New Technology

[Jonathan Hutchins]

On Saturday 05 July 2008 10:09:39 pm Matthew Copple wrote:

> Right now, most cable companies offer the "Basic" cable
> tier on an analog signal, including TWC and Comcast here in town. Older TVs
> with the BNC connector on the back accept the analog signal.

We are confusing the distribution method with the delivery method.  

The connection between the "cable box"  and the TV can be RF (BNC connector), 
Composite (usually a yellow RCA connector), or digital for digital TV's 
(there are a number of other options on newer TV's, but this covers most).

TW's "Analog Tier" is sent over their distribution system as analog RF 
television.  The only real advantage of this is that a "Cable Ready" TV can 
be used to tune it without an external box.

Cable Ready TV's were a great idea, but cable companies were afraid that 
people would "steal cable", so they developed incompatible technologies that 
required a cable box.   (This was _before_ digital cable.)

I've always felt like it was a reasonable thing to go back to the concept of 
component entertainment centers, with (possibly multiple) separate receivers 
and a monitor that was nothing more than a display, with no transient tuning 
capability built into it.  Why make a big fuss about legislating a digital 
tuner in new TV's when an external tuner made more sense?

Anyway, whether the signal on the wires is digital or analog makes no 
practical difference if you have an external receiver.