Question about Digital TV Transition in 2009?

Question

I keep hearing that if you have cable you don"t have to worry.

I have multiple TVs. My main TV is connected to a converter box and recieves 100's of chanels including analog, digital, and HD channels. I pay about $10 a month extra on my cable bill to rent this converter box.

My other TV's have no converter box and are hooked directly to the cable. I currently recieve about 70 analog channels on these TVs. After the DTV Transition will I have to rent additional converter boxes for these TVs?

Answer 1

yes you will the will no longer work unless there is a station still broadcasting in analog.

Answer 2

If you're hooked up to a cable line you'll be fine.

It's the grandmas who have antennas and put foil on them to get a signal who need the converter boxes.

Answer 3

no not unless you want the same channels as the tv hooked to the box.

Answer 4

Hi Just Me

If you have cable you do not need any new equipment unless your cable company moves some of your favorite channels to channels which they designate and can only be received with their boxes.  Such channels are commonly called virtual channel numbers and are scrambled QAM channels which cannot be received without the cable company box or a cable card which the cable company rents for cable card slot equipped HDTV sets.

Check with your cable company but only if your favorite channel is no longer among those 70 or so you receive without the box.

Digital transition for the cable company is just the cable company making it possible for you to receive more channels which look static free.  But digital transition for broadcasters who air their signals free over the air waves is mandated by the federal government in each country and is done to make new communication services possible.

Answer 5

You should be fine, if you are using DTV as your service.  I think that this will only affect TV's with an analog signal and those that are not using digital signals.

Answer 6

You will have to buy one for $40 if you have the coupon. You can request up to 2 coupons online. These converters are only for those older TV's and not the flatscreen ones.