JKL in NBK
@comcast.net
| Analog channels
I don't see what the complaint is about cable moving to digital tiers, when all broadcast TV is supposed to be digital by Feb. anyway, and theoretically the analog broadcast stations will be gone from cable. The cable networks will also probably migrate to digital because people will want HD and the cable companies will want bandwidth.
I agree with you that this appears to be a political stunt that came too late. |
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Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO
| IF they were charging the same amount for the digital channels as the analog channels then I would agree with you. Since the channels are already in digital (most channels are available that way now) shouldn't it be cheaper for them to rebroadcast them than to convert the signal back to analog? So why are they charging more for the same channels? |
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raybrett
join:2001-02-20
Saint Louis, MO
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to JKL in NBK
My complaint was that they removed the analog channels but but did not decrease the price of the service to reflect the loss of channels. I am not sure if they raised the price of the digital tier to reflect the cost of the additional channels, but I suspect that they did not. |
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Morac
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ
 ·Comcast
| reply to JKL in NBK
As has been mentioned there are two problems:
1. Digital tiers cost more than analog tiers and you also need to rent a cable box, so you need to pay more to get the same channels.
2. The analog tier costs are staying the same (or going up). If you pay $50 for 60 analog channels and they move 20 of them to digital, you are now paying $50 for 40 analog channels which is basically a price increase. |
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nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
·Comcast
| reply to JKL in NBK
said by JKL in NBK :
... and theoretically the analog broadcast stations will be gone from cable. ...
no, that's not what's going to happen:
quote:
The agency also will look into whether cable operators and Verizon are confusing customers by linking the shift of the analog channel to the digital tier to the nation’s transition to digital broadcasts, Martin said.
The two moves are unrelated.
the cablecos are mandated to keep the analog channels for some period of time, so the analog channels will still be around on cable after the transition. At some point in the future, however, cablecos will be allowed to stop all analog transmissions and go all digital (which they really want to do right now).
the issue is that cablecos are removing channels from that analog line up and putting the channel onto a digital tier, to reclaim the bandwidth for digital (HD mainly). When that happens, the analog customer has that many fewer channels and thus the brouhaha. |
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nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
·Comcast
| reply to Lazlow
said by Lazlow  :...shouldn't it be cheaper for them to rebroadcast them than to convert the signal back to analog? ... they are not allowed to down-convert digital signals to analog (some amendment passed by congress!), so they have to transmit analog channels. I believe it's so people on the basic tier don't have to get a box - so even after the transition, if you have an old analog TV, but subscribe to a basic cable tier, you can still get channels on your old tv without a box. The basic tier is the only cable programming still regulated by the govt.
this requirement goes away eventually, but I forget when. |
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openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Alexandria, VA
 ·AT&T Southeast
| said by nasadude :so they have to transmit analog channels. Basic only, i.e. locals, for cable companies with any analog transmission capability.said by nasadude :this requirement goes away eventually, but I forget when. 2012.
»fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/a···70A2.txt |
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GOLFnSUN
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| reply to nasadude
said by nasadude :said by Lazlow :...shouldn't it be cheaper for them to rebroadcast them than to convert the signal back to analog? ... they are not allowed to down-convert digital signals to analog (some amendment passed by congress!), so they have to transmit analog channels. I believe it's so people on the basic tier don't have to get a box - so even after the transition, if you have an old analog TV, but subscribe to a basic cable tier, you can still get channels on your old tv without a box. The basic tier is the only cable programming still regulated by the govt. this requirement goes away eventually, but I forget when. The cable franchising agreements for BASIC cable only REQUIRE a very small set of cable channels(usually local OTA channels, and a couple PEG channels). The channels being moved to digital tiers are most likely not included in those agreements. If that is true, and I think it is, the FCC doesn't have a leg to stand on when demanding price decreases for basic tiers.
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Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC
| reply to JKL in NBK
Wrong. My cable company charges $30 extra on top of the analog channels to get the digital channels. They are moving the good channels to the digital plus all pay TV are already there. If you want HBO you pay $42 for analog tier plus $30 for digital tier plus $12 for HBO. Life line cable is $12 but you can't add the digital tier.
When analog goes off the air my cable company will convert to an analog signal and you will not get digital TV unless you pay for it.
My only other choice is Sat. and that's why I have sat. |
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Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO
| reply to nasadude
How is that going to work? After the cutoff date stations will only be transmitting in digital. If they are not allowed to convert from digital, where are they going to get the signal from? I knew that they had to continue life line(for a while) in analog but I assumed it would just be a signal they converted from digital. I also think that the FCC is letting them bypass this requirement IF they provide a free converter box until that required date. Which, depending on how many you would have to support, may be a cheaper way out for the cable co's. |
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dnoyeB
Ferrous Phallus
join:2000-10-09
Southfield, MI | I did not think cable companies got their local TV signals OTA. Is this true? |
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Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO | I think some do but most have a direct feed. But that feed is still in a digital form. Think about how individual stations get their "feed" from the head office, digital. |
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ashworth
join:2001-10-06
Pittsburgh, PA
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to nasadude
The digital conversion which the FCC mandated by 2/09 for local broadcast channels(antenna) has nothing to do with how cableco/VZ provides their service. The thread is about these companies using this as a sales ploy to sell their services and the FCC is looking into it. Comcast here will be the same(analog/digi)for quite sometime(couple of years), and Fios is already digital. |
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bellhater
Premium
join:2003-10-08
canada
| reply to JKL in NBK
for people that are on a tight budget, such as my dad who is on comcast, being told they had to upgrade to a digital cable box because of the transfer in feb was a rip.... seeing that the conversion process is simply the source going into a transcoder to the analog system of cable and then out to the tv. so what is going to change. the cable companies are trying to recoup some cost of some minor equipment upgrades and forcing people to take a cable box and because they now have a digital cable box they need to be bummped up to the first digital tier of service.. for my dad. he was paying 51.90, now because of all the bull its now 71.81 so 20 bucks more and what does he get? 5 extra channels that he doesnt watch... so seriously an investigation is warrented .. specially for people on a budget that can not afford the extra 20 bucks.
after the nagra 3 boxes come out for dish, i am going to get him one.... stick it to ya that way comcast!!!!!! |
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Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO
| Recouping the cost of the equipment has very little to do with it. They want the bandwidth. Analog channels take up much more bandwidth per channel (4:1 or more). If they dump all the analog channels they can use the recovered bandwidth to add more channel. Some of that bandwidth will be used by HSI, either channel bonding(Docsis3) or putting fewer modems per channel (Docsis 2 or older). |
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