I would like to upgrade to High Def Comcast Cable service but wait a few years before getting a High Def Recorder.

I would like to record the high def signal on my Liteon stand alone units. (5005 and 5045). Is this possible by using the "component" leads that come with the Comcast decoder unit? The tech service at Comcast can't give me an answer but they do confirm they have the red, green, blue component connections.

Also==can anyone confirm that the digital signal "before" the cable box IS digital and my standard ntsc recording units cannot handle that digital signal==and of course that the r-g-b are analogue and can be "sampled" by the standalone dvd recorders? From what little I think I know, I can see reasons why this could or could not work. ((Rats!!))

What I've read has been contradictory with articles not "focusing" with precision on the nature of these various signal sources.

What I'd like to do is record for a few years at the 720 x 480 ((or maybe even at PAL settings?--why not?)) and get a nice set of home burned movies ready to play on my next high def tv. My standard dvd's won't be high def but I understand an upcoding dvd player approaches the quality of high def???

Thanks. /// bobbo.

From the quick look at those units (I couldn't find a picture of the back of the 5045) neither seems to have the component (or DVI/HDMI) inputs which would be required to get anything higher than 480i into the units.

So I don't think you'd have any luck recording a high definition signal on those recorders - on the positive side you should at least get a rock-solid standard definition picture downconverting from the Comcast box.

Mark

Omote===thanks!!=you made me look it up (on the web) and then look at my own machine. Sure enough, the component connection is "not labeled" and sits between the composite "in" connection and the composite out connection==easy to have the eyes glaze over and just "assume" as we wish. Google search shows the component connection is to output the signal only.

So---I have two choices from comcast--I can connect directly to the cable from the wall and the source would then be a digital signal which no analogue dvd recorder can use OR--and thats it isn't it?? The Comcast digital box has a dvi connection which is also digital and a component out which is analogue but also incompatible with my ((and most)) dvd recorders? So--until I go all high def, I don't think I could even get a rock solid standard definition picture from comcast?

Comcast first level is clueless and second level tech evidently is not allowed to say anything except "we will connect the digital box to any digital tv" and beyond that they never heard of a dvd recorder except the one they rent. Hmmm.

Still, this clears it up for me even if I have it wrong (smile!). Guess I'll be getting that high def recorder sooner than I thought. Thanks again.