Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? in Charter HSI/CATV http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20752389 en Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:31:31 EDT Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:31:31 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20791712 sdante : Analog tiers will be all but phased out within 5 years anyway, I guarantee it. With Dish offering over 100 HD channels and U-Verse breathing down the cable company's neck, the only way to stay competetive will be to free up bandwidth. With analog gone, or at the very least shrunk to around 30 channels, cable companies will be able to offer hundreds of HD channels, and with channel bonding, HSI download speeds will be 10 times what they are now. Not to mention the possibilities with switched digital. The only thing holding them back is that even on 860mhz systems, over half of the available bandwidth is taken up by analog stations.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a switch by cable companies to a similar technical installation to that of Satellite or U-Verse, with a central digital box installed at 1 tv in the house, that gets backfed through the cable lines in houses to feed the other TVs that are controlled with RF remotes. This would reduced the need to have a box at every TV set (except HDTV's). ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20791712 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:08:55 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20791373 BF69 :
said by Scollardical :

As for the digtial/analog question, I recall seeing something that said cable providers will be required to transmit analog signals until 2011 or sometime there about. After that it will be their choice if they want to continue.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that only applies if the cable company has an analog tier. In other words if Charter decides to go 100% digital then no they don't have to carry the analog signals.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20791373 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:03:13 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20791278 Lazlow : As an example Verizon is already dropping analog in some markets:

»www.multichannel.com/article/CA6578296.html]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20791278 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:46:50 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20782764 anon : Yes, digital channels can be on channels 2-99.
Here in Madison, WI Charter has been digital simulcasting for over 2 years. If you have a converter box or a cable card, you get a digital version of the channel rather than an analog one. If say, NBC is on analog channel 5, so is the digital version. Without a cable box or cable card, you get the analog version.

The HD version of NBC is another channel.

Hope that helps.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20782764 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:20:40 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20782217 Lazlow : They have been letting this slide, provided the cable company provide one (1) digital box (analog output) per household.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20782217 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:01:46 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20782153 anon : As for the digtial/analog question, I recall seeing something that said cable providers will be required to transmit analog signals until 2011 or sometime there about. After that it will be their choice if they want to continue.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20782153 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:41:38 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20781955 BF69 :
said by Margolis See Profile :

actually you do have a bad attitude. That is why the forum is here, for people to ask questions and get answers if they do not know.
No I don't have a bad attitude. This is NOT the first time someone has brought this up. There a little feature this site has called SEARCH. You may not care that this forum might have 10 threads of this everyday as the deadline gets closer. Some of us might.

Not so they can chewed out by someone who thinks that they are smarter than everyone else.
»www.dtv2009.gov/

would answer ALL questions. Everyone should known this url by now. ZERO excuses.

Wondering if the cable stations are going to convert the signal back to analog is a valid question. Some of us know the answers, but I don't expect every last soul to know.
That's not what was asked. He asked if Charter was switching to all HD in Feb 2009 because of the digital transition. Which I am sorry, is in fact a stupid question for the reasons I stated.

How hard is it to just answer the question without being a smartass? I've only seen the charter commercial a couple of times in the last year that said cable customers need not worry, I could very easily believe that a lot of people have never seen it and would wonder.
There are all sorts of commericals out there and you don't need to see a Charter one. I see about 10 commericals a day on this topic and I don't even watch TV hardly.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20781955 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:38:56 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20781842 anon : Charter as well as Time Warner and others have already started moving certain channels from analog to their digital lineup. Time Warner in Southern California now simultaneously provides the majority of its cable networks in analog and digital form.

My guess is that they will continue to phase analog channels out in favor of digital so they have more room for HD channels and more interactive content.

A good question that it brings up though, can "digital" channels be carried on channels 2-99? I've never seen a cable company that has any digital channels below 100, but I assume that will change after the switch. It's a little annoying when a person wants to watch say CBS channel 2, and because it's digital, it's now on channel 782 or some other random 3 digit channel.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20781842 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:14:37 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20781796 Lazlow : I still really believe that they will dump analog completely as quick as they can. It may be cheaper for them to provide digital cable boxes with analog outputs than to live without the bandwidth that analog uses. Add to that the cost of converting the stations digital signal back to analog add it makes even more sense.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20781796 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:04:05 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20781457 pbarrow : I have another related post - yes Charter still and will have analog - but it WILL and IS changing.
As I said in the other post - I just got a brochure the other day from Charter "more channels", "we're making changes to enhance your Charter esperience" on 8/5/2008.

