Aaron N Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Just wondering how many people have real digital cable? I decided to get "digital" cable a month ago and was disappointed that there was no coax, opt, or rf3 out on the box. Does anyone else actually have these outputs with their digital cable? I've noticed that HBO has shown some movies in DD but I obviously couldn't hear it in DD. Hopefully, by what the cable guy said, there should be a unit coming in a year that will have true digital outputs. "Digital" music offered by the cable company is definitely not as clean as CD's like they advertise it to be. I feel the protrusion of a large L beginning to surface on my forehead..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 uh oh... I just signed up with Tele-Media to (FINALLY!!!) get broadband cable access to my house. I am soooooo tired of connecting at 14.4, or sometimes 28.8 on a GOOD day (Oxford is, apparently, in outer slobovia as far as Southern New England Telephone is concerned, and I think Alexander Bell hisself strung my phone lines...) so Cable Modem here I come. On the audio/video side, I was assuming I'd get a Scientific Fidelity box with the coax PCM digital audio output. Sounds like maybe that was unwarrented optimism. What DO you get with your cable; just a left / right analog jack? And, who's your cable service provider? ------------------ Music is art Audio is engineering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffgeorge Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 LOSERS! I have a Motorolla cable box that has a space on the back for a digital output, but there is a plate screwed over top of it. I just moved to this area, and need a new roof, so I was putting off installing my DirecTv, which does have DD, Thank you! ------------------ RF-3's : mains RC-3 : center RS-3's : surrounds KSW-12: subwoofer Receiver: Denon 2801 DVD: Panasonic DVD-A120 CD: Yamaha CDC-765 Cables: Tributaries Sat Receiver: Hughes Direct-TV DD5.1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 I have been using digital cable for almost 2 years. I have an AC3 coax output on my cable box which is a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2000. Even though I do have the AC3 output, all digital cable channels are in 2 channel digital pro logic. So I get a digital signal to my reciever, but only 2 channels. Apparently my cable company is too cheap to provide all 5.1 DD channels. More likely, they can not afford that bandwidth that it would take. I believe a DD 5.1 bit stream takes about 384k/s by itself. There is a night an day difference on the digital sound vs the analog sound recieved on non digital cable channels. Picture quality has about the same improvement. Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somperson Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 Is HBO showing in DD? Cause from what I have they still don't according to their website (HBO.com). I have a Dish and I don't think HBO is doing DD yet unless your talking about HDTV Broadcasts. If anyone know lemme know... JPK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 yea i've had the scientific atlanta explorer 2000's digital audio out connected by tributary rca coax to the coax digital in on my receiver for a while now. i finally did get showtime & hbo added & a few of showtime movies are broadcast in DD 5.1 (lfe & all). no such luck w/ hbo though - just dolby surround/prologic there but still sounds much better than analog prologic. & the digital music channels sound pretty impressive in 5 channel stereo mode (& no commercials compared to FM radio. jeff G, can u get that plate/cover off (unscrew the cover) or is it soldered/welded on? aaron, most cable guys don't even know bout the digital audio out on the boxes. be sure the box back doesn't actually have 1. what kinda dig box do u have? if no go there ask a few at the cableco if they have a sciatlanta explorer box or something newer w/ that output. ------------------ Klipsch KLF 30 (front), KLF C-7, Cornwall I (rear) Velodyne HGS-18 sub woofer Monsterbass 400 sub interconnects & Monster CX-2 biwire & Z-12 cable Marantz SR-8000 receiver Sony DVP-C650D cd/dvd player Sony Trinitron 27" stereo tv Toshiba hi-fi stereo vcr Technics dual cassette deck Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2000 digital cable box Boa's Listenin Lounge: Klipsch RF-3 (front), RC-3, cheap little Technics (rear) Monster MCX Biwires Sony STR-DE935 a/v receiver Kenwood KR-9600 