Comcast, cable cards, DVRs and HTPCs?

Comcast provides the cable card for a monthly rental fee $3.00 - 7.00 a month. This is the same card you would get if you had a TiVo premiere. You stick that in your Happauge tuner and configure according to the instructions. There is no video on demand or PPV available with a cable card.

The cableCARD is what the cable company uses for decryption. Without the card, the channels remain encrypted and unwatchable.
Yes. Unless all you want are unencrypted channels (which are generally just the networks, QVC, stuff like that. Each company uses its own decryption system and it's on the cards. No one has found a reliable way around it, so yes, you have to lease SOMETHING from the cable company.

The FCC ruling was that cable boxes must have "separable security", meaning what they use to decrypt must be independent of the box. This is what allows TiVo and HTPCs use cableCARDs so they have a fighting chance in the market. Most newer cable boxes will also have cableCARD sealed inside (older cable boxes that are grandfathered into use will not have the cards, but those are becoming less common.)

The salesman is an idiot, or is toeing the line on trying to get you to rent a box. Call back and be persistent. Cable companies know all about the cards, but don't want you to rent them because they're cheaper than boxes to lease. But they will give you one.

^^^ +1 that cable company rep is either stupid or lying to you.

That is not a CableCard tuner. And CableCard rental in Western Washington is only $1.10 a month. I too suggest the HDHR Prime. Also the provided box is not HD, so you'll only get 480i on that set.

I have a similar problem.

Have already built a simple HTPC containing the Hauppage 2250 tuner.
One of the purposes was to be able to record HD shows. Was also planning
purchasing a CableCard from Comcast but what I observed so far got me
confused. Perhaps someone can help me out.

I have Comcast cable service and Motorolla DCX3200 Digital STB. The box has
all kind of outputs, HDMI, composite, components, S-video. I can use S-
video STB output to feed 2250 tuner to watch/record any channel in my
subscription package, but of course, all of them will be in SD (standard
definition) only. However, I reasoned, once I get the Comcast cablecard I should be
able to feed 2250 tuner directly by connecting the the cable to the
antenna/cable input on the 2250. Also, I do not need Comcast cable Card
to watch unencrypted (clear Qam) HD channels. And so in my Windows XP
version of the HTPC I see all these ABC, CBS, and the like. My Win XP
didn't come with WMC and I used Hauupage Win7 app but didn't like it.
Had other problems with XP and decided to reload the HTPC with 64-bit
Hoime Premium Win7. I like Win7 WMC, sort of, but it doesn't find almost
no digital channels. Actually, when it scans for available channels, it
does find all the unencrypted ones, but once it finished scanning, it
reports just one, MeToo. I tried manually to add an HD channel but Wmc
said there's no signal in that channel, while I actually could hear the
audio of that channel but no video.

So it seems adding a comcast CableCard wouldn't do me any good, until I
solve my problem with unencrypted channels.
I will be greatfull for any ideas.

Leon

As I pointed out in the post above yours, the Hauppage 2250 tuner is not a CableCard tuner. It can only receive Clear QAM or ATSC (Over The Air) TV, so a CableCard will never do you any good with that tuner. To make matters worse, ComCast has recently been granted permission to scramble all their carried channels, meaning that even the few Clear QAM channels you get may become unavailable.

Thanks for the reply and clarification, Olyteddy.
You are right, of course.