Can you get HDTV with Comcast Basic Analog Cable???

Illanoyze · 05-23-2005, 12:04 PM

I just bought an HDTV Ready Sony 51in. tv, and was wondering if the HDTV box from Comcast($5) will work with basic analog cable. Do I need to get the Digital Cable? If it works with analog cable, is the picture decent for both HD&SD programming? I heard Digital Cable just means more channels and doesn't provide a better picture. Comcast also mentioned that I will get the same HD channels if I just add the box to the basic analog package. As you can tell, I am a newbie so any info. provided would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

RSawdey · 05-23-2005, 12:32 PM

Only the retransmitted local digital channels are included in the Basic package, but you need either a digital cable STB or HDTV with a QAM compatible tuner to receive them. All HDTV is digital TV & only available on the digital tier... to receive HD signals you'll need the HD version of a digital cable STB, which is what the $5 / month is for. Upgrading from analog to digital is $15 / month. SD digital channels are of consistantly good quality, being digitally delivered... but they're still only SDTV. How much better these will be than the analog channels depends on how bad the analog is. Digital SDTV isn't much better than the BEST analog... but it's worlds better than the WORST analog.

Illanoyze · 05-23-2005, 01:29 PM

Thanks for the reply! I'm getting excellent picture quality with the current basic analog service, that is why I decided to just get the $5/mo. HDTV package. Is there a way I can keep the SD channels by keeping the connection the way it is, and then using component cables to hook up the HDTV tuner to the TV? Then just switch to Video1 for the HDTV, then switch back to the regular tv for basic cable like WGN, etc. Thanks

dels28 · 05-23-2005, 01:31 PM

I went through this about two weeks ago. RSawdey is correct. I have the 55 inch Grand Wega with cable card slot, and with basic analog, I could only receive 4 HD broadcast channels, and about 90 digital music stations. The Broadcast channels were all over the map, and the digital music stations were as well. meaning they were not on their assigned channel. ABC HD was on 114.5, CBS 14.1 etc. When the cable card was installed, all the channels were in their assigned location, and I was able to pick up all the HD conent including HBO. Being that you have an HD READy set, you will need a stb

Illanoyze · 05-23-2005, 01:33 PM

Yes, and that is what I ordered. Set Top Box(STB) for HDTV. Correct?

RSawdey · 05-24-2005, 09:58 AM

You can split your cable before the STB & run one split to your TV's tuner if you want... some do this because of quality issues with analog in the digital STB.

Seems silly to me to rent the box for 4 OTA channels... for another 50 cents a day you get another 100 digital SDTV channels & half a dozen more HDTV channels. You really should be getting at least the minimum digital tier.

Illanoyze · 05-24-2005, 10:12 AM

Thanks for your reply! I am getting alot of HDTV channels right now(All the locals, ESPN, TNT, INHD1, INHD2, Discovery, etc.), so what other channels are you getting besides premium? Half dozen more with digital cable? I do have a split connection, and the analog picture is pretty decent. Is it worth it to pay $15/mo. more to get digital cable? Is the SD picture that much better? Thanks again

Wthom100 · 05-24-2005, 04:26 PM

I was under the impression from Comcast here in Detroit area that you have to upgrade to the digitial channels before you can order HDTV. At least that is what I had to do. I pay a fairly steep monthy bill as I have a TV's in my living room and bedroom - both are set-up with digital and HDTV:

Platinum Pkg (all movie channels): approx. $90/mo.
Digital Upgrade: $6.95/mo. (for the additional TV set)
2 Motorola HDTV set-top boxes: $10/mo.
Franchise Fee / Taxes: $15/mo.
Approx. total: $130/mo.

Maybe there are different pricing structures in different cities and areas of the country. I also get my high-speed internet cable from Comcast ($40/mo.) so I consider myself one of their best customers. I enjoy it so I think its worth the money for the entertainment, etc.. We also get video on demand (free) which permits me to watch all the premium channel (HBO, Showtime) programs when I want to watch them, etc.. We also have DVR - but I have not subsribed to that (that would be $9/mo. extra).

