Universal digital cable box
Extra steps may be required for all cable TV features to work with the cable-compatible equipment present in your home or business. This guide provides information about when cable TV is compatible with your equipment and how to use your cable service. If you do not find your particular situation described in this guide, please call the number on your billing statement or visit our website. We will work with you to determine the cable setup appropriate for your needs.
Time Warner Cable provides cable services in both analog and digital formats in your area. Some of our cable services are scrambled or encrypted and require equipment from us to view, while others are made available “in-the-clear” and can be viewed on certain TVs and other devices. To view a given programming offering, you must subscribe to the appropriate package and have the necessary equipment.
Analog Cable Services
In certain areas, some of the analog cable programming we provide is scrambled and therefore requires an analog descrambler, such as a set-top box, to access, but unscrambled analog “in-the-clear” cable content can be viewed on most TVs without additional equipment.
However, some older TVs and other devices directly connected to the cable TV system cannot tune properly to all of the in-the-clear analog channels we offer (for example, older analog TV sets with mechanical tuners can typically only tune to channels VHF 2 through 13). As a result, even if you have a TV, VCR or other device advertised as “cable ready, ” it still may not be able to receive all of the unscrambled analog channels we provide. If so, you will need a converter to enable you to receive all of the unscrambled analog channels to which you subscribe. We can provide converters for a nominal fee or you may purchase them from a retail store. To help ease the confusion about whether a TV, VCR, or other device is really “cable-ready, ” the Federal Communications Commission does not allow TVs, VCRs and other devices manufactured or imported for sale in the United States after October 31, 1994 to be marketed as “cable-ready” or “cable compatible” unless they meet certain channel tuning and other performance standards.
Digital Cable Services
Most – if not all – of our analog channels also are transmitted in digital format. In addition, we offer many additional channels exclusively in digital format. Much of that digital cable programming is encrypted and can only be viewed using digital cable ready equipment, such as a digital cable set-top box, a digital adapter, or a CableCARD-equipped Unidirectional Digital Cable Product (“UDCP”). However, because digital cable services provided as part of the Basic Service Tier (including local broadcast television stations’ standard definition (“SD”) and high definition (“HD”) signals) are transmitted in the clear, they may be viewed using digital TVs and other devices that include a QAM tuner (also known as “ClearQAM” devices) directly connected to the cable TV system. (In addition, other digital services that we provide to your location may be provided in the clear. Please contact us if you would like additional information on this topic.) Refer to the manual for your digital TV or other television reception device to determine whether it includes a QAM tuner and, if so, how to utilize your device to access these in-the-clear digital services.
PLEASE NOTE: Occasionally it is necessary for us to make adjustments to the way that our programming services are organized on our physical plant. For customers with digital cable set-top boxes, this is a seamless process. However, a customer using a ClearQAM device connected directly to our cable TV service may not be able to continue viewing certain in-the-clear channels until accessing the settings menu on his or her device and performing a new channel scan. If you lose access to certain services on a ClearQAM device or cannot access all of the in-the-clear services available, we recommend consulting the manual that came with your ClearQAM device or contacting the manufacturer directly. To access encrypted programming to which you subscribe, you will need a set-top box or CableCARD provided by Time Warner Cable regardless of whether your TV, VCR or other device is capable of receiving unencrypted channels or is “cable ready.”
Any UDCP equipped with a Time Warner Cable-provided CableCARD will allow you to access our one-way cable TV offerings, but due to device limitations, UDCPs (and other one-way CableCARD-compatible devices) cannot access our “two-way” cable services, such as the electronic program guide, Pay-Per-View, Video on Demand, or StartOverTM (customers will be able to access these two-way services using digital set-top boxes available from Time Warner Cable). UDCPs (and other one-way CableCARD-compatible devices) also cannot access switched digital video (“SDV”) services without a Tuning Adapter provided by Time Warner Cable. The Tuning Adapter is designed to work in conjunction with compatible devices to allow you to receive programming delivered using SDV technology (but not our other interactive features, such as the Electronic Programming Guide and Video On Demand). For more information, please visit (If you are a business customer, please contact your account consultant directly for additional information).
PLEASE NOTE: We are the only authorized provider of any CableCARD or other type of equipment capable of decrypting the digital cable content that we provide (i.e. TWC-provided digital equipment). The use of any other equipment on our cable system obtained from a third party that is not authorized by us is illegal and is subject to criminal prosecution pursuant to 47 U.S.C. § 553.
