Apologies for a probably very stupid question!

[ff9master]

Im sorry to bother whoever helps me with this, but i have a question and cant seem to confirm an answer.

I have purchased from EYO a 'DVICO FusionHDTV DVB-T USB Digital Terrestrial TV Box', which i should get tommorow, but im not sure about whether i will be able to watch normal, non digital tv on my computer or whether it will like, be unusable during the day but start showing digital tv when the FTA channels play shows that are HD capable.

Is it that ALL shows are SD and only special ones HD (and so i can watch and record all shows in effect) or is it that all shows bar a few are analogue non-SD/HD and that the rest are SD/HD and that i can ONLY view the SD/HD ones?

Sorry for the stupid newbie question!

Thankyou though!

Oh and is the DVICO FusionHDTV DVB-T USB Digital Terrestrial TV Box any good? Any advice? My computer is very powerful so i have high hopes for it! Cyas!

[Shinkaro]

Hi,

Digital television broadcasts 24hrs in SD so you will have access to
all the FTA shows as digital not analogue. At times HD is shown and
this is done on a different channel number. eg 7 for SD and 70 for HD

There is also a tv guide on CH 4 that shows the current, next shows
available. Most channels also have their own tvguide eg 77

DVICO Fusion seems to have a good reputation around the forums etc,
haven't got one myself so can't really comment.

You might run into problems converting saved shows to DVD, there are
some issues with audio sync so you should demux your MPEG2 file using
ProjectX or PVAStrumento (sorry dont have links handy, just search on
them)

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=9423&hl=

above link has more info about burning digital tv to DVD.



On Thu, 3 Feb 2005 23:15:12 +1100, ff9master
<ff9master.1jvngl@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote:

>
>Im sorry to bother whoever helps me with this, but i have a question and
>cant seem to confirm an answer.
>
>I have purchased from EYO a 'DVICO FusionHDTV DVB-T USB Digital
>Terrestrial TV Box', which i should get tommorow, but im not sure about
>whether i will be able to watch normal, non digital tv on my computer
>or whether it will like, be unusable during the day but start showing
>digital tv when the FTA channels play shows that are HD capable.
>
>Is it that ALL shows are SD and only special ones HD (and so i can
>watch and record all shows in effect) or is it that all shows bar a few
>are analogue non-SD/HD and that the rest are SD/HD and that i can ONLY
>view the SD/HD ones?
>
>Sorry for the stupid newbie question!
>
>Thankyou though!
>
>Oh and is the DVICO FusionHDTV DVB-T USB Digital Terrestrial TV Box any
>good? Any advice? My computer is very powerful so i have high hopes for
>it! Cyas!

[Ben Thomas]

Shinkaro wrote:

> There is also a tv guide on CH 4 that shows the current, next shows
> available. Most channels also have their own tvguide eg 77
>

Really? I didn't know about channel 4. I'll do a rescan tonight. Thanks for the
info.

--
--
Ben Thomas - Software Engineer - Melbourne, Australia

My Digital World:
Kodak DX6490, Canon i9950, Pioneer A05;
Hitachi 37" HD plasma display, DGTEC 2000A,
Denon 2800, H/K AVR4500, Whatmough Encore;
Sony Ericsson K700i, Palm Tungsten T.

Disclaimer:
Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
relate to the official business of my employer shall be understood as neither
given nor endorsed by it.

[ff9master]

Wow thanks! I finally understand now. I really appreciate the help! Thanks again!


[QUOTE=Shinkaro]Hi,

Digital television broadcasts 24hrs in SD so you will have access to
all the FTA shows as digital not analogue. At times HD is shown and
this is done on a different channel number. eg 7 for SD and 70 for HD

There is also a tv guide on CH 4 that shows the current, next shows
available. Most channels also have their own tvguide eg 77

DVICO Fusion seems to have a good reputation around the forums etc,
haven't got one myself so can't really comment.

You might run into problems converting saved shows to DVD, there are
some issues with audio sync so you should demux your MPEG2 file using
ProjectX or PVAStrumento (sorry dont have links handy, just search on
them)

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=9423&hl=

above link has more info about burning digital tv to DVD.

