Digital converter box for cable question

[anotherguy]

With the talk of the digital converter boxes for OTA TV being discussed, I thought of another question. Is there or will there be a reasonably priced converter box for converting digital basic cable that can be purchased rather than having to depend on getting one from the cable system?

From what I've been told by Charter in Jackson, TN extended basic cable will be all digital by the conversion deadline. I'd rather buy a converter if one can be found at a reasonable price than to pay the $5.00 per box that Charter will charge, which for me would be an extra $15 or $20 a month.

I know that HD tuners are available, but will the price come down on those, and how readily available will they be? I know another option would be to buy a DVD recorder or VCR with a digital tuner, but will a similar standalone tuner be available if someone wanted it? Also, I don't mean an HDTV tuner that can be added to a computer. Thanks in advance for any information. 

[anotherguy]

Another note: I looked further on websites like Best Buy, Circuit City, and even Ebay, and all I've been able to find are other OTA converters that came out before the newer ones that are covered by the government coupons. Also on Ebay there are plenty of the USDTV converters that were sold at one time at Wal Mart for $29.95 plus shipping. Apparently they're still good for OTA digital converter boxes, although USDTV failed, but still not for cable.

[w9wi]

Another note: I looked further on websites like Best Buy, Circuit City, and even Ebay, and all I've been able to find are other OTA converters that came out before the newer ones that are covered by the government coupons. Also on Ebay there are plenty of the USDTV converters that were sold at one time at Wal Mart for $29.95 plus shipping. Apparently they're still good for OTA digital converter boxes, although USDTV failed, but still not for cable.

I think the big issue here has been user identification for conditional access.  Cable of course doesn't want you watching the premium channels (or PPV) unless you've paid for them.  The FCC has indicated they want consumer choice in boxes and they've worked up a "Cable Card" scheme, similar to the authorization cards in DirecTV/Dish Network receivers for this purpose.  Converters that support CableCard are available but most systems aren't supporting them yet.

The coupon system is strictly for OTA digital, so coupon-eligible boxes indeed don't - and won't - support cable.