• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Spectrum Converting All Analog Cable Channels to Digital

S

Scott2013

Frequent Participant
This morning, I got a recorded voicemail from Spectrum (formerly Time Warner Cable) explaining all analog channels left on the company's basic cable service will be converted to a digital format and cable boxes will be required in order to pick up any channels at all. Apparently, they have tossed this idea around for a few months ever since Time Warner Cable became Spectrum, but it's supposed to take effect later this month.

According to this article and news package from WKYC in Cleveland, as you might expect, Spectrum will be charging for the installation of these new boxes.
http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/veri...with-time-warner-switch-to-spectrum/456820353

Does anyone happen to know if any other cable companies in the Northeast Ohio area are doing the same thing? I have yet to hear about Armstrong or Cox requiring external boxes for service, but Spectrum is the only cable company that services the particular region of Northeast Ohio I live in. U-Verse still supports analog/standard definition TVs as far as I know, but that company is not available in the county I live in, although it's available in nearby counties where some of my friends and relatives live.

And if you happen to be affected by the same transition, would you consider switching providers if others are available in your area?
 
Charter (Spectrum) went all digital in 2014 in the Jackson, TN area. I'd guess that the former TW areas near me will be going through soon as well. When the conversion happened in Jackson they said they would give customers one free converter box for a year, but of course if you have more than one set you'll still be paying for any additional boxes.

I really didn't have any other choice because of Charter being the only available system other than going to a dish, which I won't do. Another option could be to use Spectrum's app for Roku, which has most of the basic channels, on all but one TV because of probably having to keep at least one converter box.
 
The legacy Time Warner systems, particularly in their largest markets such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Dallas, started phasing out analog channels around 2014 as well.

I believe part of the all-digital encryption phase was likely due in part of internet-only customers getting "freebies" in a matter of speaking; so long as you had a splitter, you could run one wire to the modem, the other to the TV, and pick up whatever was unencrypted. At the time I didn't have cable a few years ago, and because TWC was very lax in disconnecting the outside wiring, I picked up almost 200 unencrypted channels, including both the HD and SD versions of the locals, most of the popular cable networks (including a couple of premium networks), and the entire suite of Music Choice channels.
 
Cablevision ... er Optimum ... er Altice pulled the analog plug several years ago. At that time I had TVs in 6 different rooms and would watch them at various times.

After the change, I tossed 4 of the TVs and got a cable box for the bedroom (because my wife insisted on it) and I watch a lot less TV now. I don't miss it.
 
Wow I did not know that Analog cable still exists today. I remember Directv ended that years earlier and made them all digital.
Comcast I think went through a similar situation where analog cable was phased out earlier.
 
Spectrum here in Yakima went all-digital in 2014. I miss the old 70-channel analog lineups, but alas time has changed and how many people live in homes with ONLY standard-definition TVs? And yes, I'm in your boat anotherguy. Spectrum owns a monopoly on Yakima/Ellensburg/Tri-Cities for cable; the only other options are satellite or antenna.
DirecTV is not quite all HD yet. They are still operating the SD channels on the 101 satellite (and are receivable with the 18" and Phase 3 dishes), but will be ceasing all SD broadcasting in 2019. That means any pre-Slimline dishes will go silent. Dish Network is still operating SD on 110/119 but not to new subscribers anymore. The SD channels are obviously receivable with the Dish 500 systems.
 
crainbebo said:
Spectrum here in Yakima went all-digital in 2014. I miss the old 70-channel analog lineups, but alas time has changed and how many people live in homes with ONLY standard-definition TVs? And yes, I'm in your boat anotherguy. Spectrum owns a monopoly on Yakima/Ellensburg/Tri-Cities for cable; the only other options are satellite or antenna.
DirecTV is not quite all HD yet. They are still operating the SD channels on the 101 satellite (and are receivable with the 18" and Phase 3 dishes), but will be ceasing all SD broadcasting in 2019. That means any pre-Slimline dishes will go silent. Dish Network is still operating SD on 110/119 but not to new subscribers anymore. The SD channels are obviously receivable with the Dish 500 systems.
Click to expand...

Most of the TVs we have now are high definition. Of the five TVs in our house, only one standard definition TV remains (a Toshiba brand from 2004 in our den), and we're planning on getting rid of that one pretty soon. Main reason is we've noticed that one has started showing lines on the top of the screen that we can't get rid of. It'll be kind of sad to see it go though since it's lasted as long as it has. Only two of our five TVs are currently connected to digital cable boxes, while the others have basic cable connections with about 70 channels.

Believe it or not, I still see analog tube TVs being used out in the wild. At one restaurant I ate at last year sometime, I remember seeing several TVs playing ESPN, one of which was an older RCA CRT set. Last time I visited my uncle in Parma, he had yet to upgrade to HD, although he did have Cox Digital Cable. His set was an RCA as well. And I see countless amounts of old tube TVs at thrift stores, flea markets and yard/estate sales all the time.

Time Warner had converted a few select basic cable channels that were previously on the analog lineup to digital (WGN America, TCT affiliate WRLM, TBN affiliate WDLI, Ion Television affiliate WVPX, VH1 Classic, TruTV and Oxygen) in either 2013 or 2014, so I kind of had a feeling this was going to happen at some point.
 
some people don't get rid of things until the break, if they are obsolete, but what about TVs with QAM tuners? will they need a box?
 
MarcB said:
COX Meriden, Connecticut was the first COX system in New England to go digital only in 2015, forcing everyone to get a box. Or a mini box. A mini box was new technology. They didn't even have the mini boxes in Providence where COX New England is based.
Click to expand...

I asked Spectrum about mini boxes and was told they're only available for businesses like hotels or restaurants, which I think stinks. I don't see any reason why these shouldn't be available for home use as well. I do know from experience that a lot of digital tuners still have RF outputs and will still work on old CRT sets, even for the HD channels, but most channels were letterboxed on the CRT sets I had, until finally going to all HD sets. But there are also boxes that only work on HDMI or components.

I also found out that at least for Spectrum that sets with QAM tuners still need a box, because there is almost nothing they carry on QAM.
 
Last edited:
anotherguy said:
I asked Spectrum about mini boxes and was told they're only available for businesses like hotels or restaurants, which I think stinks. I don't see any reason why these shouldn't be available for home use as well. I do know from experience that a lot of digital tuners still have RF outputs and will still work on old CRT sets, even for the HD channels, but most channels were letterboxed on the CRT sets I had, until finally going to all HD sets. But there are also boxes that only work on HDMI or components.

I also found out that at least for Spectrum that sets with QAM tuners still need a box, because there is almost nothing they carry on QAM.
Click to expand...

aren't they required to offer the locals on QAM?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top Bottom