qosmio tv tuner and basic cable (no box)

Hmmm. Trouble in paradise.
I seem to be having a problem with the TV tuner on my qosmio. I can't seem to get basic cable capability -- I'm only able to receive channels on the RF input that have been modulated onto channel 3 of the cable box. I can't take the cable input directly (no box) like I can on any old-school cable-ready TV (channels 1-99 only).
Has anyone else tried this? I've got a TV upstairs with basic cable only (no box) -- it works great on the TV. Plug it into the qosmio -- snow.
Go downstairs. Plug the qosmio into the coaxial output of my cable box and boom -- I can see whatever the cable box is tuned to on ch3 of the qosmio.
Is it just my cable? (Charter Digital Cable - which has an analog basic cable feed also on the line)
Has anyone else tried running their qosmio as the cable tuner (no box)? It SHOULD work. I spent an hour on the phone with TOshiba technical support this morning until they convinced me it was the cable companies fault. In the absence of other cable companies for me to directly test I beseech YOU, those Qosmio owners with cable out there, to try it and tell me whether I'm doomed to a cable box.
What's the use of a tuner for -- over-air broadcasts? -- if not for basic cable viewing.

Thanks

 

Not familiar with the laptop. Have you scanned the channels yet? Might be also a setting somewhere that you only have a video signal displayed rather than actually using the built in tuner.

 

Looking at the online manual it says following

Watching Television Programs

Before you can watch TV using Media Center, make sure your computer is set up correctly for your TV signal source and that you have completed the Media Center setup wizard.

The TV Tuner will function only in the country where the computer was purchased.

 

Yes, yes...I've gone through all the Media Center setup and I'm using it in the US -- the country that I purchased it in. Like I said, if I use it with a cable box it works perfectly. No cable box, no video.
C'mon, isn't there a single qosmio user out there who has access to basic cable (no box)? Help me out here?

 

Go back and re-set up your tv using analog, not digital settings. Make sure that you pick the right tv broadcase signal for your cable company. Make sure that your zip complies with the city you live in -- for instance, my zip belongs to a neighboring city, not the actual municipality in which I live.

I just completed my set up and my tv works fine. Also, allow for the voice to catch-up to the video. Apparently it takes a few seconds; but, it will do it on its own.
Good Luck and take care.
Tony

 

Thanks, Tony. I still don't have it working here, but I think it's an artifact of the digital cable being on the same cable line (as the analog basic cable). I take it you're able to see basic cable channels on the tuner with no cable box? I've tried all the setup I think of on the qosmio. Maybe I can put some sort of filter on the line to block the digital stuff.

 

Daniel,

No cable box in my house. My computer accept the signal right out of the cable coming out of the wall.

I'm not ready to accept that it's the "fault" of your provider. It doesn't seem logical that your upstairs tv will work off of your cable and yet your computer won't accept that same signal. I'm convinced that it's in your set-up.

Do you get the "fuzzy" signal when the cable is plugged into the computer? Try setting up a rabbit ears (that came with your old tv). Connect those to wires to a cable converter and then into your rf converter and into your computer. You should be able to get 2-13 VHF stations (I don't know about the UHF stations 14 - 80-something) and out of the air waves. You may have to re-set up the computer to tell it that your accepting only airwave signals. But, if that works, there's absolutely no reason that your computer shouldn't accept signals out of the wall.

Finally, Daniel, please don't take this as an insult: Are you sure that your running your computer out of the cable coming out of the wall and not from the cable coming out back out of your tv? (I guess sometimes I, too, forget to make sure the damn thing is plugged in -- ooops).

Good Luck.
Tony

 

Ah, finally someone else with a qosmio who's really tried this with basic cable. I agree with you Tony -- it doesn't seem to make sense that my TV can receive it fine yet my qosmio can't. I CAN see some fuzzy local channel pictures when I plug in the cable wire -- like the wire is acting as an antenna (and yes, I'm sure Im plugging in the right cable cord -- my TV doesn't have an RF out [ ] (something Toshiba tech support wanted me to try)). And I can change channels on the qosmio with some effect on the video (different pictures of snow). I also tried the cable line downstairs both before and after the cable box. Snow before. Signal on ch3 after (so I know the connection is good and the tuner works...or at least ch3).
I am relieved to hear yours is working fine without a box. I'm pretty well convinced at this point that the tuner is actually working (since I can get a cable-box modulated signal on ch3) and the fact that yours works encourages me. I'm also half convinced it has something to do with the fact I've got both digital cable and basic cable on the same line seems to be giving it problems. Maybe I'll contact my cable company and see if they have any info.
Thanks!

 

Things are now more interesting! I was ready to give up on this -- I picked up a coaxial in-line amp for 10dB gain in the thought that maybe the signal was too weak for the qosmio. No good -- no improvement. Then, I shutdown the computer and started the qosmio player TV. I went into the setup screen and found the CATV (HRC) option on the automatic-scan channel. Selecting this, all the channels came in perfect! So the tuner definitely works.
I then spent the next hour or so with several guys from India at Toshibas tech support center running over the same windows media center setup options I'd already gone over many times. I'm escalated to "level 3" right now (whatever that means). Someone is supposed to call me back today.
Any other thoughts out there? Media center doesn't seem to give me the setup options to specifically choose HRC on my cable settings -- it's looking at the wrong frequencies. I can't seem to find any way to configure the tuner in windows (aside from the automatic/manual setup in Media Center). Any thoughts out there?

 

I am on the same trail trying to get Comcast basic cable on Qosmio F25. I could get the cable channels on Qosmio player and have waiting for a call from "level 3" support. Any luck beyond this?

 

Same issue here1 (analog/HRC cable was detected and working inside Qosmio Player, but not MCE -- G15-AV501). Cable provider is Comcast.

The [so-called] tech support in the Philippines immediately referred me to Microsoft, as "it wasn't Toshiba's issue".

Has any one found any info/fix yet? I tried to google it, but nothing concrete came up.

 

Hi,

But there is no way to make it works in other countries? For example I want to buy a Qosmio from Spain, and use it in Romania. Is there any way to make the TV tuner work in Romania?

Thanks.