QUOTE(mrdavex @ Jan 24 2008, 11:38 AM)
If you don't want HD reception for your other TVs, then you don't need a box for those TVs. They will work just fine being connected directly to the cable. Of course, they will receive ONLY the analog channels.
In Comcast world, there is no channel 3-1, 3-2, etc. For KCRA, the analog channel is #3. For HD, the channel is 903. And for KCRA Weather Plus, it is channel 193.
I have not gotten caught up to the end of the thread yet, but I think I can clear some of this channel numbering up.
If you use a TV's built-in QAM tuner, the HD channels from a Comcast cable feed - with no cable box in the way - show up as 3-1, 3-2, etc. I believe these are actually re-mapped from other physical channels (e.g., 3-1 is actually a re-directed 113 or something - I'm just making up 113 in this case).
The channel numbers are completely different if you use a cable box.
You CAN get some of these sideband channels (KCRA weather, etc.) off the air and directly off the cable feed. They are not scrambled or anything.
Back to the DVDR... I suspect that the DVDR tuner is analog only. It won't tune in any of the HD channels, just the analog channels. If you upgrade to digital service, it still won't make the DVDR receive any digital channels. You might, however, be able to route a cable box output into the DVDR, but that doesn't mean that the recording will be in HD. It's possible that the DVDR is upconverting analog signals into an HDTV set to enhance its apparent resolution - this might give the impression that analog channels are tuning in in "HD". What kind of signal is the DVDR providing to the TV/monitor? (composite? component? HDMI?)
