Is it possible there's no digital signal

[bad habit]

This may be a total newb question (espicially since it's coming from a newb)

I built a MCE machine and have it orking with a Hauppauge 500 card, both tuners work fine on analog. I decided I wanted more control and the server/client capabilities with Sage is great so I'm trying it out. In the mean time I've added an A180 card thinking I could tune in some of the unecrypted digital channels and/HD channels. I can not get the digital tuner to see anything. I've tried it with MCE, when I try it in Sage I get an error. I also tried WatchMyHDTV and the Avermedia app. There is no signal on anything that I can find.

I'm in Bellevue WA and have basic cable with a broadband cable modem (Comcast). There's no filter anywhere in the run back to the tap at the box outside. The cable modem is reporting a signal strength of ~+6.5db so I'm pretty sure I have good signal at the card.

Even if there's encrypted channels, wouldn't I see some indication? I'm guessing there's something in that cable, but I just can't seem to find it.

I really would rather not have to go with a STB (Comcast told me they would probably set me up with a DTC700). If I have to go with a STB, why have a digital tuner card if you have to use the composite video input. Wouldn't any capture card with composite input work as long as you tied it to the EPG and controlled the STB with a blaster or ?

[Opus4]

Currently, SageTV can only tune OTA digital signals, so you can't use it to tune HDTV via cable. You would have to use an antenna instead.

There is a discussion in this part of the forum about recording digital cable via the firewire output of a cable box, though.

And, yes, if you are using an STB, you could connect it to an analog tuner via svideo or something & then cahnge the channel via a serial connection (if available) or an IR blaster.

- Andy

[dbfresh23]

Probably worth pointing out that MCE is also unable to do this at this point. Currently to view unencrypted QAM channels you must use the application that comes with the card that supports it.

[stanger89]

Also the A180 drivers don't support digital cable.

[bad habit]

Thanks for all the replies. I was beginning to think I was nuts (well, actually I am).

Trying to figure out my whole A/V scheme for various places in the house and the best way to get the most bang for the buck and how to make it easy for the family to use (WAF!). I'm learning enough to be dangerous and picking up more and more (the hard way of course).

Bottom line is to get the digital channels, I need the STB. The option without DVR (which would be redundant with a HTPC) is the Moto DTC700 which has the most basic outputs - RF, composite video, and audio, and no serial or firewire capabilities. So I could just use the STB as an external source into the capture of one of the cards and then distribute it to the variuos TVs/PCs with MVPs or clients.

I'm not quite ready to get an HD set yet so the OTA HD stuff isn't an issue right now (no OTA at my house, we barely get sunlight there). I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it