[mythtv-users] Beginners question

[Scot L. Harris]

On Thu, 2005-09-22 at 16:23, Paul Schied wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>  
> I am new to this forum and am considering trying to get mythtv working
> but want to clear a couple of questions up before going any further. 
>  
> I have comcast cable, extended basic cable. To my knowledge it is not
> digital but I DO have a cablebox. From what I've been reading I will
> need to hook up the cable to my tuner card after it goes through the
> cablebox (so it is decoded). 
> I want to be able to watch tv while recording a different channel.
> From what I've read I am pretty sure this means I need two tuner cards
> which will both need to have the cable coming from a cablebox. My
> question is if I just split the cable from the cablebox, is there any
> way to record something and simultaneously watch a different channel
> or do I have to have two cable boxes for this?
>  
> Thanks,
> Paul

If you have analog cable service you can put a splitter on the cable
coming out of the wall, run one connection to your mythtv tuner card and
the other to cable box.  Most newer TVs have multiple inputs.  You can
use your TV to select which input to view.  

Once you have the basic mythtv setup working you will want to add at
least a second tuner card and possibly a third.  I found that two cards
resolve most recording conflicts.  

I have digital cable service but they still send analog cable service
over the same lines so you can hook that directly up to cable ready
TVs.  

One thing to consider is to use good cables and you may need to consider
an amplifier.  I picked one up form Radio Shack that not only amplifies
the signal but acts as a 4 way splitter.  

If for some reason you need to use the cable box they provided you will
need to use an IR blaster to change channels and you will need multiple
cable boxes to view and record two shows at once.  This is also true if
you want the mythtv box to access digital cable channels.