This is just what I've been waiting for, ever since Sky + boxes were released some months ago.
There is an alternative to the Telewest box, and that is to cobble together an Apple Mac with an Elgato EyeTV device. I really fancy this option since it integrates well into the home entertainment system. I have little experience of how good all this is... apparently the scheduling software is based on the US TV schedules and as yet, there is no UK TV schedule that EyeTV can talk to and adopt.
Has anyone had experience of setting up home PVR systems, whether that be using a set-top box or home computer?
BillyBP
I too am looking at the Elgato 610 - have you had any success with it? I am having problems finding out if it will plug into a telewest and I am also having problems sourcing a CAM module to insert my viewing card into.
Has anyone managed to get this working in the UK?
Jonathan
However, I have discovered that Telewest do send Freeview channels unscrambled through their cable network. This won't help you with your 'paid for' channels, but since I don't have any of these, I intend to just hook up my Miglia PVR to the cable running into my house.
stephan james
My dream too, so i ordered the eye tv 610 device. According to Elgato the device will unscramble all the channels on the telewest no matter what account I have. THe challenge is to find an adapter for the CAB slot that takes the Telewest card, I havebeen looking but not found one yet.
Jonathan
Doogie
I just got the Eye TV 610 and, with the addition of a
Sarlet
I'm trying to do very much the same thing and Telewest tech support just told me that their smart card will not work in anything other than the box it comes in. They then tried to sell me their own PVR, even though it's not available for another six months. Sorry I don't have better news.
Doogie
Oh. Thanks for the info, that's a downer. It seems to me a bit dodgy, trading-standards-wise, that Elgato sells this for use in the UK, and says that it can receive PayTV, while the two companies who control the vast majority of digital cable in the UK are apparently not compatible. Now I don't know whether to keep it for the free channels or send it back in a huff and have nothing.
Jonathan
I think I opted to wait for the Evolution TV box from Miglia because I suspected compatibility problems with the Cable version of Elgato EyeTV.... it's not very good to say something is compatible when it most clearly isn't. So far I have resisted the temptation to buy the Elgato right here and now... I think I can still resist the temptation - just!
Jonathan
I too have taken an interest in their own PVR, but there was no indication anywhere of when that would be available. Besides, I really want a solution that gives me ready access to the recordings and better control of scheduling - e.g. being able to do this remotely by sending the computer an email containing the schedule information is great.
Just in passing, where are you based? There are numerous Telewest installation areas across the country. Are you using a Mac or a Windows PC? My Miglia Evolution TV box is expected to arrive on the 19th April... not sure how I'm going to sit tight for that long!
kully
trying to buy telewest digital boxes if any one has got any for sale please contact me on 07787370674
Jonathan
Not sure that these can be sold to be honest... don't they remain the property of Telewest? Maybe not, I just assumed that it was 'rented' equipment.
bmak
Very interested in your PVR adventures. Have just become a MAC convert (after a lifetime of PC strife) and now have a MAC Mini. Have tried various other PVR solutions, but until now none had worked. Have just ordered Miglia's Evolution TV product from MAcCentre and will see how I get on with that. Also use Telewest broadband and Cable service and would not bother trying to get any common sense from their "technical" people as most have no idea what they are talking about.
BillyBP
I have just picked up a Elgato too - I have 2 cunning plans!
1. Dismantle my existing telewest box - see if the CAM is removable!
2. I have made some progress locating a CAM but it looks far from trivial to get it working (see notes below)
Telewest I believe uses the Nagravision conditional access system. Since MAGIC CAMs supports Nargavision, then so can this CAM work with your card. I would recommend that you look on your card for the "Nagravision" word though.
However, the box key in the CAM would need to be changed to match that of your card. I expect that you would need both my SMART2 programmer and the MMPI to do that. The SMART2 could read the card's box key, then the MMPI would allow you to reflash the CAM with this modified firmware.
The card and CAM are paired together using a "box key". This stops these cards working in other Nagravision CAMs. My MAGIC CAM has a selectable box key feature, but changing the box key needs a bit of work.
Steve
I am won over by the Elgato, looks on the face of it to be superior both in terms of hardware and software but this is of little value without the pay view channels. It sounds like you have had some in-depth knowledge in this area; did you succeed by flashing your CAM, if so where can I get my hands on this kit?
chinchilla
"Dismantle my existing telewest box - see if the CAM is removable!"
An extremely stupid idea. The box is the property of Telewest -- not you. They will no doubt, at the very least, charge you for it if they find out
Giving up...........
After a lot of searching and investigation I am going to give up on attempting to get the Elgato system working with Cable and return my unit to the apple store. I think the following is true for the Satalite version in the UK.
