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Description of a cable box

Pace Micro Technology DC757X Hd cable box

A cable converter box or television set converter box is an electronic tuning device that transposes/converts channels from a cable television service to an analog RF betoken on a single channel, usually VHF channel 3 or 4, or to a dissimilar output for digital televisions such as HDMI.

The device allows a idiot box set that is not "cable ready" to receive cablevision channels. While later televisions were "cablevision ready" with a standard converter built-in, the being of premium television (aka pay per view) and the advent of digital cablevision have continued the need for various forms of these devices for cablevision television reception. While not an explicit part of signal conversion, many cable converter boxes include forms of descrambling to manage carrier-controlled admission restriction to various channels.

Cable-ready televisions and other cablevision-aware A/5 devices such as video recorders can similarly catechumen cablevision channels to a regular television set set, just these practice not include advanced capabilities such as descrambling or digital downconversion.

The chore of a cable box is to convert a television aqueduct from those transmitted over the CATV wire.

Technological clarification [edit]

The basic converter box is passive and does not communicate dorsum to the carrier. It simply tunes to one of the channels being transmitted together over the wire and re-transmits it to a boob tube or other video device on a standard broadcast frequency (usually a customer-selected, locally unused frequency between VHF 2 and 4). Similar other set-top boxes, converter boxes ordinarily provide multiple options for the output channel (either two/three or 3/4) so that the same box can be used, with uncomplicated configuration, in multiple television markets. Despite not having a broadcast reception television antenna, a potent local boob tube station can cause interference with the Television set's reception of the cable converter'southward indicate, resulting in undesired static or ghosting.

Later cable boxes became addressable, allowing the carrier to independently identify one cablevision box from some other. In early systems, this permitted the carrier to transport instructions to the boxes by addressing them over the wire. This allowed customers to subscribe to premium television and pay-per-view. More contempo cable boxes, especially those for digital cable, engage in two-mode communication with the carrier key role, allowing for more advanced and interactive features.

Typically, a cablevision converter box has two coaxial F-type female connectors; i "Cable In" for a coaxial cablevision from the wall jack (containing the CATV signal), ane "TV Out" continued to the tv set where an antenna or other RF device (such every bit a VCR) would be continued. Newer cablevision boxes as well tend to come standard with an IEEE 1394 interface (aka "FireWire")^[1] and RCA jacks for composite video and stereo sound. More than advanced analog video devices may have Southward-video and/or HDMI outputs to back up HDTV.

In early on days, before televisions came standard with 75Ω coaxial antenna connectors, cable boxes came with adapters that would let the coaxial cable to connect to the 300Ω twin lead screws used with traditional antennas.

Major manufacturers of cable boxes have included Jerrold Electronics, General Musical instrument (which Jerrold merged into), Cisco (which Scientific Atlanta merged into), and Motorola (which General Instruments merged into).

Addressable cable box [edit]

An addressable cablevision box is one that tin be controlled by the local cable company. Addressability is the process by which (optionally encrypted) messages are sent from the cablevision provider for a particular cable box via the cablevision signal. The cable company can "accost" a particular customer's cable box to command it to activate or deactivate the descrambling of selected premium or pay-per view channels. The system can also send messages. This function affords the cablevision company the power to add or delete descrambling on the channels that come in through the coaxial cable line. It likewise allows them to remotely disable the box, for reasons such as not-payment of the cable pecker or theft of the unit itself. Such commands are referred to as bullets and are a transmitted message which affects the cable box program effectively disabling or "killing" it. "Bullets" do not affect the electronics within converters or descramblers, only the programming. Not-addressable boxes are "impenetrable", as they are unable to detect such messages.

Analog cable [edit]

Descrambling [edit]

A descrambler is a device that unscrambles the encoded bespeak and restores the picture and audio of a scrambled channel.

Typical modernistic cable boxes include some form of descrambling ability. Such a cable box must also be addressable (meet beneath) in order to be told to descramble the point for a given channel. Early electronic cable boxes, for example, could descramble channels that used signal inversion as a scrambling method.

In many markets, carriers provided devices with uncomplicated or no descrambling adequacy, although the carrier may use dissimilar forms of scrambling for dissimilar premium channels. Certain premium channels or services could require an upgrade to a more avant-garde converter box that was capable of the necessary descrambling method. This is less true in the era of digital cable and cheap consumer electronics.

When a descrambler is included in a cablevision converter box, information technology is sometimes referred to equally a converter/descrambler, or combination unit of measurement.

Digital cable [edit]

Digital cablevision is a method of delivering cablevision goggle box equally digital data instead of analog frequency. Many modernistic cablevision systems provide digital cablevision for at to the lowest degree part of their channel lineup.

Because many carriers continue to use analog manual for legacy and low-numbered channels, and digital transmission for higher channels, a typical digital cable box is also able to convert traditional analog cable signals.

Digital television allows college quality and quantity of cable Television receiver signals. Digital transmission is compressed and allows a much greater capacity than analog signals; it about completely eliminates interference, which has always been a hindrance to the cable TV industry. Digital converters have the same purpose as analog ones only are able to receive digital cable signals. With more data than analog in the same bandwidth, the system delivers superior moving-picture show and sound quality.

Despite the advance of cable-prepare television sets, about users volition need a cable box to receive digital channels. However, customers who do not subscribe to any digital channels tin can go without; many carriers provide "basic cable" service within the analog range, fugitive the need for distributing a box. However, avant-garde carrier services such every bit pay per view and video on demand will require a box.

