) A Windows 7 PC (using one I already have)
2.) An InfiniTV4, fresh from Amazon:
4.) A tuning adapter
This thing was supposed to come with the CableCARD in the mail, but it didn't. So, I drove over to the Time Warner Cable office and asked for one. They were super helpful, and I was out of there in under 5 minutes with it. I wish I had just gotten the cable card this way as well, it would have been a lot faster.
TIP: Tell the service people you are setting up a TiVO. It requires the same hardware (CableCARD, tuning adapter). They are much more familiar with that use case.
What you need
The cable company encrypts digital HDTV signals. In order to use digital HD cable, something has to decrypt the TV signals and display them. Normally, the set-top-box provided by Time Warner fills this role.
To replace the STB, you need a Windows 7 PC with a CableCARD capable tuner.
A CableCARD is essentially a hardware description key provided by your cable company. A tuner uses it to decode the signals from the cable coming into your house.
A lot more information about CableCARDs is on WikiPedia
There are very few CableCARD capable tuners on the market right now. Only one can process up to 4 streams in parallel - The Ceton InfiniTV 4. It comes in USB or PCIe, and can be had for around $200 on Amazon or newegg. This hardware is the core of this project.
You will also need the CableCARD itself. This is provided by the cable company. At my location, it costs $2 a month to rent.
Time Warner also uses Switched Video, which requires something called a tuning adapter. At the time of this post, Timer Warner will provide one to you free of charge upon request.
Why?
Why replace the set-top-box with something you make yourself?
- The TWC set-top-box interface leaves something to be desired
- Record 4 (or more) channels at once instead of 2
- Much more configurable
- No longer need to pay HD DVR or set-top-box rental fees (~$20 per month per box)
- Features like whole-home DVR are free
- Need a $200 TV Tuner
- Need a Windows 7 machine running 24*7 to replace the set-top-box
- Lots of work to setup
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