Seems simple enough.. an analog television cannot display a digital signal. So I called and asked them. Your commercials say you do not need a converter box or cable box if your tv is hooked to the cable line and you'll get all your (basic) cable channels just fine. So I said, that means you are going to send an analog signal down the line also, correct? No you don't need a converter and no we are not sending analog signals over the cable..... So my next question was, Then how is my analog tv going to display a digital signal without a converter? She said it'll be converted "in the cable line"???!!!! What the..HUH? I kept telling her that can't be "it", there has to be a conversion or something and how is it going to work? It seems like a simple question that I haven't seen or heard an answer for. How do I receive a digital signal through the cable line and it will display on my analog tv without a converter box or cable box? Magic? So she says... lol
Let me know if I'm overthinking this...
thanks,
clay

You are overthinking it. You are correct. You are just not thinking like the rep on the phone. Feel lucky that you are not.

Yes... overthinking.

Digital only is for "antenna". Cable can and will send analog for the time being...

Listen to the commercials and CSR. You have to do nothing. Rest easy. ;)

Well, careful, most cable companies are transmitting digital, but they can also transmit analog and what Ratman meant was they are not affected by the "transition."

thanks guys, thought i was loosing it! well trained people they have...lol..

so to her... it is magic...

Careful, let Ratman clarify...

Yes, cableco's do provide digital and analog. If you get analog "today" via cable, there's a VERY good probability that they will continue to provide analog after 2/17/09 (cableco and area dependant).

Should they decide to convert to "digital only" (whenever that may be), they will inform their subscribers.

And yeah... I guess I should have been more specific with my response that cableco's are not mandated to comply to the same 2/17/09 "digital only" transition for over the air (OTA) broadcast.

I hope that was clear enough...

thanks guys, thought i was loosing it! well trained people they have...lol..

so to her... it is magic...

Don't feel special. We get the same kind of people here with Cox and most cable services, I believe. Try getting on the phone with someone from DTV or Dish Network...:(

Some cable systems still have a variety of analog channels (not necessarily in consecutive channel number order) coming right down the cable. These analog signals would go to all subscribers* unless specfically blocked because a subscriber did not sign up for and pay for the group or tier a channel was in. If you screwed the cable end directly onto the back of a cable ready analog TV set, you will get those channels.

Cable boxes other than the most ancient will convert most of the digital channels to analog and also pass through the channels that are already analog.

*Some cable systems may have two complete (sub)systems, a newer fiber optic cable with just digital channels accompanied by an older copper coax cable with analog channels and perhaps some digital channels too, strung together on poles going down all streets. Which cable serves you depends on what tiers you signed up for.