dtv09
@nauticom.net
| Re: Local digital stations in limited basic subscription? Neither, it's the fault of your local stations. Until Feb 2009, only your stations can ask Comcast to offer your locals "in the clear", if they are not charging Comcast for carry like Sinclair Media. To do additional searches, you are referring to "clear QAM": stations that can be watched with a digital tuner without a box (STB) or cable-card. On Feb of 2009, the DTV switch will occur and these local stations will then be allowed to file for "must carry" or "for profit" licenses. If they are "must carry" and carry the same feed on HD and SD, then Comcast will have to provide both feeds as "clear QAM". CBS's Les Moon-whatever, has publicly stated he does not want his HD to be free. Expect local CBS affiliates to not allow their HD feeds as "clear", others will depend on the local stations itself. If a station does not authorize Comcast to carry it's signal, it can't... that includes price packages as well as straight up availability. The FCC has not yet concluded the DTV regulations. As of May 2008, a "channel" was defined as "multiple streams" and the HD stream, if carrying the same content as the SD stream, will be held against the Must Carry practices that have existed since the early '80's. The National Broadcasters Association is heavily fighting this definition, against cable operators and PBS who want "Must Carry" to mean the channel, not specifically picked streams within. Until resolution, most systems have all digital stations encrypted. |
