Spiderman865
join:2005-12-27
Joliet, IL
 ·Comcast
2 edits | Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 Just got this in the mail yesterday. Looks like more HD this fall. 
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runnoft
Premium
join:2003-10-14
Deerfield, IL
·Comcast
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to my community being transformed into the World of More!
Especially if it does eventually mean more HD, or better quality HD on the current HD channels, after they free up the bandwidth by dumping analog channels. Who knows what they'll really do with it though?
It doesn't say for sure here, though, that this is being applied to the entire Chicago suburban region by September 29th. It may not be.
For anybody who's already been through this, what's a "digital converter", and how is it different from a digital set-top box? I do know what the digital set-top boxes are; that's what all digital cable customers had to use with analog TVs. | |
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Spiderman865
join:2005-12-27
Joliet, IL
·Comcast
1 edit | Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 The DTA thread in this forum explains how they work. As fas as more HD, the Seattleregion went through analog reclimation and after it was complete, they added a bunch of HD channels. Hopefully, the same holds true for us.
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runnoft
Premium
join:2003-10-14
Deerfield, IL
·Comcast
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 OK, it looks like the digital adapters (if those are the "DTAs") are for analog TVs and are like the digital settop boxes, except that the digital adapters can't get OnDemand, the HD channels, or premium channels like HBO.
We still have one analog TV in the house that's on the direct coaxial feed from Comcast and tunes the analog cable channels itself, so it would be useful to have one or the other of those boxes when they do this here... if (or as long as) it truly is free. When they start charging a monthly fee for them (and they probably will eventually), they can have it back and we'll figure out another way to get TV in that room. | |
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johnjefferson3
@comcast.net
| Sorry to burst your bubble, Spiderman865 but Seattle is not done yet!!
here a copy form me responding from the Seattle thread
Unfortunately that comcast person who you talked to was correct, in fact Seattle will be completely Last!! in fact here is a link to an article that was posted if you do not believe it!
»blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/b···ate.html
looks like you may not get it to the End of the year, but it not surprising since the Washington State area started about 2 months later than the Oregon area and has about 2 more zones than Oregon does, in fact i think Oregon only has 1 zone left, from the information that i read from their(Oregon) thread, and then comcast will focus more on California, so that the West coast be done by 2009, with comcast focusing on east coast in 2010!!
Ironically the last Zone left in Oregon is Portland, which (was announced today)will get their HD on September 1, 2009 fishing off Oregon State, but Washington Sate won't be completed done until the End of This year!!
Then ALL near-by Chicago areas should be done, then All of Michigan, and the Starting of the New Jersey Area (Which all have their individual threads too)!! Eventually where going to have a master thread so that all the information is shared to everyone equally!!
p.s if you noticed the Portland HD channels ,yes MSNBC HD was listed, and so was ESPN U HD which is being added only in select markets!! | |
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Spiderman865
join:2005-12-27
Joliet, IL | Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 Maybe I should have worded it different about Seattle. Either way it's a sign of progress.
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| | | earletp
join:2004-02-03
PDX
| said by johnjefferson3 :
Sorry to burst your bubble, Spiderman865 but Seattle is not done yet!!
here a copy form me responding from the Seattle thread
Unfortunately that comcast person who you talked to was correct, in fact Seattle will be completely Last!! in fact here is a link to an article that was posted if you do not believe it!
»blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/b···ate.html
looks like you may not get it to the End of the year, but it not surprising since the Washington State area started about 2 months later than the Oregon area and has about 2 more zones than Oregon does, in fact i think Oregon only has 1 zone left, from the information that i read from their(Oregon) thread, and then comcast will focus more on California, so that the West coast be done by 2009, with comcast focusing on east coast in 2010!!
Ironically the last Zone left in Oregon is Portland, which (was announced today)will get their HD on September 1, 2009 fishing off Oregon State, but Washington Sate won't be completed done until the End of This year!!
Then ALL near-by Chicago areas should be done, then All of Michigan, and the Starting of the New Jersey Area (Which all have their individual threads too)!! Eventually where going to have a master thread so that all the information is shared to everyone equally!!
p.s if you noticed the Portland HD channels ,yes MSNBC HD was listed, and so was ESPN U HD which is being added only in select markets!!
