Digital Service With Tv's Built in Hd Tuner, A joke or what??

mmilam · 03-01-2006, 12:42 PM

ok,
i work at Circuit city, and it all started when one of my coworkers told me that Cox cable digital service makes you pay extra to watch thier HD channels.
Well, i disagreed with him, but eventually i just took his word for it.
Well, yesterday, i was watching this show on tv called "CoxVision"(its a show that Coxcable makes and runs on one of thier channels explaining the benefits of cox digital cable service),
Well, anyway, i was about to change the channel until the topic of HD came up. I watched it, and they said on thier that Digital Cable subscribers had access to thier HD channels free of charge.
Well, i hurried up and recorded the show using my DVR box that i rent from cox. I was going to and think i still am, going to transfer the show onto vhs tape and show it to my coworkers to prove them a point.

Well, anyway, i called cox cable and wanted to make sure that the HD channels were free, just to confirm it. The lady said "yes, it is free, i see on your account your paying $9.99 a month for the DVR service with HD Tuner. So yes the HD channels are free, your not paying anything." Then i said, so in addition to my digital cable fee, im paying 9.99 a month for the dvr hd tuner box. she said yes.

Well, i asked her, what if i just payed the regular digital cable fee, and got the regular box without the Hd tuner in it, would i still be able to watch the Hd channels if my tv already has a built in tuner. She said she didnt know and that she would transfer me to tech.
So i asked technical support, and the lady said i am paying 9.99 for the dvr, once again i said, look, if my tv has a built in HD tuner, and i canceled the DVR box, and got the regular box with no HD tuner, would i still be able to watch the HD channels yall provide in the 700+ range, she said no. So, i replied ,"so in essence, if i want to watch the HD channels that yall provide i need to pay 9.99 a month because i dont care about the Dvr box", and she got mad and said yes.

So basically, they are saying they provide the HD channels free, but actually, you only get them "free" if you pay for them by renting the hd box. otherwise if you stick with the regular box, then you wont be able to watch thier hd channels even if your tv has a built in tuner.

What im hoping yall can help me anwser is:
1.)
if i have regular basic cable(not any form on digital), straight from the wall coax line, going in the back of my tv(which has a built in hd tuner), will i be able to watch Fox or Tnt in high definition?
Because right now, you can watch fox in HD only if you buy an HD antenna and recieve it OTA. Cox Digital cable doesnt have a fox HD channel. But they have one for tnt.

2.)
if i cancel the DVR service and get the regular box(without the HDtuner), but have an hd tuner built in my tv, will i be able to watch TNT or any other channel that comes in HD, on thier regular broadcast channels?
e.g. Tnt comes in on ch.25 over here, so with cox digital cable you can watch tnt on ch.25 regular , or you can go to ch.725 and watch thier TNTHD channel.

And, just to let you know, you might laugh, but i dont even have a tv with a built in HD tuner, these questions are just strictly out of very determined curiousity. BEcause once i find out the anwsers to these questions, it will help me determine whether or not to buy a tv with a built in HD tuner and to figure out if Built in tuners are a joke or not.

godson · 03-01-2006, 01:40 PM

Ok first off I dont have Cox,I have Comcast but it sounds like a similiar deal. If I didnt have the HD stb but subscribe to digital cable and plug coaxial right into my tv with built in tuner...I do a channel scan and after a few minutes when its done I have HD channels....the problem for me is they are in an odd order,which guys with OTA might be more familiar how it breaks it down but its something like I'll have channel 500,then 500.1,500.2 and some seem to be repeats. It works and I guess if I figure out the sequence of the channels it could be worth it but its a little confusing for me,but like I said ask someone who uses OTA and they will probably know what the sequence is.

dachay2tnr · 03-01-2006, 02:16 PM

What godson said is pretty much my understanding as well. However, you will only get the OTA channels. You won't get ESPN, Discovery, and of course, no premium channels like HBO.

