Sony RDR-HX900: Will it work after Feb. 17 changeover to digital broadcast?

It'll be able to record whatever analog channels the cableco sends in your sub. However, IF your cableco starts moving those analog channels to digital QAM, you'll lose those... of course, your cableco would NEVER move channels to digital just to force you to rent their box... that would be dirty tick-tack!

The HX900 does have an IR blaster, so maybe it'll at least be able to control a digital cable box. Probably won't know if it'll control whatever model they give you 'till you try it, though, unless you can find out which box you'll get, and maybe someone, somewhere has that recorder and can tell you ahead of time (here or on another forum).

With Comcast, you can usually get Digital Starter, which is the same as extended basic with maybe a few extra channels, for 2 or 3 bucks more, with the first tuner free. They use a new model box for that, though, and the HX900 is pretty old, so I don't know if it'll have the code.

My HX900 works my DTVPal ATSC CECB, which uses a Scientific Atlanta cable box code, and it also works my 322 SD Dish dual-tuner. That's about all I know for sure.