HDTV

[Humbled Survivor]

My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my tube TV
doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to analog. All
the ones on the market are for antennas only. They try to dupe you that it
converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the cable company to analog, but
none of them do that.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the past
again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I have found
nothing.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

I've been checkmated.

 

[dave]

On 07/13/2013 12:52 PM, Humbled Survivor wrote:

My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my tube TV
doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to analog. All
the ones on the market are for antennas only. They try to dupe you that it
converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the cable company to analog, but
none of them do that.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the past
again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I have found
nothing.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

I've been checkmated.

Where were you when the govt gave away free decoders?

http://www.amazon.com/iView-3500STB-DTV-Converter-Box/dp/B00BFIJQ10/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373745820&sr=8-1&keywords=qam+converter+box

You are looking for QAM to NTSC capability.

 

[dave]

On 07/13/2013 01:05 PM, dave wrote:

On 07/13/2013 12:52 PM, Humbled Survivor wrote:
My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my tube TV
doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to
analog. All
the ones on the market are for antennas only. They try to dupe you
that it
converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the cable company to analog,
but
none of them do that.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the past
again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I have found
nothing.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

I've been checkmated.

Where were you when the govt gave away free decoders?

http://www.amazon.com/iView-3500STB-DTV-Converter-Box/dp/B00BFIJQ10/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373745820&sr=8-1&keywords=qam+converter+box


You are looking for QAM to NTSC capability.

ClearQAM more specifically. I get well over 50 channels of unscrambled
digital on my "Broadcast Basic" from TWC.

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Humbled Survivor:

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

If you don't need a huge screen, think more like $130-$200 for something
in the twenties size-wise.... at least that's what I saw today at HH
Gregg.

OTOH, I wonder if the cable supplier has done something proprietary to
the signal and you would need some sort of box (which might make the
converter work) even for a new TV...
--
Pete Cresswell

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:52:37 -0400, "Humbled Survivor"
<arrrive@nowhere.com> wrote:

My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my tube TV
doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

Wrong. You unspecified cable company (probably Comcast) switched from
analog to QAM modulation. If your unspecified cable company just
happens to be Comcast, you can call them and ask for a DTA
<http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/FAQViewer.aspx?seoid=What-is-a-digital-adapter>
It was free, but I keep seeing rumors that they're charging for one.
With that you can have your intentionally fuzzy analog channels back
as well as the FM broadcast channels that were moved to digital.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to analog.

That's true. Those are ATSC to analog converters that have absolutely
nothing to do with what the cable companies are sending. A clue is
that the box for these converters usually says something like "For OTA
(over the air) use only. Not for cable TV".

All
the ones on the market are for antennas only.

Correct.

They try to dupe you that it
converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the cable company to analog, but
none of them do that.

There was a time when the FCC was considering "mandating" different
connectors or connections for CATV and OTA (antenna), to avoid such
confusion. Fortunately, that didn't happen.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the past
again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I have found
nothing.

No need to prove you wrong. You've done an adequate job of doing that
yourself.

To get your TV back, you are going to need either a DTA (digital TV
tuner) or a cable converter box from your benevolent cable provider.
Have your credit card handy.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

Nope. HDTV defines the screen resolution. This week, HD is
considered anything over 720p to be HDTV. HDTV does not define
anything to do with the methods used by either the OTA broadcasters or
the cable companies to deliver that resolution picture. If you buy an
HDTV, you will get an ATSC tuner for OTA, which is useless on cable,
and HDMI input connectors, which is what you need for cable. The HDMI
cable goes between the digital cable box and your nice new HDTV.

However, if you get the DTA box from your benevolent cable provider,
it will output either RF on channel 3 or 4 or on some models,
composite video (yellow,white,red cable). If you want composite,
you'll need to ask for it as Comcast as this is not included on all
their DTA offerings. Neither will give you an HD quality picture.
This is intentional as the benevolent cable company wants to sell or
rent you a digital cable box. However, with the DTA, you will be able
to continue watching fuzzy pictures in low resolution.

However, Comcast is still sending some "basic" channels in HD. You'll
need a more complexicated derangement to do that:
<http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/cable-tv/connecting-digital-adapter-to-hdtv>

I've been checkmated.

Nope. You're suffering from acronym infestation. Take 2 aspirin and
call your cable provider in the morning.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Humbled Survivor wrote:

My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my tube TV
doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to analog. All
the ones on the market are for antennas only. They try to dupe you that it
converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the cable company to analog, but
none of them do that.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the past
again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I have found
nothing.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

I've been checkmated.

Stuff a QAM tuner in your computer. Hapaugue cards are on Ebay for
about $23, and the work OK. You need an original install disk to install
WinTV7, or Windows Media Center. I've had one for about six months, in
a spare PC running Vista Basic & WinTV7.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:38:00 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
<mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote:

Stuff a QAM tuner in your computer. Hapaugue cards are on Ebay for
about $23, and the work OK. You need an original install disk to install
WinTV7, or Windows Media Center. I've had one for about six months, in
a spare PC running Vista Basic & WinTV7.

