HDTV tuner card for BTV 3.7.X analog/digital use

[cartoonman]

There has been lots of talk about HDTV for BTV 4, but i don't think i'm ready quite yet to make the leap. I do like its potential, though. I'd like get a third tuner installed, and get the necessary BTV license for the interim time until i upgrade. Unfortunately, i am not up to speed as i should be on the subtitle differences amongst tuner cards since i have been very happy with the 2 hauppauge 250 BTVs I have been using, and they have worked great for receiving analog/digital cable signals (see my signature for details). I want to plan for an eventual upgrade to HDTV by investing in an HDTV tuner card to use now in BTV 3.7.X, but don't know if and what will or will NOT work. I am curious if anyone knows if i can use an HDTV tuner card in BTV 3.7.X. I assume the major difference between the analog/digital cards BTV 3 uses and the HDTV tuner cards for BTV 4 is that HDTV tuner cards just decode the HDTV that is present in the cable signal. I assume that an HDTV tuner card still processes analog/digital cable signals as a standard tuner card does, like the Hauppauge 150/250/350/500 would, for example. If I am mistaken, i sure hope someone can set me straight. If you can recommend an HDTV tuner card that can be used in BTV 3 now, with use in BTV 4 later, i appreciate it.

MItch

[enigma9o7]

Originally Posted by cartoonman

HDTV tuner cards just decode the HDTV that is present in the cable signal. I assume that an HDTV tuner card still processes analog/digital cable signals as a standard tuner card does

Not really. HDTV tuner cards tune the HDTV (and lower resolutions too) that are present in ATSC signals in the airwaves all around us. BTV only supports broadcast (atsc) hdtv, and analog from cable [although appearantly there may be one or two HDTV tuner cards that get QAM which will get HD from unencrypted cable channels, but BTV doesn't support this]

My kworld ATSC card has seperate inputs for digital and analog. I have my antenna split to go to both, but if I had cable I would hook that up to my analog and leave the antenna hooked up for digital. [If you hook up cable to the digital input, you'll get nothing.]

Some other HDTV cards only have one input for analog and digital, in my case only using broadcast tv (NTSC & ATSC) that would be fine, but if I had cable I'd want to use a combiner (inverse splitter) to combine my cable with antenna to get HDTV. I have no idea how well that actually works...

[cartoonman]

Thanks for the head's up. the information is really helpful, since i don't know much. i'm sure HDTV will mature in the next few years, and looks like i'll wait for BTV to support QAM and the other HDTV signal mediums. in the meantime, i'll get the most from my current setup.