DVD-Software.info

[Gordon Burditt]

How practical is it to try to receive and record digital TV with a
S1 standalone Tivo? You need an ATSC receiver. Fine, I've got
one. (USDTV, aka "the Walmart box") You tell the TiVo it's your
cable box (really "antenna box") and connect the A/V inputs. It
won't record it in digital, and especially not in HD, but something
that can record HD is pretty expensive right now. It will get a
better picture converting digital to 480i than even strong NTSC
stations, and it will improve the mediocre ones a LOT.

I need a way to control the ATSC receiver with the Tivo. IR blaster
is a possibility. It seems the IR database is occasionally updated
(at least I think I've seen the version change) even when the OS
is not. Anyone know for sure? If I tell the TiVo I have a cable
box, can I still select the OTA lineup? If I select the wrong
lineup, will I destroy all my existing season passes for channels
that no longer appear to exist? Anyone tried controlling a USDTV
box with a Tivo?

I need guide data for digital channels. Well, I can fake it using
the analog channels (at least until the analog shutoff when there
won't be any more guide data - so much for lifetime subscription.
I will have gotten more than my money's worth out of it anyway).
No hacking required here, just use it as-is. In the Dallas/Fort
Worth area, it seems that the following hold (although I don't know
for how long):

- ATSC channel X-1 (X dash one, not X minus one) has the same
programming as NTSC channel X, if both exist. (That's the ATSC
logical channel number you use on the remote, not the frequency,
which the box won't even tell me). It seems the stations are known
by their channel number and they want to keep that association.

- ATSC channels that are -2 and above tend to be things you don't
need a guide for and probably don't want to watch delayed (weather
radar channel, continuous news, all Jesus all the time).

- Almost all of the NTSC channels with signal quality better than
"barely watchable with heavy snow" have corresponding ATSC channels.
And I'm not really concerned about getting far-away network stations
with the same programming as much stronger local ones.

- If on the remote you enter the channel number without the "dash one",
it still gets it right (although perhaps with a slight pause).

Does digital TV work like this (digital and analog channels correspond)
in any other areas?

I don't subscribe to USDTV. It doesn't appear to be available in my area.

Gordon L. Burditt