[Jeni]

My television is three years old and has a built-in analog tuner. I am subscribed to digital cable and the cable box hooked to the television in the main room has a built-in digital tuner. The other sets in the household receive cable via coax.

A local network switched some of their shows to another channel they describe as a 'digital subchannel' and unfortunately my cable provider doesn't carry the network from which these shows are re-broadcast by my local network. The digital subchannel the shows are now aired on is the channel of a different network carried by my cable provider (ie: my local network says channel 12 will air the programs I want to watch, but channel 12 through my cable provider is an all-day news broadcast channel).

Since I'm still able to turn to the local network's primary channel and watch their regular programming is it logical to reason I can also pick up their digital subchannel? I understand it's not going to be a simple matter of flipping the channel and bamo! there it is - what I don't understand is how to use the digital tuner to tune into the subchannel (as was suggested by the local network I contacted).

[robertva]

IF the Over The Air (OTA) digital sub-channel is available on the cable television tier(s) you subscribe to it would probably appear as a separate channel on the cable system. Here in SE Virginia USA the primary program from the local PBS affiliate is in high definition on digital 715, while the subchannels are on digital 15 (same programs as on OTA analog) and digital 108. Check for a channel guide on the set with the digital converter, a channel list on the cable provider's web site or the broadcaster's web site. A customer service representative at your cable provider may also be able to direct you to the subchannel's assigned position on their system.

Note that many cable providers are phasing out many analog services and eventually you might need a TV with a QAM "digital cable ready" tuner or a rental digital converter from your cable provider in each room.