However, COX should have another HD STB available without a built-in DVR. When I first got my HD TV, I rented an HD STB for $4.95 month (which by the way is the same price they charge for a non-HD STB - so, from that perspective the HD does not have any additional costs associated with it). I later switched to an HD STB with DVR. My cost went up by an additional $9.95.

godson · 03-01-2006, 03:03 PM

yea when I did it I found HBOHD but dont know if thats gonna be on all companies but like he said I had no other HD channels like Discovery or INHD or nothing like that. For the few bucks for the HD DVR its more than worth the ease of the guide...dont know if you have one of those sets with a built in guide if it will work,but its worth a try.

mmilam · 03-01-2006, 03:31 PM

my box right now has the guide, but if i canceled digital cable and went to normal basic cable, would i be able to recieve tnt in high definition by simply tuning into its local basic broadcast channel, since my tv has a built in tuner?

and also, say i kept the box, and my tv has a built in hd tuner, well fox is broadcasted on ch.9 over here, whether basic cable or digital, its always been on channel 9. well when cox gets Hd channels, they always make another channel up in the 700's and label it FOXHD or something like that.

right now, fox is broadcasting in hd, but cox wont add it to the 700's channels.
if i had a tv with a built in tuner, but still using the cox dvr hd box, could i go to ch.9 and be able to watch it in hd?

iserum · 03-01-2006, 05:47 PM

i had bright house cable, they charge $7 for HD package for that i need to get digital package ($15). If i get only basic cable the locals are sent to me unscrambled NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS and CBS. TNT was also available.
I think it is FCC requirement. but what annoying is they chrge $8 for CC for 2nd HDtv, which kills the whole purpose of having built in tuner with CC. a second HD box is $8.75 but u get program guide and VOD feature with it. couple i switched to Directv and i am very happy with it. Only thing I am missing is HD DVR. hoping to get it in summer when price comes down.

rjs281 · 03-01-2006, 07:58 PM

NO.you will not be able to watch hd channels.you can't watch them thru the coax either.they will show up on the screen but will not be real hd.the built in tuner is only good for over the air channels.the cable box is there tuner,not you're tuner.you can buy a tv that will play hd without the tuner and use the cable box as the tuner.

godson · 03-01-2006, 10:37 PM

are you sure about that? when I plugged directly into my tv,I had HD channels that as far as I seen,were real hd. I dont understand why it couldnt work like that. if my tv has a HD tuner built in what is the STB doing different? Are you sayn HD cant be transmitted thru the coaxial?Cause thats how it gets to the STB anyhow,then its converted,so I just dont understand why a tv with a HD tuner built in isnt doing the same job. And why does OTA any different? Its still receiving a signal and converting it. I'm no expert at this as i have never used an OTA and have always had a STB,but like i said I did have my set hooked up like that for a few days and it seemed like HD to me,also tv was displaying that it was indeed in 1080i. Not looking for an arguement,just an explanation. Give me the oppertunity to understand something that had previously thought I did. thank You

mmilam · 03-02-2006, 02:27 AM

it looks like im not the only one whos interested in getting these questions anwsered.

rwdavis2 · 03-02-2006, 07:12 AM

Here in Maryland (Howard Cnty) Comcast digital cable channels do not appear to be scrambled. (Unless the curb side box has a blocker for everything above ch. 100 that can be turned on/off)

Theoretically, I could get all the digital and HD channels for free with my TV that has a digital tuner. It has 2 inputs, one for antenna and the other for cable. A channel scan gets me all the digital/HD channels but on non-standard channels numbers as mentioned above.
Bob

fishacur · 03-02-2006, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by godson

are you sure about that? when I plugged directly into my tv,I had HD channels that as far as I seen,were real hd. I dont understand why it couldnt work like that. if my tv has a HD tuner built in what is the STB doing different? Are you sayn HD cant be transmitted thru the coaxial?Cause thats how it gets to the STB anyhow,then its converted,so I just dont understand why a tv with a HD tuner built in isnt doing the same job. And why does OTA any different? Its still receiving a signal and converting it. I'm no expert at this as i have never used an OTA and have always had a STB,but like i said I did have my set hooked up like that for a few days and it seemed like HD to me,also tv was displaying that it was indeed in 1080i. Not looking for an arguement,just an explanation. Give me the oppertunity to understand something that had previously thought I did. thank You

