[mythtv-users] standard vs digital cable
Joshua Santelli
santellij at yahoo.com
Mon Jul 14 14:35:29 EDT 2003
> Digital cable is not the same thing as digital
> television. Digital
> television is when the broadcast data (from
> satellite, over-the-air or
> cable) complies with a particular digital broadcast
> standard. Digital cable
> is not a standard. It is simply a digital transport
> for the same old
> NTNTSCesolution TV picture. Basically, the cable
> provider compresses the
> video feed into an MPMPEGtream so more channels will
> fit down the pipe (plus
> you don't get picture interference like with a
> purely analog broadcast).
> Each cable provider has their own implementation
> readable by only their own
> set-top boxes. This is why you never see a 'digital
> cable ready' television
> set or a 'digital cable' tuner card... a set/card
> would have to be able to
> decode the signal from *your* particular cable
> company, and of course the
> cable companies have no incentive to enable you to
> use any device other than
> their own set-top box.
>
> Bottom line: the WiWinTV or any 'digital tuner'
> cards are useless for
> digital cable.
>
> -JAJAC
That's what I was looking for... and what I was afraid
of. It sounds like most people are in the same
situation. Is the IR blaster (or serial -> serial, if
your set top box supports it) the only option?
Are there any cases where people have used a Computer
to receive the "digital" cable signal?
It looks like my cable box (Scientific-Atlanta
Explorer 2200) a USUSBort. Is there any other way to
control this other than IR signal?
Anyway, I'veveeen told (by my soon to be wife) that TV
without HBO is not an option. I guess it's back to
the IR Blaster plans.
thanks all.
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