Not for me - they are moving a couple of the channels I watch most - one being TCM to the Digital Expanded tier.

So now I'm going to have to go get a digtal cable box - don't know if I will have to pay more for Digital Basic/Expanded than I am for Analog Basic/Expanded or not (besides the cable box (which should not cost extra in my opinion)).
They are converting (some)digital channels to analog to send out analog so Basic/Expanded whould be the same price for Analog or Digital and both should offer the same channels - in my opinion.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20781457 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:38:10 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20781367 sdante :
Wondering if the cable stations are going to convert the signal back to analog is a valid question. Some of us know the answers, but I don't expect every last soul to know.
Just to clarify before anyone asks, the answer is yes :)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20781367 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:12:39 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20779942 Margolis :
said by BF69 See Profile :

said by idreaminblu :

You got a bad attitude.
No I don't I get tired of reading the same stupid questions. How fricken complicated to know that the 2009 digital transition

A) does NOT have a thing to do with cable

B) does NOT have a thing to do with HD.

Ok I give a pass to the 99.999% did not know about this transition as far back as when I did, BUT at this late stage of the game with just 7 months to go. Come on now. If people don't know what's going on by now, perhaps watching TV is to complicated for them anyways.
actually you do have a bad attitude. That is why the forum is here, for people to ask questions and get answers if they do not know. Not so they can chewed out by someone who thinks that they are smarter than everyone else.

Wondering if the cable stations are going to convert the signal back to analog is a valid question. Some of us know the answers, but I don't expect every last soul to know.

How hard is it to just answer the question without being a smartass? I've only seen the charter commercial a couple of times in the last year that said cable customers need not worry, I could very easily believe that a lot of people have never seen it and would wonder.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20779942 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:53:52 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20779831 BF69 :
said by idreaminblu :

You got a bad attitude.
No I don't I get tired of reading the same stupid questions. How fricken complicated to know that the 2009 digital transition

A) does NOT have a thing to do with cable

B) does NOT have a thing to do with HD.

Ok I give a pass to the 99.999% did not know about this transition as far back as when I did, BUT at this late stage of the game with just 7 months to go. Come on now. If people don't know what's going on by now, perhaps watching TV is to complicated for them anyways.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20779831 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:23:59 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20779812 defiant : You are correct.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20779812 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:18:05 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20779574 markopoleo : Correct me if im wrong, but there is also the issue of some SHOWS won't be in HD. Even if they say NBC, it does not always mean every show on NBC is HD. I forget really, have not followed it much since I just download everything and use blu-ray player on PC. :P]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20779574 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:46:54 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20777770 sdante : Indravar is half-right, to be fair - most affiliates in larger markets already broadcast an HD version of their station over the air, thats why if you have a TV with a built in QAM tuner, the channels are labeled like 13-1, 13-2, 13-3 etc... I used that as an example because our local ABC affiliate broadcasts a standard digital version of its station, an HD version, and its 24-hour weather network over the air.

Just to clarify for everyone who doesn't already know:

High Definition reffers to the RESOLUTION of the picture that you see on your screen. It has more pixels (colored squares) per square inch, therefor the detail is much higher. However most TVs can only display so many pixels at once, hence the need for a special, HD-capable TV to view HD programming.

DIGITAL is merely a way to transport a signal, It uses up less bandwidth on the RF spectrum, which frees up space for other uses (that's the primary motivation for the digital transition). It uses data bits (like binary code) to carry information instead of an analog wave, and therefor is much less prone to distortion. Given the generally poor quality of analog on an antenna, it often looks a lot better in comparison. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20777770 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:52:57 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20752957 budone :
said by Indravar :

Except the OTA channels will be and already are in HD for the most part.
This is simply not true. Many MANY shows are not broadcast in HD and they will NOT miraculously be shown in HD in February. They WILL BE broadcast digitally.

Such as syndicated shows and many local stations news broadcast. Reality shows.

