<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">> If you do consider a new card, you might also need to consider a new motherboard, cpu, etc,<br>>since you'll have to play back via your cpu and/or new video card (or<br>
>embedded video). </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">I have a headless masterbackend with 3 of my 5 pvr-150's, so don't need to worry about that hardware being able to play anything I believe. I noticed the HD-5500 is pci based, and the Clear QAM stream isn't anymore hardware intensive than the stream from the 150's, correct? I'm hoping all I'll need to upgrade on the backend are the capture cards.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">What resolution are the channels you're receiving over clear QAM? Do they provide Standard Def channels or is it all 720p or higher? I don't have any high def tv's at the moment and would rather not have to upgrade my video cards and/or transcode all my recordings to be able to play them. </span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br><br>>In the end it was worth it for me, the new system is much more<br>>powerful and yet more energy efficient. You'd have to start thinking<br>
>about LIRC and how you want to do your IR remote control, etc,<br>>assuming you remove the Hauppauge cards. I spent some $$ and got the<br>>ntegrated IR in the form of an OrigenAE case.<br>Are you using any of the "free" digital tuner boxes with IR blasting? I know it's possible to use more than one blaster on a box by using different channel change scripts. If you have any advise on IR blasting I'm all ears. </span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br><br>>If Comcast goes ahead with their love letter from the FCC (encryption<br>>of QAM) then I plan to ditch it and go OTA and Internet-source. All<br>
>legal, of course.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">Yeah if I can't extend my introductory rate for the third time, I'm moving to OTA and online streaming. I've played with boxee a while back.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">>Are you in "Denver" Denver, or one of the suburbs, if the latter, which one?<br>
>If you happen to know, what headend feeds you?<br>></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">I'm actually in Parker. I know Comcast has numerous offices around here and south Denver so I'm sure it's starting here and will be spreading soon to nearby areas, if it hasn't already.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br>>I'm wondering when they will "upgrade" Fort Collins, sounds like they are<br>>getting close.<br>
><br>>Be careful about the "free" boxes, Bresnan in Laramie gives out units that<br>>have only RF, no baseband outputs. You have to pay if you want anything but RF<br>>out.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br>
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">I just ordered my two "free" boxes and they should arrive in 5-8 business days according to comcast. If they have only RF outs that wouldn't be too big a deal to me. I'll just figure out how to IR blast them and plug them into my pvr-150's</span></div>