118 replies to this topic

[vallatv]

if you do get it let me know if it works, a mate is after one as his DVD recorder has macrovision detetion.

[L T]

midnightlad, on Dec 16 2009, 11:31 PM, said:

done a bit of reserch on ebay australia   saw this  wouldn;t this item do the same job  an hell of a lot cheaper
http://cgi.ebay.com....=item20ae8637fe

thinking of geting it my self

That looks like the Jaycar/Digitech unit mentioned earlier in the thread and if so it seems it won't work with all devices.

[errdenyer]

L T, on Dec 17 2009, 09:16 AM, said:

That looks like the Jaycar/Digitech unit mentioned earlier in the thread and if so it seems it won't work with all devices.

Further to my previous post regarding the Grex unit (http://www.xdimax.com/grex/grex.html), I can indeed confirm that it works on my Austar Mystar HD unit.  I can now record freely on my Panasonic DMR-EH60.  Hooked it up in two seconds.  Problem solved.  I can't of course confirm that this will work with all setups, but the Dimax guys were firm that it would work and it did!

Hope that this helps with this problem.

[midnightlad]

errdenyer, on Dec 19 2009, 02:33 PM, said:

Further to my previous post regarding the Grex unit (http://www.xdimax.com/grex/grex.html), I can indeed confirm that it works on my Austar Mystar HD unit.  I can now record freely on my Panasonic DMR-EH60.  Hooked it up in two seconds.  Problem solved.  I can't of course confirm that this will work with all setups, but the Dimax guys were firm that it would work and it did!

Hope that this helps with this problem.

so the unit work how much australian did it cost you ?

[L T]

errdenyer, on Dec 19 2009, 03:33 PM, said:

Further to my previous post regarding the Grex unit (http://www.xdimax.com/grex/grex.html), I can indeed confirm that it works on my Austar Mystar HD unit.  I can now record freely on my Panasonic DMR-EH60.  Hooked it up in two seconds.  Problem solved.  I can't of course confirm that this will work with all setups, but the Dimax guys were firm that it would work and it did!

Thanks for the update.  It's good to know it does what it says it will.

[falco]

I noticed the Grex unit will do component. Is there any DVD recorder sold in Oz that has component INPUT ???

[vk3zrf]

falco, on Dec 21 2009, 09:14 AM, said:

I noticed the Grex unit will do component. Is there any DVD recorder sold in Oz that has component INPUT ???

I do not know of any DVD recorder which has any component input.

One way of recording HD from the Mystar would be to use a Hauppauge HD PVR Model 1212 as this unit has component input. This units sells for around USD249.

You will need a PC with a blue ray burner and a reasonable size hard drive to store the captured video data as you will connect the PVR via the USB of your PC. It also comes with the necessary software for capturing the video to your PC’s hard drive. This PVR may also overcome the Mystar macrovision it’s self, but if it doesn't, you can follow the Grex Connection Diagram, and if it is correct this would eliminate any macrovision before it reaches the Hauppauge PVR.

I know of no other way, at this stage, of capturing and burning HD to disc from the Mystar HD unless someone else has any suggestions. Otherwise, all other ideas suggested in this forum will capture and record from the Mystar in SD only as you will be using composite or S-video.

[falco]

That Happauge unit looks promising. (apart from the AAC audio) Are these available in Oz yet ???

[davmel]

vk3zrf, on Dec 21 2009, 01:43 PM, said:

I do not know of any DVD recorder which has any component input.

There is no reason to provide anything better than S-Video for SD DVD recordings as any advantage of component would be lost in the MPEG-2 encoding process.
Component is only really useful for HD video and not worth the expense over S-Video for SD video.

Quote

One way of recording HD from the Mystar would be to use a Hauppauge HD PVR Model 1212 as this unit has component input. This units sells for around USD249.

You will need a PC with a blue ray burner and a reasonable size hard drive to store the captured video data as you will connect the PVR via the USB of your PC.

You don't need a blu-ray burner, heck, just store the video on cheap hard drives which have substantially lower cost per GB.

