Since I’ll be shuffling around my hardware soon, my MythTV box will be more powerful and might be capable of handling HD recordings. So, would it be worthwhile for me to jump on the HDTV bandwagon?
Not really, it turns out. In order to record HD broadcasts, I’d need an HD tuner card. There are plenty available and supported in Linux, but they have restrictions: they can only record over-the-air and unencrypted cable signals.
Problem 1: There are no over-the-air HD signals in the Calgary area. Maybe the local stations will eventually get around to it, but for now there just aren’t any at all.
Problem 2: Almost all of the digital cable channels are encrypted. These can’t be recorded because, well, that’s what the encryption is there to prevent. There’s no solution for this on the horizon either, as Canadian cable companies aren’t adopting the CableCard standard.
So for now, in order to record HD shows, the only option is to go with one of the cable company’s hideously-expensive DVRs, which are widely criticized for having a poor interface and limited capacity, and I wouldn’t be able to get at the raw recordings for long-term archival.
Oh well, I probably watch too much TV anyways…