HDTV on my PC?

[boo_boo_bear]

*Originally posted by Running with Scissors *
**Bear,

The answer is “it depends, but probably not”. To be able to record HD, your cable box needs to have a Firewire output (DVI bandwidth is too high for recording, and there are no HD component->digital converters yet, probably because there’s no affordable hardware that’s fast enough). Also, your cable company needs to enable recording of premium content. That second part is the tough part; since Hollywood is loathe to give anyone the ability to record HD content[sup]*[/sup], it’s likely that you would not be able to record HBO or SHO on D-VHS. You should check with your cable company to be sure (see if there’s a user-supported mailing list set up for them; a fellow subscriber of my cable company - Cablevision - set up a Yahoo group/mailing list, and we have lots of technical folks on it, including a couple of senior CV employees, who give us info not yet available to the general public).

[sup]*[/sup]This will likely change in the near future when integrated HD set top boxes/PVRs become available; however, you still won’t be able to record the program on a removable medium like tape or DVD-R; it would have to stay within the box. **

You know, I didn’t think about the bandwidth issue - my cable box doesn’t have Firewire but both the JVC unit and the Sony tuner that I’ve been looking at do have Firewire; on the Crutchfield website, there’s a disclaimer to the effect that the JVC unit might not be compatible with all HDTV tuners…

I’m on Time-Warner (which, rumor has it, will soon be sold to Charter) so I’ll poke around for some more info - I found a couple of HDTV sites but, to be honest, they spoke a lingo way above my head.

Thanks!
-bbb-

[handy]

"Don’t some HDTVs come with tuners built in "

Sure,
http://electroline4u.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/sony65XBR2.html

"For the ultimate in viewing excitement, you can’t do better than Sony’s biggest and best projection HDTV! The HDTV tuner is built in on Sony’s 16:9 widescreen KDP-65XBR2. Over-the-air HDTV programs are available in nearly two-thirds of the major TV markets (practically all of CBS’s prime-time lineup is broadcast in HDTV, and the other networks are increasing their HD offerings). "

[mcbiggins]

http://www.viewsonic.com/products/video_box_nextvisionn6.htm