Cable television has been around since the early 70's with only around 12 channels, then in the late 70's to 80's it expanded to 36 channels. Expanded basic came out in the mid 80's to 90's using cable converter boxes which only made it up to 99 channels. Most TV tuners had CATV tuners in them, but only could go up to 125 channels. Digital cable came out using the QAM system which brought the channels up to over 900. FiOS cable came out in 2008 and dramatically expanded to to 1500 channels, but most channels were subscription only. Most of these systems were still using the analog NTSC system, HDMI, and component cable and some boxes used DVI out. All cable boxes from the cable uses just NTSC not the ATSC format that our broadcasters wants us to use.

After June 12, 2009 all local stations went digital using the 8DSV format, which this in the future could change our standard format for most televisions making our old school televisions obsolete and junk unless used with a converter box, which most TV owners will have no choice but to use the ATSC to NTSC converter box if the cable system goes all ATSC format. But this could get worse, most cable operators may want you to get another cable box that is all digital even the 75 ohm connector RF output is ATSC format, which means your TV will not work if it does not have an ATSC tuner in it. It will be a direct connection to the TV with ATSC tuning which means all of the cable channels will be converted to ATSC HDTV format. This may change the channel format to channel 3-1 instead of channel 3, which means you will be
able to receive the multicasters that the TV station wants you to watch. Deal with it, cause it's coming.

For pricing, well this might make pricing go down a little bit cause a digital signal would cost less to broadcast, but could cost more and when it comes to more programming the more the price goes up due to maintenence and the equipment going to used. Soon all cable television stations will use multicasting and 1080p on all channels. Right now at this time, it's 2010 and people still spending money on brand new TV's, but the quality still remains the same unless they use a HDMI or Component Video out. I cannot believe the technology we are spending does not mean damn
thing when you don't have a true digital signal. The FCC will make this big change, just get a new TV, you will like the picture quality the sound, why are you still keeping your analog television??? If you are, the converter box will stay with your TV for a long time. I had to buy a small LCD TV with ATSC and NTSC (will be useless in the future)
to make my black and white sets obsolete.

Cable companies put their true HD signals in the 700 to 800 range here, but why is all of the other channels analog and people are not getting the same quality as the HD channels? Digital television is ATSC not NTSC we know that now. Satellite Direct TV using MPEG-2 to NTSC to not digital television. Digital television is HDMI. If you still have analog tuners and analog service don't buy a new TV!! You are wasting your
money if you do you will get a no so high defintion picture.

Snowy television is going to obsolete soon in the future. That 8DSV format is coming to your television, Bye Bye Analog.

The true digital TV is the one that is called HDTV not your black and white set, not your average old color TV. NTSC is just plain color TV so please don't let the cable TV company tell you that you have digital cable digital cable is not here yet it will be digital when they switch to ATSC and TV tuners must be all digital. The format that makes it digital, but still analog is the QAM signal, but the signal is down converted to NTSC format, which means snowy picture and not clear enough. Soon they will come out with another format that will require a ATSC digital signal to watch the movies
on disc.

The channels in the HD range just look like little boxes unless they are connected to a HDMI or component video out connector, still people (the sheeple) are using the everyday direct cable connection to their $200 to $5000 LED and LCD TV sets and not using the HDMI. It's so sad that we are buying sets, but if you do, you still are getting the same poor quality cause of that damn NTSC format we are using. We should of waited until cable, antenna, and satellite went all digital, but why is our over the air signals we have relyed on for years are off the air?? Get this, the channels in Richmond, Virginia (NTSC) are all on the air while our local Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth,Chesapeake signals are off and went to ATSC but the cable company is still using analog broadcast on digital televisions bring the good quality in to garbage out quality. Not so 1080p is it?