[mythtv-users] HDTV reception via Cable

[Steven Adeff]

On 3/8/06, Daniel Kristjansson <danielk at cuymedia.net> wrote:
> On Wed, 2006-03-08 at 21:25 -0500, Jesse Guardiani wrote:
> > I just called Charter Cable and they say you can't tune HD using coax.
> > They require a receiver and HDMI, etc. No firewire support either.
>
> If you are in the USA and are getting HDTV they are required by law
> to give you a Firewire capable receiver upon request, which must
> provide you with unencrypted access to at least OTA HDTV broadcast
> channels.

half-true, they are required to give you a cable box with firewire
output, but they are not required to send any unencrypted channels via
firewire. What they are required to do is send any ANALOG OTA signal
over their cable lines unencrypted. HDTV is considered DIGITAL under
this law and thus does not fall under the requirement. MOST cable
companies will offer the OTA HDTV over their lines unencrypted via QAM
and over firewire output without DRM, but they don't have to.


> Now getting one is often akin to pulling teeth, and I would not expect
> them to succeed on the first try, but they are breaking the law if they
> tell you firewire is not available. You should ask to speak to their
> manager. If this fails to get the proper response, get their name and
> write down the time you called. Use this information in your letter to
> the public service commission in your area, CC the cable company. In
> my experience a team of their best cable techs will show up within a
> week with a Firewire capable box and copious apologies.

Many times as well the people you talk to over the phones, and the
actual cable installers know nothing about firewire. Your best bet is
probably to get the box itself and see if its got firewire, if it does
its probably enabled, if not, then start calling around.


> But also a QAM-64/256 card will usually get most of basic digital cable,
> in my case I get C-Span-x, SpikeTV, SciFi, and Comedy Central. Those are
> the only channels on cable that I watch, but dozens of other stuff shows
> up with MythTV's scan on my system, most are QAM-64 and some are
> QAM-256.

which is definitely hit or miss. I get the shop-at-home channels and
SpikeTV over QAM along with my OTA HDTV.

Firewire is a good chance to take, and will cost a lot less than a HD
tuner card. You'll have to wait for the firewire capture to be fixed
in 0.19 to really use it though.

--
Steve