[mythtv-users] HDTV reception via Cable

[Daniel Kristjansson]

On Wed, 2006-03-08 at 22:52 -0500, Steven Adeff wrote:
> On 3/8/06, Daniel Kristjansson <danielk at cuymedia.net> wrote:
> > On Wed, 2006-03-08 at 21:25 -0500, Jesse Guardiani wrote:
> > > I just called Charter Cable and they say you can't tune HD using coax.
> > > They require a receiver and HDMI, etc. No firewire support either.
> >
> > If you are in the USA and are getting HDTV they are required by law
> > to give you a Firewire capable receiver upon request, which must
> > provide you with unencrypted access to at least OTA HDTV broadcast
> > channels.
> 
> half-true, they are required to give you a cable box with firewire
> output, but they are not required to send any unencrypted channels via
> firewire. What they are required to do is send any ANALOG OTA signal
> over their cable lines unencrypted. HDTV is considered DIGITAL under
> this law and thus does not fall under the requirement. MOST cable
> companies will offer the OTA HDTV over their lines unencrypted via QAM
> and over firewire output without DRM, but they don't have to.

This is probably correct, the summary I read specified OTA, which I
assumed meant ATSC OTA. But in my actual experience RCN New York only
broadcasts the primary service of ATSC OTA (of 2-4 services), and
broadcasts that in a degraded form to what you actually get OTA.

-- Daniel