[Paul Hives]

Do I need a separate box from the cable co even though the STB can handle digital signals.


Fot that matter so can my RPTV. I am trying to decide if this is worth the change.


Of course all this is predicated on the cable carrying the HD signals.

 

[DTC mac]

The DTC 100 can use analog cable as an input, but can not do anything with the digital cable signal. Digital cable is a differant standard from Digital satellite and even again from terrestrial 8VSB terrestrial digital. the DTC 100 handles NTSC(reg TV and cable), ATSC/8VSB(OTA digital TV) and DSS/MPEG-2(digital satellite)

 

[Paul Hives]

So then, I assume that the digital boxes have component outputs to handle 480p and 1080i.


Otherwise I see very little benefit to upgrading to digital cable.

 

[jacmyoung]

The ATT digital cable boxes in my area don't even have s-video outs, much less component. HDTV is not even in their vocabulary at this point.

 

[RoyGBiv]

A common misconception is that digital cable is carrying HD or 1080i signals. It is not. It is just a different way of carrying 480i standard definition signals. Unless your cable company is specificly sending HD signals, digital cable is just 480i. There might, and I stress might, be a slight improvement in picture quality with the digital cable transmissions.


SMK

 

[DTC mac]

Time Warner et al only went digital in order to give more channels, they have no intention of doing any HD. HD on cable would be a laughable thing. Half the time the cable signal is just trashed by interferance to the point an antenna would be better. "here he goes again...": HD is what we all want and demand, advertiser and cable companys want $$$ ner the tween shall meet. sponsers and cable companies do not see money in HD so they are and probaly wont support it any time soon.

 

[Paul Hives]

I understand TWC is offering HD in Houston and NY I believe. Seems to me that carrying the HD (nee DTV signals) would not be a big deal.

 

[Gator1]

Time Warner has HDTV on cable in Orlando. There is a four month wait. They provide the HDTV box. They offer HBO, Showtime and the local channels that broadcast in HD.

 

[michaeltscott]

Quote:

Originally posted by DTC mac HD on cable would be a laughable thing. Half the time the cable signal is just trashed by interferance to the point an antenna would be better. "here he goes again...": HD is what we all want and demand, advertiser and cable companys want $$$ ner the tween shall meet. sponsers and cable companies do not see money in HD so they are and probaly wont support it any time soon.

I have to disagree with you. I'm on a 270-something channel "digital" (DVB) system now. It has no HD, but I'm only getting one channel with interference, in the analog range, the ABC affiliate. The DVB channels are all crystal clear, all the time (well, as clear as NTSC quality video gets).


The QAM cable transmission standards are supposed to be quite good--a lot more reliable than OTA reception, and probably more reliable than satellite, which is often wiped out by heavy-rain.


-- Mike Scott

 

[DTC mac]

Bottom line is bandwidth, any operator ( broadcast, cable, satellite ) wants the most money for the bandwidth they have available. Cable is the least likely to accept using more bandwidth to do much HD. Cable is also the transmission method with the least attenton to holding to broadcast standards ( ever wonder why one cable channel is loud as can be and clear as a bell, while another is washed out and barely audable? ) so please excuse my lack of faith that they have any real intention to be the supeior choice technically, they only want numbers and brother HD is not numbers to them, Yet.

 

[michaeltscott]

The relatively loudness thing is not a problem with digital transmission standards like DVB and ATSC, no matter how you're receiving them--the sound is a bitstream with no gain attached. Some small cable systems have gone all DVB. Pretty much all large ones are more than half (having only DVB forces a cable box on the customer--I don't think the large SOs want to hazard that yet).


Some cable carriers are starting to get the message--on page 33 (marked 30) of this publication of the CEA (the October issue--the content at the link can change and there's no archive online), at press time Time Warner was up in 11 major markets, and, unlike DBS, its always with carriage of network affiliates. One participant in these forums said that she was getting nine channels from them ( here ).


The bottom line is that some 70% of television viewers in this country view it through cable. Most of them would not be interested in using OTA antennae, even if they worked well everywhere, which they don't (not even for NTSC television). Most of them aren't eligible, for one reason or another, to use a dish--neighborhood restrictions on mounting them, no line-of-sight to a satellite, whatever. DBS has been around for a long time now and its market penetration is a weak 15%.


The transition won't take off (and certainly we're not going to achieve anything like the 85% numbers Congress--I'm told--has been talking about) without HD broadcasts on cable.

 

[snowmoon]

TWC in albany/scenectady/troy is currently carrying HD HBO and HD Showtime, but on a trial basis. The box is free and there is no waiting line. They have been doing this for months, but have not advertized it yet.


