1inxs

Most cable companies are going this way to stop piracy. When you use their set top box they control the programming you can or can't receive. Each set top box is given an identification number. The cable company needs to activate that number in order for the box to operate. In the old days all you would need to do to pirate or steal programming was climb the utility pole and connect the line and connect the other side to your cable ready TV. Having the new system also reduces cable company labor costs, by eliminating the need to send out a technician to activate cable service. It can be done from the company central location by computer. By requiring a set top box the cable company has eliminated the theft of services and therefore increased the revenue. I know this information doesn't help you with your issue, but now you know why it is done this way.

jedlinde

Perhaps I'm missing some very basic info here. My understanding is that all signals were converted to digital on/around 6-12-09, or before, and that the boxes are needed to convert the digital signal to an analog one for old TVs. So, if the cable is sending a digital signal, then why do you need a converter box for a digital TV?
Also, HD, high definition, is different from DTV, digital TV; no?

jedlinde

Thanks; what you explained makes sense. However, why come up with a converter box that can only handle one channel at a time? That seems to me to be retro to the max; it defeats the utility of multiple VCR/DVD options, just when you are able to have access to so many other channels.
As far as piracy is concerned, though, it would seem that consumers are the galleons...

stilwebm

All over the air broadcast signals were converted to digital. Cable operators still offer basic packages with analog signals. If you subscribe to a basic analog package, you might get talked into a tuner but most TVs built in the last 20 years are "cable ready" and thus capable of tuning all the analog channels without a box. Additionally, if you have a digital TV with a QAM tuner, you might be able to tune digital versions of some cable channels and should be able to tune digital HD versions of the over the air channels for your market.

1inxs

It's all about boosting revenues. They make a DVR available to their subscribers for a monthly fee. Then you can watch one channel and record another and the cable company increases revenues.

bicker

Note that, by law, cable companies are required to support separable security, whereby you can purchase your own host device (STB or DVR) and receive all linear programming that are part of your service subscription, as long as your host device supports the standard separable security mechanism, currently CableCARD. Currently, manufacturers have not seen fit to offer CableCARD-compatible STBs for sale to the general public. There evidently isn't enough of a profit motive for them to do so (especially given how expensive it is to provide customer support to the general public). However, there are are two CableCARD-compatible DVRs, currently available for sale in the United States: The TiVo HD DVR, and the Moxi HD DVR.

The TiVo HD DVR is available two ways: You can buy one for about $250 and then pay about $12 per month extra for service on it, or you can purchase it for about $550, and service is included for its lifetime.

The Moxi HD DVR is only available one way. It costs about $700, and service is included for its lifetime.

In each case, you'll need a CableCARD installed by the service provider, to activate it to receive the services that are part of your subscription. Comcast includes the price of the CableCARD in their digital packages.