My digital cable box is decoding a digital signal from my cable company. They have what is referred to as a 750 Mhz system. So that box can decode any channel frequency up to 750Mhz, correct? DTV channels may fall within 750Mhz, but what if they're not a recognizable digital signal? Sort of like USB and Firewire are both digital signals, but not interchangable. If SA equipment is used to encode the signal at the headend, then send it out to SA boxes for decoding...and Motorola equipment is used to encode boxes in AT&T's headend, to send out to Motorola boxes for decoding...perhaps they use special ways of encoding the digital signal that is not the same as DTV signals. Does this make any sense or do I just sound like a babbling idiot?

The only HD channel I've seen with HD digital cable box is one PBS channel 501. (free that is)

They call it "HDTV demonstration loop"

I get 8 HD channels right now, and soon it's supposed to be something like 15-20 before year's end

Now are those 8 included with the basic dig cable package or are the those HBO/Showtime channels????

Here in Cary, NC, the local cable company (Time Warner Cable) offers HD broadcasts (HBO, Showtime and all of the local affiliates currently doing HD) over their digital cable network. Of course, you do need an HDTV to view HD images and you do need an HD-capable digital cable tuner to decode the cable signal into HD. However, they charge no more for the HD-capable digital cable tuner than they do for the "regular" digital cable tuner. They also do not charge extra for the HD channels. Since those channels have to be broadcast within the digital tier of service, you do have to subscribe to the digital level of service. If you are paying for the HBO collection of channels, you also get HBO in HD at no extra charge. Ditto for Showtime. Of course, you do have to tune into the correct channel to get the HD version of any of the supported channels. If you get CBS on channel 6, for example, tuning to channel 6 will NOT give you HD images. You have to check the channel guide and find out which channel they use for the HD version of CBS. It will be within the digital tier of channels, so it could be 101 or 252 or whatever.

Now, some local stations actually have multiple digital channels and may broadcast in a combination of resolutions. My local CBS station runs an analog station, an HD digital station (mostly the same shows but some HD documentaries instead of game shows or whatever at different times of day) plus a standard defintion digital station that is a 24-hour news station. During the March Madness basketball tournament, they changed over to four standard definition digital channels, so you could watch any or every game. Since they also own the local Fox station, they broadcast any game that was being shot in HD over the Fox station in HD. It was a basketball lover's wet dream.

Of course, that's just the way they do it here. The cable company in your community may handle it entirely differently (charging extra for the HD tuners or the content or whatever). Some restrictions apply. Your mileage may vary.

OK Thanks a lot for the info Jerry, I guess I dont get any local channels in HD, now anyway. I have the channel guide with me, and the only HD channels I can get are HBO and Showtime which I have not signed up to get anyway...

I keep seeing a local channel WXII (Winston-Salem NC) advertising "the first local channel broadcasted in HD" so I though maybe it would be the same channel, not a seperate channel as you noted that would be in HD..

I knew there was not extra charge to get the HD reciever put in so I said "what the hell go nothin to lose"!!!! I hope in the future, which they probably will, is add more HD channels so I can take advantage of my HDTV...

Thanks again Jerry

I get HBO HD and Showtime HD because I have the HBO package and HBO package. All I need to get the local HD channels is the digital tier, one of my HD locals is channel 1004...weird huh? It's great cause I'm already on the second generation HD box and soon I'll be upgrading to my third...and it doesn't cost me a dime.

Maybe I'll get the digital premium channels. That will give me 4 HD channels...

First I'll have to "con" my wife into it though... LOL

I have TWC in New York City right now we get HBO, Showtime, NBC, CBS, Fox(Upconvert), ABC(Upconvert), UPN(Upconvert), and PBS in HD. Not a lot but better than nothing. They are also testing out the SA Video in Demand.

I have a client that has Adelphia Cable (they cover some areas in MA), and she just bought a High Def TV. So, we called Adelphia to ask if they supply any High Definition Channels, and this was the response we got from the customer service lady... "Yep we sure do" so We asked how much it was more for the HD converter and she said "What are you talking about? Don't you have the digital cable box? Thta has a VERY high definition picture." So we said "No no no, see we have a HDTV and want to recieve a HD signal" And her response was "I just bought one too, and I just love watching shows in high def with my digital cable box" ...I hung up I couldn't belive they paid this woman to work for them. She had absolutely no Idea what HDTV was and obviously was dumb enough to buy the TV thinking that her picture was HD. I ended up writing Adelphia 2 weeks ago from their website and have not yet recieved a response. I assume the aswer is a big NO.

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just hooked the TWC HD cable box in two of my clients houses. So far a major disapointment. They Really compress the signal compared to off air or Sat. Digital audio only works on certain channels, not full time. When your in the reg. side of the sig. ( "S", or composite the box does not scale down the HD to 480I. When you want the channel guide to come up in the HD mode they can't do a screen overlay. Alas first generation devices are always short of the mark.

Gary,

If you installed an SA 3100HD its a second Generation product if its the SA 2100hd its first. Here is NYC we don't have the problems you talk about.

Foamman

My Box here in Winston-Salem NC is the SA 3100HD.