[mythtv-users] Server/adding new card dilemma, HD/hardware questions

[Kevin Kuphal]

On Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 7:21 PM, Bobby Gill <bobbygill at rogers.com> wrote:

>
>>> Well, yes.  But even now most analog is echoed on the SD multiplex.  In
>>> my
>>> area, digital gets me what I need.  Maybe with cable it's different but I
>>> would suspect that getting an analog tuner set up and running will only
>>> give you a few weeks of use at best.
>>>
>>> --Yan
>>>
>>> Pretty much same thing going on here. The only one that for me has
>> different programming on analog is the local PBS station.
>>
>> Richard
>>
>>
> Okay, lost me here. Are you saying that if I get a card that captures
> Digital TV only (no analog input), and I just have regular analog cable TV
> right now, I can capture it fine? ie., Digital is kind of "backwards
> compatible" to grab analog?? I think this area confuses me most lol.
>
> FYI I am using Rogers Cable TV (regular cable) in Canada. Family room has a
> Rogers Digital box (that I don't use as part of Myth; frontend is desktop PC
> in bedroom).
>

Your "analog" cable TV can carry digital QAM (or clear QAM - unencrypted)
digital channels.  For most cable providers, these will be at a minimum of
your over-the-air analog stations currently.  For some it may be a more
complete lineup.  This is *not* the same as your cable provider providing
digital service which is not QAM and requires their Set Top Box (STB) to
tune.  So, what you have is:

1.  Analog tuner: Can tune any analog cable station (until your cable
provider goes digital which is *not* the same as the broadcast stations
going digital in December/January.  This can also capture analog output from
a STB using s-video, etc.

2.  Digital QAM/ATSC tuner: Can tune any QAM cable station (which is likely
on your "analog" cable service) as well as any digital broadcast stations
(these are the ones you get via antena before/after Dec/Jan)

I hope this helps.  I have basic cable from Comcast near Chicago.  I get 12
stations tunable with a TV or PVR-150 type device.  But at the same time I
get almost all those stations (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS, etc) via QAM on the
same cable service with no extra cost or package that I capture using my
AverMedia A180.

Kevin
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