1. Telewest will not supply a CAM (I belive Sky will not either)
2. CAMs are locked to the Decoder Box so you can simply extract one from a second hand unit.
3. I think it is against the terms of the contract to attach a device like the Elgato to the cable network.
It is a real shame as the unit does work very nicely for the non-subscription channels - the speed of channel changing and the image quality is great.
I think it could save people a lot of time if Elgato put a sticker on the box advising of this situation / or even better came to an arrangement with Sky / Telewest / NTL etc to get CAMs. To be honest I would be happy to pay a small monthly rental for one if they want to stick to their existing pricing model.
So where do I go from here.
There are a few options....
1. Goto DVB/T - no subscriptions - CAMs are available for pay channels - the down side is that the channels are limited and the quality is low due to poor reception in my area.
2. Get a Infrared controller and an encoder to encode the output from your existing decoder. This would provide a legal and flexible alternative - although the image is now going to have be decoded and reencoded - I am also unsure about the reliability of the IR solutions. Telewest again have made things tricky in that regard.
3. Similar to option 2 - but the Telewest box does have some other interfaces - can it be controlled via RS232 or USB?
I am very intersted in hearing from anyone who has made any more progress in this agrea - or has something working. I do plan to build a Mac based solution - failing that I would do somthing with Linux and MythTV.
David
Just get XP Media Centre and a Hauppage PVR-350 tv/radio card - works great and the schedule can be set to UK listings.
JamesH
I am also trying to get the standard (BBC1 BBC2 etc) broadcast channels directly from Telewest cable to my Media Centre PC. I get video but no audio. I beleive it may be PAL-I vs PAL-B/G related. How did you set up your Media Centre?
Thanks
Jonathan
Can I clarify a point... is this using the signal from Telewest Cable TV? Need to be clear since the use of my Evolution TV box is fine with a signal from my rooftop aerial, but pants through Telewest Blueyonder.
Thanks
Leslie
Hi Guys.
I have gone for windows version, I use the FireDTV (www.firedtv.com) for terrestrial (Topup TV :) ),Sky (Sky current subscription :)) and cable (Telewest FreeView only at present ).
I use MediaPortal to control these boxes.
I only got Freeview to work on MCE. Showshifter works as well as Mediaportal but when i tested they only supported one tuner this might have changed.
I had my doubts about firewire but all those fears have been put to rest.
happy playing.
Leslie
Hi Jonathon
Before you try and receive cable tv on Elgato or FireDTV make sure the software supports the frequencies and symbols required for telewest, they are none standard.
MediaPortal has an add on file containing all the frequencies :)
I spent many hours before I found this out and now it works a treat.
Jonathan
Hi Leslie, cool!! Just what I've been looking for... but did wonder whether that kind of information would ever be available. I would have thought Telewest would want to keep details about frequencies 'close to their chests' so to speak.
Right... I'm off to the MediaPortal site...
Thank you :-)
... by the way I have the Miglia Evolution TV box
Leslie
Sky CAMS, this isn't a widely know thing but there are cams that work with active sky subscriptions, i receive all the sky channels that I pay for but I don't have TV on demand worked out yet.
Cable well thats a whole different ball game, i have some reading to do on the design on the cable box, but I am sure there must be a CAM that supports cable, I will keep looking.
Please note this isn't hacking cable or sky it's only using the current subscription in a different device.
Jonathan
Absolutely, I agree with you here Leslie. What we are trying to achieve is using the current service which we are entitled to / paid for and access the same feed using another device which just so happens to be connected to a computer.
I appreciate all your comments here, thank you! I have had reports that a CAM for Telewest cable just doesn't exist, but I can't subscribe to that thought either. Thank you for continuing to look, judging from the comments on this blog, there are lots of people looking for answers to this very issue. I look forward to hearing more from you.
James
Hi, I have the firedtv too with media portal. I can watch all the free channels but the paytv channels won't decode. (I'm using the correct CAM with a valid subscription card). I have heard this may be because I need version 1.0.4 of the drivers to improve cam support (not released yet). Can you think of anything I can try to get my system working like yours? Thanks, James
David
Does any one know whether I can connect my telewest cabling to a 'Freeview' box? ( I have sent the telwest set-top box, but do not have good reception through the ariel and we're all missing cbeebies!
Thanks.
Jonathan
hmmm, I'm unsure of this... but let me know what happens if you try it :-)
Anyone else?
BillyBP
Hi - I have ended up with the Elgato 200 - which does the job - but the image is not as good as the EyeTV500 - as it is having to encode the analogue signals. I am curious to learn what the frequency tables mentioned earlier are for - has anyone managed to get a Mac to control the channels and volume of a telewest box?
