Digital switch clarify please
 

They are running commercials in my area southern wi. saying
if you have cable you don't need to do anything when the switch
takes place. I have an argument with someone saying this isn't
totally correct, that you will need a digital box, if you are just receiving
basic
cable to continue to view the channels.
unless you have a digital TV of course.
The only way you could still get the channels with direct basic or expanded
basic cable, is if the cable companies convert the digital signals to
analog.

so my question is.

Will you need a digital box to receive basic cable once the switch over
takes place?
or is the cable company going to convert signals to analog so you willn't
need a box

I think these commercials are very deceiving and wrong, or maybe I'm wrong
could someone please clarify this for me.

Digital switch clarify please
 

"Dan L" wrote in message
...
They are running commercials in my area southern wi. saying
if you have cable you don't need to do anything when the switch
takes place. I have an argument with someone saying this isn't
totally correct, that you will need a digital box, if you are just
receiving
basic
cable to continue to view the channels.
unless you have a digital TV of course.
The only way you could still get the channels with direct basic or
expanded
basic cable, is if the cable companies convert the digital signals to
analog.

so my question is.

Will you need a digital box to receive basic cable once the switch over
takes place?
or is the cable company going to convert signals to analog so you willn't
need a box

I think these commercials are very deceiving and wrong, or maybe I'm wrong
could someone please clarify this for me.

I just got Verizon FiOS TV and they currently have a couple analog channels.
This will go away this month (June) as announced. I'm sure if your cable
system was doing the same they'd take a similar path as Verizon in ...

1)Announce their analog shutdown
2)Provide basic digital boxes without all the features (program guide & VOD
among others)

for their customers.

YMMV as always.
Drewdawg (currently addicted to VOD)

Digital switch clarify please
 

"Dan L" wrote in message
...
They are running commercials in my area southern wi. saying
if you have cable you don't need to do anything when the switch
takes place. I have an argument with someone saying this isn't
totally correct, that you will need a digital box, if you are just
receiving basic
cable to continue to view the channels.
unless you have a digital TV of course.
The only way you could still get the channels with direct basic or
expanded
basic cable, is if the cable companies convert the digital signals to
analog.

so my question is.

Will you need a digital box to receive basic cable once the switch over
takes place?
or is the cable company going to convert signals to analog so you willn't
need a box

I think these commercials are very deceiving and wrong, or maybe I'm wrong
could someone please clarify this for me.

I'm glad you asked, as I'm in the same sort of situation. I was under the
impression that you only needed a digital to analog converter, if you got
your signal via rabbit ears. I get my signal via a cable TV system so I
thought I didn't need a converter. Recently my cable company sent a notice
that as of May 30,we would need a cable box, (their cable box) to receive
certain programs and on that date all my TV's without a cable box did in
fact no longer get those programs. When I called to find out what the charge
was for another cable box, I mentioned them "scrambling" the signal . They
told me that they didn't scramble the signal, but digitized it, so now I'm
wondering if I need "their" box for $6.50 per month, or can I just get the
generic digital to analog converter. My feeling is that my cable company, at
least, is trying to take advantage of the confusion to make a profit

Digital switch clarify please
 

In "Dan L"
wrote:

Will you need a digital box to receive basic cable once the switch
over takes place?
or is the cable company going to convert signals to analog so you
willn't need a box


It depends on what your cable company does, which in turn probably
depends on what sort of city franchise deal (if any) it has.

They might be required to continue to provide the local broadcast
channels in analog form and on channels "conventional" TVs can receive
without using any adapters.

Or, they might not.

Beyond this, they're probably free to scramble or convert to digital
form any other channels they want to, requiring you to obtain a set top
box from them.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN

Digital switch clarify please
 

In "RBM" wrote:

They told me that they didn't scramble the signal, but digitized it,
so now I'm wondering if I need "their" box for $6.50 per month, or can
I just get the generic digital to analog converter.

You need their box.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN

Digital switch clarify please
 

"Bert Hyman" wrote in message
...
In "RBM" wrote:

They told me that they didn't scramble the signal, but digitized it,
so now I'm wondering if I need "their" box for $6.50 per month, or can
I just get the generic digital to analog converter.

You need their box.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN

Would I still need their box if I had a TV with digital tuner?

Digital switch clarify please
 

In "RBM" wrote:


"Bert Hyman" wrote in message
...
In "RBM"
wrote:

They told me that they didn't scramble the signal, but digitized it,
so now I'm wondering if I need "their" box for $6.50 per month, or
can I just get the generic digital to analog converter.

You need their box.

Would I still need their box if I had a TV with digital tuner?

For at least some of the programming, if not all of it.

Digital cable signals use QAM modulation and some digital TVs have QAM
tuners. The $40 digital converters being offered for sale don't.

On top of that, your cable company may additionally scramble the signals
on some or all of their channels, so even with a QAM tuner, you wouldn't
see anything. That's how they make their money, after all.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN

Digital switch clarify please
 

On May 31, 10:10*am, "Dan L" wrote:
They are running commercials in my area southern wi. *saying
if you have cable you don't need to do anything when the switch
takes place. I have an argument with someone saying this isn't
totally correct, that you will need a digital box, if you are just receiving
basic
cable to continue to view the channels.
unless you have a digital TV of course.
The only way you could still get the channels with direct basic or expanded
basic cable, is if the cable companies convert the digital signals to
analog.

so my question is.

Will you need a digital box to receive basic cable once the switch over
takes place?
or is the cable company going to convert signals to analog so you willn't
need a box

I think these commercials are very deceiving and wrong, or maybe I'm wrong
could someone please clarify this for me.

Instead of asking us - who can only guess - why don't you call the
cable company and ask them ?

Digital switch clarify please
 

Dan L wrote:
They are running commercials in my area southern wi. saying
if you have cable you don't need to do anything when the switch
takes place. I have an argument with someone saying this isn't
totally correct, that you will need a digital box, if you are just receiving
basic
cable to continue to view the channels.
unless you have a digital TV of course.
The only way you could still get the channels with direct basic or expanded
basic cable, is if the cable companies convert the digital signals to
analog.

so my question is.

Will you need a digital box to receive basic cable once the switch over
takes place?
or is the cable company going to convert signals to analog so you willn't
need a box

Most cable companies will convert the digital signals to analog at the
head end. They do this, I believe, for many of the national cable
channels already. Not a big deal, except the headache of do they center
cut the 16:9 HD feed or letterbox it? Center cut in most cases, I expect.

But this is not true for all cable companies or franchise areas. If
your cable operator for your specific franchise area has decided to go
all digital - and some have - they are then obligated to provide a free
or low cost set top box. Some cable franchises, including Comcast in
some markets, are looking to cut back the analog channels to the local
stations only. The cable companies have a strong motivation to do away
with as many analog channels as possible - analog NTSC is a bandwidth
hog and blocks the adding of more HD channels, more VOD services, more
digital SD channels.

I think these commercials are very deceiving and wrong, or maybe I'm wrong
could someone please clarify this for me.

The commercials are usually correct, although there is a vast amount
of confusion on the whole subject because most people do not understand
how broadcast and cable TV systems work. Not even at a basic conceptual
level or even what the main acronyms mean (QAM, ATSC, OTA, NTSC, digital
versus analog, UHF, VHF, the key differences between UHF and VHF).

Alan F

Digital switch clarify please
 

"G-squared" wrote in message
...

Instead of asking us - who can only guess - why don't you call the
cable company and ask them ?

That's probably a better idea, I really don't care personally, it
was just a discussion between me and a friend.