[mythtv-users] Newbee questions prior to getting started

[greg at nodecam.com]

> "makes sense".  I mean, I believe I am correct that I can't use MythTV
> with my satellite receiver, but I CAN with a cable card from Comcast, for
> example.  If that's not correct, let me know!

Sorta.  You can use Myth with any analog SD source if you have a capture
card.  HD is a little different - satellite is a no go there for sure. 
Cable is a possibility, depending on what your cable company offers for
channels over firewire in your area.  Some places get everything, some
places get virtually nothing, some places are in between.

Your take on the frontend/backend usage is right on the money (though
obviously you need a network card in the frontend)  Be aware that if you
want to do HD, the frontend needs to be a relatively beefy system in order
to decode the video.

HDTV cards really only come into play if you can receive HDTV over the air
- or unencrypted QAM(?) from the cableco.

A good first step is to determine what you really want to do with it. 
HDTV has a very different set of hardware requirements from SD., but if
you're lucky enough to have a clued in cableco in your area, it's pretty
easy to get firewire going (imho) with a suitably equipped cable box.

Greg