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Digital Transition

Cable makes the digital transition (blissfully) boring. 

By February 17, 2009, most broadcast TV stations will be switching to digital signals. So if you're watching TV with "rabbit ears" or a roof top antenna today, you have to make some changes to stay tuned to your favorite shows.

The simplest solution is cable. You heard it right. Any television set will work just fine if it's hooked up to cable service - and you won't miss a single episode. 

That means your old TV in the basement, your fancy new HDTV in the living-room, or the little counter-top TV in the kitchen that's still a little bit speckled with pesto sauce from last Saturday's party.

No matter when you bought it, no matter who manufactured it, no matter whether it speaks the new language of “digital” or not, it doesn’t matter. Hook it up to cable service and it will work just fine. Even after broadcast television’s “digital transition” in February 2009.

(Pausing momentarily here to allow for sighs of relief.)

That’s the bottom-line on the digital transition for cable customers. With cable, you don’t have to rig up a store-bought “converter box” or mess around with a new rooftop antenna. You don’t have to rush out and buy a slick new digital TV set (although we know it’s darn tempting with football season happening). If all your sets are connected (even that old one in the spare bedroom), you really don't have to do a thing, except sit back and enjoy.

So, if you're a current customer, just be sure all your sets are connected.  If you're a new customer, enter your address and zip in the box at the top of this page and you're on your way to a blissful transition.

A conversation about the Broadcast Digital Transition. 

Why so easy with cable?
Cable makes the digital transition simple by translating television into a language your TV can understand before channels are ever sent to your home. That means you don’t have to bother with buying new converters or boxes or dealing with government vouchers. All you really have to do is watch TV.
So why the big deal?
To be sure, the digital transition is getting lots of attention (and inspiring a fair bit of confusion). But it helps to remember that the digital transition is really only about over-the-air television. That’s the type of television some of us (at least those of us older than 40) grew up with before cable came around. It refers to the invisible TV signals from local stations that float over the airwaves from transmission towers to rooftop or TV set antennas. For most people, over-the-air TV has been replaced by cable television, which is why antennas are a thing of the past for most people.  That means only a small percentage of people in the U.S. will need to find a new solution for watching TV.
Who’s in that “small percentage?”
For the most part, people who don’t get cable or satellite TV service and don’t have a digital-ready TV set. If you’re one of them, you’ll have to arrange for a new way to receive over-the-air TV signals – either by signing up for cable service or buying a new type of “converter” that will let your old TV set understand the new language of over-the-air TV.
What if I have cable, but not on every TV set?
Ding! Ding! You’ve just won the prize for best question on this page!  If one or more of your TV sets aren’t connected to cable, those sets may stop displaying TV signals after February 17, 2009 unless you connect them to cable service, or buy and install a special converter.
What do you mean “may” stop displaying signals?
It depends on how new your TV sets are. Most TV sets purchased after 2004 will be able to receive and display over-the-air TV channels, with or without cable service, even after the digital transition. But most sets purchased before 2004 won’t work unless they’re connected to cable or a special converter box.
But with cable, all of my old TV sets will still work?
They will indeed. Hook them up to cable and they won’t miss a beat. Or a scene. Or a game-winning field goal.
And my new TV sets?
Same story. Hook them to cable for brilliant pictures and perfect reception. Toss in some sweet extras like cable DVR (record and watch shows easily) and Digital Cable (lots of new channels plus On Demand) and you’ll pretty much be in TV heaven.
Just to clarify, then: My new sets will work fine no matter what?
Most of them will. Most new TV sets sold after 2004 have built-in tuners that can interpret the new digital over-the-air broadcasting language and continue to display television after the digital transition (even without a cable connection).
But remember: Even with a new TV set, without cable you’ll be limited to local over-the-air channels. That means no ESPN, no HBO, no Discovery Channel…no fun.
Will my football team make the playoffs?
We’re sorry, but that’s a trick question. We’re here to talk about the digital transition. Plus, we have no idea, but it’s a lock that we’ll watch the game on high-definition TV brought to us by cable. Now let’s stick to the subject, please.
Since you mentioned it, what about HDTV?
It’s terrific. If you have a new TV set that displays television in high-definition, congratulations. Your local cable company provides all sorts of channels, local and national, in magnificent HDTV resolution. If you haven’t hooked up cable HDTV service to your new HDTV set, now’s the time.
But the “digital transition” isn’t the same as high-definition television?
Nope. Similar language, different things. Even after the digital transition, you’ll still need an HDTV-capable set to enjoy television in high-definition.
Where does “Digital Cable” fit in, then?
Digital Cable is a special product your cable company offers. It makes television better by adding lots of new channels, along with add-on goodies like On Demand (it lets you start watching shows whenever you hit “play”) plus digital commercial-free music, a nifty interactive guide to what’s on TV, and more.
What if I don’t order Digital Cable?
You won’t get as many channels, but your TV sets will still work fine as long as they’re hooked up to some level of cable service. Contact your cable company (you’ll find yours by typing in your ZIP Code here) to find out about different service options available to you – from affordable basic services to feature-filled Digital Cable options. Like we said, any TV set connected to any level of cable service will work just fine.
Last question, we promise: What if all my TV sets already are connected to cable?
Keep enjoying television from cable. You don’t have to do a thing. For you, the digital transition means no transition at all. But thanks for reading this far anyway.