ok please forgive me but I’m new to all this stuff. I have a question. I've searched Google but I’m not finding an answer to this. I want to build a mythtv box with a WinTV-PVR-500 card but i do not understand something. I have a DirecTV satellite dish on the side of my house with 2 cables running down into the house to my tivo series 2 box. If I build this mythtv box how do I record stuff on my pc with this card? I ask this because TIVO has a card that is programmed by DirecTV so you can record different channels. If I run a cable from the dish and into my computer with the WinTV-PVR-500 card....will it just automatically start recording channels or do I have to have some sort of subscription card like the tivo box does? i hope this is not confusing...if you need more info please let me know and thanks in advance to all you experts out there :)

p.s. do I need some sort of special splitter and will the WinTV-PVR-500 card record from satellite?

The pvr 500 gives you a choice of inputs: rf (75 ohm cable), Svideo, or component video, with your left and right audio inputs.

You should have these outputs on the back of your cable box. Do not use the rf connection (not very good for recording) Use the component or svideo connection (svideo better) and set your tv card program to record on the connection that you choose.

My cable box has auto scheduled tuning so I just set up my tuning times on the cable box and schedule my PVR to co-incide with the tuner time.

If your satellite box does not have the ability to schedule auto tuning, then you will need an additional program called BEYOND TV. It's a scheduler that works with Hauppage and connects to your satellite box through an IR blaster. I beleive you can download BEYOND TV with a 30 day full trial.

I was able to get my hands on a happauage 6100 card. On the back of my series 2 tivo unit i have 2 satallite in connections, audio, usb and I have 1 RF in and RF out connector. If I take a coax cable from the RF out to my 6100 card on my computer I can watch tv but only the same channel that the living room tv is on. So basically i'm confused....

I have no problem buying the 500 card but when I connect the RG6 to the computer what does the other end connect to? the satallite dish (splitter?) or my tivo unit? and is there a way to set this up that will allow my tivo unit to continue to function the way it does but allow my computer to record different things or will both the living room and my office tv have to be on the same channel to function? i feel really stupid because i'm really confusing myself and i hope you understand what i'm trying to do.

Again, basically....i just want to add the card to my computer and record live tv...but if i connect the satellite feed to my computer (the wintv 500 card) does the other end connect to the TIVO or the DISH on the roof?

i heard that I could use a satellite splitter and keep my 2 connections going to my tivo unit and run the coax to my office....but will that work or does it somehow have to go through the tivo via the rf? ahhh....*pulling out hair*

thanks again and please be patient with me.

No, no... you must connect to your satillite box. The dish is nothing more than a fancy antenna.

Trying to connect the dish to your your tv card is like trying to connect a tape recorder to an antenna and wondering why it's not recording radio.

The dish only collects the signal. Your satellite box processes the signal and converts into a usable signal. So you must connect thr tv card to the box.

And yes, you will only get one channel on the tv card. All your channel switching will have to be done on the satellite box. Same thing as your tv... you don't switch channels on your tv anymore... all the switching is done through your Sat box.

In order to set up your Sat box so it can automatically change channels for scheduled recordings, you will have to use BEYOND TV... a program designed eactly for this situation.

And don't use rf. Your recordings will be MUCH BETTER with svideo or composite connects.

Sorry, forgot to add one more thing... I don't believe your TiVo unit is dual tuner. The 500 card may be dual tuner but you will not be able to use that part of it. You are feeding the 500 card a SATELLITE signal NOT a regular cable signal, so you can not watch one channel while recording another.

if you want to record one channel on your computer and watch another channel in your living room, then you will need another Satellite box (one for each TV, and your computer for all intents and purposes is another tv).

...And I am not sure what you mean by:

"I have no problem buying the 500 card but when I connect the RG6 to the computer what does the other end connect to?"

There should be no "other end".

If you wish to use rf then take a splitter and hook it to the rf out on you tivo. Run one side of the splitter and run it to your TV and the other side and run it to your computer.

ok I think I understand now. I think that would be ok.

Also, I downloaded the trial of beyond tv and using my 6100 that's connected to the tivo via RF it does get a picture and sound but if I pause live tv the sound keeps going and when I press play again the sound is off from the video. Do you think that’s because I have an older tv card or because I’m using rf? Is using RF ok EXCEPT the video quality is horrible for recording?

Also, I purchased an IR extender from wal-mart and I can take my tivo controller into my office and it will change the living room tv (play, ff, rewind etc...) and I can view everything from my office just fine. But do I need to purchase anything else to make the beyond TV thing work better? I’m not entirely sure at this moment that it can change the channels on the tivo box.

You did answer my question though about the satellite box and how it has to decode the signal....I think that might have been the bulk of my mis-understanding. Thanks again for all your patience.

oh.....is there any type of device that will connect to my computer that WILL decode the antenna signal? I dont suppose the wintv 500 card will?

You will also need to buy what is called an IR blaster. It's an infra red device that attaches from your computer to the ir pickup on your tivo. It acts like your remote control only BEYOND TV is operating it. Consult the beyond tv website and it will tell you more about it.

You can check here for digital satellite tv cards:

http://www.hauppage.com/pages/prod_digital.htm

Bare in mind though, with tis kind of card, you will only be able to watch FREE satellite stations... and there aren't too many.

Oh I won’t be allowed to watch the same channels that I do on my tivo?

If that’s the case then I'll buy that ir thing and let beyond TV do everything for me. in your professional opinion do you think I should get the wintv 500 or something else?

The win 500 card is ok. It will do the job for you.

thank you very much. can you think of a better card? It just makes sense if i'm going to spend the money I might as well do it right. :)