[mythtv-users] Questions about MythTV and Digital Cable (slightly off-topic?)

[Noah Markon]

On 3/9/06, Michael Tiller <michael.tiller at gmail.com> wrote:
> I realize this is only slightly related to MythTV so my apologies if it is
> too off topic...
>
> I've gotten a bit frustrated with my analog cable so I was considering
> upgrading to digital cable.  The potential advantages I considered were:
>
> 1) Better picture quality (I have some analog interference from splitting,
> etc).
> 2) Possibility to get local channels in pure digital form via firewire/QAM.
> 3) Bigger range of channels (not that there is anything good on most of them
> :-().
>
> But, I just realized that there might be a major fly in the ointment here.
> In talking with the Comcast (and WOW) rep on the phone (ob. grain of salt) I
> was told that all channels below 100 in my area (i.e. the channels that are
> available for analog cable) are not digital even if you have digital cable.
>
> The bottom line is that everything I watch is on those <100 channels now and
> I don't see any reason to think there are digital versions of my shows on
> any of the channels >100.
>
> Am I missing something?  I hear people talk about getting their local
> channels via firewire in digital format...where do these come from if there
> isn't a "digital" version of the channel in the lineup?!?
>
> It seems crazy that if I get digital cable I don't get digital versions of
> NBC, Comedy Central, TNT?! But, I get digital versions of CSPAN3 (for all
> the things that were too niche for CSPAN and CSPAN2!) and Noggin' (WTFIT?).
>

When I had my QAM setup I had got digital version (SD and HD) of NBC,
ABC, CBS... basically all the broadcast stations. However those
stations were in my line-up.

If you want to get the stations that are encrypted by your cable
company you'll need to get a box, then run the video-out into your
capture-card./..