On Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:52:37 -0400, "Humbled Survivor"
wrote:

My cable tv company switched the signal to HDTV, so naturally my tube TV
doesn't pick up the signal. All I get is fuzz.

Wrong. You unspecified cable company (probably Comcast) switched from
analog to QAM modulation. If your unspecified cable company just
happens to be Comcast, you can call them and ask for a DTA
http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/FAQViewer.aspx?seoid=What-is-a-digital-adapter
It was free, but I keep seeing rumors that they're charging for one.
With that you can have your intentionally fuzzy analog channels back
as well as the FM broadcast channels that were moved to digital.

I have found not one converter that switches HDTV back down to analog.

That's true. Those are ATSC to analog converters that have absolutely
nothing to do with what the cable companies are sending. A clue is
that the box for these converters usually says something like "For OTA
(over the air) use only. Not for cable TV".

All
the ones on the market are for antennas only.

Correct.

They try to dupe you that it
converts a coaxial cable HDTV signal from the cable company to analog, but
none of them do that.

There was a time when the FCC was considering "mandating" different
connectors or connections for CATV and OTA (antenna), to avoid such
confusion. Fortunately, that didn't happen.

It's like taking an upgrade from the past and downgrading it to the past
again. Nobody is making such junk. Prove me wrong, but I have found
nothing.

No need to prove you wrong. You've done an adequate job of doing that
yourself.

To get your TV back, you are going to need either a DTA (digital TV
tuner) or a cable converter box from your benevolent cable provider.
Have your credit card handy.

The only solution I have in sight is to buy an HD TV for hundreds of
dollars.

Nope. HDTV defines the screen resolution. This week, HD is
considered anything over 720p to be HDTV. HDTV does not define
anything to do with the methods used by either the OTA broadcasters or
the cable companies to deliver that resolution picture. If you buy an
HDTV, you will get an ATSC tuner for OTA, which is useless on cable,
and HDMI input connectors, which is what you need for cable. The HDMI
cable goes between the digital cable box and your nice new HDTV.

However, if you get the DTA box from your benevolent cable provider,
it will output either RF on channel 3 or 4 or on some models,
composite video (yellow,white,red cable). If you want composite,
you'll need to ask for it as Comcast as this is not included on all
their DTA offerings. Neither will give you an HD quality picture.
This is intentional as the benevolent cable company wants to sell or
rent you a digital cable box. However, with the DTA, you will be able
to continue watching fuzzy pictures in low resolution.

However, Comcast is still sending some "basic" channels in HD. You'll
need a more complexicated derangement to do that:
http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/cable-tv/connecting-digital-adapter-to-hdtv

I've been checkmated.

Nope. You're suffering from acronym infestation. Take 2 aspirin and
call your cable provider in the morning.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558