Question about DTV

[Yuanji]

do i need a special television to recieve DTV? i'm just wondering cuz DTV is supposed to have 250+ channels and my parents say our televisions can't decode digital television or something like that because we don't have a digital reciever or something similar.

[TwoRails]

Yes, you need a "decoder" to recieve digital cable programing. If you subscribe to digital cable, then your cable provider will supply such a device. If you already have analog cable, then no, just adding a decoder will not give you digital programing. No, there is no "special" TV required.

HTH

TwoRails

[Yuanji]

hmm if i order DTV from Time Warner, they give me a cable box but will i need one for every TV i have in my house?
edit- my parents say that our TVs don't have the input required to install a cable box

[TwoRails]

I don't have digital cable myself (just analog cable) but I do have a couple of friends with it. Several are using ancient TVs with just a regular cable jack and they use a regular splitter to get the signal to their other TVs.

The "problem" with this is that whatever is on the main TV set is also shown on all TVs hooked up. To get different programming / shows on other TVs, then, yes, you need a decoder for each TV you want to control seperately.

[Yuanji]

thanks i'll try to reassure my parents that its possible. if you have any time, would you mind asking your friends what is used to hook the box up to the TV?

[TwoRails]

I know that 2 of them use just a regular coax, just like from a VCR. However, they've had digital for a while and I have no idea if there is any difference on newer stuff. One friends main TV is an old 25" and their 2nd set is an old 19", with only a coax type of input and are at least over 8 years old.

HTH

[Yuanji]

argh my parents are so stubborn and won't switch to time warner now and are set on remaining at RCN cuz they don't feel like changing even though they wanted to.

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by Yuanji

my parents say that our TVs don't have the input required to install a cable box

An RCA converter will do it, they sell them in Radio Shack. I had to buy one so that my new DVD would work with the TV that my wife bought off Noah just before he set sail in the Ark.

[roomwithamoose]

All you need is coax. The whole point of the converter is to change the digital signal into something the analoge tv can use. Once that's done, the signal should be ready and fine to hook with a coaxial cable. If that's not the case (and I can't think of a reason it wouldn't be) then you'd just pick up and RF Converter from any eletronic retailer. That would do the job for you.

By 2006, every broadcaster is required to send out pure digital signals. They will also be sending analoge along with that digital signal until 2007 or maybe 2008. So all these newer tvs are digital, with Cable Card inputs in them, which will allw you to get your digital cable without a set-top box. Then by 2009, we'll all be pure HDTV!

[Hi Ho]

A friend of mine has digital cable. He gets it from Comcast. The cable box has coax, composite, and component video outputs it it would work with any TV. Just so you know, you have to pay extra for each box.