Comcast into Hauppauge WinTV capture card?

[cjbojrab]

I am in Chicago ... Comcast Elmhurst to be exact

How can I tell if Comcast has any Clear QAM channels that I can tune with my WinTV capture card? Also, which lineup should I be using? I'm guessing the Digital broadcast lineup.

Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[Tiki]

Silicon Dust (maker of HDHomerun products) has a tool on its website that tracks which channels are available via QAM cable and OTA antenna. Just type in your zipcode. Link is here:
http://www.silicondust.com/support/channels/

[hemicuda]

Or if you have a QAM capable TV....

[cjbojrab]

I tried the silicondust site at this link:

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun...p_web/US:60304

There are 9 lists for comcast. Why? Which one is correct?

Also, I cannot find a channel lineup on sage to match this list.

For example: 81-1 does match up to CBS, but it definitely looks like HD to me and not standard. Is this really WBBMDT now? And I cannot find 116-1 in any list now. Are these lists old and need to be refreshed?

Thanks,
Chris

[hemicuda]

They can be a bit outdated. I think there's a method to have the HDHR send data to the Silicone Dust servers regarding your scanned lineup. I've submitted stuff to them before, but that was 4-5yrs ago before Comcast locked down everything but locals here.

[cjbojrab]

so 81-1 is definitely an SD channel for CBS. Silicondust says 116-1 is the HD channel. But I can't find that channel in any guide. Is there a way to just enter the channel manually to test it or add it to the guide manually?

[PiX64]

I am in plano illinois, and no longer use Comcast ClearQAM since the OTA HD signal is significantly better.
Comcast as of last year switched to a super limited amount of unencrypted clear qam channels. you will get your locals and maybe a few others. the 1 - 99 channels that is their "basic" cable is now only decryptable (if thats a word) by one of their digital converter boxes, or their STBs

[PiX64]

Originally Posted by cjbojrab

so 81-1 is definitely an SD channel for CBS. Silicondust says 116-1 is the HD channel. But I can't find that channel in any guide. Is there a way to just enter the channel manually to test it or add it to the guide manually?

Comcast CBS HD is a bear. It constantly tears, and pixelates to the point that you will want to throw your remote at the TV. Seriously better off doing a free OTA solution and use the silicondust to capture the OTA content. you will get all and a few more channels than you get with COMCAST Clear Qam, and will be much happier with the end product.

in case you are interested here is a thread to get you started

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48146

[cjbojrab]

Just curious what antenna you guys are using for OTA. I have a Terk antenna and it is on the main floor of my house (inside) and the signal is mostly weak and fluctuates quite frequently. In my old house, I had it in the attic and it worked quite well, but I haven't had the opportunity to route the cable from the attic to my computer room in my new house and the OTA signal is somewhat weak. Any ideas?

[egeller]

Originally Posted by cjbojrab

I am in Chicago ... Comcast Elmhurst to be exact

How can I tell if Comcast has any Clear QAM channels that I can tune with my WinTV capture card? Also, which lineup should I be using? I'm guessing the Digital broadcast lineup.

Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Unfortunately I do not have the capture card mentioned. However, I have Comcast near Philadelphia and have had an HDHR for several years. Comcast sends more than 80 channels unencrypted in my system (SD and HD) and I am currently mapping 28 of them. The unmapped ones are the SD versions where there's also an HD version, as well as channel I am not interested in.

Depending on the Silicondust web site as an authoritative source is not wise. I take it as more of a suggestion. The HDHR software lets you go through and examine the line up, edit the logical channel numbers and the channel names before applying it. I find that I need to spend an hour doing this each time Comcast changes their physical channel mapping - which they did just yesterday. It was the largest remapping that I have seen them do.

If the capture card supports Sage scanning for available channels, then examining them and editing them, then that's the path I'd be inclined to take. I admit that sometimes figuring things out is a challenge.

By the way, yes, it's the Digital Broadcast lineup that you start with. As the available channel list is so reduced, I do not use the lineup itself, but rather a copy of it that I maintain. I use the official digital lineup for the HDPVR tuners.

[KryptoNyte]

I also have to remap a couple channels here and there every 6 to 18 months. I finally created an excel spreadsheet, which I can't seem to find at the moment, to keep track of everything that I forget in between remaps.

[Tiki]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

I also have to remap a couple channels here and there every 6 to 18 months. I finally created an excel spreadsheet, which I can't seem to find at the moment, to keep track of everything that I forget in between remaps.

Perhaps you need a spreadsheet to keep track of your spreadsheets?

[PiX64]

Originally Posted by cjbojrab

Just curious what antenna you guys are using for OTA. I have a Terk antenna and it is on the main floor of my house (inside) and the signal is mostly weak and fluctuates quite frequently. In my old house, I had it in the attic and it worked quite well, but I haven't had the opportunity to route the cable from the attic to my computer room in my new house and the OTA signal is somewhat weak. Any ideas?

I made one for super cheap. check the link i originally posted that has the thread, links to videos, etc.