Can't Get Comcast Thru QAM

Hi all,
Recently purchased the HP DV6T with integrated hybrid tuner.

I've been able to record all local HD channels OTA but none through QAM with the Comcast box.

Is this because Comcast is not transmitting any signals to the coax out (RF out) connector? Has anyone been able to record HD using Digital QAM with Comcast?

Also, I average about 8GB per hour of HD recording OTA..... gulp.....
Is there a way to record this with any type of compression?

Thanks in advance.

 

I'm able to watch and record unencrypted HDTV channels from Comcast with my OnAir GT USB HDTV tuner. So long as you're plugging your tuner directly into Comcast cable and not into your Comcast settop box you should be able to scan for channels and find them?

There are no good ways to recompress HDTV channels on-the-fly. You can do so offline using a program such as Avidemux but it takes a long time to encode video. Merely editing out commercials isn't too bad though.

 

Thansk Brian...but correct me if I'm wrong.... what you're doing is recording using NTSC? another word you're not recording true HD.

I can connect directly to Comcast using the coax ...then scan channels using the box's remote ...and I would receive all the channels...but they're not HD channels. and they're not coming in as HD.

Do you know which Comcast box you're using? is it a motorolla? which model?

 

I'm watching and recording QAM, the cable equivalent of ATSC (true HD). I have the cheapest analog basic service tier thus no Comcast settop box but since the broadcast networks and assorted other basic digital channels are unencrypted I can watch them with my USB HDTV tuner. It sounds like you're plugging your HP tuner into your Comcast box? Don't do that. Plug your tuner directly into the wall jack.

 

As brainstretch mentioned...you connect the coax cable directly from the wall into your laptop to get QAM. Do not go through the cable box as the output from the box will be standard definition via coax.

 

Thanks fellas!!!

I had tried this earlier and only saw analog channels so I thought I couldn't get HD recording this way.

I went back and tried it again....got those same 80 channels (actually 80 programs)....but this time I double checked and saw HD!!! only a few local channels in HD, of course. It was hard to tell because it was listed by program number, not channel number.... like 6970048.......arggggggggggggg...annoying.

Am trying to see if I can get it to display the channels instead.