[mythtv-users] Cable box always on

[Kevin J. Cummings]

John Drescher wrote:
>>  But why would you use the tuner on the pvr card when the set top box tuner
>>  is available? Won't you get a better picture from the set top box? That has
>>  been my experience.
>>  -Steve
>>
> Not always. If you have a PVR150, 250 or 350 you should get a better
> picture from that than the STB.

Depends.  Some cable companies have separate digital and analog versions
of the same channel on the cable.  If you plug the cable directly into
your tuner, you get the analog version, while if you use the cable box,
you get an analog conversion of the digital signal.  The latter is
arguably if better quality most of the time.  RCN in Massachusetts is
one of those companies.  eg, through the cable box, channel 904 is the
original analog signal available on the coax as channel 4.  For some of
these channel pairs, the digital is *much* better quality than the
straight analog signal.

-- 
Kevin J. Cummings
kjchome at rcn.com
cummings at kjchome.homeip.net
cummings at kjc386.framingham.ma.us
Registered Linux User #1232 (http://counter.li.org)