Hi I am looking for the best products for recording a QAM signal from my cables coax line. I can simply connect the cable to my TV and allow it to pick up the signal so I can receive my local channels.

But I would like to be able to record the shows using something other than a tuner card in a PC.

Are there any good hardware options out there for recording QAM directly to a computer HDD like this?

P.S. Will there be any difference in picture quality when recording like this instead of from a STB via firewire?

Look here for info about the few options for recording HDTV:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=42

A HDTV tuner card that also supports clear QAM is designed to do exactly what you want.
Any difference in quality to your end display will be based on the video player/decoder and on the graphics card in your PC.
If your objective is to get the encoded clear QAM programs onto your HDD there is no reason to put a STB in the middle
With a HDTV tuner card you also have the option to OTA channels with an antenna which will provide more channels then your cable company provides.

In order to have a HDTV tuner card in my computer wouldn't I need MCE? I am running XP 32bit so if you could recommend a way of installing a tuner card without changing my OS I will consider it.

I have been looking at something like this hxxp://www.silicondust.com/products/hdhomerun_home_atsc

But I don't know if that is the highest quality product that is available.

I simply want to record the transport stream from my cable companies QAM signal

HDHomerun required Media Center.
No HDTV tuner cards do not require Media Center. They all come with their own TV viewing and recording application since not all users are not using PCs with Media Center.
Both AverMedia and Hauppauge sell combo tuner cards that have one analog tuner and one digital tuner on them and their digital tuners support either OTA or clear QAM.

Ok so If I got one of those tuner cards I could record both QAM and OTA signals in full HD quality without MCE?

Does the software provided record the transport stream untouched or is it of lossy quality?

Also I looked at both of those pages and there are a lot of options and I am not really sure which ones to look at for my purpose.

I am looking at these two but I am not sure if they come with the software needed to capture lossless video streams without MCE:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100044&cm_re=AVerTVHD_Duet-_-15-100-044-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116037

Both of the cards record the digital content exactly as transmitted and received they do nothing to alter it The encoded content goes directly to the HDD.

Do you have a suggestion which one to get?

For example which one has the best included recording program, best signal quality and build quality.

But I would like to be able to record the shows using something other than a tuner card in a PC.


I guess I must have been totally misled by the statement above. I thought you were looking for a DVR!

Well I would prefer something like the HDhomerun that is basically a box that I can plug a coax cable into and record my QAM channels onto my computer HDD by either firewire, usb or ethernet.

But if there is no option for that without having MCE then I would have to move to the next best option.

Well I would prefer something like the HDhomerun that is basically a box that I can plug a coax cable into and record my QAM channels onto my computer HDD by either firewire, usb or ethernet.
.

I use the HDHomeRun with TSReaderPro for recording via ethernet to my media server. I can then play back the recordings via ethernet on my PopCornHour A210.

TSReader can be found at www.coolstf.com and the A110 at www.popcornhour.com

Well I would prefer something like the HDhomerun that is basically a box that I can plug a coax cable into and record my QAM channels onto my computer HDD by either firewire, usb or ethernet.

For Macs there's Elgato's EyeTV Hybrid, a USB dongle to which you connect an RF cable. It records either ATSC (OTA) or clear QAM to a computer that runs EyeTV software. There must be something equivalent for PCs under Windows.

The HDHomeRun is compatible with a number of different PVR programs, not just Media Center.

Compatible With:


Windows Media Center:

MCE 2005
Vista WMC (32/64-bit)
Windows 7 (32/64-bit)


Elgato EyeTV - DVR for Mac
MythTV - DVR for Linux
SnapStream BeyondTV - DVR for Windows
SageTV - DVR for Windows/Linux/Mac
MediaPortal - DVR for Windows
GB-PVR - DVR for Windows
VLC - Multi-platform media viewer
TSReader - MPEG-2 transport stream analysis

I use mine with SageTV on WinXP. SageTV will work with one tuner on cable and one on an antenna too, so you can get the best of both worlds.

Yea I don't need anything elaborate and the simpler the better. If I could plug in a USB with a RF jack and get the same result as PCI then I would be happy.

But it would have to come with software for recording the stream

My Mistake about the HDHR.
Following is a link for a Hauppauge USB solution:

http://hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hvr1950.html

Ok so I have narrowed it down to either the HDhomerun or Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Dual TV Tuner

Now I know both will capture QAM signals buy just hooking up the cable line but what kind of equipment do I need in order to pick up a strong signal for OTA.

If possible I would like to have an indoor antenna but I can only imagine the selection and different types available. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Here are the results from TV Fool: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d507c64453df549

Ok so I have narrowed it down to either the HDhomerun or Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Dual TV Tuner

Now I know both will capture QAM signals buy just hooking up the cable line but what kind of equipment do I need in order to pick up a strong signal for OTA.

If possible I would like to have an indoor antenna but I can only imagine the selection and different types available. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Here are the results from TV Fool: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d507c64453df549

The tuner in the Hauppauge is good but not the software, try Snap Stream Beyond TV 4, or something else, as far as reception off Staten Island you got a clean shot for NY/NJ locals with just a indoor antenna, and if you need more try just a 10dbmv gain amp to help.

