[mythtv-users] Best Hd capture card that supports QAM

[Brad Templeton]

On Sat, Jun 24, 2006 at 03:37:08PM -0600, kim gross wrote:
> Steven Adeff wrote:
> 
> >On 6/11/06, Kevin Kuphal <kuphal at dls.net> wrote:
> >  
> >
> >>kim gross wrote:
> >>    
> >>
> >>>I want to add a second tuner to my backend, and was thinking that an HD
> >>>tunner that would support QAM to record the digital cable (with HD
> >>>channels) would be great.  I was thinking about the PC HD5500.  What do
> >>>other people suggest?
> >>>
> >>>      
> >>>
> >>I'm using the AverMedia A180.  Cheap and works great (like $80 at
> >>buy.com) and is supported out of the box on newer kernels.
> >>
> >>Kevin
> >>    
> >>
> >
> >Second this.
> >
> >(Kevin, I feel like we're a broken record, isn't this info on the wiki?)
> >
> >  
> >
> I just order the Avermedia A180, now hopefully most of the channels here 
> on cable one are not encrypted....

My impression was that most cable systems were like mine, namely:

    a) The basic and extended cable SD channels come as analog NTSC.
        (ie. you will want a card like the pvr-x50 to record them as
        most of the HD cards that can also do NTSC are just raw capture.)

    b) The local HD channels do come, as per law, as unencrypted QAM and
       you will be able to record them with your card

    c) The digital cable SD and HD channels come in encrypted QAM, you will
       not be able to record them.

    d) Basically almost nothing else besides the local HD channels comes
       as unencrypted QAM.  Perhaps 2-3 channels, and sometimes ESPN-HD and
       Discovery HD.   On my cable system, all these are now gone and
       all that comes are the music channels.

People wanting to record digital cable are often lucky and can get a
digital cable STB with 1394 output that is not HDCP.   If you can get
that, a QAM tuner card is probably the wrong choice.