Cable TV has been an essential source of information and entertainment for more than a few decades. Our living rooms and weekends, at times, relied on cable TV content. But do we have to buy a cable box or was that always a part of the deal? And do we need more cable boxes if we have more than one TV set?
The era ended when customers did not have to use a cable box to use cable services. Nowadays, every cable service subscriber has to use a cable box to use the services. The same applies to the subscribers who do not want to watch premium channels. In this modern era, having a cable box has become necessary.
Let’s find out in this article and see if we can find any hack to make our lives simpler and less costly.
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Without further ado, let us discuss if cable subscribers always need a cable box for whatever they do or not.
Extra Equipment, Extra Cost
Having a cable box is necessary and that means you will have to use extra equipment, which will eventually make you pay extra cost. If you use only one TV, you will need only a single cable box for that. On the other hand, having multiple TV sets will require multiple cable boxes, and that will result in increased equipment, and cost.
Does that mean compatibility issue?
The same applies to the TVs offering different qualities of the display. If you have an analog, HD, and 4K TV, all three at your home, the box will connect to all of them. The only problem will be that you will have to buy a separate cable box for every TV, regardless of its type. Make sure to connect the RF cable output to analog and TV and the HDMI cable output to HD or Ultra HD TV.
Cable Box Alternatives
Using a cable box implies that you have increased your equipment and its rental cost. In simple words, you have increased your overall cable TV or entertainment monthly expenses. But don’t worry because we have got you covered here! The best solution to avoid using separate boxes for all TVs is opting for cable to your main TV. Yes, set one TV as the main TV and use an antenna to catch these signals on all of your other TVs. It will help you enjoy your favorite local channels on every TV without using cable boxes for all of them.
Anything else?
Well, yes! You can also go for the internet option if you have a Smart TV. Using the internet on Smart TVs allows you to watch movies and TV shows without using a cable box. The issue here is, you may not have access to some of your favorite local channels. Another drawback is you might face delays in watching your favorite shows. However, you can find some free internet channels. Free channels are also available online and you may be able to find them on Amazon, Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube, etc. Though, you have to pay the subscription fee of any OTT or streaming service to enjoy an unlimited dose of entertainment. Furthermore, some channels will ask you to subscribe to cable services. These are known as indirectly free channels.
Conclusive Notes
To conclude it all, cable subscribers can get an antenna to connect the rest of their TV sets with one cable box. However, cable subscribers have to get at least one cable box to get things going. And they do need a cable box always in order to receive and interconnect the cable services between the TV sets. We hope that was a helpful and valuable read. We would love to learn more legitimate hacks and affordable options – do share them in the comments for other readers.