[mythtv-users] Shouldn't have bought an HDTV

[Daniel Agar]

I've been quite successful in capturing HD through a rogers STB in Ontario
for the past 6 months. I get most of the big stations (including american)
unencrypted through firewire. I'm not sure who the cable provider in New
Brunswick is, but you could try renting the thing for a month to test it
out. Trust me it's worth it. Although it significantly increased my cpu
and storage requirements.

> I've been a MythTV user for over a year now, and the WAF has been very
> high.  About six weeks ago I made the mistake of buying our first HDTV.
> My wife is quite disappointed that everything looks "the same".  To be
> honest, I'm pretty disappointed too.  Even DVDs look amazing compared to
> my captures.  I've been investigating my options for capturing HDTV, and
> have come up with the following:
>
> 1.	Over the air.  Not an option.  There are no HD broadcasts in New
> Brunswick, Canada.
> 2.	QAM capture.  I get four unencrypted HD stations and a number of
> digital SD broadcasts.  I have an HD Home Run but I'm nervous about
> deploying this at all due to reports of cable companies changing what is
> available unencrypted or changing frequency assignments without warning.
> In any case, it isn't going to get me HD.
> 3.	Get a cable box and hope that I get what I want through fire
> wire.  Some people have difficulty making this work, it seems.  No
> guarantee there will be *any* unencrypted stations on fire wire, and if
> there are, no guarantee they will stay unencrypted.  I don't think I
> would risk this even if it would work now.  Better to never have HD than
> to have it and have to tell my wife we are going back to SD.
> 4.	Get a moded cable or satellite box.  The two options I have seen
> are Windows-only.  It isn't clear how easy or convenient it would be to
> tie Myth into there recording scheme.
>
>
>
> Unless I'm missing something, there are *no* good options.  Option four,
> while expensive, looks the most hopeful.  I'm just not sure I'm willing
> to put in the time required to be on the bleeding edge with this.
>
>
>
> We can dream about the encryption situation changing, but I don't think
> that anything is going to happen that will let me record HD in the next
> couple of years.  If anything, cable companies are likely to clamp down
> more and more on options two and three.  It really looks like option
> four may be my only hope.
>
>
>
> Have I missed anything that should give me reason to be optimistic about
> being able to record HD in the (very) short term?  Personally I wouldn't
> give up Myth just to get HD.  But I worry greatly about the WAF.
>
>
>
> Doug
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users at mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>