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Anonguy
@cox.net

Anonguy to JeffinNOLA

Anon

to JeffinNOLA

Re: [LA] When is Cox going all digital?

Going to be very difficult with all the equipment required by cox.

A box for every TV is costly.

I don;t see analog going away for a while!

JeffinNOLA
@cox.net

JeffinNOLA

Anon

When cable first came out we were required to have a box. That faded away. Will they do the same thing with digital? All my tvs are digital.
Rob_
Premium Member
join:2008-07-16
Mary Esther, FL

Rob_ to Anonguy

Premium Member

to Anonguy
They can remove the sports channels, then the Disney channels (including Wifetime) and they can just let channels 3-22 (since 2 is already a digital only channel) in the clear.

I heard by 2014. Anyone concur with this?

-Rob
ajwees41
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Omaha, NE

ajwees41

Premium Member

said by Rob_:

They can remove the sports channels, then the Disney channels (including Wifetime) and they can just let channels 3-22 (since 2 is already a digital only channel) in the clear.

I heard by 2014. Anyone concur with this?

-Rob

not going to happen with the sports channels due to contracts

I don't see Cox going all digital like comcast
Rob_
Premium Member
join:2008-07-16
Mary Esther, FL

Rob_

Premium Member

The contracts can change, not sure when they end.

-Rob

bbeesley
join:2003-08-07
Richardson, TX

bbeesley to JeffinNOLA

Member

to JeffinNOLA
said by JeffinNOLA :

When cable first came out we were required to have a box. That faded away. Will they do the same thing with digital? All my tvs are digital.

Yes, when Cox goes all digital it will require something that can perform the conditional access and decode a QAM channel - i.e. a set-top box

As I stated in my response to your other thread about digital TV, this will mean you have to get a box from them or alternatively, get your own CableCard compatible tuner or television.
Rob_
Premium Member
join:2008-07-16
Mary Esther, FL

Rob_

Premium Member

Do they have cable card compatible TV's?

-Rob

DocDrew
How can I help?
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SoCal
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DocDrew

Premium Member

said by Rob_:

Do they have cable card compatible TV's?

-Rob

Maybe...
»www.powersellernyc.com/C ··· 810.html
That TV is actually about 8 years old. Not sure if that is a reputable dealer, so it actually may not be available.

They're difficult to get because the majority of TV makers stopped building them into the TVs a few years ago, so what is available is either old stock or used. CableCard TVs were available from about 2002-2008.
ajwees41
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Omaha, NE

ajwees41 to Rob_

Premium Member

to Rob_
I'm pretty sure if and when Cox does end up go all digital they will use DTA to allow customers access to the same programming on old analog TV.
Foxbat121
join:2001-04-25
Ashburn, VA

Foxbat121 to Rob_

Member

to Rob_
said by Rob_:

Do they have cable card compatible TV's?

-Rob

The reason that Cable Card compatible TVs are going away is that they are useless in today's Switched Digital Video markets which Cox uses. Cable Card devices need to support either Tuner Adapter (TiVo and PCs support them) or support Tru2Way which no 3rd party devices do, in order to support Switched Digital Video.
ajwees41
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Omaha, NE

ajwees41

Premium Member

said by Foxbat121:

said by Rob_:

Do they have cable card compatible TV's?

-Rob

The reason that Cable Card compatible TVs are going away is that they are useless in today's Switched Digital Video markets which Cox uses. Cable Card devices need to support either Tuner Adapter (TiVo and PCs support them) or support Tru2Way which no 3rd party devices do, in order to support Switched Digital Video.

are you sure Tru2way supports SDV?

DocDrew
How can I help?
Premium Member
join:2009-01-28
SoCal

2 edits

DocDrew

Premium Member

Yes tru2way supports SDV.

TWC's Navigator guide and Cox Trio guide are tru2way as are most of the boxes they run on and they work with SDV.
Foxbat121
join:2001-04-25
Ashburn, VA

Foxbat121 to ajwees41

Member

to ajwees41
said by ajwees41:

said by Foxbat121:

said by Rob_:

Do they have cable card compatible TV's?

-Rob

The reason that Cable Card compatible TVs are going away is that they are useless in today's Switched Digital Video markets which Cox uses. Cable Card devices need to support either Tuner Adapter (TiVo and PCs support them) or support Tru2Way which no 3rd party devices do, in order to support Switched Digital Video.

are you sure Tru2way supports SDV?

