Watching TV with my current setup (1 Viewer)

[gerifalte]

Hello all,
This is my first posting here, so please bear with me if my questions are to basic I currently have the following setup:
- Projector: InFocus X10 DLP
- AV receiver: Pioneer VSX84TXSI
- Blu-ray player: Samsung BD-P1600
- Cable/Internet provider: comcast Xfinity Internet (with "Blast") and Xfinity TV basic service.
I currently use this setup exclusively to watch movies via Blu-ray and stream netflix, but I would like to be able to occasionally watch TV, especially now that the Olympics are around the corner (apparently will be available on NBC). I currently connect the Blu-ray player via LAN to the cable router, this inputs in the AV receiver, and everything is output to the projector via HDMI. My (surely rather silly) question is; what is the easiest way to watch cable TV using this setup. Do I need to call Comcast and pay for a set-top cable box (e.g. http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/cable-tv/cable-box-user-manuals/), or are there better third party option such as the Logitech Revue. I would like to have DVR capability, but its not totally necessary. All I currently have is a digital adapter box that Comcast gave me, but that's still in the bag it came with as I wasn't interested in watching TV.
Thanks in advance, and apologies again if this is a silly question!

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Hi, and welcome to HTF!
I don't have Comcast, but hopefully someone here does and can answer your questions. Xfinity TV does indeed sound like a TV service, so maybe that digital adapter box is something that you should be looking at using.
The Olympics will be broadcast on NBC and MSNBC....also a dedicated channel for 3D, if you have a 3DTV.

 

[gerifalte]

Hey Steve, thanks for your warm welcome message!
Thanks for your comments. I agree that the digital adapter box is outputting TV, so I guess that my question is how I can go from the coaxial output from the digital adapter box to the inputs accepted in my AV receiver. I would ideally like to input it as HDMI, but could also live with VGA, S-cable, etc. The AV receiver has any imaginable input, except for coaxial
Thanks again!

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Xfinity and Comcast are one and the same.
that converter box you have is for converting digital cable signals to analog for use on old-school tv sets. It won't output HD.
all it does is convert digital channels to analog channel 3 or 4 sent to a tv with analog only tuner via coax cable at a 480i scanrate. None of your equipment has the necessary analog tv tuner necessary for this to work, and if you did have such a tuner the pic would be lousy anyway.
If you had a newish tv set it would have a digital cable tuner built in which could be connected directly to your cable (no box) and would allow the set to tune all the digital channels not scrambled by the cable company (in most cases only the local broadcast channels).
Your projector doesn't have a tuner, so your best alternative is to get an HD-DVR box from your cable company. Be sure to insist on one with an HDMI output, as they do tend to palm off 10 year old boxes that don't have HDMI.
Connect the coax from the wall to the box, then go HDMI to the receiver. Your cable company will charge you an smallish extra fee for the box and HD service.
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[gerifalte]

That's exactly what I was after, thanks for the great information Steve!
Do you recommend alternatives to the DVR from the cable company? I prefer having my own stuff when possible.
Thanks again, you guys are great!

 

[Steve Schaffer]

About your best bet for an HD DVR that you actually own is probably the Tivo Premier (just google "Tivo") You'll have to pay a fee for the Tivo service and the box will require access cards from your cable company (more commonly called "cable cards) and you'll still have to pay comcast/Xfinity for HD service. Thus your monthly outlay for tv service may be higher than if you go with the Comcast box. That being said, Tivo boxes have, imnho, about the best user interface and features of all DVRs. An example is that you can tell the box who your favorite actor or
director is and it will automatically find all programs they are associated with coming on for a full 2 weeks in advance so you can set up recordings.
The box will also access most online streaming sources like NetFlix, Hulu, etc.

 

[gerifalte]

Thanks Steve, that's again very useful info. Will head to Comcast tomorrow!