My parents have a mid nineties tv so I'm guessing it doesn't have a digital tuner but they are getting the signal from cable through the wall but not using a converter...do they need a converter or is it already digital?
Is the FCC making cable companies switch to digital service?
No. Cable companies are not required to switch to digital service. Cable companies may choose to make their service all or partly digital, but they are not required to change from the analog service they offer today. In fact, the FCC requires cable companies to continue to provide local stations in analog as long as they provide any analog service, even after February 17, 2009.
But...
Quote:
Can my cable company make me get a box to receive the cable channels I receive today without a box?
Some cable companies have decided to switch to digital service. This is a business decision made by the cable companies and is not required by the federal government. Your cable company may decide to move certain cable channels off of its analog service tier and onto a digital service tier, or it may decide to switch to all-digital service at once, so that there is no analog service tier for any subscribers. If your cable company decides to move some or all of the channels it provides onto a digital service tier, it may notify you that you need to get “digital cable” equipment to continue receiving that cable service. This may include renting or purchasing a digital cable set-top box or purchasing a digital cable ready TV equipped with a “CableCARD” slot. The digital cable equipment is different from the digital-to-analog converter boxes that are used to receive over-the-air broadcast signals.
Most cable companies are providing analog signals until 2012, but, it's really dependant on the cable provider whether they force their customers to get a cable set-top box.
Analog Cable (meaning not digitally scrambled, and gets recieved without a box), will probably be gone by the year 2012 because that's when the FCC is going to review the case again.
Most people nowadays have a box from their company with digital channels up in the 200's anyway.
need converter?
Linear Mode
