comcast encrypts everything

[bnh]

i recently decided to get a hauppauge 2250, since i wasn't sure what the time frame was for my local comcast provider. that tuner can do dual analog/digital/atsc, so, i felt it was a better investment in the short term, until i knew what the plan was. however, not knowing the plan, still irks me.

for awhile in the past, i went without any cable/sat plan, and surprisingly we lived! now that we're back on, i'm wondering where my cutoff point is, especially as channels keep changing frequencies, and the prospect of not capturing the content without stb's.

[Ryokurin]

Originally Posted by robmarch

cartoon network was my first casualty.

I'm not counting on most of the channels moving to clear qam.

It's worth their while to open up as many as possible, otherwise they will have to furnish thousands of tuners for sets that they really don't have to. As I mentioned earlier, at least in Atlanta, they opened up at least 80% of basic cable's channels here, except for the HD versions (Probably because they can then charge you $10 more for them) The others will probably come once they move DOCSIS 3 and start disabling more analog channels. I imagine they will do similar elsewhere.

[hemicuda]

A friend in the next neighborhood has already received his 3 DTA boxes. I have yet to be officially notified by Comcast that they're even being made available. Curious thing though, IF the DTA boxes are just clear-QAM adapters why would he need to have Comcast authorize the units before they'd work? A tech I spoke too (take this with a big grain of salt) about another issue I'm having indicated that the DTA's do have decryption capability. If that's the case, how long before they start locking down everything but a 'lifeline' package.

I'll be switching to one of the dish services + OTA if Comcast lives up to their track record. If I'm going to need a STB ($15ea for HD + a PVR) for every tuner there's no reason to stay w/ them except for internet. I'd dump that too in favor of a mobile broadband card if it weren't for the 5GB cap on those.

[egeller]

Originally Posted by Tiki

So, basically, I gained HD versions of the local channels and lost about 50-60 basic cable channels unless I use a converter box.

My experience, here in Philly's western burbs, was the same.

However, having heard about the switch I've been doing periodic scans using the HDHR software. April's scan showed that all of the channels from 2 - 99, plus the local HD channels are now found as unencrypted QAM. Instead of 20 HDHR channels, I now have between 50 and 60 (not interested in all of them).

It's been great, as the picture seems to be a lot better.

Maybe if you give it time, you'll see the switch.

[sojourner753]

I am a Comcast Digital Cable subscriber in Mont. County MD and I'm still trying to figure out how to modify my setup.

I just recently picked up the Hauppauge HD-PVR but haven't hooked it up yet.
My current set up is running with a Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 500 MCE. All of the other details are listed below in my signature.

Should I be grabbing OTA as well?
I read somewhere that Comcast will rent me CableCards. Should I be investing in one or more of those?

[nyplayer]

I would assume that they have to be activated... since they are being given free to all comcast users 1 per analog set... so that you will not be able to give them away.

Originally Posted by hemicuda

A friend in the next neighborhood has already received his 3 DTA boxes. I have yet to be officially notified by Comcast that they're even being made available. Curious thing though, IF the DTA boxes are just clear-QAM adapters why would he need to have Comcast authorize the units before they'd work? A tech I spoke too (take this with a big grain of salt) about another issue I'm having indicated that the DTA's do have decryption capability. If that's the case, how long before they start locking down everything but a 'lifeline' package.

I'll be switching to one of the dish services + OTA if Comcast lives up to their track record. If I'm going to need a STB ($15ea for HD + a PVR) for every tuner there's no reason to stay w/ them except for internet. I'd dump that too in favor of a mobile broadband card if it weren't for the 5GB cap on those.

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by sojourner753

I am a Comcast Digital Cable subscriber in Mont. County MD and I'm still trying to figure out how to modify my setup.

Small world. I'm in Rockville too.

Should I be grabbing OTA as well?

The OTA signal should be pretty good. I have a friend that gets a pretty good signal up in Gaithersburg. I think all or most of the broadcast towers are in/near Tenleytown, so we're a bit closer. I've been in an apartment out here, so I've had a hard time getting a decent OTA signal. So, I record broadcast channels off clear QAM. That is, I have a HVR-1600 digital tuner plugged into my Comcast cable connection, which lets me record the major network channels.

