digital cable tuners

[gangaskan]

i read ATI is going to have one out at the end of this month, thus not needing a digital cable box correct? are there currently any Digital Tuners that currently?

 

[nd4spdbh2]

oh ya digital tuners have been out for a while... i have a MyHD tv tuner in my comp and it has its own processor to decode digital tv... its pretty sweet.

now as for needing a cable box to decode the digital channels it depends... most cable providers provide most main channels (news channels or what not) in a digital form currently... but stuff like digital on demand or discovery HD... your not going to be able to get because thoes are encrypted digital channels.

btw... hd channels are AMAZING!

 

[gangaskan]

is it worth the investment, or should i rent the cable box?

 

[nd4spdbh2]

just rent the cable box... it will cause alot less problems.

 

[gangaskan]

thats what i was thinking, thanks for confirming that

 

[hitbyaprkedcar7]

nd4speed - How do you have your cable box hooked up to the tuner card? Do you get all the chanels you get on the cable box minues the ondemand?

 

[nd4spdbh2]

nd4speed - How do you have your cable box hooked up to the tuner card? Do you get all the chanels you get on the cable box minues the ondemand?

well where i live (ventura) timewarner has unencrypted digital brodcasting over the basic cable service... so i just have the cable directly hooked to the tuner card... but if i had say digital cable and needed a box to view certain channels i could hook the box up to the tuner card via svideo, composite, component and mabey even coxial cable it really all depends on the box.

 

[Phrenetical]

I'd warn everyone off form buying a digital cable tuner from ATI.

I was reading about there offering the other day and its just a DRM box, you cant record anything, and apparently because theres no interface between it and your PC you can hax it.


then the question i asked myself, if there is no interface to it from pc or vice versa, that means the only settigns on it are the stock standard factory ones straight outa the box, it wont be customisable in anyway.


So your paying a premium for a DRM infected paper weight just to watch cable, which you could watch on your pc anyway via s-video or composite.



stay a way from cable tuners people.