[mythtv-users] USA recommendations for Digital Over the AirCapture Card

[Kevin J. Cummings]

Steven Adeff wrote:
> On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 3:36 PM, VCRAddict
> <MythTV_01 at appropriate-tech.net> wrote:

>>  > They have all
>>  > the OTA channels on their cable line unencrypted and tuneable with any
>>  > ATSC tuner card.
>>    [snip]
>>
>> No.  ATSC does not work on cable, period.
> 
> no, but taking an ATSC signal, converting it to QAM and putting it on
> the cable line does, all ATSC PC tuners (that I've seen at least) can
> do both ATSC and QAM.

I'd like to take moment to clarify some of the acronyms being bandied 
about incorrectly.

ATSC = DTV  It includes the 8VSB currently being used OTA *AND* the 
16VSB and QAMs currently being used by cable companies (see the 
wikipedia page for ATSC).  So, saying that it can do both ATSC an QAM is 
redundant since QAM is a part of ATSC.

>> By law the cable company may not encrypt the local broadcast stations that
>> they retransmit; but it's still only plain-vanilla analog NTSC if you have
>> "basic" service.  *IF* you subscribe to their "digital" service, you should
>> be able to get the local broadcast stations in QAM; but that is (typically
>> at least) MUCH more pricey than "basic cable".
> 
> Most/all don't bother encrypting OTA ATSC signals when they put them
> on their cable line as Clear QAM and don't bother filtering them. Ask
> most users on this list that have HD setups. I know this is the case
> in Boston and a few other cities.

But, they'd *like* to!  To most cable companies, they consider DTV 
equivalent to HDTV and want to charge more for it.  I can clearly see 
the better quality of DTV over analog SD on my computer!  So, if they 
provide NTSC channels, they'd like to encrypt their QAM versions so 
customers *have* to pay more for them.  For the cable companies 
converting to all digital (ie all DTV), some of them have tried 
encrypting as much as possible and are waiting for customer to complain 
hoping that some customers will pay more for the STB service first. 
American competition at its worst!  The FCC should have spelled out in 
more detail what can and can't be encrypted and provide a penalty system 
for those cable companies who fail to comply!

>>  > I current have Comcast and use three ATSC cards (Two
>>  > A180's and a HD3000) to record these channels.
>>
>> Those are actually ATSC/QAM cards.
>>
>>    <http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/AVerTV_HD_A180>
>>    <http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/PcHDTV_HD-3000>
>>
>> and I'm betting you're paying Comcast *way* more than $10/mo.
> 
> As are all the PC cards I've ever come across. Do any that don't do both exist?
> 
> I do now, but initially I didn't and that was still the case. I've
> talked to a few people that have free/basic Comcast around here and
> all have said they get the OTA ATSC on their line as Clear QAM.

I'm just starting to play with RCN's new all digital cable offering. 
I've found the OTA channels, and haven't had the time to search the 
other QAM channels for anything else in the clear yet.  I still have to 
figure out how to get Myth to MAP the virtual cable channel numbers into 
the real QAM channel numbers.  Right now I have to know (for example) 
that WBZ is channel 25.3, when SD says its channel 4.  I'll be creating 
a map of the channels I've found when I finish, but I'm disappointed in 
that none of the computers in my house ATM are fully capable of 
displaying the digital TV without chunks and pauses (though my laptop 
does better when plugged into the 100Mbps ethernet than using the 
802.11g wireless).

I'm still yet to purchase a real DTV for the house.  Maybe for Christmas....

-- 
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)