TiVo to control 4DTV

[disneyjoe7]

It works see www.dvrblackbox.com

[classicsat]

I currently don't have my C-band system up.

I don't have a 4DTV proper (but do have Starchoice DCII receivers, but no 921).

Were I to set up my C-band system again, I'd use it for everything the 4DTV isn't.

[mikesown]

Is the quality level on C-Band as good as people say it is for 4DTV(i.e. do cable companies still get their feeds via C-Band)? What's the bitrate like? Can you still get preairs on C-Band or have those disappeared almost entirely? Also, I've heard that it's getting harder and more expensive for consumers to buy programming on C-Band. I've always wished I could get C-Band, but when you don't live in the middle of nowhere, it's hard to get a 12 foot dish on your roof and have your neighbors be pleased :P.

[classicsat]

C-band is generally better than DBS, and yes cable still gets much of its feeds from C-band satellite.

I have the Canadian equivalent of C-band/4DTV (StarChoice), and it is rather good, and from what I hear, better quality than the competitive satellite service (Expressvu)

[Shawn95GT]

I sold my 922 when I made the jump to the S3.

This looks like a nice solution! I've never seen the discovery channels (& military etc) look as good as they did on 4DTV.

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by classicsat

C-band is generally better than DBS, and yes cable still gets much of its feeds from C-band satellite.

I have the Canadian equivalent of C-band/4DTV (StarChoice), and it is rather good, and from what I hear, better quality than the competitive satellite service (Expressvu)

StarChoice is a satellite service owned by Shaw Communications, a big Canadian cable co. It uses Ku Band which is similiar to C Band but employs higher frequencies and smaller meter sized dishes. Bell Expressvu is the other Canadian satellite service which uses equipment from Echostar with 20" dishes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Choice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_band#Advantages

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-band

Interesting Wikipedia links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Choice#External_links

Cable and direct broadcast satellite companies in Canada

Cable television: Access · Aurora · Cable Axion · Cablevision · Cogeco · Dery · EastLink · Look · Mountain Cable · Persona · Rogers · Shaw · Source Cable · Vidéotron · Westman

Satellite television: Bell ExpressVu · Star Choice

IPTV: Aliant TV · MTS · SaskTel · Telus

Defunct providers: Access (Nova Scotia) · CF · Cablecasting · Classicomm · Fundy · Maclean-Hunter · Moffat Communications · Northern · Rush · Selkirk · Trillium · Videon

[classicsat]

What band it is on is not really relevant. The point is the underlying structure of Starchoice is the very close to, and serves the purpose of C-band, in that it distributes cable programming to Canadian cable providers. It being Ku makes it easy to sell the same signal directly to home viewers. Expressvu on the other hand, primarily serves home viewers, so does compress a bit (more). Oh, and my receivers work with TiVo 100%, and have a no-banner mode, so I never see a receiver screen/graphics in normal usage.

[mikesown]

Hm, I find it a bit strange that in this day and age cable channels still distribute via c-band... I would think it would be much cheaper to rent out some dark fiber than maintain a satellite. Is it possible to record the digital signal off a C-Band receiver, or must you convert to analog before recording? Also, is the quality only marginally better than DBS? I thought it was master-quality good(i.e. no blockiness, good colors, etc.) with like 3x the bitrate of dbs/cable.

Do preairs still happen on cband, or have these disappeared?

[disneyjoe7]

The output from 4DTV C-band receiver is analog even if the input is a digital feed.


Thanks for the support.


Steve

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by classicsat

What band it is on is not really relevant. The point is the underlying structure of Starchoice is the very close to, and serves the purpose of C-band, in that it distributes cable programming to Canadian cable providers. It being Ku makes it easy to sell the same signal directly to home viewers. Expressvu on the other hand, primarily serves home viewers, so does compress a bit (more). Oh, and my receivers work with TiVo 100%, and have a no-banner mode, so I never see a receiver screen/graphics in normal usage.

Does Starchoice distribute programming directly to cable outlets from the same Ku Band transmissions from its 2 satellites which it supplies to home viewers?

(I don't expect that anyone will actually know the answer but an interesting question is) how do Starchoice's Ku Band transmissions compare with C Band signals meant for cable providers?

C Band dishes are big and clumsy for home use, but if a viewer wants to fuss with BUD's, C Band provides probably the best quality available, as well as extra feeds such as pre-airs.

Sounds like Starchoice is a good compromise.

http://www.bigdish.info/

[classicsat]

Originally Posted by fallingwater

Does Starchoice distribute programming directly to cable outlets from the same Ku Band transmissions from its 2 satellites which it supplies to home viewers?

In short, yes. In long, it is another division of the parent company; Shaw, called Cancom Broadcast Services.

[classicsat]

Originally Posted by mikesown

Hm, I find it a bit strange that in this day and age cable channels still distribute via c-band... I would think it would be much cheaper to rent out some dark fiber than maintain a satellite.

If you are going fixed point to fixed point, or a couple points, yes, fiber might be a bit more cost effective.
However, if you are distributing to a number of points, satellite starts to become economical.

Is it possible to record the digital signal off a C-Band receiver, or must you convert to analog before recording?

If you have a hacked reciever with Firewire added, yes, otherwise you record analog out.

Also, is the quality only marginally better than DBS? I thought it was master-quality good(i.e. no blockiness, good colors, etc.) with like 3x the bitrate of dbs/cable.

It depends, but given the existing bandwidth, it is easy to give room for a quality picture.

Do preairs still happen on cband, or have these disappeared?

Some are still there in analog or unencrypted or open formats feeds. News trucks are a big thing The major network feeds have mostly moved to proprietary or encrypted digital formats.

[disneyjoe7]

Great information classicsat.

www.dvrblackbox.com website was updated a little to help any questions you may have or I'm all ears here.