Portland was finished last month. That post about more HD channels was in addition to the 32 that were added with the transition. Comcast started in the Albany and Eugene area the first of the year and moved north with the west side of Portland being transitioned in May and the east side in June. The only analog channels left is the Limited Basic package (local broadcast, several public access channels, WGN, and Discovery) | |
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djdanska
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Glen Ellyn, IL
clubs: | Sweet! Can't wait... | |
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theloop
@rcn.com | its about time. rcn has been all digital in chicago for a year! | |
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bshelly
Premium
join:2002-02-17
Schaumburg, IL
clubs: | Wonderful, now my Analog Tivo's are no longer going to do me any good. Crap! At $199 for a refurbished Tivo, that's going to cost me $400+ tax plus the additional cable card fees to continue my grandfathered Tivo pricing. Grrr! | |
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joetaxpayer
I'M Here Till Thursday
join:2001-09-07
Sudbury, MA
·Comcast
·Comcast Formerly ..
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by bshelly  :Wonderful, now my Analog Tivo's are no longer going to do me any good. Crap! At $199 for a refurbished Tivo, that's going to cost me $400+ tax plus the additional cable card fees to continue my grandfathered Tivo pricing. Grrr! You can get the TiVo carded instead of one cable box. And 2 DTAs free. | |
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andyross
join:2003-05-04
Schaumburg, IL
| I haven't received that letter yet, but they did stop offering 'standard cable' to new subscribers a month or two ago.
The way it's worded, it does sound like they may support DTA's. I hope that means they will move many of the channels to clear-QAM (unless they authorization to use 'privacy mode'.)
Here in Schaumburg, they have starting using PSIP to 'correct' the channel numbers of several clear-QAM broadcast channels. Channels that have clear-QAM HD (2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 20, 26, 32, 38, 50) show up as 202-1, 205-1, etc.. so they do not conflict with the HD, which is 2-1, 5-1, etc... SD only's show up as 44-1, 60-1, 62-1, and 66-1. (62-1 has an issue as there is a REAL 62-1, so my TV tries to tune to the encrypted on the REAL 62-1 if I type it in. I can only view it if I add it to my channel list and channel up or down to it.) The analogs are still there and are just 2, 5, etc... (although many TV's let you use 2-0, 5-0 to force analog.)
They also moved the frequency of several channels around a bit. | |
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Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL | why can't they move scfi to starer like it is in other comcast areas. | |
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| andyross
join:2003-05-04
Schaumburg, IL
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by Joe12345678 :why can't they move scfi to starer like it is in other comcast areas. Probably because it was one of the first analogs moved several years ago, and there was no such thing as Digital Starter. Digital Classic (which wasn't much more than today's Starter) was the entry-level package at the time. | |
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ak3883
join:2005-08-20
Bensalem, PA
| When did they start deploying DTA boxes in your area?
I really hope to get this letter someday soon in the Philly suburbs, I would think they would tackle the burbs before they tackle the mess that is the city's cable system... which is quite a mess of different equipment from what I understand. We were able to get DTAs starting in Jan/Feb.. and have only lost a small handful of channels to digital only.
Also of note is which channels are being downgraded to digital starter. We already have a couple of these that have been moved down to digital starter, that list shows which ones are likely coming soon. At least digital starter channels can be viewed on any TV with a ClearQAM tuner, so those channels can now be viewed on digital TV's without a box or DTA. | |
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| earletp
join:2004-02-03
PDX
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by ak3883 :When did they start deploying DTA boxes in your area? I really hope to get this letter someday soon in the Philly suburbs, I would think they would tackle the burbs before they tackle the mess that is the city's cable system... which is quite a mess of different equipment from what I understand. We were able to get DTAs starting in Jan/Feb.. and have only lost a small handful of channels to digital only. Also of note is which channels are being downgraded to digital starter. We already have a couple of these that have been moved down to digital starter, that list shows which ones are likely coming soon. At least digital starter channels can be viewed on any TV with a ClearQAM tuner, so those channels can now be viewed on digital TV's without a box or DTA. Here in Portland they started sending out notices about needing DTA's the begining of December last year, the DTA's actually became available January 5th this year.
During the transition the channels in the Digital Starter package did become available using a QAM tuner, they often changed channels assignments requiring frequent rescans. After the transition, all the channels except for those in the Limited Basic package were moved to bands that can be filtered out so that those with only a Limited Basic package could no longer view them.
If Comcast gets a waiver to use the encryption features in the DTA's then most likely they will start encrypting them, and then a QAM tuner will only be able to receive the Limited Basic channels in an area. Which is the way it was before the transition began. | |
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| | Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL | Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 some said in a other post that some starter channels will not be in clear qam. Each area is not the same for what you get and at least one area has speed in it comcast Chicago land makes you get sports pack for it. | |
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| earletp
join:2004-02-03
PDX
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by schja01 :I have the "el cheapo" basic (analog) cable for $9.95/mo. Will Comcast give me 2 DTA's ? Or will they force me into some "digital" offering? If they do things the same way, you wouldn't need DTA's as nothing would change for you.