Yes. Basically, you need a CableLabs approved way to communicate back to the cable headend to switch the video channels. Currently, it is either TA or Tru2Way. Tru2Way goes no where for adoptation outside of existing cable boxes. Panasonic demoed a TV with Tru2way support a few years back but it never went into production. No TVs today support TA either.

DocDrew
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1 edit

DocDrew

Premium Member

said by Foxbat121:

Panasonic demoed a TV with Tru2way support a few years back but it never went into production.

That Panasonic tru2way TV sold for 2 years in limited markets, but it was pulled after the FCC announced AllVid (which hasn't gone anywhere, killed CEA support of tru2way and more CableCard support in one shot).

Start, October 2008:
»news.cnet.com/8301-17938 ··· 2-1.html
tru2way/CableCard death certificate, April 2010:
»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 60A1.pdf
Stop, July 2010:
»Panasonic Stops Selling Tru2Way TV Sets [12] comments

To me, it looks like TV Everywhere and IPTV direct to 3rd party devices using it is going to be the replacement (as long as broadcasters allow it) and AllVid is DOA.
ajwees41
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Omaha, NE

ajwees41 to Foxbat121

Premium Member

to Foxbat121
So if the next Tivo has Tru2way a tuning adapter should not be needed correct?

DocDrew
How can I help?
Premium Member
join:2009-01-28
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Ubee E31U2V1
Technicolor TC4400
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3 edits

DocDrew

Premium Member

said by ajwees41:

So if the next Tivo has Tru2way a tuning adapter should not be needed correct?

tru2way is dead outside of Cable company boxes, FCC killed it with AllVid in 2010.

Tivo pretty much dropped their tru2way guide and box development when Comcast dumped support of the project and developed their own X1 guide. Tivo has since worked with multiple providers for IP backchannel communications for VOD usage (it could maybe be used for SDV if the latency isn't too much) and direct purchases of Tivo's by Cable ops for their customers to rent. Tivo is also getting into the TV Everywhere landscape.

If Tivo was ever going to release a tru2way box it would've been the Series4 released a few years ago. I doubt they'll ever do it now.
Tymanthius
join:2013-04-25
Baton Rouge, LA

Tymanthius to Anonguy

Member

to Anonguy
Not only that, but it would be dumb until there were VERY few analog tv's left in cust's homes.

It's a selling point that you don't need a box.

bbeesley
join:2003-08-07
Richardson, TX

bbeesley

Member

said by Tymanthius:

Not only that, but it would be dumb until there were VERY few analog tv's left in cust's homes.

It's a selling point that you don't need a box.

The cable operators are in a Catch-22 regarding analog television. The marketing folks love that they can advertise that you don't need a box as a competitive advantage to satellite while the data folks would like to be able to use the DOCSIS 3 return carriers between 42Mhz and 85Mhz to allow them to provide higher upstream bandwidth.

In then end, I think it inevitable that operators will eventually do as Comcast has in some of their markets and remove analog TV from their lineup and provide the customers without digital televisions a cheap set-top box.
Foxbat121
join:2001-04-25
Ashburn, VA

Foxbat121 to Tymanthius

Member

to Tymanthius
said by Tymanthius:

Not only that, but it would be dumb until there were VERY few analog tv's left in cust's homes.

It's a selling point that you don't need a box.

Even if there is no analog TVs left, it is still a tough situation for cable providers because they are likely need to offer a free digital box instead of leaving unencrypted QAM channels for basic services.
Demodave5
join:2012-01-17

Demodave5

Member

said by Foxbat121:

said by Tymanthius:

Not only that, but it would be dumb until there were VERY few analog tv's left in cust's homes.

It's a selling point that you don't need a box.

Even if there is no analog TVs left, it is still a tough situation for cable providers because they are likely need to offer a free digital box instead of leaving unencrypted QAM channels for basic services.

I don't understand why Cox doesn't offer the same basic analog in-the-clear channels in unencrypted QAM. This way, they can get rid of the analog channels and only those with older analog-only tuners would need a box. Anyone with a digital TV would be able to get the same basic cable channels as they do now without the need for a cable box.
Foxbat121
join:2001-04-25
Ashburn, VA

Foxbat121

Member

In my area, they do offer broadcasting channels (HD stations) in the clear. But that's something that they would want to get control on(so that you have to actually pay for the basic service in order to get those channels). In some Comcast areas, all digital channels are encrypted.