WaitWhat
| Wait, what?
I thought service providers delivering television directly to the end-users were still going to be transmitting in analog and digital? I thought this entire transition only affected over-the-air broadcasters? |
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Lee GWB
Yaco
Premium
join:2001-10-13
Allendale, NJ
 ·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit |  Yes and no. If you are in TW, Comcast, OOL etc etc country you do not need to change a thing BUT use the Companies Digital boxes. If you had "Rabbit ears" you need a digital box........for your OLDER TV. I think 
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"I Don't feel Tardy"
EDIT : they are ALL doing it for bandwidth reasons |
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jmn1207
Premium
join:2000-07-19
Reston, VA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| said by Lee GWB  :Yes and no. If you are in TW, Comcast, OOL etc etc country you do not need to change a thing BUT use the Companies Digital boxes. If you had "Rabbit ears" you need a digital box........for your OLDER TV. I think If they force the customer to use a digital box, why the heck wouldn't they completely scrap the analog channels to recover the much needed bandwidth? |
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Mr Anon
@il.us
| reply to Lee GWB
Yaco that's the same wording that gets me confused just like the original poster. You don't use rabbit ears to receive cable. I too was under the impression that the digital transition only affected broadcast as in over the air, not broadcast standards regardless of service.
Perhaps my confusion is between delivery of service and type of service and that there is digital service and that there is a digital type of service, something I never really though out till right now.
So for deliver of service digital would be 200, 300 type channels and on demand requiring you to have a digital converter box from the company.
For type of service it would be cable trans mission of th Digital channels like say ch2.1 and ch2.2 meaning that its still the equivalent of the Analog service and you don't need a cable box if you have a QAM Turner. |
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Rattler
join:2001-04-13
Havertown, PA
·Verizon Online DSL
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to WaitWhat
said by WaitWhat :
I thought service providers delivering television directly to the end-users were still going to be transmitting in analog and digital? I thought this entire transition only affected over-the-air broadcasters?
I believe that cable companies are not required to make the switch from the hybrid analog/digital environment by Feb of next year. I am not sure if they are required to do it at all since they are not using the airwaves.
However, as mentioned previously, I believe they will all, eventually, make the switch to full digital to gain space for additional QAM channels which use bandwidth much more efficiently. So, eventually, analog over cable will be in museums only.
I thought that I read the Comcrap would be going all digital by the end of 2009, or thereabouts.
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Never raise your hands to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected. -- Red Buttons |
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tschmidt
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
 ·Hollis Hosting
·Verizon Online DSL
·Fairpoint Communic..
| reply to WaitWhat
The Feb 17, 2009 FCC mandate applies solely to full power over the air TV stations (OTA). Has nothing to do directly with Cable.
That being said MSO's are working transition to full digital, or at least expand digital offering for the same reason it makes sense to do Digital OTA - it frees up spectrum.
/tom |
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Jim Gurd
Premium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI
 ·Comcast
| reply to WaitWhat
I thought cable companies were required to keep sending analog signals for another 3 years after the OTA conversion to digital.
If I'm understanding this correctly after Feb 2009 all televisions without a digital tuner will require a STB in order to get cable service. No more plugging the cable directly into the coax jack on the TV.
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Calling an illegal alien an undocumented worker is like calling a crack dealer an unlicensed pharmacist. |
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slash
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-01
Boston
clubs: | reply to WaitWhat
Correct. The title here is misleading. This is not mandated by the FCC |
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tschmidt
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
·Hollis Hosting
·Verizon Online DSL
·Fairpoint Communic..
| reply to Jim Gurd
said by Jim Gurd :I thought cable companies were required to keep sending analog signals for another 3 years after the OTA conversion to digital. after Feb 2009 all televisions without a digital tuner will require a STB in order to get cable service. I'm confused. If MSO's have to include Analog in their lineup why would customer need a TV with digital tuner?
/tom |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| reply to WaitWhat
They don't have to change--- They're not broadcasting.
However, many are changing over voluntarily for several reasons.
1) They can dump older equipment, no need to support/maintain
2) All digital, they can compress it and increase bandwidth;
3) Makes it harder to "steal" service
4) Extra revenue from STB, Cablecard fees etc
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| reply to tschmidt
said by tschmidt :I'm confused. If MSO's have to include Analog in their lineup why would customer need a TV with digital tuner? You wouldn't... yet... but there is a sunset. The Analog will stop within a few years--- so eventually you will need it. If you get a Digital tuner TV now, you can receive OTA broadcasts immediately, no STB needed.
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
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RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
·AT&T Midwest
1 edit | reply to tschmidt
That is correct; it only applies to OTA TV. The people writing these stories (and evidently Verizon's PR department) repeatedly get it wrong and I suspect that is on purpose. Verizon transitioning to digital only has nothing to with the OTA deadline.
Of course, someone could email Eric Rabe and set him straight... |
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RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
·AT&T Midwest
| reply to tschmidt
They have to have an analog tier, or provide one digital STB without additional cost if there is no analog on the system. Of course, you'll get the high-pressure sales pitch to 'upgrade' to a higher tier if you attempt to claim your one no-fee box...and that's the source of the Consumers Union complaint. |
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openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Alexandria, VA
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to Jim Gurd
said by Jim Gurd :I thought cable companies were required to keep sending analog signals for another 3 years after the OTA conversion to digital. That only applies to broadcast locals. Additionally, there a stipulations regarding equipment being employed in the FCC ruling. Bottom line, the ruling only applies to some cable companies, and even then, it only applies to broadcast local and PEG channels. |
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RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11 | reply to KrK
4) Extra revenue from STB, Cablecard fees etc
That should be #1.
--
Toolmaster of La Grange. |
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Lee GWB
Yaco
Premium
join:2001-10-13
Allendale, NJ
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Mr Anon
Hi,
Correct. I too was under the impression that in a closed system (Not over the air) Analog was good to go. It seems that from Karl's post and from the letter from VZ that this is not the case. I know for a fact that with TW we now have less than 20 channels at work with the Analog boxe.
Lee |
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Lee GWB
Yaco
Premium
join:2001-10-13
Allendale, NJ | reply to jmn1207
They all seem to be doing it read my post about TW. Their website mentions the limited Analog they have too. |
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