1st some facts:
I don't own any HD TVs.
I have Comcast cable but may switch to FIOS.
1 Set top box with On Demand.
2 DTA converters.
I would like to get an HD TV that doesn't need an external tuner, can receive all the channels provided by the set top box.
I would like to add DVR capabilities with no extra monthly fees.
I would like to add a tuner to one of my PCs with the same capabilities. Maybe I can use this as a DVR.
I've done a little research and it looks like:
Some HD TVs have a CableCard slot to recieve scrambled channels but not 2 way for On Demand.
Current PC Tuners are not available with CableCard for purchase except maybe Sony external with ATI card.
There is talk of a new standard coming out later this year (maybe) with two way interactive CableCard ready interface.
What is the reality now and in the near future?
Well, here's what I did:
Two years ago I bought a Panasinoc 50" plasma HDTV. It has it's own tuner... no cable card slot. I bought a $40 antenna from Wallyworld and hooked it up to the TV to see what I could get in my area. I get all the networks except ABC. So far so good.
Then I built a little cube computer, installed Linux and Mythtv and now I have a PVR for the channels I can get on the antenna. Signed up with Schedules Direct for $20 a year to provide the TV Guide. The tuner I'm using for the computer is a Pinnacle PCHDTV Pro usb stick. I also built a better antenna using coat hangers, some scraps of wire and a piece of shelf board
I've had Dish Network for about 10 years and it works well and I could add HDTV for about $10 a month... but $65 for what I'm getting from Dish now feels to me like a ripoff, $10 a month more is the straw that yadda yadda....
