Day 2: Comcast's Dual-Tuner DVR

Having mapped my remote to do some fun tricks (see note on adding a "30 second skip" button in yesterday's post) and watched HDTV on my Mac via a FireWire cable, it's time for the real prize: recording HD (high def) and SD (standard def... aka, normal TV) on my Mac from the STB (set top box).

More details to follow - but it does work. Using some tools from Apple's FireWire SDK (software developer kit - links to follow), I was able to record what the box is playing over FireWire (including archived shows played from the box's DVR feature) and play them back on my Mac. I'm still waiting on some software to allow me to convert the MPEG2 streams into QuickTime or DV (that requires the QuickTime MPEG2 playback software) - but that'll come soon. I did feel the FCC's copyright wrath a bit - ESPNHD and DiscoveryHD both have the "broadcast flag" enabled - which means you cannot record or play the video through FireWire - more on that later.

It took awhile to decipher the patchwork of instructions - but after I figured it out, it's not so hard. Detailed step by step instructions will follow (and will hopefully not be followed by DMCA "notice and takedown" letters).

Fare use lives on (for now).