DVB-C card and NTL help needed thanks

[swooney]

Hi,
I am currently building a Media PC and would like to use a DVB-C card such as Hauppauge WINTV DVB-C and its Card reader.
As I understand it NTL locks its card to the Mac address of the current Set top box I use. Is there any way I can view my NTL digital on my PC using a DVB-C card?

Many thanks

[eoin.miskell]

No, sorry the only way you can watch NTL Digital is thought the STB.

[swooney]

Is there a reason for this as the card reader will still lock the information.

Ive noticed that most of Europe can do this so why cant we in the UK?

Thanks

[Steve H]

Moved to the NTL Cable TV Support and discussion board.

[Mr_Burns]

It's probably many things contributing to this (noise being introduced onto the network, customer support, potential fraud, etc.) which is why they say you can only connect equipment supplied by them to the incoming cable.

[city-boy]

I can tell you this much. DVB-C is a european standard that should be corss platform, so in theory you could get:
DVB-C card (although it must have correct BDA drivers to work with media center) also have a slot for a CAM
- A Cam of the correct encryption type, I think it's nagravision.
- A valid NTL subscriptions with NTL Nagravision card.

Now the NTL Nagravision card locks to the Nagravision serial number in the in-built CAM in the NTL set top box, so it wouldnt' work unless you could some how change the Nagravaion number in your sperate CAM to the same one of your set, top box.

At the moment they don't make DVB-C cards that have BDA drivers, so no chance.

However I'll bet within the next couple of years, NTL are supprting this as a feature, and your ringing up NTL to get a new viewing card for your media center PC.

I have Media center connected to my NTL set-top-box, it changes the channel fine and captures via my hauppauge pvr-250. I've got a widescreen projector connected and it's amazing in use. For now I'd just use your set-top-box, the image quality is still excellent despite the Digital-Analogue-Digital conversion.

see www.thegreenbutton.com or www.xpmce.com for more infoormation about media center working with NTL.

[Chris W]

city-boy - i have removed your post as the information you have given is in breach of Virgin's terms and conditions. please ensure that you don't post instruction on how to breach the t & cs again.

Thanks

[Loogie]

I have been reviewing the improvements in Media Center.

Given the new PC on offer from the US Alienware (they also do a 2TB server version) and the fact that Media Center has been shown to support up to 5 TV capture devices, I am looking into removing the set top boxes from the equation.

As it stands I currently have three NTL STB's. These have been working fine for the last 12 months although they gave me much trouble before then - usually when channels in the 101-120 weren't entering properly and I'd record two hours of Pobyl Y Cwm instead of Battlestar Galactica.

Also, two channels at once isn't always enough. I'd like three (or even four) simultaneous feeds. (Apparently the use of more than two receivers isn't licensed within Media Center outside the US for some reason that I am unsure of).

So, I would like to get rid of my STBs and fit two dual DVB-C cards into my PC with an attachment that could accept my SMART cards to decode the signal.

I understand that this was not feasible given what City Boy said above but I wonder if this situation has changed in the intervening years.

Is it possible for me to pursure internalising the DVB-C equipment inside my Vista Media Center?

(I also see that DVB-C2 is up for approval).

[spiderplant]

No, the situation hasn't changed. The cards still need to be paired to the set-top box, and you are still are not allowed to connect your own equipment directly to the network. You can only use Media Center by feeding in the analogue output from the STB.

Considered a V+ or two?

[the-cable-guy]

you can do it but its illegal.

[Loogie]

I see...

Thanks.

[GraphiX2004]

i've had my DVB cards haupagge at that connected directly into my cable box + v+ box
for years. Scart socket or RCA's both work fine i have no clue why your mentioning
about encryption and locking to mac addresses?

The Inputs are put their to be used Terms and services mean nothing if they
provide the sockets to connect too i..e scarts, RCA's its upto me not them if i use it.

[homealone]

Originally Posted by GraphiX2004

i've had my DVB cards haupagge at that connected directly into my cable box + v+ box
for years. Scart socket or RCA's both work fine i have no clue why your mentioning
about encryption and locking to mac addresses?

The Inputs are put their to be used Terms and services mean nothing if they
provide the sockets to connect too i..e scarts, RCA's its upto me not them if i use it.

The poster was wanting to receive virgin media broadcasts by using only the DVB-C card & doing away with the cable box - in which case encryption & pairing card to box is fairly relevant - and there wouldn't be any of the sockets to connect to, that you mention, just an F-connector

[the-cable-guy]

Originally Posted by homealone

The poster was wanting to receive virgin media broadcasts by using only the DVB-C card & doing away with the cable box - in which case encryption & pairing card to box is fairly relevant - and there wouldn't be any of the sockets to connect to, that you mention, just an F-connector

yep what the OP wanted to do can be done but not legally.

[GraphiX2004]

ah sorry miss understood