I am downgrading from a Ceton InfiniTV 4 tuner since I recently reduced my Comcast television service... Long story, let's just say I'm quite unhappy with their customer support and billing practices and don't want to continue forking them $120 a month. So, I downgraded to "basic cable" meaning local channels, 2-13 and this includes some HD channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX). Only cost me about $3 a month on top of broadband internet service. Right now, I have the coax from the wall coming straight into the back of my Pioneer Kuro plasma, which is "digital ready" and has its own media guide, albeit quite pathetic compared to WMC. So, I would like to run that coax from the wall into the back of my HTPC and regain the ability to record occasional programs and use the better WMC interface.
So, I'm looking at cards like the Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 Hybrid TV Tuner w/ Video Recorder PCI-E x 1 but I have some questions:
* The FAQ on the Hauppauge web site says this card will not pull in HD channels... is this true?
* Comcast will soon be requiring set-top adapter boxes for basic TV service. Will this card still work when that transition occurs? (I would imaging the output from the adapter would be coax, and the adapter is simply unencrypting the channels, so I'm thinking this won't be a problem but want to get your opinion.)
* If I want to switch from WMC to a different frontend like MythTV in the future, will this card support that?
* Would it all just make more sense to request a CableCard from Comcast and continue using my InfiniTV 4?
Thanks!
So, I'm looking at cards like the Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 Hybrid TV Tuner w/ Video Recorder PCI-E x 1 but I have some questions:
* The FAQ on the Hauppauge web site says this card will not pull in HD channels... is this true?
* Comcast will soon be requiring set-top adapter boxes for basic TV service. Will this card still work when that transition occurs? (I would imaging the output from the adapter would be coax, and the adapter is simply unencrypting the channels, so I'm thinking this won't be a problem but want to get your opinion.)
* If I want to switch from WMC to a different frontend like MythTV in the future, will this card support that?
* Would it all just make more sense to request a CableCard from Comcast and continue using my InfiniTV 4?
Thanks!