Digital Decoder for Cable tv?

[MrFlashy]

I might be totally lost in what actually qualify as a Digital decoder / tuner these days, but seeing as I have a pretty ok HD tv and my cable company have started to transmit in digital signals I thought to make use of that HD.

However, I need a decoder for that to happen, but the only decoder I could "hire" from them was one with a scart output/input and as far as I know, scart lacks a few connectors to be called digital. Sure, it will be better than s-video and so on, but digital?

I went on a search (google is your friend) but every single decoder/tuner I came up with had scart as output/input, even dreambox. So my question is this:

Does anyone know if there is a decoder/tuner that supports HDMI/VGA/Component output? Name/brand will do more than enough

Thanks

//Mrflashy

p.s In case you are wondering, not I have not been banned, no I am not a stalker and yes, I have been without my BB connection for quite a while

 

[Matthias99]

I'm not sure what you are trying to 'decode' or 'tune'. Digital cable? If they're using unencrypted QAM, you can get tuners for that (probably outputting in component or SCART, maybe VGA).

If it's encrypted, you're basically SOL unless you can get a Cablecard-compliant tuner -- and I don't think they make standalone ones (yet).

...what's the problem with getting a digital HD cable box from your cable company, exactly?

 

[MrFlashy]

It's digital cable yes, but I am not sure what they are using.

What I do know is that the decoder they have and is using for their customers, does not have any other output than scart and they claim it
to be "digital"...

And it is unenctrypted, unless you want more than the basic channels.

//MrFlashy

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: MrFlashy
It's digital cable yes, but I am not sure what they are using.

What I do know is that the decoder they have and is using for their customers, does not have any other output than scart and they claim it
to be "digital"...

And it is unenctrypted, unless you want more than the basic channels.

//MrFlashy

Are you outside the US or something? Every HD digital cable setup I've ever heard of in the US provides HD component and/or DVI/HDMI outputs from their cable box.

SCART is very rarely used these days in the US. It's not 'digital', but you can put at least 480p over it. Component technically isn't 'digital' either, but you can still transmit HD over it.

If it's unencrypted QAM, you can get tuners for that. See if you can get ahold of someone at the cable company that actually knows what they're talking about and ask them.

If it's encrypted and they are using Cablecard, you might (in theory) be able to get ahold of a digital cable box that's compatible with their system and put a Cablecard in it -- or use a TV with an integrated Cablecard tuner (not using any external tuner box).

 

[MrFlashy]

Originally posted by: Matthias99
Are you outside the US or something? Every HD digital cable setup I've ever heard of in the US provides HD component and/or DVI/HDMI outputs from their cable box.

SCART is very rarely used these days in the US. It's not 'digital', but you can put at least 480p over it. Component technically isn't 'digital' either, but you can still transmit HD over it.

If it's unencrypted QAM, you can get tuners for that. See if you can get ahold of someone at the cable company that actually knows what they're talking about and ask them.

If it's encrypted and they are using Cablecard, you might (in theory) be able to get ahold of a digital cable box that's compatible with their system and put a Cablecard in it -- or use a TV with an integrated Cablecard tuner (not using any external tuner box).

Yeah I am outside the US, Norway more specifically And it seems we have not gotten up to the standards of what you have, when it comes to cable Because no company here has any decoders that use anything but scart.

As for getting hold of someone who knows what they actually are doing, well..lol I'd say it's a bigger chance to find a snowball in a certain hot place

And yeah, they do use a cablecard, which makes it a bit more difficult to actually find a tuner and at an affordable price too. I'v tried searching, but other than apparent tuners like dreambox, I am not really sure who makes them.

Knowing that it would be an easy thing to talk to the ones who import and se if there is any availability towards getting a tuner.

But thanks so far

//MrFlashy

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: MrFlashy
Yeah I am outside the US, Norway more specifically And it seems we have not gotten up to the standards of what you have, when it comes to cable Because no company here has any decoders that use anything but scart.

Teh suck.

As for getting hold of someone who knows what they actually are doing, well..lol I'd say it's a bigger chance to find a snowball in a certain hot place

Well... pretty much the same here.

See if you can get a supervisor or second/third-level tech on the phone, or maybe try emailing them (if they do that)... sometimes the phone support people are all just idiots.

And yeah, they do use a cablecard, which makes it a bit more difficult to actually find a tuner and at an affordable price too. I'v tried searching, but other than apparent tuners like dreambox, I am not really sure who makes them.

Knowing that it would be an easy thing to talk to the ones who import and se if there is any availability towards getting a tuner.

If they use Cablecard, you should be able to get a TV with a Cablecard tuner built in (either locally or as an import). I don't know if another type of cable box/tuner would work with their system -- again, the sort of question you need someone from the cable company to answer.

Good luck...

 

[nullpointerus]

EDIT: Oops, misread the thread.

 

[Thetech]

Sorry to drop a slightly OT comment but.... All of the marketing departments for cables would like us to believe alsmost everything is digital namely, headphones, s-video cables, composite cable, component etc. I can't believe how many times I've had to mention to people that such and such product isn't digital, it's just a marketing term.