 telcodad
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ
kudos:1 | reply to telcodad
Re: Say goodbye to ClearQAM BTW - Boxee's blog entry about all this:
Boxee Welcomes FCC Rulemaking That Opens Door for Innovation
By Avner Ronen, CEO & co-founder - October 14, 2012
»blog.boxee.tv/2012/10/14/boxee-w···ovation/ |
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| Boxee might cheer since they want us to buy Boxee Boxes. I for one don't want any box on my kitchen cabinet tv, or the one on the wall in my bedroom (with nowhere to hang a box!). |
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| reply to andyross
ClearQAM is dead! Long live ClearQAM!  |
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Tekneek
join:2012-02-19
Bethlehem, GA | reply to spdickey2
Welcome back to the 1980s with this set top box thing. We have the technology to not require set top boxes for this stuff, so choosing to walk back in time makes absolutely no sense to anyone except those that are hoping to lease/rent/sell set top boxes. |
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 DrDrewSo that others may surf.
join:2009-01-28
SoCal
kudos:8
2 edits | said by Tekneek:Welcome back to the 1980s with this set top box thing. We have the technology to not require set top boxes for this stuff, so choosing to walk back in time makes absolutely no sense to anyone except those that are hoping to lease/rent/sell set top boxes.
Problem is most of the equipment makers gave up supporting the standard that allowed their gear to decrypt secured signals (CableCARD), so now it falls back on the cable boxes to do that which were required by the FCC to follow the same standard.
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If it's important, back it up... twice. Even 99.999% availability isn't enough sometimes. |
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| reply to andyross
Well, canceling our Limited Basic subscription is now imminent. Will wait to deal with OTA until we move to a house in the spring, in the meantime the tubes will fulfill what limited TV viewing *wants* we still have... |
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Tekneek
join:2012-02-19
Bethlehem, GA | Comcast wanted us to pay $27 for the local OTA stations. I put in an antenna and receive more local channels than Comcast would've provided and don't pay any monthly fees for them. |
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| reply to spdickey2
Eventually if you want TV you will need a box. Unless your tvs are digital then you can hook an antenna up to them. But for cable yes you will need a box.
There is one option that my parents use. They have the cable split off after the box in the living room and run the cable through the wall to the kitchen so the kitchen tv gets cable also. Only problem is you watch the same program in both rooms. |
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bennorPremium
join:2006-07-22
New Haven, CT | reply to Tekneek
said by Tekneek:Comcast wanted us to pay $27 for the local OTA stations. I put in an antenna and receive more local channels than Comcast would've provided and don't pay any monthly fees for them.
Comcast in my market is charging $20.50 not including taxes for the Basic Lineup.
Unfortunately for some (like myself) OTA is a hit or miss affair due to the distance from the local station antenna farms and other local terrain/building variables that impact antenna reception.
For some this ClearQAM encryption will impact (possibly cripple) our media center PC's in addition to our stand alone TV's. |
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Tekneek
join:2012-02-19
Bethlehem, GA | Ours was $9.99 6 years ago and steadily climbed to the current $26.99. |
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telcodad
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ
kudos:1
1 edit | reply to telcodad
The FCC has set December 10th as the effective date for the new rules:
New Cable Video Security Rules to Get Real
By Jeff Baumgartner, Light Reading Cable - November 16, 2012
»www.lightreading.com/document.as···lr_cable
EDIT: Also see:
FCC Will Lift Basic Digital Encryption Ban Dec. 10
Move will cut truck rolls, help prevent theft of service
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable - November 16, 2012
»www.broadcastingcable.com/articl···c_10.php |
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| But where's our HD DTAs, Comcast?? Supposed to be rolling out by end of this year but are nowhere to be seen.
