Ben told me last night that Foxtel's PVR, the Foxtel iQ. So I did a search on Technorati and found a couple of reviews of the release.
The PVR itself has a 160Gb HD (which can record 60 hours of Digital TV… not too shabby), and two tuners. That means you can watch live TV while recording another show. Nice.
I've tossed up getting a TiVo from the US for a long time now (but have been putting it off for various reasons), and could grab one and use it with our Foxtel Digital installation. However, the quality wouldn't be as good as the iQ (analog vs digital), and there aren't two tuners. Hrmmm…
However, with the iQ, there's no way to move recorded shows off the device (although I'm sure someone will come up with something), and it costs a lot. $495, to be exact ($395 + $100). You also don't get to keep the device if you cancel your Foxtel subscription. Ouchies.
Decisions, decisions…
Well it’s hard to say – certainly when I copied the stuff off my iQ it was still connected to the Foxtel satellite service. I’ve never tried disconnecting the coax cable to see if I could still access the programs so I wouldn’t know and I’m away on holiday at the moment so can’t test it sorry – maybe someone else can do it and post back here.
To record from the iQ I use a SCART cable from the video out to a component input on the dvd recorder and audio cables from audio-out on the iQ to audio-in on the recorder. You then go to the program on the iQ (which is perhaps where you need the connection to the service), select the program to play it as normal then start recording from the DVD recorder. Most DVD recorders allow you to edit the ads out later so I never bother sitting around pausing the iQ during the (too frequent) ads, I just do it afterwards asit’s so easy to do on my DVD recorder.
Hope this helps somewhat – good luck. Oh, and don’t listen to what Poxtel say – there are ways to get around everything (ok, except NDS maybe).
Mike
hey hey im a harvies tech and im constantly stabbing away at a college who is an installer these guys know nothign they only install the units u need to actually know a pace rep which i have stabbed away at as well the files them selves are not encrypted any one here use linux or unix the files and o/s on the pace machines is of unix design and you can by pass the starter program first 35 lines of the file and last 52 lines of code with in unix we have film clips of the foxtel iq on dvd without use of the recorder method but unfortunatly you do need to rip apart your unit there is a rom onboard that supports upto 320gb for those who want more space whack a new drive in or rig up a cradle for swap method whilst unit powerd down of course it works
I will be trying to copy to a DVD recorder this week. Hope it works. Will let you all know.I too have a lot of good movies I’d llike to keep and therefore want to copy to DVD. From reading all these entries the DVD recorder seems to be the most straoght forward way to go – on paper anyway – we’l see.
Hi Guys,
Has anybody tried to copy programs from IQ to DVD without being connected to Foxtel? I’m in a similar pickle to Jonel’s. Any luck Mike?
Can anybody offer any advice?
thanks
I found the software to read the files straight from disk..just need to buy another USB to IDE converter ($20) so I copy them without actually connecting the drive to an IDE cable (we dont want XP phucking up the drive when it’s connected). I use a USB to IDE converter because that way the drive is treated like a removable USB key.
Will be using Extract and Project X which were designed for the IQ box in Britain which just happens to be the same model which Foxtel use.
see here for details: http://neildoh.org/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=4
>I found the software to read the files straight from disk.
Yes, so did I, about 3 months back.
And if you’d bothered to read back a bit on this blog you will have seen that myself and others have tried Extract and it only works for non-encrypted shows of which we have almost none of here – unless you happen to like hours of recordings from the racing channel or the shopping channel that is.
It certainly works in that it extracts the programs from the iQ’s HDD but they are just garbled crap due to the encryption Foxtel puts on them here. Also, if you read Neildoh’s site carefully you will see he refers to this on his website… it only converts unencrypted “free” broadcasts of which there are quite alot in the UK beucase the BBC is owned by the government and most of the FTA stuff is broadcast by them.
So for the umpteenth time – sorry but this will not work…. unless you know something that I don’t at which point I will be very happy to be proved wrong!!
Any word on this? Has a crack for the encrypting been found yet??
People interested in “obtaining” (not buying/selling) please contact me and place your “request” (not order/invoice) and I will give it to you for “free”* (SOME CONDITIONS APPLY including signing non-disclosure-agreement if you want the source code as this is built on Microsoft’s Windows/NT source. Anyway, I am just making disclaimers under the reverse engineering clause of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act – and thus not committing a crime. Anyway, I have modded a Xbox version 1.00 and added in satellite modulator plugs and built a XBE – a Xbox executable – so the whole machine emulates a PACE FOXTEL IQ – and with no ENCRYPTION whatsoever – I mean you can link it to your PC either over USB, RS232, or SCSI, – and do whatever you want – and cryto wise there is NOTHING.
Has anyone tried any of these PVR drivers to see if you are able to connect it up and access the files on the foxtel disk?
…http://www.shspvr.com/pvr_drv-apps.html
Hey has anyone tried using a usb video capture maker?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-USB-Video-Audio-Capture-Adapter-Card-DVD-VCD-Maker_W0QQitemZ330202897859QQihZ014QQcategoryZ111509QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
what it does is put the coaxial outputs from the foxtel box (IQ or otherwise) into a usb port in a pc or laptop and comes with the software to save the stream as .avi or whatever you want really. This will allow you to record what you want off the box and free up more space on the IQ hard disk. Does anyone know if this works?
