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When television stations are required to begin broadcasting their signals digitally next year, you might assume you’ll no longer need to pay extra fees to your cable or satellite provider for digital-tier and high-definition programming. After all, it seems only logical that if television is going digital and you own an HD set—or at least one with a digital tuner—you’ll be able to watch all those programs with high-quality pictures for free.

But you would be wrong. The upcoming switch to DTV won’t have any effect on your cable or satellite service, and you’ll still need a special box to get digital-tier channels or HD programs—despite ads that might suggest otherwise.

“The digital transition has nothing to do with our digital service,” says Sharon Kleinpeter, vice president of governmental and public affairs for Cox Communications. “It only has to do with the broadcasters’ signal. That’s what the digital transition is about—ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and public television.”

Still, cable and satellite providers concede it’s confusing for everyone—and the source of confusion seems to be with the word “digital.” By law, TV broadcasters will no longer be able to broadcast their signals in analog after Feb. 17. They’ll be required to switch to a higher-quality digital signal—and in most instances already have.

That means anyone still tuning their TV with old-fashioned rabbit ears won’t be able to see anything after the switch unless they buy a new TV set or purchase a converter box, the cost of which the government is helping to subsidize.

But only about 12% of TV viewers nationwide are still using an antenna on their sets. The overwhelming majority of the population subscribes to some level of cable or satellite service—and a growing percentage of those viewers already pay a monthly premium to their provider to receive so-called digital programming and/or high-def TV.

So why will they need to continue to pay that premium once digital is the federally mandated standard?

For one thing, high-def is not the same thing as digital. Everything goes digital in February; it doesn’t necessarily go high-def. Though the major network broadcasters will be switching to a high-def signal, many cable networks—Sundance Channel, MTV2 and Encore, to name a few—are still broadcasting in a straight digital signal. Cox Cable carries close to 200 digital channels, but only about 40 high-def channels.

What’s more, cable and satellite providers have to pay all those networks to transmit their signals. That means they need to pass along the cost to their subscribers. None of that changes with the switch to digital.

Which brings up the third, and most confusing, point—cable companies sell subscription packages under the digital banner. But what they’re really selling is a high-end package of programming with more channels.

“You’re charging extra for the number of stations,” says Brad Supple of EATEL, which provides cable service in Ascension and Livingston parishes. “A digital package is basically a higher-end package. People use the word ‘digital’ in many different ways, and that confuses the consumer.”

Adding to the confusion are certain ads. Cox, for instance, is running a campaign telling viewers they can watch HD for free. Technically, that’s true. To get that so-called free HD, however, one must be a digital-tier subscriber, which comes with an added fee and a converter box monthly rental charge.

Then there are campaigns targeting customers who subscribe to basic or expanded basic packages—but not to digital upgrades. They’re being told they won’t have to do anything once the switch takes place because the cable providers will be doing it for them.

That’s also true. Cable and satellite providers will capture the digital signals, then downgrade them back to analog for those customers who do not subscribe to digital-tier packages. But for how long?

Cox officials say they’ll continue to simulcast an analog signal along with the digital signal for three years, after which time they hope it will no longer be necessary. EATEL doesn’t have a time frame, though Supple says he can’t “imagine that we would cut customers off.”

Still, providers are under no obligation to provide that service, and there’s no guarantee they will do so for years to come.

In any case, providers say the digital switch will not affect their business model—for now. They’ve already upgraded their technology, and they’ll continue selling so-called digital programming packages and renting out converter boxes.

But they recognize that with rapidly evolving technology, changes will inevitably come—and probably sooner than most people think.

“We’re in a dynamic industry and I think you’ll see some changes down the road in our equipment, and that may change our business model,” Kleinpeter says. “But for the most part it’s going to stay the same for now.”

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Analog

• Date for final transition to digital is Feb. 17. After that date, full-power stations will only broadcast digital signals.

• Consumers will always be able to connect an inexpensive receiver, a digital-to-analog converter box, to their existing analog TV to decode DTV broadcast signals.

• Digital-to-analog converter boxes will not convert your analog TV to high-definition.

• Analog TVs will continue to work with cable, satellite, VCRs, DVD players, camcorders, video-game consoles and other devices for many years.

DTV

• Digital cable or digital satellite does not mean a program is in high-definition.

• Digital pictures will be free from the “ghosts” and “snow” that can affect analog transmissions.

• Multicasting is available.

• HDTV is available.

• Data streaming is available.

HDTV

• High-definition broadcasts offered.

• Best available picture resolution, clarity and color.

• Dolby Theater Surround Sound available.

• Dolby Surround Sound available.

• Widescreen format.

SOURCE: dtv.gov