Knowing them, this is a case of being careful what you wish for given that they started charging $2/mo. for old SD DTAs that they gave everyone for free. Existing ones, not new ones. They'll probably charge $5 or more for the HD ones. |
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 PaulGo
join:2005-01-29
Gaithersburg, MD | My guess is that the encryption will be phased on over several months and giving notice in bills and direct mail to allow customers to pick up HD DTAs. |
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| reply to GTFan
We've got some different models in our headend right now that are being tested. They are pretty tiny, but the power supplies are bigger than the unit itself. |
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telcodad
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ
kudos:1 | said by GTFan:But where's our HD DTAs, Comcast?? Supposed to be rolling out by end of this year but are nowhere to be seen.
said by JoeHemi:We've got some different models in our headend right now that are being tested. They are pretty tiny, but the power supplies are bigger than the unit itself.
There was an interesting article on the San Francisco Chronicle's site yesterday about a particular issue with needing to use cable boxes now on all TVs - independently controlling multiple boxes/TVs that are in the same room:
Cable switch messes up 3-TV living room
By David Einstein, The San Francisco Chronicle - November 18, 2012
»www.sfgate.com/technology/comput···8855.php
This will slowly become a non-issue once the X1 boxes and HD-DTAs become more common in users' homes, as they employ RF remotes using the ZigBee RF4CE standard that "pair" like Bluetooth devices.
See: »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZigBee |
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telcodad
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ
kudos:1 | |
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telcodad
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ
kudos:1 | reply to Tekneek
said by Tekneek:Comcast wanted us to pay $27 for the local OTA stations. I put in an antenna and receive more local channels than Comcast would've provided and don't pay any monthly fees for them.
FYI for anyone that is now contemplating "cutting the cord" and going OTA-only:
Rovi Phasing Out Over-the-Air Guide Listings
Vendor Cites End of Data Broadcast Agreements; Service to Fully Cease by April 2013
By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News - November 27 2012
»www.multichannel.com/technology/···s/140422
From the article:
Rovi has started shutting off the TV listings data it has provided in over-the-air broadcasts to dozens of consumer-electronics device models in North America -- and will completely end the service by April 2013 -- a move that has infuriated consumers who claim it will render their DVRs useless.
The company said its agreements with data broadcasting partners CBS and National Datacast Inc. (NDI), a for-profit subsidiary of PBS, are coming to an end.
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All Rovi guides in analog TVs, digital TVs and consumer-electronics DVRs that receive over-the-air broadcast data via an antenna or a cable TV connection in the U.S. and Canada, including the Rovi Guide Plus+ and TV Guide on Screen products, will be affected by the change. |
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telcodad
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ
kudos:1 | reply to DrDrew
said by DrDrew:Problem is most of the equipment makers gave up supporting the standard that allowed their gear to decrypt secured signals (CableCARD), so now it falls back on the cable boxes to do that which were required by the FCC to follow the same standard.
A recent article on the Broadcasting & Cable site:
CEA to FCC: Deny Charter Set-Top Waiver and Come Up With Standard
Says FCC should bite bullet and resolve issue through standard interface for directly attaching retail boxes to MVPDs
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable - November 30, 2012
»www.broadcastingcable.com/articl···dard.php |
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KearnstdElf WizardPremium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ | reply to andyross
Guide Plus will likely shift to IP networks then. Really any device sold today that needs data like a guide should have wifi or LAN capability.
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports |
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| reply to telcodad
said by telcodad:said by DrDrew:Problem is most of the equipment makers gave up supporting the standard that allowed their gear to decrypt secured signals (CableCARD), so now it falls back on the cable boxes to do that which were required by the FCC to follow the same standard.
A recent article on the Broadcasting & Cable site: CEA to FCC: Deny Charter Set-Top Waiver and Come Up With Standard
Says FCC should bite bullet and resolve issue through standard interface for directly attaching retail boxes to MVPDsBy John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable - November 30, 2012 » www.broadcastingcable.com/articl···dard.php Way overdue after the FCC shirked their duty with AllVid. Instead they're just going to keep kicking the can down the road and hope cable comes up with something.
»apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=6017143898 |
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