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Acct101
Premium Member
join:2011-09-20
Bensalem, PA

Acct101

Premium Member

Plugged Cable directly into my TV

For the hell of it, I plugged the cable right into my TV and I see I can still get the channels in HD. Most are 720, but a few are 480.

My question, how come the numbers don't come up to 2,3,4,6,10.etc???

It's like 1.26456, 1.49575, 2.66667, etc....

How do you guys manage that? Because of my box problem, I thought about sending my boxes back and going digital; but the numbering scheme would drive me nuts.

I would also miss the program menus. Be like the old days!
marc3565
join:2009-10-08

marc3565

Member

It's your TVs QAM tuner that is pulling up these channels. »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QA ··· evision)
Acct101
Premium Member
join:2011-09-20
Bensalem, PA

Acct101

Premium Member

Marc, I'll check it out tonight. Thanks.

I'm a bean counter, this stuff is over my head.
JPL
Premium Member
join:2007-04-04
Downingtown, PA

JPL

Premium Member

There's metadata sent with digital feeds, called PSIP. In the analog days, the channel number lined up with the frequency slot that actually carried the channel. Channel 3, e.g., was broadcast on the third VHF slot. In the days of digital, the channel slot is pretty irrelevant. There's a mapping that's done between a channel number (e.g. 3) and the frequency slot.

This is the case whether you're talking broadcast or via cable. With cable, though, it's up to the cable provider to generate the PSIP data that your tv would receive.

Assuming the PSIP data is correct, you could tune to a channel by either going to the virtual channel number (e.g. 3.1), or to the actual frequency slot. You're hitting the actual frequency slots. But you should also be able to tune to the virtual channel number.
ansky
join:2009-05-18
West Orange, NJ

ansky to Acct101

Member

to Acct101
I guess different tuners may vary but on my TV I get some channels with the correct PSIP and others do not. I can see WCBS on 2-1, WNBC on 4-1, etc. But then other channels like WZME show up on channel 65-1023.

Greg2600
join:2008-05-20
Belleville, NJ

Greg2600 to Acct101

Member

to Acct101
IMO trying to watch the Free QAM channels is just maddening. Verizon changes the frequencies at a moment's notice, and so many are the local commercials and such. Very very difficult to tell where to go.
bsangs
join:2002-08-21
Montclair, NJ

bsangs

Member

said by Greg2600:

IMO trying to watch the Free QAM channels is just maddening. Verizon changes the frequencies at a moment's notice, and so many are the local commercials and such. Very very difficult to tell where to go.

I've often wondered if they do it that way to force your hand at getting a digital adapter or STB. I have one TV without an adapter or STB and like you said, it's maddening at times. Thankfully, the only time I'm forced to watch it is if I'm doing some work in that room.
crgauth
join:2004-05-18
Glen Burnie, MD

crgauth to Greg2600

Member

to Greg2600
said by Greg2600:

Verizon changes the frequencies at a moment's notice

I use the QAM channels somewhat often (especially during football for PIP).
Can't remember the last time I had to rescan to get a channel.