HD=High Definition is an apple to orange comparison to Digital Broadcast Signal. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20752957 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:42:58 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20752623 Varlik : »www.charter.com/customers/suppor···eid=1986

"What Is the Digital Transition

Congress has mandated that by February 17, 2009 American TV over-the-air broadcasters (e.g. ABC, CBS, NBC, CW, Fox, Univision, PBS) must switch from analog to digital broadcasting.

How will I be affected by the Digital Transition?

As a Charter residential or business customer, we’ve got you covered. We offer you the best solution for the Digital Transition.
If your TV is connected to Charter Cable or Charter Digital Cable, you can sit back and relax, you don’t have to do anything!
Have analog TVs that aren’t connected to Charter yet? No problem. We have solutions for you. A Charter technician can get your TVs properly connected to Charter – often no receiver box is needed"

»www.dtv.gov/whatisdtv.html

Cable and Satellite TV
Cable subscribers may need new DTV equipment to view DTV programming in digital format. You should ask your cable provider what you will need and when.

Satellite subscribers may need new DTV equipment to receive and view high definition digital programming. You should ask your satellite company what you will need and when.

Digital television Quality Levels

There are many quality levels of digital television programming. The most common are:

Standard Definition TV (SDTV) - SDTV is the basic level of quality display and resolution for both analog and digital. Transmission of SDTV may be in either the traditional (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) format.

Enhanced Definition TV (EDTV) - EDTV is a step up from Analog Television. EDTV comes in 480p widescreen (16:9) or traditional (4:3) format and provides better picture quality than SDTV, but not as high as HDTV.

High Definition TV (HDTV) - HDTV in widescreen format (16:9) provides the highest resolution and picture quality of all digital broadcast formats. Combined with digitally enhanced sound technology, HDTV sets new standards for sound and picture quality in television. (Note: HDTV and digital TV are not the same thing — HDTV is one format of digital TV.) ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20752623 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:34:25 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20752389 Margolis : If you go by their commercials they have on tv, they will keep the analog. They advertise that if you have any cable service with them, nothing will change.

And the digital converter box is only for over the air broadcasts. You will still need to rent charters digital box if you want digital cable.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20752389 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:41:26 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20752171 AFStinger : But does anyone know or heard if they plan on voluntarily going all digital in 09? From my understanding if they remove their analog tier I would need a box on the set I currently view analog only on.

Also I don't remember where I read the article, may have been here on dslreports; but if I got the digital box converter for over the air reception, would I be able to receive any of the current digital tiers when connected to CATV? ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20752171 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:29:09 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20751418 anon : Except the OTA channels will be and already are in HD for the most part.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20751418 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:12:04 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20751275 anon : You got a bad attitude.

Anyway I dropped the HD channels that were costing me $8 a month and only about 4 were lost. I still have about 9 HD channels. Only thing I lost was History, A&E, Discovery Theater, Universal and some music channel. Not worth $8 in my opinion.

I mostly watch Blu rays anyway.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20751275 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:27:08 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20746624 useless :
said by BF69 See Profile :

Whether Charter goes all digital and/or adds more HD channels is decision Charter will make when it's best for them to do and has nothing to do with what's going to happen in Feb 2009.
Correct, adding that charter (may not/does not have to) do the same thing in every market, same with other Cable operators.

Will save much bandwidth going all digital though. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20746624 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:08:42 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20745980 BF69 :
said by dagon01 See Profile :

Does anyone know? Or will Charter stay years behind with their 8 HD channels.
the 2009 transition has NOTHING to do with either cable or HD. Jesus Christ people.

In Feb 2009 OTA as in Over The Air singals( ie you get TV froma rooftop or rabbit era antennas ) are going from analog to digital. They are not going to be in HD and you don't need a HDTV to view them. This transition does not have any effect on cable or satelite customers. Whether Charter goes all digital and/or adds more HD channels is decision Charter will make when it's best for them to do and has nothing to do with what's going to happen in Feb 2009.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20745980 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:06:40 EDT Re: [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20745948 zed260 : not all channels will be hd in 2009

here charter has 22 hd

but also depends on market when they ad more hd]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20745948 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:56:13 EDT [CATV] Will all the channels be HD come Feb. 2009? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20745920 dagon01 : Does anyone know? Or will Charter stay years behind with their 8 HD channels.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20745920 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:47:24 EDT