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Device to Convert Digital to Analog

#1
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11/7/09 at 10:20am
  • Joined: November 2009
  • Location: Glassboro, New Jersey
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I want to convert a digital cable TV signal to analog. They have a converter for over the air digital to analog conversion but I don't know if it will work on cable. Does anyone know of such a device that will work? 
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#2
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11/7/09 at 11:03am
  • Joined: November 1999
  • Location: New England
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hi
you need to contact your cable company and get the correct cable box.
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#3
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11/7/09 at 11:05am
  • Joined: May 2003
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Why do you want to convert it? Didn't you get a digital set top box, when you subscribed to digital cable service? It should do the conversion for you, if you have an older tv. My stepfather uses a digital set top box with his old tv. In fact, it's an HD box. Time Warner said that's the only box they use now. Everything works fine for him.
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#4
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11/7/09 at 12:16pm
  • Joined: November 2009
  • Location: Glassboro, New Jersey
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I want to convert it so my VCR can make timer recordings on all the channels the way it did before Comcast started converting analog to digital. The current setup only allows recording the same show I'm watching or splitting the digital and analog signal and only being able to timer record the analog channels.
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#5
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11/7/09 at 1:23pm
  • Joined: June 2000
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Comcast still sends all the regular channels (anything that is not exclusively digital, which are generally the channels over 100 or the x.1 channels) by analog.  Simply hook your VCR up to the cable like before and they are there.  This idea of Comcast converting all their channels to digital is not true, yet anyway.  You are confusing the end of analog broadcast with Comcast ceasing analog signals.

Just hook up your vcr to the cable and run the automatic tuning. 


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#6
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11/9/09 at 2:51pm
  • Joined: November 2009
  • Location: Glassboro, New Jersey
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Comcast started sending some cable channels in the southern New Jersey area only in digital in October. I lost about 15 channels, all above channel 30 at that time and was notified I would need a digital transport adapter (DTA) or similar type device to pick them up. I received all the channels in analog prior to that. According to them by the end of 2012 all analog cable channels will convert to digital.
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#7
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11/10/09 at 7:52pm
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Well, that may be.  Sorry for the confusion.  I'm not aware of anything like that here in Colorado, yet.  There has been a lot of confusion with people thinking the digital broadcast change applied also to cable.  Possibly all you need is a standard digital converter box, but I suspect in the long run there is a much better solution than adapting to a format (VHS) that is all but dead.


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#8
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11/11/09 at 6:19am
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Comcast has been converting to digital transmission in my area, too. All that is left in the analog domain right now are the local over the air channels. However, they should provide you, free of charge, two digital transport adapters (DTAs) that will do exactly what you are looking for. I have two such DTAs attached to old analog cable-ready TVs, and can get all channels now on those sets. 

Call Comcast and request your two free DTA devices. You should have also received something in the mail from them, with instructions on how to order the DTAs online. They will even deliver the devices to your home free of charge.
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#9
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11/11/09 at 6:36am
  • Joined: November 2009
  • Location: Glassboro, New Jersey
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As of last night every channel above 24 is digital. I agree in the long run a VCR will become obsolete and a DVR or something similar is the way to go but Comcast will only provide one for a monthly fee of $15.40 and I have two VCR's including a new one for back up that I have invested in. Comcast claims this change is mandated by the government and not solely their choice but we all know it's all about profit. It will free up the analog band to sell something else on!
Edited by Bossard - 11/11/09 at 6:47am
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#10
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11/11/09 at 6:46am
  • Joined: November 2009
  • Location: Glassboro, New Jersey
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The problem isn't being able to receive the digital signal on my television via a DTA but rather being able to make a timer recording with my VCR. The VCR's tuner cannot tune in to the digital signal. I have to use an input channel on the VCR to access the digital channels from the digital starter box they have provided thus disabling my ability to make a timer recording.
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#11
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11/11/09 at 7:10am
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You will need to set the VCR to Channel 3 for your timer recording, and make sure the DTA is set to the proper channel that you wish to record before the timer recording begins. The DTA connects to your VCR via its cable/antenna input. The DTA is always powered on -- I have not discovered a method to turn it off, except by disconnecting the power adapter.

If you need to be able to program the actual channel number on the DTA for the recording (because you may forget to set the channel properly), then you will need a fully functional cable box instead of the simple DTA. The cable box should have a timer setting, where you can program the box to turn on and go to a particular channel number at a preset time. At least the Motorola HD cable box Comcast provided to me has this feature.

BTW, Comcast's claim that this is a government mandated change is bull. The FCC mandated changes to digital are only for over the air broadcasts. Cable and satellite signals are not affected by the FCC mandate. This is simply a Comcast business decision to free up bandwidth on their network in order to provide more channels/services that they can charge for.

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#12
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11/11/09 at 11:24am
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Well, I learned something.  As far as I know, Comcast here hasn't eliminated any analog channels.  In fact I know they even added some during the summer, but I haven't had cable for years.  Basic cable here is over $60/month, so I dumped it at least 6 years ago and started using an antenna.  Nothing I watched anyway.


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