The reason ZvBox eliminates the need for any kind of a set-top box near the TV is that is uses the digital tuner inside the HDTV to receive the ZV signal that comes over the coaxial wiring (pretty much everywhere in your house) from the computer. Other devices need some form of receiving device to connect to your TV.
So your cable box setup doesn't really matter since we split the coaxial wiring around it and you connect the coax to the "cable" or "antenna" coax jacks on the back of your TV. This is also what allows multiple HDTVs to receive the Zv signal, because it gets treated like any other cable TV channel that you tune into. Keep in mind that many TVs are hooked up like yours today, in which case they are really just monitors (i.e., not using their imbedded TV tuners).
So in short, you will need to buy a new HDTV or add an HDTV tuner to your current TV set for ZvBox to work. I'd splurge on the new HDTV since the quality will be a lot better.
Does the ZvBox create a CATV channel with a QAM256 data rate of 38.8 Mb/s (the typical data rate that cable companies employ to multiplex two HD channels onto one physical cable channel), or does the ZvBox create a CATV channel at 19.4 Mb/s (the data rate of a single OTA digital HD station)?
Can the ZvBox be set up to create a CATV channel at 19.4 Mb/s (the data rate for CATV systems using QAM64)?
Brian says:
OK guys. This is Brian from ZeeVee. This is what my engineers tell me about bit rate:
We use as much bandwidth as we need. If you generate a lot of motion, our data transmit rate can go as high as 25 or 28 Mb/s. Keep in mind that we are actually transmitting 38 Mb/s, but a lot of it is just filler (stuffing). QAM does not allow you to just stop sending.
The bit rate ZvBox uses is similar to that used by typical cable providers as well as over the air broadcasters. An RF channel is 6MegaHertz wide in the RF spectrum. The coding technique - for us and the cable companies - is QAM256. This allows for theoretical maximum of 38Mbps of data to be carried on the RF channel. Your cable company will typically carry two high definition programs, each coded to a data rate of 19Mbps, in one of those 6MHz wide RF channels. As a point of reference, the maximum data rate for over-the-air broadcasts is also 19Mbps. ZvBox is designed to fit into that rough guideline of 19Mbps. The quality of motion is as much a function of the coding techniques and computing horsepower applied as the Mbps available in the channel.
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RastaMan:
You need to either have an HDTV or a TV with a digital (QAM) tuner added for ZvBox to work.
I have Comcast Digital Cable (set-top digital tuner box), out to my tv in RCA and SVID
Does that count?
The reason ZvBox eliminates the need for any kind of a set-top box near the TV is that is uses the digital tuner inside the HDTV to receive the ZV signal that comes over the coaxial wiring (pretty much everywhere in your house) from the computer. Other devices need some form of receiving device to connect to your TV.
So your cable box setup doesn't really matter since we split the coaxial wiring around it and you connect the coax to the "cable" or "antenna" coax jacks on the back of your TV. This is also what allows multiple HDTVs to receive the Zv signal, because it gets treated like any other cable TV channel that you tune into. Keep in mind that many TVs are hooked up like yours today, in which case they are really just monitors (i.e., not using their imbedded TV tuners).
So in short, you will need to buy a new HDTV or add an HDTV tuner to your current TV set for ZvBox to work. I'd splurge on the new HDTV since the quality will be a lot better.
Does the ZvBox create a CATV channel with a QAM256 data rate of 38.8 Mb/s (the typical data rate that cable companies employ to multiplex two HD channels onto one physical cable channel), or does the ZvBox create a CATV channel at 19.4 Mb/s (the data rate of a single OTA digital HD station)?
Can the ZvBox be set up to create a CATV channel at 19.4 Mb/s (the data rate for CATV systems using QAM64)?
I found this on Amazon:
Brian says:
OK guys. This is Brian from ZeeVee. This is what my engineers tell me about bit rate:
We use as much bandwidth as we need. If you generate a lot of motion, our data transmit rate can go as high as 25 or 28 Mb/s. Keep in mind that we are actually transmitting 38 Mb/s, but a lot of it is just filler (stuffing). QAM does not allow you to just stop sending.
The bit rate ZvBox uses is similar to that used by typical cable providers as well as over the air broadcasters. An RF channel is 6MegaHertz wide in the RF spectrum. The coding technique - for us and the cable companies - is QAM256. This allows for theoretical maximum of 38Mbps of data to be carried on the RF channel. Your cable company will typically carry two high definition programs, each coded to a data rate of 19Mbps, in one of those 6MHz wide RF channels. As a point of reference, the maximum data rate for over-the-air broadcasts is also 19Mbps. ZvBox is designed to fit into that rough guideline of 19Mbps. The quality of motion is as much a function of the coding techniques and computing horsepower applied as the Mbps available in the channel.