Hooking Digital cable to PC

[Witzo]

I have a Media Center PC and I currently have a splitter going from my wall to both the media center pc and my Digital Cable box.
This allows me to view digital cable on my tv, but currently only basic cable on my PC.
Is there a way to view Digital cable on my pc without buying a second digital cable box?
I saw something regarding s-video from pc to digital cable box but I didn't know if this would work where I could change channels on pc or not and wanted to post here prior to buying a long and expensive s-video cable as my PC is probably 10 feet away from digital cable box.

[downrange]

S-video is just another type of cabling that's superior to coax and RCA cables but it's still only a cable; so if you can't get digital picture using the coax, s-video does you no good. s-video is also video-only so you'd need something to transfer the audio if you use it.

I don't use cable myself so this is just a guess but just like cable companies scramble the premium channels requiring a set-top box to unscramble, it sounds like maybe that's the case for the digital tier also?

Have you tried putting the splitter on the stb output instead of the wall? I don't know why that wouldn't provide digital picture to your computer although your TV and computer would always be the same channel.

[Percula]

While I dont Windoze for DVR, I can tell you this, you are not going to get digital cable into your XP PC, but the rumor is that ATI will have a cable card for Vista.

Your other option is to get a serial IR blaster to control another cable box and bring the TV in on the coax or whatever connection you want.

[Witzo]

Well I have Vista, my main question was whether I could use my PC to DVR digital cable. Currently I can DVR all channels with my current setup except for GSN for HighStakes Poker. I think if I have the coax being split after leaving the cable box then it would make my setup worse, not better.

[Percula]

[ QUOTE ]
Well I have Vista, my main question was whether I could use my PC to DVR digital cable.

[/ QUOTE ]
With a cable card you can, otherwise, no analog only.

[ QUOTE ]
Currently I can DVR all channels with my current setup except for GSN for HighStakes Poker. I think if I have the coax being split after leaving the cable box then it would make my setup worse, not better.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you had a cable card, the you split the coax before the set top box, run one to the set top box and one to the cable card.

If you have a regular capture card, on the second set top box, the output coax goes to the capture card in the PC instead of a TV. And use whatever Windoze uses to drive a IR blaster to change channels on the set top box.

BTW, be prepared for sticker shock if you go for a cable card...

[LuckyTxGuy]

Ok I'll try to give a little insight here and hopefully I understand what you are trying to do.

I have a XP Media Center pc that I watch 100% of my tv through. I've been using MCE since it was released by MS and I used a couple 3rd party DVR software apps before MCE was released.

I built my pc with a Hauppauge PVR-150-MCE tuner card. Link to tuner card. I have S-video leaving the Hauppauge card and going to my tv. Audio leaves my pc's sound card and goes to my surround sound system.

I have Cox digital cable with a Motorola digital cable box. The coax goes from the wall straight into the digital cable box. A coax leaves the digital cable box and goes into a splitter. From the splitter one coax goes to my tv, so that the tv can be viewed normally although I haven't done this in years. The other coax leaves the splitter and goes into the back of the Hauppauge card. Now I can view 100% of my cable channels, digital cable included, thru Media Center. I could also view them normally directly through my tv if I wished to since the cable is split leaving the digital cable box.

I use the MCE remote and IR receiver to control the computer and the IR receiver in tuned to my Motorola cable box remote and it uses an IR transmitter to change the channels on the digital cable box. Therefore, I can control all of MCE as well as my digital cable box with one remote. I can record all of my digital cable channels within MCE just like I can any of my basic cable channels.

I may have totally misunderstood your post, but it sounded to me you wanted to do basically what I am. If this didn't help, I'm sorry but if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

- Jason