Setup to make the perfect WMC TV...

n8thegr8

New Member
Howdy everyone,

So I've been doing some tinkering and researching on WMC and how to make the perfect TV setup. My ultimate goal is to have WMC give me all of my channels I would normally see on my cable box (including HD channels, and possibly premium channels). And as expected, I am hitting some road blocks. I have several questions that I haven't been able to find clear answers to.


1) I've been able to receive only analog basic cable channels from my cable provider (Cox cable, Washington DC area) into my computer via my TV tuner. From what I've researched, this is because the company encrypts essentially anything they can charge for, and this means HD and premium channels. Is this the story with most media pc setups with a direct cable-in connection?

2) Is running a set-top box setup a good alternative? I have been eyeing several remotes that would support this setup in WMC, but I'm still unsure how it works. It seems like it would be a way to receive premium channels, but can you receive the HD ones? Since the computer would read the signals through the coax cable, and the cable box only sends HD through component or hdmi outputs, it seems like I wouldn't receive HD channels via the coax output-->PC.

From the looks of things...how the heck do I receive my cable HD channels on my computer! I've been using OTA and it looks fantastic, it'd be great to receive more.
 

My Computer

Well I think what your looking for is the ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner. With it you can connect you full digital cable and full HD channel list will be able to play directly through your Media Center PC. It is basicly the same thing as your box you have now but made for the computer.
TVWonderDCTusbrgb.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built Rigg "My Baby"
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N-E SLI
    Memory
    6GB DDR2 900 Kingston
    Graphics Card(s)
    BFG Nvidia 9600 GT-OC + BFG Nvidia 9600 GT-OC
    Sound Card
    SoundBlaster XFI
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 19" WideScreen + Ascer 22" WideScreen + Acer 19" WideScreen + HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050 + 1400x900 + 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 500GB Sata
    Seagate 500GB Sata
    Seagate 500GB Sata
    Seagate 500GB Sata
    Seagate 320 Sata (Primary)
    Western Digital 500GB IDE
    Western Digital 500GB IDE
    Western Digital 300GB IDE
    Maxter 720 Sata (USB)
    PSU
    BFG 800 Watt SLI Power Supply
    Case
    Game Master
    Cooling
    Thermotake
    Keyboard
    Logitech (Bluetooth)
    Mouse
    Logitech (Bluetooth)
    Internet Speed
    Turbo Cable
    Other Info
    ATI 650HD TV Tuner X2
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