Cable TV reception after Feb. 2009?

Question

Here it goes!!

I'm a Cable TV subscriber and I'm wondering what I'm up against:

new amplifier,

new cable runs,,

newer type splitter

or none of the above::

The signal enters my home via coaxial cable. I run the coaxial lead it into an analog amplifier (5-900MHZ) for 10db gain. I feed the amplifier's output signal into an 8 way splitter to feed many different TV sets. Only one feed goes into a cable company box and the others do not.

Since this is a cable company (Cablevision of L.I.) with many subscribers:

1. Will they continue to provide NTSC broadcasting as well as the new ATSC signal?

2. Will my infrastructure still support all TV signals in and out of the splitter once the transition ocurrs??

3. What will I need to do if not?

Answer 1

If you continue with cable, nothing much will happen in February.  The change only affects Over The Air TV that one would get via an antenna.

The cable providers are required to provide at least the local stations in analog until 2011 at which time the FCC will revisit the situation and decide if they need to extend the requirement.

Most cable companies are moving stuff to digital, mostly because of channel space and because they want to provide more services.  So you will see some stuff move to the "digital tier".  For this one would need a QAM tuner (not ATSC - that's for over the air) or a digital cable box.  The digital cable boxes that I have see still put out good old analog along with digital signals so they will work with either type of set.  You may need the cable company's box anyway if you want to access Pay Per View (PPV).

All your internal wiring and splitters should still be OK.  So, it sounds like you are set, for the near future anyway.

I hope this helps.  Please return and select a Best Answer from all of those submitted.

Answer 2

The Feb 17, 2009 date is only for over the air broadcasts and has nothing to do with your cable TV reception.

So nothing will change for you on 2/17/09.

But, many cable TV companies are changing to all-digital systems. As to exactly what and when these changes are is a local matter. Only your cable company can tell you their plans.

Except for some small companies, cable systems do not support ATSC. Typically they use a QAM digital system*.

This means that the cheap coupon type converters will not work on any major cable TV system.

What new equipment you  will need depends on the details of what your local cable company decides to do. Typically you could still use your current distribution amp/wires and just deal with a digital tuner/cable box at each TV.

But there are cable setups that require two way signaling through the cable wire**, in which case your current amp will not work.

* Cable systems use QAM because they can send a lot more channels through the same cable wire using QAM compared to using ATSC or analog.

** pay per view or SDV systems