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Set your Sky+ recordings free This month we look at extracting free-to-air recordings from your Sky+ hard disc to a PC. Plus: one way to watch stored recordings in another room
+Extract lets you extract unencrypted recordings from your Sky+ HD drive ready for watching elsewhere or transferring to the new one
We look at two projects at opposite extremes of the complexity scale this month. First, we have a continuation of last month’s guide to upscaling your Sky+ HD hard-drive – you will need that article to hand to make the most of what follows. This month we focus on the freely downloadable program +Extract. This, as its name suggests, will ‘extract’ free-to-air recordings (for example, BBC and recent Channel 4/ITV) to a specified directory on your PC. Great, then, if you want to transfer them to DVD with minimal loss of quality. The latest version of +Extract supports drives of up to 1TB, and so you’ll be able to extract such recordings from upgraded (as well as original) drives. This is far better than making copies on an external recorder via Scart because you are avoiding the loss of quality associated with decoding, conversion between analogue and digital and re-encoding. The drive must be removed from the unit and connected to the PC either directly or via an external USB hard drive enclosure. Carrying out a HDD upgrade gives us a perfect opportunity to experiment with 2 What Satellite & Digital TV
this software because you’ve already done much of the dirty work! If you plan to do this on a regular basis it might even be worthwhile installing the drive in an external enclosure with the appropriate cables – this will prevent you from having to constantly dismantle your PVR. Note that you’ll need to have .NET Framework 2.0 and Visual C 8 Runtime installed; both are available from Microsoft’s website.
Remote access Our second project this month explains the steps needed to access TV stored or playing live on your Sky+ (or normal Digibox) in another room – without the need for extra boxes or additional subscriptions. It takes advantage of cheaply available aerial cable and the ‘UHF modulator’ which, although disappearing from FTA boxes, continues to be built into all Sky hardware. It is provided to ensure that anyone can switch to Sky Digital, even if their television set is an older, ‘AVunfriendly’ model. Cleverly, Sky specified two UHF outputs. The first, labelled ‘RF Out 1’, feeds the ‘local’ TV set. The second ‘RF Out 2’,
Polite disclaimer:
These instructions are for the first thomson-made Sky+HD box (model number ds18215). The same basic procedures apply to all boxes, though. If you’re not entirely sure what you’re doing, leave it to someone who does! Neither the author nor Future Publishing can be held responsible if you blow up your box – or yourself. instructions are based on the original sky+ menus. The new sky+HD menus were not available as what satellite went to press
however, is intended for other rooms linked via longer runs of aerial cable. It differs from the first output insofar as it makes provision for remote control – courtesy of a widely available accessory called a ‘TV Link’ or ‘Remote Eye’. With this installed you will be able to change channel and access interactive services or recordings without constantly having to go into the room where the Digibox is.
TV around the home This means that anyone who upgraded their drive last month can now enjoy those extra recordings elsewhere in the home – albeit in standard-definition and with mono sound only. Another limitation is that you are also stuck with whatever programme (or Sky+/HD recording) is being viewed on the main set. In most cases this won’t be a problem. I use the described system to provide TV reception on small sets in my kitchen and spare bedroom. If your Digibox is fed from a terrestrial TV aerial, then off-air analogue and digital channels will be available in this room as well – which is a nice bonus n Martin Pipe
project Project 1. Transfer free-to-air Sky+/HD recordings to a PC with no loss of quality
Toolkit n +Extract: http://www.skycopyplus. co.uk/extract.php n .NET Framework 2.0: n http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/ netframework/aa731542.aspx n Visual C 8 runtime: n http://www.microsoft.com/ downloads/details. aspx?FamilyID=32BC1BEE-A3F9-4C139C99-220B62A191EE&displaylang=en n ProjectX: http://download.videohelp. com/download/ProjectX_090.4.00.zip n Mplex1.exe: http://members.aon.at/ johann.langhofer/mplex1.htm n TMPG MPEG encoders and DVD Author (commercial software): n http://www.tmpg-inc.com/ n Storage capacity on your PC for the transferred content
Select the ‘actions’ pull-down
If you are running Vista you
Select the desired disc by
01 drivers installed on your PC
With the XTVFS read-only
02 will need to run +Extract as an
03 clicking on its green tick; its
(see step 8 of last month’s article, page 92) and the Sky+/SkyHD drive connected to your PC correctly (step 9), ‘unzip’ the +Extract software. Click on the .zip file (how it’s distributed) and copy the +Extract. exe that appears in a anew window to a new directory on your PC’s hard disc (right-click/New/Folder) called ‘Sky+Recordings’ or similar.
