• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Free HD cable? No way!

ZappDogg

ZappDogg

Senior member
After reading about QAM channels, I was really eager to figure out the best way to score some free HD.

A few days ago, I ran a coax from the top coax port on my wall to my TV...nothing happened. I thought that was the end of the story, and figured that no QAMs were getting pushed out to my line.

On a whim last night, and with nothing better to do, I disconnected my modem from the bottom port, and hooked that up to the TV. Ran a channel scan, and lo and behold, over 100 digital stations were detected. Now, most of these turned out to be junk, but at the very least I'm getting the following for free:

HD
ABC
CBS
FOX
NBC
PBS
CW

Standard Def
History Channel
Discovery
Disney
WGN
bunch of shopping networks
couple of music channels

Not to shabby for having to buy a 2 dollar splitter! Give it a try if you aren't already paying for cable tv, but ARE paying for cable internet!
 
You can get free HD ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, and CW by just using an antenna. That's what I do.
 
I get the same thing. I get over 100 channels and only pay for internet but it might come with my apartment.

Either way I didn't ask for it.
 
Originally posted by: TallBill
Originally posted by: GoPackGo
Waiting for the "youre stealing" crowed ....

5
4
3...
Click to expand...

Waiting for the "learn to spell" crowd ....

5
4
3...
Click to expand...

Technically he spelled it right, he just missed the apostrophe. "Your stealing" would have been far worse IMO.

Edit: Oh. CAW, CAW!!
 
Originally posted by: JDub02
You can get free HD ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, and CW by just using an antenna. That's what I do.
Click to expand...

My antenna never could pull in anything. Of course I live in a basement and there's a big tower on campus which is spewing all sorts of shit, and the closest tower broadcasting digital is like 30 miles away, over some hills, so I really wasn't expecting much.

But I can pull in QAM channels so its all ok. Of course, I don't know if its the cable provider or the local affiliates, but its clear not everyone is up to speed on the whole HD thing.
 
QAM is good stuff, but they're typically junk channels, like what you found, except for the locals in HD which can be had for free OTA anyways.
 
I live too far for OTA HD. I used to have it when I lived downtown, but when I moved out of the city, my reception went down the tubes. I'd rather use a coax than have an unsightly, weather-affected antenna, too.
 
Originally posted by: CKent
Originally posted by: TallBill
Originally posted by: GoPackGo
Waiting for the "youre stealing" crowed ....

5
4
3...
Click to expand...

Waiting for the "learn to spell" crowd ....

5
4
3...
Click to expand...

Technically he spelled it right, he just missed the apostrophe. "Your stealing" would have been far worse IMO.

Edit: Oh. CAW, CAW!!
Click to expand...

Failboat leaving town, all aboard!
 
wait you hooked up your modem cable line to the tv and it picked up the channels? Isn't that the same cable line that goes through the house how does this work?
 
Here in Canada the cable companies aren't required to pass the OTA channels un-encrypted, so all our QAM stuff requires a cable box.
 
Originally posted by: Sphexi
Here in Canada the cable companies aren't required to pass the OTA channels un-encrypted, so all our QAM stuff requires a cable box.
Click to expand...

Here in the U.S they are required to pass OTA unencrypted. It is violation of federal law to do otherwise. Their are very large fines if they do.
 
Originally posted by: coinz
wait you hooked up your modem cable line to the tv and it picked up the channels? Isn't that the same cable line that goes through the house how does this work?
Click to expand...

ran a coax from the wall to the tv. the wall port had previously been used by the modem, so i just put a splitter on it.
 
Originally posted by: ICRS
Originally posted by: Sphexi
Here in Canada the cable companies aren't required to pass the OTA channels un-encrypted, so all our QAM stuff requires a cable box.
Click to expand...

Here in the U.S they are required to pass OTA unencrypted. It is violation of federal law to do otherwise. Their are very large fines if they do.
Click to expand...

I know it. Too bad such laws don't count up here, it'd be sweet to get some free HD channels. The only thing they don't encrypt is one of the digital music channels, which is pretty lame.
 
I am surprised you got the history and discovery channel.....


but those are the channels that the cable company cannot scramble/encrypt. It's the reason why they charge people $10 more for not bundling it with TV....because they are going to get it anways.
 
Originally posted by: ICRS
Originally posted by: Sphexi
Here in Canada the cable companies aren't required to pass the OTA channels un-encrypted, so all our QAM stuff requires a cable box.
Click to expand...

Here in the U.S they are required to pass OTA unencrypted. It is violation of federal law to do otherwise. Their are very large fines if they do.
Click to expand...

Caveat: A reasonable interpretation is one OTA channel. They don't have to do HD. They could just do SD. I am not sure that they would win if they did that and FCC got angry enough but it is a possible scenario.
 
Originally posted by: Reel
Originally posted by: ICRS
Originally posted by: Sphexi
Here in Canada the cable companies aren't required to pass the OTA channels un-encrypted, so all our QAM stuff requires a cable box.
Click to expand...

Here in the U.S they are required to pass OTA unencrypted. It is violation of federal law to do otherwise. Their are very large fines if they do.
Click to expand...

Caveat: A reasonable interpretation is one OTA channel. They don't have to do HD. They could just do SD. I am not sure that they would win if they did that and FCC got angry enough but it is a possible scenario.
Click to expand...

I have basic cable coming in through Comcast along with the internet service (yes I pay for it) and when my DirecTV box was doing a reboot I switched over to watch for a couple of minutes and for some reason I was not getting any of the unencrypted QAM locals. I called Comcast and oddly enough during the course of the conversation with them the channels came back on.

The CSR then informed me that at some point in the future they would be disabling being able to get the unencrypted HD locals without the digital cable box to which I replied that that would be when I call in to have the basic turned off and just pay for the internet. She then backed away from the statement a bit by saying there was nothing definite or a date this would happen.
 
I usually pick up a random porn ppv channel from someone in my neighborhood is watching. fun stuff to just watch them what they watch, they usually skip the boring stuff and fast forward to the good stuff.
 
Originally posted by: ZappDogg
Originally posted by: coinz
wait you hooked up your modem cable line to the tv and it picked up the channels? Isn't that the same cable line that goes through the house how does this work?
Click to expand...

ran a coax from the wall to the tv. the wall port had previously been used by the modem, so i just put a splitter on it.
Click to expand...

This is the same way I figured it out a few weeks ago.
 
Originally posted by: ZappDogg
After reading about QAM channels, I was really eager to figure out the best way to score some free HD.

A few days ago, I ran a coax from the top coax port on my wall to my TV...nothing happened. I thought that was the end of the story, and figured that no QAMs were getting pushed out to my line.

On a whim last night, and with nothing better to do, I disconnected my modem from the bottom port, and hooked that up to the TV. Ran a channel scan, and lo and behold, over 100 digital stations were detected. Now, most of these turned out to be junk, but at the very least I'm getting the following for free:

HD
ABC
CBS
FOX
NBC
PBS
CW

Standard Def
History Channel
Discovery
Disney
WGN
bunch of shopping networks
couple of music channels

Not to shabby for having to buy a 2 dollar splitter! Give it a try if you aren't already paying for cable tv, but ARE paying for cable internet!
Click to expand...

1. who is your cable provider?

2. are you paying for basic cable TV as well, or just cable internet?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top