Quote

It also comes with the necessary software for capturing the video to your PC’s hard drive. This PVR may also overcome the Mystar macrovision it’s self, but if it doesn't, you can follow the Grex Connection Diagram, and if it is correct this would eliminate any macrovision before it reaches the Hauppauge PVR.

I can confirm that the HD PVR totally ignores all Macrovision crap so you don't need anything else. AFAIK all Hauppauge hardware ignores Macrovision garbage.
Also, you can use the beta version of VideoRedo with H.264 support to trim out any annoying ads or bits you don't want or concatenate different recordings into one etc

[davmel]

falco, on Dec 21 2009, 05:16 PM, said:

That Happauge unit looks promising. (apart from the AAC audio) Are these available in Oz yet ???

There were a few resellers in the past but they put on their own high margins ~$550 retail etc that just couldn't compete with the direct import from Hauppauge.
Order direct from Hauppauge and they ship from Singapore air mail with Australian power supply for US$249 + US$30 for shipping.

[falco]

davmel, on Dec 21 2009, 05:24 PM, said:

There were a few resellers in the past but they put on their own high margins ~$550 retail etc that just couldn't compete with the direct import from Hauppauge.
Order direct from Hauppauge and they ship from Singapore air mail with Australian power supply for US$249 + US$30 for shipping.

I have just ordered one of these Happauge HD PVR to record to my PC via the Mystar HD box,  and will report back on its performance.

[mjt57]

We bought and connected a DSE Cocoon 2.4ghz AV sender unit to the Mystar and another LCD display in the house. Picture is unwatchable. Sound, full of static and screetching.

I was wondering if the macrovision would be doing this. Any ideas, folks?

[Myyrdn]

DrP, on Nov 28 2009, 07:11 AM, said:

Hauppage hardware based MPEG cards (PVR1xx, 2xx and 3xx) are known to ignore macrovision completely.

The "Video Stabiliser" sold by Jaycar will not work on latest MystarHD  and broadcasting to Video recorder then to DVD via RF output (and subsequent turning DVD) is no go either.
All I want is "Young and Restless"(for disabled pensioner) and MotoGP and WSB for myself
                                                                                                                                  Thanks

[BamBBBam]

mjt57, on Dec 23 2009, 12:50 PM, said:

We bought and connected a DSE Cocoon 2.4ghz AV sender unit to the Mystar and another LCD display in the house. Picture is unwatchable. Sound, full of static and screetching.

I was wondering if the macrovision would be doing this. Any ideas, folks?

The 2.4 models are much more prone to interference than the 5.8ghz models, from things like cordless phones.

[Swagman51]

Myyrdn, on Dec 28 2009, 11:14 AM, said:

All I want is "Young and Restless"(for disabled pensioner) and MotoGP and WSB for myself.

Many of the "cheap/noname" DVD burners from places like Go Lo, Warehouse, Reject Shop, Aldi etc commonly ignore macrovision completely.  The one I have (from Aldi - see my post earlier in this thread) is a "Conia".   Cost me $139 from memory and it burns DVD-R and DVD+R disks perfectly (both from live output, and from the hard disk) via the Mystar HD S-video socket.  $139 is not much more than the Jaycar unit costs.

Also consider the Grex unit mentioned in earlier posts here.  With the $AU as high as it is, that unit can also be ordered from the US for not much more than the Jaycar unit costs.

Hope this helps you.

[Skar]

mjt57, on Dec 23 2009, 02:50 PM, said:

We bought and connected a DSE Cocoon 2.4ghz AV sender unit to the Mystar and another LCD display in the house. Picture is unwatchable. Sound, full of static and screetching.

I was wondering if the macrovision would be doing this. Any ideas, folks?

We went through the 'av sender' dramas a few months back when we decided to try them out so we watch cable tv in the bedroom.
We tried the 5.8hgz Cocoon from DS and it had technical issues so we took it back and swapped it.  Despite the tech issues (it would change itself back and forth between tv and Austar while no-one was near it...ghost in the machine).  The second Cocoon had the same ghost.
So, we went to Jaycar and bought this one.. http://www.jaycar.co...w.asp?ID=AR1882
It works a treat AND it gives you four inputs.  5.8 Coccon only has two.

