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Clear QAM HDTV Setup Center

 

QAM stands for "quadrature amplitude modulation," the format by which digital cable channels are encoded and transmitted via cable.

An QAM tuner allows the free reception of unscrambled digital programming sent in the clear by cable providers, usually local broadcast stations or cable radio channels.

With a cable TV connection (no set-top box required!) and a QAM tuner, you can record clear QAM in Beyond TV.  The digital signal comes through a standard coax cable feed, originating from your cable company. Most cable providers today will at least push a standard and/or hi-def version of the major networks (e.g. ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) as clear QAM channels. Which channels are in the clear varies greatly from location to location and can change over time.

Table of Contents



Equipment to get started

Clear QAM Tuner Card
A clear QAM tuner card, connect your cable source to the digital tuner and then the tuner provides you the ability to receive clear QAM .

Splitter (optional)
If you need to split the signal, use an HDTV-compliant splitter of at least 5 - 1100Mhz. Be sure that you are not getting a combiner. Though combiners and splitters look very similar, if not identical, a combiner will not properly split the signal.

PC (with the right specs)
You will need an up-to-date computer with recent hardware to decode the HD signal. Make sure your computer meets or exceeds these specifications:

  • Intel® Pentium®, AMD AthlonT processor at 1.7 GHz or higher
  • 512 MB Ram
  • ATI Radeon 9550 or NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 or Higher
  • 40 GB of available hard drive space (this will allow 5 hours of HD Recording)
  • QAM Compliant Capture Card
  • Windows XP Home or Pro w/ Service Pack 2
  • DirectX 9.0


Putting it all together

Step 1: Install QAM Tuner Card

Install your QAM Tuner Card and connect your coaxial cable source to your digital tuner on the card. Please install the native software that comes with your TV tuner and then verify that you have clear QAM channels.

Step 2: Download Beyond TV 4.9

Install/Upgrade to the latest version of Beyond TV (4.9 or later) (Download)

Step 3: Mapping your clear QAM Channels in the Beyond TV Setup Wizard.

  1. If the Beyond TV Setup Wizard does not start up automatically, please start it from your Start Menu under All Programs - SnapStream Media - Beyond TV.

  2. Continue the setup wizard and choose to add a Cable QAM (Digital) video broadcast source.

  3. Select your QAM capture device.

  4. Scan for QAM channels and then map them to a SnapStream.Net lineup.

  5. Enter your Postal/Zip Code and then choose a lineup for your cable service. If applicable, choose the digital version of the lineup you wish to map QAM channels to. Digital lineups most often contain the HD channels that will be picked up by your QAM channel scan.

  6. The Beyond TV setup wizard now will scan for your QAM channels.

  7. Now that the scan is complete, you will need to map the channels to your Program Guide.

    1. Determine which channel is currently being displayed in the Live TV Box
    2. Find the channel in the Program Guide list that corresponds to the channel currently being displayed in the Live TV box.
    3. Double-click the channel to add it to your QAM lineup

    Many QAM broadcasts contain duplicates of the same channel. The resolution indicator will assist you in determining if the channel being displayed is 'High Definition' or 'Standard Definition.' If you are mapping an 'HD' channel, choose the digital version of the channel. The name will often contain 'HD' or 'DT.'

  8. Now complete the setup wizard and do not forget to create a SnapStream.Net account. Each copy of Beyond TV can only be associated to one email address, therefore you cannot use the same email address for multiple copies of Beyond TV. If your email is tied to another copy of Beyond TV, you may contact technical support to have that resolved. If you already have a SnapStream.Net account, it will populate your information.

  9. Finish up the setup wizard and start Beyond TV and enjoy the clear QAM channels you have mapped.

If you have any further questions or need assistance, please submit a ticket to technical support here.