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Message started by old_rider on 03/02/16 at 20:11:38

Title: Our cable company just went HD totally Digital
Post by old_rider on 03/02/16 at 20:11:38

Just when I thought we could balance the budget, our local cable company (well not really just the local, i'm hearing Cox Cable is doing it service wide) is changing to a totally digital broadcast.
So now, even though all my televisions are smart TV's, I still need a minibox to descramble the signal it is sending.
NO MORE ANALOG (or so they say after 30 march)
The gist is, the first year I get 2 boxes for free, any other box will be $2.99 extra a month (I have four, so two are being charged)
That is for the first year... they refuse to tell me what the price will go up to next year per minibox.
Now all I have to do is wean the wife off of all her "must watch" series and soaps.
Me, I could care diddly about what is on... just so I can hear some sort of current news now and again.
I want to drop to just the internet access ($35 a month) but all her shows would cost like $4 each time she watches the newest one, and $2 for 2 week old ones... and she has at least 10 "favorites", so that's like $40 to $80 a week!! NOT HAPPENING....
Well next year I will have a digital antenna up and working.... and we will save over $125 a month .... hope she will be ok with watching old reruns of her programs.

On a side note... we have over 200 channels now (music included), and all are crystal clear... very pretty.... however.. we get the digitalized screens with pixilation errors... and "offline" glitches about 3 times a night when cloudy or stormy weather are here.

Title: Re: Our cable company just went HD totally Digital
Post by Serowbot on 03/02/16 at 22:18:14

Digital antennas are a myth,.. better yet, a con...
My old vhf antenna works perfectly...
You will need an analog to digital converter box for each tv that isn't digital ready.
Since you've had cable,... you're already wired... just disconnect their feed, and connect your antenna at the splitter.

PS.. over the air tv is much better than the old days... I get about 15 channels... 3 PBS... 3 classic films, several oldies tv shows, plus all the regular network garbage. Much better than standard cable.
Although I mostly watch internet tv, anymore... (I'm not big on crime dramas, or reality or talent shows)...
...that seems to be 99% of network telly... :P

Title: Re: Our cable company just went HD totally Digital
Post by cheapnewb24 on 03/02/16 at 22:23:40

Try C-Band. :D

Ours used to work analog... needs repairs/upgrades.

You can get free and pay digital stations that way if you are willing to pay for and deal with the yard furniture. ;D

Title: Re: Our cable company just went HD totally Digital
Post by cheapnewb24 on 03/02/16 at 22:31:27

It's been awhile since I looked up this company. Last time I saw them, they were just starting their business, and only had a couple of channels. Looks like they've grown since then. They're new, and I think they're pioneers in subscription HD C-band programming.

http://www.rainiersatellite.com/

Don't know much... haven't used. Interesting, though.

Title: Re: Our cable company just went HD totally Digital
Post by cheapnewb24 on 03/02/16 at 22:41:00

I took a closer look. They still have only one pay HD package. They're still working on it. ;D At least they have a few more channels. ;D

I think they only had two or three last time. ;D

Title: Re: Our cable company just went HD totally Digital
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/03/16 at 07:36:15

They are in the process of installing fiber optic out here.
The phone company offers a package of T.V. ,and internet.
I don't have a clue what kinda antenna would be needed to drag in reasonable reception, but, dropping One of the services is not like saving a third of the money. My kindle runs on their system, and the T.V. with its gajillion channels and almost always nothing to watch and the few things worth watching are more commercial than show.
I'm into Netflix mostly. For news and such, shortwave or kindle.
And, of course, the old time radio shows on the kindle.
Better than T.V. for that late evening, ready to slow down and maybe fall asleep in the chair
Just start a show, close the eyes, and try to envision the scene.
I don't think I've ever made it through a whole show. Not at night. I have during the day, when I want to take a thirty minute break.

Title: Re: Our cable company just went HD totally Digital
Post by thumperclone on 03/03/16 at 07:53:32

I've never had cable
my "rabbit ears" work fine
analog or digital its still an RF signal
cheap antenna: #10 sheet metal screw into the sap ring of a pine tree
wrap a wire around it and hook other end to your T.V.
WARNING: disconnect during electrical storms!!

Title: Re: Our cable company just went HD totally Digital
Post by Art Webb on 03/03/16 at 08:05:15

I've yet to buy rabbit ears for my TV since moving, and losing cable
Partly because I can't figure out where, in this dinky trailer, to set a TV up, partly cause I don't care much about TV

Title: Re: Our cable company just went HD totally Digital
Post by old_rider on 03/03/16 at 16:59:40

I did have good luck with a digital antenna from radio shack a few years back..... we had moved out of a house we sold and did not connect up to local cable (rental was not wired for it), and the dish companies wanted two year contracts, and we were only renting for 3 months.
I did find that the frequencies were different and wire lengths made a difference.... you could pick up more channels with the digital length one (there was a standard antenna on the house), than the regular analog antenna.
I am going to experiment in my garage with the 19" smart TV I used as a computer screen. You do not have to have a cable box if you have a smart TV, they can pick up the digital frequencies.
I have a friend who used to work for Motorola and he says he can fix me up with an antenna I won't even have to aim. He put up a set of wires in his yard at the dog shelter and gets about 11 channels.
I don't trust those little "box" antenna as seen on TV ones... we got one for the sister-in-law and it didn't work any better than the super long rabbit ears she had.
My biggest hurdle is going to get the wife to just cut down on the programs she "has to have". The ones on CBS, NBC, ABC will be the ones she will have to stick to and the Sci-Fi channel and 44 thru 56 she will just have to find on amazon.