CableCard for HTPC
- Thread starter aslamma
- Start date
Monk
Active Member
Is that "cable card" a card like I have in my HD Tivo? I got a letter from Charter Cable stating they would be doing away with cable cards - In my case they are to provide a USB "Tuning adaptor" so it will continue to work, but others (Non Tivo Cable card users) have to get a cable box.
It will be interesting to see if Media Center will accept all four tuners by default or we will have to add special drivers - The ATI cable card tuner was pretty touchy about how to get it to be recognized by windows. I'll order one and add a chapter to the build your own DVR eBook.
TXFlatLander
Active Member
I am pretty sure they have to provide a CableCard as well, but the USB "adapter" may be their answer to the requirements of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. I am not sure though. I would write Charter via their correspondence address and threaten to file a complaint with the FCC if they don't give you a CableCard. I have found that you usually get better service with major issues such as that by writing. If they still decide not to, I would file the complaint and see where it goes.
They have to provide you with a CableCard. The USB Tuning adapter is used in conjunction with the cablecard to access SDV (or switched digital video) stations.
TXFlatLander
Active Member
Thanks for the explanation on what the USB adapter is for.
Monk
Active Member
The letter I received from Charter (they are going to SDV) stated I will need the tuning adapter, that it would be provided free of charge. Looking on the Tivo forums, there a quite a few complaints / problems
FaderJockey
Member
All the research I've done while thinking of migrating to TiVo seems to turn up the same results. Most cable companies seem to drag their feet in hopes you'll just give up and rent their box instead.
CableCards are not going away. It is required by law that cable operators support them. How many tuning adapters you need for the Centon will depend upon which type of tuning adapters your cable company uses. If its the Cisco tuning adapter, you need two, if its Motorola, you'll only need one, and they are almost always free from cable companies.
Also, even if your cable company is using switched video, like most are, this doesn't automatically mean you NEED a tuning adapter. Switched digital allows a cable operator to share channel slots on the cable and only broadcast channels which users actually want to watch. What this mean is that channels that few people ever watch will go the switched digital route, but the channels that almost everyone watches will NOT be on switched digital. If you also don't care about these obscure programs, you will probably never miss them. Although I have tuning adapters, I can say I have NEVER watched one of these switched digital channels, although they do work, I've tried them. So, if you can't get your tuning adapters to work, its far from the end of the world.
Also, even if your cable company is using switched video, like most are, this doesn't automatically mean you NEED a tuning adapter. Switched digital allows a cable operator to share channel slots on the cable and only broadcast channels which users actually want to watch. What this mean is that channels that few people ever watch will go the switched digital route, but the channels that almost everyone watches will NOT be on switched digital. If you also don't care about these obscure programs, you will probably never miss them. Although I have tuning adapters, I can say I have NEVER watched one of these switched digital channels, although they do work, I've tried them. So, if you can't get your tuning adapters to work, its far from the end of the world.
