Technical Details
QAM is only a modulation format and does not specify the format of the digital data being carried. However, when used in the context of digital cable television, the format of the data transmitted using this modulation is based on ATSC. This is in contrast to DVB-C which is also based on QAM modulation, but uses a DVB-based data format which is incompatible with North American receivers.
Many cable providers offer few or no details about unencrypted QAM channels. It is also common for cable providers to falsely insist that a set top box from the cable company is required to watch all digital cable channels, including unencrypted channels, even though QAM channels may be distributed via their system. QAM channels may move without notification and some channels may have strange numbering schemes.
Read more about this topic: QAM (television)
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