What Are Digital Cable Boxes

By Ray Lam

Television as improved by leaps and bounds in the last two decades. Though this is a technology that has always been evolving, today's HDTV broadcasts and digital televisions have made viewing television programming all the better to view. Cable television is still very popular, though some find that satellite is more to their liking. If you have cable, you are probably using digital cable boxes in your home. These are becoming more and more advanced as well, and that can only enhance your television viewing experience.

Digital cable boxes are far more advanced then they were just fifteen years ago. Back then, they were rather easy to tinker with, and that meant many could get pay channels and events that they have not paid for. Today, messing with digital cable boxes is much harder, though I am sure there are still ways it can be done. However, security is a number one consideration, and cable companies make their cable boxes in digital form so that they are harder to break through. This also offers the opportunity to have more features.

One of the best features that have come with new digital cable boxes is the ability to record hours of programming right on the box. You don't need a VCR or a DVD player to do so, though you would need one of those if you wish to save it forever. Some digital cable boxes can record up to 40 or 80 hours of programming, and some have much more than that. The only problem with this type of recording is that cable boxes sometimes need to be reset, and if that happens, you may lose what you have saved on there. You should still save anything important to DVD if possible so you are sure you don't lose it.

Your new digital cable boxes also allows you to order movies right from your television, and you don't have to pick up a phone to make a payment. You can make it right through your television cable connection. You also have the ability to get HDTV service through your box if you have a compatible television set.

The possibilities for what can be done through a digital cable box are endless, it would seem, and there can only be great new things on the horizon for the cable companies and those that subscribe to their services. With things like telephone and even Internet coming through the cable lines, your box could be the center of your home communication and entertainment needs one day.