Decrypting digital channels on a QAM tuner?

Question

I have an HDTV with a built in QAM tuner, the television does not have a cablecard slot so getting a cablecard from the cable company is out of the question

The problem is, whenever I go to watch or record a "scrambled" digital channel (on an STB connected to a different television), and my brother or mother wants to watch the television at that time (and record something on a different channel, making both tuners busy), they always tell me to watch it on my HDTV, since I have a QAM tuner and can recieve SOME digital channels (the digital channels that are in the clear), they think I can get ALL digital channels without an STB, so when I say "I can't, I don't have a digital STB", they say something like "you should, being you have a digital tuner", they don't grasp the idea that I can't recieve "scrambled" stations without a cablecard or digital STB, I would ask my mother to get an HD STB, but she thinks 1 STB is enough per household, and 2 is just too much

Answer 1

Ok....tell your MOM this....

TV Tech man said that MY digital tuner is only designed for channels  two to one-hundred.....

It can't do channels one-hundred to nine hundred and ninety nine.....

Mom, WHERE are our HD channels located?  75? or 875??

30? OR 230?

THAT HD settop box was designed to get ALL channels and my TV was only designed to get 135 channels MAXIMUM.....

And those evil Cable people KNEW IT.....

That's why all HD TV stations are placed higher than channel 135....

So you have to have their box to watch HD channels....

It only costs $10 a month for an extra box MOM....do you want me to pay it? If so.....I WILL

Hey! I'll mow your lawn every week.....

Or take out the garbage....

Maybe run the vacuum cleaner once a week or wash the kitchen floor....what services would you like me to perform in exchange for the HD box rent ?

Let's talk.....

Answer 2

The tuner in your TV is not QAM. It's ClearQAM only. The FCC requires your cable company to make digital local broadcasts available to you without an STB. Anything the cable company lets you see beyond that is a gift. (In my area, Time Warner gives me one ESPN)

There is no adaptor/decoder that will help you. The new M2 cablecard STBs handshake with the home office and are locked with at least 128 bit encryption.

Explaining this to your mom, or any ludite for that matter, can be tough. You might tell her that every digital channel has a key, and each channel's key is different from the others. The cable company provides the keys needed for ABC, NBC, CBS, etc. but they only offer the other keys if you have a cable box, or a cable card.

I doubt your mom is philisophically opposed to a second cable box. She probably doesn't want to pay for it. Maybe you could rent it with your own money? A straight digital STB in my area is around $8/month. It only gets expensive if you want the DVR function too.