I think I’m going to get one off ebay to check it out.
Will let you know how I go
Sorry I was just thinking that ebay link is only going to last a few days…
Here is a more permanent link http://www.usbgear.com/CTX-002.html
Sounds interesting – let us know if it works!
Wow, finally some good news!
I can record the input and save as mpeg or avi or whatever, and I can choose the picture size etc, and choose compression. I recorded 59 seconds of miami ink to a .avi file and it took up 1.5gb! but i can change the compression or compress after.
The only problem is the sound, for some reason I can only record picture as tv input, or sound as microphone input, not both together..
Bit i’m thinking if I get the one off ebay from Hong Kong it has only usb on the pc side of the device and it says it captures video and audio through the usb cable. Is this crap or not? Can somebody with a bit more knowledge let me know before I purchase a useless paperweight from ebay
Ok hang I take that all back, It works fine.
I can record to my laptop as a mpeg-2 or avi with audio, Yay! Finally a solution
Pleased that worked for you! How did you get it working though – with one of those cables you linked to above or via s-video and audio cables as others of us have also done?
There is a post on here way back where I talk about having success recording (in real time) to a PC by attaching via an s-video cable and audio cables and using a piece of 3rd party software (such as iuVCR). However, I found any program longer than about 60-75 mins would start losing audio synch which was very annoying. Finally I just bought a $299 MTV 250GB DVD recorder from Coles and now I use that which makes excellent recordings.
Foxtel are releasing the HD iQ in April (according to the Foxtel engineer I had at my place just a few days ago) so maybe, just maybe, they’ll enable the USB port – but somehow I doubt it.
I used one of the cables in the link above, its just a matter of playing with the settings in the recording program provided with the cable. Picture is fine and loads of settings are available, and sound has to be set to line in for it to sync with the picture, and there are loads of sound settings too.
I didn’t use the s-vid cable just the red white and yellow composite, the cable is available for about 35 inc postage from hong kong. I pretty cheap soultion, as long as your pc or laptop meets the requirements and you have sufficient hard disk space etc.
here is your cheapest and most effective solution.
retails in Sydney for about $40
http://www.kworld.com.tw/product_overview.aspx?P_id=241
Anyone tried the above then?
I’ve been using the PC based capture cards for a while now, it’s not ideal but “slightly” better than using the DVD recorder in that I don’t need to record straight to disk and after capture the file can be manipulated and edited to your hearts content. Results vary, but the newer cards I have used tend to be built around digital content with analogue inputs a secondary consideration and the quality ranges from fair to poor. DScaler seems to be the program of choice for most, my HTPC is in pieces right now but I’m getting the IQ HD installed next week so I might drag it out and put it back together again.
If anyone has a link to some of the more interesting info on the IQ HD would love to have a read of it.
I have a Foxtel IQ. I have a tv tuner in my pc. There is 2 outlets on the back of the IQ, using standard male/female tv coax cable.
I’ve hooked it up, tune it in on my pc & play the recorded program on the IQ & record it on to my pc. I then convert to XviD & back it up on my harddive & disc.
Don’t know if any of you have tv tuners etc on your pc’s, but I have found that the most simple, cheapest & easiest way to do it!
Hope that helps all of you???!!!
Take Care
Hey tech heads: There has been allot of effort displaced in the search for the best way to download from foxtel IQ to the HD or DVD burner on your PC. i am impressed and if anyone has a mac?? thats the sexy lil usually white computers that PC would like to be… have you tried it to a Mac??
HI guys I have also been tinckering with the IQ box and I have recorded to my dvd recorder, it’s as easy as video out from IQ and video in to recorder works everytime and no quality loss whatsoever..
Here’s a new spin.
It has been said that the USB port on FoxiQ does not work as a normal USB port. Not withstanding instructions from “Reece from Oz
June 2, 2007 at 12:28 pm ”
Has anyone thought of joining a PS3 to the FOXbox with or without the ? I know the PS3 will look for Media Servers.
K
hey all,
been reading this for awhile and some very interesting stuff.
*kelstar i have a ps3 and will have iq installed next week. ill check out if it picks up media servers and post results.
also (may seem stupid) but has anyone tried swapping the 160gb hdd for something larger like 2tb?
im pretty confident i can (with the help of a mate) swap the supplied hdd,(the only prob we can forsee is not being able to copy any firmware pre-installed on the supplied hdd accross, OR finding out the IQ system is somehow locked to only ever allow max 160gb hdd) but any suggestions or warnings will be greatly appreciated. otherwise ill be visiting coles…..:)
@ Kensington69.
Once tranfered from IQ to DVD recorder there is a program you can use called ‘Mac The Ripper’. It rips the DVD to a VOB file then you can convert VOB to AVI to share on torrents etc.
Hope thats *kinda* what you were after?
i have a geforce 8800gt graphics card..
how would be the best way to record to my computer?
what would the quality degrade? even with a quad core etc?
hey is there any way i can change the real settings on this to receive other channels. i cant find no option where i can change the frequencies.
hi guys i have herd that the files on the iq box are the same type as the PlayStation one and that you can use a play station code for playing back the files on your pc i have not type this yet as i am only thinking bout doing this now but i will try it and get back to you my mate has a PlayStation code for ripping and burning of games and he said that the file are the same so it should work
i know it’s possible my IT teacher records stuff from VH1 and plays it in class on his mac