I am fairly certain that's how it works on Comcast. You'll get the "digital" channels but they will not be in hi-def. If you have a good TV they may look much better but they're not in hi-def....just digital.

dels28 · 03-02-2006, 08:47 AM

a tv with a built-in tuner will be able to receive all unscrabled channels, which is usually the local HD channels (ABC, CBS, etc.) some may even be able to receive encrypted channels for awhile such as TNT-HD and ESPN-HD. These instances are very very rare. But once again, if your tv has a built-in tuner, connecting your comcast coax directly to tv should get you at the very least local HD

godson · 03-02-2006, 10:39 AM

cant say for sure. I know I'm seeing hd channels,but I guess I cant be 100% sure its HD,but I really think it is,atleast my locals.

rjs281 · 03-02-2006, 06:27 PM

the best way to tell is to look at the channels thru the coax and then switch to the the component(or hdmi/dvi)and you will see the differance.you're tv will show you the hd channels and they will look better than other channels,but they should only be digital.i have TW and it is very noticable.

dels28 · 03-02-2006, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by godson

cant say for sure. I know I'm seeing hd channels,but I guess I cant be 100% sure its HD,but I really think it is,atleast my locals.

If your entire screen is filled without you changing your TV's aspect ratio, meaing all HD as far as I know is 16x9 widescreen, with no black bars on the sides of the screen.

03-01-2006, 12:42 PM	#1
mmilam What is HD? Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4	Digital Service With Tv's Built in Hd Tuner, A joke or what?? ok, i work at Circuit city, and it all started when one of my coworkers told me that Cox cable digital service makes you pay extra to watch thier HD channels. Well, i disagreed with him, but eventually i just took his word for it. Well, yesterday, i was watching this show on tv called "CoxVision"(its a show that Coxcable makes and runs on one of thier channels explaining the benefits of cox digital cable service), Well, anyway, i was about to change the channel until the topic of HD came up. I watched it, and they said on thier that Digital Cable subscribers had access to thier HD channels free of charge. Well, i hurried up and recorded the show using my DVR box that i rent from cox. I was going to and think i still am, going to transfer the show onto vhs tape and show it to my coworkers to prove them a point. Well, anyway, i called cox cable and wanted to make sure that the HD channels were free, just to confirm it. The lady said "yes, it is free, i see on your account your paying $9.99 a month for the DVR service with HD Tuner. So yes the HD channels are free, your not paying anything." Then i said, so in addition to my digital cable fee, im paying 9.99 a month for the dvr hd tuner box. she said yes. Well, i asked her, what if i just payed the regular digital cable fee, and got the regular box without the Hd tuner in it, would i still be able to watch the Hd channels if my tv already has a built in tuner. She said she didnt know and that she would transfer me to tech. So i asked technical support, and the lady said i am paying 9.99 for the dvr, once again i said, look, if my tv has a built in HD tuner, and i canceled the DVR box, and got the regular box with no HD tuner, would i still be able to watch the HD channels yall provide in the 700+ range, she said no. So, i replied ,"so in essence, if i want to watch the HD channels that yall provide i need to pay 9.99 a month because i dont care about the Dvr box", and she got mad and said yes. So basically, they are saying they provide the HD channels free, but actually, you only get them "free" if you pay for them by renting the hd box. otherwise if you stick with the regular box, then you wont be able to watch thier hd channels even if your tv has a built in tuner. What im hoping yall can help me anwser is: 1.) if i have regular basic cable(not any form on digital), straight from the wall coax line, going in the back of my tv(which has a built in hd tuner), will i be able to watch Fox or Tnt in high definition? Because right now, you can watch fox in HD only if you buy an HD antenna and recieve it OTA. Cox Digital cable doesnt have a fox HD channel. But they have one for tnt. 2.) if i cancel the DVR service and get the regular box(without the HDtuner), but have an hd tuner built in my tv, will i be able to watch TNT or any other channel that comes in HD, on thier regular broadcast channels? e.g. Tnt comes in on ch.25 over here, so with cox digital cable you can watch tnt on ch.25 regular , or you can go to ch.725 and watch thier TNTHD channel. And, just to let you know, you might laugh, but i dont even have a tv with a built in HD tuner, these questions are just strictly out of very determined curiousity. BEcause once i find out the anwsers to these questions, it will help me determine whether or not to buy a tv with a built in HD tuner and to figure out if Built in tuners are a joke or not.