They currently have no plans ( that they would tell me ) to carry DTV locals once they were avilable. Nor do they have any idea when they would be adding more HDTV networks.

 

[michaeltscott]

Quote:

Originally posted by snowmoon They currently have no plans ( that they would tell me ) to carry DTV locals once they were avilable. Nor do they have any idea when they would be adding more HDTV networks.

Okay--so they're not rebroadcasting any OTA in Albany yet. They're rebroadcasting much OTA DTV in many other places, so I'd guess that they want to do it everywhere.


How many OTA stations are up in digital in Albany?


-- Mike Scott

 

[snowmoon]

I guess you missed the once they were avalible. As far as i can tell their are NO OTA signals yet. Although one site lists a PAX digital station operational at this point, but I have no hardware to confirm.


I sent off many emails today hoping to get word back from the 7 stations planning on going on live next year. I have recieved one reply so far from channel 6 ( analog CBS ) saying that they are ready to go ( equipment, antenna, MW link to the station ) but the FAA never got around to approving the tower in time before the winter set in. They have shelved the whole thing till the tower can be built in the spring. They even indicated that the tower is built, just laying on the ground at this point.


Hoping to hear back from the other stations soon. Ance I have a list together I'll start a thread and keep it updated.

 

[michaeltscott]

Quote:

Originally posted by snowmoon I guess you missed the once they were avalible. As far as i can tell their are NO OTA signals yet. Although one site lists a PAX digital station operational at this point, but I have no hardware to confirm.

Well then, TWC can hardly be faulted for not rebroadcasting any .


They're carrying five local DTV stations each in Raleigh, Houston and NYC, four in both Detroit and Charlotte and three in Orlando. It seems like they're fairly committed to allocating bandwidth to DTV. From a quick scan of their web site for Albany, you have a fair-sized system there--I'd bet that they'll carry the local network affiliates as they come on line.


-- Mike Scott

 

[gmclaughlin]

Just to clarify the question of Time Warner's commitment to HD. I'm the Assistant to the President of the Central Florida TWC Division. I oversee our HD offering. We do five channels of HD and are adding two more Jan 1, 2002. Sure, we've had some issues obtaining enough boxes to deploy, but we're trying.


You're right that HD does consume more bandwidth than a regular digital-cable channel. Yet it consumes half the bandwidth of an analog cable channel, of which we offer 70. But we're not dumping analog channels just because they use more bandwidth. We do HD because we feel it is important to our company's future. And what the heck, we want to watch HD too!


Nationally, we've committed to purchase AT LEAST 50,000 Explorer 3100 HD boxes next year. And I've personally heard Glenn Britt, our Chairman of the Board, state that High Definition is a priority for the company. And we're the 2nd largest cable MSO in the country, with nearly 13 million subscribers.


So...if you think cable companies don't, or won't, support HD... you're wrong. The 2nd largest company does.


Greg McLaughlin

 

[snowmoon]

Greg,


great to hear from profesional on this forum. Please tell me that you guys are as sick of the 2000HD as the rest of us. It's been a while since I have had the agrivation with what should be a simple set top box. If it were not for the glorious HD content I would be tempted to return the box the day I got it.


I hope all TWC regions are committed to adding HD as you guys are.

 

[CardiacArrest]

Quote:

Originally posted by michaeltscott They're (TWC) carrying ... four in both Detroit

That's news to me. Do you happen to know what Detroit area companies are TWC? I currently have Comcast (prev AT&T, prev TCI) Digital Cable. When I called their customer service center they had no idea what HDTV even was. I know that all the major Detroit stations are sending out a digital signal currently. I'll be hooking up an antenna as soon as I get my reciever. Then I will be considering whether to ditch the Digital Cable or not (either going to DirectTV or just saving the money).

 

[John Mason]

Quote:

Originally posted by michaeltscott Well then, TWC can hardly be faulted for not rebroadcasting any . They're carrying five local DTV stations each in Raleigh, Houston and NYC, four in both Detroit and Charlotte and three in Orlando.

I'm posting, belatedly, just to point out to potential NYC TWC subscribers interested in HDTV that TWC isn't carrying five local stations, only one (CBS). The 9/11 trade center destruction knocked several off the air and from TWC's cable delivery.


But the continuous cablecasting of network/local NSTC channels during and after the WTC attack proved TWC's fiber links to stations worked well. Unfortunately, TWC cable hasn't restored HDTV cablecasting of the missing digital stations (PBS, NBC, ABC) via fiber links. These NYC-area-based networks satellite-uplink HDTV programming to the rest of the country. -- John