Media Center supports CableCARD tuners for copy-free channels (unencrypted channels). Currently known devices that work in MC are
- Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCIe
- Ceton InfiniTV 4 USB
- HDHomeRun Prime
The devices come with setup instructions for Windows Media Center. Make sure you have already done that, especially CableCARD pairing.
The most import setting up inside Media Center is to turn on DLNA device discovery.
If you have not previously turned on DLNA option in MC, you should turn it on. Go to Tools > Options, and select Media Network. Check the checkbox "Use Media Network to share this library and enable DLNA". While you are on that page, also take a look under Advanced, and make sure "DLNA Controller (controls other DLNA devices)" checkbox is checked. Then restart MC. If you do not see "Media Network" under Options, you might have previously turned off the feature. To turn it back on, go to Tools > Options... > General > Features and check "Media Network (Library Server, DLNA, etc.)" checkbox.
MC is a little slow to discover the device, along with other DLNA devices. After you start MC, it may take anywhere between 10 seconds to a minute or so before the device is available. In rare case it may even take longer (when MC misses the device in the first round of discovering process). Once the device has been discovered, you will see the tuners by clicking Manage Devices in the Television Options window.
Configuration:
Not much needs to be done. In Television Options > Devices, select a tuner and click Configure... button on the right-hand-side. On the resulting window, on Tuner Type page, "OpenbCable" should already have been selected. If not, you should select it. There is no reason to choose "Disabled", unless you specifically want to disable the device on a computer.
To scan for channels, run Setup wizard from TV Options page. Choose "Digital Cable or Satellite" on Service Type page, and "CableCARD" on Capture Hardware page. MC uses EPG data to load channels, so it may find more channels than your cable company allows, depending on your subscription level. You can delete them or hide them after the scan finishes.
Other operations are just like other types of TV tuners.
