Cable Co's Gearing up to switch to all digital

[hdtvtechno]

Cable Operators Prepare for Switch to All-Digital Systems
Comcast, Charter, Adelphia & Other MSOs Gear Up for Digital Simulcast Trials

JANUARY 01, 2005

By Alan Breznick, editor, Cable Digital News

http://www.cabledatacomnews.com/jan05/jan05-2.html

 

[rcbridge]

There is a down side. When this happens all must realize that will require a STB for each TV (or cable card) no more splitting the signal for remote TV's and do you think it will be FREE to have multiple STB'S?

 

[TuxCoder]

The cable signal can still be split with digital cable. Just as with analog, however, don't split it too much or with bad quality splitters.

 

[rcbridge]

My digital cable cannot be viewed without a STB, you will get analog only!!
If you can do it you have a unique situation, because most present day sets cannot demodulate Qam.

 

[TuxCoder]

My digital cable cannot be viewed without a STB, you will get analog only!!
If you can do it you have a unique situation, because most present day sets cannot demodulate Qam.

My reply had nothing to do with analog TVs vs. QAM capable digital televisions, or with/without an STB. I simply stated, that with digital cable the signal can still be split for remote TV's, contrary to your previous statement:

no more splitting the signal for remote TV's

I had read that thinking you meant it as in the case with satellite TV (where you can't just split the line).

"Splitting the signal" and "needing an STB" are two totally different issues. With digital cable, you can split the signal, and do need the STB (unless your TV is specially equipped). With satellite TV, you cannot (usually) split the signal, and do need the STB (I don't know of any TVs with integrated DVB-S or DSS capable tuners).

 

[rcbridge]

Agreed, to clarify my original statement I should have stated as, A STB will be needed for each TV no more unlimited (within reason) splits for free, because you know the cable-co's will charge you for each additional STB.

 

[LonghornXP]

Agreed, to clarify my original statement I should have stated as, A STB will be needed for each TV no more unlimited (within reason) splits for free, because you know the cable-co's will charge you for each additional STB.

They aren't going all digital but are doing digital simulcasting which in return gives digital customers with digital boxes every channel in digital. The fact is that all current analog channels will still be there and all TVs without a box can still get those same analog channel but customers with a digital box will have those analog channels in digital on another channel spot. Actually one of my relatives who works at Pace Micro told me that their boxes have mapping software that would allow cable companies to setup their systems so that if a customer has say ESPN on channel 27 in analog that their digital box will allow customers to just enter in channel 27 as they do today and their box would actually get the digital feed but right now the only program that they are working on is that the remapped channel is on another channel so say that the ESPN digital feed is on channel 1027 that even though customers can still tune channel 27 their box will automattically remap and tune into channel 1027 but customers will still be confused because the OSD and hardware display will show 1027 and not 27.

The bottom line is that customer without a digital box can still get their analog channels but customers with digital boxes will later on in the future be able to tune in the same analog channel numbers they do now but the box will know to get the digital feed instead so customers won't have to learn new channels but will get the benefit of digital.