AM/FM stereo receiver (vintage 1975) Russound AB-2 receiver switch to RF-3 Teac PD-D1200 5-disk cd changer Technics direct drive turntable Sega Genesis game player Sub: None yet rock on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted May 22, 2001 Share Posted May 22, 2001 i should add that for the digital boxes w/ dig audio out jacks, if u want to hear analog broadcasts thru your receiver, u still have to connect the analog audio out jacks on your dig box to the analog inputs on your receiver; or, if u want to control the volume w/ the tv, then connect from the box to the tv to the receiver analog inputs. w/ this your ht receiver can still decode any 2 channel or pcm broadcasts into prologic, but it won't be as good as that from a digital bitstream. ------------------ Klipsch KLF 30 (front), KLF C-7, Cornwall I (rear) Velodyne HGS-18 sub woofer Monsterbass 400 sub interconnects & Monster CX-2 biwire & Z-12 cable Marantz SR-8000 receiver Sony DVP-C650D cd/dvd player Sony Trinitron 27" stereo tv Toshiba hi-fi stereo vcr Technics dual cassette deck Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2000 digital cable box Boa's Listenin Lounge: Klipsch RF-3 (front), RC-3, cheap little Technics (rear) Monster MCX Biwires Sony STR-DE935 a/v receiver Kenwood KR-9600 AM/FM stereo receiver (vintage 1975) Russound AB-2 receiver switch to RF-3 Teac PD-D1200 5-disk cd changer Technics direct drive turntable Sega Genesis game player Sub: None yet rock on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decibel man Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 I am also about to make the jump into digital cable and internet access. Adelphia ia the provider here, but my parents are about 20 minutes south of me and have Time Warner Cable. They have a Pioneer digital receiver with an optical digital out and the front of the receiver says "Dolby Digital 5.1". Now of coarse my parents do not even have a stereo, so they have now idea what they have. They just like all of the menu options and the pay-per-view selection. I don't like being jealous of my parents equipment, it is just not right! JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 d-man, i had a pioneer dig set-top before "upgrading" to the sciatlanta 2000 (u did mean a pioneer set top box i take it?) the pioneer had a dig audio out rca/coax jack. optical out on a cable box must be a real rarity - never seen that. the dbs boxes do seem to use the optical though over a coax. guys, if u have dig cable & no dig out, u need to lean on these cable cos to get u 1. you're missing out on another digital gadget that u should have free w/ digital service. talk to the supervisor if needed or call their local store if they have 1. i just yanked the old box & hauled it into AOL TW store & exchanged. ------------------ Klipsch KLF 30 (front), KLF C-7, Cornwall I (rear) Velodyne HGS-18 sub woofer Monsterbass 400 sub interconnects & Monster CX-2 biwire & Z-12 cable Marantz SR-8000 receiver Sony DVP-C650D cd/dvd player Sony Trinitron 27" stereo tv Toshiba hi-fi stereo vcr Technics dual cassette deck Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2000 digital cable box Boa's Listenin Lounge: Klipsch RF-3 (front), RC-3, cheap little Technics (rear) Monster MCX Biwires Sony STR-DE935 a/v receiver Kenwood KR-9600 AM/FM stereo receiver (vintage 1975) Russound AB-2 receiver switch to RF-3 Teac PD-D1200 5-disk cd changer Technics direct drive turntable Sega Genesis game player Sub: None yet rock on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decibel man Posted May 23, 2001 Share Posted May 23, 2001 Pardon my lack of detail. I re-read that post and confused myself. I was talking about a set-top cable box. The strange part is that it is in a dbs receiver size box, and not the usual narrow small cable box. My cable company is having all of its customers switch to digital cable on or after June 19. They are now offering one free month of cable and internet service. I don't know what to do, I don't think I can handle a stable and fast ISP. Not to mention, digital sound for my HT system? I think I may just have to get the bunny ears back out, and maybe even bust out an eight track player. This technology stuff is just too much for me. Pre-historically analog, JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilH Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 I think the big problem here is the leader is just staying one step ahead of the competition, and no more. For years, cable