Re: Digital switch clarify please

On Sat, 31 May 2008 13:10:23 -0500 Dan L <heyyyyyy@xxxxxxxxxxx> 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.

Comcast in my area has already installed digital receivers that feed their
analog modulators (or maybe it's all in one box) in their head end. So in
this case, Comcast customers will not be affected.

Cable companies in general are looking at digital as a way to get more use
of the finite bandwidth their cable provides them. At least one system has
switched to all-digital. I expect more to do so over time. Whether they
leave the "basic" channels un-encrypted I cannot say. You will need at
least some digital tuner to get them.

Cable companies switching to all digital may provide a "basic STB" that
outputs only SD and works only with the channels in the basic tier
(wherever they are in the digital lineup).

And there is the issue if what to do in situations where the cable is out,
such as operating your TV on a portable generator using an antenna because
you want some news about the recovery efforts after the big storm or quake.
You will need a digital tuner to do this after 2009-2-17 (or after some
date beyond this for low power and translater stations, if you have those).

So those commercials are at best misleading.


| 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

The answer to this varies by cable system and what date it is. I suspect
over the next decade pretty much every cable system will convert to digital.
How they deal with it for basic customers is unknown. If your service is
more than basic, then you may need a cable STB anyway.


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

Those commercials are at best misleading. You should get at least one digital
converter box for at least backup purposes. Everyone should get one even if
they have cable (can be knocked out by weather, earthquake or terrorists) or
satellite (can be knocked out by anomalous solar conditions or rouge nations
with rockets that can reach satellite orbits).

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