Hello.

I am building an HTPC and I have some questions about TV Tuner cards.

First, some details:

I have Cablevision IO service in NYC, and my Cable Box is Scientific Atlanta Explorer 4200HD.

What I want to be able to do:

Record or view any/most channels I'm subscribed to in both analog AND digital.

I did some research and I see many people recommending this tuner. http://www.digitalconnection.c...s [...] on7usb.asp


However I cant see a clear answer anywhere saying whether I will or will not be able to record cable only channels such as Discovery, History, Cartoon Network, etc. (yes I am subscribed to these)

Does anyone live in New York an can confirm for me?


PS: What does "unencrypted QAM" mean? Does this mean that my cable company scrambles the signal so that I CANNOT record tv programming, DESPITE me paying for these channels? Then why is it that I can record whatever I want with a simple VCR and cannot do so using a TV Tuner card?

Clear QAM refers to the Hign Definition signal that comes over the air and in unencrypted cable TV channels. You can use a TV card that supports QAM, such as the Hauppauge HVR.

A VCR cannot record all channels, some have to be first tuned in with a box (those that are encrypted). The same is true of a TV card. I use SageTV, and for awhile there, I was using a Scientific Atlanta box to tune my stations and then input that signal into my computer. The channel changing was done with a IR USB transmitter on the computer that transmitted the signal to the box.

Parts of what you can tune in confuse me also. For instance, if you get a HD tuner, does it output in Clear QAM, so you can record it? Or, is the "protected path" ecryption prevent that? Does that mean you cannot record ecrypted HDTV at all?

So, I think part of the answer is that if you want to tune in channels you cannot tune in on your TV without a cable box, the same would be true of a computer TV tuner.