 patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
kudos:1 | NCTA The NCTA commercials are doing a good job of informing the public the cable TV is the only solution to not loose your TV in February 2009. Thanks FCC. | |
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 | Reviews:
 ·Comcast
 ·AT&T Southeast
| Re: NCTA said by patcat88:The NCTA commercials are doing a good job of informing the public the cable TV is the only solution to not loose your TV in February 2009. Thanks FCC. Yes thank you FCC for FINALLY doing this. The analog transmissions are a massive waste of bandwidth. If you still use analog broadcast services then please get your coupon for your gov't cheese STB and move along. | |
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| Ahrenl
join:2004-10-26
North Andover, MA | Sounds like an actual benefit to some from competition. Go figure. | |
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|  pipdipchip8 Megabits A SecondPremium
join:2003-12-04
Hanover, MN | They've always done this. It has nothing to do with digital services really. Comcast isn't going to spend the effort to filter analog out of the other services. Sign up for high-speed cable and you'll be given cable for free. Not as part of any deal. | |
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| |  MadMANNPremium
join:2005-08-19
kudos:2 | Re: NCTA said by pipdipchip:They've always done this. It has nothing to do with digital services really. Comcast isn't going to spend the effort to filter analog out of the other services. Sign up for high-speed cable and you'll be given cable for free. Not as part of any deal. Inaccurate. They do have traps that filter all analog channels for those customers who sub to data-only services. There was a period of time where many cable companies only trapped expanded services for those customers. In that case, the sub could split their line to a tv and get basic cable. However, most systems now trap out all unencrypted video frequencies and analog services. That's not saying there isn't a tech here and there that forgets to put the trap in place or is just too lazy to do so. | |
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| | |  dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | Re: NCTA said by MadMANN:said by pipdipchip:They've always done this. It has nothing to do with digital services really. Comcast isn't going to spend the effort to filter analog out of the other services. Sign up for high-speed cable and you'll be given cable for free. Not as part of any deal. Inaccurate. They do have traps that filter all analog channels for those customers who sub to data-only services. There was a period of time where many cable companies only trapped expanded services for those customers. In that case, the sub could split their line to a tv and get basic cable. However, most systems now trap out all unencrypted video frequencies and analog services. That's not saying there isn't a tech here and there that forgets to put the trap in place or is just too lazy to do so. Sometimes the traps have been known to have "fallen off" of their connectors too 
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When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee | |
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| | | |  UnKownThe Underground Network
join:2002-09-08
Orlando, FL | Re: NCTA yup thats how i get broadband 7mbit/512 and basic cable television for a mere 29.99 a month. gotta love it. | |
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| |  BSD24Tier 4Premium
join:2008-04-30
Middleboro, MA | Its free "BASIC" cable, channels 2-23. Nothing more nothing less.
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|  quetwoThat VoIP GuyPremium
join:2004-09-04
East Lansing, MI | Re: Depends You will get the local channels, and the PEG channels. Probbaly the home shopping network too.
Oh, but wait, that will be until Comcast requires you to rent a DCE or STB. $5/mo extra per tv. Oh, yeah, and all the channels you get will be so compressed, it won't be worth watching. | |
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| |  ChucklesPremium
join:2006-03-04
Saint Paul, MN | Re: Depends Why/when will Comcast require you to get a cablebox? | |
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| | |  en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Re: Depends Why: Because analog channels on cable is also a waste of bandwidth/spectrum, and because they can make more $$ with digital services. Eg. Your TV viewing habits can be resold to data mining on digital, but not analog. You can be sold 'on demand' items, and extra services (Football/Hockey, etc).
When: Probably when Comcast decides to push switched digital
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
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| | | | ChucklesPremium
join:2006-03-04
Saint Paul, MN | Re: Depends And Comcast is increasing it's rates by 500%.
When: Probably when Comcast decides to increase their price.
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| | | | | en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Re: Depends Yup
$50/STB/month  | |
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| | | |  HangmnDon't Fight It...It's InevitablePremium
join:2000-04-08
Philadelphia, PA | Comcast will probably never go to switched digital. Its a bit expensive..look for an "alternate solution" coming to a node near you.
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| | | Reviews:
·Comcast
| For basic cable (roughly channels 2-22)...you will not need to have a cable box for at least 3 years after the transition in Feb. As for Standard Cable (the rest of the channels under 100), nothing will change right at the transition. Comcast will slowly move channels to all digital...which all of them are in most areas with ADS, but they are still simulcasting analog. The transition to an all digital...no analog network is a huge benefit for the company and all customers. | |
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| | | | quetwoThat VoIP GuyPremium
join:2004-09-04
East Lansing, MI | Re: Depends That is not correct. Comcast has already changed many markets to digital-only. This includes the entire Chicago market, Muskegon/Grand Haven, Holland, and at least two markets in the Detroit area. Those are just the ones I know of.
