[mythtv-users] Digital Television In US

[James C. Dastrup]

>>> I'm wondering, besides digital cable (SD), and HDTV, what ways are 
>>> there to
>>> get digital television in the United States, in Standard Def?
>>
>>
>> I'm not sure I totally understand the questions. If you can receive 
>> over-the-air
>> digital signals, then just watch the SD channels. Not all are HD.
>>
>> Digital television isn't limited to only SD or HD, so it would be 
>> difficult or impossible
>> to find an SD-only digital source. (Cable and satellite are 
>> typically just converting
>> an analog source to digital and touting it as "digital"). If you 
>> are watching true
>> digital TV (digital source to digital TV), you get both SD and HD. 
>> It is up to the
>> broadcaster to decide what to output. Most networks will provide 
>> two channels,
>> an HD and an SD channel, both digital. (4 is analog, 4-1 is HD, 4-2 
>> is SD, etc). And
>> then it's up to you on which channel you want to watch.
>
>No, I think you understood the question quite well. This was exactly 
>what I was looking for. I guess I didn't realize that those sub-
>channels would provide digital signals that weren't at HD 
>resolutions. I was trying to find an alternative to having to rig up 
>a digital cable box with an IR blaster for getting digital channels. 
>With an XBox Front-end (that means no HD), I was worried I wouldn't 
>be getting anything useful.
>
>So, I'm guessing if I asked ComCast for an HD cable box, I could hook 
>it up to my Myth backend, and I'd be able to capture the stations at 
>480p, even if there is a 720/1080 signal available?
>

You may first want to verify which channels Comcast broadcasts. Even
though the networks may have 2, 3 or more sub-channels per station 
(HD, SD, weather, etc) that are broadcast over the air, you may find that
Comcast doesn't broadcast all of them.  Not sure, maybe someone else
can let us know.

Also worth looking into, does anyone know if digital 480 signals require
more, less or the same processing power to display than an analog
signal?
 



 
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