Analog to digital switch over

[mike2]

I have 2 pvr's each running an analog ATI 550 chipset. Their video feeds come staight from Comcast Cable, no converters. What am I looking at when the switch over occurs next Feb. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[soccerdad]

It just depends on your cable company. I suggest asking them how long they are going to keep the analog stream up. Most are keep the analog side up for some period of time, but I expect they all will eventually go pure digital. This will make you either use set top boxes to your analog cards, or new digital cards for antennas (or clear QAM channels) or the new HDPVR box. It all depends if you are looking for SD or HD, premium channels, or just standard network, or??? Lots of choices and paths.

[whurlston]

Soccerdad's right. The analog shutoff in Frb does not apply to cable. They can remain analog or switch to digital at any time. Only they can tell you if and when they will.

[zaphod7501]

They can remain analog or switch to digital at any time. Only they can tell you if and when they will.

Right now they will probably lie to you, however. Comcast reps swear that they aren't going digital only because that's their big selling point over satellite. This is, of course, the same Comcast that did just switch to all digital in Chicago, about 150 miles to the Northeast of our town.

They did admit about a year ago in an email response that it wasn't in their budget for the next fiscal year but that it was undoubtedly coming in the future. Stage one starts in about a week when they start simulcasting the Basic and Expanded Basic packages. I'll see then if they encrypt them all or not.

Hope for clear QAM but be prepared for decoder boxes. Going 100% digital absolves them of the requirement to maintain analog feeds (until 2012) of local stations .