I read somewhere that Comcast will rent me CableCards. Should I be investing in one or more of those?

There's no way to use cable cards with Sage. But, an alternative to using the HD-PVR is to get a firewire equipped HD cable box, like the DCT6200, and record off of that. You don't even need a tuner/capture card per se, just a free firewire port. The setup is a bit difficult though.

[stevech]

If/when my cable co. starts to force the switch away from analog on cable (as I now have), how will I get Guide program schedule data for Sage? Will there be weeks/months of no (or inaccurate) guide data in Sage for the clear QAM channels? For the simulcast analog?

[jhkoenig]

It has been my experience through this nightmare that the guide data is right, just the tuning required to record something from the guide will change without warning. So Sage's idea of how to tune CBS will suddenly be wrong.

Further, if you use HDHR's (a wonderful product, overall) you will be correcting the station names EVERY TIME you rescan. Their setup utility doesn't remember that you changed ANIMAL to APL, so two or three times a week you get to correct the dozen or so errors in the station IDs. They say that this will be corrected in a future release.

[johnwmreed]

I live in Los Altos, CA. Comcast is currently switching channels from Analog to digital. I have a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600. In my Sage Video Source Setup I have Hauppauge WinTV 418 Video Capture TV Tuner: Comcast Los Altos where I now have access to about 30 analog channels. The other source available is Hauppauge WinTV 418 TS Capture which I assume is for the clear QAM channels? However, no channels are showing up when I try to add this video capture device.

Does this mean that Comcast hasn't gotten around to adding these channels as clear QAM?

Or am I doing something wrong?

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by johnwmreed

The other source available is Hauppauge WinTV 418 TS Capture which I assume is for the clear QAM channels? However, no channels are showing up when I try to add this video capture device.

I'm not sure what you did to try to set it up, but the process for adding QAM channels is much more complicated than the normal tuner setup for analog channels (or even the channel setup for tuning channels on an STB).

First, after you add the 418 TS Capture tuner source you click through and select the digital cable option, you'll come to the channel list screen with no channels selected. One of the options on that screen will be to scan for channels. Select it, and wait the ~30 minutes it will take to scan. Once that's done, you'll probably have ~30-40 channels appearing in your list (denoted by green dots). But, they'll be in sort of random spots throughout the list. Most won't have any information associated with them (that is, it won't say a particular channel is, say, your local NBC affiliate). And, even the ones that do probably won't be correct. So, you have select one of the channels with the green, click on view to watch it for a while until you figure out what station it is, then you click on REMAP, select "MAP Different Station to this Physical Channel" and then select the station you determined it is. There are often digital versions of channels. So, local Fox affiliate is WTTG. When I remap the HD version of WTTG, I find the digital version of that station in the list of possible stations, which is WTTG-DT. In some cases, usually for expanded basic cable channels if you're lucky enough to get those in HD via QAM, it might be something like TNT-HD or TNTHD instead.

At first the channel number will be pretty goofy. You can click on remap again and change the logical channel number. That's the number you'd hit on your remote to watch that channel (and its where the channel appears your guide). I remap my local broadcast channels by prepending a 9 to them. So, if the standard definition version of the channel is 26, I'd remap the HD version to 926.

Also, keep in mind the majority of the channels that appear after doing a QAM scan won't actually be anything useful. Some will be on-demand things that your neighbors are watching. They'll work at long as your neighbor is watching the movie/show, but will stop working shortly thereafter. So, deselect those channels from your list. Also, you'll get a bunch of music channels appearing. I'm not sure they even work anyway, so deselect those too.

[johnwmreed]

Great - perfect post! The good news is I have a pot full of channels. Now I need to find what is useful and which ones to remap.

Thanks.

[Slipshod]

Originally Posted by jhkoenig

It has been my experience through this nightmare that the guide data is right, just the tuning required to record something from the guide will change without warning. So Sage's idea of how to tune CBS will suddenly be wrong.

Further, if you use HDHR's (a wonderful product, overall) you will be correcting the station names EVERY TIME you rescan. Their setup utility doesn't remember that you changed ANIMAL to APL, so two or three times a week you get to correct the dozen or so errors in the station IDs. They say that this will be corrected in a future release.