‘administrator’ – right-click on +Extract.exe and select ‘run as administrator’. XP users can run the program just by double-clicking on it. When the program has started, any XTVFS drives (XTV-STR-DSK) that are present and recognised are listed in the left pane.
contents will be shown. Recordings with a red closed padlock icon are encrypted and can’t be transferred; recordings with a green open padlock are fair game. ‘Check’ the box to the left of each recording you want to transfer. Specify the directory on your PC hard drive where the content is to go. Use the ‘Sky+Recordings’ folder you created.
Transfer has now finished. The
In +Extract’s ‘tools’ pull-down
ProjectX can recover the
04 menu, and click on ‘extract
05 good news is that the
06 menu is an MPEG converter
07 MPEG audio and video
selected recordings’. +Extract copies your recordings to the specified directory. The time this takes depends on the number and length of recordings and how the drive is interfaced. Transfers will be fastest when the Sky+/SkyHD drive and destination drives are connected directly to the PC motherboard (as opposed to via USB).
recordings are named according to their EPG entry and give you the full date and time (as opposed to the Planner’s arguably-inadequate display of day and time). Manual recordings only include the date and time. These recordings take the form of .str files. They are transport streams, containing the video and audio as originally broadcast.
(‘convert STR to MPG’). Open this and you can add one or more .str files for conversion into .mpg files that can be played or converted by much Windows software. Editing isn’t provided so ad breaks and trails are also converted. But ProjectX – a freely downloadable transport stream demultiplexer that supports cut points – will recognise .str files.
streams and combining them into a .mpg file (choose the ‘to m2p’ option in the process/prepare menu). Rename the extension of the resulting file from .m2p to .mpg for Windows applications to ‘see’ it. ProjectX also supports extraction of teletext subtitles). These can be exported in the .srt format known by some DVD authoring packages.
With the source and destination drives connected to your PC, it’s time to get busy with +Extract What Satellite & Digital TV 3
Project 2: Remote viewing – Sky in a second room
Route the TV co-ax from the
Next, fit a co-ax plug to the TV
Tease the braid away from the
Now fit an in-line socket to the
01 Digibox to the second room
02 end of the cable. Unscrew the
03 inner conductor into separate
04 Digibox end of the cable.
where reception is required. Use the shortest length you can to avoid losses (meaning grainy pictures). It is vital to run the cable safely – under floorboards or along skirting boards. You could also run the cable outside the house or in the loft. If you bury the cable in plaster, use ducting so that the cable can be replaced or added to in future.
plug and separate into its parts: main barrel, inner conductor, screw-top and cable clamp. Pass the cable and clamp through the screw top. Remove 20mm of the outer insulation; cut a 20mm vertical slit with a craft knife and fold back the insulation from the cable. The outer insulation can be cut off, exposing the braid and inner conductor.
strands; twist them together. Cut braid to 15mm long and weave it through the ‘spokes’ of the clamp. Use the knife/wire strippers to remove 15mm of the inner core’s insulation. Twist the exposed copper into a wavy pattern. Slip conductor over the copper, followed by the plug’s main barrel (screw side first). Screw barrel to top cap of the plug.
Unscrew and separate the socket into its parts: main barrel, inner conductor, screw-top and cable clamp. Pass the cable and clamp through the screw top. Then remove 15mm of the outer insulation; cut a 15mm vertical slit and pull off the insulation from the cable by folding it back. Cut off the outer insulation, exposing braid and inner conductor.
Tease the braid into separate
Connect the in-line socket you
If you are getting patterning,
In the main room, power up
05 strands and twist together.
