[mythtv-users] Comcast/Xfinity cable card

[Larry Kennedy]

On Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 7:50 PM Gary Buhrmaster <gary.buhrmaster at gmail.com>
wrote:

> On Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 6:29 PM DaveD <mythtv at guiplot.com> wrote:
> >
> > I used to use Comcast's cable box's firewire to record but they stopped
> > supporting that some time back.  We opted to rent one of their DVR's,
> > but it sucks (got spoiled using MythTV!).
>
> Not sure which DVR you got, but the XG1v4 is considered
> to be mostly responsive (although getting one used to be
> difficult due to supply issues).  Comcast is moving some
> customers to their newer Xi boxes and cloud DVR for
> both functionality and performance (and the newer boxes
> also directly incorporate a number of the usual streaming
> apps).
>
> > I had local channels working
> > well with a dual antenna setup in the attic, but we had a new roof put
> > on and signals all went to zero! (No, it's not a metal roof, just
> > asphalt comp, but must have something in it the old roof didn't have).
>
> Put the antenna on the roof?  If you have gotten
> some pushback from a HOA you should be aware
> that a HOA cannot block such an installation
> by FCC rules, although some HOAs do try (before
> their lawyer points out that they can't).
>
> > So, I'm thinking of dumping the Xfinity DVR and moving to a cable card.
> > The Xfinity website says they "support" (meaning "allow") use of cable
> > cards and have some example manufacturers, including HDHomeRun and
> > Hauppauge.
>
> The Hauppauge is a SiliconDust device under the
> covers, but limited to 2 tuners.  There is still support
> for the Ceton tuners in MythTV, but Ceton is a long
> dead company (they got sued out of existence due
> to a deal gone bad with Gibson (yes, the company
> often known for their guitars)), and they have some
> known (and what were acknowledged just before
> they disappeared) firmware issues that one runs into
> some of the time in some cases, and there will never
> be a firmware fix (you can mitigate one of the known
> issues by rebooting the card every so often).
>
> The SiliconDust HDHR Prime tuner with 3 tuners
> is the most likely choice.  While the device is still
> supported (and likely will be for some time), it has
> ended feature development so no new capabilities.
>
> > Is anyone currently using a cable card (or other compatible device) with
> > Xfinity and Linux?  If so, how is it working?  Are there multiple
> > tuners?  Does Xfinity charge per tuner?  Advice?
>
> Comcast does still support CableCARDs, however
> getting one is hard (most CSRs can't even spell
> CableCARD ("we don't support them"), although
> if you escalate (to a supervisor) you can typically
> get them added to your account; AFAIK no store
> carries them anymore, and you will need them
> shipped (which I think they charge you for)).
>
> As you would expect, there is no support for
> recording premium (HBO etc.) channels
> (although Comcast, unlike some other operators,
> does mark most of the non-premium channels
> as copy-freely so you can record a lot of channels).
>
> Comcast is (slowly) moving to IPTV.  Some channels
> are IPTV only today, most new additional channels are
> IPTV only, and occasionally they move an existing
> channel to IPTV.  Only Comcast STBs can access
> those IPTV channels (there are some cases
> where the SD channel is still linear QAM (i.e.
> your CableCARD can tune it), but the HD version
> is IPTV only.
>
> The cost of a CableCARD will depend on what
> version of TV contract you are in (or can move
> to).  In some previous contract versions your
> first TV box was free (and you could replace it
> with a CableCARD).  Adding a CableCARD (or
> a STB) was somewhere $10/mo or more.  In
> more recent contracts, the first box is no longer
> free (but the TV price went down by the price
> of the STB), but you can add any number of
> CableCARDs for $0/mo (which, if you return
> your STB, even means you can save money).
> For some people moving to a new TV contract
> is going to be the right choice, but unless you
> read Comcast rate cards, it can be confusing
> to know what will work best for you.
>
> At this point I am not sure that moving to a
> CableCARD is more than likely just a stopgap for
> a few years until Comcast moves to IPTV only
> as a likely part of the FDX HSI deployment
> (the interim step of mid-split will continue to
> support CableCARDs for another few years).
> This is a period of change in the industry
> in which you may wish to consider moving
> to a streaming solution along with (or
> instead of) your OTA antenna for locals.
>

Well, damn.  I've had a CableCard with HDHR as my only source of content
for Mythtv for a decade or more, so this doesn't bode well.  When it can no
longer tune anything, what are my options other than to abandon mythtv?


> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users at mythtv.org
> http://lists.mythtv.org/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
> http://wiki.mythtv.org/Mailing_List_etiquette
> MythTV Forums: https://forum.mythtv.org
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/attachments/20231115/40cab0d0/attachment.htm>