Digital cable service = digital or analog capture?

[kisk]

I have digitial cable. Does that mean that my Leadtek TV2000XP Deluxe preforms digital captures or am I still capturing via analog regardless of the source? If analog, is it because of the hardware or the software that I am capturing analog?

thx,
- kisk

[ImaWeTodd]

Now I don't have digital cable, but don't you only get some channels digital?

And don't you need a special box to get the other channels?

And your special box can't output some special digital signal or your plain old tv couldn't use it.

Given this info, I'd say going from the cable line to the box is the only possible digital link. If you put anything before the box, it wouldn't know the signal. If you put anything after the box, the box just outputs analog, so that's all you get.

In short... I'd say It's analog.

Also, It is my understanding that you can't really capture digital except free DVB broadcasts. Check capture cards list. There is a Digital TV option. 13 cards show up.

[lordsmurf]

Digital transmissions are digitally sent but analog played by receivers. Your capture card grabs analog and converts digital. Only way to grab the digital is to grab the data directly (more of a transfer or download, not really a "capture"), not through composite, component, coax, s-video, etc.

[ImaWeTodd]

not through composite, component, coax, s-video, etc.

But isn't 'Digital' cable sent thru a coax? I can see why this causes confusion.

Here would be my guess ... based on reading not experience

Digital Cable channels are mpeg compressed digital data. This is also most likely encrypted and then sent via an analog carrier signal down the coax. (If you think about it, cdr, dvdr, etc are all just analog storage devices. The digital info gets re-created due to analog thesholds and error correction.) The set top box then decrypts and re-creates the digital data. Your computer can't do this because it does not know how to decrypt.

Here is the kicker. Settop boxes generally only output to analog for your old tv. So you can't get the decrypted digital data out of them.

Here is a good thread: https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=170258

[lordsmurf]

But isn't 'Digital' cable sent thru a coax? I can see why this causes confusion.

It's just a wire to carry data. It can hold all kinds of things. But generally those are RG6 cables. Most tv sets use wimpy RG59, which is good for little more than low-bandwidth analog signals. EVen then you should grab some RG6 for yourself.

The data that leaves the cable company is both digital and analog, and includes all kinds of info. You box gets the signal.

The data that leaves the digital box is pure analog video.

This explains why tv sets can only see the analog channels when directly plugged in, skipping over the digital box. The tv will only intercept and use what it can understand. The same can even be said about the digital box, as more than video (analog or digital) carries along the lines. Most recently, Internet data transfers across it too. In fact, that's what I'm doing.

[Redd]

Chances are your Digital Cable is not a Digital Signal. Cable companies use a Digital Compressed Signal to be able to get all those stations on one Coax Cable. I'll bet your signal is not true digital. Call them and ask if the signal your receiving is digital quality picture OR is it a digitally compressed signal on the Coax.

[Grant_H]

I have so called digital cable and I can almost asure you that the signal you are getting is analog output. Try connecting the digital sound output to a receiver. I don't even know why that output is there on my box cause it dosn't work with any channels. That's how it is for me anyway, mabey yours is different.

[gmatov]

If I connect my Cable Box output to my Capture Card, I get every channel my cable company provides me, as per my agreement.

I do believe my card only accepts analogue signal.

I do believe the Cable Box converts all the signals to Channel 3 analogue.

I ddon't THINK a standard TV would know what to do with a digital signal.

If I split my input before the box, and feed it to my cap card, with its built in tuner, I only get about 69 channels, rather than 100 or more.

You are not getting ripped off They GIVE you the converter, not like when I got my first cable connection and they charged me more for the box which at that time only enabled me to record one channel while watching another

[Redd]

I should have added before...
Satellite is a digital signal; at least I know that Dish Satellite is a digital signal. I have Dish. The difference between the picture I get with satellite and the picture I got when I had cable is like the difference between night and day.
Go Satellite.

[gmatov]

Dish and DirecTV are downloaded as digital, but, unless you have a Digital TV, you will convert to analogue through the box.

And, with the encryption, scrambling, whatever, you will not display that signal on your TV. You will get digital garbage.

If even your digital TV could interpret the signal, your "new" 7000 buck Digital TV would come with a Dish or DirecTV contract that required you to pay the same monthly fee I used to when I used the Dish

You are getting nothing for nothing in this world. Give up

A digital downstream may get you a "cleaner" signal to convert to analogue,but you will still display analogue.

Sorry, pal,

George