Cable TV conversion

[txredfish]

In my home, I have Time Warner cable TV. They are doing digital conversions and scrambling their TV signal. They are saying I need a digital adapter regardless of the TV type, HD digital Tv still needs the adapter. In my trailer I have 4 month old digital/HD/LED TV. How is this going to effect cable when hooking up in a campground with my trailer? Are we all going to have to buy adapters again. Last few years, I just went over a similar issue with an analog TV in a motorhome. Thank the FCC and Feds for this one again.

[bob caldwell]

Campground will probably take care of that just like they do now to have cable access in all sites

[WayneLee]

We are on Time Warner cable at home. I don't know who told you about the conversion but here is the discussion I had with a tech. Yes, Time Warner has been broadcasting some channels in analog, normally the 2 to 19 or so channels. Channels higher have always been digital. The conversion years ago was primarily "Over The Air" transmission that were switched from analog to digital to free us band width for other uses.

With this conversion, all of Time Warner's broadcasts will be in digital. So, if you have a cable box hooked up between the cable and TV, you do not need to purchase a converter because the cable box handles all conversions. If you have any of the newer flat screen TV's plugged directly to the cable, you MAY not need a digital converter because you may have a digital tuner already in your TV. However, if you have one of the older tube, or boxy, TV's, you will probably need the converter box.

In our area, they are giving away the converters, up to 4 per household, and there will be no charge until something like 2019, when they anticipate that everyone will have replaced their old analog TV's. After 2019, the converters will be $2.57 per month per converter.

If you have satellite TV, this technology has been digital since the beginning.

For those RV's that still have the bulky, big box, TV's, and received OTA channels (Over the Air), they had to get converter boxes when the conversion happened. Newer RV's with flat screen TV's usually did not need a converter box.

[txredfish]

WayneLee,

Time Warner told me that all TV's regardless of age, type etc will have to have the digital adapter. Time Warner is scrambling their signal to prevent theft, but also this enables them to increase bandwidth for improved services such as faster internet speeds. This only applies to TV's that do not have the cable box, only those that plug directly into Time Warner. I have a new flat screen in my house (3 months old) that plugs directly into the TW cable and they said that I have to have the digital adapter because it un-scrambles the signal in order for the TV pick up channels.
TW wants to charge me 2.75 per month digital adapter and I need 3 of them.
So 2.75 X 3 = 8.25 per month that I did not ask for.

You are right about the converter box being needed for the old analog TV. The converter box (digital to analog) and this digital adapter are two different things. The digital adapter is not needed for satellite TV or over the air antenna.

I am also using old technolgy which uses a VCR (analog). Before the digital adapter I could record one channel while watching another. Not now, I can only record the channel that I am watching. Playback is just fine. In order to watch and record two different channels, Time Warner says I need another digital adapter for the VCR, which will use a splitter from the wall to the digital adapter to the VCR. The digital adapter chooses the channel not the TV. TV remains on channel 3 or 4. I guess that want me to rent a DVR from them. Going backwards.

[WayneLee]

Here's the url to the Time Warner site discussing these digital converters:

Digital Adapters | Time Warner Cable

Now, notice towards the middle of the web page:

"...Time Warner Cable is converting to an all-digital TV signal to deliver to you the clearest picture and best sound quality possible. Without a device, such as a Digital Adapter or a Set-Top Box, you will not be able to view any channels..." Emphasis added.

This description indicates that you don't need a converter if you already have a set-top cable box??? Now, as far as encryption goes, we have to wait and see. There are certain areas of the country that have banned the use of encryption from the cable providers - Austin Texas, NYC, are a few that I know of.

In fact, I just found this page under their FAQ:

What if I already have Time Warner Cable Digital TV? | Time Warner Cable

[txredfish]

Waynelee, Thanks for the info. I installed the digital adapter on my home TV's. But the remote that came with the kit did not work very well. I had to use my TV remote to change volume and to power the TV on/off. I called TW and they sent me a different remote, that controls the TV volume and power and also the VCR. Works much better with TV and VCR. Before this I had to use 3 remotes on one TV and one VCR. Now I have to use just the one remote.