Cable Boxes

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Do you remember what your first cable box looked like?

I know what mine looked like. My family's first cable box was a Hamlin SPC-4000-3 cable converter:

I remember sliding the little white dial across that nougat-colored box to whatever channels Nickelodeon, The Weather Channel and VH1 were on at the time (1993).

Another cable box I remember using was a Pioneer BC-2002M cable converter. Unlike the other cable box, this one had two knobs, one to change the cable channels, and one for fine tuning. I had this cable box in 1995/96, it was hooked up to a TV set in my bedroom. I used it to tune into my favorite cable networks (Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, Family Channel) as well. It looked like this:




And if you're interested in seeing more cable boxes, check out this website:
http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/170/173/1731/index.html

[ynkeesfn82]

Early 1980s in Connecticut United Cable had a 36 channel capacity. We had a push button cable box with buttons for 2-12. Flip a switch for 13-24. Flip the switch again for 25-36.


Later they upgrade to 46 channel capacity and had a digital cable box.

In 1993 they began upgrading to Fiber Optic Cable and Channel capacity was upgraded to 75. In my neighborhood the upgrade was completed in 1996.


While I don't know what kind of box they had in the town where I live now (Southington, CT) in the 1980s, I know the cable company was called Dimensions Cable. Channel Range was 2-40 and many most of them were share-time. In the mid-1990s COX bought out the system and did a major upgrade. Channels went up to 80 and there was no more share-time channels.

[Pikapower]

And this is what a cable box looks like now! ;)

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Anyone who lived in Ohio in the late 1970s/early 1980s might recognize this one:


The Pioneer BT-1200 Warner-Amex QUBE:

The box:


The remote:


Another version of the remote that came with the QUBE:

[Pikapower]

The remote:


Another version of the remote that came with the QUBE:

:o Whoa, those remotes are huge I bet they're confusing to figure out how work them!

[ynkeesfn82]

Early 1980s in Connecticut United Cable had a 36 channel capacity. We had a push button cable box with buttons for 2-12. Flip a switch for 13-24. Flip the switch again for 25-36.

Here's the gizmo I mentioned. Photo from Dennis House Channel 3 Eyewitness News WFSB Hartford, CT.

[TheFugitive]

I had that Warner Qube controller when I first got cable in Pittsburgh.
Later I had that Pioneer box with the dial on it at an apartment I had in Michigan.

[Hudsons81]

I don't remember what cable box we used in Southgate, Michigan in the 1980's and early 1990's, but I do recall the company being Barden Communications, which was later acquired by Comcast.

[ynkeesfn82]

COX Cable is going all-digital on April 28, 2015. They're letting customers who currently don't have boxes get Mini Boxes. 2 Free for 1 year and $1.99/Month each after that. Each additional box over 2 is $1.99/Month right away.

We get 21 channels we didn't get before plus 50 channels of Music Choice Music. We have an On-Screen Guide. And apparently the HD feed of the networks is the same channel number as the SD feed of the networks.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

I predict that with the way cable has been headed (too expensive, too many channels, etc. etc.), people will probably start cutting the cord, and use TV antennas, Roku, Netflix Youtube, Hulu, Mohu Channels, etc. etc. I have been a "cord never" since leaving foster care to live on my own, and I will never pay for cable as long as I have antennas in my house that get local channels I would have to pay a premium for on cable.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

I have noticed some changes affecting older digital cable and satellite boxes over the past ten yen years concerning the way the channels are presented. When the channels change their names, the on-screen guide no longer displays the logo for the channel, and instead displays text for the new channel (like when "Sci-Fi" became "Syfy" or when "Toon Disney" became "DisneyXD" for example).

Channels I know which were affected include, but not limited to Syfy (formerly The Sci-Fi Channel), Disney Junior (former Playhouse Disney), Freeform (formerly ABC Family/Fox Family/The Family Channel/CBN Cable), Spike (formerly TNN), TeenNick (formerly The N/Nick GaS), Nick Jr. (formerly Noggin), Centric (formerly BET Jazz), DisneyXD (formerly Jetix/Toon Disney) etc.

[Hudsons81]

Some systems, like Toledo, Ohio through the late 1990's and southeastern Oakland County, Michigan until a few years ago, actually had A/B cable, which was two separate 2-13 coaxial cables running to a switch box for switching between the A and B cables.

Do any of you remember that?