They will be available in the US nation wide mid January '08. They will be made by LG. I don't think they will be able to output HD though. Ced
I took your advice and bought a H260F from ebay as well. I am using it for the QAM tuner as I have 5 free HD channels through my cable co (with hopefully more to follow). My TV is HD but does not have the built in QAM tuner. The problem i am having is that some of the HD channels are on 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, and 11-1, but i cannot directly tune to them and the channel setup will not pick them up either. It looks like it starts at channel 12 on the setup and will not pick up anything below it. HELP! Thanks in advance for any replies!
Is there any way to get unscrambled HD channels using a QAM tuner WITHOUT a cable subscription? Just wondering if that could be an alternative for people who aren't able to get OTA digital signals.
I don't understand the question, you ask about people without cable, then people who are not able to get ota? I might be wrong but the way I understand it is you need the qam tuner to get the clear hd channels whether it's over cable or OTA signal. Chris
No, that's incorrect. Digital OTA and digital cable are transmitted in two different formats and require two different tuners. A QAM tuner is used to get digital cable, including HD cable channels. It has nothing to do with OTA. An ATSC tuner is used to get digital OTA programming, including HD channels. I know you can use a QAM tuner to get unscrambled digital channels if you're already getting analog cable. My question is - is there any way to use a QAM tuner to get those channels if you're someone who does not have any type of cable service. Some people who were getting good analog OTA service are now having trouble with digital OTA reception. When analog broadcasting ends next year, I was wondering if those who have new TVs with QAM tuners might be able to receive free programming through cable. For example, if I move into a house, and the previous owner had cable, might I be able to receive free "in the clear" channels with a QAM tuner, without having any sort of subscription?
A QAM tuner will allow you to receive Digital signal on a cable. You have to be a subscriber to get the cable to begin with. Also; you will only be able to receive (decode) those digital channels that are not encrypted. You will also (as long as you have a cable subscription) be able to view some HD channels; namely the channels that are in you local area as the cable company is not allowed to encrypt them. However, there doesn't appear to be any restriction on the cable company "moving" those channels anywhere they want to. You will also from time to time find there are other HD channels that your QAM tuner will pick-up. These could be promo's by the cable company, Pay per View put on a spare channel for somebody who has ordered it (I'm not sure about the policy of the cable company on encrypting PPV), or a simple screw-up by the cable company (forgetting to encrypt a channel(s)).. YMMV
DUDE you can not get OTA channels using a QAM tuner!!! It's just a fact. You have no idea what you're talking about. Any TV that has a QAM tuner also has an ASTC tuner. It's the ASTC tuner that is allowing you to get OTA digital channels! Consult Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATSC_tuner http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAM_tuner And, OK, I realized that it was a long shot when I asked about using a QAM tuner to get free local channels via cable. I was just wondering if anyone has tried it or knows for a fact that it's not possible. However, I know that it would be stealing and wouldn't neccessarily advocate trying it. I was hoping someone could give me the technical explanation for why it's absolutely not possible. Until then I will still wonder!
Also, yes you can get HD channels with an ASTC tuner if you have an HDTV and if stations are broadcasting OTA in high-definition in your area. I am not making it up; its a fact.
And by ASTC, I meant ATSC... As in the Advanced Television System Committee, which developed the standard for digital over-the-air TV broadcasting.
This is really fascinating as I am trying to get a handle on QAM. Here is my setup: Samsung HD-T4254; NO CABLE SERVICE; Direct TV Satellite service with HD-DVR. Samsung tech said the 4254 does have a QAM tuner. Is there a way with satellite service to access the QAM in the Samsung in order to receive the HD local programming. I'm not even sure I am asking the questions in a coherrent manner so please excuse my lack of understanding. I have tried an interal antenna for OTA but it just didn't have near the quality I was hoping for. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, Jerry
