Sunday, May 18, 2008

Digital Cable Boxes

By Ray Lam

More and more, old-style analogue cable is falling by the wayside - many cable providers have even turned it off altogether. It's being replaced by digital cable, the new generation of cable that allows up to ten times as many channels to be sent down that same line, with a much higher picture quality to boot. Instead of sending those old-fashioned radio waves down the line, digital cable providers send compressed, digital data, much like an Internet connection (in fact, in many cases, they do just go ahead and use a cable Internet connection for the TV signals). As each channel takes up less space, many more channels can be put onto the service. There is also scope for all sorts of interactive services, as data can be sent both ways through the line.

In the past, it was easy to tinker with digital cable boxes and get paid channels for free. Today, with more advanced digital cable boxes, messing with them is much harder though not impossible. These days, cable companies make their cable boxes digitally so that they are much harder to break through or hack. With added security and less chances of getting tampered with, digital cable boxes can offer much more than just TV.

One of the best features with new digital cable boxes is the ability to record programming right on the box. You don't need a VCR or a DVD player to do so, though you would need one of those if you wish to save it forever. Some digital cable boxes allow you to record up to 40 or 80 hours of programming, and some have much more than that. The only problem with this type of recording is that cable boxes sometimes need to be reset, and if that happens, you may lose what you have saved on there. You should still save anything important to DVD if possible so you are sure you don't lose it.

Updated versions of digital cable boxes allows you to order movies right from your television, and you don't have to pick up a phone to make a payment. Payment is made throught your television cable connection. You also have the ability to get HDTV service through your box if you have a compatible television set.

The possibilities for what can be done through a digital cable box are numerous, it would seem, and there can only be great new things on the horizon for the cable companies and those that subscribe to their services. With things like telephone and even Internet coming through the cable lines, your box could be the center of your home communication and entertainment needs one day.

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