"Digital Cable"
- Thread starter mkillio
- Start date
mkillio said:
We didn't find it to be so (last year), but we did it anyway. I'm a big believer that when you have a choice go with the highest quality connections available to you, just on general principle. Yes, I've contributed my share of revenue to companies that make new connectors (man, that first optical sound cable for the DVD player was like $50!)
I'm assuming by "digital cable" you don't really mean HD, but rather just digital to the cable box, providing a ton more channels.
But now we have real HD cable, and that is just marvy. Now if they could only come to agreement with the local ABC channel to get their HD included. . .
I have an HD ready TV but Idon't want to buy a box for it yet and so yes it is just a "regular" digital cable box, although it does have digital and coax audio out on it. It also has S-Video. The cable input on my t.v. is broken so I have hooked in through the composite. Do you think it's worth it to get a S-Video cable?
Joe DeFuria
Legend
Yes, use the s-video cable.
However, if your TV is HDTV ready, it should have component inputs as well...check with your cable provider to see if they have a high-def cable box which will have component connectors. My cable company doesn't charge any extra for high-def vs. standard digital cable boxes, and the number of channels being offered in high def is significant.
However, if your TV is HDTV ready, it should have component inputs as well...check with your cable provider to see if they have a high-def cable box which will have component connectors. My cable company doesn't charge any extra for high-def vs. standard digital cable boxes, and the number of channels being offered in high def is significant.
At the very least, get the S-Video cable. Its a world of difference when compared to composite.
And component is even better.
And component is even better.
I'd go right for the component, myself, tho I know those cables aren't cheap. But at least s-video, as if I recall the main difference there is it separates out the color a little better (i.e. less bleeding).
We're using both coax audio and optical audio at the moment, and damned if I can hear a difference between them.
We're using both coax audio and optical audio at the moment, and damned if I can hear a difference between them.
mkillio said:
If it's a digital coax audio(single cable, not red/white) vs optical audio then they are identical. If you mean the normal red/white RCA then the optical is better. The digital cable box I used to have had coax digital audio, and on some movie channels we could get Dolby 5.1 surround. I had a Scientific Atlanta Explorer (2500?) box from Cox.
PS, does anyone know of a digital audio output mod for DirecTV D10-200 boxes? Damn cheap things don't have it by default, even though the DVR and HD receivers have one.
"Digital Cable" is false advertisement.
Many of the channels (Usually the first 100 or so) are actually still an analog signal, and the only thing the "digital" part does is compress the audio/video so they can fit more channels into the bandwidth limitation of their coax cable.
The end result is that "digital cable" signals are usually lower quality than analog, with obvious dithering and a subtle phasing of the audio. In many markets you can't even get digital audio with the digital cable unless you get the HDTV package. They may have a digital audio out on the box, but it's really only an analog Dolby Prologic signal.
Many of the channels (Usually the first 100 or so) are actually still an analog signal, and the only thing the "digital" part does is compress the audio/video so they can fit more channels into the bandwidth limitation of their coax cable.
The end result is that "digital cable" signals are usually lower quality than analog, with obvious dithering and a subtle phasing of the audio. In many markets you can't even get digital audio with the digital cable unless you get the HDTV package. They may have a digital audio out on the box, but it's really only an analog Dolby Prologic signal.
digitalwanderer
Legend
I was sooo pissed when I found out that "digital cable" had nothing to do with a digital signal! 
Then again, I love me digital cable....it offers more than twice the channels of the basic cable package and is actually pretty cheap. We used to only have one "digital cable" tuner, but I picked up a second one for the kids since they added about 3 more Nickelodeon channels and my kids have started watching the educational channels a bit too.
I would LOVE to find a tv-card for a PC that tuned "digital cable" channels, but I don't think any exist yet.
Then again, I love me digital cable....it offers more than twice the channels of the basic cable package and is actually pretty cheap. We used to only have one "digital cable" tuner, but I picked up a second one for the kids since they added about 3 more Nickelodeon channels and my kids have started watching the educational channels a bit too.
I would LOVE to find a tv-card for a PC that tuned "digital cable" channels, but I don't think any exist yet.
Uhhh, digital cable is digital.
The upper channels are all digital, and the audio is, also.
But, remember, digital doesn't mean 'better', it just means digital.
The upper channels are all digital, and the audio is, also.
But, remember, digital doesn't mean 'better', it just means digital.
Joe DeFuria
Legend
Powderkeg said:
Yes, but that will eventually be phased out.
The reason why this exists is because there's lots of people with "cable ready" TVs and VCRs that don't want to rent a box.
Over the coming years when (hopefully) cable-card becomes the next "cable ready" standard, cable providers will be able to go "all digital" for all channels.
