How can I keep all my digital channels without renting more boxes?

Question

I have Cablevision digital cable service in CT and analog tv's. I have 1 rented cable box. The rest of my tv's are cable ready and have a direct hook-up with the cable. Until the last year or so, I had most of the channels on the direct hook up tvs. However, now the cable company is slowly converting our favorite channels (Speed, HGTV etc..) to digital they will no longer work come in on the tv's without the box. What a racket. I was told I would not have to get one of those converter boxes for the 2009 turnover because I have cable, but it seems I am losing all my channels anyway, on all but one tv.. I tried one of the new converter boxes, but they don't see to pick up a signalusing the cable input. Is there something I can buy to keep my channels on my other tv's? If I purchase a digital tv, will those channels come in?

Answer 1

First, the converter boxes are for ATSC over the air TV. Digital cable is QAM, so they won't work for you.

What you are experiencing is happening to many cable customers.

If the cable company is scrambling the digital siugnals, there's nothing you can do, except to rent more cable boxes. If they are not scrambling, the4n a QAM tuner will get you the unscrambled digital TV.

Most of the new TVs come with a QAM tuner.

Answer 2

The converter boxes are for Over The Air reception only; they are not meant to work with cable.

Cable systems are privately owned.  As such, they can make changes at will as long as they work within any governmental franchise agreements and any FCC regulations.  The FCC requires that a cable system must carry the local channels and that they must support analog TVs until 2012.  That seems to be the wiggle room.

You are the second person I've heard say that their cable system is moving non-local channels to their digital tier to "encourage" people to buy a digital package.  That is within their rights as a business.

If the channels you want are in the "basic" digital tier, it may be possible to get them with a digital TV (make sure it has a QAM tuner).  Most cable company web sites list their channel line ups.

Another option is to switch to satellite.  Dish Network and DirecTV are stealing a lot of customers from cable and cable is feeling the crunch.  You could vote with your dollars.