03-01-2006, 03:31 PM	#5
mmilam What is HD? Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4	my box right now has the guide, but if i canceled digital cable and went to normal basic cable, would i be able to recieve tnt in high definition by simply tuning into its local basic broadcast channel, since my tv has a built in tuner? and also, say i kept the box, and my tv has a built in hd tuner, well fox is broadcasted on ch.9 over here, whether basic cable or digital, its always been on channel 9. well when cox gets Hd channels, they always make another channel up in the 700's and label it FOXHD or something like that. right now, fox is broadcasting in hd, but cox wont add it to the 700's channels. if i had a tv with a built in tuner, but still using the cox dvr hd box, could i go to ch.9 and be able to watch it in hd? Last edited by mmilam; 03-01-2006 at 03:33 PM.

03-01-2006, 05:47 PM	#6
iserum High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,954	i had bright house cable, they charge $7 for HD package for that i need to get digital package ($15). If i get only basic cable the locals are sent to me unscrambled NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS and CBS. TNT was also available. I think it is FCC requirement. but what annoying is they chrge $8 for CC for 2nd HDtv, which kills the whole purpose of having built in tuner with CC. a second HD box is $8.75 but u get program guide and VOD feature with it. couple i switched to Directv and i am very happy with it. Only thing I am missing is HD DVR. hoping to get it in summer when price comes down. __________________ Panasonic 50PX80U/Pioneer BDP-51FD /Toshiba HD A1/Tivo HD SAMSUNG LNT-4661F/ Pioneer BDP-51FD/Dell XPS, Nvidia 9500 GT SONY BRAVIA 40V2500/40 GB PS3, WII, Intel Core 2 Duo with Nvidia 6800 Yamaha RXV1700 Def. Tech. Mythos III, V & Gems, Super Cube III Harmony Remote One Power Conditioner: Belkin PF40

03-02-2006, 08:47 AM	#12
dels28 Hoosier Man Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 687	a tv with a built-in tuner will be able to receive all unscrabled channels, which is usually the local HD channels (ABC, CBS, etc.) some may even be able to receive encrypted channels for awhile such as TNT-HD and ESPN-HD. These instances are very very rare. But once again, if your tv has a built-in tuner, connecting your comcast coax directly to tv should get you at the very least local HD __________________ Sony WEGA KDL-52XBR4 Daddy's Room Onkyo TX-SR705 Klipsch Synergy Series Quintet 100-Watt 5-Piece Home Theater Speaker System Klipsch 12" 650W Powered Subwoofer Logitech Harmony 880 HR 20-600& HR 21-200, Direct TV PS3 60GB, PS3 80GB HD-A30 HD-A2 Nintiendo Wii Sony WEGA KDF-55WF655 retired to family living room Ready Nas Pro Duo 1.5 TB Media Server

03-01-2006, 01:40 PM	#2
godson Mr. Bill Belecheeeeek. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: philadelphia Posts: 2,592	Ok first off I dont have Cox,I have Comcast but it sounds like a similiar deal. If I didnt have the HD stb but subscribe to digital cable and plug coaxial right into my tv with built in tuner...I do a channel scan and after a few minutes when its done I have HD channels....the problem for me is they are in an odd order,which guys with OTA might be more familiar how it breaks it down but its something like I'll have channel 500,then 500.1,500.2 and some seem to be repeats. It works and I guess if I figure out the sequence of the channels it could be worth it but its a little confusing for me,but like I said ask someone who uses OTA and they will probably know what the sequence is.

