My new Mac Mini 2 Gh core 2 duo is connected to Viewsonic 28 inch monitor with dvi-vga adaptor. Graphics, quicktime , dvd all work.
But El Gato Eye tv 500 connected via firewire showed no picture/sound, despite signal is quality and signal is over 85%. This is new because comcast has upgraded digital tv signal to 1 GhZ, and even my Imac G5 is having trouble with the same el gato box. Do i need firmware upgrade to handle this new QAM signals?

Do you have another QAM tuner that you can test? Perhaps in a TV. Maybe Comcast mistakenly encrypted all of the channels (including the networks and other free channels).

Sounds like you're caught up in the whole SDV and 1GHz edge QAM shuffle, and may have lost your ability to record the channels you once were able to. Best to check in with your local HDTV thread here at AVS, there's probably a very active Comcast contingent in and around SF--also maybe head over to dslreports.com and poke around for some local information there.

Comcast doesn't really want anyone recording high def over free and clear QAM with third party devices, and there's no law that mandates they have to keep providing it.

The handwriting has been on the wall for the 500s and QAM for a while now; it's just a matter of time before they effectively become ATSC only DVRs.

The handwriting has been on the wall for the 500s and QAM for a while now; it's just a matter of time before they effectively become ATSC only DVRs.
This would equally apply to the HD-HomeRun or no? And I thought there were some FCC requirements to carry local stations in the clear?

My problem is not just recording the video. The tuner picture is simply no video and no sound, although the device meter said signals are good. My 5 years old mitsubishi tv still sees the signal and has video and sound, but they break often. So I think Elgato box somehow cannot handle this new spectrum of signals .Yes,all channels have been reshuffled as well, Comcast had sent mail to say upgrade in Los Gatos, CA , where I live , is happening anytime now.So I see this suddenly Sunday morning.
I check the cable line, all analogs signals are fine, so just the "free qam" is changed.My Elgato 500 was bought three years ago, before it had to be complient to the new qam signals restriction, so I thought.
Is there another El Elgato box that can handle this new "free" qam?
If not, how is anybody going to be able to use computer to record hdtv?
Yes, I can sign up with Comcast to get their DVR, but how can I capture the recordings to dvd?So can Elgato 500 handle Dish /Direct TV type signals( perhaps not, since it is probably not QAM). Over air signals are not an option for me, my HOA forbid outside antenna, and no indoor antenna works here in Los Gatos. I am so unhappy.

I thought there were some FCC requirements to carry local stations in the clear?

There are, just not necessarily the "high def" version--cable companies have to carry "must carry" channels which until Feb 2009 only applies to NTSC. (That most cable companies have been nice enough to pass along the high def QAM version unencrypted has just been a bonus for us.)

This would equally apply to the HD-HomeRun or no?

Sure, if Comcast or Time-Warner or Cox et al decide to encrypt something, the HD HomeRun and 500 will be in the same boat. They're also free to employ new technologies that break compatibility with older devices.

Here I pasted:
"Comcast should *never* encrypt local OTA channels in your area, HD or otherwise, per Comcast corporate policy. They may remap them beyond the capability of your TV's tuner (this is an ongoing issue with WTTG-DT on the Prince George's County, MD system); however, they shouldn't encrypt.

However, to receive unencrypted QAM in any Comcast area, your TV's tuner *must* be capable of receiving 256QAM (some older HDTVs are only capable of receiving 64QAM; other HDTVs are incapable of receiving QAM at all, as they only have ATSC tuners built-in)."
So does that mean El GATO 500 falls into this64 QAM only?

If not, how is anybody going to be able to use computer to record hdtv?

ATSC? There's never been a right to record HD on your computer, an expectation, perhaps, but not a guarantee.

So does that mean El GATO 500 falls into this 64 QAM only?

No, that post you quoted out of context is probably old. The 500 handles 256QAM and what most have traditionally referred to as "free and clear QAM" just fine--what it also means today, in certain trial markets, is that technology marches on and corporate policies evolve. This whole SDV thing is brand new, the whole 1GHz edge QAM thing is brand new, we'll have to see how it shakes out.

Again, your best bet is to try to connect with other Comcast customers in your particular area and find out from them where your channels are now--and whether they are still unencrypted. Once you know where they are, and once you know whether they are unencrypted, a simple e-mail to El Gato will tell you if your hardware is capable of tuning it in.

In order to see the signals with my misubishi tv, I had to do a retune set up, and the channels numbers are different now. Similarly no El GATO 500. And with the titan TV guide, the channel numbers stay same as before, so you are right, I need to find a way to reset the tuner channels line up so that it knows where to tune! I have emailed El Gato for help.

Is there another El Elgato box that can handle this new "free" qam? If not, how is anybody going to be able to use computer to record hdtv? Yes, I can sign up with Comcast to get their DVR, but how can I capture the recordings to dvd? So can Elgato 500 handle Dish /Direct TV type signals (perhaps not, since it is probably not QAM).

Look, strpyw, you're about to go off the deep end here and muddle the issue by asking so many tangential questions. Keep it simple--don't muddy this thread by asking about Dish or DirecTV or asking about how to burn a dvd of a Comcast DVR recording--those questions are best handled elsewhere.

Deal with your main issue: Comcast changed things around on you, you need to figure out what they did. That's it. I told you how. Gather that information, find out where your HD locals are now, and whether they are encrypted, then we can deal with the EyeTV 500 aspect.

In order to see the signals with my mitsubishi tv, I had to do a retune set up, and the channels numbers are different now.

