Hey I'm trying to do the exact same thing as well except using digital cable.
I have it hooked up and am using windows media center.
I am getting all the channels (even the HD channels) but they're not in HD resolution since the only input my computer has is svideo and coax. LAME.
WTF is up with not putting HD inputs on computers? Only outdated standard def inputs and HD outputs.
anyway... my set up is like this:
digital coax out of the wall->into the digital reciever->coaxial out (this is where i loose the HD)->into the laptop->vga out to a projector (no the projector doesn't have hd input other than vga)
so cable->box->laptop->vga projector.
we do need the box in there too, i tried it without. it couldn't decode the signals. This is one area for a solution. Is there anyway get windows media center to decode raw digital signals without the box. ...doubt it.
OR is there any external HD tuners available that would let me feed HDMI or componet HD signals into USB.
OR a converter from HDMI or component to VGA. I could use this to skip the computer completly- hdmi out the cable box to the converter to vga in the projector.
I'm assuming there's no HDMI or component to coax or svideo that wouldn't loose the HD quality.
cable boxes should also have a VGA output. that would give every monitor ever made more value by turning it into a small hd screen.
Man i'm screwed i think. don't think any of these things exist. C'MON! this is 2009! Why is this complicated???
Anybody know anything? got a VGA-only HD projector.
box: cable input, HDMI Component HD outputs, svideo and coax SD outputs
computer: coax and svideo SD inputs