03-01-2006, 02:16 PM	#3
dachay2tnr I may never go out again. Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 163	What godson said is pretty much my understanding as well. However, you will only get the OTA channels. You won't get ESPN, Discovery, and of course, no premium channels like HBO. However, COX should have another HD STB available without a built-in DVR. When I first got my HD TV, I rented an HD STB for $4.95 month (which by the way is the same price they charge for a non-HD STB - so, from that perspective the HD does not have any additional costs associated with it). I later switched to an HD STB with DVR. My cost went up by an additional $9.95.

03-01-2006, 03:03 PM	#4
godson Mr. Bill Belecheeeeek. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: philadelphia Posts: 2,592	yea when I did it I found HBOHD but dont know if thats gonna be on all companies but like he said I had no other HD channels like Discovery or INHD or nothing like that. For the few bucks for the HD DVR its more than worth the ease of the guide...dont know if you have one of those sets with a built in guide if it will work,but its worth a try.

03-01-2006, 07:58 PM	#7
rjs281 LCD Hi def Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 32	NO.you will not be able to watch hd channels.you can't watch them thru the coax either.they will show up on the screen but will not be real hd.the built in tuner is only good for over the air channels.the cable box is there tuner,not you're tuner.you can buy a tv that will play hd without the tuner and use the cable box as the tuner.

03-01-2006, 10:37 PM	#8
godson Mr. Bill Belecheeeeek. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: philadelphia Posts: 2,592	are you sure about that? when I plugged directly into my tv,I had HD channels that as far as I seen,were real hd. I dont understand why it couldnt work like that. if my tv has a HD tuner built in what is the STB doing different? Are you sayn HD cant be transmitted thru the coaxial?Cause thats how it gets to the STB anyhow,then its converted,so I just dont understand why a tv with a HD tuner built in isnt doing the same job. And why does OTA any different? Its still receiving a signal and converting it. I'm no expert at this as i have never used an OTA and have always had a STB,but like i said I did have my set hooked up like that for a few days and it seemed like HD to me,also tv was displaying that it was indeed in 1080i. Not looking for an arguement,just an explanation. Give me the oppertunity to understand something that had previously thought I did. thank You

03-02-2006, 02:27 AM	#9
mmilam What is HD? Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4	it looks like im not the only one whos interested in getting these questions anwsered.

03-02-2006, 07:12 AM	#10
rwdavis2 Rocket Scientist Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maryland Posts: 141	Here in Maryland (Howard Cnty) Comcast digital cable channels do not appear to be scrambled. (Unless the curb side box has a blocker for everything above ch. 100 that can be turned on/off) Theoretically, I could get all the digital and HD channels for free with my TV that has a digital tuner. It has 2 inputs, one for antenna and the other for cable. A channel scan gets me all the digital/HD channels but on non-standard channels numbers as mentioned above. Bob

03-02-2006, 10:39 AM	#13
godson Mr. Bill Belecheeeeek. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: philadelphia Posts: 2,592	cant say for sure. I know I'm seeing hd channels,but I guess I cant be 100% sure its HD,but I really think it is,atleast my locals.

03-02-2006, 06:27 PM	#14
rjs281 LCD Hi def Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 32	the best way to tell is to look at the channels thru the coax and then switch to the the component(or hdmi/dvi)and you will see the differance.you're tv will show you the hd channels and they will look better than other channels,but they should only be digital.i have TW and it is very noticable.