[mythtv-users] HDTV: channel num versus program id (off-topic response)

[John Patrick Poet]

On Mon, 19 Jul 2004, John Sturgeon wrote:

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> John Patrick Poet wrote:
>
> |
> | I have been using a pcHDTV HD-2000 card with Myth for seven months.
> |  It works extremely well.
> |
> | A few months ago, my local WB & UPN stations gave up some of their
> | digital bandwidth to USDTV (an over-the-air "cable" company").
> | When this happened, I suddenly could no longer tune in those
> | channels using my HD-2000 card.
> |
> snip
>
> | Stream contains 6 total program(s). Stream contains 6 valid
> | program(s). Program 18: 99-9 HGTV: Video (MPEG-2), language = eng
> | Audio (Dolby AC-3), language = eng Program 15: 99-6 FOOD: Video
> | (MPEG-2), language = eng Audio (Dolby AC-3), language = eng Program
> | 12: 99-3 ESPN2: Video (MPEG-2), language = eng Audio (Dolby AC-3),
> | language = eng Program 11: 99-2 ESPN: Video (MPEG-2), language =
> | eng Audio (Dolby AC-3), language = eng Program 10: 99-1 USDTV:
> | Video (MPEG-2), language = eng Audio (Dolby AC-3), language = eng
> | Unknown (0x0b) Unknown (0x0b) Program 2: 50-1 KASY-DT: Video
> | (MPEG-2), language = eng Audio (Dolby AC-3), language = eng Audio
> | (MPEG-2), language = eng Unknown (0x0b)
> |
> wow.... Completely off-topic response, but how cool is that?  It had
> never occurred to me that cable/sat companies could/would pump their
> signals OTA once Digital TV becomes pervasive.  What are the logistics
> of decoding those shows?  I'm assuming they must provide a proprietary
> receiver.  Are they encrypted over the air?
>
> - --
> John Sturgeon <><


You can buy the receiver boxes at Walmart for a couple hundred dollars.
These boxes will tune in normal HDTV non-encrypted material, as well as
allowing you to subscribe to the "other" channels.

It is actually one of the cheapest ways to get an HDTV receiver.  I have
been told that you don't HAVE to subscribe to the USDTV service to use the
box for normal HDTV content.

USDTV is only available in a few cities.  The first city was Salt Lake
City.  Albuquerque was added a bit later.


John