Cable box from comcast question?

[eddiebrock]

I posted before about this, but I have another question and wanted to start a new thread.

I want to get ESPN 2 for the Australian Open from the 15th till the 26th, then I'll be leaving my vacation home and won't need the HD programming here any more. Before I call comcast to order, I was wondering if the total cost would be the $10 a month, or if I have to rent or buy the cable box. If I did buy it, could the same one be used in Colorado as Florida, so if I brought it home with me I could use it in Florida (if I sign up for high def).

I've heard that cable companies also have DVRs, would they have one that I could transfer from the DVR to a computer so I could keep the service here, but then send the show home to Florida? What questions should I ask about the DVR?

[homcom]

You would not be able to buy the cable box from Comcast. The box is the property of the local cable system. Anyways the Australian Open is not going to be broadcast in HD on ESPN2

[John Mason]

Looks like ESPN and ESPN2 have good Open coverage , and while it's not HD, find the upconverted ESPN-HD here (480i=>720p=>1080i) is usually a little better than 480i to 1080i upconversion (from just ESPN) by my SA8300HD DVR STB and display because of the pro upconversion hardware used by ESPN-HD; can't get ESPN2-HD, just ESPN2. Most cable companies now offer DVR STBs that could capture the matches for S-video copy to discs/tapes, and a visit to the HD recorders forum has various threads on capturing SD/HD on computers; see digital-PVR forum, too. Cable STBs aren't directly interchangeable between cable systems because the firmware must be tailored to each system. -- John

[eddiebrock]

Originally Posted by John Mason

Looks like ESPN and ESPN2 have good Open coverage , and while it's not HD, find the upconverted ESPN-HD here (480i=>720p=>1080i) is usually a little better than 480i to 1080i upconversion (from just ESPN) by my SA8300HD DVR STB and display because of the pro upconversion hardware used by ESPN-HD; can't get ESPN2-HD, just ESPN2. Most cable companies now offer DVR STBs that could capture the matches for S-video copy to discs/tapes, and a visit to the HD recorders forum has various threads on capturing SD/HD on computers; see digital-PVR forum, too. Cable STBs aren't directly interchangeable between cable systems because the firmware must be tailored to each system. -- John

Where can I find the upconverted coverage? I know ESPN and ESPN 2 will have coverage, is there another place I could find it? Comcast wants to charge me $20 per month when I'm not using it, and it would be $70 per month when I am here. Right now I'm paying $13 for basic cable, so its not worth it.

Any places that stream or let you download sports in decent resolution?

[John Mason]

Here, the upconverted coverage (720p) appears on ESPN-HD while ESPN delivers 480i. Haven't delved into computer capture/streaming that much. Suspect ESPN is pretty tight with hi-rez streaming for big events like the Open. -- John

[Ken H]

Originally Posted by eddiebrock

Any places that stream or let you download sports in decent resolution?

Nope, the content has a cost, and it's not going to be available with out a price to be paid.

You could always get basic cable from Comcast, and a Slingbox.

http://www.slingmedia.com/indexa.php

[eddiebrock]

Originally Posted by Ken H

Nope, the content has a cost, and it's not going to be available with out a price to be paid.

You could always get basic cable from Comcast, and a Slingbox.

http://www.slingmedia.com/indexa.php

Wimbledon had something where you could pay them something like $20 and then get live streaming content. I wish there were a service like that for the Australian Open.