PC TV Tuners and the Analog to Digital TV Cutoff

[Khronus]

Just wondering if anyone has any information on what will happen to pc analog tv tuner cards once the cutoff from analog to digital is made on Jan1, 2006. Would we have to buy a STB to change the signal from digital to analog or will I have to wait for a new digital version of a tv tuner? I'm also curious about the new AIW X800 tuner since it's no longer using the old analog Phillips tuner and has the MT2050 chip instead. Would a MMC driver update allow the chip to bypass the ADC for tv and pass the digital signal through to the Theater chip while keeping the other analog inputs routed through the ADC?

 

[Guden Oden]

You could keep your old analog TV tuner even after the switchover if you get a digital tuner box, though this would probably not be ideal as digital TV tuners aren't particulary expensive even today and likely to be even less so by the time the switch actually happens.

 

[YeuEmMaiMai]

you can get a HDTV tuner for less than $150.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Just wondering if anyone has any information on what will happen to pc analog tv tuner cards once the cutoff from analog to digital is made on Jan1, 2006.

IIRC...

That's only the cut-off for when broadcasters must send a digital singal. They can't actully stop the analog singal until some percentage (80%?) of the audience can receive it.

So both (analog and digital) will be broadcast simultaneously for some time.

 

[Guden Oden]

So both (analog and digital) will be broadcast simultaneously for some time.

Well, maybe in the US... Over here, the analog network will be shut off permanently across the entire nation starting either this year or next, and then spreading until all stations are purely digital by the end of 07, I believe.