If you're Going to Cable, Go Digital
Written: Apr 12 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Channel Choices, Picture & Sound Quality, Parental lock
Cons: Difficult to record shows on a VCR
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| rossim's Full Review: Adelphia |
We moved into a new house last July and were faced with several months of not having cable television simply because we moved into an area that had not been wired. Once Adelphia got their act together, we opted to get suckered into their digital cable package deal. Usually, cable companies will entice you towards the higher priced options by offering free months or no installation charge.
Is it worth the money?
Well, digital cable was more than worth the money. I love the notion of never having to consult a paper copy of TV Guide again. The on-screen menus and search features let you find shows by Genre, Title or Time. You even have the ability to find out what a movie or show is about, including who is starring in it and when it was released. Another great feature is the ability to lock out shows to keep your children from seeing things you don't want them to. The parental lock feature allows you to block access to channels, specific shows or based on the rating of the show. This is a definite must if you want to make sure your kids aren't ordering movies or watching inappropriate shows.
Sports, Sports and more Sports
Sports fans will love the NBA and NHL packages that let you watch any NBA or NHL game. While I haven't indulged in this luxury, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted!
Movies, Movies and more Movies
One of the biggest selling points of digital cable is the number of different movie channels you can get. With 8 HBO's, 6 Showtimes, 5 Movie Channels and 5 Cinemax, you will never find yourself with nothing to watch.
CD Quality Music
Digital Cable also includes over 20 Music stations with digital quality sound and no annoying DJ's or commercials. Wonder what song you're hearing? Just press the information button and learn all you need to know. Pipe the sound through your Home Entertainment System and you'd think you were listening to a CD.
OK, but why should I really get it?
Channels and other features aside, the best reason for getting Digital Cable is the quality of both the picture and the sound. We have digital cable on one TV and regular cable on another. Quite frankly, I don't enjoy watching TV as much with the regular cable. The pictures are not as sharp and the sound can be muddy at times. Plus, I have to root around and find the stupid TV Guide!
But, there is a downside...
If there is a downside to Digital Cable, it has to be its inability to record programs on a VCR. Because you need to have a converter to decode the digital signal, you can't run the cable through a VCR. You have to split the cable, sending one to the VCR and one to the converter. Then, you need an A/B switch to receive the cables from the converter and VCR. Then from the A/B switch, you can send the signal to the TV. To record a program, you can then set your VCR normally. To watch the program, switch the A/B switch to the side with the VCR. Since you're splitting the cable before it goes to the converter, you will not have digital quality sound and picture through the VCR. If you wanted to record shows with digital sound and picture, you'd have to run cable from the converter to the VCR and then to the TV. But, since the converter is not programmable, you'd have to leave it on the channel you want to record. I've tried this, but with kids in the house I don't recommend it.
Make the call, go digital
If I had to do it all over again, I still would have gone the Digital Cable route. The features and quality far outweigh the downside and are more than worth the added cost.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rossim
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Member: Mike
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 8 members
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