Any way to access FTA TV channels via existing Foxtel connection?

[zimmebr]

My wife and I recently discontinued our Foxtel CABLE subscription, and are now looking at TIVO. We had heard that we could connect the TIVO to the former foxtel wall socket and in effect use the discontinued foxtel cable connection as the "antenna" to receive the FTA channels (given our existing antenna is pretty crap).

Does anyone know if this is possible? Is it myth? Is there anything we need to bear in mind?

Thanks

[Skolink]

No, that is likely to be a myth. It is unlikely that the FTA analog stations are broadcast over the cable network unencrypted.
If they are not broadcast on the cable network the coaxial cable will be a very poor antenna, a coat-hanger would probably do a better job.
Here in New Zealand Telstra do broadcast analog channels over the cable network, but they are encrypted (I can use my PC TV tuner with the program ccdxp32 to decrypt and watch, but it is rudimenty.

To use a Series 1 TiVo to receive FTA channels, you will either have to replace the built-in NTSC tuner with a PAL tuner (get Darren King to do it), or buy a set-top-box, or buy a UK (Thompson) TiVo, or buy a TiVoHD.

TiVo is awesome, I highly recommend it.

[petestrash]

No, that is likely to be a myth.

That is not true in all situations.

If you are in a house that is in a suburb that is more than 10 years old then it is unlikely to work.

If you are in a Unit or new housing estate it may work.

In some of these locations Foxtel and FTA are shared on the same cable. The FTA comes from an antenna, and is not the FTA redistributed by Foxtel, which as skolink has said is encrypted.

Peter.

[zimmebr]

I tried last evening. It didn't work :O(

That being said, rabbit ears worked fantastic! :O)