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TV Tuner
- Thread starter jshake
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
anything that reads both digital and analog will be fine if you use windows media center it will automatically download all of your channel information and give you a guide gui just like if you have their cable box. i used a hauppage 1800? or something like that, it worked great. now i have satellite 
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2001
You will only be able to view the same HD channels you can get with a antenna via Time Warner Cable. TWC encrypts ALL HD channels except the local Over The Air channels. If it wasn't for Federal law stating that cable companies must carry local OTA channels, must be unencrypted, and available free of charge, TWC would probably encrypt them, or not even carry the channels at all. So a regular HD TV Tuner card, even if it is cable ready, will not be able to display any channel other then OTA or unencrypted (which is pretty much the channels no one watch anyway, +2 that some do).
There are however, CableCARD tuners that you can use with a Windows 7 (8?) PC that would allow you to watch even premium channels on the PC it is installed on. You just need to pay for whatever TV package lineup you want, request an appropriate CableCARD that will work with your CableCARD Tuner (dual, tri, or quad) and away you go. Renting a CableCARD is much less then what TWC would charge for a cable box.
However, and this is the worst caveat, TWC tends to mark everything with the "No Copy" flag. Meaning, that even with a CableCARD tuner in your PC, most everything via TWC will be watchable, but not recordable, which pretty much turns the DVR functionality of your PC moot. Either you watch it when it airs, or tough luck.
SiliconDust makes some really great hardware for turning your PC into a DVR, but it won't help with TWC' restrictive nature. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815345006
An alternative would be Hauppauges HD PVR 2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116089. With a cable box that has Component Video Out, you can to use the Component Video In which would allow you to record up to 1080i, even premium channels so long as you have them available with your cable box. But good luck getting a cable box that has Component Video Out. By law, when requested the cable company is supposed to provide one, but TWC gleefully ignores this.
There are however, CableCARD tuners that you can use with a Windows 7 (8?) PC that would allow you to watch even premium channels on the PC it is installed on. You just need to pay for whatever TV package lineup you want, request an appropriate CableCARD that will work with your CableCARD Tuner (dual, tri, or quad) and away you go. Renting a CableCARD is much less then what TWC would charge for a cable box.
However, and this is the worst caveat, TWC tends to mark everything with the "No Copy" flag. Meaning, that even with a CableCARD tuner in your PC, most everything via TWC will be watchable, but not recordable, which pretty much turns the DVR functionality of your PC moot. Either you watch it when it airs, or tough luck.
SiliconDust makes some really great hardware for turning your PC into a DVR, but it won't help with TWC' restrictive nature. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815345006
An alternative would be Hauppauges HD PVR 2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116089. With a cable box that has Component Video Out, you can to use the Component Video In which would allow you to record up to 1080i, even premium channels so long as you have them available with your cable box. But good luck getting a cable box that has Component Video Out. By law, when requested the cable company is supposed to provide one, but TWC gleefully ignores this.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
Sorry to hijack, but you're saying, even if I get a cablecard tuner (like this one), with TWC, it's not possible to use an HTPC as a DVR?
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2008
- Location
- Central Oklahoma
I am using this setup with my DirectTV, I bought the HDMI to component converter from monoprice because my box only had HDMI out. It works pretty good. I also have a HDMI splitter so I can have my TV hooked up as well. It looks like the one you linked uses HDMI, so no converter would be needed. This is the one I am running currently http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116030.
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2001
You'll have to look into it as it differs from market to market, but from everything I've read on it, TWC flags almost everything on their HD streams with the "No Copy" bit, which prevents even a CableCARD tuner from functioning as a DVR because you wouldn't be able to "record" anything. Other companies, like Verizon and their FiOS cable service, do not flag the streams with the "No Copy" bit, so you would have no trouble with DVR functionality on their cable system.
It's one of the reasons I haven't bothered with cable TV through TWC for my 6 tuner DVR server, since it's currently the only service available here till Verizon gets off their lazy butts and finally rolls out FiOS, which they had promised would be here back in 2010...
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
That sucks; stupid TWC. I'd drop them to if there were a better option. ATT Uverse just came to our address, but after the first year (when it's priced comparably), it jumps $61. Yea, sorry, I think I'll pass.
Come oooooon Verizon!
Come oooooon Verizon!
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
we do not condone piracy, or drm breaking, or any other illegal activities.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
If you're on twc and the no copy flagging is confirmed, go with cablebox/hd-pvr as mentioned by Mpegger. Another option I'd recommend is spending ~$45 on a killer OTA antenna (check tvfool to see which channels you can expect to receive at your address) and feed it into your pc (using one of the hauppauge tuners) or network tuner (silicondust hdhomerun). The picture quality of OTA HD is far and away superior to the same channels via cable and, best of all, after setup costs OTA is 100% free.
OP
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2012
- Thread Starter
- #13
My question is , I just received a Cable Card and TV Adapter from TWC. I will be buying the Home Run Prime TV Tuner. They sent no instructions and tech. support was useless.
Is the way this should be run is , Run a cable splitter from the wall. On one leg run to Cable modem. On the other leg , Run to the TV Adapter and then to TV tuner and then to computer.
Is the way this should be run is , Run a cable splitter from the wall. On one leg run to Cable modem. On the other leg , Run to the TV Adapter and then to TV tuner and then to computer.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
I'm not sure what a TV Adapter is, could you clarify?
When splitting the signal, FYI, make sure you're using the type of filter TWC supplies and not some cheapo splitter from radio shack. You need at least a 1GHz (1000 MHz) splitter for it to maintain signal integrity. IIRC, TWC will give you a splitter for free.
When splitting the signal, FYI, make sure you're using the type of filter TWC supplies and not some cheapo splitter from radio shack. You need at least a 1GHz (1000 MHz) splitter for it to maintain signal integrity. IIRC, TWC will give you a splitter for free.
OP
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2012
- Thread Starter
- #15
I think I mis spoke , It is called a tuning adapter and this is what TWC explains what it is.
A Tuning Adapter is an external box that connects to a CableCARD equipped retail device, such as a TiVo HD DVR. It enables the device to view switched digital video channels. Other CableCARD retail devices that are not compatible with the Tuning Adapter require a Time Warner Cable digital converter in order to view “switched” channels.
A Tuning Adapter is an external box that connects to a CableCARD equipped retail device, such as a TiVo HD DVR. It enables the device to view switched digital video channels. Other CableCARD retail devices that are not compatible with the Tuning Adapter require a Time Warner Cable digital converter in order to view “switched” channels.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
Ahh yes, I had heard about the tuning adapter before, just forgot what it was called. If you wanted to be a case study, would you be so kind as to do us all a big favor and check to see whether you can record TWC shows DVR-style? It would be much appreciated!
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2013
The best and unquestionably legal solution to DRM? Boycott it. Go OTA and find your setup paying for itself in a rather short time. If you need to, get Netflix or something for the stuff that isn't available OTA. (That does have its own DRM, but at least it's not as annoying...) The DRM-free purist should stick to OTA and YouTube. There's more (legal) content online than you'll have time to ever watch.