For Enhanced/Expanded analog and higher they give out two DTA's free and charge $1.99 each for any others | |
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| | | earletp
join:2004-02-03
PDX
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by schja01 :So Comcast is maintaining some minimal analog service through the digital conversion? Yes, it's my understanding that until at least 2012, the local broadcast channels like you have will be sent in analog. | |
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| | | Comcaster912
join:2009-07-05
Berwyn, IL
| said by schja01 :So Comcast is maintaining some minimal analog service through the digital conversion? Yep, until 2012, so far. Basic Service (local channels) will stay analog. | |
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| Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL | $10 seems to be analog only and may have digital trapped out. | |
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Ruggiero
join:2008-07-24
Schaumburg, IL
| I work for Comcast in Illinois and wanted to address some of the questions raised in this thread:
1. Yes, "digital converter" and "digital set-top box" are the same . . . program guide, digital channels, On Demand, etc. DTAs simply convert digital signals to analog for the channels on the expanded basic tier.
2. There will DEFINITELY be more HD coming this fall. Details coming in the next several weeks.
3. To schja01's question, we wouldn't deploy DTAs to Basic Cable customers because we continue to offer Basic service in an analog format throughout Illinois. | |
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| kb1
join:2008-11-15
South Bend, IN
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by Ruggiero :I work for Comcast in Illinois and wanted to address some of the questions raised in this thread: 1. Yes, "digital converter" and "digital set-top box" are the same . . . program guide, digital channels, On Demand, etc. DTAs simply convert digital signals to analog for the channels on the expanded basic tier. 2. There will DEFINITELY be more HD coming this fall. Details coming in the next several weeks. 3. To schja01's question, we wouldn't deploy DTAs to Basic Cable customers because we continue to offer Basic service in an analog format throughout Illinois. I'm confused. I thought DTAs convert analog signals to digital on the expanded basic tier. | |
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| | scanpa
Premium
join:2006-09-06
Lebanon, PA
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by kb1 I'm confused. I thought DTAs convert analog signals to digital on the expanded basic tier.
[/QUOTE :
DTA -- Takes a clear Digital signal and converts it to a Analog signal for NON HDTV / Digital TV's. | |
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| Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL
| said by Ruggiero :2. There will DEFINITELY be more HD coming this fall. Details coming in the next several weeks. More HD as in what the city of Chicago has now?
Will there be more high speed internet data channels as well?
More VOD HD and SD slots? | |
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| | Comcaster912
join:2009-07-05
Berwyn, IL
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by Joe12345678 :said by Ruggiero :2. There will DEFINITELY be more HD coming this fall. Details coming in the next several weeks. More HD as in what the city of Chicago has now? Will there be more high speed internet data channels as well? More VOD HD and SD slots? Eventually, once the Subrurbs, Illinois, Indiana, and parts of Michigan are changed, the whole area will have more HD than Chicago has now. | |
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| | | kb1
join:2008-11-15
South Bend, IN
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by Comcaster912 :said by Joe12345678 :said by Ruggiero :2. There will DEFINITELY be more HD coming this fall. Details coming in the next several weeks. More HD as in what the city of Chicago has now? Will there be more high speed internet data channels as well? More VOD HD and SD slots? Eventually, once the Subrurbs, Illinois, Indiana, and parts of Michigan are changed, the whole area will have more HD than Chicago has now. Comcaster912, I live in South bend, IN part of The Greater Chicago Region do you have any idea when I will get the letter? Thanks. | |
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| | | | Comcaster912
join:2009-07-05
Berwyn, IL
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by kb1 :Comcaster912, I live in South bend, IN part of The Greater Chicago Region do you have any idea when I will get the letter? Thanks. So far, the first areas Comcast sent letters to were West Chicago and Romeoville. No communication yet on other areas recieving the letters, though more might have been sent out. | |
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| dishrich
join:2006-05-12
Springfield, IL
| said by Ruggiero :3. To schja01's question, we wouldn't deploy DTAs to Basic Cable customers because we continue to offer Basic service in an analog format throughout Illinois. Joe, that's NOT entirely true - down here in Spfld alone, you guys converted several basic (NOT expanded basic) channels to digital only. So, I would think that basic only subs should be entitled to 2 DTA's as well.
Some of the channels you guys moved include EWTN, ION, C-SPAN 2 & our local PBS on ch 8 - you also have several PBS subchannels in digital only, that are part of basic service. | |
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dragoner
@sbcglobal.net | will CLTV stay on analog?
Will CLTV go 24/7 with CSN+ SD getting it's own channel?
