HDTV?

RenegadeT

RenegadeT

no shirt,no shoes,no dice
Moderator
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Location
Stokesdale-Greensboro
I've got basic expanded analog Time Warner cable, but recently noticed HD channels being picked up by my fairly new Sony Bravia TV. How do I get these stations on my old early 2000ish model year Samsung DLP TV? I assume the signal is coming thru the Time Warner coax. I know the Samsung does not have a built in HD reciever, but will support 1080i input. When the whole analog/HD switchover happened, I remember hearing about free certifiactes for an HD reciever box or something, did I snooze on that, or is it still available, and is that what I need? School me...
 
You're late on the tuner boxes, but they're only like $20-30.

Time Warner sends all the networks and a few other channels as ClearQAM. You can plug the coax into most any HDTV with a tuner and pick them up.
 
The tuner boxes were to provide a digital tuner, opposed to an analog tuner, as older tv's don't have digital tuners. Networks now broadcast only digital signals, no more analog. It didn't have so much to do with HD, just the analog signal was going away.

You can pick up HD signals over the air with an antenna, but you'll need a digital tuner. IE, a box. They are only about $40 or so, maybe less.

http://www.google.com/search?gcx=c&....,cf.osb&fp=ebaa3ff8b466872e&biw=1366&bih=667
 
If you want HD stations that don't broadcast over the air but are part of your cable package (e.g., USA, TBS, whatever) and the TV dosn't have digital input, you'll have to get a decoder box from TWC. Probably a $10/mo rental or something. I seriously doubt you can buy a box that will decode the signal.
Does the TV have a digital input or is it just component video?
 
Ok, that makes sense, but I'm a little confused now. My old Samsung TV has no problem picking up the cable thru the coax, but its not getting the HD channels. It gets all the Spike, Discovery, MTV, etc., but for example NBC channel 11 is the "old normal" 4:3 broadcast, channel 12.1 is 1080i 16:9 HDTV NBC. I'm sure I need more than a decimal point on the Samsung remote to pick this up. Will these digital converter boxes accept the Time Warner coax and allow me to watch the HD via cable on the old Samsung?
 
RatLabGuy said:
If you want HD stations that don't broadcast over the air but are part of your cable package (e.g., USA, TBS, whatever) and the TV dosn't have digital input, you'll have to get a decoder box from TWC. Probably a $10/mo rental or something. I seriously doubt you can buy a box that will decode the signal.
Does the TV have a digital input or is it just component video?
Click to expand...
I don't think I'm paying for any HD stations like that, TW is just sending whats over the air, I think. I'm getting the major networks in HD, PBS, CW, ion, and maybe some other crap.
I don't think the TV has digital input, but I'm really not sure. It does have component video connections. I have no cable box or anything, the coax comes from the wall and goes straight into both TVs. yeah, yeah...no tivo/DVR here.
 
The old DLP's don't have a tuner built-in. They can't pick up OTA (over the air) channels, and are essentially a big display, or monitor, meaning they need an external "tuner" of some sort to pick up the signal and output it to them, like a cable/satellite box, DVD player, game console, etc.

If you want to watch OTA with one, you need a tuner box. Inexpensive, as already mentioned.

Most newer sets have tuners.
 
I just looked them up... was going to try and find you a box that had an ATSC tuner with QAM capability and component out.... and... nothing.

Those boxes were a dime a dozen when the changeover happened, but I can't find one now.

Does TW charge for additional HD receivers? That might be the easiest way to go.
 
Back
Top