OK.. here is what I gather..

1.) If you plug your coax cable straight from the wall to your tuner card.. you will only get your basic cable channels - 1-68, 69.. etc..

2.)  To get your OTA HD Channels you need an ATSC Tuner Card.. but this is only going to be your local stations in HD.. not the ones supplied through your set top box.. such as DiscoveryHD, ESPNHD, APHD..etc.

3.)  You currently can't view the HD channels or Digital Channels supplied through your set top box without a new PC built with CableCARD technology..

Right now I have Comcast Cable service and I have the Digital Plus package and HD package.. so I get all the channels from 69-250 or whatever.. Is it possible for me to watch the Digital Plus channels and HD channels by buying the HDHomeRun.. and receiving the Clear QAM signal..

more directly.. what more would I be getting then my Local HD channels and my basic cable by getting the HDHomeRun?.. and is there any other way possible to get my Network HD channels (ESPN, Discovery, etc.) without buying a new PC equipped for CableCARDs..

You would only get your local HD channels through QAM. To receive your premium HD channels a new CableCard PC is currently the only option.

Thanks Jeff.. can you elaborate a little more.. like.

1.) Would I then get the local HD signals without the digital antenna and just a QAM tuner, or would I still need the Digital Antenna?

2.) Is it possible to get the higher cable channels like 68-200 or whatever without your set top box hooked up? Or an I going to need to retain my set top box to get those higher channels?

infamous iv:

OK.. here is what I gather..

1.) If you plug your coax cable straight from the wall to your tuner card.. you will only get your basic cable channels - 1-68, 69.. etc.. Assuming that you are connecting to an Analog tuner, TRUE

2.)  To get your OTA HD Channels you need an ATSC Tuner Card.. but this is only going to be your local stations in HD.. not the ones supplied through your set top box.. such as DiscoveryHD, ESPNHD, APHD..etc.  TRUE - only HD channels broadcast over-the-air

3.)  You currently can't view the HD channels or Digital Channels supplied through your set top box without a new PC built with CableCARD technology..  TRUE except for the HD Homerun tuner (or Avermedia with Beta drivers which are not yet perfect yet) which can tune unencrypted QAM channels on the Cable TV cable without a cable box....but it cannot display any channels that are encrypted which is most of the channels.  Another option is to connect a non-HD output from your cable box to an Analog tuner and you can record the programming downgraded to your connection type (S-Video or Composite, typically)

Right now I have Comcast Cable service and I have the Digital Plus package and HD package.. so I get all the channels from 69-250 or whatever.. Is it possible for me to watch the Digital Plus channels and HD channels by buying the HDHomeRun.. and receiving the Clear QAM signal.. NO

more directly.. what more would I be getting then my Local HD channels and my basic cable by getting the HDHomeRun?.. and is there any other way possible to get my Network HD channels (ESPN, Discovery, etc.) without buying a new PC equipped for CableCARDs.. It all depends on what you watch.  The only way to get encrypted QAM channels with a CableCard PC which requires purchasing a new PC.

infamous iv:

Thanks Jeff.. can you elaborate a little more.. like.

1.) Would I then get the local HD signals without the digital antenna and just a QAM tuner, or would I still need the Digital Antenna?  Plug your cable TV (basic cable service is all that you need) into a HD Homerun and you should be able to get your local TV stations in HD delivered via unencrypted QAM by your cable company.  No antenna necessary.  You may find some additional basic cable channels that are also available on this connection

2.) Is it possible to get the higher cable channels like 68-200 or whatever without your set top box hooked up? Or an I going to need to retain my set top box to get those higher channels?  If the channel is unencrypted then you can view it with the HD Homerun.  If it is encrypted by the cable company, then you will need a box.

Jeff - Moderator:

You would only get your local HD channels through QAM. To receive your premium HD channels a new CableCard PC is currently the only option.

This is not necessarily true.  It all depends on what your local cable provider sends in the clear.  I'm able to get Discovery HD along with my local HD channels in the clear over QAM.  I used to also get TNT HD and HDNET, but the jacks encrypted them.

So I guess my next question is.. how do I receive the QAM broadcast? Just hook my signal directly from the wall to the ANT IN on my card (where the digital antenna is now) and see what it picks up?

Not if you are running Media Center.  If you are running some app that came with your card, then most likely yes...check your documentation.

To get unencrypted QAM with Media Center, the recommended solution is HD Homerun.

infamous iv:

So I guess my next question is.. how do I receive the QAM broadcast? Just hook my signal directly from the wall to the ANT IN on my card (where the digital antenna is now) and see what it picks up?

What a perfect, concise explanation that I've spent hours looking for.  Well done indeed.  Have you looked into getting an ATI CableCard PC?