For months, you’ve been hearing about the impending digital TV transition scheduled to happen on June 12th. This transition marks the time when over-the-air broadcast stations will finally make the switch from analog to digital.
A second, much-less-discussed digital transition is already under way among cable providers. This upgrade may cause you to lose TV channels that you’ve come to expect, or to pay more in monthly equipment fees to your cable provider to get the TV.
People tend to assume that they are set for the digital TV transition if they have a cable subscription. And that’s true–but only for the broadcast channels. But have you tuned into a cable TV station recently and noticed a message announcing that it’s no longer available? Or have you read marketing material from your cable provider that says you’ll need a cable box on each of your TVs in order to view your favorite channels? Both are indicators that analog stations you know and love could cease to be available to you.
This cable digital upgrade by some cable companies is already affecting popular cable channels that typically fall between channels 20 and 90. Prior to the digital upgrade, such channels usually did not require you to rent an extra-cost cable box in order to view shows. Instead, you could plug your coaxial cable from the wall directly into any of the following:
- An analog or digital television
- An older digital video recorder such as a Replay or TiVo (Series1 and Series2)
- A DVD recorder or VCR
- A Microsoft Windows Media Center PC
- A PC equipped with a TV tuner
If you now run your cable directly through any of these devices, you may be affected. In some cases, you’ll simply be inconvenienced: You’ll now need to have a cable box but you’ll still be able to view and record analog video. In other cases, though, you may be out of luck. You might not be able to record or even view your channels.
Switching to satellite is the simplest and lowest cost option for 2009 Digital Television.
6-Month Programming Credit: Requires participation in Digital Home Advantage with 24-month commitment and minimum qualifying programming. Customer receives a credit for each of the first 6 months. Credit amount will depend on programming package selected. After 6 months, then-current price will apply.