[jasonblair]

Here's the deal... in Terre Haute, WTHI carries CBS in HD on 10.1, and Fox in SD on 10.2. However, the 10.2 Fox broadcasts are fed to Time Warner cable directly in HD. DirecTV only carries the OTA SD broadcast of Fox. So basically, people in Terre Haute can watch Fox in HD if they have cable, but only in SD if they have DirecTV or antenna.

My mother, who lives in Terre Haute, has Time Warner Road Runner for internet at her house. The installer told me that the broadcast channels will come in over the cable, even though she only has internet with Time Warner, and not television service.

Here's my question - Is there any way to plug the cable into an AM-21, and fool the AM-21 into tuning to the Time Warner HD cable feed of Fox? That way she could have DVR capability to record the Fox shows in HD rather than in SD.

Of course this problem would be moot if DirecTV would agree to carry the direct HD feed of Fox that WTHI provides to Time Warner cable. (I spoke with the general manager of WTHI, and he said that the station has made the HD feed available to DirecTV, but DirecTV has not taken them up on their offer.)

 

[say-what]

Nope. the AM21 only works with an OTA antenna, it cannot decode the QAM signals on the cable feed

 

[litzdog911]

ATSC off-air channels only. No QAM (digital cable) capability.

 

[Floyd]

The AM-21 may be able to tune all the off-air channels, but they don't necessarily all show up in the guide so that you can watch them in larger markets. Only those channels selected by DTV are available for viewing. There is a company (Zap-2-It)? that provides the guide program data, and if they don't have the data, or if DTV doesn't request it, you don't see the channel.
It should be possible to at least list the channel in the guide with the notation "program data not available" for those customers who might want to watch one of the unlisted channels or set up a manual recording.

 

[P Smith]

How many years ppl will request the changes in DTV FW ? man ... I recall same issue 6 or more years, duh !

 

[jimbo56]

The AM-21 may be able to tune all the off-air channels, but they don't necessarily all show up in the guide so that you can watch them in larger markets. Only those channels selected by DTV are available for viewing. There is a company (Zap-2-It)? that provides the guide program data, and if they don't have the data, or if DTV doesn't request it, you don't see the channel.
It should be possible to at least list the channel in the guide with the notation "program data not available" for those customers who might want to watch one of the unlisted channels or set up a manual recording.

Then people would be calling DTV to complain that guide information is not available. I think that is why the AM-21 only allows you to choose channels from two zip codes. If it allowed a full scan, you might pick up a channel or two from another town, the receiver would not know where it is coming from and would be unable to provide any program information. I think DTV wants the AM-21 to work transparently with the satellite receiver.

I do think that DTV needs to work with whoever is providing the guide information to allow more sub channels to be seen, however.

 

[xmguy]

My Nashville DMAs do the same. The MyTV network has a SD feed that Directv gets. Then a HD feed I can get on Charter via Clear QAM. Atleast its not a big name channel. But still I do wish these networks offered their signals equally. SD and HD.