06 fitted to the ‘RF Out 2’ of your
07 we need to retune the
08 your TV. We need to set the
Interweave this copper mass through the spokes of the clamp (no stray strands). With the wire strippers, remove 10mm of the co-ax inner core’s insulation. Cut 15mm off the exposed copper core so that only 5mm is visible. Slip the conductor over the copper core, tighten the screw that secures the conductor. Replace the socket’s main barrel (screw side first), and screw the barrel to the socket’s top.
Digibox (plugged in but in standby) and the plug newly fitted at the other end to the remote TV. If the Digibox is fed by a terrestrial aerial, check reception of the relevant channels on the TV. Take the Digibox out of standby and check for ‘patterning’ on existing channels, a sign that the frequency of the box’s UHF modulator is near that of one of the terrestrial transmitters. If no aerial is connected, go to step 07.
Digibox’s UHF modulator to a frequency that isn’t used by transmitters operating in or near to your service area. A search of the web will reward you with lists of analogue and terrestrial transmitters in the UK. Use this information to identify the ones that serve you and what channels over the available range (21 to 68) are ‘spare’ and thus available for your Digibox to work on.
frequency of the Digibox’s UHF modulator – that means accessing the installer’s menu, which is hidden away from normal users. Gaining access to it is easy enough. Quickly press: [services] 4, 0, 1 [select]). The same procedure is used for standard Sky Digiboxes, Sky+ and Sky HD. Look for the ‘RF Output’ option on the list. Use the arrow buttons to highlight this item, and press the ‘select’ button to access it.
Sky receivers are built to allow you to watch (the same) channels in other rooms of the house via co-ax cable runs 4 What Satellite & Digital TV
project
Toolkit
At the top of the list is shown
09 the current output channel of
n ‘TV Link’ pack (choose correct – Sky Digibox or Sky+/HD – version): n Maplin, Currys, supermarkets, www. sky.com Coaxial cable e.g. Maplin XR87U (white) or XR29G (brown), both £0.46/ metre In-line plug, e.g. Maplin FD85G (£1.89) In-line socket e.g. Maplin FD86T (£1.69) n Ofcom channel list: www.ofcom.org. uk/static/reception_advice/index.asp. html
the UHF modulator. By default, this is channel 68. This channel might be in use; another problem is that it’s at the high end of the UHF broadcast band. If you’re using a long run, or cheap cable, the inevitably greater losses could lead to a noisy picture. Using the numeric keypad, enter a channel number you identified as available in step 5 and press ‘select’.
Go into the room where the
10 remote TV is, and check that reception of existing channels is unaffected. You might need to try several before arriving at one that causes no interference with any existing broadcasts. Once a suitable channel is found, move to the ‘save new settings’ with the up/down buttons and press ‘select’. Press the ‘back’ button to exit the menus and return to the last-viewed channel.
Now you can tune into the
TV Links (left) include remote sensors suitable for relaying commands back to the Sky box from another room
This has two components – a
The path between this sensor
Then move to the ‘save new
11 Digibox’s new UHF channel on
12 tiny metal box (which has a
13 and the handset must not be
14 settings’ with the up/down
the remote TV and store it as a ‘preset’ for quick access. Ensure that the picture is free of patterning – if it’s not, try experimenting with different UHF modulator frequencies as mentioned in step 6. If it’s noisy, then try a ‘spare’ UHF modulator channel that’s lower. The next step is to install the TV Link.
standard aerial plug and socket on it), to which is connected a remote sensor via a thin cable. Unplug the remote TV’s newly installed aerial cable from the TV’s aerial socket and in its place insert the male (‘plug’) end of the TV Link’s box. Plug your aerial cable into the box’s socket. Put the remote sensor on top of the TV or somewhere else convenient.
blocked. Next, we have to turn on the low-voltage DC supply of the Digibox’s second RF outlet. Return to the room in which the Digibox is located and access the ‘RF Output’ menu as described above – this time highlight the second option (‘RF Outlet Power Supply’). Using the handset’s left and right buttons, ensure that it’s turned ‘on’.
buttons, press ‘select’. Press the ‘back’ button to exit the menus and return to the last-viewed channel. Now go to the other room and, pointing the handset to the sensor, try changing channel. If all’s well, you should now have complete control over your Digibox from that set. Happy (remote) viewing! What Satellite & Digital TV 5