EyeTV Hybrid Question Regarding High Def

[rs14smith]

Hey, for those of you who have the EyeTV Hybrid and have comcast for your cable network, in order to view HD channels in HD, do you have to buy an extra component for that to work?

I know right now for me to get HD on my TV, I have to pay for some type of box from comcast, otherwise, I just get the standard channels, and a few of the free local channels that sometimes can be viewed in HD (rare thing tho).

Thanks

 

[spincott]

EyeTV Hybrid Question Regarding High Def

I have the EyeTV Hybrid and Comcast Cable and have been able to record HD using the EyeTV 3 software.

I take the signal from the cable before it enters the cable box (HD DVR in my case). Using the auto-tune feature, a great many analog stations are identified, along with a lesser number of clearQAM stations, which include a smaller number (approx 10) of HD stations. These are the major networks, FOX, CW, some shopping stations, etc.

EyeTV3 records in its own format, and saves the programs in its own archive. It provides the ability to export this programming in a variety of other formats (I use H.264 MP4 format), to external hard drives or network locations. The quality of the recordings is dependant on what degree of HD the network is broadcasting the show in, but programs broadcasted in 1080i come through very well. Sporting events for some reason look a little odd, but I haven't been able to figure out just what's wrong. The movement looks a little choppy to me.

Not all stations that are broadcast in HD (through the cable box) are available in clearQAM from the raw cable. Some stations, like FX and SyFy, even though these are not typically thought of as pay TV (like HBO or Showtime) are actually encrypted and cannot be viewed with the EyeTV Hybrid.

Despite the limitations, there is some HD programming available at this time from COMCAST that you can receive directly to your Mac using the EyeTV Hybrid.

 

[ftaok]

Hey, for those of you who have the EyeTV Hybrid and have comcast for your cable network, in order to view HD channels in HD, do you have to buy an extra component for that to work?

I know right now for me to get HD on my TV, I have to pay for some type of box from comcast, otherwise, I just get the standard channels, and a few of the free local channels that sometimes can be viewed in HD (rare thing tho).

Thanks

It really depends on how your Comcast system is set-up. In my area (SE Penn), Comcast passes all of the local digital channels in HD (if available). For me, that means I get about 11 HD channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, MyNetwork, Ion, 3 separate PBS, Univision). Plus, Comcast passes CN8-HD, UniversalHD, and QVC-HD unencrypted.

Also, since Comcast has been clearing out the analog channels in my area, they have put all of the "extended" basic SD channels on clearQAM as well ... although I'm told that eventually, these will be encrypted.

Do you have a newish TV available? If so, it probably has a QAM tuner, so just scanning will show you what clearQAM channels you have.

Alternatively, SiliconDust has a great website tool that shows you what is available on your system via clearQAM. Here's the LINK. Just plug in your zip code and select your provider. It's not 100% accurate, but it'll show you which channels are available.