HDTV Forum

Is there an adaptor? My old Cablevision SA HD Cable box had firewire but my new Hd SA DVR does not. I believe I have the Scientific Atlanta 8300 DVR. It has DVI and component but not firewire. I would like to make some D-VHS recordings but need firewire for the JVC recorder. Any suggestions?

Don

They want you to use the S-video analog output and record at 480 resolution on a standard VHS VCR.

DVI and HDMI outputs on current receiver boxes now almost always come with HDCP. The whole idea of this technology is to KEEP you from making a copy!. These devices "handshake" to make sure any device connected meets the "copy proof" requirements before it will send data. As I understand it ( and they have been very secretive on the license requirements) any manufacturer of a device authorized to use these new DVI/HDMI interfaces agrees NOT to provide any way to copy the digital signal. Thus no adaptor boxes to Firewire can be legally manufactured.

There is a second technical issue that the digital data on a DVI/HDMI output has been decompressed from the original source signal and it is practically impossible to put the data stream back together again in a compressed form that could be recorded.

I believe if this broadcast flag issue is finally implemented the currently approved FCC plan is to allow digital outputs on devices ( IEEE1394 aka Firewire, or USB 2.0) to couple to recorders with data encryption technology so the copy will not play on any other machine, or be transmitted on the internet, but could be used freely on one home network. The FCC rule is supposed to be effective July 1, but there is a court review underway that could muddy the waters. All the major manufacturers have already received FCC approvals ( 13 at my last count) for different ways to implement this new system and a whole lineup of recorders is coming. I think we won't see these new products and the needed digital connections to make a HDTV DVD or tape until this legal case is resolved. If you have D-VHS system working now it it is supposed to still work on broadcast HDTV ( but maybe not cable or DBS channels), but new STBs etc are in limbo.

My DirecTV HR 10-250 has inactive USB ports. I have wondered if they might someday get a software update to allow an encrypted HD DVD recorder, but they are not talking.

BTW the original Supreme court case that allowed home recording was based on making one copy for time shifting purposes. Since your cable box ( and my DirecTV DVR) have a built in recorder you can time shift the HDTV programs. That is enough Hollywood says. You are not entitled to extra HDTV copies. (The Hollywood view!)

Well what happened to...

As of April 1st per the FCC any cable company providing HD service must provide by request only an HD cable box with a functioning 1394/firewire port for the purpose of time shifting and recording HD content.

?

Dondeignan,

Based on that you should be able to request one and get it.

I kept my SA3250 firewire enabled box to use with my JVC30000HD VCR even after I got the SA8000 DVR. It only costs a few bucks more each month. It has been quite reliable and only occasionally flashes the

Richard wrote:Well what happened to...

As of April 1st per the FCC any cable company providing HD service must provide by request only an HD cable box with a functioning 1394/firewire port for the purpose of time shifting and recording HD content. [/quote Dondeignan,

Based on that you should be able to request one and get it.

Richard is correct as far as I know. However I am not sure a cable company legally has to provide both a DVR and a 1394/firewire output. The licensing issues I mentioned above probably only apply to HDMI/HDCP which is more restrictive than just DVI outputs.

I did a little looking into cable DVRs with 1394 outputs and found the Motorola DCT6412 as an example in the link below, which has a complete set of outputs.

Getting the right STB may just be a local cable company economic issue and take some perserverance.

Can one buy their own cable box now?

Motorola DCT6412 specs:

"Full range of interfaces including YpbPr, DVI, 1394, USB, Ethernet, SPDIF, Smartcard1>, and more

YpbPr component output

Integrated High Definition decoder with YpbPr component output

DVI and dual 1394 (DTV) digital connectors"

http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/dct6412.asp

However I am not sure a cable company legally has to provide both a DVR and a 1394/firewire output.

True. You do not have a right to archive, just time shift and the DVR provides that capability so 1394 is not required on a DVR.

The availability of 1394 Firewire outputs got my attention again, so I have found a couple of items that enlighten the issue of getting a cable box with a built in DVR AND being able to record to D-VHS tape via 1394. There is a FCC directive on requiring 1394 outputs on HD cable boxes. This does not apply to DirecTV which has a policy of NOT providing 1394 digital outputs which is how Hollywood wants it. The problem the industry has with the IEEE 1394 is that, if fully implemented, it works TOO GOOD! I have a number of 1394 Firewire connections on my Mac G5 system including connecting two external high speed hard drives for video recording and it is a fantastic technology. Sony uses the same 1394 system on their camcorders and Vaio Windows XL PCs they call "iLink" and it is interchangeble with the Apple Mac systems Firewire.

The only FCC ruling I have found was Sept, 2003 does not address the issue of the cable box with a DVR, but does state as follows:

"