HTPC as Cable Box?

[Pingypoker]

Well, recently I've heard about being able to do this. I'm interested, but have little to no idea on how to do it.

Could someone explain to me the advantages and disadvantages of doing this, and how to do it in the first place?

 

[SHORYUKEN]

You need a TV Tuner to do this. This is all I know.

 

[Pingypoker]

You need a TV Tuner to do this. This is all I know.

Yeah, that's all I know too.

 

[Wolfshadw]

What you're hearing about are the new(ish) CableCard TV Tuners:

Ceton InfiniTV4 PCI-E - Internal Quad-Tuner
Ceton InfiniTV4 USB - External Quad-Tuner
SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime - External Tri-Tuner
Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 - External Dual-Tuner

Each of these devices require a CableCard from your cable provider to work. Once the CableCard is paired with the Tuner Device and installed into your computer/network, your HTPC acts very much like a set top box from the cable company. The only differences are:

1) No TV Guide Channel, but this is resolved by Windows Media Center downloading the Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) on a regular basis. This EPG, in general, provides two weeks worth of television programming
2) No On-Demand/Pay-Per-View. Cable set top boxes allow you to order/watch On-Demand/PPV products from your cable company. It works because of two way communication between the cable company and the set top box. CableCard devices only allow for one way communications (from the cable company to your device).

In addition to being able to record multiple programs simultaneously, you can assign tuners to other devices on your network. These devices then work just as if a tuner card was installed in that device. These devices are called extenders. The only extenders on the market today are the XBox360, The Ceton Echo, and any other Windows PC.

For instance, I have a Ceton InfiniTV4 PCI-E installed in my HTPC. I have three of the four tuners assigned to the HTPC. Using the HTPC, I can watch one program while recording two others, or I can record three programs simultaneously. The fourth tuner is assigned to my all-purpose PC. I do this because sometimes (in particular during football season), there are times when I want to watch two shows at the same time without bouncing back and forth between channels (my all-purpose and HTPC systems are in the same room - small apartment).

So if you have a home with three different HDTVs (and your home has some form of wired networking - look into MoCA if you don't) and based on the latest price sheet I just got from my cable company, the cost of two additional set top boxes would be $35/month. An HTPC with a quad-tuner device installed and a cablecard incurs no additional cost (albeit a large upfront cost).

-Wolf sends