what do you plug into a tv tuner?

[glorp]

whats a cable card?

What you have to get from the cable company to put into the digital tuner to decrypt their scrambled tv signals.

 

[duckycrayfish]

instead of that, could i plug it in from the cable box?

 

[duckycrayfish]

ok so if i get a tuner that can have a cablecard plug into it, i would have to call comcast and rent a cablecard from them? or could i just plug it into any tv tuner strait form the cablebox?

 

[glorp]

ok so if i get a tuner that can have a cablecard plug into it, i would have to call comcast and rent a cablecard from them? or could i just plug it into any tv tuner strait form the cablebox?

You have to rent a CableCARD from Comcast. That may not be easy but you can get it done. You buy the DCT and install/set it up at Media Center. You call Comcast and tell them you need a card. They ask a bunch of (useless) questions. They will (probably) send out a tech with a CableCARD and pair it to the tuner and then call in codes to the office to authorize it and then it should work. It's sometimes "tricky" to get them to schedule one installed by a tech though. Comcast is required by law to provide them to comsumers in CableLabs certified devices (like the tuner) but they give lots of people the run-around when you try. You often have to lie and tell them it's for a Tivo to get them to schedule a tech. Unknowledgeable CSRs sometimes tell you they don't "support" them and you can't get one for anything but Tivo.

Cable cos have STB digital outputs pretty well locked down to prevent them from being captured. You can't just run an output from a STB into a tuner. There's a device called the Hauppage HD-PVR that can capture the analog out (component) from a STB but you lose "tuning" capability that way as the computer can't tune channels directly then. In fact the HD-PVR isn't a tuner and isn't even an internal device. A STB will only output one channel at a time on component and so the STB has to act as the tuner. You have to rig up an IR blaster from the computer to the STB to change channels when you want to record. There's software that can help you do that and can schedule recordings but it's not as nice or integrated a solution as a Media Center with a digital tuner in Win7. Plus most people find that you have to dedicate one STB to the HD-PVR and then have another for live TV. That increases the Comcast rental costs.

 

[curtis1552]

You can hook a infrared out from the tuner to the cable box and use that to configure tuning, but it can also be a real PITA to get working fully.

 

[MARCI]

ok so if i get a tuner that can have a cablecard plug into it, i would have to call comcast and rent a cablecard from them? or could i just plug it into any tv tuner strait form the cablebox?

The CableCard eliminates the need for a 'box' on that line. You call comcast and rent the Cablecard, which then essentially makes the tuner replace your box. you could, theoretically use the regular tuner card, and a cable box, to make it work.

Hauppage has what they call the IR Blaster, which, as I understand it, changes the channels on the box, like a remote.

 

[duckycrayfish]

if u need to do that... then why do i see so many tuners out that dont have a cablecard input?
does renting a cablecard cost as much as the cablebox would?

 

[TollhouseFrank]

no. cablecard is much cheaper.

 

[duckycrayfish]

ok im going to get one.

 

[TollhouseFrank]

i don't know which cable/satellite provider you have, but when i worked at verizon, no matter whether it was an S-Card or M-Card (single tuner or multi-tuner), it was 5.99 per card per month. SHOULD be similar for you... but can't guarantee that.

 

[duckycrayfish]

hehe how come they make it so cheep?

 

[TollhouseFrank]

because they are cheap to make. they are basic signal decrypters. Nothing more. No advanced features, no video on demand, no programmable ability.... just a signal decryptor. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[duckycrayfish]

oh . so i need to get a tv tuner that has a PCMCIA slot, but why are their so many out that dont have one? i know that you could watch some channels without the cablecard... but most of the tuners ive seen dont have that.

 

[TollhouseFrank]

As long as the tuner has QAM capability, you'll be surprised at how many channels you'll get without a cablecard/stb (set top box). A lot of times, you'll even get the 'pay per view' channels whenever your neighbor orders them.... though that varies from cable system to cable system.


I haven't dealt with tvtuners in a pc since back before XP came out (last time i had one, i got it back in the win98 days and used it up till i jumped to WinXP... and since there was no driver support for it... just stopped using it). My knowledge of PC-based tv tuners is limited, but I do know some tricks for getting the most out of your cable service (thanks to working for cable companies in the past)

 

[duckycrayfish]

is that why i can only find 1 tuner that can have a cablecard?
i bet u learned alot well working there. alot more then i do

 

[TollhouseFrank]

all it takes is patience and being willing to make mistakes while you learn about the technology. I know just some basic tricks/tips. the good stuff? Didn't stay employed long enough to learn more than a few neat tricks/tips.

 

[duckycrayfish]

ya im just trying to minimise the mistakes. tying to get a really good computer and audio
i didnt even know verison provided tv. how good are they?

 

[TollhouseFrank]

Verizon FiOS is actually very good for tv. Expensive, but good.

ducky, mistakes help ya learn. We all made them learning about pc's. Most of us still make them every now and then.

 

[curtis1552]

I suggested that one because it is (i think) the only one that has the cable card interface. It'll give you the BEST result. You can use any tuner that supports QAM (and almost all do) but you'll just get basic decrypted channels or you'll have to hook up an IR blaster to the cable box.

QAM channels are basically any channels that you can get without any cable box at all. I'm fairly sure some TV providers, like DISH, require you to use one of their boxes and have no unencrypted signals (which kinda makes sense, then anyone with a satilite dish could get their service). I don't know of anyone with Comcast in my area, it's all Time Warner. There are some QAM channels, but none are HD/Digital, so it's basically all the crappy channels, and you can't get premium channels with just QAM either.

 

[duckycrayfish]

ya i would want a cablecard. i dont understand though... why do so many cards not use that? it kinda makes sence to...