On Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 6:29?PM DaveD <mythtv@guiplot.com> wrote:
>
> I used to use Comcast's cable box's firewire to record but they stopped
> supporting that some time back. We opted to rent one of their DVR's,
> but it sucks (got spoiled using MythTV!).
Not sure which DVR you got, but the XG1v4 is considered
to be mostly responsive (although getting one used to be
difficult due to supply issues). Comcast is moving some
customers to their newer Xi boxes and cloud DVR for
both functionality and performance (and the newer boxes
also directly incorporate a number of the usual streaming
apps).
> I had local channels working
> well with a dual antenna setup in the attic, but we had a new roof put
> on and signals all went to zero! (No, it's not a metal roof, just
> asphalt comp, but must have something in it the old roof didn't have).
Put the antenna on the roof? If you have gotten
some pushback from a HOA you should be aware
that a HOA cannot block such an installation
by FCC rules, although some HOAs do try (before
their lawyer points out that they can't).
> So, I'm thinking of dumping the Xfinity DVR and moving to a cable card.
> The Xfinity website says they "support" (meaning "allow") use of cable
> cards and have some example manufacturers, including HDHomeRun and
> Hauppauge.
The Hauppauge is a SiliconDust device under the
covers, but limited to 2 tuners. There is still support
for the Ceton tuners in MythTV, but Ceton is a long
dead company (they got sued out of existence due
to a deal gone bad with Gibson (yes, the company
often known for their guitars)), and they have some
known (and what were acknowledged just before
they disappeared) firmware issues that one runs into
some of the time in some cases, and there will never
be a firmware fix (you can mitigate one of the known
issues by rebooting the card every so often).
The SiliconDust HDHR Prime tuner with 3 tuners
is the most likely choice. While the device is still
supported (and likely will be for some time), it has
ended feature development so no new capabilities.
> Is anyone currently using a cable card (or other compatible device) with
> Xfinity and Linux? If so, how is it working? Are there multiple
> tuners? Does Xfinity charge per tuner? Advice?
Comcast does still support CableCARDs, however
getting one is hard (most CSRs can't even spell
CableCARD ("we don't support them"), although
if you escalate (to a supervisor) you can typically
get them added to your account; AFAIK no store
carries them anymore, and you will need them
shipped (which I think they charge you for)).
As you would expect, there is no support for
recording premium (HBO etc.) channels
(although Comcast, unlike some other operators,
does mark most of the non-premium channels
as copy-freely so you can record a lot of channels).
Comcast is (slowly) moving to IPTV. Some channels
are IPTV only today, most new additional channels are
IPTV only, and occasionally they move an existing
channel to IPTV. Only Comcast STBs can access
those IPTV channels (there are some cases
where the SD channel is still linear QAM (i.e.
your CableCARD can tune it), but the HD version
is IPTV only.
The cost of a CableCARD will depend on what
version of TV contract you are in (or can move
to). In some previous contract versions your
first TV box was free (and you could replace it
with a CableCARD). Adding a CableCARD (or
a STB) was somewhere $10/mo or more. In
more recent contracts, the first box is no longer
free (but the TV price went down by the price
of the STB), but you can add any number of
CableCARDs for $0/mo (which, if you return
your STB, even means you can save money).
For some people moving to a new TV contract
is going to be the right choice, but unless you
read Comcast rate cards, it can be confusing
to know what will work best for you.
At this point I am not sure that moving to a
CableCARD is more than likely just a stopgap for
a few years until Comcast moves to IPTV only
as a likely part of the FDX HSI deployment
(the interim step of mid-split will continue to
support CableCARDs for another few years).
This is a period of change in the industry
in which you may wish to consider moving
to a streaming solution along with (or
instead of) your OTA antenna for locals.
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