[CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/issue

[CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/issue
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Forums » US Cable Support » Charter HSI/CATV » [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/issue

nissandave @ 2nd Nov 01:17AM:
[CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/issue

I just ditched directv to sign up for charter internet/HD-Digital Cable TV. Had cable before and had billing problems and service issues. Anyway, I am very displeased with the picture of my HD/Digital cable now. We got a Motorola DCH-6200 box and let me tell you....it looks pathetic!!!!!! If I had to bet my life on it, I would say that the picture I am getting on non-HD channels are all an analog signal. It looks bad! When I called in my service order, I specifically asked if I subscribed to HDTV/Digital Home with Digital ViewPlus, would all my channels, including the lower number channels be in digital signal, not analog. Two different reps told me Yes.

Now this may really be a really dumb question, but here goes. When I looked up the specs on the DCH-6200, the spec sheet states that this box has analog capabilities. Does this mean that it will be compatible with an analog-only tv set, or does it mean that it shows channels in analog format on HDTV's and/or non-HDTV's? The Motorola website states:

"Motorola's analog-digital DCH6200 Host set-top supports HDTV, SDTV and data with advanced features and a wide array of interfaces."

Oh BTW I have a Vizio 46" VW46L-FHDTV10A tv. Thanks in advance for any help on this. I am thinking about calling Charter up tomorrow and telling them I want a DCH-3200 box.
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KoRnGtL15 @ 2nd Nov 02:09AM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

Quality varies by area. In my area. Directv blows away Charter HD. The HD is horrible with Charter. When Directv hooked us up. I was blown away and felt ripped off having Charter with all the bells and whistles. That was highly compressed HD. Simply no comparison to Directv. Directv is also all digital. Charter has not converted yet to all digital with every station SD wise. That is what I heard any ways about the digital part with Charter. If I am wrong. Some one can correct me. If every thing checks out signal wise and what not. Even if you exchange the box. And you still get the same results. Chalk it up as poor HD quality that Charter has in the area you are in.
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nissandave @ 4th Nov 09:52PM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

So if I got Charter to switch out the dch6200 with a dch3200, would I get a better picture?
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anon @ 4th Nov 10:17PM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

Whatever channels are listed in the expanded basic and basic lineup are analog no changeing that
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BF69 @ 5th Nov 09:21AM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

Anything below Ch 100 is going to be analog. Anything 100 and above will be digital.

How do you have it hooked up? HDMI, component( red, green, blue plugs ), other?
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BF69 @ 5th Nov 09:28AM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

said by KoRnGtL15 :

Directv is also all digital. Charter has not converted yet to all digital with every station SD wise.

Comcast is doing that and everyone is bitching about have to have a box now. Same thing will happen to Charter with all the people that are on the expanded basic tier.

If every thing checks out signal wise and what not. Even if you exchange the box. And you still get the same results. Chalk it up as poor HD quality that Charter has in the area you are in.

could be bad HD quality. Could be maybe he's got the signal split off too many times. Could be the coax in his house is old. cold be it's RG-59 instead of RG-6 could be he has some inteference issues. In which case having quad shielded rg-6 would help. Could be a lot of things. Just to assume "Charter HD sucks" in not accurate. The fact his SD digital signals also look crappy makes me think there is a problem with his signal. What specifically could be causing signal issues could be many things.
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MadCity @ 5th Nov 10:25AM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

said by BF69 :

Anything below Ch 100 is going to be analog. Anything 100 and above will be digital.

That's not entirely true about double digit channels being analog and above 100 being digital.

A lot of systems are all digital simulcasting both analog and digital channels on the basic and expanded tier.

Here in Madison, WI we have had all digital simulcasting since 2005. If you have a converter box then it will automatically tune to the digital version of a channel on the basic or expanded tiers.

If you just plug your tv into the cable without a cable box, then you will get the analog version of the channels.
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nissandave @ 5th Nov 10:26PM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

It is a Vizio HDTV hooked up with an HDMI cable.
When I view the "Review Configuration" screen of the DCH6200, it states on the 6th line on the right column:

NTSC/PAL: NTSC

I am logically assuming that this means that the signals that cable box is outputting to the tv is analog, because according to my understanding, NTSC means analog.
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BF69 @ 5th Nov 11:25PM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

said by nissandave :

It is a Vizio HDTV hooked up with an HDMI cable.
When I view the "Review Configuration" screen of the DCH6200, it states on the 6th line on the right column:

NTSC/PAL: NTSC

I am logically assuming that this means that the signals that cable box is outputting to the tv is analog, because according to my understanding, NTSC means analog.

No it's telling you that the analog output is in NTSC format not PAL( which is what they use in Europe ). That doesn't mean that what it is putting out at that moment is analog.
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Metatron2008 @ 6th Nov 03:56AM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

Why did you cancel Directv? For 30 hd channels?

Until SDV truly kicks off, cable will not compete with satelittle/fios/iptv offerings...
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nissandave @ 6th Nov 01:43PM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

I just got tired of paying $81/month for tv. I believe I am going to just go back to Dish. I talked to dish installer a couple weeks ago and he said that Dish is a lot more reilable than before. I dumped dish becuase the third satellite signal was hard to receive because it was fixed so low in the sky. I have been told that Dish has another HD satellite that is much higher in the sky now.
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msmisfit @ 6th Nov 02:58PM:
Re: [CATV] Just got reconnected to digital cable, but have ?'s/i

As said by others, it depends on location, but I can't imagine satellite TV giving me a better picture than I get through Charter.

However, I confess, I don't use my direct cable connection to the TV often. I mainly use my DVD recorder tuner or Charter's DVR tuner.

Can't defend their pricing vs Satellite though. :(
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