Comments on: Windows Media Center Connector and Recording TV to Windows Home Server on a Friday night

By: Installing a CableCARD™ Digital Cable Tuner with the new Digital Cable Advisor on a Friday night | Using Windows Home Server

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:26:32 +0000

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By: Timothy Daleo

Timothy Daleo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:40:24 +0000

Thank you for the comment. Since the release of Windows 7, the Digital Cable Advisor has since made the requirement for OCUR compliant computers obsolete for WMC.

Check out some of my later articles for how Windows 7 opened up CableCARD.

Do you have a multi-stream CableCARD in your ATI?

By: Joshua

Joshua — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:32:20 +0000

A generic PID for digital cable support does exist, just search for it. There are also motherboards with the OCUR tables built in. If you look at the green button forums there are instructions for rolling your own HD WMC PC. I have done it myself with two external ATI HD wonder cablecard tuners and can confirm it does in fact work.

By: Timothy Daleo

Timothy Daleo — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:49:40 +0000

Not all cable companies offer the channels in the same way. When I try and “Edit Channels” in the guide I only get 2-99 and 6 “9000″ channels. I am adding the DCT today so hopefully I will be set!

By: myxobolus

myxobolus — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:27:01 +0000

I think I read somewhere that you will need to go into the guide settings of WMC in Windows 7 (assuming you have that installed by now) in order to add the clear QAM channels. They may not appear automatically as the standard def channels do

By: click1

click1 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:58:46 +0000

Have just read about a cable tuner for cable from ceton with 2,4,or 6 tuners !!!.

Coming 2010.

http://www.cetoncorp.com/ProductsWMC.php

Hope this comes to Norway as well….

By: Timothy Daleo

Timothy Daleo — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:14:08 +0000

When the PC is connected to the coax I get SyFY, NBC, ABC, Discovery etc but none of the channels are in HD. It is the same signal when I connect the coax directly to my HD TV in the garage. No HD. I can only get HD channels with their receiver.

HD with OTA signal is great!

Tim

Still waiting for someone to confirm that CableCard is supported in Windows 7 WMC so I can put all of this behind me and just splurge on the ATI tuner.

By: psiu

psiu — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:38:53 +0000

Charter should be also be passing through your locals in HD clear-QAM. We have Comcast and get some extra basic channels in clear-QAM (but not HD) though they will be getting around to encrypting those all shortly I’m sure. Cable co’s are still required to pass the locals INCLUDING the HD broadcasts though.

At least until their lobbyist dollars get that removed. In which case I take my HDHomerun out of the basement and pitch it at a politicians head. Or go back to antenna and the limitations there.

By: Timothy Daleo

Timothy Daleo — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:55:22 +0000

I just got home from Costco with my $124.99 three pack of Windows 7. I have high hopes but have STILL not found confirmation that this general release will support CableCard.

I know I can use the OCUR utility to adjust the BIOS but I am not going to spend $260 for the tuner unless I know for sure it will work!

I also read that Hauppauge might release a CableCard tuner by the end of the year. Will it be as expensive?

What ever shall we do?

By: Scott Chatten

Scott Chatten — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:15:00 +0000

Tim, thanks for asking all the right questions! I also planning to build a WMC in the next few weeks and could not locate any information on using a CableCard. It is by far my favorite option to ensure I get as much content in HD as possible. I’m going to pursue the ATI tuner!

Thanks for a great blog!

By: Timothy Daleo

Timothy Daleo — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:22:18 +0000

The core hack on that link addressed the OCUR issue but not the PID issue for the WMC. There were no screen shots of the WMC setup in W7 RC that confirm CableCard is supported. Thank you for the link though.

I already have the OCURCHECK program AND the CableCard availability confirmation from Charter. I am just waiting to order the ATI card from Cannon when I can confirm that WMC supports CableCard.

By: Darren

Darren — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:39:02 +0000

There is a way to hack WMC to get the ATI tuners to work on a non “Digital Compatible PC”…looks like only a few beers.

http://mynetworkproject.blogspot.com/2009/09/cable-card-works-on-my-old-laptop.html