Sky tv without skybox using linux mce a DVb-s and dragon cam!!

[Derviansoul]

Hello

I want to setup a linux mce system on my living room using a computer that isn't being used at the moment, i've got a normal sky subscription and i would like to watch the sky channels on the linux mce without the sky box using a dragon cam and a dvb-s tv card, i've saw on a forum that windows users of crappy windows mce using it, i would like to know if anyone achieved to get it done, i would be really thankfull if anyone could show an idiot tutorial or just some links to be able to start something, what i want isn't illegal because i own a sky subscription and i don't want anything else that i got already with my skybox but using the power of linux mce.

here it is the link for the forum that i was talking about:

http://www.satellites.co.uk/satellite/satellite-pc-card-systems-internet-satellite/95167-htpc-sky-hd-uk-working-also-viewing-card-has-been-out-my-sky-box-months.html

Thanks allot for all linux mce developers that created this system and gave it away to everyone.
regards

[fibres]

This is not technically illegal but is certainly a grey area. It is against sky's terms and conditions to use recieving and decoding equipmetn not supplied and authorised by them.

It is technically possible to recieve sky directly into linuxmce using the method you described as I have lod into it bfore but have no prctical use of it.

Regards

[Derviansoul]

Thanks allot for your reply,
It's against sky terms and conditions, but i think they give one year of warranty with skybox all the hardware that they installed after that it has to be the user (me) to pay for any repairs or replacements, that in my way of seeing it makes me the owner of all hardware that they put into my house, so why do i have to keep using their skybox if i could use it in another way, it would make allot easier in matter a of space to have 2 skyboxes this, my idea was to put one box working and when everything works upgrade my subscription to have another card, then i could watch sky in diferent channels in different places without having more boxes in the house or carrying them up and down the stairs, just a dual head dvd-s card and two cams one for each card!!

Why there is no practical use of it? you would cut the sky box of the deal, you maybe would have card into the sky box once in a while but it would avoid downloading it's schedule all the time, and the signal would be allot better!because it would come straight of the satellite dish!
I haven't got any illegal intentions i just want to do all this so i would save space and i could have better quality that using the rf out an adaptor from the scart to the dvb card!!

All this hardware it's quite expensive and what i would like to know is if anyone would post a way of using the linux mce with the cam and to know if it works, because i couldn't find anyone with mythtv or linux mce working with it,or a link to do it!! and a dvd-s card name with CI expansion that works for linux mce!!
I know that some people doesn't like to speak about this, but linux was created around the concept of freedom of choice, and what sky is doing is wrong trying to make users to pay allot for a sky+ or a sky hd box when it's free to setup one,with a computer!! i think us costumer pay enough to be able choose for what suits us best!!

Regards

[fibres]

I am in total agreement with you. I didlike the situation and I would like to find a way round it.
I currently use Cable rather than sky and I have a DVB-C cable card in my pc and I get the free channels but not the pay ones.
I believe in all these systems the decoding is done on the CI/CAM combination so as long as the Dvb Card supports the ci/cam combination and it works on windows it should work the same on linuxmce,
All the little bits of info I have managed to gain which is not a lot as a lot of people are not keen on talking about it.

I believe that we should all get together and push both sky and virgin to release the equipment to allow us to recieve their channels which we pay for direct into our tvs but at moment dont think the community is large enough to be able to force their hands.

They see computers and especially linux as too much of a threat to their codecs. Which is silly as there are ways to recieve cable with no subscription on a pc very easily but there we go.

Order the stuff and try it. Worst case you will sell it all again on ebay and make most of your money back. Or worst case you can drop back to winblowz

Regards

[Derviansoul]

Thanks for everyone replies
I would do it,if i found anyone that managed to do it, no one with mythtv done it, at least it looks like, and i can't find anyone speaking about it with linux mce, there another solution to work with sky it works on mythtv so should work on linux mce.

for anyone interested have a look at this link http://www.heenan.me.uk/control-sky-from-pc/

The solution isn't ideal because demands full time broadband to download the tv guide, sometimes my internet goes off, and it uses the rf output as well!!what isn't really ideal because the quality of the signal it's worse!
But it's still a solution and it's better than connect the back rs to dvb card and use the sky remote to change channels!!
regards

[Joseph Heenan]

The solution isn't ideal because demands full time broadband to download the tv guide, sometimes my internet goes off,

The listings are stored locally, so you don't need a "full time" broadband connection, it just polls once a day for the listings. (This really just a general issue with sky, there's no easy way to get at the 'over the air' EPG data.)

and it uses the rf output as well!!what isn't really ideal because the quality of the signal it's worse!

It connects to the RF output of the sky box for the control mechanism, but you are still free to (and I'd recommend it) use the higher quality outputs from the sky to connect it to your PC card - svideo is usually the best option.

[totallymaxed]

The solution isn't ideal because demands full time broadband to download the tv guide, sometimes my internet goes off,

The listings are stored locally, so you don't need a "full time" broadband connection, it just polls once a day for the listings. (This really just a general issue with sky, there's no easy way to get at the 'over the air' EPG data.)

and it uses the rf output as well!!what isn't really ideal because the quality of the signal it's worse!

It connects to the RF output of the sky box for the control mechanism, but you are still free to (and I'd recommend it) use the higher quality outputs from the sky to connect it to your PC card - svideo is usually the best option.

Joseph we're testing vdr with one of your 2 x out boxes now and i can confirm that your product works very nicely indeed with the Linux CLI software you provide.

Cheers

Andrew

[maybeoneday]

hi joseph,andrew,
good to see you here joseph, bought one of your controllers recently,and can confirm andrew's comments on cli. I'm still having problems with device template (see  http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=4820.0 ) despite help from Hari and Andrew,any ideas ?
regards
Ian (sheffield)