Our cable tv (Austar) works fine through the Jaycar one. In fact it is excellent, although obstructions between the receiver and the sender (such as walls or people) will cause static.
When we first hooked up this av sender we had analogue Austar and we could record cable in the bedroom off the receiver....but...once we got Austar HD hooked up, the macrovision blocks you from recording even though it is feeding throguh to a dvd recorder hooked up to the av receiver...figure that out.  

Moral to the story...Jaycar av sender works for us and we can watch MystarHD through them, but you can't record cable off it's signal as the macrovision blocks it.

Edited by Skar, 29 December 2009 - 04:48 PM.

[ground control]

Hi, I apologise in advance if I use any of the wrong terminology as im not very good with technology.

I currently own a Panasonic DMR-XW450 PVR and regular old digital Austar box, not Mystar. I record lots on the PVR and often record sport on Austar and burn it to disk.

I am looking to upgrade to Mystar HD as I wish to get the ESPN HD channel. After reading this thread I have come to discover that it won't be as easy as plugging the Austar box into the PVR like before. Would I be correct in saying that if I purchased the Grex unit that it would mean I could continue doing what I currently do? I just plug the Mystar HD box into the Grex unit and then plug the Grex unit into the PVR? Also, what sort of cables/inputs or whatever is used to do this. Just the yellow/red/white cables and S-Video cables like I currently use?

I would happily get Mystar HD right now, but I don't wish to lose the function of burning things to disk.

Thank You in advance for any advice.

[falco]

You need to check with the manufacturer of the Grex units. They will be able to tell you if they support that model of DVD recorder. If they do support it then the Grex unit will enable you to continue to record from the Mystar HD.
I dont how you will go recording the HD channels

[ground control]

Ok I will contact the Grex people. Thanks

[gadgarra]

ground control, on Dec 30 2009, 05:25 PM, said:

I am looking to upgrade to Mystar HD as I wish to get the ESPN HD channel. After reading this thread I have come to discover that it won't be as easy as plugging the Austar box into the PVR like before. Would I be correct in saying that if I purchased the Grex unit that it would mean I could continue doing what I currently do? I just plug the Mystar HD box into the Grex unit and then plug the Grex unit into the PVR?

You could try the unit available from Jaycar (http://www.jaycar.co...w.asp?ID=AR1822).  Depending on the characteristics of your recorder, this may work and can always be returned for refund if not suitable.

I have a Panasonic DVD recorder (Model DMR-ES30V) and the Jaycar unit works fine for me.

[mjt57]

BamBBBam, on Dec 28 2009, 12:28 PM, said:

The 2.4 models are much more prone to interference than the 5.8ghz models, from things like cordless phones.

We would have gotten the 5.8 gig model but our Panasonic "Gigarange Supreme" cordless phone works at 5.8 gigs.

I have one half of a cheap AV sender unit that I bought 4 years ago. (the other half is lost) We used it in another house to tx the standard Austar box to a TV outside in the entertainment area. That one worked great picture-wise. But the audio had this electric fence-like click-click interference. Traced it to the Netgear wireless router.

I switched it off, and it worked great after that.

What I don't understand is if the manufacturers of cordless phones and wifi units can build products that don't interfere with each other why can't Cocoon or whoever makes these things do like-wise? Or better yet, why isn't another frequency available for use?

My other option is to source a long hdmi cable and run it from the TV that the Mystar plugs into and run it under the house and up to where the second TV unit is.

[midnightlad]

ground control, on Dec 30 2009, 04:55 PM, said:

Hi, I apologise in advance if I use any of the wrong terminology as im not very good with technology.

I currently own a Panasonic DMR-XW450 PVR and regular old digital Austar box, not Mystar. I record lots on the PVR and often record sport on Austar and burn it to disk.

I am looking to upgrade to Mystar HD as I wish to get the ESPN HD channel. After reading this thread I have come to discover that it won't be as easy as plugging the Austar box into the PVR like before. Would I be correct in saying that if I purchased the Grex unit that it would mean I could continue doing what I currently do? I just plug the Mystar HD box into the Grex unit and then plug the Grex unit into the PVR? Also, what sort of cables/inputs or whatever is used to do this. Just the yellow/red/white cables and S-Video cables like I currently use?

