I have IO Digital cable wich includes HDTV channels. I want to record some HDTV channels (above channel 125) - I have read some much in thsi forum and sorry if this sounds like a noob question, because it is!

Do I need a Qam tuner? an NTSC tuner? or both? All I want to do is plug in the cable into my computer and start recording digital channels!

Anyone familiar with IO Digital cable by Cablevision ? Please advise on which is the easiest and cheapest way to record their channels (the digital ones)

That would make my month! been looking for a clean and concise answer, but I keep getting confused the more I read and don't ask a specific question. :rolleyes:

Thanks MUCH! Any input will be appreciated. I hope this is the right forum too! (<<noob!) :p

Ps. I run vista Ultimate and I have access to an extra IO digital cable receiver (scientific atlanta - I guess i won't need a cablecard slot, right?) -

I have IO Digital cable wich includes HDTV channels. I want to record some HDTV channels (above channel 125) - I have read some much in thsi forum and sorry if this sounds like a noob question, because it is!

Do I need a Qam tuner? an NTSC tuner? or both? All I want to do is plug in the cable into my computer and start recording digital channels!

You won't be able to, except for maybe your digital locals. A QAM receiver board would allow you to do that, but your selection of channels will be very limited - most providers encrypt nearly everything (HD locals and Music Choice channels are commonly left unencrypted).

Anyone familiar with IO Digital cable by Cablevision ? Please advise on which is the easiest and cheapest way to record their channels (the digital ones)

Get their DVR, or a TiVo HD. Alternatively you could get a Firewire board for your PC, and connect your STB to your PC via Firewire; you can capture any programming with a CCI flag (copy control) of 0x00 (copy freely); however, this once again (typically) limits you to HD locals, and maybe a few other channels, unless your provider is very liberal with their CCI flagging (mine is, most are not). Also, there are CableCARD-equipped PCs, but you'd need to get a whole new system - and you'd be looking at probably $1500 minimum just to get started with a Vista CableCARD-ready PC and (maybe) one UDCR tuner device.

That would make my month! been looking for a clean and concise answer, but I keep getting confused the more I read and don't ask a specific question. :rolleyes:

That's because your options are limited, due to content protection mechanisms. It's complicated.

Ps. I run vista Ultimate and I have access to an extra IO digital cable receiver (scientific atlanta - I guess i won't need a cablecard slot, right?) -

Um, not so much. Vista is CableCARD-certifiable on appropriately certified hardware (I'm guessing yours is not), but AFAIK is not licensed or certified for any DTCP cryptosystems, so you can't transfer protected content from your cable box via Firewire - only to a D-VHS VCR with a Firewire port (which is licensed for DTCP/1394 content protection).

thank you so muchdemonfoo!
So using the DVR/Tivo method, is there a way to transfer the recorded content into the computer?

thank you so muchdemonfoo!
So using the DVR/Tivo method, is there a way to transfer the recorded content into the computer?

The TiVo HD will allow you to download any digital cable program flagged with CCI 0x00 (copy freely); anything flagged as CCI 0x02 (copy once) or CCI 0x03 (copy never) has to stay on the TiVo, you can't download it to a PC. (Though you can expand the TiVo's storage, which you can't do with the cableco DVR.) As far as what specifically will be flagged what way, that varies based on the cable provider. My cable provider doesn't flag anything with CCI 0x02 or 0x03; my previous provider (Time-Warner of Albany) flagged many stations with CCI 0x02, so that programming was not available for download to a PC.

Cableco DVRs may or may not have the Firewire port enabled; any CCI 0x00-flagged programming can be downloaded to a PC that way, but it tends to be very tedious (can only transfer at real-time speeds, difficult software setup, only works on certain platforms, does not work with XP/Vista for x64). There's a mandate that Firewire ports are supposed to be available and enabled, but cablecos vary in their following of the particular regulation, and the FCC isn't really pressing to force that very much.

awesome!! Even though this is bad news for me, you still made my day because of this priceless info.. I had no idea about the flagging system. So the next step is to find out whether my provider flags the hd digital channels! Thanks.

P.S would satellite be less of a hassle than digital cable?

P.S would satellite be less of a hassle than digital cable?

Only in that you'll have even less options. The only option may be one of a handful of new DVRs that can capture video via component inputs; other than that, if you go Dish, you have their DVRs only, and with DirecTV, it's pretty much the same story. You can get the HR10-250 TiVo DVRs used, but as they're MPEG-2 only (they predate the MPEG-4 shift), a significant amount of new programming can't be received with them, period. The external USB-attached DirecTV dual-tuner receiver device might be interesting, though it sounds like it'll be Vista Media Center only, at least for now.