PVR Recording and Digital TV - USA

[DeepBlueC]

I currently use a cablecard in my HDTV.

My cable provider (Comcast) gives you your first cable card for free and additional cards are 18.95 each.

There is no additional charge beyond my normal digital subscription.

The process for the cable card is interesting. The cable guy comes out to your house and advises you how to install the card. They will not install it themselves due to liability. After that they call in to HQ and have it provisioned out like they used to do with older cable modems.

[sub]

Are you saying the FCC going to force cable (non-broadcast) companies to stop delivering analog TV next year? :confused:
My cable provider said they have no plans to stop their as-is analog delivery, but they also provide a digital service.

No, I'm not saying that. Analog will likely continue on for quite a while. I was just saying that the digital cable setup in the US is going to be difficult for users trying to make their own HTPCs for recording digital channels.

[sub]

I currently use a cablecard in my HDTV.

My cable provider (Comcast) gives you your first cable card for free and additional cards are 18.95 each.

There is no additional charge beyond my normal digital subscription.

Thats pretty reasonable. I had heard most cable companies were intending to extra amount per month for the rental of the extra cable card.

[sub]

Microsoft already dealt us a huge blow by saying Vista won't support CableCard devices unless they are OEM built. While I am hoping that this decision falls by the wayside (just like it did when they tried limiting MCE's availability) I have a feeling that this time around, Microsoft's policy may stick.

Yeah, I've read these comments as well. Lets how its not true, or that another option appears.

[sub]

Microsoft already dealt us a huge blow by saying Vista won't support CableCard devices unless they are OEM built. While I am hoping that this decision falls by the wayside (just like it did when they tried limiting MCE's availability) I have a feeling that this time around, Microsoft's policy may stick.

Yeah, I've read these comments as well. Lets hope its not true, or that another option appears.

[DeepBlueC]

No, I'm not saying that. Analog will likely continue on for quite a while. I was just saying that the digital cable setup in the US is going to be difficult for users trying to make their own HTPCs for recording digital channels.

In the US analog might not be around for too long. Here is some detail on the governments timeline:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-defini...ted_States

My limited understanding is that analog transmissions take up something like 19x the bandwith of a digital transmission. Since the US government owns all bandwith in the US and makes money by leasing it out this means more income..

[sub]

I thought I'd read that this doesnt affect cable though, only terrestrial transmissions?

[UncleJohnsBand]

I thought I'd read that this doesnt affect cable though, only terrestrial transmissions?

Not sure about that......I read a few months back that some of our government reps are deciding whether or not they should pass legislation to subsidise digital to annalog converter boxes.....if they weren't going to get rid of analog I couldn't see them looking into this type of subsidy.....

I also know that all new TV's sold in the US must be digital cable ready.

[XX86]

Why can't you just connect you pvr to your digital cable box and have the pc change the channel via infrared dongel? You can't record one channel and watch another tho unless you have two digital cable box's.

Just my two cent's

[groover km]

Since the US government owns all bandwith in the US and makes money by leasing it out this means more income..

Pedant Alert: "We the people" own the bandwidth, IE, the radio spectrum. Our elected representatives allocate it on our behalf (thanks guys! *cough*). The switch to digital will free up loads of the available bandwidth, hence the 'auction' between the various telcos...

...oh, and the inability to establish a single frequency for emergency services, as recommended by the 9/11 commission. Five yrs later and the problem still not addressed.