How to tell if my cable is digital or analog

[Pandamonium]

I have basic cable, so all I do is connect my TV to the wall with coax. (No box)

Anyway, I'm looking at the HDHomeRun dual tuner. It's digital only- no analog. Is there a way to tell if I can capture my cable TV shows with the HDHomeRun? I don't have a clue how to tell whether the signal out of the wall is digital or analog.

I'm in New Orleans, LA, on cox cable, if that helps.

 

[Slick5150]

Are the channel numbers 22, 23, 24, 25, etc... or are they more like 79-1, 101-12, etc..?

If the former, its analog. If the latter, its digital.

Also, not to say that if you're viewing analog channels that your cable couldn't also have digital channels. If your TV tuner doesn't have a QAM tuner it wouldn't show them anyway.

 

[Pandamonium]

Damn. The channel numbers are 22, 23, 24, 25, etc.

 

[sivart]

More than likely you'll get the locals in digital format via Cox with the HDHomerun with a QAM tuner.

If your TV doesn't have a QAM tuner you won't see the digital, but that doesn't mean that you aren't paying for them.

One of the complaints I have about these cable companies saying "Free HD" when they really mean, everyone is paying for HD, but only those with a QAM tuner (or HD box) actually receive them.

 

[Pandamonium]

Ahh.. I don't think I'll end up taking a gamble with the HDHR then. I want to record shows on USA, Discovery, etc. I was hoping there was a general standard for whether cable from the wall is digital or analog.

 

[Fox5]

Ahh.. I don't think I'll end up taking a gamble with the HDHR then. I want to record shows on USA, Discovery, etc. I was hoping there was a general standard for whether cable from the wall is digital or analog.

The HDHR is more for over the air antenna broadcasts than cable.

Most digital channels on cable will be encrypted, and require a cable box to decrypt.

 

[sivart]

The HDHR is more for over the air antenna broadcasts than cable.

Most digital channels on cable will be encrypted, and require a cable box to decrypt.

The recently announced HDHR with Cable card along with a tuning adapter (for SDV) device from the cable company would work for you. No idea how much extra per month that will cost. I would guess in the $10-$30 range.

http://www.silicondust.com/press

 

[sswingle]

Its two years old, but there is a cox tech that confirms they broadcast local channels only under clear qam.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21370108-LA-QAM-in-New-Orleans

 

[Fallen Kell]

The recently announced HDHR with Cable card along with a tuning adapter (for SDV) device from the cable company would work for you. No idea how much extra per month that will cost. I would guess in the $10-$30 range.

http://www.silicondust.com/press

Many cable companies offer 1-2 free cable cards. Comcast for instance offers 1 free, and additional cablecards cost just over $2 per month (I think it is $2.04 or $2.05). Again price varies per cable company, but they are typically in the $2-3 range.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Its two years old, but there is a cox tech that confirms they broadcast local channels only under clear qam.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21370108-LA-QAM-in-New-Orleans

QAM is simply the signal modulation. It can be analog or digital, encrypted or 'clear' unencrypted.

Most 'basic' and 'extended basic' tiers are standard def analog. Some systems are converting their basic tiers to a standard definition encrypted digital.

I think there is a law by which CableCos must carry local channels. I will assume that if the 'Locals' only broadcast in HD/SD digital that the cable system would simply pass the signal. On the 'basic' tier the SD signal would be down-graded to analog, but he still may find the HD local unencrypted buried in the higher channels.

No such luck with HD Discovery, etc. All premium content will be encrypted - except on 'Free Weekend' promotions.





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[sivart]

Many cable companies offer 1-2 free cable cards. Comcast for instance offers 1 free, and additional cablecards cost just over $2 per month (I think it is $2.04 or $2.05). Again price varies per cable company, but they are typically in the $2-3 range.

...and how much is the tuning adapter? Necessary to record SDV channels.

 

[Modelworks]

I think there is a law by which CableCos must carry local channels. I will assume that if the 'Locals' only broadcast in HD/SD digital that the cable system would simply pass the signal. On the 'basic' tier the SD signal would be down-graded to analog, but he still may find the HD local unencrypted buried in the higher channels.

Yes there is a law that they have to re-broadcast the locals as they get them , meaning anyone can get them with the proper tuner. They are not required to convert digital to analog but many do it. Here the cable company placed the locals in the 122-1, 122-2 block of channels and only carry the 4 major networks there. Others like CW are analog only.
Most people here don't even know the channels are there because the block of regular channels end at 89 and then nothing till 122. Not listed on the channel list either. The boxes they rent have it though , it is mapped down to the actual channel number like 12, 17, etc

 

[Fallen Kell]

...and how much is the tuning adapter? Necessary to record SDV channels.

The tuner is in the cablecard device (i.e. the device that you are putting the cablecard into). In other words, if you got a cablecard tuner like the up-coming SiliconDust HDCablecardRunner (or whatever the official name will be), that device is the tuner. The cablecard simply has the key to decrypt the signals and lets the tuner access the channels.

Many TV's have cablecard support. The idea was that you simply put in a cablecard in the back of the TV and hook up the co-ax cable without a STB. It didn't get much traction because the original cablecard's only supported one-way communication, thus, pay-per-view and on-demand type applications would not work. Cablecard version 2.0 added multi-directional data streams, which allows those services to work now. The cable companies themselves have been resisting this because they prefer to rent their set top boxes, but the FCC has mandated that all cable set top boxes created after 2007 were to use cablecard to do the decryption, which has spurred the cable companies to start to really support the system. And due to how cheap the card themselves are vs a set top box, it has finally started to do its intended purpose, to remove the need for the set top box (which the cable companies don't like because they like that extra few bucks rental fees they charge on the boxes).

 

[Crucial]

The tuner is in the cablecard device (i.e. the device that you are putting the cablecard into). In other words, if you got a cablecard tuner like the up-coming SiliconDust HDCablecardRunner (or whatever the official name will be), that device is the tuner. The cablecard simply has the key to decrypt the signals and lets the tuner access the channels.

Many TV's have cablecard support. The idea was that you simply put in a cablecard in the back of the TV and hook up the co-ax cable without a STB. It didn't get much traction because the original cablecard's only supported one-way communication, thus, pay-per-view and on-demand type applications would not work. Cablecard version 2.0 added multi-directional data streams, which allows those services to work now. The cable companies themselves have been resisting this because they prefer to rent their set top boxes, but the FCC has mandated that all cable set top boxes created after 2007 were to use cablecard to do the decryption, which has spurred the cable companies to start to really support the system. And due to how cheap the card themselves are vs a set top box, it has finally started to do its intended purpose, to remove the need for the set top box (which the cable companies don't like because they like that extra few bucks rental fees they charge on the boxes).

I think you are mistaken. The SDV adapter is a small box that is connected inline with the cable and is controlled by the tuner via usb.

 

[sivart]

I think you are mistaken. The SDV adapter is a small box that is connected inline with the cable and is controlled by the tuner via usb.

Exactly, it is necessary to tune all digital channels. TiVO's have the same issue and the HDHomeRun press release mentions you need a tuner adapter. Here is a good explanation of SDV
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=357703