Will the CSN Alternate (the csn web site does have a alt and + in the channel finder) show up on the system? | |
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See 7 replies to this post |
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kb1
join:2008-11-15
South Bend, IN
| said by Spiderman865 :Just got this in the mail yesterday. Looks like more HD this fall. Anyone else in the Chicago area receive this letter? | |
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See 16 replies to this post |
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Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL
1 edit | 
old ad |
will the old direct tv ad about this from the time when the city of Chicago did this show up aging as well as the radio ones?
I have clip of the old add. | |
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cypherstream
Looking forward to the future of things.
Premium,MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA
clubs:
1 edit | Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 But DirecTV also requires a box, and not only that, a satellite dish with a clear view of the southern sky. So you still have to 'act', and in fact installing a dish is more work than just getting a DTA.
I don't think their ad is very fair to be honest. Granted it's all advertising, but notice how every company always leaves out that one little detail. | |
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| | Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL | Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 but a DTA will not get all that you pay for and back then they did not have free boxes on comcast.
also ads had pay more or get less. | |
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mikedz4
join:2003-04-14
Weirton, WV | when will crete, illinois go all digital and receive more hd/digital stations?
Just curious because my uncle just had standard cable installed in june. | |
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koala1946
join:2008-09-10
Valparaiso, IN | Comcaster912 Just wondering about Valparaiso and LaPorte Indiana,Will it be coming here and when???? | |
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| Comcaster912
join:2009-07-05
Berwyn, IL
1 edit | Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 With the rest of the cities, Ill check on and get back to you.
The list posted is the ones we know of so far.
There is also a secondary list, which lists counties, so Ill check on that one too. | |
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Big Bears Fan
@comcast.net
| For those of us that know nothing about the actual workings of the world of more,are these changes line or equipment changes or computer server back office type changes or a combination of both ? We have seen in other areas they roll out the HD neighborhood by neighborhood after the analog reclamation, | |
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| andyross
join:2003-05-04
Schaumburg, IL
| Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 said by Big Bears Fan :
For those of us that know nothing about the actual workings of the world of more,are these changes line or equipment changes or computer server back office type changes or a combination of both ? We have seen in other areas they roll out the HD neighborhood by neighborhood after the analog reclamation, I think basically: They stop feeding analog signals to the channel modulators. Over time, they start feeding digital feeds to them. Cable boxes are sent updated channel maps to point to them. I wouldn't be surprised if they also rearrange the frequencies used by some of the existing digital channels. | |
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castsucks
@sbcglobal.net | Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 How long is the side show pages that say to view to need to go digital up for? | |
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kb1
join:2008-11-15
South Bend, IN
1 edit | Here is something I just came across. The Comcast Greater Chicago region has 2.2 million subscribers (here is a link).
During this transition, were going to need a lot of DTA's!!!
»www.multichannel.com/article/128···_100.php | |
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| dishrich
join:2006-05-12
Springfield, IL | Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 It's probably larger than THAT - that list you linked is from 2007 | |
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andyross
join:2003-05-04
Schaumburg, IL | Does that include the city itself? They went digital last year, but without using DTA's. They forced people to use regular boxes for anything beyond basic. They may hold off on using DTA's in the city until they roll it out in the suburbs first. | |
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djdanska
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Glen Ellyn, IL
clubs: | Rescanned my cable line in Glen Ellyn and all the expanded basic channels are in the clear. 65 analog and 107 digital clear qam channels now. | |
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castsucks
@sbcglobal.net | Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 on the weather channel what city's are listed? in the 36 hour forecast page? | |
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ps56k
join:2003-07-07
Lisle, IL
| Glen Ellyn - rescanning ? - was this on a TV with a direct connect to the coax, or do you have a box - either STB or DTA ?
In reading all these threads, I'm confused what exactly I can see with a digital-capable TV ? with no box of any kind ?
We currently have all analog TV's and Tivos in the house, which worked fine until the recent 9/29/09 migration.
Since I don't have ANY digital capable TV, I was going to run out, buy one, and see what happens with the current basic analog service..... will I be able to see any of the digital channels ?
Lastly - what about Comcast pricing & offers ?
What are you paying for the basic expanded service ?
I'm guessing it is no longer being offered ?
SO - what's a new subscriber to do ?
step WAY up to the Digital Starter @ $56 !!! | |
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donnie6332
join:2004-06-14
Barrington, IL | Any word on the Barrington, Carpentersville, Lake Zurich area? | |
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| hdfollower12
join:2009-07-30
New Lenox, IL | Re: Comcast Chicago Suburbs Going All Digitail 9/29/09 After talking with a Comcast "analyst" online, I was informed that the Chicago suburbs are actually converting analog to digital on September 19th, 2009....I'm guessing that the 9/29/09 date will be when new hd channels will be added. | |
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