[mythtv-users] What dual/triple-tuner setup is recommended for the switch to digital?

[Richard Shaw]

On Mon, Jun 2, 2008 at 2:10 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>   So far I've managed to totally ignore the switch to digital next
> year but I figured that sometime this summer I was going to have to
> start learning more about what people are doing so this is a first
> step. Thanks in advance.
>
>   We are currently using two PVR cards and probably could use 3 if I
> had access to them so I figure next year I cannot go backward in terms
> of recording capability. We probably watch 90% of the recorded media
> on different PC's around the house and only about 10% on our TVs. With
> two TVs in the house only 1 is HD capable and we don't even use it for
> HD today. I have no current plans to buy new TVs. It's a simple, old
> style analog setup and no one is yet asking for anything better. With
> the new Roku Netflix box it seems even more unlikely that we'll turn
> into live HD watchers.
>
>   What do I do when the switch to digital comes?
>
>   It seems to me that most folks in the past have been using digital
> with their Myth boxes talking over Firewire to 1394-enabled STBs. Is
> this actually true? If it is true does that suggest I have to have
> rent 3 STBs to record 3 channels?
>
>   I've barely checked out hardware like the HD Homerun. My
> understanding is that this device gets me to parity with 2 recordings
> at a time but doesn't get me to 3. Correct? And if I got something now
> - like the HDHR - if it works today does it stay compatible after the
> switch or does Comcast start doing things differently and the hardware
> becomes useless again?
>
>   Anyway, I'm looking for ideas on how I might start preceding.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Mark

I would say it depends on the selection you want. I've been over the
air for the last year and OTA-HD for the last 4 months. I don't have a
ton of time to watch TV so I find plenty of stuff. I'm using a
HDHomerun box for ATSC tuning but it will also do QAM as long as it's
unencrypted.

The FCC requirement does not apply to cable and satellite providers,
just OTA transmissions, so it will not affect comcast. However, that
doesn't mean that they will NOT change what channels are encrypted at
any time...

Richard