HD TV scan cable system NO GUIDE?, Stops at 74%

[Microman]

Cable system in wifes relatives retirment community is Time Warner. The cable they have coming into their house is 0-99, and not digital.

When I scan channels with their new 42" Vizio LCD it stops at 74%, and has many Analog and Digital Channels scanned.

When I exit, there is no guide, and some of the channels are numbered out of any range that they are use to. First I wonder why no guide?, then I wonder are these other channels the digital channels with numbers like 105-5. And if they are, do we need to go to TW and tell them that we want Digital Cable? And where do we get the guide to come in, for either Analog or Digital...

Their Series 2 Tivo, gets the guide info fine... still.

[bobinmurphy]

I read something about this the other day but I can't find the reference right now, so this is from memory.

If your new TV is QAM capable it can scan for unencrypted digital channels but it takes a long, long time. Something about there being 2 to 3 subchannels on each digital channel it finds. The channel numbers it finds will not necessarily align with the channel guide provided by your Cable Company. Normally the proper channel mapping is contained in either their set-top box or in the CableCard they rent you to install in your CableCard enabled TV.

So I think you should be able to get the unencrypted channels on a QAM capable set without a set-top box or CableCard. There's no guarantee that TW hasn't encrypted all the digital channels though. I have a standard set-top box and a HD TV but the HD digital channels on my TW cable don't show video, all I get is the audio.

[BigGuynRusty]

As bobinmurphy said, you are scanning the Clear QAM channels.
Take it from me, the QAM channels do not match up, and TW is busy encrypting all the channels that they can. They legally can encrypt any digital channel that is not available OTA.
The only way you are gonna get a "Channel Guide" is with a cable box.

BGnR