On January 19th,  2008, Brighthouse Cable moved Orange TV from Channel 9 to Channel 199 and Vision TV from Channel 98 to Channel 198 on its digital tier. If you are not a digital cable customer or have not purchased a new television set with a digital tuner, you will need a digital converter box to continue viewing these channels in their new location. Customers who subscribe to basic cable, will not be required to upgrade to the digital level of service to see their government in action. 
However, you will need to obtain a simple-to-install box available from Brighthouse for a fee of $1.00 per month per TV. For more information on how to obtain a box, call Brighthouse @ 407-291-2500.

Brighthouse relocation of Orange TV & Vision TV Frequently Asked Questions: 
 
 
What if I don't want to rent a box from Brighthouse Networks?
 
You have three options:
 
 1. You can purchase a digital converter box from any local consumer electronics retailer. The box must have a QAM tuner  or be digital cable ready (DCR) in order to accept the digital cable signal. The prices for these boxes vary.  
 
2. You can purchase a television with a digital tuner.  The television must be digital cable ready (DCR), and or have a QAM tuner, meaning it can tune digital cable channels without needing an external cable box.
 
3. You can do nothing but unfortunately, you will no longer receive Orange TV or Vision TV and will be unable to view your government in action.
 
 
I have a digital TV that is digital cable ready with a QAM tuner but I cannot find your channels on 198 and 199. Why?

If you are using your television's digital tuner without a brighhouse box, Orange TV is located on 99-1 and  Vision TV is located on 99-2.

I already have a digital box from Brighthouse. Will I still be affected by this move?
 
If you already have a digital box, the only change you will notice is that Orange TV will now be located on channel 199 and Vision TV will be located on Channel 198.  However, you will only be able to receive these channels on televisions that have a digital tuner or are equipped with a converter box.

Can I hook up more than one TV and video recorder to a single digital-to-analog converter box?

No. You will need one digital-to-analog converter box for each TV set or other device (such as a VCR) that only has an analog tuner. The digital-to-analog converter box basically replaces the analog tuner in one piece of equipment. So if you want to use your analog TV and VCR at the same time (for example, to watch one program and record another simultaneously), you will need two digital-to-analog converter boxes.

How do I know if I already have a digital TV?

Many digital televisions and digital television equipment have labels or markings on them, or statements in the informational materials that came with them, to indicate that they contain digital tuners. These labels or markings may contain the words "Integrated Digital Tuner," "Digital Tuner Built-In," "Digital Receiver," or "Digital Tuner," "DTV,"

If your television set is labeled as a "Digital Monitor" or "HDTV Monitor," or as "Digital Ready" or "HDTV Ready," this does not mean it actually contains a digital tuner. Thus, you still will likely need a separate set-top box that contains a digital tuner in order to view Orange TV & Vision TV.
If your television set is labeled as "analog" or "NTSC," and does NOT feature a digital tuner, it contains an analog tuner only.

If you cannot determine whether your television set or other television equipment contains a digital tuner, you should check your equipment for the manufacturer name and model number, and then contact your consumer electronics retailer, or the manufacturer, to determine whether it contains a digital tuner. This information may also be available online at the manufacturer's website.

Why is this happening?

Congress mandated that the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in the analog format is February 17, 2009. Over-the-air TV broadcasts will be in digital only format after that date. As a result, consumer electronic retailers are now required to sell only televisions with digital tuners. By law, beginning March 1, 2007, all television reception devices (including TVs, VCRs, DVRs, etc.) imported into the U.S. or shipped in interstate commerce must contain a digital tuner. Retailers may continue to sell analog-only devices from existing inventory, but must prominently display on or near the analog-only device a consumer alert advisory.

Do cable TV networks have to switch to digital broadcasting as well?

No. The current requirement to switch from analog to digital only applies to full-power broadcast TV stations, which use the public airwaves to provide free over-the-air programming. The Federal Communications Commission has ruled that cable subscribers with analog televisions must be able to view broadcast television through February of 2012. You can read the ruling here:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-276576A1.pdf
 
So why has Brighthouse moved Orange TV and Vision TV more than a year before the 2009 digital switchover?
 
It's a corporate decision that is affecting government access channels on Brighthouse Networks statewide. For more information about this channel relocation, you can contact Brighthouse cable @ 407-291-2500