Cheers -

RSawdey · 05-24-2005, 09:18 PM

If you're getting TNT-HD & InHD you're getting digital cable...

dels28 · 05-25-2005, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illanoyze

Thanks for your reply! I am getting alot of HDTV channels right now(All the locals, ESPN, TNT, INHD1, INHD2, Discovery, etc.), so what other channels are you getting besides premium? Half dozen more with digital cable? I do have a split connection, and the analog picture is pretty decent. Is it worth it to pay $15/mo. more to get digital cable? Is the SD picture that much better? Thanks again

Are you receiving Comcast Sports Net Digital? Sox/Cubs, and Bulls games in HD

Illanoyze · 05-25-2005, 08:54 AM

I am not receiving Comcast Sports or WGN. I did not order Digital Cable, even the cable guy mentioned that all that I'd be charged is the $5/mo. for the HD Set Top box. This is in addition to the standard basic cable package that I have. Thanks

dabears · 11-09-2007, 12:19 AM

Hi friends,
I just bought 58" Panasonic Plasma TV and I am only interested in watching NFL games in HD signals. I live in 60103 area in Illinois and I will be subscribing to basic comcast cable? The Comcast/DirectTv/DishNetwork HD packages are too expensive for me at this point and I don't want to put roof antenna. Will my new panasonic HDTV with built in Tuner convert regular (analog) signals and convert FOX/CBS/NBC channel into decent HD signal? I am new at this so any help would be appreciated?

Thanks and Go Bears!

deadhead68 · 11-09-2007, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dabears

Hi friends,
I just bought 58" Panasonic Plasma TV and I am only interested in watching NFL games in HD signals. I live in 60103 area in Illinois and I will be subscribing to basic comcast cable? The Comcast/DirectTv/DishNetwork HD packages are too expensive for me at this point and I don't want to put roof antenna. Will my new panasonic HDTV with built in Tuner convert regular (analog) signals and convert FOX/CBS/NBC channel into decent HD signal? I am new at this so any help would be appreciated?

Thanks and Go Bears!

As long as your TV has a built in QAM tuner, yes you will get the locals in HD. Just to clarify, your TV will not be converting the analog signals into HD. Your TV will receive the HD feed for the locals that Comcast is sending out in the clear.

DeadHead68

scottbrown77 · 11-09-2007, 01:24 PM

DeadHead is correct. I have the Digital Starter package with a Small STB on a Sony XBR4 with a QAMs tuner. I get all channels digital channels up to 100 on the STB and I get 150 channels from the ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner on the Sony. HD on all local channels plus univeral HD plus digital Qams channels and analog. A lot of the digital QAMs are are the digital version of the analog channels.

If you are on a budget, try the QAMs turn first and see if you get enough channels. You'll get all analog channels up to 100 and all local HD/digital local channels for the same cost as the Total Basic and Standard = $52.40

davekuhlman · 11-12-2007, 08:04 AM

Will that only work with a QAM tuner? I have the very basic analog cable, ~$12/month. Could I get high def with a Qam tuner? I have a Pioneer Plasma with a 8VSB digital tuner but ahve not been able to get high def channels. Could I with a QAM or do you have to ahve a digitla signal coming in?

05-23-2005, 12:04 PM	#1
Illanoyze A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 10	Can you get HDTV with Comcast Basic Analog Cable??? I just bought an HDTV Ready Sony 51in. tv, and was wondering if the HDTV box from Comcast($5) will work with basic analog cable. Do I need to get the Digital Cable? If it works with analog cable, is the picture decent for both HD&SD programming? I heard Digital Cable just means more channels and doesn't provide a better picture. Comcast also mentioned that I will get the same HD channels if I just add the box to the basic analog package. As you can tell, I am a newbie so any info. provided would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

11-09-2007, 12:19 AM	#12
dabears What is HD? Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1	Can I get Fox,NBC,CBS channels in HD signal using Comcast Stadard Cable? Hi friends, I just bought 58" Panasonic Plasma TV and I am only interested in watching NFL games in HD signals. I live in 60103 area in Illinois and I will be subscribing to basic comcast cable? The Comcast/DirectTv/DishNetwork HD packages are too expensive for me at this point and I don't want to put roof antenna. Will my new panasonic HDTV with built in Tuner convert regular (analog) signals and convert FOX/CBS/NBC channel into decent HD signal? I am new at this so any help would be appreciated? Thanks and Go Bears!

05-23-2005, 12:32 PM	#2
RSawdey Mr. Wizard Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Ferndale, Michigan Age: 61 Posts: 5,981	Only the retransmitted local digital channels are included in the Basic package, but you need either a digital cable STB or HDTV with a QAM compatible tuner to receive them. All HDTV is digital TV & only available on the digital tier... to receive HD signals you'll need the HD version of a digital cable STB, which is what the $5 / month is for. Upgrading from analog to digital is $15 / month. SD digital channels are of consistantly good quality, being digitally delivered... but they're still only SDTV. How much better these will be than the analog channels depends on how bad the analog is. Digital SDTV isn't much better than the BEST analog... but it's worlds better than the WORST analog.

