How to record Sky HD

V1N

V1N

V1N

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Cornwall
Hi there.

I was just watching a couple of MKVs on my PS3 (MKV2VOB) and part way through watching one, I realised it was recorded from Sky One HD.

So I wondered how they did that?

I have a Topfield 5800 freeview box at the moment, which has a USB port in it, which I use to archive files from the PVR to the PC. I can then burn the MPEG2 files to DVD, or archive on my server after encoding them with XviD. So, that's fine for SD.

So how did they get the Sky HD files onto a PC?

First I thought maybe they used a DVB-S card, but then you'd not be able to use a Sky decoder card? Or has it been cracked?

Then I thought maybe you can use a Topfield (or other third party) Satellite PVR, and copy files off in the same way I do now? But do third party HD satellite boxes have Sky decoders in them? Or can they be added, like in the old days of Sky Analogue, when you could buy addon VideoCrypt decoders?

Also what about the free HD channels. If I bought a third party DVB-S HD PVR, could I use it to view and record BBC-HD, ITV HD etc, or are they still encrypted, and a decoder and freesat card required to decode them?

Lastly, what codec are SkyHD channels broadcast in?
Are they broadcast in AVC? Are these bluray compatible, as with the MPEG2 broadcasts of Freeview being DVD compatible? I can copy the files from my PVR to my PC, run it through VideoRedo to edit it, and save as an MPEG2 file (video untouched, no reencoding at all) which I can burn on a DVD, with no loss of quality occuring. So I was wondering if that's possible with SkyHD broadcasts? Or can they be easily converted to MKV files? Just remuxed in an MKV container, rather than reencoding, which would take time, and lose quality?


So I hope you can see what I'm asking? For now, I can record, copy to my PC, and burn to DVD, all my recordings, with no loss in quality. Literally what I receive, and is saved on my PVR HDD, ends up on a DVD.

Can I do the same with SkyHD (or the free HD channels from Satellite) and if so, how? Or at the very least, be able to record the free HD channels to a PVR, and copy these recorded files onto a PC via USB/LAN, for archiving on my server as MKV files.

Your advice would be appreciated,
Thanks,
Vin.

EDIT: or if the BBC HD broadcasts are "in the clear" then these will be easily recordable with a standard DVB-S card, but it still doesn't explain how to record Sky One HD, and/or other encrypted channels.
 
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Could be someone with a componant input capture card. Thomson SkyHD boxes output 1080i "analog" through the componant outputs. Sky's encryption is good enough to make a standard DVB-S card only marginally usefull for FTA channels. Even some of the "freesatfromsky" channels still need a viewing card to view them. No point in trying to take the files from a Sky Hard disk either, as they are encrypted bitstreams, not real Mpeg files. SkyHD use a varient of Mpeg4 for HD, they have changed the coded since they first started, and now use a much lower bitrate, saves a lot of space on the PVR, but the reduction in quality is noticeable.

IMHO SkyHD isnt much better than DVD with its current bitrates... But DVD is pretty good considering the resolution, and Sky SD broadcasts are so heavily compressed they look considerably worse than DVD (Or even uncompressed analog broadcasts)
 
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Do Sky supply CAM's.. I believe the answer is no, you are forced to use the Sky provided set top boxes, I am fairly certain there is no 3rd party CAM that can take a sky viewing card.

So Yup those cards should work for BBCHD, and the FTA SD channels, but none of the encoded channels.
 
OK, thanks for the replies.

It's not looking good then.

I was just wondering how I was watching a few programmes from Sky One HD, off the net... how they could've been captured. They looked good, but maybe it was indeed done by using component cables, rather than some lossless digital transfer. There's no way to use HDMI I guess then? We all know that AnyDVD can "do away with" HDCP, so I was wondering if there's any capture software on the PC, that can do the same thing for incoming HDMI, or if there's even such a thing as a capture card with HDMI on it.

Anyway, no, not looking good then.
I'm quite happy with my current SD setup.
It's just that in a few months, we're getting a communal dish fitted to my building. I figured that at least, I'd consider getting a 2nd hand SkyHD box, and just plug it into my telly, and watch the odd HD broadcast, hopefully including the F1 if the BBC broadcast it in HD.

Anyway, over the past 4-5 years, I've become to used to having a PVR and/or downloading the odd TV ep off the net, that I very rarely watch live TV at all, I just find it inconvenient, planning other things around a programme, rather than just sit down when I feel like it, and just pull up a list of recorded programmes on the PVR. Also being able to keep and archive those programmes that I want to keep, or simply transferring to PC and burning to DVD-RW for friends and family who've missed something.

If I bought a SkyHD box 2nd hand, with no sub, I guess I'd not have the PVR functionality. I'm certainly not paying just for that, and I'm not sure how often I'd use it for just live telly, so maybe that's pointless after all. Which is why I was wondering about other ways to get around it. A PC card, or 3rd party DVB-S HD PVR. Still, it seems Sky have things pretty well tied up at the moment then, if no decoders are available for PVRs, unless I take Neil's route.

Still, OK, forgetting the SkyHD channels, which I was only really interested in, when I realised I was watching content captured from Sky One HD, and wondered how they did it.

For me, free channels will do. So, which of the HD channels on satellite are Free to Air, not just Free to View?

If I did pick up a 3rd party, Topfield if possible, Satellite HD PVR, what could I receive on it? Is BBCHD encrypted? If I take this method, at least I can watch some HD content, and still be able to use the PVR, and archive stuff to the PC.

If all HD channels are encrypted, then I guess my only user friendly method would be to get a 2nd hand SkyHD box off ebay, and just use it for the odd live event.

I wish HD content would come to Freeview, even if just BBC HD and maybe ITV/Ch4 HD. Still, I'm aware how impossible this is at the moment. And if they moved the whole of Freeview to MPEG4, to make some space, then there'd be an outcry as everybody would have to replace their boxes. Just have to hope that when analogue does get switched off countrywide, that there is some space for HD, even if just BBC-HD, and not some super watered down, low bitrate excuse for an HD broadcast either!
Hmmm, I seem to be rather cynical about the whole thing ;)

Vin.

EDIT: Just looking at the page Neil provided. Actually that's not so bad. I don't know how much that would cost, but when they install the satellite here, I believe they'll provide two connections, to make it Sky+ compatible? That way, I could get a 2nd hand SkyHD box under the telly, for watching the F1, and have the second connection off to my server, with the FloppyDTV S2 card in it, which I could use as a PVR. The only problem would be playing it back. If I could modify the recorded files so the PS3 can stream them from the server, and playback, as I do at the moment with MKV files, then that would be perfect for me. Otherwise, I'd have to use a PC to play them back, or look into reencoding, which I'd rather not do, as the point of HD, is to retain as much quality as possible. So the next thing I need to find out, is if the recorded files can be simply remuxed to another container format, that can be played back by the PS3.. or even burned to blank bluray.
 
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