ATSC Tuner+Capture Card - Suggestions?

[joesaiditstrue]

Selling my old CRT 720p HDTV to a friend since it's too bulky to keep around, and was going to use the money to buy a decent TV Tuner+Capture card for my PC

I've got digital cable going into my home, but the room with my PC does not have the CableCo DTV/HDTV cable box, I only have one and it's hooked up to my TV in the other room

is there a card on the market that will receive the digital/hd channels coming over the coax coming into my PC room and allow me to watch these channels on my PC, or would I need to purchase a second box from the CableCo (Comcast)?

also, if there is a tuner card that would do this, would it also have an RCA-input with Component attachments allowing me to hook up a videogame console as well? i'd prefer component vs S-Video or Composite

[Mpegger]

The only channels you can get with most tuner cards, usb tuners, networked tuners, whatever, are the unencrypted channels (meaning the basic channels you could get OTA like CBS, FOX, NBC, etc) and ClearQAM channels. Depending on your cable provider, the number of ClearQAM channels available to you could be anywhere from nothing (just the basic regular CBS, FOX, etc) to a handful (literally 4-5 that *might* be of interest to you).

ATI makes a tuner that accepts a CableCard for the PC, but afaik, its only available (as another model is) only with the purchase of a brand new PC. There are talks of making it available to the general public in the near future (when, who knows), but you would still need to rent a CableCard from your cable provider (around $5 a month for most companies).

Hauppauge has recently released a HD Component In USB recorder that will work with pretty much any device that has Component outputs, and will record in HD, from 480p up to 1080i (1080p too?). Nearly all HD cable boxes have component outputs, and if by chance you do not have such a box, you can request one from your cable company.

Also, most capture cards on the market today, are hardware based, meaning they capture and encode the video on the card itself, before its even sent to the PC to save onto your hard drive. This of course introduces a small time lapse, which makes using a video game console with such capture cards useless. There will be around a 1 second delay or more, from what is inputted to the capture card to what you see on your monitor because of that. The only cards that are easily capable of being used in real time are software capture cards, but there are no software HD capture cards that I know of.

[joesaiditstrue]

thanks for the response

just curious, the tuner card I just purchased for my PC has both an ATSC tuner and an NTSC tuner, with a coax attachment for both. I am currently purchasing both a digital and an HD package from Comcast. unfortunately I only have 1 HD Receiver Box which is in my livingroom being used on my 42" LCD

however, I have the same coax that carries these digital and HD packages, going into the room with my PC that will have the tuner card

if I connect the coax to the ATSC tuner, will the card be able to decode the digital and HD channels without the need for an HD Set-top box? the description for the tuner card I purchased is as follows:

ATSC and Unencrypted "Clear" QAM Support (Digital Cable)
High Definition quality support up to 1080i/720p
Input Signal
75 Ohm Digital TV Antenna Input
75 Ohm Analog TV Antenna Input

[Mpegger]

Think of it just like a "Cable Ready" TV. You can simply use a splitter and plug a cable into both inputs. Depending on your Cable Provider though, the cannels may not be where there are supposed to be. For instance, all the channel are shifted about 10 channels upward if I plug the cable line directly into my TV or Tuner Card on my PC. If your PVR software doesnt allow you to edit the channel listings, it wont be a simple task of using your PC as a PVR because everything will be on the wrong channels.

And just like a "Cable Ready" TV, you will not get any premium channels. Again, only channels which are available in ClearQam will be viewable!!!

I repeat that message again because it seems to me your expecting to view any and every, or most of your HD channels. That will not be the case. Again, most cable providers only offer OTA (Over the air) channels that are available in HD, and nothing more via ClearQAM.

[joesaiditstrue]

so basically, my HD/DTV Receiver (STB) has something that authenticates my cable account with Comcast and that in turn allows the HD/DTV channels to be viewed with my television, does the box have something like a Cable Card in it that allows it to do this?

[mortimer]

Correct. The signal *after* the set top box could be split if you wanted.

Downside is that both receivers (TV, PC, etc) *get* to watch the same show. Changing channels from one output device probably involves shoenet (walk over and do it) as IR remotes really don't like walls.

[Mpegger]

Even the signal after the cable box will still be encrypted. So no, splitting the cable after the box will do nothing except give you the hassle (or ease if you have a capture card with a built in IR blaster) of using the cable box to switch channels.

ClearQAM = ClearQAM. Nothing more.

The regular Coaxial output on the cable box will not output anything other then ClearQAM and regular NTSC channels.

[mortimer]

At some point the signal has to be decrypted for viewing. Don't think that it's done by the TV. Split it after that point.

[Mpegger]

At some point the signal has to be decrypted for viewing. Don't think that it's done by the TV. Split it after that point.

The regular Coaxial output on the cable box will not output anything other then ClearQAM and regular NTSC channels.

There are only a few TV Encoders for the PC which have HD inputs, and most are available only for/to the media companies. I'm talking about HD capture cards which cost a couple of hundred, to a couple of thousand $ each.

The general populace only has the standard Coaxial (75-Ohm F Connector based antenna wire connection) that is used on a capture card. As I stated:

The regular Coaxial output on the cable box will not output anything other then ClearQAM and regular NTSC channels.

There are two HD capture capable consumer devices around, one of which is a CableCard interface (basically a Cable Box on a PCI card) and only available with the purchase of a entire, new pre-built PC, or the Hauppauge HD PVR, which uses Component (R-G-B) inputs to record a HD signal.

So yes, after the HD signal has been de-crypted, it will be available for capture, but not over a Coaxial connection, only through the Component Outputs (or Firewire if you really want to go deep into fustration).

[mortimer]

If you poke around here (http://www.digitalconnection.com/Default.asp) you might find something.