Capturing Resort Television

Gringrinnyghost

Active member
When I am down their I will be staying onsite in april, i may want to capture resort tv. I will be in one of the All Star or Pop Century. Can anyone tell me how the Television is hooked up: it could be any of the following. I am thinking Cable. Thanks in advance.

HDMI inputs provide a digital connection to devices such as standard DVD players, Blu-ray high-def disc players, digital-cable boxes, satellite receivers, audio/video receivers, and some computers. HDMI carries audio and video on one cable, simplifying hookup compared to using a three-jack component video input and separate two-jack audio cables. A digital-to-digital connection has the potential to transmit pristine picture quality, though our tests so far haven't shown that picture quality via HDMI is always significantly better than via a component-video input.

Component-video inputs use green, blue and red RCA connectors, and are typically labeled YPbPr. They receive video as three separate signals: two for color, one for luminance. In our tests, component-video inputs have typically yielded video quality close to that of HDMI. Component-video inputs, which can accept high-definition signals (something S-video cannot), are often used with Blu-ray and DVD players, satellite receivers, cable boxes, and video games. They don't carry audio signals, so separate audio cables are required.

S-video inputs, which are small round jacks with four tiny holes, split the video signal into two parts, color and luminance, so picture quality is usually slightly lower than with component-video, most notably in color fidelity. S-video connections are most often used with standard-def components such as standard DVD players and some cable or satellite boxes. They don't carry audio signals, so separate audio cables are required.

Composite-video inputs combine all the parts of the video signal into a single stream, so quality is a step below S-video. Composite-video connections are often used to connect a VCR, cable box, camcorder, or game console. A composite-video cable is a single cable with a yellow RCA jack; like other inputs, it's paired with red and white audio jacks.

Antenna/cable, or radio frequency (RF), inputs (sometimes called F-type or 75-ohm coaxial inputs) are the most basic connections. When carrying standard-definition analog signals, they typically provide the lowest detail of all video inputs and are most susceptible to noise and interference. But with digital signals, including high-def, they can provide top picture quality. They're sometimes labeled as UHF/VHF inputs on a TV. An RF input might be the only way to connect an antenna and some older cable boxes and VCRs. It's the only analog input that carries both picture and sound on a single cable. The others all require separate audio connections (red and white RCA jacks) for stereo sound.
 
The cables are dirt cheap online, so if you are interested in capture, you might just buy one of each and the worst you would be out is about 4 bucks total. I don't think they use over air stuff since that would require a second unit within the room itself.

I don't know what the WDW televisions presently have in terms of functionality, but if there is an interactive portion to it (which some hotels have) you may trip a tech alarm if the system can't see the TV.
 
May be worth investing in some splitters/adapters for each cable then. Again, cheap.
 
AFAIK it is a standard cable (coaxial) connection. The newer, refurbed rooms might be different but in the past it's been standard cable making use of the cable tuner in the TV.
 
I'm guessing it'll be RF since it's cheap and easy to run it to every room.  There's a reason most hotels and motels use it. :D

Does your laptop have an RF tuner?
 
If I remember correctly, they have shields over the inputs so you can't disconnect them. So it's rather hard to get plugged in to the source.
 
Just a Quick Bump, Which Resorts have Interactive TV's and also I have a new Capture unit (have to get a special HDD for it) I just need to get a Coaxial Capture Unit but right now i can do: HDMI, Component, S-Video, Composite Video, L/R Audio.
 
All the ones I've seen at WDW are cable.  They are now broadcasting in Analog and Digital.  The new ships have a special tuner that appears to be TCPIP based with HDMI out to the TV.

As of now, the digital is unencrypted at the resorts.  I don't know about the ships though.  I'm hoping that it's not and there are no plans, but you never know.

Don't forget to bring a little wrench for the cable.  More often than not its just finger tight, but just in case, it's easy enough just bring one along.  I've never seen anything used to keep people from disconnecting the connectors, but I almost always stay DVC.
 
kirky said:
All the ones I've seen at WDW are cable.  They are now broadcasting in Analog and Digital.  The new ships have a special tuner that appears to be TCPIP based with HDMI out to the TV.

As of now, the digital is unencrypted at the resorts.  I don't know about the ships though.  I'm hoping that it's not and there are no plans, but you never know.

Don't forget to bring a little wrench for the cable.  More often than not its just finger tight, but just in case, it's easy enough just bring one along.  I've never seen anything used to keep people from disconnecting the connectors, but I almost always stay DVC.
Do you know anything on Club Level/Deluexe and can you recommend to me a Great USB Coaxial capture unit?
 
Have you considered getting a nettop PC, configuring it as a HTPC with a TV tuner card, and using that to record?  Nettop PCs are small enough you can bring it on the airplane as a carry-on item.
 
I've been using the AverMedia Volar Max USB stick.  The only thing you need to look out for is hardware accelerated encoding or not.  Mine is not hardware accelerated so I can't just put it on any old machine and expect it to capture without the occasional hiccup.

Actually, I've noticed a difference since upgrading my laptop to a SSD drive.  Maybe it wasn't the CPU but the drive speed.

It does analog, digital, and even composite and s-video capture.  I'd really like a USB HDMI solution.  Forget if I've seen anything reasonable.  Might be a USB 3.0 requirement that has me questioning.  Not upgrading to a new laptop anytime soon, and I don't have USB 3 on the existing one.

AKLV is one of the newest resorts, and that's where I stay.  I don't think there is any difference between Club Level and the normal rooms with regards to the TV.  Club Level is just a different coding on the key to get you access to the lounge, at least at AKL it is.  I think Poly has a different building for Club Level.
 
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