[mythtv-users] Digital antenna question

[Billy Macdonald]

On 7/8/07, Pete Cap <peteoutside at yahoo.com> wrote:
> List,
>
> I recently set up a really lo-fi Myth box.  It's in an old dell beige box,
> hooked up to a pretty small standard definition TV, and it has one capture
> card pulling down analog broadcasts (before the latest move it was recording
> S-Video from a cable STB).
>
> The analog broadcasts are really not all that bad, but all the stations are
> simulcast in digital.  I understand that with digital, either you get the
> signal or you don't--there's no snow or static.  It would be a significant
> improvement!
>
> However, I do not understand if I would be "restricted" to HD broadcasts--or
> if I need a new capture card.  I can play widescreen HD recordings (from
> bittorent) and apparently Myth resizes them on the fly to fit the SD 4:3
> screen.  If this would work with broadcast as well that would be excellent.
> But will I need to get a new card to tune in the digital signal--or will
> Radio Shack have one with component out?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Pete
>
>

Yes you need a different card to tune digital stations.   Most digital
channels that have any HD content always broadcast in 720p or 1080i,
just letterboxed.  So your recordings will be much larger in size and
will likely show up postage stamped be default in Myth (which you can
zoom.  But they will be clear.

To see if your system has the umph, you need to find some 1080i mpeg2
recordings to play.  Look in the same places that you found your other
ones, but the files will be much much larger.  The widescreen HD
recordings you download are likely not full resolution and are much
easier on the system to decode.

To your advantage though, the decoders only decode what's needed.  So
if your resolution is 800x600, it takes less to decode and play 1080i
then on a 1920x1080 resolution.

Good luck,
Billy