recording Comcast digital channels with MythTV

[Jarod Wilson]

On 11/15/2009 09:59 PM, James R. Van Zandt wrote:
>
> For several years, I've been running MythTV with a Hauppauge PVR-500
> dual analog tuner.  However, Comcast has been moving channels from
> analog to digital, and they've just sent a letter announcing more will
> be moving next March.  So I'm in the market for a digital tuner.
>
> I ran across the Hauppauge HVR-2250 at New Egg:
>    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116037
>    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116036
>    http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hvr2250.html
>    http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Hauppauge_HVR-2250
>
> Looks great: a dual tuner with only one cable input, handles analog or
> digital signals.  As it happens, it was also mentioned in today's
> Boston Globe (page G2).
>
> There's a Linux driver: http://www.kernellabs.com/blog/?page_id=17
>
> Unfortunately, it only handles digital so far.  So I guess I'd need
> to keep the PVR-500 after all, and another splitter.
>
> However, I think this will only handle the clear QAM signals.

Correct.

> How many channels does Comcast encrypt?

No clue about today, but from what I understand, Comcast is moving 
towards encrypting everything they can, leaving only the things that are 
mandated to be unencrypted as such -- that would be the stuff that's 
also available over the air.

> For our regular TV (separate from the MythTV setup), we have a cable
> box (Motorola model DCT700/US) which I assume decrypts and converts
> from digital to analog.

Correct.

> To record encrypted channels, I guess I could
> connect my current analog tuner downstream of the cable box.

Yeah, you can do that.

> But I think that would only give me one channel at a time, and
> necessitates double conversion (digital->analog->digital->analog).

Yep.

> What's a better solution?  E.g. another kind of set-top box that just
> decrypts?  More than one channel?

Not aware of any such things. You can mix-n-match too though. I use a 
mixture myself -- cards similar to the 2250 recording clear QAM 
channels, a PVR-250 hooked to a digital to analog terminal thingy 
(basically, a very basic cable box), and an HD-PVR hooked to the 
component outputs of my HDTV cable box. First preference is to use the 
capture cards, second is the HD-PVR, then the PVR-250.

> Are there DRM issues with the HVR-2250?

No.

> Can anyone point to a technical description of the Comcast channel
> lineup (analog, digital, HD, clear QAM, encrypted, ...) for the Nashua
> area?

Check out silicondust.com's forums and avsforum if nobody else has an 
answer here.

-- 
Jarod Wilson
jarod at wilsonet.com