Main issues for me now are - getting XBox media center to work with EyeTV, stopping the family using the Telewest volume control - fed up with recording silent movies! A nice Mac front end for TV use - something like centerstage may do it. And finally - getting the Mac to change TV channels on cable - so we can video using one box instead of two. Such basic needs!
Jonathan
Well at least you are having some success. The frequency tables appeared to be necessary since it wasn't clear whether the channels I was receiving through the Evolution TV box where perfectly tuned and using the exact frequency. Evolution TV attempts to tune automatically, and several months on, I believe it is doing this accurately and correctly. However, the problem remains, the signal directly from the wall mounted box (by passing the Telewest box) is grainy and poor quality. My only explanation is that the Telewest box does something to 'clean' the signal since my the all the channels on my television screen are crisp and, well, awesome. Why can't I do the same on my computer screen? It is frustrating and wish it were simpler.
I suspect I 'could' get Evolution TV working with the Telewest box, but then I am dependent on having to control the Telewest box using an Infra-red box connected to my Mac or something. Far from ideal really. Like you, I'm interested if anyone has found a way to control the Telewest Box.
You think this would be easy.... and undoubtedly, it should be. Maybe we are in the tangle of Telewest protecting its business? Thinking about it, if the TV signals were 'clean' coming straight from the wall socket, we wouldn't need the Telewest boxes at all (except for subscription channels, of which I have none)
Leslie
Hi Jonathan
I have got the FireDTV DVB-C working perfectly on Telewest it's quality is as good if not better than the decoder box. I got this working with a Dragon CAM and my Telewest subscription card.
I can send you the full frequency list and channel map if this would help. Just private message me on the FireDTV Site.
I use MediaPortal and FireDTV DVB-C with Dragon CAM.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions just post question on the FireDTV Forum for a faster response
Jonathan
Awesome... thanks Leslie... Ill be in touch with you directly.
Leslie
Hi Jonathan
sorry I forgot to give my username on Firedtv Site for private messages is FireDTV_UK.
jeefus
Leslie - that is fantastic news. I am currently awaiting delivery of parts for my own htpc wihich I was going to set up using mediaportal. If I can use the FireDTV-C in place of the dreadful PACE box Telewest supply and enjoy pure digital signals from cable to screen then a FireDTV will be my very next purchase. Expect a PM from me shortly asking for help!
As I also have several Macs I will report on whether I have any joy with the FireDTV and my Mac, but common sense would indicate that a firewire solution ought to work pretty well with a Mac... although getting the Mac to use the channel info might require some hacking in iTele or similar.
carlington
Hi Jeefus,
have you had any luck getting the FireDTV to work on you Macs/OS X + iTele/EyeTV?
dos
Guys n Girls! I too want to get a device which I can use to replace my Telewest Set top box and watch/record/pause live TV straight off the main cable coming into my property. I have the top subscription package with Telewest and would lokie to view all channels through this new device. I have spent the last 1 hour ready through this forum with great interest - but the confusion has turned it into a real emotional rollercoaster! At the end of it I'm no further to solving the puzzle. Please Help I am an Apple Mac user!
Jonathan B
Is there any news on the FireDTV-C and if it works on Telewest Digital? I don't have any cards to put in to any CAM....this is a touch confusing.........
Info much appreciated...thanks
Jonathan
Hello Jonathan,
I'm not familiar with the FireDTV-C device so I'm unable to help you on that, my other blog readers may know more however.
It's worth noting at this point that Telewest have recently launched their own PVR box, called TVDrive. I think it's very pricey (£15 per month) for a piece of hardware which costs no more than £50 to produce probably.
Also, since buying the Evolution TV product, I have recently purchased the pocket EyeTV from Elgato. The EyeTV software is amazingly good, and so too is the quality of the TV signal. I have given up trying to make a PVR box work with Telewest's cable service especially now that Telewest won't worry about changing their provision since they have their own PVR box available as another revenue stream.
Jonathan B
Thanks for that info.
The FireTV website does look promising however, I would need to use the damn pescy card. I did find one but it was so far in the slot I had never seen it in the years I've had it!!!
With regard to the Telewest offering, I would pay for one outright but I ain't paying £10-20 a month MORE for one.....that is just taking the pi''!
I was wondering if there is a way of getting another CAM card, that way I could put my telewest box in another room (they'd charge another £5-10 for that as well if they provide the extra box).
Anyone would think they had £billions of debt!!
Thanks
Anthony
I have a home built media centre, and am wondering if I can use a dvb-c card in the back, in conjunction with the dragon cam, in order to view the cable signal without using any extra set top box.
If so, is there any extra work required to program the Dragon cam?
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