TV was the only "step up" from terrestrial broadcasting and made no advances whatsoever in quality. DBS enters the market and cable starts adding channels immediately. Then DBS programming services (Direct and Dish) add a few Dolby Digital channels and two (one a repeating demo channel)HDTV channels. Cable goes "digital" (halfway) and is still trying to catch up. The DBS services know this and have made little effort to offer anything new in the last year or two...no new HD channels and no new Dolby Digital audio. So we have all these nice new digital and HDTV's to choose from along with most every receiver capable of DD decoding...but nothing much to see or hear from any end of the broadcasting industry. Those of us who care need to get LOUDER about what we want. This is just my opinion, but I know many in both engineering and the FCC who worked hard to get this technology to market feel just as frustrated as we do about the lack of progress of this exciting new format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 amen phil! we can make a dif - get out those pitchforks! like u say & imho gov regulation is not the answer. we consumers are. show them your demand & they will come! ------------------ Klipsch KLF 30 (front), KLF C-7, Cornwall I (rear) Velodyne HGS-18 sub woofer Monsterbass 400 sub interconnects & Monster CX-2 biwire & Z-12 cable Marantz SR-8000 receiver Sony DVP-C650D cd/dvd player Sony Trinitron 27" stereo tv Toshiba hi-fi stereo vcr Technics dual cassette deck Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2000 digital cable box Boa's Listenin Lounge: Klipsch RF-3 (front), RC-3, cheap little Technics (rear) Monster MCX Biwires Sony STR-DE935 a/v receiver Kenwood KR-9600 AM/FM stereo receiver (vintage 1975) Russound AB-2 receiver switch to RF-3 Teac PD-D1200 5-disk cd changer Technics direct drive turntable Sega Genesis game player Sub: None yet rock on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffgeorge Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 BOA 12, I took the cover off and guess what... an empty hole, a view to the circuit panel inside. These companies need to get with the late 20th, and now the 21st century. I think I'll put my DD dish up early. ------------------ RF-3's : mains RC-3 : center RS-3's : surrounds KSW-12: subwoofer Receiver: Denon 2801 DVD: Panasonic DVD-A120 CD: Yamaha CDC-765 Cables: Tributaries Sat Receiver: Hughes Direct-TV DD5.1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 jeff, that's a downer. do u have dig cable service/channels. if so, before u try dbs, i'd call the cableco or their store & talk to somebody that knows what's going on. if they don't have a clue what you're talking about ask to talk to someone that does. tell them that you're leaving if u can't get a good box. digital cable is great w/ the right equipment & set-up. beware that cable will progress imo at a very fast rate, f.e., broadband interactivity from your tv. on the otherhand, dbs is light years away from that (well at least on the ability for broadband uploads). for instance, any movie in 5.1 any time u want w/ just a few clicks on your remote. how is dbs going to compete w/ that kind of interactivity? my guess is that you'll see quite a few defections from dbs back to cable when these innovations take hold. ------------------ Klipsch KLF 30 (front), KLF C-7, Cornwall I (rear) Velodyne HGS-18 sub woofer Monsterbass 400 sub interconnects & Monster CX-2 biwire & Z-12 cable Marantz SR-8000 receiver Sony DVP-C650D cd/dvd player Sony Trinitron 27" stereo tv Toshiba hi-fi stereo vcr Technics dual cassette deck Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2000 digital cable box Boa's Listenin Lounge: Klipsch RF-3 (front), RC-3, cheap little Technics (rear) Monster MCX Biwires Sony STR-DE935 a/v receiver Kenwood KR-9600 AM/FM stereo receiver (vintage 1975) Russound AB-2 receiver switch to RF-3 Teac PD-D1200 5-disk cd changer Technics direct drive turntable Sega Genesis game player Sub: None yet rock on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bensilb Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 I agree with PhilH. The technology is there its just a matter of getting it out. Both ends blame each other for the delay. Satellite companies blame the network and the vise versa. I know Dish Network offers receivers with digital outputs. Digital Cable often bashes satellite companies main attacking the equipment purchasing. They do this because they are scared. They know the