QAM reciever? Dish acceptance?

[NickDowns]

Hi all:

I'm throwing this up on the Dish site because I'm on Dish. Anyway the long and short of my question is that I'm about to spend some money and buy a Mitsubishi tv with a built in QAM tuner. Now from what i've read I should be able to pull in over the air the digital transmission of HD signal thru this via our local cable company which is Comcast. I understand I should be able to receive my local channels that are in HD. My 3 questions are as follows:

1) Has anyone used this technology and does it actually work?

2) I live in the middle of PA where we are not even high def capable via E* so how can I find out if Comcast is distributing this for free?

3) If they are does that allow me to get another HD signal say from Pittsburgh or Philly since I can get HD over the air?

Thanks for the replies in advance and love the site.

Cheers, Nick

 

[mdonnelly]

Over the air (OTA) digital requires an ATSC tuner, and an antenna. The stations you might receive depend on distance and terrain between you and the broadcast towers.

Cable unencrypted digital requires a QAM tuner.

If you have a built-in QAM tuner, you probably have an ATSC tuner also. Also, all Dish HD receivers have an ATSC tuner as part of the receiver.

You could call Comcast, or find a Pittsburgh or Philly Local Stations thread in avsforums.com, and ask if the digital locals are unencrypted.

 

[RandallA]

I think by law, the HD Locals most be offered unencrypted. I have a Samsumg HD tuner that has both ATSC and QAM tuner and I get the HD locals through Comcast. I subscribe only to Cable Internet and get the HD locals.

I prefer to use the ATSC tuner because I get no guide and no mapping with the QAM tuner. So you go to go to a channel like 119-1 and 79-1 and 79-2 to get to your locals.

If you have the QAM tuner, just connect the cable, do a scan and see what you get.

 

[NickDowns]

So I can just jump on the cable and see if they are in the clear then? Good to know about the HD Locals. I wasn't sure if there was a time frame regarding when they actually have to put them in the clear or if they are distributing high def locals they must put them out for all? I know for a fact I cannot pick up the HD thru the air because its just too far from where I am in State College to Altoona and Johnstown where they are located. I'm close on upgrading to HD Dish but going to wait now for the new recievers. Thanks for the info!!!

 

[roachxp]

Didn't Charlie bring up QAM support maybe in the future during one of his chats?

 

[bhelms]

Nick - I am also in the Johnstown/Altoona DMA. I live in the western part of CC. I receive WPSU digitals rock solid on 15.1, 15.2 and 15.3 via my OTA antenna system. I can also receive WATM and WWCP on 24.1, .2 and 24.3 respectively with the same antenna, but those signals are not always there. I was once able to receive WTAJ on 32.2, but only briefly. From my location WPSU is at about 320 deg. (true) and the others at about 235 deg. You might have best luck with WPSU since that antenna is high (over 1350' vs about 1000' for the others). WPSU (PBS - 15.1) and WATM (ABC - 23.1) are in HD now and WTAJ (CBS - 32.1?) is coming soon. Unfortunately WJAC (NBC - 34.1, .2) is over 75 miles from us and not likely available OTA unless you're located VERY high.

Just FYI in case you decide to try an outdoor antenna sometime...

 

[NickDowns]

Bhelms:

I think we discussed this before and you were the main reason I held back from even getting Dish HD because I realized that I would not be able to get HD locals for quite a while. I live right outside of town and have been very hesitant to start messing around with an antenna (I always swore after taking down my C-Band dish that I would never ever do it again!!!). I was just kind of hoping that Comcast might be feeding these thru the air or on the cable. But from what I'm now to understand I have to actually have to have some sort of package with them to get them? Thanks for your reply!

 

[VinceT3]

they need to make a box that rebroadcasts QAM for tuner2!!!! that would rock

 

[Tarik]

So, I wont get HD Local channels with dish? I am with insight right now with just regular cable ( not digital) and I have the cable hooked directly to My Vizio and I get the local HD channels. Wont that be the case with dish?

 

[mdonnelly]

So, I wont get HD Local channels with dish? I am with insight right now with just regular cable ( not digital) and I have the cable hooked directly to My Vizio and I get the local HD channels. Wont that be the case with dish?

Maybe. It depends on what DMA you're in, what receier you have, and what satellites you can get. You won't get all the available digital channels with cable or Dish.

 

[blueaurora]

Rebroadcasting tuner two through a QAM channel is almost a must given HDTV's acceptance. Support HD all the way not HD/ then just SD. I would love to tune in my other HD in the bedroom using Tuner two as I have three HDTV's and only one of which gets any real "love" right now !protest

 

[bhelms]

Bhelms:

I think we discussed this before and you were the main reason I held back from even getting Dish HD because I realized that I would not be able to get HD locals for quite a while. I live right outside of town and have been very hesitant to start messing around with an antenna (I always swore after taking down my C-Band dish that I would never ever do it again!!!). I was just kind of hoping that Comcast might be feeding these thru the air or on the cable. But from what I'm now to understand I have to actually have to have some sort of package with them to get them? Thanks for your reply!

Sorry if I was redundant - memory doesn't serve as well anymore!

I know some of the HD locals - ABC and PBS for sure, maybe NBC; CBS and FOX in the future - are available on the local cable (Comcast certainly doesn't do anything OTA), but you do need the digital tier to get them. I'm not sure what minimum package is needed for that but it's certainly not any of the basic ones. A simple call to Comcast should answer that for you.

Let me know what you decide...

 

[VinceT3]

Rebroadcasting tuner two through a QAM channel is almost a must given HDTV's acceptance. Support HD all the way not HD/ then just SD. I would love to tune in my other HD in the bedroom using Tuner two as I have three HDTV's and only one of which gets any real "love" right now !protest

Agreed I have 2 right now, hoping to be at 4 hd boxes by the end of the year.