Comcast HDTV on Windows XP
on 06.19.04, 08:52pm in home theater • comments (3)
There’s no real easy way to get ‘true’ HDTV content off the Comcast HDTV box integrated in Windows Media Center edition. Sure, you can have the tuner box output via coax to the WinTV board, but you’re really downgrading your signal.
Based off this thread at AvsForum, I was able to get video over firewire working on Windows XP. This morning I ran over to Comcast and exchanged my Motorola 6200 cable box for one with a firewire 1394 port and the latest firmware, version 7.10. Following the instructions on the forum, I plugged in the cable box to my Windows Media Center PC in the home theater and was able to get the ‘Panasonic D-VHS AV/C Device’ drivers installed.
Watching HDTV is simple enough, just drop to ‘normal’ Windows from MCE, run VLC, select Open Capture device and select the Panasonic recorder.
Wham. HDTV (unencrypted channels only) displays on the PC.
Sure, an integrated solution would be nice, and perhaps the Fusion 3 Gold QAM will be a better solution than over firewire. Still investigating, but for now, I can watch at least the locals at HD on the 106” screen.
steve (June 21, 2004 @ 3:30 pm)
Any luck trying to stream HD from one VLC client to another? (or am I the only one in the world that wants to do that?).
Cheers,
Steve (aka Tivolicious @ AVS)
Steve (June 25, 2004 @ 2:39 pm)
Sorry, haven’t tried that. I’m really leaning towards to Fusion 3 QAM card though. Having the external box just feels clunky to me.
Osc Sodani (September 25, 2004 @ 8:33 pm)
Have you tried the Fusion card with Comcast cable yet? I have a fusion card with Starpower, but I can only get 2 channels (NBC CBS).