Why no HDMI into Mac or Slingbox?

[Madcodger]

I have FIOS TV and internet, and have been renting the FIOS DVRs. I'd like to get rid of these and use a Mac mini as a media center, which would give me some increased functionality and the ability to store movies, etc., for a much longer period of time using an external drive. My only problem is that there doesn't seem to be a way to get true digital hi-def video signal into the Mac or, for that matter, even into a slingbox. Does anyone know of a way to do this? I know I can get component video into the Mac using an EyeTV, and the Slingbox HD Pro has component inputs, but I'd much rather go with a true all-digital signal using HDMI. I also don't want to buy a current version of the EyeTV or Slingbox now (with component only inputs) only to find that the next version has what I want in just a few months. If anyone can shed light on this situation I would appreciate the insight.

 

[sic0048]

While there are several component options (including the Hauppauge HD-PVR which you didn't mention), I am not aware of any HDMI options that would be considered "consumer" ready. There might be a couple broadcast type solutions, but those would run thousands of dollars.

 

[jharrell]

Won't happen, HDMI is encrypted with HDCP to prevent just this sort of thing. Content providers and cable companies do not want you to be able to store a perfect digital copy of their content unless it is controlled by an approved encryption mechanism to keep you from redistributing it. There may be some channels not encrypted over HDMI, they would probably be the same ones you can get over clear QAM on FIOS, so why bother trying to capture them through HDMI, instead get the original compressed version using a tuner.

There is also a technical limitation of being able to process the nearly 4Gbit/sec or more of uncompressed video coming in and compressing back into something that would not eat your hard drive space up quickly. Remember your FIOS DVR has access to the compressed video coming in and can store it directly, it the decompresses and sends out its HDMI port.

The reason there are component in solutions now is component was made before they thought of a need to encrypt it video, as it was thought no low cost hardware could possibly deal with that much data, which was true for more than a decade until recently when hardware compression chips originally made for camcorders became available at low cost.

The best solutions which are finally becoming available are cable card tuners, they will allow you to legitimately decrypt the compressed signal from FIOS and use your PC as a DVR. I would imagine Mac's will support them at some point.

 

[RonX]

You could use a HDFury2 with any of your proposed component input solutions, including HD-PVR, problem solved

 

[sic0048]

You could use a HDFury2 with any of your proposed component input solutions, including HD-PVR, problem solved

That is still a digital to analog conversion and is no different from most of the other suggestions already made. Of course, if the source device does not have a component out or if the broadcasters ever turn off the component outputs, then a HD Fury 2 is required.

 

[jharrell]

You could use a HDFury2 with any of your proposed component input solutions, including HD-PVR, problem solved

Or you could just used the component out of the FIOS cable box...

The original question was how to capture digitally.

Nothing like going Compressed Meg2 FIOS->HDMI->HDFury->Component HDPVR->compressed H.264 for a nice simple digital to analog to digital again solution along with IR blasters for channel control. I would prefer Compressed Meg2 FIOS->CableCard Tuner myself.

 

[Madcodger]

Thanks, all, for the info. I think I'll look into the HDFury2 a bit more. Some reviews noted problems on getting it to work well with a mac mini, but others report success. Also, would the Happauge HDPVR work with a mac? It looks like the support only Windows, and that EyeTV is then required as a third party app for the mac. Is that correct? Appreciate the help!