ripping a stream

[rcjordan]

Louise is trying out slingtv. Having no dvr on some slingtv channels is going to be a nuisance. I'm not interested in pirating, just time-shifting so that viewing is on our schedule.  I expect they will fix this, as it is the largest complaint, but if they don't there may be a workaround.

Looking at the gamers, they use an hdmi splitter to strip the encryption code then record it with an inline recorder such as the Elgato HD60.  Unless I am missing something, you should be able to apply that same setup and record the roku-slingtv output stream.

Anybody ripped a stream yet?

[JasonD]

It works. HDMI splitters are the defacto way most people get around the DRM for posting TV shows to Usenet / Torrenting etc.

[rcjordan]

>HDMI splitters

The gamer forums say that some brands of splitters are being updated and now pass along the DRM. I know the same thing happened with some cheap Chinese dvd recorders and region codes (I happen to have one that was coveted). The big media companies eventually forced them to comply.   These splitters are <$30 on Amazon, so if you think you might want to rip a stream in the future you should grab one now, I guess.  Check the most current comments on Amazon, you'll see if it's still clean.

[littleman]

Interesting stuff.  I bet those splitters will become very valuable in the near future.

[rcjordan]

I rec'd the splitter. Now to test it.  Cheapest/easiest way will be to convert this to analog, then see if I can play it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009CL8NH0/

Interestingly, since this is just for very, very rare use (if ever) the easiest/dumbest way to cobble together a programmable DVR for the recording function would be to jack the analog into an old VCR.  Anybody have a blank tape? hhh.

>near future

Drop a tracking code in this thread and watch the incoming, LM. Cracking set-top streams is going to be the next big thing.

[littleman]

I've recently cord cut and bought a $50 DVR to recore over the air shows.  Between that and Rocu and my Plex media server I'm not missing anything.  Cable just seemed like a waste of money to me.  I guess it would be different if I was sports obsessed.

[rcjordan]

>$50 DVR to recore over the air shows.

SimpleTV or Tablo?

The problem for most everyone else is lack of full-access to sports. Over-the-air won't cut it. You pretty much have to have ESPN and its related monopoly. That's really why SlingTV is noteworthy --they worked out the first quasi-independent streaming deal with ESPN.

[littleman]

HomeWorx HW-150PVR actually -- no monthlies, but you have to use it like an old fashion VCR and tell it what to record and when.

[rcjordan]

>homeworx

Well, it's cheap enough.  Man, reviews are all over the place on that one.  I might go with their 180 model.  But first, I need to throw a big-ass antenna in the attic and dust off the old coax circuitry from the 1980s and see what the OTA signals look like. Unlike you, I am located out on the fringe --50 miles to the towers.

I have to go back to antenna because, even though I get the broadcast channels over cable, the cable bastards are or will be encrypting it so you have to get their decoder. Besides, all the cheap dvr equipment is for ota now.

[Brad]

I use a ChannelMaster dvr. Not cheap but works great.

[rcjordan]

I saw several good reviews of that. Any monthly subscriptions?

[Brad]

I saw several good reviews of that. Any monthly subscriptions?

None. You will want your own USB drive.

[rcjordan]

>drive

I have .5tb passports just lying around.  I'll see what the signal is like before proceeding with dvr. I like the dual tuner, but there's a huge possibility Louise will never use any of this. And I certainly won't.

[rcjordan]

You might want to pick up one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089DSLMY/

As this is just proof of concept, I didn't want to invest $160 in an hdmi recorder, so I downgraded it to composite with this to see if I was getting record-able video/audio
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009CL8NH0/

I happened to have an Elgato Video Capture dongle and software used to move old family vhs tapes to mp4 format, so I passed it through that (but I forgot to set the audio, so all I got was video).
http://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-analog-iPhone/dp/B0029U2YSA/

So, yeah, you can hack into a stream.

[rcjordan]

retraction:

I'm not getting audio.  Not sure yet where it's failing; the splitter or the composite converter. Back to the forums for more research.