[Steve Simpson]

> I have purchased from EYO a 'DVICO FusionHDTV DVB-T USB Digital
> Terrestrial TV Box', which i should get tommorow, but im not sure about
> whether i will be able to watch normal, non digital tv on my computer
> or whether it will like, be unusable during the day but start showing
> digital tv when the FTA channels play shows that are HD capable.

IMO that absolute best method of recording DTV onto a DVD with a Fusion is
to record in native MPG format (There's an option in the DVICO software) and
then make a DVD using 'TMPG DVD Author 1.6' which unfortunately is a
commercial program but it's 10x easier than any of the free programs.
Another very useful program is 'Cuttermaran' which is free and allows you to
edit out commercials etc with ease.

[iceberg]

Shinkaro wrote:

> There is also a tv guide on CH 4 that shows the current, next shows
> available. Most channels also have their own tvguide eg 77
>


Just did a rescan and didn't get Ch 4. Has anyone picked it up in Melbourne?

[sonwak]

Shinkaro wrote:

> There is also a tv guide on CH 4 that shows the current, next shows
> available. Most channels also have their own tvguide eg 77
>


Just did a rescan and didn't get Ch 4. Has anyone picked it up in Melbourne?

i think a lot of these things are highly regionalised. i live in newcastle, and i dont get any ch 4.

i also have this same tuner, and im wondering the best way to capture 4:3 streams without the bars on the top and bottom of the screen. i tried capturing a few episodes of the old dr who, and it did so pretty well, but had black bars at both the top and the bottom. i havent quite figured out how to deal with the aspect ratios while recording yet, obviously.

[sonwak]

i think a lot of these things are highly regionalised. i live in newcastle, and i dont get any ch 4.

i also have this same tuner, and im wondering the best way to capture 4:3 streams without the bars on the top and bottom of the screen. i tried capturing a few episodes of the old dr who, and it did so pretty well, but had black bars at both the top and the bottom. i havent quite figured out how to deal with the aspect ratios while recording yet, obviously.


also, while im at it... is there any other software available for use with this tuner other than that included? maybe something that supports teletext or captions?

[tony_h]

sonwak wrote:
> i also have this same tuner, and im wondering the best way to capture
> 4:3 streams without the bars on the top and bottom of the screen. i
> tried capturing a few episodes of the old dr who, and it did so pretty
> well, but had black bars at both the top and the bottom. i havent
> quite figured out how to deal with the aspect ratios while recording
> yet, obviously.

IFO-EDIT the IFO file and turn on the Pan&Scan option (I give tips on how to
do this on my website). Any other way will involve re-encoding the stream
and strip off the black bits off the side, lowering the quality and taking
quite some time. Once you turn on the P&S, your DVD player pan and scan
option will become available (and if you turn off the other IFO options, it
may even default to P&S even if you have letterbox setup in the DVD player
menu!).
D-4 is a trial "datacast" (really a bunch of video channels, including EXPO,
the christian channel, TAB etc) and I think it is only Sydney at the moment.
Regards
Tony

--�
http://tonyspage.abock.de for some Topfield info including turning
those recordings into DVDs, adding features with the open source TAP
environment etc...

[sonwak]

sonwak wrote:
> i also have this same tuner, and im wondering the best way to capture
> 4:3 streams without the bars on the top and bottom of the screen. i
> tried capturing a few episodes of the old dr who, and it did so pretty
> well, but had black bars at both the top and the bottom. i havent
> quite figured out how to deal with the aspect ratios while recording
> yet, obviously.

IFO-EDIT the IFO file and turn on the Pan&Scan option (I give tips on how to
do this on my website). Any other way will involve re-encoding the stream
and strip off the black bits off the side, lowering the quality and taking
quite some time. Once you turn on the P&S, your DVD player pan and scan
option will become available (and if you turn off the other IFO options, it
may even default to P&S even if you have letterbox setup in the DVD player
menu!).
D-4 is a trial "datacast" (really a bunch of video channels, including EXPO,
the christian channel, TAB etc) and I think it is only Sydney at the moment.
Regards
Tony

--�
http://tonyspage.abock.de for some Topfield info including turning
those recordings into DVDs, adding features with the open source TAP
environment etc...


is there a better way to control the aspect ratio if you are recording straight to mpeg-2? and making still captures. most of the tv streams seem to be in 16:9, but all the stills i have taken seem to be in 4:3. maybe i missed a config somewhere. also, the pictures seem rather small... 720x540 taken while the hdtv app is running maximised (my windows resolution is 1152x864)