They're working on improving the rescan process. Here's a thread from the Sage forum on Silicon Dust's website talking about upcoming betas improving the scanning process:

http://www.silicondust.com/forum/vie...6b0888b3e0a258

[Ryokurin]

Originally Posted by johnwmreed

I live in Los Altos, CA. Comcast is currently switching channels from Analog to digital. I have a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600. In my Sage Video Source Setup I have Hauppauge WinTV 418 Video Capture TV Tuner: Comcast Los Altos where I now have access to about 30 analog channels. The other source available is Hauppauge WinTV 418 TS Capture which I assume is for the clear QAM channels? However, no channels are showing up when I try to add this video capture device.

Does this mean that Comcast hasn't gotten around to adding these channels as clear QAM?

Or am I doing something wrong?

There are some versions of the 1600 out that do not support QAM. Typically they are the OEM versions, or the ones specifically meant for windows media center. You'll have to check the hauppauge site for details on how to determine if your card supports it or not.

Another thing to check is to make sure that you are not running the cable through a amplifier as itaffected the amount of channels available in my situation. (There is a such thing as too much information in digital signals) Basically I put a splitter ahead of my amplifier for my 1600s and I picked up all 80 channels in my area.

[Ericft]

can anyone confirm that they are able to record hd channels (local and some higher station numbers) via the hdhomerun with comcast without plugging in their converter boxes? i need to know as i just found out from comcast customer service that converter boxes are mandatory. does that mean that hdtv with qam tuner (like hdhomerun) can't see that stations?

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by Ericft

can anyone confirm that they are able to record hd channels (local and some higher station numbers) via the hdhomerun with comcast without plugging in their converter boxes? i need to know as i just found out from comcast customer service that converter boxes are mandatory. does that mean that hdtv with qam tuner (like hdhomerun) can't see that stations?

I use Comcast. Right now I have an HD cable box, but I didn't 6 months ago and I was still able to record high-definition QAM channels with my HVR-1600.

They haven't done the digital transition in my area, but that shouldn't matter. Keep in mind that although people are reporting that they are able to record the expanded basic channel lineup over QAM in the areas that have transitioned, they are only able to record standard definition versions of those channels. The network channels should be available over unencrypted QAM in HD though.

[jhkoenig]

I live in the post-digital-transition S.F. bay area. I can record all of the major networks, plus everything that used to be on basic (analog) cable on my HDHRs. Better picture quality, even though its still SD in the case of the non ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX stations.

[johnwmreed]

Originally Posted by jhkoenig

I live in the post-digital-transition S.F. bay area. I can record all of the major networks, plus everything that used to be on basic (analog) cable on my HDHRs. Better picture quality, even though its still SD in the case of the non ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX stations.

I am able to get a lot of qam channels with my Hauppauge WinTV 418 TS Capture source, but not all the HD channels that Comcast transmits to the old analog TVs that are converted with their cheapo DC50X boxes. It is a real mess to sort out and identify the logical channels that correspond to the TV guide.

I don't get MSNBC which is the one I really want. However Comcast still doesn't transmit all the HD channels that can be received by my HDTV - now August 20th is the date we are now promised. I am hoping when that occurs they also will transmit a qam version of MSNBC

[hemicuda]

Originally Posted by Ericft

... as i just found out from comcast customer service that converter boxes are mandatory. does that mean that hdtv with qam tuner (like hdhomerun) can't see that stations?

The Comcast customer no-service phone-drones usually don't have a clue other than what their play-book tells them. Basically, from what I've gathered, if that little POS converter will tune it, a QAM TV/Tuner can get it. On top of that I think there's a requirement to broadcast the locals in clear-QAM.

Now if they ever force an "upgrade" from the DTA to a real STB it may be the end of QAM tuners as we know them.

[johnwmreed]

Originally Posted by hemicuda

Basically, from what I've gathered, if that little POS converter will tune it, a QAM TV/Tuner can get it.

I generally agree with this statement. However, I can not find a QAM channel for MSNBC at this time.