Can a digital converter box pull in digital cable chanels?

I have (very) basic cable so no boxes on the TVs (all analog units). I do know that there are additional over the air digital channels in my area. 6-2, 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 etc. If my cable company is broadcasting them, will a converter box pick them up and display them on my set?Can a digital converter box pull in digital cable chanels?
(This answer assumes you are located in the US)



%26gt;will a converter box pick them up and display them on my set?



No. Coupon type converters are designed to receive over the air broadcasts only. They were specifically designed so that they would not receive the type of digital signals used by major cable companies.



Over the air broadcasts use ATSC for digital. Major

cable companies use QAM for digital channels. New TVs are required to have ATSC tuners. Most also have QAM tuners but are not required to have them.



Some people have found that their basic cable includes digital broadcasts of their local stations. But you need a "QAM" digital tuner to receive these cable channels. Some DVD recorders include a QAM tuner.



There are non-coupon "converters/tuners" that have both ATSC and QAM tuners, but you to hunt them down on the Internet.
Definitely not. The converter boxes sold in the U.S. in connection with the over-the-air digital transition have no application whatsoever except that: over-the-air reception with an antenna.



As it happens, your cable company may have some of those new channels on its basic cable (mine does), but you'd need a QAM tuner in your TV to receive them. Many modern digital TVs include a QAM tuner, but you generally won't find them on the lower priced sets or the economy brands sold in discount stores.Can a digital converter box pull in digital cable chanels?
Probably not. The converter boxes receive ATSC (digital) signals and convert them for display on analog NTSC TVs. I don't think any cable comapies put ATSC signals on their wires. But they may carry them in cable's version of digital called QAM. If they do, and they are unencrypted (clear QAM), you would need a TV with a QAM tuner, which is in most new digital TVs.Can a digital converter box pull in digital cable chanels?
no cable as a digital signal all its own