What will happen to cable stations running hd & non hd on separate channels? Nothing.

The SDTV versions of the local channels will still be there. Even though the analog version of the channel from the affiliate will go away, cable(and satellite) will still have SD versions of these channels. The cable companies will downconvert the HD Channel for SD. What you'll see on channel 4 will be the same feed that's on 704, just center cut for SDTV. Many markets already have this through satellite TV providers. I'm not sure about cable, our TWC in NE Ohio is still using the separate SD/HD feeds. This is the reason why you see all the broadcast networks moving their bugs/graphics towards the center of the screen, so SDTV viewers will still be able to see them.

One caveat to the response.

Cablevision is testing a plan for those with HD boxes. When you tune to ch.4 on the box, it will automatically give you 4 in HD and so forth for any channels with HD simulcasts. So, in essence, you will see no SD feeds if there is an HD version available. So you will have 4 in HD and 704 in HD.

So, when will everything be HD? Do you mean digital instead of analog? There is no free HD except OTA.

Never. Not everything is transferable to HD like not everything is in color.

I think you missed my point.

Why do cable companies need a seperate SD digital signal? Are SD boxes only capable of tuning 480i digital signals? If so, why? DVD recorders, CECBs, and SD digital tvs all can convert 1080i and 720p signals to 480i, so why don't cable boxes?

The FCC stated that cable companies had to continue to provide a 480 signal for legacy TV's for a minimum of 3 years after the transition.

The answer is nothing will happen. You will still get over-the-air local stations in analog from your cableco, just like you do now. If you use a cable box, they may move channel locations around, but that's about it.

An SD box that tunes the HD signal and downrezzes it to 480i would work just as well as wasting bandwidth on a separate 480i signal on the system.

Unless you have multiple TVs- then you have to have a box for every TV. Right now I get about 65 analog channels on my 5 TVs without a box. If Comcrap doesn't downconvert at headend I will have to get boxes for every set- an inconvenience and certainly an additional expense- plus the complication it causes for VCRs and Tivos.

Get used to it - that will be the way forward. That is already the case with all digital systems like FIOS. True2way may ease the need for a box at each TV issue, but then you'd need a new TV with that built in.

What's the status of that? Are we close?

Ed

There are Tru2Way TV for sale in select places so its a matter of getting the product on store shelves.

As foxeng posted - cable companies will continue to provide analog cable signals for three years after the transition, so you won't need any boxes. Beyond three years I expect the cable companies will abandon analog completely.

I wasn't talking about analog signals. I was wondering why cable companies carry the same channel both in HD digital and also carry a 480i Sd digital signal? Why not use boxes that can downrez 720p or 1080i for output to an SD set? why have SD boxes that can only tune 480i digital signals and therefore need both HD and SD feeds of the same channel?

Because HD decoders and the additional memory they require added a significant cost to already expensive boxes. The difference isn't nearly so much these days, and some providers (FiOS) are starting to move to a single box for all users with features that can be turned on and off remotely as desired.

You also have some people who just don't want the boxes. They are happy with just having the cable plug into the TV. The last thing cable needs to do is p*ss off subs right now. If a cable sub is REQUIRED to get a cable box, then you take away one of the reasons for that sub to stay with cable and not go to sat or FIOS which has to have a box. There are more people without boxes than you think.

... plus people who have boxes on only some, but not all, of their outlets.

Is it known what percentage of cable connected TV's are already using a cable box of some sort?

- Tom

It could be higher than 50% considering many homes with multiple sets will not have boxes on all the sets.

Sorry to say but this is already happening in some areas. Cable comapnies are having to use SDV to fit all of the channels they carry, and SDV will only work with a cable box. Most cable card equipment won't even work right with SDV (although I believe TIVO has come out with a little add on device to make their cable card boxes work). Also some cable comanies are going to start using Tru-2Way, which will require either a cable box or a TV with a Tru-2Way tuner built in.

After Feb you are going to see a lot of cable companies start to drop the analog SD stations to free up room for more HD/digital stations. The only stations they have to continue to carry in analog are your local OTA stations (and they only have to carry them for 3 years). After 2012 I don't think there will be any NTSC channels available anywhere.