Digital Video Recorder

wa8yxm wrote:
I would have to check but from what I understand the cable companies are REQUIRED to offer the Over the Air stations (Or at one time they were) "In the clear".. now that was before Digital OTA,, with Digital OTA I see a number of "Tier Two" (That is #-2 or #-3) channels that DO NOT appear on the cable list.

IN fact I have my DVR's set to do mixed recording at the moment. Sometimes picking a show off Cable, sometimes off OTA. But I think they are, or at least WERE required to carry local boradcast in the clear..

OF course the Cable/Sat companies are trying to eliminate OTA broadcast, I do not think it will happen, but .. Well,,, It might happen.

Actually it is a "catch 22" for cable companies and even Satellite companies to a certain extent.

Cable companies are supposed to carry OTA channels, however a FCC ruling quite a few years back allows OTA stations to CHARGE cable and satellite companies for carrying the OTA stations.

Makes for a rather confusing set of rules?

I guess the point folks are missing is the cable companies are not dropping the OTA stations.

When OTA broadcasters were forced to drop analog broadcasting, the cable companies CONTINUED rebroadcasting the OTA channels in ANALOG NTSC. Understanding what the cable co does to get all these channels on a single wire is helpful.

Early days of cable it was not more than simply a Master antenna placed high on a hill with some serious amplification. This worked but often cable company had issues with providing a solid signal for all channels.

The next generation of cable multiple antennas were setup along with multiple tuners. The turners allowed the cable company some freedom to manipulate the video and audio (insert cable co commercials is one thing). Then all the feeds from the tuners were sent to cable TV modulators. This allowed the cable co to "offset" the channels a bit which stooped the actual broadcast channels with strong signals from causing interference on the cable.

Cable co could also now "fill in" unused channels with what is now known as "basic" channels.

When OTA broadcasters switched to ATSC, the cable companies simply changed tuners from old NTSC to ATSC. The cable co kept the analog NTSC on the cable.

For the most part "basic" cable provides OTA plus a bunch of other stuff like HGTV, Discovery and the like.

Doesn't mean the OTA is going away, it is the NTSC part.

I would have to check but from what I understand the cable companies are REQUIRED to offer the Over the Air stations (Or at one time they were) "In the clear".. now that was before Digital OTA,, with Digital OTA I see a number of "Tier Two" (That is #-2 or #-3) channels that DO NOT appear on the cable list.

IN fact I have my DVR's set to do mixed recording at the moment. Sometimes picking a show off Cable, sometimes off OTA. But I think they are, or at least WERE required to carry local boradcast in the clear..

OF course the Cable/Sat companies are trying to eliminate OTA broadcast, I do not think it will happen, but .. Well,,, It might happen.

Tom_M wrote:
As Gdetrailer says, clear QAM is going away. This means that a tuner is useless unless it has provisions for a CableCARD. I believe the only "one box does all" solution is either go with a Comcast DVR or Tivo.

Clear QAM is "sort of" going away.

QAM is the cable companies equivalent to Digital Over the Air (OTA) broadcasts.

QAM can be "open" like OTA or it can be "scrambled" (by the way OTA CAN also be scrambled at any time but OTA broadcasters are not allowed to enforce this at this time).

Cable companies have been cutting back the amount of non digital analog channels since they can fit four or more digital channels in the same space as one analog.

At the same time Cable companies offer "tiers" or different levels of "service". Cable companies have had many different ways to "scramble" premium content, if you paid for basic, you are not able to "see" the upper tiers (the old days they often used "filters" on the pole where your drop was connected). This hasn't changed with QAM, but has allowed cable companies to manage the tiers more effectively.

Typically all "basic" channels on nearly all cable companies is not scrambled, they are "open".

Now if you paid for an advanced or enhanced cable package you will end up with a cable company set top box. The set top box is the descrambler and it is fully addressable remotely by the cable company.

What typically happens is the cable company in an effort to get more subscribers to pick up an advanced package will put a few "basic" channels into a upper tier package..

This maximizes the upsell feature and if you really want that channel you WILL have to have the cable box to get it.

