Help me Understand Analog Vs Digital Cable (1 Viewer)

[JackVa1]

First I have 2 TV's. One has a QAM tuner and one is just a Panasonic LCD with only Analog Tuner.

I stick a straight cable from my cable (internet) provider in and both receive Channel 1-70 but the Sony also picks up HD and other Digital programming from channels like 72.7 110.4..etc.

I sort of get that, but here is what I do not get: The cable company website says that channels 23- 72 are 'Digital" Why do I receive them at all on the Panasonic if it has no Digital Tuner?
Further, what will happen in February? I like running without a Cable Box because I have DirectV as well and this is an extra I use for PIP and my local Hi Definition affiliates. My cable feed is for Internet and just happens to have a lot of basic TV on it.

What is going on and if you know why I get these channels in the first place, I would be interested in that as well - I never ordered Cable TV - just Internet, but I dicovered it. Again - will it all be gone in February?? I am very confused - thanks

Oh and I happen to get HBO Showtime and Starz, but curiously not the 15 other premiums that the cable company offers

 

[Stephen Tu]

Nothing in most cases. The February deadline (which might get moved to June pending Congressional approval) only applies to over-the-air broadcasts, and has no direct effect on cable. It only has indirect effects, cable company probably has to create its analog feeds from local stations using different sources/methods/equipment, but most likely this has been in place for quite some time & certainly the end-user probably won't notice anything. Perhaps might notice if they switch to letterbox or "center-cut" presentation of the 16:9 feed for some stations.

 

[JackVa1]

Thanks for the consise response - you are right about the packaging I was reading. One lst thing:

Does anyone have any idea why I happen to get HBO Showtime and Starz, Versus, STARZedge, but curiously not the 15 other premiums that the cable company offers like Max ,Showtime2, HBO2, HBO Signature, etc etc.

Why do these few leak through, but my Sony search does not find the others? I don;t need them, more curious.

 

[Stephen Tu]

Cable company isn't encrypting them for some reason. Don't count on receiving them forever. I used to get HBO-HD free too but Comcast eventually got around to encrypting it.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

In this case "digital" and "analog" have to do with the method by which the cable company delivers the signal to your house, and nothing to do with the original source material.

My cable company switched to "digital" cable in my area several years ago, long before I had an HDTV. This simply meant that the cable company was now converting even the analog SD channels into 1s and 0s before sending them to my condo.

The SD channels you're receiving are being send digitally, but your TV is converting them back to analog. Since it doesn't have a digital tuner, the true digital channels are invisible to it.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Stephen Tu]

This statement is total nonsense. A TV without a digital tuner can only receive analog signals without an add-on STB; the channels are being sent with an analog signal. Analog-only TVs have no capability to "convert signals back to analog"; they have to be fed analog signals. That's what digital cable set-top boxes are needed for.

The history is roughly this:
- first, there was only analog cable

- "digital" cable is born. Analog channels are still transmitted as analog. The digital tier of additional channels (channel number > 100 on most systems) is transmitted digitally. TVs can tune the analogs but need STB for the digitals. Much consumer confusion as many don't realize that only the digital tier channels are actually digital, and the old channels aren't any different from what they were getting before. It's actually analog + digital cable they are using. In contrast DBS satellite can advertise themselves as "100% digital" to differentiate.

- Companies introduce analog-digital simulcast (ADS). Analog channels still analog. Digital tier channels still digital. *Digital copies of the analog channels are broadcast on separate digital channels*. Users of digital cable boxes and devices like HD-Tivo use their digital tuner to view everything in digital; their tuners are rigged so if the user selects the old analog channel # on their box, it gets redirected to the digital copy. However, analog TVs hooked straight to the cable from the wall still view the analog version. Owners of new TVs with both analog & digital tuners can see both versions, for unencrypted channels. (The digital copy of the analog SD channel will often be on some highish random digital channel # you have to find by channel scan followed by hunting through the channels).

- future, timing unknown but for some systems already happening: cable company drops the analog tier, or most of it. But most companies are likely to continue analog at least until 2012.

Some companies in some areas run digital to neighborhood nodes and only convert the analog channels right before they get fed into homes. Some of the newest providers (Verizon FIOS, AT&T Uverse) are doing digital all the way into the home, no analog at all. Some cable companies are also converting/have already converted to all digital in some areas.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Of course Stephen is right. I don't know what I was thinking. (Note to self: In the future do NOT post to multiple threads dealing with different issues after taking cough syrup with codine in it. )

Never Miiiiiiiind,

Joe

 

[Allan Jayne]

Digital cable has been around long before todays (ATSC) digital and HDTV broadcasts. A variety of different formats are used. Some, based on component video, gave better quality than analog channels. Some, based on composite video, gave just the same or sometimes worse quality than analog channels. ATSC is not used even for HDTV cable channels. So plugging the cable directly into an ATSC but non cable ready TV using no cable box, none of the digital channels will come in.

 

[Stephen Tu]

The vast majority of HDTVs these days have QAM tuners, since the tuner chips usually do both, and thus can get unencrypted digital channels on cable. Typically one gets the local broadcast stations digital signals, their HD channel and sometimes the ADS copy of their analog channel, and a handful of other channels. Most stuff that they charge extra for on the digital tier & premium channels will be encrypted though & you won't see anything but a black or grey screen. A more accurate statement would be "few of the digital channels" will come in. Unless you have a cablecard model from a few years ago + a cablecard installed. But if you are content with local broadcast stations & live viewing (I'm not, I can't stand watching w/o DVR), you can often get away without a cable box. Useful for a secondary set if you want to avoid extra digital outlet fees.