QAM vs. Copy Freely bit?

[rwc]

I currently have a Hauppauge 2250 and am really itching to switch to an hd homerun prime. (In all honesty, I don't know why I have the bug to do this--esp. w/ the state of sage at the moment, but regardless...)

Is it safe to assume that all channels broadcast w/ clear QAM will also be able to be recorded via cablecard?

[darcilicious]

Originally Posted by rwc

Is it safe to assume that all channels broadcast w/ clear QAM will also be able to be recorded via cablecard?

Yes.

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by rwc

... Is it safe to assume that all channels broadcast w/ clear QAM will also be able to be recorded via cablecard?

I use the HDHR for all of the clear QAM channels, for me it's only the locals. The Prime will get all of the clear QAM and the CopyFreely channels which are not clear QAM but require a sub, like TNT, FX and the like. For some reason the Science channel (For me) is copy protected and requires DRM to beable to watch, as do any of the premium channels like HBO etc.

If you get a Prime, that could act as a backup with 7MC, should something happen with Sage in the near future (or now for some). This is where the Prime really shines, or any cablecard for that matter.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by darcilicious

Yes.

I would say no, I'm pretty sure I've seen comments/complaints from people who ran into the issue where ClearQAM shows were flagged Copy Once.

[darcilicious]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I would say no, I'm pretty sure I've seen comments/complaints from people who ran into the issue where ClearQAM shows were flagged Copy Once.

Eek. That sucks

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I would say no, I'm pretty sure I've seen comments/complaints from people who ran into the issue where ClearQAM shows were flagged Copy Once.

I did at one point, CBS which was clear, had a copyonce flag set. When I argued with cable they eventually fixed it. It took quite a while untill that happended though. So much time that I also picked up the HDHR dual tunner instead and shelfed the Prime unitl recently.

[mechling-burgh]

The prime I believe will also record QAM with or without a cable card you just tell how to use the tuner. You could set one as QAM and two as cable card tuners. If you are using it a a QAM tuner copy flags do not matter.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by mechling-burgh

The prime I believe will also record QAM with or without a cable card you just tell how to use the tuner. You could set one as QAM and two as cable card tuners. If you are using it a a QAM tuner copy flags do not matter.

Can you mix and match like that? I've got a prime, but 90%+ of what I watch is clear QAM, I'd love to be able to set a couple of the Prime's tuners to Clear QAM and then not have to deal with DCT/Cablecard except for the few channels that aren't clear (or analog).

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Can you mix and match like that? I've got a prime, but 90%+ of what I watch is clear QAM, I'd love to be able to set a couple of the Prime's tuners to Clear QAM and then not have to deal with DCT/Cablecard except for the few channels that aren't clear (or analog).

Yes, it is defined when you run the HDHR setup utility, when it first discovers the tunners.

EDIT: It is located under the Tunners tab, you select what type of tunner it is.

[stanger89]

Right, I knew you could set it there, but I "assumed" that if you had a cablecard installed the prime would no longer work as a ClearQAM tuner, I guess I'll have to look into that.

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Right, I knew you could set it there, but I "assumed" that if you had a cablecard installed the prime would no longer work as a ClearQAM tuner, I guess I'll have to look into that.

Nope, works fine in dual mode. It was a latter addition in one of the firmware updates.

[will]

Originally Posted by rwc

I currently have a Hauppauge 2250 and am really itching to switch to an hd homerun prime. (In all honesty, I don't know why I have the bug to do this--esp. w/ the state of sage at the moment, but regardless...)

Is it safe to assume that all channels broadcast w/ clear QAM will also be able to be recorded via cablecard?

I recommend that you check what your cable company marks as copy once before investing in anything. There is a website floating around here that lists what cable providers in what regions use copy freely flags. For me, my provided, TWC in the East Coast, marks everything as copy once except for over-the-air stations. So I have stayed away from cable cards.

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by rwc

Is it safe to assume that all channels broadcast w/ clear QAM will also be able to be recorded via cablecard?

Mostly. Stanger is right that it's possible for clearQAM channels/programs to be marked with some type of flag that would invoke DRM, but it seems to be fairly rare. The HDHR Prime had a problem in their earlier firmwares that would invoke DRM when it wasn't necessary (due to a spec bug or miscommunication by CableLabs), but that's been resolved for quite a while now. There's still other ways it can happen, but it's probably mostly safe to assume your clearQAM channels will be recorded without DRM through an HDHR Prime.

And if not, as others noted, you can set one tuner in the HDHR Prime as a QAM tuner.