@mako wrote:
I'm confused. On one part of the Verizon web-site it states "As a FiOS TV subscriber, any TV connected to FiOS will not be affected by the national transition to digital TV ". However, we know that's not true. You need a STB (it's a small one) to make any analog TV work. It used to be you could just use the cable from the well to the TV and you would get a limited number of channels (less than Comcast actually), but at least you didn't need a STB. Now on one of the forums, I read you do.
If you call 1-888-CALL-FCC, they are telling people you don't need any box if you have cable or satellite you don't need a box. All the news articles are saying the same thing. Why then....do I have TV's that aren't receiving any signal without a STB?
You don't need an ATSC convertor box. But to get FIOS you need a FIOS digital adaptor or a STB. These use QAM, and broadcast now uses ATSC. Verizon dropped the analog channels from being supplied via analog signal from the ONT last year. This freed up additional bandwidth for the big HD expansion. If you have a TV that has a QAM tuner, you can get the local channels on FIOS without a box. Known as QAM with no encryption. If you have cable or satellite the FCC assumes that you have a box for that service. To the best of my knowledge the cable companies are not required to be fully digital. It is the broadcast channels that are changing. I remember Comcast announced last year that they would be fully digital. FIOS has always provided a digital signal and only had analog for a period of time for compatibility.
Message Edited by prisaz on 06-12-2009 08:21 PM
