[mythtv-users] NTSC USB tuners: which ones are out there?

[James Miller]

On Thu, 26 Mar 2015, Gary Buhrmaster wrote:

> Every franchise area is different, but TWC's PAR (Partial Analog
> Reclamation) was a stopgap a few years ago to their eventually
> plan of elimination of all analog and move pure digital, but in quite
> a few franchises there were still a number of analog channels (that
> was the Partial part).

Around here (upper midwest, U.S.A.) I'd say there are a few dozen analog 
channels still remaining on TWC in the standard-tier line-up. I don't 
expect that to last beyond the end of the year, but we'll see.

> without the providers STBs (in at least one market people with clear
> QAM and OCUR tuners saw channels move around quite a bit,
> encryption go on/off, CCI flags change around a bit), but once an
> area is started, it happens over a short period of time.

Channel moving started here a couple years ago and has occurred at least 
once more since.

> The actually cut-over is (of course) preceded by a (reasonably)
> large marketing campaign, with the promise of the internet
> speed upgrades, and with a push by TWC to get people who
> are using analog or "cable ready" TVs to get STBs/DTAs ahead
> of the cut-over (depending on the specifics, sometimes the
> STB/DTA/CableCARD is free for a limited time). Of course,
> most people ignore the letter, or the line on the bill (does
> *anyone* read the entire bill every month) and at the time of the
> cut-over, there is a large number of customers that are surprised,
> and need a new STB (it is a CSR challenge).  There are also

It was probably 1.5 year ago that TWC started in this area to send out 
letters promising these "free" STB's/DTA's, asking those who wanted one to 
contact them. I was thinking of asking for one until I realized that, 
after a year, TWC would start charging a monthly rental fee for the 
device.

> As Mike said, for most on TWC, that means the HD-PVR is
> your only real option for recording HD cable content if you
> desire to use FLOSS solutions.  Btw, just to add to the joy,
> a number of new (cost optimized) STBs are starting to be
> designed without component outputs (and the analog
> NTSC RF output has been on the endangered list for a
> while now too).

You refer here to the Hauppauge 1212 HD-PVR High Definition Personal Video 
Recorder, I presume? And is this an option only if one explores the 
so-called "component video loophole?" By that latter I mean that the DRM 
restrictions can be somehow dodged only if the HD-PVR is combined with a 
STB that has component video output? That's my current, rather 
sketchy--and quite possibly errant--understanding of the matter.

> which includes DRM settings.  Note that I have no idea if the
> consistency will be the Comcast or the TWC way (although
> as a MythTV user, I know which way I want), and TTBOMK

And which way is that? TWC is the only cable experience/provider I've ever 
had, and I only ended up having it because the apt. building to which we 
moved provided it "free" (meaning, of course, that it's part of the rental 
cost about which renters have no say). So I've not had experience with any 
other cable provider and thus do not know how their policies compare to 
TWC's.