Digital cable tuners: frequently asked questions

A digital cable tuner is a type of TV tuner that can receive encrypted and unencrypted digital cable channels. A number of PC manufacturers sell specially configured Digital Cable Ready PCs that include at least one digital cable tuner. You can also purchase digital cable tuners separately.

A CableCARD is a security device that, when inserted in the slot of a digital cable tuner, provides secure access to encrypted digital cable programming that comes with your digital cable subscription. You'll need a CableCARD to access premium channels from your digital cable provider.

CableCARDs are owned by cable providers and leased to subscribers. To get one, you’ll need to schedule a service appointment with your cable provider. If your cable provider offers this service, a technician will deliver and authorize your CableCARD and ensure that the cable signal is strong enough to be received by your digital cable tuner.

The Digital Cable Advisor is a tool in Media Center that you can use to analyze your computer hardware to determine whether it meets the minimum requirements for watching and recording digital cable. This includes your computer's performance and display capabilities, as well as the available connection types.

If your computer meets the minimum requirements, you can then update your system settings to enable digital cable support on your computer.

Most people with a digital cable tuner have purchased a Digital Cable Ready PC, and most cable providers that offer CableCARDS have technicians to install and authorize the cards for you. It's possible to purchase and install a digital cable tuner yourself, and some cable providers even let you to install a CableCARD into the digital cable tuner on your own and then call customer service to have it authorized. However, this is an advanced task. If you're unfamiliar with troubleshooting hardware and software problems, it's probably best to rely on your local cable company technician to install and authorize the CableCARD for you.

The process of setting up a digital cable tuner and a CableCARD depends on your location, cable provider, and what type of tuner you have. Media Center community sites, such as The Green Button, are great resources for information about buying and setting up a digital cable tuner for use with a CableCARD.

If you're planning to purchase a digital TV tuner but you don't want to deal with a CableCARD, another option is to get a digital TV tuner that's configured for ATSC and ClearQAM signal types. There are a number of these on the market today that can receive unencrypted digital TV signals in standard definition and high-definition, either through an antenna (ATSC) or a cable TV jack (ClearQAM), without the need for a CableCARD. The downside to this type of setup is that your channel selection might be limited depending on your cable provider or, if you're using an over-the-air antenna, your signal strength. For more information, see What should I know before adding TV tuners to use with Windows Media Center?

The purpose of a CableCARD is to allow access to channels that are encrypted. As long as you have a digital cable subscription, you should be able to set up your digital cable tuner to watch unencrypted digital channels (using a ClearQAM signal). However, you probably won't be able to watch many of the channels you subscribe to (including premium digital channels) because they're encrypted. To learn how to set up a ClearQAM signal, see Set up a TV signal in Windows Media Center.

If you have a PC with a digital cable tuner installed, follow these steps with your cable technician to install and activate the CableCARD:

Here are some things you can try, depending on what problem you’re having.

• If your computer is joined to a network that uses Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), you'll need to disconnect from the network for your digital cable tuner and CableCARD to work.

• If you can’t watch live TV or you can only watch a small subset of the channels, try the following:

  • Call your cable provider and ask them to check the quality of the cable signal and to confirm that they've recorded the CableCARD pairing data (from the “Call your cable company” page) correctly.

  • Check Windows Update to make sure that your digital cable tuner has the latest firmware installed. To learn how, see Install Windows updates in Windows 7. (Digital cable tuner firmware will appear as an optional update.)

  • Call your cable provider and ask to try a different CableCARD.

• If you're seeing a “Restricted content” error while watching TV, try the following:

  • If your computer is connected to your TV or monitor using DVI or HDMI, confirm that your display is compatible with High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP).

  • Check with your computer manufacturer or your video card manufacturer to ensure that you're running the recommended driver for your computer’s video card.

  • If you recently added a new video card to your computer, and it uses DVI or HDMI to connect to your TV or monitor, make sure that the card supports High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) and DirectX Video Acceleration (DXVA).

  • Make sure that your computer is connected to the Internet and that your service hasn't been interrupted.

  • Confirm that Windows is activated by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Security, and then clicking System. Make sure that it says Windows is activated under Windows activation.

• If you're seeing a "Tuner not found" error while watching TV, try the following:

  • Restart your computer.

  • Remove and reapply power to your digital cable tuner, and then try to set up the TV signal again. If you receive the error again, you might need to update the firmware for the digital cable tuner. Refer to the documentation that came with the device or contact your computer manufacturer for assistance.

  • If you’re still seeing this error, it might be because a firewall program is blocking the tuner. In your firewall program’s settings, try opening the following exceptions:

    Program		Protocol/Port		Direction		Network
    ehprivjob.exe		UDP 5001-5006		Inbound		Local subnet
    svchost.exe		UDP 1900		Inbound, Outbound		Local subnet
    system		TCP 2869		Inbound, Outbound		Local subnet
    ehprivjob.exe		TCP 554		Outbound		Local subnet
    ehprivjob.exe		UDP 5757-5772		Outbound		Local subnet