How do I get those HDTV channels

Hi,

I have Cablevision (New York, Westchester County) and my SOny Bravia TV can get HDTV channels. However they seem to be in the 84.XXXX and

110.XXX ranges. I also get NON HDTV channels at the usual chanels 2,3,4 etc. up to about 74.

What confuses me is that say I want to watch House on HD. I do not tue to channel 5 (FOX) but some other channel. In cablevision world it is channel 705. But on my Bravia it is like 98.XXX or something. Finding the HD TV channels is like a real challenge.

Am I missing something here, or is it always this difficult with HD tv ....

Best, Mike.

Reply to
hobbes
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No, i have time warner cable and get all my local channels as usual CBS-2, nbc-4 and etc. but to get hd, i have to tune in to 702 for CBS and 704 for NBC and etc. Thats the way it is.

Reply to
Noel

Do you use a cable card or a settop box provided by the cable company?

Reply to
badgolferman

I have had a coffee break trying to figure out how to explain it, I am having problems. Maybe someone else can make it shorter and more direct. But here is my take to answer your question.

Back years ago, they made B&W TV a subset of Color TV. All was good with the world. Old worked with New, consumer could up grade when old TV died.

HD TV is not a subset of standard Color TV or vise versa. You cannot super-impose HDTV over or with Standard TV. Not going to happen. Standard TV sets cannot deal with HDTV. (Forget about converter boxes for older TVs for now.)

Your Cable TV channels 2-74 are frequency assigned, and frequency allocated bandwidth, and many technical terms for your neighbors who don't own a HDTV.

Your TV set has actually two sets TV electronics for decoding TV signals. Standard and HDTV. (because you may want to watch CNN, or TCM, or any other cable TV that is only in Standard TV, and you wouldn't purchase a TV set that didn't give you the choice and your TV set maker knew that.)

However, the signal for HDTV is much larger, needs other technical special stuff to prevent cross-talk interference, Yada-yada-yada. So it is way up on the triple digit cable TV channels so it won't interfere with your neighbors who haven't purchased a new expensive TV set like you did.

That is why, someday soon, over the air broadcasting TV stations will shut down their standard TV broadcasting, and move to all digital TV broadcasting. A few years after that, your cable TV will change over to almost all Digital Channels, and standard TV's will be left out as they get older and older. Converter boxes may or may not help out.

This post may not have helped.

Phil

Reply to
Phil-In-Mich.

You should be able to get the HD channels without the box by tuning to the subchannel. For example: 2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1, etc. Keep in mind these are networks that normally broadcast over the air. For cable channels like ESPNHD or CNNHD, you will need the cable box. It is possible that a program like House could end up on another channel like 98.xxx, but it will still be on 5.1.

Reply to
Mikepier

Here, Comcast charges extra for HD. I bought an HD antennae for 1/3 the cost of a month's cable bill and get all the local HD signals. It all depends on your location and the broadcast. For those programs on Lionsgate or Showtime, I rent DVDs and get HD from there. Most of the time I get news and weather from the Internet or radio. Although I can afford it, Comcast is way overpriced for what I can get.

Reply to
Phisherman

Yes, it is that difficult when you're trying to receive "QAM" digital cable channels without using the cable company box. What's more infuriating is the cable companies move those channels around on their internal frequencies quite frequently, so at some time in the future you'll have to have your re-scan to memorize them again.

If your TV has a CableCard slot, you could get a CableCard from the cable company and you would see "normal" channel numbering and not have to worry about where the cable company moved a channel to on their system. i.e., Fox would always be "705", it wouldn't be 98-1 this week and change to 105-7 or some other crazy number 6 months from now.

Check out

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and look for your local New York HDTV discussion thread. You'll find LOTS of good info and advice there.

-- Paul

Reply to
Paul

Yes, the essence of the OP's problem is that he's trying to receive a digital cable signal without the cable box, cable card, etc. which would have the necessary QAM tuner. Some newer TVs have a QAM tuner built-in, but most do not.

Reply to
trader4

The OP has a QAM tuner in his TV as evidenced by him saying on his Bravia the channel is like "98.XXX or something" The problem is without a CableCard there's no way for the TV to know what QAM frequency slot goes with what Cablevision channel number. Another problem is most TV manufacturers implement their QAM tuning scheme very poorly. I've seen various TV's lock up and reboot themselves when tuned to certain QAM channels, or not receive some QAM channels at all, or make no allowance for directly tuning subchannels from the remote. In defense of the TV manufacturers, they probably have a hard time making a one-size-fits-all QAM tuner that works with the proprietary Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola headends that most cable companies in the U.S. use.

