Tuning Digital HD Channels With a Media Center HTPC
A: HDTV is broadcast television that is produced in a clearer, higher resolution format than traditional standard definition television (SDTV). Standard analog cable television (SDTV) is in 480i format which is 480 lines of resolution, and interlaced (which means that each screen refresh only refreshes every other line, so in 480i, 240 lines are refreshed in a cycle, followed by the other 240 lines in the following cycle). Almost all HDTV is broadcast in either 720p or 1080i. 720p is progressive scan, which means that all 720 lines of resolution are refreshed in each cycle. The 1080p format that is heavily advertised by television manufacturers is limited primarily to BluRay discs.
A: The answer is generally Yes, with some caveats. First, not all TV tuner cards can record in HDTV, and not all HTPC manufacturers install tuners as standard equipment with this capability (though most do these days). Secondly, the vast majority of TV tuner cards that can record HDTV content in Windows Media Center can only do so with unencrypted HD channels via Over-The-Air ("OTA") HDTV. In the United States, the OTA HDTV standard is known as ATSC. Most digital tuner cards such as the Hauppauge HVR-1250 are only capable of recording OTA HDTV in Windows Media Center and are not capable of recording HDTV via Digital Cable/Satellite.
A: Yes. You can record Unencrypted HDTV digital cable with a
ClearQAM digital tuner card such as the AverTV Combo. ClearQAM denotes an unencrypted digital cable signal. Most cable companies do not encrypt all of their channels because of the additional bandwidth requirements of encryption. Usually, all broadcast networks are available in the 'clear' as well as channels such as ESPNHD, DiscoveryHD, FX HD, etc. Premium channels such as HBO, ESPNews, etc. are almost always encrypted. Also, viewing of ClearQAM signals is not natively supported by Windows Vista and requires special software and drivers (see the ClearQAM
FAQ). It is also possible to record
Encrypted digital cable from your HD cable box via Component Video using the Hauppage HD PVR (see below).
A: Yes. The new Hauppauge HD PVR allows for recording of 1080i/720p encrypted HDTV channels via your HD Cable Box. Ask me about recording HDTV via Component Video from your HD Cable Box or see the
Set Top Box FAQ.
A: Yes, but digital cable tuners with CableCard are extremely rare and expensive right now. Email us for more information.
A: Yes, but because of the limited availability and the spotty support for CableCard from some cable providers, we would not recommend this option at this time. As HTPC CableCard support becomes more extensive over time, we at HTPCguy will re-evaluate this situation. As an alternative, you can record HDTV from your existing HD Cable Box using the Hauppauge HD PVR (see above).