^yes, but you can still use it by connecting the out line of your cable box into this tuner card. Not ideal because you need to remember to set it to your desired cable station before recording and you can only record one station at a time with one cable box. Over the Air TV is also an option for this card.
Yeah I think I have one of these, I mean a different brand Hauppauge card but functionally the same and just use it to get the video from a set top box into the computer for watching while working.
These days it's easier to get recorded content off a file sharing or streaming TV site than DIY recording a broadcast.
As for cable going encrypted, I keep hearing both sides, that some people are convinced the entire industry is becoming more and more encrypted and the other camp that states they'll soon do away with encryption.
I tend to think the former, because eventually they can save on bandwidth by streaming only a single channel at a time rather than the entire frequency spectrum off all channels simultaneously, and make a few more bucks off customers by renting them the proprietary set top boxes.
I use one of these with Windows Media Centre as an over the air DVR. Better quality than cable or satellite, and free, as long as you're close enough to a transmitter: http://www.antennaweb.org/Address.aspx
^^I'll respectfully take the other view finding DIY recording easier. I like the instant gratification from DVR recordings. I mainly watch local and financial news but do have a few TV series I record as well. So once I set my recording schedule I don't have to mess with it much. With Media Center I can access my recordings immediately and can quickly jump around sections of the news broadcast that interest me, jump over commercials and even play in fast motion. One down side is occasionally DIY recordings miss a recording when a sports game pushes a program to a later time. I have Am@zon Prime and hardly ever use it for Prime Video but have never watched video through file sharing. I assume that file sharing is through the black market via sites like the former mega uploads?
^ File sharing is through whoever has it. Take it on a case by case or show by show basis. The bits are out there... whatever works best for you, is best for you.
Personally I hate file sharing sites that either want a fee or limit download rate. Don't get me wrong, I"m not advocating mass piracy, just being able to watch what you paid for the right to watch, when it is convenient.
I stopped paying for cable years ago, but we get plenty of decent OverTheAir TV in North Texas (about 30 channels, at least half of which are high-def most or all of the time). We watch a lot of PBS stuff, and have 2 PBS channels.
I've downloaded hundreds of hours of TV too, mostly from BitTorrent sites over the years. Also subscribe to Netflix streaming, and Prime, so definitely don't need cable.
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Comcast has already
These days it's easier to get recorded content off a file sharing or streaming TV site than DIY recording a broadcast.
As for cable going encrypted, I keep hearing both sides, that some people are convinced the entire industry is becoming more and more encrypted and the other camp that states they'll soon do away with encryption.
I tend to think the former, because eventually they can save on bandwidth by streaming only a single channel at a time rather than the entire frequency spectrum off all channels simultaneously, and make a few more bucks off customers by renting them the proprietary set top boxes.
Personally I hate file sharing sites that either want a fee or limit download rate. Don't get me wrong, I"m not advocating mass piracy, just being able to watch what you paid for the right to watch, when it is convenient.
I've downloaded hundreds of hours of TV too, mostly from BitTorrent sites over the years. Also subscribe to Netflix streaming, and Prime, so definitely don't need cable.
I used to use a card like the item above, and a USB-connected tuner too, but ever since getting a dual-tuner SiliconDust unit I've much preferred using that, since it's accessible from all the desktops and laptops on the home network:
http://bensbargains.net/bargain/silicondust-hdhomerun-hdhr3-us-dual-hdtv-tuner-61-at-newegg-64525/
Thank you!