Comcast has been slowly turning off Clear QAM for the last year or so.
They just turned off Santa Cruz CA about 4 days ago. Welcome to the
"digital migration".
<http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r28332906-Report-notifications-of-Limited-Basic-tier-encryption-here>
<http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/cable-tv/who-is-affected-by-digital-migration/>



--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:17:38 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:

More:
<http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/cable-tv/limited-basic-encryption/>
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Michael Black]

On Sat, 13 Jul 2013, Humbled Survivor wrote:

My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my tube TV
doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to analog. All
the ones on the market are for antennas only. They try to dupe you that it
converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the cable company to analog, but
none of them do that.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the past
again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I have found
nothing.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

When Canada went to DTV in September 2 years ago, I did put off dealing

with it until the May of that year. We didn't get the free converter deal
that the US got, and initially the flyers were showing $80 coverters.

And at that point I decided I might as well spend $120 more and get an
actual HDTV set. I got the better definition, I got an LCD set (so much
smaller, and less heat it seems), I got closed captions (I was using a
Commodore monitor with a VCR for reception for about 15 years, before that
a TV set too old to do captions), and some other new and neat things. It
was also the first new tv set I'd gotten since 1982. SO the money wasnt'
that bad, and I would have had to spend just under half for a converter.

Sometimes change is good, you'll actually get better definition, rather
than the new transmission on an old tv set.

Mytv set runs Linux, my old tv set didn't even have a computer. And that
blu-ray player that I found in the garbage on July 1st is working fine,
and it too runs Linux.

Michael

 

[William Sommerwerck]

You can buy a converter. I have an unused Zenith I'd be happy to sell.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

Whoops. I posted without reading carefully. I thought the OP said broadcast.

The cable company's conversion is to digital, not HD. As someone else pointed
out, Comcast provides a free converter that feeds channel 3 or 4 on an analog
set. (It has no baseband output.)

 

[Humbled Survivor]

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:MOednfb-5vovJ3zMnZ2dnUVZ_oSdnZ2d@earthlink.com...

Humbled Survivor wrote:

My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my tube TV
doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to analog.
All
the ones on the market are for antennas only. They try to dupe you that
it
converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the cable company to analog,
but
none of them do that.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the past
again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I have found
nothing.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

I've been checkmated.



Stuff a QAM tuner in your computer. Hapaugue cards are on Ebay for
about $23, and the work OK. You need an original install disk to install
WinTV7, or Windows Media Center. I've had one for about six months, in
a spare PC running Vista Basic & WinTV7.

I looked around and determined this is what I should get:

http://www.firebird-systems.com/graphics/dct210/digital-tv-tuner-hdmi-dct210.shtml

Thank all of you for your feedback.

 

[Bob F]

dave wrote:

On 07/13/2013 01:05 PM, dave wrote:
On 07/13/2013 12:52 PM, Humbled Survivor wrote:
My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my
tube TV doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to
analog. All
the ones on the market are for antennas only. They try to dupe you
that it
converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the cable company to
analog, but
none of them do that.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the
past again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I
have found nothing.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

I've been checkmated.

Where were you when the govt gave away free decoders?

http://www.amazon.com/iView-3500STB-DTV-Converter-Box/dp/B00BFIJQ10/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373745820&sr=8-1&keywords=qam+converter+box


You are looking for QAM to NTSC capability.

ClearQAM more specifically. I get well over 50 channels of unscrambled
digital on my "Broadcast Basic" from TWC.

Comcast has eliminated clear QAM from their cable service here. Legally, they no
longer have to offer even local channels unencripted.

The OP needs the free box from his cable company to see the signals on his
analog TV. HE does not want an HDTV box. A DTA would get him the basic channels.


DTV converters are usually just for over the air TV. They cannon decode cable
signals.

 

[Bob F]

Humbled Survivor wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:MOednfb-5vovJ3zMnZ2dnUVZ_oSdnZ2d@earthlink.com...

Humbled Survivor wrote:

My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my
tube TV doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to
analog. All
the ones on the market are for antennas only. They try to dupe you
that it
converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the cable company to
analog, but
none of them do that.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the
past again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I
have found nothing.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

I've been checkmated.



Stuff a QAM tuner in your computer. Hapaugue cards are on Ebay for
about $23, and the work OK. You need an original install disk to
install WinTV7, or Windows Media Center. I've had one for about six
months, in a spare PC running Vista Basic & WinTV7.

I looked around and determined this is what I should get:

http://www.firebird-systems.com/graphics/dct210/digital-tv-tuner-hdmi-dct210.shtml

Thank all of you for your feedback.

