Marc,<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>I live in San Jose. I get about 95% of all my channels via firewire on two DCH-3200s (which Comcast SJ is totally out of, BTW). I know people in Foster City, Palo Alto, and SF that all get about the same as I do via firewire. We do really well compared to what most people get in the US. I am able to get all my HD channels (Discovery, Universal, etc) except for HBO HD. I intend to add a Comcast HD-PVR when they are released for the couple of channels I don't get. Channel 705 (CBS HD) is also 5C'ed on the box for some reason.</div>
<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>For my money (and indeed, exactly what I do) the best solution is both a firewire box for everything besides Network TV and a QAM capable card or box like the HD 5500 or HDHomeRun for Network TV. I set my QAM card to a slightly higher priority than the firewire so that network TV stuff is *always* recorded there, and so in most recording cases (LOST, Heroes, Law and Order, etc., etc.) I can still pull up the firewire box and watch everything. I watch and record a lot of stuff on Universal HD and Discovery HD, and those channels are rock solid and unencrypted via firewire for me in South SJ.</div>
<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>Good luck, let me know how it goes.</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>Robert</div>