US Cable Support > Comcast Cable TV > Say goodbye to ClearQAM

Say goodbye to ClearQAM

quote:

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NCTA to FCC: Let All-Digital MSOs Encrypt Basic Tier

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If they do indeed pass this, and my local Comcast decides to start encrypting locals, I'm dumping them for sure. This is the only reason i still have Comcast - i like being able to watch locals without signal dropouts. I pay for HSI + Basic. If they do this, Hello Century Link + Antenna.

FYI i don't want a box connected to my Flat Panel, it looks nice and clean on the wall by itself

Mount box to tv with mounting kit and using IR blaster, problem solved.

reply to andyross
Not everyone wants a box on every TV (which I'm sure Comcast will charge for). Personally, I've got 1 full box, and one DTA on a non HD tv, but 3 other HDTV's are just hooked up to unencrypted basic locals.

The cable companies really want this. This way they can control the service with sending someone to physically disconnect or connect the service. Just like in the Outer Limits TV show - they want full control!

reply to andyross
Correct me if I am wrong but Fox and other local broadcast stations are charging providers now for the content. In this case, local broadcasts use to be free to the cable companies, now they are charged for those rights. I see nothing wrong with a company protecting its financial interest by encrypting those broadcasts to assure only paying customers receive them. I own a small business in Jersey and if I was forced to pay for something that I was receiving for free, I would change the way I sell that product in order to assure a profit.

The anger should really be vented at the local broadcasters who are forcing the cable companies hand.

reply to andyross
I can't wait for this. I hope cable providers hurry up and implement this as quickly as possible. Maybe this will force the cable providers to invest in better ways of carrying the signal and either compress the signal less, or use a better compression method like MPEG4/H.264 for better picture quality.

reply to bohratom

reply to Mike Wolf

reply to andyross
This is good news.

reply to MN Comcast
true but companies are wierd like that and usually uses something unrelated to justify something else.

reply to andyross
Its going to go away. Just like it being free for the cable companies to transmit has already gone away. What use to be free is now costing the cable companies over 2.50 per month per subscriber. The fox stations alone get well over half of that. When abc, cbs , and nbc see how well fox made out they will be right behind fox on them demands. The only hope is maybe nbc will hold out since they are affiliated with comcast. Other than that we are all SOL. The cable companies have no choice but to just pay what the networks want. Its pay up or dont transmit it. Yea, like any cable company could give up abc, cbs, nbc, or fox. Just the way its going to be. Time to go back to the old satellite model where the locals were pulled in OTA. Its especially hard on the small cable companies left out there. They have no negotiating power at all. The only thing they can do is pay up or fold up. Its only the beginning.

All I know is that if they take away clear HD QAMs from my secondary sets, I better get a couple of HD DTAs for free to replace the crappy SD DTAs I have now.

But there's been no news on the HD DTA front...

reply to rody_44
I don't know the last time the affiliate stations were ever free. I mean the very fact that there have been contract disputes between Fox and ABC with various service providers such as Time Warner, Brighthouse, Cablevision, DISH network, DirecTV (all of which can be brought up with a quick Bing search) over carriage fees proves that everyone wants to get paid.

Pretty sure NBC is going to be the first to do the encryption on Comcast for that fact that they are owned by Comcast, and I think the same can be said by other channels who are owned by cable providers like how Time Warner Cable which is owned by Time Warner owns 50% of The CW.

reply to markofmayhem
well maybe they should add if they do encrypt then YOU MUST let people buy cable boxes (the same ones that you rent) with no outlet fees.

reply to bohratom

reply to andyross
I can understand the benefits of fully controlling their lines remotely, and leaving things hooked up - it's bound to save them a boatload of money.

Here's the thing though - they (ALL cable companies that do this) need to offer the following in return to paying customers:

1) Ability to BUY a cablecard - If I still had cable, I'd be getting a new tuner for my HTPC. Those with Tivo also have to get a card... Renting a card is absurd for OWNED equipment, and it's already a rather "standardized" thing.

2) Ability to BUY a dirt cheap HD"DTA" box of some type, or rent one dirt cheap (under $5/mo, or less than their standard boxes).

I'm not at all opposed to Comcast, or any cable company wanting to do this. I am, however, opposed to the forced rental of one of their boxes to get ANY channels, and the forced rental of a simple card that allows access.

A person can buy a pretty much "idiot proof" Tivo these days (granted, you'd have to either buy 'lifetime' or monthly 'service' to go with it, which I still find slightly absurd, but that's beside the point), why can a person not buy the darn card for $10 or something?

reply to ddrant

reply to bohratom