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ViRGE
join:2002-10-25

ViRGE to andyross

Member

to andyross

Re: Say goodbye to ClearQAM

Well I just got my Dear John letter from Comcast today. Salem, OR will be going all digital on October 9th. So we'll see if they keep ClearQAM around after that, considering we were one of the first areas to go encrypted DTA for expanded basic.

andyross
MVM
join:2003-05-04
Aurora, IL

andyross

MVM

So far, I don't think Comcast has encrypted Limited Basic channels anywhere, except possibly a few very small areas with high theft issues.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

rody_44

Premium Member

Yes they have.
pommehomme
join:2009-06-22

pommehomme to ViRGE

Member

to ViRGE
Same here for Saratoga, CA. I have our basic cable connected directly to a digital TV in a bedroom; it receives basic channels now. Comcast wants me to rent a converter at $8.75/month and a digital adapter for $1.99/month. For the few times that we use that TV, could I just buy a digital converter box for about $40 and connect it between the cable and TV?
dishrich
join:2006-05-12
Springfield, IL

dishrich

Member

said by pommehomme:

For the few times that we use that TV, could I just buy a digital converter box for about $40 and connect it between the cable and TV?

NO, those "$40 boxes" ONLY work on OTA signals...
pommehomme
join:2009-06-22

pommehomme

Member

OK, thanks for the quick reply.

Since we live in a densely populated area (SF Bay Area), how about using a digital antenna to put on my roof mast (which is now really useless) and connect it directly to the bedroom TV--just to pick up OTA digital signals--since it is a digital HDTV? (I think I could get a good outdoor digital antenna for about $60.)
dishrich
join:2006-05-12
Springfield, IL

dishrich

Member

Well first, there is no such thing as a "digital antenna" per se...ANY TV antenna - as long as it's made for the frequency of the TV station(s) you want to pick up (VHF &/or UHF) - will work on the digital OTA signals. (ignore the advertising hype about "antennas specially made for digital TV)

But have you stopped to think about all the trouble you're really going thru, just to NOT have to pay that $2/month extra for that DTA?
(BTW, you should have previously gotten 2 FREE DTA's that come as part of your digital pkg )

You're now looking to spend approx $100 (your costs you've spoken of - & that's assuming you plan on installing it yourself) to put up this antenna/converter box deal. For going thru all this trouble, it WILL take you over 4 years of saving that $2/month DTA charge, for the payback on that purchase. (not to mention the fact you will only get OTA signals on that TV)

Seems kind of silly to me...but whatever blows your dress up...

Bink63
Namedrop THIS
Premium Member
join:2002-10-06
Everywhere

Bink63

Premium Member

said by dishrich:

Well first, there is no such thing as a "digital antenna" per se...ANY TV antenna - as long as it's made for the frequency of the TV station(s) you want to pick up (VHF &/or UHF) - will work on the digital OTA signals. (ignore the advertising hype about "antennas specially made for digital TV)

But have you stopped to think about all the trouble you're really going thru, just to NOT have to pay that $2/month extra for that DTA?
(BTW, you should have previously gotten 2 FREE DTA's that come as part of your digital pkg )

You're now looking to spend approx $100 (your costs you've spoken of - & that's assuming you plan on installing it yourself) to put up this antenna/converter box deal. For going thru all this trouble, it WILL take you over 4 years of saving that $2/month DTA charge, for the payback on that purchase. (not to mention the fact you will only get OTA signals on that TV)

Seems kind of silly to me...but whatever blows your dress up...

Some reality here...

So, I have an anolog TV in the bedroom, that's free DTA #1.

I have a 32" 4:3 HDTV with both an analog tunder & a Clear QAM Tuner. I enjoy being able to watch the non-basic content that I pay extra money for, in the living room. Too bad it's in glorious analog SD, thanks to Free DTA #2. At the moment, I can still watch my locals in HD via the Clear QAM tuner, that's content I pay for too!

So, as of now, I'm out of ways to watch non-basic content that I already PAY for, without paying MORE for other TV's!

