In article ,
Newps wrote:
I am not aware of any cable system that allows direct hookup of digital
cable right to the back of the TV without first going thru a converter
box. It's certainly possible but I think the hangup is a lack of a
standard. So you're forced to run it thru the box first and the box
simply converts it to channel 3 or 4 if you have an analog TV.
Some cable companies do have some unencrypted digital cable channels,
but apparently they can change that at will.
from a FAQ at
www.elgato.com
3) Unencrypted digital cable - ³Clear QAM" is similar to basic cable, but in
digital form. The channels are not scrambled or blocked, but only a small
number of channels are available for viewing. Some channels may be SDTV
(standard), and some may be HDTV (high definition). Typically, networks like
NBC or FOX will be present, along with public access, shopping, local, PBS, and
perhaps some radio channels.
4) Encrypted digital cable - ³Digital Cable" is typically encrypted, or encoded
so that you need a cable box (or CableCARD) to view it. If you have 500 digital
cable channels that you receive with a cable box, then the majority of these
channels will be encrypted. A Clear QAM tuner canıt receive encrypted digital
cable; HDHomeRun canıt receive the majority of your digital cable channels.
Therefore, HDHomeRun only receives a few cable channels, those that are Clear
QAM (unencrypted). It cannot use a cable box, and it canıt receive most of your
channels. The channels it can receive vary city by city, and some channels may
be there one day, and gone in a few months. Essentially, your cable company
reserves the right to encrypt and decrypt channels at will, but usually youıll
see the networks, and some other content.
That said, Clear QAM tuners can receive HDTV content, if available. For example,
ABC may start airing HDTV content at 8PM nightly. That may be 720p or 1080i,
depending on the channel.
Clear QAM also sometimes offers more than one channel on the same frequency. In
that case, EyeTV can open up all channels on the same frequency, at the same
time (or any combination of channels on that frequency).
If you use digital cable, please be aware of the strengths and limitations of
Clear QAM tuners before purchasing HDHomeRun. You may want to contact your
cable company, to find out if any of their channels are in Clear QAM format.
You can also search the internet for such information - itıs common to find an
article or message board post from people in your same city who are already
using Clear QAM content. Unfortunately, no master list of Clear QAM service
providers is available to Elgato.
--
Bob Noel
(goodness, please trim replies!!!)