[mythtv-users] USA recommendations for Digital Over the AirCapture Card

[Steven Adeff]

On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 3:36 PM, VCRAddict
<MythTV_01 at appropriate-tech.net> wrote:
> At 01:56 PM 11/19/08 -0500, Steven Adeff wrote:
>  >
>  > On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 7:50 AM, Eric Mesa <ericsbinaryworld at gmail.com>
>  > wrote:
>  > > I decided to go with the HD Homerun.  Ordered it last night from
>  > > newegg along with the Terk antenna -
>    [snip]
>
>  > You can possibly avoid antenna woes if your willing to pay comcast for
>  > their basic service (I believe it is ~$10/mo)
>
> How do you figure?  The HDHomeRun is *purely* a DTV tuner.  While it will
> handle both ATSC (OTA broadcast) and "Clear-QAM" (unencrypted "digital"
> cable) modulations, neither of those signals are likely to be found on a
> $10/mo "basic antenna service" cable drop.

uhm, because I do it now. The HDHomeRun is an ATSC/QAM tuner. It could
still tune encrypted QAM, it just won't decrypt it. Comcast, as does
pretty much every cable company, keeps all the OTA signals as "Clear
QAM" on their cable lines.


>  > They have all
>  > the OTA channels on their cable line unencrypted and tuneable with any
>  > ATSC tuner card.
>    [snip]
>
> No.  ATSC does not work on cable, period.

no, but taking an ATSC signal, converting it to QAM and putting it on
the cable line does, all ATSC PC tuners (that I've seen at least) can
do both ATSC and QAM.

> By law the cable company may not encrypt the local broadcast stations that
> they retransmit; but it's still only plain-vanilla analog NTSC if you have
> "basic" service.  *IF* you subscribe to their "digital" service, you should
> be able to get the local broadcast stations in QAM; but that is (typically
> at least) MUCH more pricey than "basic cable".

Most/all don't bother encrypting OTA ATSC signals when they put them
on their cable line as Clear QAM and don't bother filtering them. Ask
most users on this list that have HD setups. I know this is the case
in Boston and a few other cities.

>  > I current have Comcast and use three ATSC cards (Two
>  > A180's and a HD3000) to record these channels.
>
> Those are actually ATSC/QAM cards.
>
>    <http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/AVerTV_HD_A180>
>    <http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/PcHDTV_HD-3000>
>
> and I'm betting you're paying Comcast *way* more than $10/mo.

As are all the PC cards I've ever come across. Do any that don't do both exist?

I do now, but initially I didn't and that was still the case. I've
talked to a few people that have free/basic Comcast around here and
all have said they get the OTA ATSC on their line as Clear QAM.

-- 
Steve
http://www.jobs-khakis-chicks.com/MythTV/
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