I have a TV with only the standard analog cable package (CNN, ESPN, etc.). I am worried about digital transition. After February 17, 2009 (when it takes place), will standard analog cable work just as fine. What about buying an HD tuner with that? Is anyone worried about similar situations as well? Do I need digital cable after that date? Do I need to buy a digital converter box or buy a TV with digital signals just in case?
2007-12-18 12:28:15 · 5 answers · asked by aaron_esq 3 in Consumer Electronics ➔ TVs
You don't have to do anything.
The cable companies are under federal orders to continue broadcasting the local Over The Air TV in analog until at least 2012. The FCC will be reviewing their order when 2012 approaches, and might extend the date further. The cable companies do have the option of providing converter boxes instead of the analog transmissions. What they will do regarding their other existing analog TV is up to them. I expect that they will convert some or all to digital as time goes by. If you are not satisfied with their analog offerings, you will have to rent a digital cable box from the cable company.
If you do buy a digital TV, then you should buy one with a QAM tuner, in addition to the usual ATSC and NTSC tuners. With these, you can receive digital TV, via antenna, and analog and digital TV via cable (excluding encrypted channels), without a cable box.
2007-12-25 15:40:20 · answer #1 · answered by jjki_11738 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Probably no, but only your cable companies knows.
While over the air broadcasters have lots of rules they have to follow, cable companies have a lot more latitude in how they handle the switch to digital TV.
The 2/17/09 date only applies to over the air broadcasts. There is no technical reason that cable companies can't convert digital signals to analog at a central location and leave things just the way they are. But they have a strong economic reason to change their systems to all digital and make customers with analog service use a cable box.
Buying a DTV doesn't carry a guaranty that you will not need a cable box! Digital cable TV systems do not use the same signals/tuners as over the air broadcasts. Some, but not all, cable systems use something called "open QAM" to send out basic cable. If this is how your cable company is going to do it, you are in luck. Most DTVs have a QAM tuner built in. You can also buy QAM tuner boxes or DVD recorders with a QAM tuner built in.
2007-12-19 06:01:53 · answer #2 · answered by Stephen P 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The digital transition is only legislated for over-the-air (OTA) TV broadcasts. Your cable company does not have to change the way they broadcast TV signals to your home on their cable networks. So if you subscribe to basic cable, your analog broadcasts will continue the same way after Feb/09 as they do today. You just won't be able to pick-up OTA signals without a digital TV or without a digital converter box connected to an analog TV.
2007-12-18 12:35:59 · answer #3 · answered by tanzer360 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Trust me this is much better, with a HDTV you get amazing uncompressed 1080i or 720p HD picture for free, thats awesome. You just need a better antenna set up and where to point. Maybe you might need 2 antennas to point to 2 different areas this is called the 2 antenna trick with a good pre amplifier you should get almost anything you had with that ugly snow on the TV.
2016-05-24 23:19:02 · answer #4 · answered by reva 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the digital transition refers to individual station's local broadcast. that is, you won't be able to use an analog tuner and antenna to receive a station.
2007-12-18 12:30:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