It gets better...

my "office" TV, the one I'm in front of 12+ hours a day, is a tunerless HD monitor... in order to watch ANY content, I shell out $17 a month for an HD DVR.

Oh, and given the storage space on Comcast's DVRs is crap, I have a MIT MYHD-130 PCI Dual Clear QAM tuner card (Cost over $350, when I bought it!), a Dual Tuner Clear QAM Silicondust HDHomerun (another 150 Bucks to record TV I pay for!) So, I have, not countiing the cost of the TV with the built-in Clear QAM tuner, well over $500 invested in equipment to legally watch & record the BASIC content I PAY FOR!!!

Is an antenna a bad idea for me? Uh, no. I'll enjoy my local teams in HD, without paying ANOTHER 9 to 17 Bucks per Mo. for each additional TV.



Regards,

Randy

PaulGo
join:2005-01-29
Gaithersburg, MD

PaulGo

Member

Comcast Said Near U.S. Approval to Encrypt Basic-Cable Signals

Cable companies led by Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) are close to winning U.S. permission to start encrypting basic- tier signals, two regulatory officials said, in a move to fight theft and reduce service calls.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has asked fellow commissioners to lift an encryption prohibition in place since 1994, the agency officials said yesterday. They asked not to be identified because the request hasn’t been made public.

The agency last year proposed allowing encryption following requests from companies, including New York-area provider Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC) and closely held RCN Telecom Services Inc.

Almost one-fifth of 134 households whose cable connections were cut off by RCN during an audit in Chicago last year subsequently contacted the company to subscribe, “clear evidence that they had previously been viewing cable without paying,” the company told the FCC in a filing last year.

Cablevision found that, when it encrypted basic service under a waiver from the FCC, it almost eliminated the need to send crews in trucks to disconnect service, the Bethpage, New York-based company told the agency in a filing.

“Cablevision’s experience proves the environmental benefits of eliminating the encryption prohibition,” Cablevision told the agency.
Digital Signals

Encrypting the basic tier would let Comcast start and stop service remotely, which customers prefer to scheduling an appointment with a technician, Philadelphia-based Comcast said in a filing at the FCC.

RCN, based in Herndon, Virginia, said in a filing it was seeing rising levels of theft as cable systems replace analog service with digital signals that are easier to steal.

Television sets with modern tuners can receive the unencrypted basic-service package which is sent in digital format and includes local broadcast stations.

Cable companies already encrypt offerings on the more expensive programming tiers that aren’t regulated by the FCC and include a wider array of channels.

The FCC prohibited encryption at a time cable dominated the pay-TV market, so customers wouldn’t need a set-top box to view local stations. The requirement doesn’t hold for satellite providers DirecTV (DTV) and Dish Network Corp. (DISH) or for cable competitors such as TV services offered by AT&T Inc. (T) and Verizon Communications Inc.
Free Service

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association in 2004 estimated that about 5 percent of homes near cable lines accessed service without paying, resulting in almost $5 billion in lost revenue. That was more than 8 percent of industry revenues that year, according to a filing at the FCC by the Washington-based trade group. The organization’s members include the biggest U.S. cable operator, Comcast, No. 2 provider Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) and Cablevision.

Genachowski’s proposal includes methods for third-party equipment makers such as Boxee Inc. to relay unscrambled basic programming to customers, the two officials said. Boxee had expressed concern its customers wouldn’t be able to access basic-cable TV channels.

Genachowski’s proposal faces a vote and no deadline for action at the five-member agency where he is part of the 3-2 Democratic majority. Neil Grace, an FCC spokesman, in an e-mail declined to comment.

»www.businessweek.com/new ··· -signals

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad

MVM

According to an item in yesterday's news roundup article on the Light Reading Cable site (»www.lightreading.com/doc ··· lr_cable), the FCC is expected to cast its vote on whether to lift the basic-tier encryption ban "within weeks."

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) also sent this letter to the FCC that contains a proposed notice that cable companies would use to inform customers of the change: »apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/docume ··· 22017168