Quote:
Originally Posted by LOTL
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Weren't the cable company's supposed to provide the digital converters for free? I dont need the DVR capability and instead of spending any more money on a converter, ill drag the 50 incher upstairs and see if there's an improvement in signal strength.
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Cable companies did distribute digital converters for their customers who needed them. However, you may be confusing two completely unrelated issues:
- Full-power OTA TV stations in the USA were required to switch to digital broadcasts in 2009. Viewers with analog TVs could use a converter to receive these broadcasts OTA and view them on their old TV sets. The Government provided two coupons for each household that could, in principle, pay for two converters. Viewers who received their programming via cable were assured that they did not need to worry. Their cable company would maintain analog versions of their programming that their old TVs would continue to receive as though nothing happened.
- Rarely reported is supposed to be a digital transition for cable in the USA. In 2009, I read that the digital cable transition was scheduled for 2012.* My cable company went through that transition in 2011. All programming, including all standard resolution programming, has been switched to QAM and given virtual cable channel numbers that mirror the old NTSC analog cable channels. For example, QAM Channel 12 is displayed as "12" and not "12.0" or "12.1." For subscribers who do not have QAM-compatible TV sets, a converter box is required. The cable company provides converter boxes for subscribers who need them.
Make no mistake. The OTA converter box converts ATSC digital signals to NTSC analog signals. It cannot be used on cable. The cable converter box converts QAM digital signals to NTSC analog signals. It cannot be used for OTA stations.
*The cable transition is not mandated by the FCC. It is a business decision made by the cable companies.