Capturing from SkyHD to PC

stef2010

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Hi, Im looking at a way of capturing Live & recorded content from my SkyHD box to my PC.

I can already do this in SD using the composite connection on the back of the box & the analog capture card I have in my PC, However Im looking at capturing in HD to get the maximum quality.

I've seen some PC cards with HDMI input's on them & although the Sky box only had 1 HDMI output on it I've heard you can use a splitter cable to output to 2 devices.

The thing which I want to know about is would this work or would the HDCP encryption prevent the PC card from been able to record the feed?

If this would be prevented is there any way round this, A HDMI to component cable or something similar?



Reason I want to do the capturing is that im a big MotorSports fan & have been keeping an archive of the broadcast's from various series for my own use since the early 80s & would like to continue doing this when F1 moves to Sky next season.
 
It wouldn't be a "splitter cable" but some people report success with a switch for similar purposes,
 
Yes you can use a powered HDMI splitter to split the single HDMI output from the Sky box to two seperate HDMI inputs (your TV and your computer). A switch would also do the job but would force you to switch between outputting to TV or outputting to computer - not very useful.

HDMI however is very heavily monitored and protected by HDCP, and pretty much all encrypted high definition output from your Sky box will not be accessible through the HDMI input on your PC card - so only HD material from FTA channels (i.e. BBC HD) would be archivable - whether you use a splitter or not. If F1 is moving to Sky Sports HD in the future, then you will still not be able to maintain archives of this in high definition using HDMI output - you would need to try and source one of the original Thomson Sky HD boxes which supported component as well as HDMI output, and utilise the analogue high definition component output which bypassed HDCP security.
 
Afaik pcs can't capture hdmi. They can capture component using a hauppauge hd pvr or aver media equivalent. Only the Thomson box has component out. A hd fury cable will convert hdmi/dvi to component which in turn can be captured.
You can use plus extract to rip unencrypted content from the hard disk directly but converting to a playable file is difficult.
 
I use the method rentagas has outlined. If you want HD on your PC, you'll need quite a lot of storage to capture in high quality - a film can take 3-5 Gb depending on the bitrate.

I think there are HDCP strippers available for HDMI. You could have a search.
 
So basically what I need is something to split the HDMI output from the box so I have 1 going to the TV & a 2nd to the PC.

Then I need something like this HD-Fury thing to turn the HDMI to DVI & then I guess something else to turn the DVI to Component in order to link it to a capture device with component input.

A lot more complex than the simple composite/Stereo audio cables Im using currently.


Reason I initially thought of HD capture is that although the quality im getting from my current setup is OK, My capture card is failing & I thought Id get a HD card rather than another analog one.

I did have a Thompson box with the component output but was offered a free Amstrad box when Sky Anytime+ was rolled out. I'd consider going back to the Thompson if I didn't use Anytime+ fairly regularly.


Thanks for all the help, Got some thinking to do about if its actually worth buying everything required to capture in HD.
 
For future recordings it would be considerably cheaper to purchase a Linux based (or other hobby receiver) that allows use of your Sky card in it and can record to USB devices. It is then relatively simple to attach the USB device to a PC, convert the file format and then burn to DVD.
 
For future recordings it would be considerably cheaper to purchase a Linux based (or other hobby receiver) that allows use of your Sky card in it and can record to USB devices. It is then relatively simple to attach the USB device to a PC, convert the file format and then burn to DVD.

Im intrigued by this idea, can you point me in the direction of some more information or what sort of kit i would need?

HUGELY appreciated in advance:thumbsup:
 
Im intrigued by this idea

A Linux receiver (such as a Dreambox) and software called OSCAM is all you need. Google to find out more, I'm not sure the mods will let us talk about the detail.
 
My "other hobby" - not Linux - receiver can do it.;)
So, what you need is a receiver and a USB drive.
 
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Correct. Which I'd do anyway.
 
Thanks for your input guys ive got some research to do now it seems, i may be back with some Q's later on down the line:thumbsup:
 
See you later then.
 

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