[tony_h]

sonwak wrote:
> is there a better way to control the aspect ratio if you are recording
> straight to mpeg-2? and making still captures. most of the tv
> streams seem to be in 16:9, but all the stills i have taken seem to
> be in 4:3. maybe i missed a config somewhere. also, the pictures
> seem rather small... 720x540 taken while the hdtv app is running
> maximised (my windows resolution is 1152x864)

Ahh, still captures.
You see, a PC computer & monitor has square pixels, and is a 4:3 aspect
ratio. A TV transmission at 720x576 16:9 does not have square pixels, and
is a 16:9 aspect ratio.
You have to scale the horizontal to 1024 and this corrects the aspect nicely
for PC viewing.
If you still want to view bits of your desktop, then 1/2 res works well too,
512x288.
Regards

--�
http://tonyspage.abock.de for some Topfield info including turning
those recordings into DVDs, adding features with the open source TAP
environment etc...

[Louis Solomon [SteelBytes]]

> You see, a PC computer & monitor has square pixels, and is a 4:3 aspect
> ratio.

no always.
1. 1280x1024 on a regular 4:3 monitor is not square pixels. most other
modes such as 1024x768 are.
2. many laptops have non 4:3 screens, and some LCD panels for desktops are
also non 4:3 - eg the Apple Cinema Display http://www.apple.com/displays/

--
Louis Solomon
www.SteelBytes.com

[sonwak]

square pixels? huh? (???)
how about this. if i take a snapshot in a program like powerdvd, it will give me a large, correctly proportioned image. with my tv tuner, it seems to want to make only small sized out of proportion images. this is with the "fusionhdtv" program.




']> You see, a PC computer & monitor has square pixels, and is a 4:3 aspect
> ratio.

no always.
1. 1280x1024 on a regular 4:3 monitor is not square pixels. most other
modes such as 1024x768 are.
2. many laptops have non 4:3 screens, and some LCD panels for desktops are
also non 4:3 - eg the Apple Cinema Display http://www.apple.com/displays/

--
Louis Solomon
www.SteelBytes.com

[tony_h]

sonwak wrote:
> square pixels? huh? (???)
> how about this. if i take a snapshot in a program like powerdvd, it
> will give me a large, correctly proportioned image. with my tv tuner,
> it seems to want to make only small sized out of proportion images.
> this is with the "fusionhdtv" program.
>
I was trying to make the discussion simple by talking about square pixels,
and got a Louis and you confused.
The raw native pixels for a standard definition television service is
720x576.
If you assume pixels are approximately square on your PC (ok Louis!), then
this will look incorrect. The way to correct the aspect is to scale the
horizontal to 1024 instead of 720. PowerDVD notices the 16:9 flag in the
image, and does the scaling for you, but some software will do a screen
capture of the image in its true native resolution of 720x576.

Regards
Tony

--�
http://tonyspage.abock.de for some Topfield info including turning
those recordings into DVDs, adding features with the open source TAP
environment etc...

[sonwak]

sonwak wrote:
> square pixels? huh? (???)
> how about this. if i take a snapshot in a program like powerdvd, it
> will give me a large, correctly proportioned image. with my tv tuner,
> it seems to want to make only small sized out of proportion images.
> this is with the "fusionhdtv" program.
>
I was trying to make the discussion simple by talking about square pixels,
and got a Louis and you confused.
The raw native pixels for a standard definition television service is
720x576.
If you assume pixels are approximately square on your PC (ok Louis!), then
this will look incorrect. The way to correct the aspect is to scale the
horizontal to 1024 instead of 720. PowerDVD notices the 16:9 flag in the
image, and does the scaling for you, but some software will do a screen
capture of the image in its true native resolution of 720x576.

Regards
Tony

--�
http://tonyspage.abock.de for some Topfield info including turning
those recordings into DVDs, adding features with the open source TAP
environment etc...


yeah, i'm starting to believe the software supplied with the fusionhdtv tuner card is pretty crappy. i cant even get the file encoder to synch up audio and video (let alone having crappy controls for aspect ratio). is there any other software that'll work with this tuner, that maybe has better configs?