Decryption [edit]

CableCARD technology allows a 3rd-party digital converter device to connect to and receive signals from a digital cable provider, instead of beingness reliant on a box provided by the cable provider. AllVid is a CableCARD replacement proposed by the FCC, intended to provide bidirectional compatibilities such every bit interactive programming guides, video-on-need and pay-per-view, since retail CableCARD-ready devices are unable to access such systems.^{[2] [3] [iv]}

Other cable box services [edit]

Modern cable boxes are digital and non simply addressable simply can too perform two-fashion advice between the box and the provider. In addition, they include congenital-in programming guide and schedule information, in addition to weather, messaging, and on-demand services.

Some carriers have made available combination DVR/cablevision box devices, which include all the features of a mod digital cable converter box with the ability to tape shows. These are intended to compete with stand-solitary DVRs such as TiVo, although the cable provider can exert far more command over the operation of the combination units, leading to undesirable provider-mandated restrictions on the recordability and replayability of programs.

Amateur tv set (ham TV) operators utilize the frequencies corresponding to Cable channels 57-60 hooked up to outdoor UHF antennas.

Future of cable boxes [edit]

Analog cable-ready televisions and other cable-capable devices (such equally VCRs) eliminated many, but not all, applications where cable boxes were needed. Digital cable, withal, made cable boxes more of a necessity equally it provided channels that cable-ready televisions could non.

CableCARD technology allows a third-party digital converter device to connect to and receive signals from a digital cable provider, instead of beingness reliant on a box provided by the cable provider. This technology is being integrated into other devices such as DVRs and even personal computers, allowing them to take over all the capabilities of a carrier-provided cable converter box. However, carriers have been slow to distribute and fully support CableCARD technology.

AllVid is a CableCARD replacement proposed by the FCC, intended to provide bidirectional compatibilities such as interactive programming guides, video-on-demand and pay-per-view, since retail CableCARD-ready devices are unable to access such systems.^{[2] [three] [4]}

Cable-ready sets [edit]

Cablevision-ready television sets have coaxial cable F connectors. Ane end connects to the cablevision, antenna, or VHF jack on the back of the television set set; the other cease connects to the wall CATV outlet. In one case the television is connected through the cable to the wall CATV outlet, the television will demand to be programmed to receive the cable channels. The instruction manual that came with the television should have instructions on how to plan cable channels.

Non-cablevision-ready idiot box sets are older televisions (e.1000., with a rotary knob) with no coaxial cable F connector; a cable converter box or a cable-set up VCR is necessary to receive cable.

After ending the analogue CATV transmissions, an (analogue) cablevision-fix Telly or VCR is no longer be able to tune cable channels directly. A customer needs to install a digital cablevision box or a digital television adapter (which is a very basic kind of digital cable box). Newer TVs, however, often characteristic digital tuners including digital cable tuners (QAM for USA, DVB-C for Europe). But cablevision providers oftentimes encrypt all of nigh of the channels, causing the TV to be unable to receive these channels directly. In United states of america, there were TVs with CableCARD slot to allow decryption without a cable box. Yet, they are now gone. But there are other devices like TiVo that tin can accept a CableCARD and decrypt channels the customer subscribes to without demand of a cablevision box.

Cable services [edit]

Basic cable service is the least expensive cable service provided past cablevision companies to their customers. This service usually includes local Boob tube channels.

Premium cable service includes additional programming service provided by the cable company to subscribing customers. The extra fee for such additional service may be per channel, per grouping of channels, or based on any other combination of channels.

With pay-per-view services, selected channels offer movies and special events such equally sports or adult entertainment, for an additional fee, on a per-moving-picture show or per-program basis. A special addressable converter is furnished by the cablevision company to subscribers of this service. Through the utilize of special equipment, the cable company can directly the customer'due south cablevision box to descramble the plan for which the fee was paid.

See also [edit]

• Concern Back up Systems
• Operations Support System
• Cablevision television headend
• Set-top box
• Scrambler
• Descrambler
• Encryption
• Provisioning
• Conditional admission system (CAS)
• Addressable Systems
• Addressability

Related Technologies:

• ATSC tuner
• Audio
• Cable modem
• Connectivity: RS-232, USB, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
• Digital television adapter (DTA)
• DOCSIS
• DVB
• Gratis-to-air
• Integrated Services Digital Dissemination
• Interactive idiot box
• IPTV
• QAM tuner
• QPSK
• Satellite dish
• Symbol rate

References [edit]

1. ^ "Archived re-create". Archived from the original on 2010-07-31. Retrieved 2010-06-04 . {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived re-create equally title (link) All USA Cable Boob tube box take working 1394 ports, FCC rule CS Docket 97-80" and "department 47 C.F.R. 76.640(b)(4)
2. ^ ^{a b} AllVid Notice of Enquiry, 25 FCC Rcd 4275 (adopted April 21, 2010)
3. ^ ^{a b} Wolf, Michael (11 February 2014). "Why Big Cable Fears AllVid — and Why It Shouldn't". GigaOM.
4. ^ ^{a b} 25 FCC Rcd 14657, 14661 (adopted October 14, 2010)

• Digital Telly Converter Box, DTVFacts
• Digital TV Converter Box, NY Times
• Bones Cable-Ready TV Hookup with a Cable Converter, Time Warner Cable
• TV Converters Help, Expedient
• Bartlett, Eugene (1990). Cable Television receiver Technology & Operations -HDTV and NTSC Systems. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc. pp. eight–ix. ISBN0-07-003957-7.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_converter_box

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