[net.consumers] Does cable-ready still need a converter?

tkoppel@udenva.UUCP (Ted Koppel) (05/07/85)

I just purchased a cable-ready TV; it really does accept/convert the
cable signal on all 56 (?) channels that United Cable of Colorado
sends out.  I went to return my converter box this morning, and the
people at the cable office said that EVEN THOUGH I had
cable-ready, operational equipment, I still needed to run the cable
signal through their box, because of something called 'influx' or
something like that.  It was explained that my TV accepts signals
between 50 and 300 (ohms? mhz?) and that United Cable sneds the signal
at 500 (ohms? mhz?); since my TV can't handle the excess signal then
it screws up the viewers down the line.

My question:  Is this for real?  Why buy cable-ready if I have to keep
the converter box?  Etc.

Thanks...

Ted Koppel : University of Denver Penrose Library : 303-871-3429
	{boulder, cires, cisden, denelcor, hao, nbires}!udenva!tkoppel
	{bilanc, csm9a, elsi, koala}!udenva!tkoppel

brown@nic_vax.UUCP (05/09/85)

> I just purchased a cable-ready TV; it really does accept/convert the
> cable signal on all 56 (?) channels that United Cable of Colorado
> sends out.  I went to return my converter box this morning, and the
> people at the cable office said that EVEN THOUGH I had
> cable-ready, operational equipment, I still needed to run the cable
> signal through their box, because of something called 'influx' or
> something like that.  It was explained that my TV accepts signals
> between 50 and 300 (ohms? mhz?) and that United Cable sneds the signal
> at 500 (ohms? mhz?); since my TV can't handle the excess signal then
> it screws up the viewers down the line.
> 
> My question:  Is this for real?  Why buy cable-ready if I have to keep
> the converter box?  Etc.

Boy, is this one weird.  

1. A 56 channel system is 50 - 400 MHz.  36 channel system is 50-300 MHz.

2. Infux? You got me.

I have never heard of whatever they are trying to tell you.  A good cable
system will have taps (feed to individual house or apartment building) that
is meant to withstand things like shorts and signals being fed back into
the cable system.  Nothing the users does to the line, bar putting 120 vac
on the line, should cause any problems.

I suggest that you call and talk to their chief engineer.  Get the scoop
straight from him.  Never, and I mean never, trust font office poeple.
They are just hired help, and normally don't know what they are talking
about. (Here come the flames!)  If that engineer says that you have to
use their box, get accurate details about why, send them to me and I will
talk with our cable engineers and find out why.  If they say you have to
use their box you could also sue them for the cost of the TV that you
didn't have to buy.  Either way I still would like to find out their
reasons.

-- 
              |------------|
              | |-------| o|    JVC HRD725U 
Mr. Video     | |       | o|  |--------------|
              | |       |  |  | |----| o o o |
              | |-------| O|  |--------------|
              |------------|     VHS Hi-Fi (the only way to go)
   (!ihnp4!uwvax!astroatc!nic_vax!brown)

ogre@mhuxl.UUCP (LO COCO) (05/13/85)

> talk with our cable engineers and find out why.  If they say you have to
> use their box you could also sue them for the cost of the TV that you
> didn't have to buy.  Either way I still would like to find out their
> reasons.
>    (!ihnp4!uwvax!astroatc!nic_vax!brown)

Could you really sue a cable company for the cost of the TV that you didn't
have to buy? I'm in a situation right now where I'm a slave to the converter
box in order to get the pay channels. It is especially frustrating when I
want to program recordings of different channels and I have to be there to
change the channel on the converter box.

	(...mhuxl!ogre)

ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (05/15/85)

> Could you really sue a cable company for the cost of the TV that you didn't
> have to buy?

You could always sue, I doubt you'll win.

brown@nicmad.UUCP (05/16/85)

> > talk with our cable engineers and find out why.  If they say you have to
> > use their box you could also sue them for the cost of the TV that you
> > didn't have to buy.  Either way I still would like to find out their
> > reasons.
> >    (!ihnp4!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!brown)
                              ^^^^^^  system name change

> Could you really sue a cable company for the cost of the TV that you didn't
> have to buy? I'm in a situation right now where I'm a slave to the converter
> box in order to get the pay channels. It is especially frustrating when I
> want to program recordings of different channels and I have to be there to
> change the channel on the converter box.
> 
> 	(...mhuxl!ogre)

Ah, the converter box that is needed for pay channels.  I'm afraid that you
are a loser on that one.  Read the manual carefully.  Just about every manual
that I have read for a cable ready device, has a disclaimer about pay channels.
The bottom line of the disclaimer says that some cable companies require a
special decoder in order to receive the pay channels.

But to buy a cable ready TV or VCR that can't be used on a cable system,
without getting pay channels that are scrambled, is a problem that the
cable company has to address.  They should send out a mailer about cable
ready TVs and VCRs indicating that they can't be used (which is still find
strange) and to inform potential customers about such.  The cable company
could be in trouble over not telling anyone.

I am still waiting for mail for net news about that cable company.

-- 
              |------------|
              | |-------| o|    JVC HRD725U 
Mr. Video     | |       | o|  |--------------|
              | |       |  |  | |----| o o o |
              | |-------| O|  |--------------|
              |------------|     VHS Hi-Fi (the only way to go)
   ({!seismo,!ihnp4}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!brown)

ewiles@netex.UUCP (Ed Wiles ) (05/17/85)

> I just purchased a cable-ready TV; it really does accept/convert the
> cable signal on all 56 (?) channels that United Cable of Colorado
> sends out.  I went to return my converter box this morning, and the
> people at the cable office said that EVEN THOUGH I had
> cable-ready, operational equipment, I still needed to run the cable
> signal through their box, because of something called 'influx' or
> something like that.  It was explained that my TV accepts signals
> between 50 and 300 (ohms? mhz?) and that United Cable sneds the signal
> at 500 (ohms? mhz?); since my TV can't handle the excess signal then
> it screws up the viewers down the line.
> 
	Unfortunately, some cable companies seem to go out of their
way to make things hard.  Since you seem to be saying that they transmit
at 500 ohms, then you will either need their box, or a simple transformer
to convert from 500 to either 300 or 75 ohms. Sorry, but the only
transformers I know of for certain go from 75 to 300 and vice versa.

					Hope You find one that works!

						E. L. Wiles
						Net Express
						Mc Lean, Virginia