The future of HTPC after analog shutoff

[ajd344]

Most HTPC builders use basic (analog) cable with their tuner cards. But the fate of basic cable after analog shutoff in Feb 09 is not entirely known. Local channels will continue to be broadcasted over basic cable, but you may need to buy digital cable (with the box) to get the rest of your channels (like cnn, courttv, history, etc). Then HTPC builders will be stuck using crude IR blasters, and by then it would probably be easier just to rent a DVR from the cable company.

What are your thoughts?

[whurlston]

What are your thoughts?

We'll find a way. We always do.

[Ted the Penguin]

convergence!

it was the first thought that came to my head.

even though it may be a little easier to get a DVR, alot of people are working towards digital convergence. and only want one thing to watch TV, recordings, videos, and DVDs, as well as checking the cinema listings and weather etc etc.

and there is always the option of upgrading to something with a QAM tuner, which will take care of decoding the digital signal

[scb147]

I was actually wondering this myself the other day when someone asked me about my HTPC. I told them I only had analog cable, which it works great with. But I wasn't sure how I could use my HTPC without using a digital box and an IR Blaster.

The whole digital cable, QAM thing is new to me, so can someone maybe spell this out on how we can just use a card (like the WinTV-PVR-150) in our HTPCs and get digital channels? Or is this not possible yet?

[pastro]

I was actually wondering this myself the other day when someone asked me about my HTPC. I told them I only had analog cable, which it works great with. But I wasn't sure how I could use my HTPC without using a digital box and an IR Blaster.

The whole digital cable, QAM thing is new to me, so can someone maybe spell this out on how we can just use a card (like the WinTV-PVR-150) in our HTPCs and get digital channels? Or is this not possible yet?

You can't use a PVR150 to directly get digital channels. You can use it on the svideo output of your cable box. You then use an IR blaster to change channels on the cable box.
To directly get digital cable channels, you need a card capable of receiving QAM channels. To get over the air (OTA) channels in North America, you need a card capable of receiving ATSC. These cards are becoming more common now.

Once you have a card capable of receiving QAM there is a second problem with encrypted channels. For that you need a cable card which as far as I know, there aren't any capture cards that support this hardware yet.

[scb147]

So as of Feb 09, the analog channels I get now will go to digital, but with a ATSC/QAM digital tuner card, I should be able to get them like I do now? And if I want the channels that are currently pay digital, I'd have to get some sort of tuner that supports a CableCard or a cable box to decrypt the pay channels?

[pastro]

So as of Feb 09, the analog channels I get now will go to digital, but with a ATSC/QAM digital tuner card, I should be able to get them like I do now? And if I want the channels that are currently pay digital, I'd have to get some sort of tuner that supports a CableCard or a cable box to decrypt the pay channels?

That sounds about right. It may be that the normal channels will be encrypted at some point too. For now I think the only ones are the pay channels.
Also the cable card tuners will exist. It's just a question of whether you have to buy them with a machine or something crazy like that.

[ajd344]

Well, I mean some people think that cable companies will continue to offer analog cable for a while, and slowly transition over to digital. And then, some people think that only local channels will be broadcasted over analog (because to bring you the program over analog, it would have to be downconverted to SD, which networks and the gov dont want).

Well, its gonna suck having to buy another TV tuner card, but I'd rather do that than rent a box and use an IR blaster.

Does anyone know if cable companies will broadcast unercypted basic cable channels over QAM? Are the cablecards just for Premium channels (like hbo), or are they for all channels (like courttv, mtv, etc)?

[Ted the Penguin]

ok, so, the government does not care about cable using analog stations, because they dont actually use the airwaves.

cable companies HAVE to transmit all local channels in the clear, so there will always be some clear QAM out there.

there are capture cards that support cable cards, however, you can only get them by buying a PC with them installed, and vista. as the entire system has to get the cablelabs certification. also, they have been a pain in the @$$ to set up, there are some great horror stories out there.
it is unknown whether we will be able to use those capture cards with GB-PVR, but my guess is we wont, at least not without some serious work by sub

[bdgbill]

Most HTPC builders use basic (analog) cable with their tuner cards. But the fate of basic cable after analog shutoff in Feb 09 is not entirely known. Local channels will continue to be broadcasted over basic cable, but you may need to buy digital cable (with the box) to get the rest of your channels (like cnn, courttv, history, etc). Then HTPC builders will be stuck using crude IR blasters, and by then it would probably be easier just to rent a DVR from the cable company.

What are your thoughts?

I have been using an IR blaster since the beggining and it works fine for me. I only have one capture source. It gets much more complicated if you want multiple capture sources. You would need a dedicated STB for each source and (I think) a different IR blaster system for each STB.

Sub has said you can only have one instance of "haupblast.exe" running. This means you can only use the PVR 150 blaster with a single card. You could use USBuirt or HIP for the second box. Not sure how you could control a 3rd or 4th box.

I have no plans to add additional capture sources. Here in Canada it seems that just about everything is aired multiple times on the same day, plus I have east and west coast network feeds for the primetime stuff.