[jcblack]

This page seems fairly old, but it says:
Quote:

"S-A is now building a special Explorer 2000 set-top with full HDTV decoding." Converting VSB to QAM at the headend [S-A builds the converters], the QAM is returned to VSB in the box. He explained, "We figure the people who do have HDTV sets today can afford to get a special box designed for them. We're shipping the device now."

Has anyone ever seen one of these "special" set-top boxes that converts the QAM cable signals into 8vsb? or did I misread that? (point: for hipix/myhd/access/etc cable HD timeshifting).

 

[John Mason]

Had a standard 2000HD for a while, and I'd wager a good bit there's no 'special' 2000HD where 'QAM is returned to VSB'. QAM is a modulation technique used for cable, so it doesn't make sense for a cable head end to demodulate OTA 8-VSB, remodulate the signal as QAM, then demodulated it again in a 2000HD, and then remodulate it as VSB yet again. Instead, the QAM from the cable line is demodulated and the MPEG-2 signal is converted into analog video (YPbPr). Some newer cable boxes, as you probably know, have or are are slated for firewire and perhaps other digital outputs.


A few cable companies deliver 8VSB OTA signals without conversion to QAM. You connect any HD STB to a cable line and tune HD channels as though a UHF/VHF antenna was at the other end of the cable line. -- John

 

[lomax]

I read about this "Special" box, It had no HD decoder in it, it just remodulated from QAM to VSB. Your HD set or another STB had to do D\\A conversion.


I do not think this box ever got out of the lab, sorry.


I would have loved to feed my Hipix card cable HD.