DirecTV and The Dish Network offer more. Also the purchase of the equipment is not the worst thing in the world. Most of the time there are great deals out there. You just have to look. While digital cable seems like the easy way out, satellite seems to offer more. I know people who have tried digital cable and canceled it because the service was bad. What do you do if you are moving? Do you have to remove the satellite or buy a new one? No not at allThe Dish Network tells you to leave your dish and they give you a new one for free. They are hoping this is an incentive for the new inhabitants to sign up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted June 7, 2001 Share Posted June 7, 2001 soon digital cable will have the ability to upload info by remote & order any movie, any time. same as making the trip to blockbuster. maybe dbs will give u the ability to order stuff over a phone line, but it won't be broadband via remote uploading like w/ cable. also, a big reason i never really looked at dbs was that u can't get your local stations as w/ cable. looks like now u can w/ dbs, but at an added cost. cable has a close bond w/ the community (or village as hillary would say). they give u weather/emergency warnings & such on any channel. for whatever that's worth. & no i don't work for the cable company ------------------ Klipsch KLF 30 (front), KLF C-7, Cornwall I (rear) Velodyne HGS-18 sub woofer Monsterbass 400 sub interconnects & Monster CX-2 biwire & Z-12 cable Marantz SR-8000 receiver Sony DVP-C650D cd/dvd player Sony Trinitron 27" stereo tv Toshiba hi-fi stereo vcr Technics dual cassette deck Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2000 digital cable box Boa's Listenin Lounge: Klipsch RF-3 (front), RC-3, cheap little Technics (rear) Monster MCX Biwires Sony STR-DE935 a/v receiver Kenwood KR-9600 AM/FM stereo receiver (vintage 1975) Russound AB-2 receiver switch to RF-3 Teac PD-D1200 5-disk cd changer Technics direct drive turntable Sega Genesis game player Sub: None yet rock on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted June 7, 2001 Share Posted June 7, 2001 quote: Originally posted by boa12: cable has a close bond w/ the community (or village as hillary would say). they give u weather/emergency warnings & such on any channel. Not to mention their contribution of a lovely cable pedestal to your front-yard landscaping - which wouldn't be so bad if I was a cable subscriber, but I'm NOT and have no intentions of it (grrr......) This message has been edited by dougdrake on 06-07-2001 at 06:34 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted June 7, 2001 Share Posted June 7, 2001 sorry about that dd; hope they get it below ground for u soon. it's above ground here too but so are the phone & electric lines so we'd have the poles anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted June 7, 2001 Share Posted June 7, 2001 Not every California law would I wish upon this nation... but one that I do is the law that requires ALL utility wires to be below ground by a certain date. In my native suburb of San Francisco, I see steady progress to this end. Dougdrake, your flaming protest is proper here... and even more so to the authorities. Arizona is too beautiful for such ugliness in the name of progress or economy. Breathe that fire under those who can make a difference in your community. I did... and so did my neighbors... and our world is changing! HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted June 7, 2001 Share Posted June 7, 2001 after my last post, i started thinking that dd may have underground cables, but still the lil post above ground for the cable guy. those too soon should be a thing of the past as tech progresses & everything is handled from the centralized computer. i just ordered hbo/showtime by phone & it was there within a minute. soon we won't even need the phone. i wasn't trying to be real pro cable as i know they too have their downsides. but i think that w/ the current communications limitations of sat(look what happened w/ iridium) & aol's acquisition of time warner, cable will pull ahead w/ those features in the near future. though wireless tech is something to watch for too. maybe a wireless-sat consortium. i just hope they hurry up w/ it already w/o upseting the environment. is that too much to ask? This message has been edited by boa12 on 06-07-2001 at 04:14 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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