There is a good chance the OP could view many of the basic channels directly without the cable box as long as they have a TV with a QAM tuner (most TVs which have been built since the OTA change to ATSC will have QAM).

The downside is if some of the channels they want are scrambled, they will not be able to view those.

My local Cable co is in the process of discontinuing all analog channels (started June this yr) and for those that want a higher tier package above basic will need the cable co set top box.. My Dad only has basic and so far has not lost any QAM channels and he does not have a set top box, just a TV with ATSC/QAM tuner..

As Gdetrailer says, clear QAM is going away. This means that a tuner is useless unless it has provisions for a CableCARD. I believe the only "one box does all" solution is either go with a Comcast DVR or Tivo.

I too would suggest a tuner card for the computer than.. Does just what you want.

Hauppauge Win-TV Replay Edition would be my choice.. But there are cheaper ones, and they likely will do the job just as well... Why would I choose the one I woudl choose.. Well, it is kind of "The Devil I Know" the user interface is known to me.. So i'd not have to learn it.

Tom_M wrote:

billyboy wrote:
AgAin you'll find thAt the eAsiest unit to use As A MAgnAvox DVR. It works just lIke a VCR only It has a dIgItal tuner so you can record one show why you're watchIng somethIng else.

Seeing that the OP wants to record from Comcast cable, it's not likely there are any clear QAM channels that the Magnavox will be able to tune in. The video inputs on the Magnavox are standard definition composite or S-Video. This means that you would have to use the cable box's composite or S-Video output to feed the Magnavox. It would work, but you would only be able to record the show that the cable box was tuned to.

Many cable companies have dropped analog channels from their rebroadcast, the few that do still have analog will be dropping that in the near future.

With that said, as long as the "recording device" has a ATSC/QAM tuner you will be able to tune into the NON SCRAMBLED CLEAR "QAM" channels.

The problem with this is you may or may not be able to tune in ALL the channels of interest.

About a month ago I was at a campground which featured Time Warner cable. I had no trouble connecting my TV with ATSC/QAM tuner and finding about 50 CLEAR QAM channels plus about 20 analog channels.

What the OP will miss is most likely any Tier 2 or higher channels, plus premium movie channels along with any pay per view/on demand type channels. The cable box handles those channels.

Due to overbearing, over zealous demands made by movie companies and even OTA broadcasters, the easy days of recording what ever you want in order to time shift or look at it at a different time are pretty much gone.

The cable companies (and the satellite outfits also) get an additional premium from the subscriber by offering a DVR subscription. The stuff you record on the DVRs IS NOT YOURS, the files are encoded on purpose to ensure you don't misuse the files in any way shape or form.

There are a few "workarounds" for SD video but for HD it is pretty locked up with HDMI handshakes.

billyboy wrote:
AgAin you'll find thAt the eAsiest unit to use As A MAgnAvox DVR. It works just lIke a VCR only It has a dIgItal tuner so you can record one show why you're watchIng somethIng else.

Seeing that the OP wants to record from Comcast cable, it's not likely there are any clear QAM channels that the Magnavox will be able to tune in. The video inputs on the Magnavox are standard definition composite or S-Video. This means that you would have to use the cable box's composite or S-Video output to feed the Magnavox. It would work, but you would only be able to record the show that the cable box was tuned to.

AgAin you'll find thAt the eAsiest unit to use As A MAgnAvox DVR. It works just lIke a VCR only It has a dIgItal tuner so you can record one show why you're watchIng somethIng else.

The simplest solution would be to upgrade to a DVR cable box from Comcast. If the box will play content when not connected to cable you can take the box with you when you leave home.

If you don't want to upgrade your service, your options are limited. If your present cable box has component video out you could use a device like the Hauppauge HD PVR and a computer.

Another option is the HDHomeRun Prime. This box also requires a computer plus you would need to get a CableCARD from Comcast.

Thanks Gdetrailer. I thought this would be simple. Obviously I'm not a "tech" guy, but I will keep at it. I'll let you know what I end up with. Thanks all for your replies.