[mythtv-users] Comcast CableCard Info

[scram69]

>
> Second, you are correct in your assessment. Channels come in 4 flavors.
> 1) no encryption
> 2) encryption + Copy Freely flag
> 3) encryption + Copy Once flag
> 4) encryption + Copy Never flag
>
> Without a cablecard, you get #1. With a cablecard in myth, you get #1
> and #2 (but only after the card is paired and receives its
> authorization signal). With a cablecard in Windows Media Center only,
> you get all 4 flavors (with restrictions on what you can do with #3
> and #4, and restrictions on how long #4 will stay before being
> auto-deleted)
>

I would think the most crucial bit of information when dealing with
something like comcast is if the difference between 1) and 2) is
anything other than the empty set?  i.e., will buying a cable-card
compatible QAM tuner, somehow prying a cable card out of comcast, and
somehow successfully activating it get you any additional content over
plugging the bare cable into a basic QAM tuner?

Given that the flag setting is done at the regional level, the very
existence of the flags will be vehemently denied by comcast employees,
and the SF Bay area comcast organization is particularly user-hostile,
I don't hold out much hope.  But I will be interested to hear any
reports...