You can try that, but it may not work. Your best bet is to get a box from your
cable company. Unless that box includes the capability to accept a cablecard
provided by your cable company, it may not work at all, and if it does, that
could end tomorrow when the cable company eliminates clear QAM signals.

IF you are not a real cable customer, your prospects are limited.

 

[Bob F]

Michael Black wrote:

On Sat, 13 Jul 2013, Humbled Survivor wrote:

My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my
tube TV doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to
analog. All the ones on the market are for antennas only. They try
to dupe you that it converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the
cable company to analog, but none of them do that.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the
past again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I have
found nothing.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

When Canada went to DTV in September 2 years ago, I did put off
dealing with it until the May of that year. We didn't get the free
converter deal that the US got, and initially the flyers were showing
$80 coverters.
And at that point I decided I might as well spend $120 more and get an
actual HDTV set. I got the better definition, I got an LCD set (so
much smaller, and less heat it seems), I got closed captions (I was
using a Commodore monitor with a VCR for reception for about 15
years, before that a TV set too old to do captions), and some other
new and neat things. It was also the first new tv set I'd gotten
since 1982. SO the money wasnt' that bad, and I would have had to
spend just under half for a converter.
Sometimes change is good, you'll actually get better definition,
rather than the new transmission on an old tv set.

Mytv set runs Linux, my old tv set didn't even have a computer. And
that blu-ray player that I found in the garbage on July 1st is
working fine, and it too runs Linux.

Michael

It still may not work with cable without a cable company provided settop box.

 

[dave]

On 07/14/2013 08:21 AM, Bob F wrote:

It still may not work with cable without a cable company provided settop box.

So call the cable company and ask somebody...

 

[Humbled Survivor]

"William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:krsl7h$sdt$1@dont-email.me...

Whoops. I posted without reading carefully. I thought the OP said
broadcast.

The cable company's conversion is to digital, not HD. As someone else
pointed out, Comcast provides a free converter that feeds channel 3 or 4
on an analog set. (It has no baseband output.)

I don't have Comcast, Verizon or any of the big places. My cable company is
a one-man show out of Bellaire, Ohio called Bellaire Television Cable Co.
Inc. I called in and they said try back in a week as they are testing units
to see which worked. Depending on the cost I may rent/buy one, or just get
a new flat screen with a QAM tuner built into it. I don't watch much TV
anyway. I just use cable broadband from him, which I can't get unless I
have TV too. But if I get TV and am paying for it, I'd like to have TV to
watch an occasional show. Do you get what I'm saying?

 

[dave]

On 07/14/2013 10:49 AM, Humbled Survivor wrote:

"William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:krsl7h$sdt$1@dont-email.me...
Whoops. I posted without reading carefully. I thought the OP said
broadcast.

The cable company's conversion is to digital, not HD. As someone else
pointed out, Comcast provides a free converter that feeds channel 3 or
4 on an analog set. (It has no baseband output.)

I don't have Comcast, Verizon or any of the big places. My cable
company is a one-man show out of Bellaire, Ohio called Bellaire
Television Cable Co. Inc. I called in and they said try back in a week
as they are testing units to see which worked. Depending on the cost I
may rent/buy one, or just get a new flat screen with a QAM tuner built
into it. I don't watch much TV anyway. I just use cable broadband from
him, which I can't get unless I have TV too. But if I get TV and am
paying for it, I'd like to have TV to watch an occasional show. Do you
get what I'm saying?

Totally. Lima Charlie.

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Humbled Survivor:

But if I get TV and am paying for it, I'd like to have TV to
watch an occasional show. Do you get what I'm saying?

This might be a long shot, but it might be worth checking into how many
OTA stations you have access to.

We are in a built-up area, have a rooftop antenna and; personally, I
have yet to see a reason to spend money on cable.

There's a little more to it than I'm saying.... but I'd still check what
local OTA stations are available. NB that with digital, rabbit ears
don't do the job (at least around here) and a rooftop antenna is needed.
--
Pete Cresswell

 

[Michael Black]

On Sun, 14 Jul 2013, (PeteCresswell) wrote:

Per Humbled Survivor:
But if I get TV and am paying for it, I'd like to have TV to
watch an occasional show. Do you get what I'm saying?

This might be a long shot, but it might be worth checking into how many
OTA stations you have access to.

We are in a built-up area, have a rooftop antenna and; personally, I
have yet to see a reason to spend money on cable.

There's a little more to it than I'm saying.... but I'd still check what
local OTA stations are available. NB that with digital, rabbit ears
don't do the job (at least around here) and a rooftop antenna is needed.
--
Pete Cresswell

He gets high speed internet from the cable company. He has to take cable

tbv along with it. Hence he might as well watch tv, and that's where the
issue of being compatible with the digital signal from the cable company
comes in.

If he relied on over the air, then he'd not need cable, but he'd lose his
internet connection.

Michael