Digital TV Question

[lightworker888]

Can anyone tell me if a cable company switches from analog to digital signal, do you need a converter box if the TV is a digital TV? It's happening up here and I don't know if I need to hook up a converter box to the other outlets in the house. All the TVs appear to be digital. Thanks for any info.

LW888

[pauld315]

Converter box is only needed if you have an analog TV. It basically allows you to convert the digital signal to a format your analog TV understands.

[ajbrown]

When I read about this change some time ago in MA it is more than just a signal conversion from digital to analog. You need a box on digital TVs also depending on what you wish to watch. Check this link out to see if you read it the same way.

The Comcast Digital Migration (http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/cable-tv/who-is-affected-by-digital-migration/)

[Mikeod]

If you're a Comcast customer, you get two converters free of charge and free of monthly rental costs. Our digital TVs on these boxes get many more channels than the basic lineup and the picture is great.

[Radioman41]

We have Comcast in Rockville, MD. When they first went digital they kept most local channels on analog as well as digital. After a time they dropped the analog channels and made two converter boxes available free of charge. You can still get digital channels without a box if you have a digital tv, but many of the popular cable channels cannot be picked without their box. If you have a HD tv and want to watch programs in HD you need a different box which isn't free. I think it rents for $5 or $6 a month. Hope this helps. Dick

[lightworker888]

So if I understand this correctly, an HD TV can get the local channels but some of the cable channels will need the converter box regardless of whether the TV is HD or not. Is that correct? And if it is, then it is worth taking the free converter boxes for the different TV's in the house. Have I got that right?



LW888

[Mikeod]

Basically, that is right. We were told we would get 2 through 22 without the box, but I heard people are getting a little more than that. With our little box/converter, we get MANY more than that. Since the boxes are free, it seems like a win-win situation.

[lightworker888]

Thanks for all the inf. I got 4 boxes free for all the tv's so we should be in good shape when the conversion happens.

LW888