Most Hackable Coupon-Eligible DTV Converter? 479
An anonymous reader writes "So I've finally gotten my DTV coupons, now I have to choose a converter before the analog signals go dark. I'd like to get one that is hackable, but haven't had much luck finding information about the internals of the units available. My question is: What chipsets do the different coupon eligible converters use, and which one is the most hackable? It'd be great to be able to send my own MPEG stream and have it displayed, or to grab the raw stream out of the device."
Paradox (Score:5, Funny)
It's kind of impossible to get a useful answer to your question on Slashdot... You see, if someone gives you a valid link to something that is actually useful, it gets modded up. It will immediately sell out, and you're back to square one. :-)
Re:Why bother? (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, but then you can only play VHS tapes. :-)
Re:Um.. WHY? (Score:3, Funny)
There are DTV tuners on USB sticks that are likely easier to hack than some single-purpose hardware like these converter boxes!
I have one of those DTV tuners on a USB stick. Where do I plug the TV into it? How can you "send your own MPEG stream and have it displayed" with it?
Re:Coupons? (Score:2, Funny)
>poor disadvantaged people
Well, from a relationship standpoint, slashdotters fit the bill.
And shush, you'll let the po-po know about his scheme.
Re:HDHomeRun (Score:3, Funny)
Why bother hacking one when you can get an HDHomeRun...
It does have a $180 USD price tag though...
Seems to me as if you went a long way towards answering your own question.
Small amount of help (Score:1, Funny)
nformation on this will most likely be hard if not impossible to find. You are looking for a group of people tech savvy enough to have media streaming from their pc, yet ones that have televisions old enough that they do not have a digital receiver. (Unless, of course, your TV does have a digital receiver, and you are just grabbing coupons, helping the government run out, and therefore delay the switchover... but I digress) While this is the internet, and there is probably a google group dedicated to this, I can't imagine there will ever be a significant percentage of the population that would do this; Either go all the way with a (relatively) new TV, or give up.
Unless of course you are trying to put linux on one of these.. then by all means, go right ahead.
Re:Um.. WHY? (Score:3, Funny)
Cool. Can you give me a link to the source tarball for this "Media Center", and schematics for an Xbox?
Re:Just stop watching TV (Score:3, Funny)
Like he said, there's really nothing on.
Re:Um.. WHY? (Score:3, Funny)
Sigh. After all these years, there are still slashdotters who don't grasp that "hacking" and "convenience" have nothing to do with each other.
Re:Seconded, kind of... (Score:1, Funny)
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CECB#Limitations [wikipedia.org]
Looks like BNC is cool again.