Hi,
I’m totally confused by Time Warner’s recent switch to digital channels only and could use some help.
I live in NYC and last summer Time Warner stopped broadcasting analog signals in favor of digital signals only. I don’t pay for cable and up until now I have simply plugged a coaxial cable from my TV into the line where my internet comes in and received 12-15 basic channels.
I was away when Time Warner made the switch and so wasn’t initially aware of it. When I finally did notice, many of the channels I used to have had a static image saying “if you want this channel back call Time Warner to get a digital adapter”. As far as I could tell, the only channels I had left were ABC and a smaller local network.
I don’t watch a ton of TV and pretty much ignored the problem until recently when I decided it would be nice to be able to watch the Olympics at home, but I didn’t have NBC. I decided not to rent a piece of equipment from Time Warner and instead ordered a digital antenna (the Amazon version of the Leaf).
On the day that my antenna was supposed to arrive I happened to turn on the TV to see the morning news. When I did this, my TV which had been set to ABC, flickered and seemed to reset, suddenly turning on to NBC. I clicked around a bit and it now seems like I have most of the major networks back (in digital format only, the analog channels still show the static screen).
So… I’m wondering:
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Why didn’t I have these channels before?
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Why do I have them now? Is this a mistake on Time Warner’s part or was I meant to have them all along, but just didn’t for some reason?
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Is there any benefit to trying to hook up the antenna or should I just return it?
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If I get these channels now, in theory, would I get them in another NYC apartment that’s wired for Time Warner? (If, say, I move at some point).
For the record, I have an HD TV from around 2010 which can evidently play digital channels.
Any thoughts or advice are much appreciated. I have a friend coming over tomorrow who could help me with the antenna, but I just don’t know if it makes sense.
Thanks!