ATSC and Cable Channels in one cable

[Zero]

My apartment provides free cable with 80 channels, all analog and no QAM. They sent out a notice last week saying that they are adding few HD channels and moving some analog channels to accommodate the changes. after the changes I noticed that they have moved Analog channels 2 to 13 to different frequency and started distributing ATSC signal through same cable. Right now CBS, NBC, KRON4, CW & KOFY with few sub channels.
Some questions started popping up in my head-
Can ATSC and analog signal be transmitted on same frequency?
- If it is possible, there is no need to move around analog channels and it is possible to retransmit all ATSC channels to all homes in the complex.

Can all the ATSC channels available in area be added? ( I get about 66 channels over the air) What kind of equipment they might be using? Just AMP or something else?

 

[boba]

ATSC and Analog cannot share the same frequency that is why the FCC issued every analog broadcaster an additional channel for their digital signals. Where are your local broadcasters located? Are the channels the cable company is delivering broadcast between 2 & 13 or is the cable company actually changing their broedcast channels?

 

[Zero]

ATSC and Analog cannot share the same frequency that is why the FCC issued every analog broadcaster an additional channel for their digital signals. Where are your local broadcasters located? Are the channels the cable company is delivering broadcast between 2 & 13 or is the cable company actually changing their broedcast channels?

Broadcasters are in San Francisco and cable company is modifying the frequencies before transmitting now.

 

[Peter Parker]

Cable uses a lot of frequencies. You cannot have two channels on the same frequency regardless of whether it is ATSC, NTSC etc. But cable companaies can and do move channels around (e.g. broadcast OTA Ch x on Ch Y). that is doubtless what they are doing.

 

[Zero]

Thanks! I wish they were converting signal to QAM instead of sending as ATSC signal. That would have given me option of switching (A/B Switch) to Antenna only for few channels that are not provided in cable.

 

[Splicer]

How do you know the cable co is transmitting via ATSC and not QAM? Not saying it is not possible, just that I have never heard of being able to do that is all. I would wager that they are indeed transmitting OTA channels in QAM.

 

[rcbridge]

Thanks! I wish they were converting signal to QAM instead of sending as ATSC signal. That would have given me option of switching (A/B Switch) to Antenna only for few channels that are not provided in cable.

All of the digital channels will be QAM.
If you choose to run 2 seperate cables to an A/B switch you can select OTA or cable but as stated above not on the same cable.

 

[Zero]

How do you know the cable co is transmitting via ATSC and not QAM? Not saying it is not possible, just that I have never heard of being able to do that is all. I would wager that they are indeed transmitting OTA channels in QAM.

In TV (Samsung LN46 550)when I tune for cable, only analog channels (14 to 89) are getting tuned. No Digital channels are getting tuned while Auto-tuning in cable mode. If I tune selecting antenna as source (connected to same cable NOT antenna) the digital channels gets tuned (No analog channels are tuned). I am 100% sure that it is not picking up signal over the air. For ex Channel 20.1 is transmitted in cable in actual channel#2 freq (where as OTA it is 19), Channel 5.1 is transmitted in actual channel 3 (OTA 29) etc. If the signal is QAM, I am sure my TV will pick up it in Cable mode and not OTA mode. Hence I feel that the signal is transmitted as ATSC and not QAM. May be I will check with my Kworld PCI card in my HTPC.

For info: My apt complex is not using any of major cable provider. They provide channels from Dish Network and Direct TV and I guess it was called CVC networks or something like that. Can't find any info on that over internet.

 

[Zero]

If you choose to run 2 seperate cables to an A/B switch you can select OTA or cable but as stated above not on the same cable.

Yes, I do that now. But my wife prefers not to use the switch as it is an extra work