I would happily get Mystar HD right now, but I don't wish to lose the function of burning things to disk.

Thank You in advance for any advice.

i just orderd my grex unit  worked out too 115 australian  witch i thought was preaty good they have a 60 day money back  if you not happy with it

[Myyrdn]

midnightlad, on Jan 3 2010, 07:26 PM, said:

i just orderd my grex unit  worked out too 115 australian  witch i thought was preaty good they have a 60 day money back  if you not happy with it

Hello,
Thanks to one of the other members who told me of using From stores (Reject shop,Bi Lo )  to purchase cheap end DVD recorder of European make (such as Conia) well I purchased one of these units mine is "Connection" branded and it ignores the signal except for "Box Office" that does not worry me I am not into ripping movies.
Any of these cheap brands the important part is "S video" in  and have a look in manual and if you find a similar sentence  go for it.

"THIS PRODUCT INCORPORATES PROTECTION TECH., THAT IS PROTECTED BY U.S. PATENT RIGHTS
    USE OF THIS PROTECTION POLICY MUST BE AUTHORISED BY THE MACROVISION, AND IS INTENDED FOR HOME USE AND OTHER LIMITED VIEWING USE ONLY UNLESS AUTHORISED BY MACROVISION."
Which means it is not enabled because product is sold for home use only

The one I bought cost $135:00 so cheaper than most other alternatives

[falco]

Just an update on the Hauppauge HD PVR.
I ordered this on December 24th and it arrived at my house Jan 04th. It sat in Sydney customs for four days over the Christmas  New Year break so I am extremely happy with the speed of the UPS delivery.
I downloaded the latest driver from the Hauppauge sight. Installed that and then installed the application software for capture. Everything went well on my Windows 7 64 bit laptop.
I then  plugged all the leads in HD PVR & the Mystar HD and started recording from a HD program that I had recorded previously on Starpics 1 HD. I recorded at the highest quality (13.5Mb) and I never thought Austar would be able to achieve such great quality picture.
I recorded using optical audio out from the Mystar HD. Also I had to disconnect my HDMI  cable from the Mystar HD and reboot before it would work. You can't have HDMI & Component connected at the same time or analogue or optical audio at the same time.
Everything recorded great and I them put the m2ts in the Videoredo beta H264 software and then  cut a few ads out.
I then loaded the file up into Staxrip and after about 15minutes had a .mkv file that my mediaplayer had no problems in playing.

All in all I would say this piece of equipment has been the easiest  gadget I have setup  in a long time, and even works as advertised. Great piece of gear.

[vk3zrf]

falco, on Jan 6 2010, 11:31 PM, said:

Just an update on the Hauppauge HD PVR.
I ordered this on December 24th and it arrived at my house Jan 04th. It sat in Sydney customs for four days over the Christmas  New Year break so I am extremely happy with the speed of the UPS delivery.
I downloaded the latest driver from the Hauppauge sight. Installed that and then installed the application software for capture. Everything went well on my Windows 7 64 bit laptop.
I then  plugged all the leads in HD PVR & the Mystar HD and started recording from a HD program that I had recorded previously on Starpics 1 HD. I recorded at the highest quality (13.5Mb) and I never thought Austar would be able to achieve such great quality picture.
I recorded using optical audio out from the Mystar HD. Also I had to disconnect my HDMI  cable from the Mystar HD and reboot before it would work. You can't have HDMI & Component connected at the same time or analogue or optical audio at the same time.
Everything recorded great and I them put the m2ts in the Videoredo beta H264 software and then  cut a few ads out.
I then loaded the file up into Staxrip and after about 15minutes had a .mkv file that my mediaplayer had no problems in playing.

All in all I would say this piece of equipment has been the easiest  gadget I have setup  in a long time, and even works as advertised. Great piece of gear.

Having recommended the Hauppauge based on other internet feedback, but not knowing if it would work with Mystar HD, I am very please with your success in recording and saving Mystar HD. I think I might invest in this unit and scrap my Panasonic SD DVD recorder and record all files to my PC's HDD.