05-23-2005, 01:29 PM	#3
Illanoyze A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 10	Thanks for the reply! I'm getting excellent picture quality with the current basic analog service, that is why I decided to just get the $5/mo. HDTV package. Is there a way I can keep the SD channels by keeping the connection the way it is, and then using component cables to hook up the HDTV tuner to the TV? Then just switch to Video1 for the HDTV, then switch back to the regular tv for basic cable like WGN, etc. Thanks

05-23-2005, 01:31 PM	#4
dels28 Hoosier Man Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 687	I went through this about two weeks ago. RSawdey is correct. I have the 55 inch Grand Wega with cable card slot, and with basic analog, I could only receive 4 HD broadcast channels, and about 90 digital music stations. The Broadcast channels were all over the map, and the digital music stations were as well. meaning they were not on their assigned channel. ABC HD was on 114.5, CBS 14.1 etc. When the cable card was installed, all the channels were in their assigned location, and I was able to pick up all the HD conent including HBO. Being that you have an HD READy set, you will need a stb

05-23-2005, 01:33 PM	#5
Illanoyze A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 10	Yes, and that is what I ordered. Set Top Box(STB) for HDTV. Correct?

05-24-2005, 09:58 AM	#6
RSawdey Mr. Wizard Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Ferndale, Michigan Age: 61 Posts: 5,981	You can split your cable before the STB & run one split to your TV's tuner if you want... some do this because of quality issues with analog in the digital STB. Seems silly to me to rent the box for 4 OTA channels... for another 50 cents a day you get another 100 digital SDTV channels & half a dozen more HDTV channels. You really should be getting at least the minimum digital tier.

05-24-2005, 10:12 AM	#7
Illanoyze A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 10	Thanks for your reply! I am getting alot of HDTV channels right now(All the locals, ESPN, TNT, INHD1, INHD2, Discovery, etc.), so what other channels are you getting besides premium? Half dozen more with digital cable? I do have a split connection, and the analog picture is pretty decent. Is it worth it to pay $15/mo. more to get digital cable? Is the SD picture that much better? Thanks again

05-24-2005, 04:26 PM	#8
Wthom100 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 31	I was under the impression from Comcast here in Detroit area that you have to upgrade to the digitial channels before you can order HDTV. At least that is what I had to do. I pay a fairly steep monthy bill as I have a TV's in my living room and bedroom - both are set-up with digital and HDTV: Platinum Pkg (all movie channels): approx. $90/mo. Digital Upgrade: $6.95/mo. (for the additional TV set) 2 Motorola HDTV set-top boxes: $10/mo. Franchise Fee / Taxes: $15/mo. Approx. total: $130/mo. Maybe there are different pricing structures in different cities and areas of the country. I also get my high-speed internet cable from Comcast ($40/mo.) so I consider myself one of their best customers. I enjoy it so I think its worth the money for the entertainment, etc.. We also get video on demand (free) which permits me to watch all the premium channel (HBO, Showtime) programs when I want to watch them, etc.. We also have DVR - but I have not subsribed to that (that would be $9/mo. extra). Cheers -

05-24-2005, 09:18 PM	#9
RSawdey Mr. Wizard Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Ferndale, Michigan Age: 61 Posts: 5,981	If you're getting TNT-HD & InHD you're getting digital cable...

05-25-2005, 08:54 AM	#11
Illanoyze A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 10	I am not receiving Comcast Sports or WGN. I did not order Digital Cable, even the cable guy mentioned that all that I'd be charged is the $5/mo. for the HD Set Top box. This is in addition to the standard basic cable package that I have. Thanks

11-09-2007, 01:24 PM	#14
scottbrown77 Samsung LN-S3251D Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Downingtown, PA 19335 Posts: 188	DeadHead is correct. I have the Digital Starter package with a Small STB on a Sony XBR4 with a QAMs tuner. I get all channels digital channels up to 100 on the STB and I get 150 channels from the ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner on the Sony. HD on all local channels plus univeral HD plus digital Qams channels and analog. A lot of the digital QAMs are are the digital version of the analog channels. If you are on a budget, try the QAMs turn first and see if you get enough channels. You'll get all analog channels up to 100 and all local HD/digital local channels for the same cost as the Total Basic and Standard = $52.40

11-12-2007, 08:04 AM	#15
davekuhlman What is HD? Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1	Will that only work with a QAM tuner? I have the very basic analog cable, ~$12/month. Could I get high def with a Qam tuner? I have a Pioneer Plasma with a 8VSB digital tuner but ahve not been able to get high def channels. Could I with a QAM or do you have to ahve a digitla signal coming in?