Clear QAM tuner card suggestions

[colinnwn]

Hi All,

I have been unable to get a Clear QAM tuner reliably working on MythTV. Does anyone know of a good and cheap (hopefully under $50) Clear QAM tuner that reliably works with Mythbuntu, and can deal with 720p HDTV?

I have tried the following -

DVICO Fusion HDTV5 RT Lite - Spent tens of hours fiddling with. Briefly worked, but then quit.

Air2PC card - this was ATSC I discovered after the fact, but I was unable to get it working.

ATI HDTV wonder VE - This one I couldn't test because although full height PCI cards barely fit in my case, this one was about 1/16" taller than any I have, and just wouldn't fit.

At this point, I'm more than half way toward the cost of a HDHomeRun, which I would really like, but $150 is stiff. I figure I'll try once more, before I throw in the towel and wait to buy the HomeRun with Christmas bonus.

Thanks

[novellahub]

If you have any PCI-Express slots open, you could go with this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116028

My brother-in-law uses that tuner via QAM in Mythbuntu 9.04. Works out of box.

[theophile]

You might consider whether it's worth the investment. The FCC recently cleared the way for cable companies to completely eliminate clear QAM.

[colinnwn]

Thanks for the heads up. I had heard about that. But I decided to not live in fear of the day cable might (probably) eliminate clear QAM. The day they do though, will be the day I cancel. It could be a year or more I could use the card.

Some cable companies may decide to not stop clear QAM or continue to provide broadcast stations in clear QAM and only encrypt expanded basic channels that demand it, figuring the people who use clear QAM will probably cancel. Hopefully I could recoup some of the cost by selling the card on eBay for use with ATSC. Heck if I can get good enough reception, I might do it myself.

This was another reason I forgot about, but was hesitant to invest in a HDHomeRun or anything more than about $50 though.

[lumpy]

You might consider whether it's worth the investment. The FCC recently cleared the way for cable companies to completely eliminate clear QAM.

Nice to see the FCC does what it's Comcast/Time Warner masters tells it to do.

If Comcast is rolling out their cheap DTV boxes in your area they cant decrypt anything so all the channels will be clear QAM. It seems that many cable companies, in their pursuit of greatest profits are buying garbage equipment that ends up benefiting people accidentally.

[colinnwn]

If Comcast is rolling out their cheap DTV boxes in your area they cant decrypt anything
Currently in my area (Time Warner Dallas) the basic cable lineup, and maybe 25% of the expanded/digital lineup less desirable channels are clear QAM. All other channels require the current DTV boxes with robust encryption.

It is my understanding the cheap DTV boxes that some cable companies are disributing are capable of a much simpler encryption, but the cable companies have been prohibited in activating it on the basic tier due to a FCC ruling requiring clear QAM that has now been vacated. So the concern is cable companies will now turn on the simple encryption in those boxes, and there will be no recievable channels on cable for all digital TVs, and all TVs will now require a converter box.

I will not tolerate messing with other non necessary boxes attached to my TV. If TWD does this, I'll drop them like a waxed turd.

[bsntech]

Wow, surely thought this whole digital transition was supposed to be SO much better than analog!

NOPE! Now it is like either way you go, you will have to have some other kind of external box that sucks up more electric just to convert your TV through cable or satellite. The only sure-fire way to be able to use your new digital tuner in your PC or TV is through OTA reception.

Seemed like there sure was a push for all of this digital stuff including the digital tuners for the TVs and all - but either way - it sounds like you are stuck with extra crap at your entertainment center.

[colinnwn]

external box that sucks up more electric
The robust encryption cable boxes can be electric pigs, but the cheaper boxes are relatively frugal. My concern is less the electricity than the clutter and inconvenience of switching back and forth between remotes.
tuner in your PC or TV is through OTA reception.
That could happen

Seemed like there sure was a push for all of this digital stuff
The big push came from government to clear up spectrum for other uses, and make large cash auctioning the spectrum back off, and media companies who saw it as a chance to enforce broad DRM as a licensing control scheme. For the consumer the advantage was better picture. And when it works, it looks much nicer. But when it doesn't work, there's nothing to watch, as opposed to analog that degrades gracefully and can still be watchable. It was a mixed bag for OTA viewers.