There have been a lot of articles written about Digital Cable TV but yet there still seems to be a great number of people who have incorrect impressions.  The purpose of this article is to explain as “simply” as possible what Oceanic Digital Cable TV is.  The previous Cable service, which is still available, will be referred to as “Analog”.  The names are based on the electrical technologies that make the service possible but that will not be explained here.  Also for comparison sake, I will use current numbers of channels and list prices for individual residential Oahu service and these may vary among the different islands and change over time.

Digital Cable TV or “Digital” for short, is a group of channels and services which are provided using a digital “converter box”.  The “converter box” is necessary to provide additional channels and services to the TV set. 

This is what Digital provides over the current Analog service:

• More TV channels (i.e. Standard, commercial free music, local FM Stations, premium, on-demand, High definition)
• Interactive electronic TV Guide
• Ability for you to watch shows (e.g. movies) upon request using your remote control to order – On Demand
• Ability to use interactive services (e.g. VCR functions, order Pizza, “Start Over”)
• Better quality video (e.g. less static or High Definition - HDTV)
• Parental control over channels

What are the drawbacks? 

• You need a converter box for each TV that you want to have Digital service
• Additional cost for the additional channels and converter box
• Another remote control

One common question I hear is “Do I need Digital because the analog TV stations are going away?”.  If you have Cable TV service, the short answer is “No”. For the long answer see: www.oceanic.com/OceanicWebApps/Television/DTV/dtv.html

Another common question I hear is “Why are there so many channels and choices?  The main reason is that there are varying tastes and desires which Oceanic is trying to satisfy. 

Here is a simple chart that will show the most popular choices:

Basic Digital service is Standard Analog service plus 36 additional digital only channels.   Basically this would be broadcast networks (e.g. KITV, KHNL, KGMB) plus the public access channels.

With Standard Digital service you get all the broadcast channels (e.g. KITV, KHNL, KGMB), the primary Cable TV networks (e.g. Disney, A&E, Discovery, Cartoon Network, CNN, ESPN, Food Network, Lifetime, MTV) and Music Choice (MC) and an interactive TV guide which can be searched.  

These are the main additions to Basic Digital service:

• Digital Cable Service (DCS) – 50 channels including the Weather Channel, Fine Living.
• Digital Encore Service (DES) – 11 channels including Fuse and Encore Channels.
• Digital Sports Package – 8 channels including NBA-TV and Fox College Sports
• Premium Channels - 32 to choose from (e.g. HBO, Showtime, NGN, Filipino, Playboy)
• High Definition Channels – up to 41 channels including ESPNHD, Discovery HD)

For the complete listing go to www.oceanic.com/OceanicWebApps/Television/DigitalServices/DCL_Oahu.html

Additionally, there are 15 Video On-Demand channels available for free or for an additional charge.   So, what is On-Demand channel?  Basically it is a channel which gives you a menu of shows to watch.  The show can be started, paused and stopped.  On-Demand channels have a flat monthly charge and allows you to watch the available shows as much as you want during the month.  The generic name for On-Demand is Video-On-Demand or VOD. You can find more details at: www.oceanic.com/OceanicWebApps/Television/PPV/PPV_iControl.html

The other shows which you can order up but you need to pay each time you order them, are called Pay-Per-View.  There are 50 Pay-Per-View (PPV) channel to choose from.
(www.oceanic.com/OceanicWebApps/Television/PPV/PPV_Showing.html).

I’ve also included the price for HD Cable service but for full information on what it is go to: www.oceanic.com/OceanicWebApps/Television/HD/hd.html

Hopefully this has helped clear up what Digital Cable is for you.  Digital is a big step up from the old Analog service not only because of the additional channels but because it gives you the ability to watch shows when you want to watch them.  HD is truly spectacular to watch and is one of the main drivers for people to get Digital.  You can watch your BluRay DVD so many times.

Comments

tari — Friday, July 18, 2008

Thanks Kiman best ever 101, the links were the best. I learned a lot from the HD link and the quick video. Also found your webpage worth saving http://www.twondemand.com/. Always best to get the correct answers from the right source.

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