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1) What is HDTV?
Short answer: High Definition TeleVision. It's way better looking than analog television or DVD's
Long Answer: It's televison that is broadcasted digitally and at high resolutions of 1280x720 pixels and higher. The most
common formats are:
1280x720p - 1280x720 pixels at 60, 30, or 24 progressive frames per second.
1920x1080i - 1920x1080 pixels at 60 interlaced fields ( Also called 30 interlaced frames) per second. Interlacing looks ugly compared to progressive
frames, but uses less bandwith. Go to http://www.100fps.com for more info on interlacing.
2) Why are your files so large?
HDTV files are large because they require more pixels and a higher bitrate to effectively showcase the higher resolution of
the images.
3) Could you make them smaller?
Short Answer: No. Except for youtube posts.
Long Answer: I could do it but:
A It would take too long to encode. HDTV files are more complex to encode than lower resolution material.
B More efficient codecs other than MPEG2 can be severely slow on lower end systems. I want as many people to view
the clips as possible.
C I want people to be impressed with the image quality. Reencoding always lowers the quality of the original. Cachooka Man and others offer pretty good footage at lower file sizes if you're interested. What exactly would I be contributing to
if I do what they're doing?
4) What do I need to play these?
You need VLC player ( http://www.videolan.org )
Some other people say Media Player Classic works too.
EDIT 10-18-06: I have since learned how to mux .ts file contents into treditional .mpg containers. This should allow more video players to play the clips. However I still recommend VLC player because it's usually faster and has lower CPU utilization.
5) How do you record these?
I record the original MPEG-2 Transport Streams ( .ts files ) broadcasted from my cable provider through the IEEE-1394
Firewire port on the back of my Digital Cable Receiver. Go here
http://htpcnews.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10499 for more info.
Also go to http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/44138.aspx if you use MCE.
EDIT 11-05-08
I also cap using my Blackmagic Intensity Pro capture card to cap the component outputs.
6) I'll buy these shows from you!
I don't sell copyrighted material. However, I might be willing to trade if the games I want and you have are not officially for sale in high quality. PM me for details.
7) It's too slow!
Okay first a few tips:
A Have you updated your video card drivers! A properly functioning video overlay is crucial.
B Try Pausing and then playing again.
C If this doesn't work than your system is probably too slow. It's not too surpising since these files are more demanding
than DVD's, WMV's, and other media.
8) My video is squshed and colors don't look right.
I have no idea why this may be. Here's some suggestions.
A: Update your video card drivers. This may also be a video overlay issue.
B: Get a new video card. Preferably a new Nvidia or ATI card.
9) This game is airing on ESPN! Have you recorded it?
Short Answer: I can record ABC, NBC, CBS and Over The Air (OTA) stations. All others are copy protected and I have to cap using my Blackmagic Intensity Pro capture card.
EDIT 05-04-08 I can now cap ESPNHD and copy-protected channels using my Blackmagic Intensity Pro - $350 ( http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/ ). This card can pretty much do the same as the cards that used to cost over a grand just a year ago like the Xena card I mention below. You can still go the R5000 route, but it's way more expensive.
EDIT 07-06-06: I can now record ESPN HD if I buy an expensive Xena capture card for PCI-E and hook it up from the component output on my digital cable reciever. The card costs about $1700. I would also need some huge fast hard drives paired in RAID. More info here http://www.aja.com/html/products_windows_xena.html . Needless to say, it's out of my price range.
EDIT 11-30-06: According to this site http://www.nextcomwireless.com/R5000/info.htm They can modify the newer Dish Network DVR's so that I can capture all channels including HD from Dish Network utilizing a USB port to my PC. You need to buy the dish and reciever yourself since Dish Network forbids renters from modifying their hardware. Currently, I can only record Laker games from FSN-HD, TNTHD, and ABCHD with my digital cable reciever. Unfortunately, Dish Network doesn't carry FSN HD anymore, and the price of the 622 DVR receiver and Dish is $549 along with $550 for this modification. That's about $1100 for something that may be able to record ESPN HD. I don't currently have the funds to see whether it'll work or not. The fact that I probably won't be able to record FSN HD doesn't make me happy either.
10) Will you upload via Torrent's?
No. I don't like tying up my internet connection for hours on end. It's too much of a hassle. But if anybody else wants to host it, be my guest.
11) Can I burn these files to a DVD disc?
Yes you can. They will be playable on some HD-DVD players. However they'll only be played for 20 minutes on a single-layer DVD+R disc and 40 minutes on a Dual-Layer DVD+R disc. You can read here ( http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=667462 ) for more info.
12) What is the difference between HD and HQ.
A: HQ is 4:3 AR Standard Resolution ( 720x480 or 640x480) material that is recorded at high bitrates and looks pretty close to the quality of a proffessionally produced DVD.
B: HD is either 1280x720 or 1920x1080 resolution material that is encoded at higher than DVD bitrates. It's picture is very crisp compared to HQ.
13) If I capture an HD Broadcast through my S-video cable from my Satellite or Digital Cable reciever, do I have an HD video?
No. Satellite and Digital Cable recievers downsize the original 1080i or 720p streams before they send it out the S-video port. The HD broodcast becomes an HQ broadcast at this point.
14) How can I find out what's airing in HD in my area?
I personally use TitanTV http://www.titantv.com/
It also lists whether the program is 720p or 1080i.
15) When will you put up your next HD highlight?
All Games are in HD. Only KCAL and ABC can be capped digitally while all others are done through analog capture.
16 Can I record Over-the-air (OTA) HDTV signals to my PC?
Yes you can. You'll need an HDTV Antenna on your roof if you're far away from the broadcasting sattelite or if you are close enough, you can use an indoor antenna. I recommend either the MyHD or the Fusion HDTV line of tuners. You can check them out here. http://www.digitalconnection.com/Products/Video/fusion7rt.asp If you need to find out how far your house is from the broadcasting antenna go to http://www.antennaweb.org/ to find out.
17) I have a question that isn't mentioned in the FAQ.
Please don't hesitate to ask!
