Comcast HD without a CableCard?

[natester]

We subscribe to basic analog cable. However our HDTV can still receive the local channels in HD over Comcast. Apparently they are broadcasting both analog and digital signals.

We have no set top box.

If we upgrade from TiVo Series 2 to TiVo Series 3 -- will we be able to TiVo the local channels in HD even though we won't have CableCards?

(Seriously... we used to have digital cable but we never watched anything but the locals and PBS so I don't want to pay an extra $50/month for it.)

[Scooter80]

Nope. Comcast puts their HD feeds on the higher (digital package) channels of their lineup. At least in Chicago area they do. I am sure they do the same elsewhere. So you'll need an HD box from them. Obviously with the S3 You'd be good with CableCards instead of the HD box from CC!

[ah30k]

You can tune the unencrypted HD QAM feeds but due to channel mapping issues you will NOT be able to use human friendly channel numbers (like ABC HD = Channel 234). You will also NOT get any guide data since TiVo works off the human friendly channel.

The problem is that the digital programs are put out on the cable plant on digital carrier channel and sub-channels. For instance you can fit about 10 SD digital channels in the space of a single carrier channel. These are designated something like 81-1, 81-2, etc up to 81-10. The human friendly mapping of these QAM channel/subchannels to more traditional channel numbers like 1-299 is done through the CableCARD. People around here have been asking for a way the user could manually make that mapping, but the process is difficult and time-consuming. My QAM TV tuner found all 300 digital channels and even though 98% were encrypted and not viewable I had to go through them all one at a time and figure out if 1) the channel was viewable, 2) what channel it really was and 3) if I were even interested. Additionally the mappings can change on a moments notice causing you to miss recordings.