HVR1600, QAM and sdignal strength, quality

[tonyimp]

Yet another guy trying to squeeze a QAM signal out of a comcast feed. I was just wondering. Are there any thresholds for QAM signal strength and or quality? The GBPVR tells me I have channels at anywhere from 1000 to 3000 strength, adn the quality may be in the 70s or 80s for some cahnnels. Is there a target that I am shooting for?

Thanks all -
Tony

[tonyimp]

Never mind! It seems like I am barking up the wrong tree.
As I read more and more, I am guessing that the HVR1600, in theory, can pull in clear QAM, but not in practice. The clear QAM driver upgrade for HVR1600 seem especially useless to those of us Comcast.
I got clear QAM working on my HDHomerun. Using the HDHR, at least I can see clear QAM (and record it). Now if I could only get the channel changer to work!!!
So to sum up - HVR1600 is a good car, because it is similar to the MCE150 and can pick up OTA. However, for clear QAM, it is not a robust solution. (in case anyone else searcehs this).
Sub - 1.3.7 looks great. As I learn more and more about your program, the more impressed I become. The modular, forward looking approach is flexible and impressive. Thanks

[pcostanza]

I too am having trouble with the 1600 and QAM in GBPVR. So far, with some tweaking, I got it to work in Vista with TVPack.

[donschjr]

Never mind! It seems like I am barking up the wrong tree.
As I read more and more, I am guessing that the HVR1600, in theory, can pull in clear QAM, but not in practice. The clear QAM driver upgrade for HVR1600 seem especially useless to those of us Comcast.

I have clear qam working with both my 1600's on comcast.:confused:

[pcostanza]

I have clear qam working with both my 1600's on comcast.:confused:

Got a secret you'd like to share? My ATI 650 finds the files but locks up after mapping. In the same system, the 1600 finds nothing. I thought it might be either my ISP or signal strength but my DCT's pick up QAM though not as many channels as I would like.

[tonyimp]

ditto - I will gladly pay you tuesday for an HVR secret today...What MUX are you using? In what geography do you live? I could not even get it working in WINTV, which is supposed to have e amore liberal signal screening process.
Comcast in the Philadelphia region is reliable but not high quality. I am a satisfied Comcast customer because ISP and Cable always works, but I can tell the signal is weak. As I mentioned, the HVR said it was finding, but not locking signals, with a strength of 2000 +/- and a quality of 80 +/-. As the channel changed during scan, the signal and quality changed, so I was pretty sure the card was receiving the channel change message.
I tried using a 4 way signal amplifier that I bought at Radio Shack. It amplifies and splits into four outputs. It helped me capture a signal with the HDHR. To create the purest signal, I removed all splitters, and coupled the coax connection in my basement with a single coupler and installed the amp directly onto the HVR1600. I even terminated the other coax output s on the amp. At one point signal strength was going negative, so I think I may have been over driving the tuner. In general, as I increased gain, signal strength increased, but quality did not change.
I changed the MUX to TS Mux; it sped up the scan and really helped me grab HDHR channels.
That is all I can add with respect to the HVR1600. The SD/Analog side is reliable, as advertised. Maybe OTA HD is good, but HDHR works for the same QAM signal, so that is how I will proceed. 20 hrs of troubleshooting time is about my limit for adding new functionality. The wife and kids lose patience.

[pcostanza]

I really don't know how much signal strength plays into things with QAM. Last night I was searching thru some channels in Vista Media Center with the 1600 and some strange things were happening. I would get a channel very clear with no breakup but after a few minutes, it would just go out. Sometimes not to come back. A few channels did this. Then I saw one channel that was going in fast forward. I never was able to find out what any of these stations are and Silicon's zip code is only partially correct for me (a close by zip code is more accurate).
I'm wondering if what I was watching (all movies) might not just be a ON Demand channel. I'm told that some of these frequencies are used only when needed and maybe that's what I was seeing. I may be way out of line but when any of the movies ended, the screen went black and that was that. Nothing else came on nor did I get a 'no signal' message which MC is apt to do.

[donschjr]

I am on Lancaster, Pa comcast. I did nothing special just ran the scan and mapped the channels. I'm having problems with the hd stuff right now but that's a codec problem (i receive them fine but have stuttering which devoloped a couple months ago) that a fresh XP install will fix but all the standard def digital stuff is great. One thing I did do was split my cable where it comes in the house and run it through an adjustable amp from radio shack to boost the signal to my tv' and tuners. I use DVR-MS mux.

[donschjr]

ttached a copy of my scan cache, don't know if it will help or not.

[tonyimp]

pcostanza - you may be eaves dropping (spelling?) on someone else's video on demand. It seems that Comcast sends the VOD on an ad hoc signal (typcially in the 83-x to 85-x) range as the program is selected.
So here is what I think happens.. Lets say it is Sunday night, at around 9:30 pm. My neighbor decides that he wants to watch the series finale teh Sopranos. He uses his Comcast box to 'buy' the program. Comcast tunes his box to something like 84-03, and then sends out the a signal for the Sopranos out to 84-03. On exactly that same night, Tony and his wife are bummed because they are too cheap to buy HBO. However, Tony is playing with his new TV, scanning for clear QAM, and runs across the Series Finale on some random channel, 84-03. Hot dog!!! Make some popcorn, we are watching the finale!
Further, lets say that our purchaser decides he wants to pause the show, so he hits pause. Comcast broadcasts a paused view of the program, and waits until he contunes watching. Here is the very funny part. Lets say that the purchaser decides that he likes to re-watch the scenes from the Bada-bing (with womens boobies flashing across the screen). Tony and his wife are treated to that scene over, and over again. They laugh and laugh, decide that the boobies are real, and try and decide if it is the bachelor across the street who is renting the program...
I am not sure if this is technically how it works, but I know how the series ends, and I don't get HBO! Happy hunting.