Getting HD via cable input

[infospecs]

I have the Vip722 and subscribe to HD. We can't get local HD yet via E* and are too far away for OTA. I ahd the cable company run me line just to get locals in HD. The Receiver scans channels 2-99 but can't find any local HD signal. The HD is fine when plugged directly into my TV, although I had to put is channel 113-5 and then the tv tuned to 3-1. I can watch it that way fine, but wanted to be able to dvr the shows.
Thanks,
Chris

 

[mdonnelly]

I have the Vip722 and subscribe to HD. We can't get local HD yet via E* and are too far away for OTA. I ahd the cable company run me line just to get locals in HD. The Receiver scans channels 2-99 but can't find any local HD signal. The HD is fine when plugged directly into my TV, although I had to put is channel 113-5 and then the tv tuned to 3-1. I can watch it that way fine, but wanted to be able to dvr the shows.
Thanks,
Chris

I don't think that cable through the 722 will work for you. It only has an ATSC tuner to work with, not QAM or NTSC, like your TV.

And

 

[garys]

No QAM, No HD locals through 722.

 

[infospecs]

Under the HDSetup there is an option for OTA and Cable.??

 

[KAB]

No QAM, No HD locals through 722.

That could be a confusing statement for some. No HD locals from cable, correct. But you can get OTA locals on the 722.

 

[Jim S.]

Under the HDSetup there is an option for OTA and Cable.??

Nobody has the faintest idea why that's there. (Some people will say it's for the coaxial output band selection, but if so it's on the wrong screen and I thought I saw a different setting somewhere for the output.) Leaving the "cable" label on the RF jack could be a simple mistake, but the software? Not so much. Unfortunately, E* isn't forthcoming with sensible technical information about their software.

I just noticed that you have a 722. The 622 has the same, so it's rather disturbing that they didn't even bother to fix or remove it (whichever is applicable)!

(I suppose it's possible that somewhere, some cable company may be providing OTA channels as 8VSB rather than QAM. While I'd force them to do that if I were in charge, most or all of them don't, so it's still a rather dumb thing for E* to have done, especially without any explanation.)

 

[Pepper]

why not just try? hook it up, set it to "cable" and see if it finds something.

 

[tnsprin]

Nobody has the faintest idea why that's there. (Some people will say it's for the coaxial output band selection, but if so it's on the wrong screen and I thought I saw a different setting somewhere for the output.) Leaving the "cable" label on the RF jack could be a simple mistake, but the software? Not so much. Unfortunately, E* isn't forthcoming with sensible technical information about their software.

I just noticed that you have a 722. The 622 has the same, so it's rather disturbing that they didn't even bother to fix or remove it (whichever is applicable)!

(I suppose it's possible that somewhere, some cable company may be providing OTA channels as 8VSB rather than QAM. While I'd force them to do that if I were in charge, most or all of them don't, so it's still a rather dumb thing for E* to have done, especially without any explanation.)

Some, very few now, supply ATSC/NTSC cable channels. This works fine for such ATSC channels. But most have switched from this.

 

[bassmekanik33]

The cable/air selection is indeed for the Home distribution RF Feed output band. Some TVs can only tune in cable or air. (most can do either/or if you can find the setting). Thats all its for. its a digital agile RF engine.

 

[Jim5506]

If you have one of the 2 or 3 cable systems in the country that use atsc instead of QAM, the cable setting will get you your HD from your cable co.

It switches the OTA input to cable frequencies, but still uses ATSC demodulation instead of QAM (Tits on a chicken thing).

 

[ggw2000]

If only..

dish would provide a receiver (HD DVR) that had a QAM tuner in it then people would not have this problem. There are alot of people that cannot get HD OTA or even HD Locals from Dish (I'm one of them). I can pickup the HD networks off the basic cable feed but have no way of DVRing them.
Come on dish- help us rural folks out a bit!
Gerry

 

[Jim5506]

Boy wouldn't that chap the cable companies.

Dish actually does have a QAM receiver, but it is for apartment use with a headend. Might be interesting to get one and try it on standard cable QAM.

 

[softwiz]

dish would provide a receiver (HD DVR) that had a QAM tuner in it then people would not have this problem. There are alot of people that cannot get HD OTA or even HD Locals from Dish (I'm one of them). I can pickup the HD networks off the basic cable feed but have no way of DVRing them.
Come on dish- help us rural folks out a bit!
Gerry

How far away from OTA digitals do you live?

My Dad is 62 miles and with the addition of a Channel Master 4228 and a Channel Master 7777 amp, I pull all of the OTA channels in no problem and the antenna is even mounted in his attic instead of outside.

 

[ats7627]

Boy wouldn't that chap the cable companies.

Dish actually does have a QAM receiver, but it is for apartment use with a headend. Might be interesting to get one and try it on standard cable QAM.

The 811 receiver has a QAM mode for MDU but only via the satellite input, not the OTA/Antenna input.

BTW, this post has nothing to do with the fact that Texas Tech beat Virginia in the Gator Bowl yesterday. Great game guys, y'all played it until the end.

 

[ts7]

If you have one of the 2 or 3 cable systems in the country that use atsc instead of QAM, the cable setting will get you your HD from your cable co.

It switches the OTA input to cable frequencies, but still uses ATSC demodulation instead of QAM (Tits on a chicken thing).

This is probably a stupid question, but is there any kind of reasonably priced converter box that would convert the QAM signal used by CATV to the ATSC format the 722 receivers use?