-- Paul

Reply to
Paul

I think your TV is tuning QAM (digital cable) channels. In that case, you don't get a guide. You need to watch those channels long enough to determine what is what, and write that information down.

Reply to
Mark Lloyd

Forget the Comcasts and the other cable/satellite services unless you like to pay... and...pay... and pay.

The most inexpensive way to get HDTV is over the air broadcast from your local stations. All USA TV stations will be digital by FEB 2009 and most are broadcasting digital right now. (Note that digital does not necessarily mean HDTV, but many of the network shows are being produced and transmitted in Digital HDTV right now).

Here is the government's DTV site:

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This is terrestrial broadcasting (for free) over what was known as the old UHF-TV band. If you live way out in the styx, though, you may be out of luck for free over-the-air HDTV broadcasts. Check with your local stations to see what digital (UHF) channels they are broadcasting on. Usually it is posted somewhere on the station's web site.

Some rural areas rely on UHF translators. Often these are not even owned by the local stations and these most likely will not immediately be upgraded to rebroadcast the digital TV signals to the hills and valleys except in special cases. The digital signals you want should come from the main transmitter facility of your local station. (Hopefully, you will be lucky enough to live in the main reception area).

You will need a HDTV receiver and an ordinary UHF antenna. (Outdoor antennas work best, just as with the current VHF-UHF broadcast signals). Some companies are selling special "Digital TV Antennas". Whether they work any better than a plain old UHF antenna is debatable. Some have extra amplifiers in the line. You need not spend a lot of money with antennas though and you may already have one that will work fine.

The stronger the signal, the less interference you will experience. Digital TV is more of an "either it works or it doesn't situation", but it is not necessarily perfect. If you have crappy reception, chances are you will have problems.

Your biggest expense will be your digital receiver. Make sure you know what you are getting. See the website above. This is not just a wide screen TV or monitor. It has to be a true HDTV capable receiver capable of tuning and displaying the news US DTV Standards. Expect to pay $1000 plus for a quality unit. (There may be seasonal sales for less than that).

Beachcomber

Reply to
Beachcomber

The only way your proposal is cheaper is if he gives up cable all together, as HD is free on Cablevision. I easily spend 90% of my viewing time watching cable channels, History, Discovery, FoodTV, A&E, etc. instead of what you can get OTA. I couldn't even tell you the basic prime time network schedule. And there is HD content on many other cable channels as well and it is growing. So, I don;t see going back to an antenna as a mainstream solution that a guy who already has cable and a Sony Bravia is going to find acceptable.

All USA TV stations will be digital by FEB 2009

$1000 for an ATSC tuner? You could buy a whole TV or DVR for that much. Tuners are available for around $100. Also, you can't buy any new TV today, regardless of size, without an ATSC tuner. They all must have one built-in.

Reply to
trader4

Well... for many, going the antenna route will be the least expensive way of enjoying HDTV. All the main networks ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and PBS are currently providing free over-the-air HDTV for selected programs.

Granted, Comcast and the other cable/satellite companies give you movies, sports, and other programs which you won't otherwise get... But you are also beholden to them with their outrageous rate increases, poor customer service, outages and otherwise bad attitude towards their customers. HDTV is costing them a bundle and they can't wait to pass on the costs and then some. If I've offended anyone who really loves their cable company, please pardon me...

Beachcomber

Reply to
Beachcomber

Exactly what does a CableCard do for non-encoded (not HBO)?

The digital broadcast must include information on what channel to display. For instance channel 5.000 is probably broadcast on UHF. Is there a source that gives the actual broadcast channels? I haven't found much technical information on how this all works.

Reply to
bud--

The CableCard lets the TV display channel numbers just like the cable company's cable box. Takes care of channel numbering for non-encrypted and encrytped channels. Lets the cable company activate the various channel "tiers" according to what you're paying for.

Now if you're talking about OTA digital TV, then the station sends out a bit of digital info in the broadcast stream ("PSIP" data) that tells the TV to show "WABC 5" on the display even though your TV is tuned to it's digital cousin on say UHF channel 31.

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lists all the analog/digital cousins.

-- Paul

Reply to
Paul

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