How can I record HDTV in Media Center?

By ryan.tollefson - Posted on April 9th, 2008

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Media Center

Currently you can record High Definitionⁱ TV in Media Center using one of the following methods:

ATSCⁱ - get a tuner card that supports ATSC (digital over the air), and get an HDTVⁱ antenna. Using this method you can record your local stations in high definition.
HD Homerun - this is a network tunning device that will allow you to record clear QAMⁱ (unencrypted) channels from your cable provider. This method works well, but individual results will vary depending on your cable service provider. This method also requires a decent understanding of how to use a computer as it is not simple to set up (it's a bit of a hack).
Cable Cardⁱ - If you have a Cable Card capable PC equiped with a Cable Card tuner and a Cable Card (provided by your cable company) then you can record HDTV channels from your cable service. The advantage to this is that you can record encrypted channels (e.g. ESPN or HBO).
- One disadvantage to the Cable Card method is that all recordings made with a Cable Card are DRMⁱ protected. This means that you can't share these recordings with other computers or portable devices (though they will work fine on an extenderⁱ).
Satellite - Currently there is no way to record HDTV from Satellite, though DirecTV is rumored to be doing beta testing that would allow Satellite HD recording in Media Center.

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In the Guide, press FF/REW on the remote to skip forward/back 3 hours at a time.

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