Configure an NTSC signal to tune using the ATSC tuner?

[davi323]

Hi, I have a rather weird situation with my cable provider, Charter Communications. Back in September, they took G4TV, and while its technically an analog station, and part of the expanded basic package, they made it digital, so it is only available with a digital cable box (or through QAM, as I receive the channel perfectly on my HDTV using QAM, with no digital box needed) Basically, its an analog station, that they took off of analog, and made digital only. What I am wondering, is if there is a way I can configure my digital source in Sage TV to access it. If I try to tune it in using the NTSC tuner, where it still shows up on the channel listings, nothing comes in, and I can't get it to tune in using the ATSC tuner, even though I know its exact QAM/digital channel number (101-1, which I assume would be remapped as physical channel 101-0-1)

Is there a way I can use the ATSC tuner of my HVR-1600 to tune it in, despite it being recognized as an analog source by the Channel guide?

[gplasky]

No. That's like asking if you can use yur AM tuner to tune in FM.


Gerry

[blade]

Either the channel is digital or it is analog. Just because it's SD doesn't automatically mean it's an analog channel. Digital channels can be HD or SD.

If your TV can tune the channel without the use of a cable box then I see no reason it can't be done in Sage. Whether you need to use an analog or digital tuner to do so will depend on whether the channel is digital or analog.

If it is a digital channel then you'd select the lineup you want to use and run a channel scan. Once it's complete you'll have channels listed such as 92-0-1 (something like that, it's been awhile and I don't remember exactly how they show up after the scan). Then you'd map it to whatever channel G4TV is in the lineup you've selected. Then when you select G4TV in the guide it will tune to 92-0-1 or whatever you have it mapped to.

One problem you might have is the HVR1600 is complete garbage when it comes to QAM tuning. I just RMA'd 2 because of their poor reception.

[davi323]

The problem I am having, is that when I set up the channels, because its listed as being an analog station (even though it isn't) it only shows up on the NTSC side of the channel lineups. I know its a digital signal, I know its unencrypted, as I receive it perfectly clearly on my actual HDTV, but, SageTV doesn't list it under the ATSC channel lineup when I configure my tuners in setup. If it did, I could simply assign the physical channel to 101-0-1 and be done with it. Could I just change the cable provider from the NTSC side of it to match the digital listings, and then do it there? The NTSC tuner is currently configured to grab the listings for the expanded basic package of my cable company...if I redid that, and told it to use the listings for the digital package, I wonder if that might work...

[GKusnick]

Using a digital channel lineup on your analog tuner won't enable it to tune digital signals. To tune that channel digitally, you need to add it to the digital lineup on the digital tuner. See p. 157 of the V6 manual for details on adding channels to a lineup.

[OldPCGUY]

Originally Posted by davi323

Hi, I have a rather weird situation with my cable provider, Charter Communications. Back in September, they took G4TV, and while its technically an analog station, and part of the expanded basic package, they made it digital, so it is only available with a digital cable box (or through QAM, as I receive the channel perfectly on my HDTV using QAM, with no digital box needed) Basically, its an analog station, that they took off of analog, and made digital only. What I am wondering, is if there is a way I can configure my digital source in Sage TV to access it. If I try to tune it in using the NTSC tuner, where it still shows up on the channel listings, nothing comes in, and I can't get it to tune in using the ATSC tuner, even though I know its exact QAM/digital channel number (101-1, which I assume would be remapped as physical channel 101-0-1)

Is there a way I can use the ATSC tuner of my HVR-1600 to tune it in, despite it being recognized as an analog source by the Channel guide?

Hi Davi,

You are on the right track but the Physical Channel number needs to be discovered by running Digital Source Scan and then previewing all the channels. It should be there since the TV can recieve it. If not then it may be a channel with a weak signal that yur TV can pick up but not your QAM card. Becareful with TV channels and QAM channels. They may not match.

[davi323]

I have noticed that on frequencies with multiple subchannels that the numbering might not be the same...SageTV and GBPVR recognize my local NBC affiliate's QAM as being 105-1, and ABC as 105-2, with their local weather only stations being 105-3 and 105-4, respectively...while my TV recognizes the weather stations as 105-1 and 105-2, with NBC and ABC being 105-3 and 105-4...so, I guess I don't know for certain that G4TV is actually going to be 101-1, it could be found by Sage as 101-2 or something, I guess...I don't really "need" to get G4TV through Sage, unless I want to record something from it...if I want to simply watch it, I can use the TV. I now use SageTV as pretty much a DVR, rather than as my main HDTV viewing. So its not crucial.