I found this: Channel Master 4030

Details:

* receives digital and analog UHF/VHF TV signals (channels 2-69), plus FM radio stations
* built-in variable-gain amplifier (to +15 dB for UHF/VHF)
* telescoping 40", 7-section VHF dipoles tilt and rotate in any direction
* UHF loop tilts and rotates for maximum reception
* dual 75-ohm outputs for connecting to 2 devices
* 72" RG-6 coax cable
* AC adapter
* 9-1/2"W x 9"H x 6"D (VHF dipoles retracted)

It has pretty good reviews so I think I will get it so I can compare OTA quality to QAM. I am hoping that OTA will have more quality but I will just have the compare the average bitrates and PQ once I get some transport streams recorded

If possible I would like to have an indoor antenna but I can only imagine the selection and different types available. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Check out this sticky thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1037779). My suggestion is to start with a cheap ($10-$12) unamplified rabbit-ears and UHF loop combination, and work your way up if necessary. On our tiny "breakfast TV" with a converter box, we use a Radio Shack 15-1874 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15379998&highlight=1874#post15379998). We're out in the boonies, so it picks up one station, which is all we need on that TV. Not coincidentally it's our strongest station: TVFool lists it at NM 49.0 dB. You have a lot of stations that are stronger than that, unless the location of your TVFool chart is far from your actual location.

I'll second the recommendation for a cheapo loop+rabbit ear combo. At <15 miles from the ESB, if you have a clear line of sight to the top, you'll probably overload the amplifier if you try to use a powered antenna.

Keep in mind that the HVR-2250 only has a single input for TV. This means that you can't use both cable and antenna at the same time.

I'll second the recommendation for a cheapo loop+rabbit ear combo. At <15 miles from the ESB, if you have a clear line of sight to the top, you'll probably overload the amplifier if you try to use a powered antenna.

Keep in mind that the HVR-2250 only has a single input for TV. This means that you can't use both cable and antenna at the same time.

From everything I can see about the HVR-2250 it says it supports two digital sources at once.

Also I read through that thread about antenna and it says that directional is preferred over omnidirectional. So before I choose an antenna I would just like to know if I will see any difference in terms of PQ if I choose a more expensive directional antenna and if I "overload the amplifier" with an amplified antenna what will that do exactly?

This a more exact TVFool link: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d507cd8c737a4a8

So I am more like under 12 miles away from the source

Overload (either in the amplifier or in the tuner) causes frequent breakups or complete loss of picture.

If you have significant multipath interference caused by reflected signals from nearby buildings etc., then a directional antenna can help, by favoring the main signal while reducing the others. The Philips PHDTV1 "Silver Sensor" antenna is a good example of a directional indoor antenna, and many people have reported that it helps in multipath situations. On the other hand, it's more expensive than a basic rabbit-ears plus loop combo, and you may need to re-orient it for different stations. It's also for UHF only, and some of your stations are on VHF.

Hmmm, last time I checked out prices for the Silver Sensor, it was around $40 at most places. Now Amazon has it for about $21.

The 2250 lets you record two programs at once. Or record one and watch another.
Or you can record two and playback a 3rd previously recorded program. See the following link:
http://hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hvr2250.html
The problem is that it is an internal card and not a USB tuner like the 1950 which only supports use of one tuner at a time.
With either Hauppauge card you can not connect an OTA antenna and a cable line from the wall at the same time.
AFAIK you can do this with the HDHR.

From everything I can see about the HVR-2250 it says it supports two digital sources at once.
You can watch/record 2 things from the same source, but not from different sources. TWC usually has a couple of channels in the clear that you can't get through an antenna, like the NY1 news channel. However, there are also a lot of channels OTA that you can't get on cable, like a lot of the various subchannels available in the market.

Also I read through that thread about antenna and it says that directional is preferred over omnidirectional. So before I choose an antenna I would just like to know if I will see any difference in terms of PQ if I choose a more expensive directional antenna and if I "overload the amplifier" with an amplified antenna what will that do exactly?

This a more exact TVFool link: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d507cd8c737a4a8

So I am more like under 12 miles away from the sourceDirectional is better, but there really are few to no good indoor VHF antennas. Most actually perform worse than rabbit ears and rely on amplification to make up for their deficiencies, which will just cause more problems in a strong signal environment. Start with something cheap that you can get locally from a place that will refund your money if it doesn't work - Radio Shack, Walmart, etc. If you have problems, you can always spend more money on a better antenna later.

Amplifier overload basically distorts the signal to the point where it may not decode at all. Digital reception is not about getting the strongest signal, but the cleanest one above the minimum strength threshold.

Ok well I decided to get the TERK HDTVa and Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250

I chose that antenna because it has the ability to turn amplification on and off with just the flip of a switch which is really nice. It is also directional and since all the major networks are being broadcast from the same place I won't have to move it around.

I will report back with my capping results and will do a comparison between OTA and QAM PQ in my area.