Channel numbers are irrelevant when it comes to QAM--a cable company is going to remap them anyway--and this usually is hidden from you. That's why you need to talk to other users if you're not able to rescan and find them again after a lineup shuffle. (They'll have a MHz frequency assignment and a channel that's different from a cable box--like my "QAM" CBS HD local is in the 705MHz frequency--yet it's Channel 9 through the Comcast STB and 1-12 through the QAM tuner of a TV and 109-12 through the QAM tuner of a different HD QAM DVR that I have.)

This is QAM 101 stuff. Comcast moves its QAM channels around all the time. So make sure you understand the basics. That said, if you're still getting your HD locals via your older TV, you should still be able to get them with the 500. You just have to find them. El Gato won't be able to help you "find" them, that's not their responsibility. After a lineup shuffle, it's not uncommon to have to go back into your guide, and add channels back manually, reassign EPG manually, and kickstart TitanTV. It's a pain, but that's the life we choose by going QAM.

thanks, I will try to find those informations.

Elgato asked me to repeat tuning a day later.
On that day, the box managed to find 5 channels, with quality reading of 100% and strengh reading from 75% to 85% , just like old days. But the picture and sound came in broken, not usable even for viewing.(Record this signal also yield 3 to 4 seconds, no more). Retuned three times now, it gets worse. Now the QAM signals are identified as ATSC signals instead, and association is not titan TV etc. Though the strength meter is the same.
So I don't think it is a matter finding the signals. Something has happened to this signals. Same thing for my MItsubishi TV's tuner.

Same thing for my Mitsubishi TV's tuner.

This seems the key for me.

I still think you may have a problem that's unrelated to your 500 and EyeTV, have you checked the thread with other QAM users in your area to see if they are having problems? Also, if your TV's QAM tuner can't tune in your signals properly anymore--that also seems to indicate your problem is not EyeTV software or hardware related. (If your TV can tune in your HD locals, and your 500 can't, that almost certainly means your problem IS EyeTV software/hardware/TitanTV related.) Until you get 1) confirmation from other local users or 2) test with other QAM tuners--you may be spinning your wheels doing anything EyeTV-related.

Now, that said, two weeks ago I had a problem that popped up out of the blue with my 500s and local Comcast provider. TitanTV guide data downloads stopped on Monday, the same day a new encrypted HD channel was added in our area (TBS-HD.) It took me a few days to realize that this happened, and I only had 3 days of stored data left. A normal attempt to download manually failed.

The EyeTV FAQ which covers guide data problems with QAM channels is here:

http://faq.elgato.com/index.php/faq/more/343/

It's not uncommon to have guide data interrupted once and a while, it's happened (I think) to all of us and we've all had to do several "rescan and reassign EPG channels manually" for QAM. This time, the normal rejiggering and troubleshooting that I've done maybe 15 times wasn't working for me--after going through the steps in the EyeTV GUI diagnostics, updating TitanTV kept coming back that they didn't recognize the channel lineup in my area. Looked in the Channels page, and sure enough, even though I have only ever dealt with QAM, the EPG column didn't say "TitanTV" but said "ATSC" instead for all the channels I just added manually. That never happened to me before.

All my QAM channels were still perfectly in the clear--and in the same place/frequency--verified by two other non-El Gato QAM tuners--it was just that TitanTV no longer seemed to recognize that Comcast had a QAM channel lineup in my zip, 22201.

Tried the "change guide choice to None, quit and relaunch EyeTV, change the Guide preference back to TitanTV" trick, and the "erase EyeTVEPG.db and set up the guide again" trick and neither worked this time. But a key difference for me: through the 500 I could "tune" my QAM channels in and watch perfect HD streams via the EyeTV Channels page, I just couldn't get guide data downloaded.

Eventually had to reinstall EyeTV from scratch, setup a new account with TitanTV, rescan and assign EPG channels manually to get going again. Now the EPG column in Channels says "TitanTV" next to each of my QAM channels as it should, not ATSC, and I've been fine since.

But I only went through all that because I knew where my QAM channels were, and that they were still in the clear. If you can't receive channels by clicking on them within the EyeTV Channel page--regardless if they say "ATSC" next to them under the EPG column--AND if your TV's QAM tuner no longer finds anything "in the clear," your problem isn't EyeTV related and everyone in your neighborhood should also be having difficulty watching anything via the QAM tuners in their TVs and devices.

thanks for sharing your experience,will try your tricks

Over the weekend signal tuned by Elgato 500 is again useable. There is still stuttering/blotches, but less severe, with the Mitsubishi TV.Elgato technical support stated it is a Comcast signal issue, not Elgato tuner failure.
Channels listed by Titan TV have changed since a week when video first failed.There is no telling when will Comcast tempered with "clear QAM" again.

Went to Macworld last week and talked to Nick Freeman of El Gato.I bought a new released Eye 250 plus , with new QAM tuner.Long and behold, all comcast QAM channels came through. Just to be sure, I put the old Eye 500 back on, same thing like before, even signal read 85%, no video. Somehow the new hardware works magic. Meanwhile, I have already bought two OTA antennae to work with my old Eye 500 boxes.I also replace the cable tv splitter to 1Ghz specification, and from 5 branches, 2 splitters to 3 branches, 1 splitter. The tv tuner still comes in stuttering, I am going to get a motorola booster to see it will help. But the important discovery is new Eye TV 250 + does the magic with beautiful picture. Also bought turbo 264 so that I can select specific audio track to burn to dvd. Now I need the captions to work out, that will be perfect.

I have now completed experimentation.
At Los Gatos, where comcast clear QAM signals suddenly stop giving me video
tuned by Eyetv 500 two months ago, was not entirely true. Now I discovered that video will come in , but only for channels at 110 Mhz. The new EyeTV
250+ has no restriction on any frequency. My mitsubishi tv still has broken pictures except for fox channel . When I used Motorola signal booster, there is no added benefit to either Mitsubishi tv tuner or any Eye TV devices.