Talk:Cable converter box

I have listed several references as external links that are supporting source material for the subject. They have been flagged by Wikepedia. I need to know how to correctly cite the external links as references in the article. I am not exactley sure how this is done. Any Help? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Michael.W.Meissner (talk • contribs)
 * WP:CITE should get you started in the right direction. Jauerback (talk) 19:00, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Much of the references to equipment and viewing is dated. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.28.152.131 (talk) 00:17, 31 July 2012 (UTC)

I vote to merge the Article on Set-Top Box into the discussion of Cable Converter Box and not visa versa. A Set-Top Box is a Slang for a Converter Box. A VHS machine, some DVR's and DVD Players can also function as a Converter Box but I don't think anyone would call them a Set-Top Box, in fact lots of consumers stick them under the set or in an entertainment console or cabinet. A function of a set-top box can be to Convert and sometime Descramble a signal provide by a cable provider, the correct term for being Cable Converter/Descrambler. See http://twalbany.twalb.com/pdf/userguides/userguide_gi_cft2200_converter.pdf http://www.comcast.com/customers/faq/FaqDetails.ashx?ID=1648 and http://www.timewarnercable.com/Search/SearchResults.ashx?query=converter+box&levelid=0, just to name a few.

Any other commentsMichael William Meissner (talk) 23:33, 21 January 2008 (UTC)


 * A DVB-S receiver is most often implemented as a set-top box, but these are classed as "receivers" in their own right and not as mere "converters". --66.102.80.212 (talk) 21:03, 25 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Shouldn't the cable box article (it's a stub) also be merged with this too?--Rusf10 (talk) 03:33, 2 June 2008 (UTC)


 * "in fact lots of consumers stick them under the set" Just because a set top box isn't always placed on top of the television set doesn't make it cease to be a set top box. There is nothing requiring any delivered service device to be placed on top of the set. In fact, in the age of flat-screens, that would be a really bad idea. FWIW none of my cable boxes are located on top of the TVs they feed. - Keith D. Tyler &para; 22:18, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

A cable converter is a type of set-top box. But a set-top box is really a form factor more than a specific piece of electronics. For example, WebTV was a set-top box. A TiVo can be considered a set top box. As can a cable box. But these each do pretty much distinct things and lumping them together into one article due to their form factor would be a poor idea. Set top box should discuss the phenomenon of devices that add delivered services to a television and not try to cover the entire realm of such devices. I oppose the merge. - Keith D. Tyler &para; 22:15, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

"local broadcast channels"
This repeated bit is irrelevant. Regardless of the fact that CATV retransmission of OTA broadcast channels happened in the low-range "basic cable" area, usually in order to match the retransmission CATV channel numbers with broadcast VHF channel numbers, the boxes didn't care what was being transmitted on what channel; that was determined by the cable provider. The fact that (at some point) CATV operators often did provide (and later in the early 90s, were required to provide) local-market broadcast channels has nothing to do with the CATV technology, including the converter boxes. Moreover, the CATV operators could have provided these stations on any channel they wanted. Certainly, it caused a lot less end-user confusion to simply match the channel numbers; of course, this wasn't always practical or possible for higher-numbered UHF stations; IME UHF stations were (and still are) rarely retransmitted on the same-numbered CATTV channel as their broadcast channel number. - Keith D. Tyler &para; 23:19, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Addressability
Addressability doesn't require encryption. It just requires that the box have a unique hardware address. In a simple addressable system, the messages for all addressable boxes are sent over the wire, and the boxes only pay attention to those messages addressed to it. (For example, ethernet.) Sure, modern (hacker-paranoid) systems probably use some form of encryption between the central office and the premises equipment, but that's a separate feature, not a requirement of addressability. - Keith D. Tyler &para; 23:48, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

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