The 3 year rule pretty much says that they must offer PEG/Local stations in the analog tier for at least three rules as long as they have any analog/unencrypted signals. They are getting around the rule by getting rid of all analog.
As far a when? The migration is occuring in a market by market basis. Each market has a date set already, but they won't publish it. They are giving people about 3 months notice. The Lansing market (where I live) has a date of July,2009 according to one of the HE engineers I deal with on a regular basis. | |
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| | | | said by quetwo:Probbaly the home shopping network too. Sweeeeet | |
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 mooksterTrogdorPremium
join:2002-03-10
Bolton, CT | Free for how long? I'm just going to have to assume that this is another one of their 'free for a year' deals, before the price balloons into the standard rate  | |
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| openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Alexandria, VA
kudos:2 | Re: Free for how long? Straight from the article and Karl's write-up.
New customers who choose not to subscribe to additional Comcast services can get basic cable for just $10 a month for a full year. | |
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| ChucklesPremium
join:2006-03-04
Saint Paul, MN | Or you could read the article. :P | |
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| | Excuses So is Comcast using the FCC as an excuse for telling users that they have to change over to digital cable? | |
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|  fancydancerPerception is realityPremium
join:2002-08-28
Springfield, IL | Re: Excuses I wouldn't say excuse, more like an incentive. To Comcast's delight, the analog transition in Feb. will help Comcast get more digital cable switchovers. I fully expect them to take advantage of customer confusion.
Who wouldn't?
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 BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | This is stupid I would hazzard a guess that the VAST majority of those using only rabbit ears do so because there isn't any cable avilable where they live. | |
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| en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Re: This is stupid Not really... many just don't want to pay for cable service.
Eg. My inlaws in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles have never had cable. TWC is ~$15/month + franchise fees.
~$240/year can go elsewhere to get the SAME channels as 'basic'. Since I put them on the digital converter box, they actually have MORE channels (and they come in HD as well) than comes with 'basic' cable.
NOTE: 'Access basic $10-15/month' is not the same as the 'standard analog' package which gives ~60 channels.
Access basic is primarily the locals and possibly a few others tossed in (eg weather)
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
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| | | | Re: This is stupid I am on the 8.00 basic package, the reason is it is still cheaper going basic cable + brodband than the unbundled brodband price. | |
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| elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA Reviews:
·SONIC.NET
·RoadRunner Cable
| said by BF69:I would hazzard a guess that the VAST majority of those using only rabbit ears do so because there isn't any cable avilable where they live. Uh, no. We do so because cable wants us to pay $55 base a month and forces us to rent an STB. Later on, some of our household favorite channels mysteriously disappear from the "basic" lineup and conveniently reappear as "digital" channels, which incurs an additional two charges.
Cable forces us to pay for ESPN and a host of foreign-language channels, and then pay again and again, just to get a single channel we want to watch.
No thanks. For $1K/year, we'll just pull the plug. | |
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| | Stick to rabid ears Free grainy Comcast analog cable or FREE clear digital signals....Tough decisions.... | |
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See 8 replies to this post |
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ak3883
join:2005-08-20
Portsmouth, RI | meh nothing big This level of service they are talking about is called "Limited Basic" and includes local broadcast networks and local gov't/PEG channels.
What isn't clear is if you get them free with ANY new activation of HSI or are they only free if you sign up for HSI directly through Comcast at the regular rate of say, $42.95/year.
The cost of limited basic with HSI is right about the same as HSI without any cable service at all. So you might as well get limited basic+HSI anyway. Now if they are offering limited basic for free along with 42.95 internet, that's about a $15/month savings, not too bad. But after a year you'll pay another $15 a month for what you used to get free. | |
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rob316
join:2005-10-17
Carteret, NJ | Comcrap I wouldn't get it if Comcast paid me to have their service, Give me OTA anyday. | |
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boast
join:2005-09-03
Miami, FL | cost Does this come out cheaper than purchasing their Internet without cable, or about the same cost? | |
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|  baineschile2600 ways to livePremium
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI | Re: cost The 6mb service, standalone, is about 60/month. It is 43 with another product
Limited TV service is 15/mon, so add that to the 43, it comes to about the same amount. | |
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RayWPremium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
kudos:1 | Not worth it. My OTA is working better with the DTV set-top boxes than it did before the we put them on the antenna cable. Must be a bit of amplification of the RF signal there.
While I would like to get the History Channel and maybe a cartoon channel that still played the old and now politically incorrect cartoons I grew up with, it is not worth paying the cable fees for just that.
And all the wife watches is her soaps and judge shows, and those are OTA with nice quality using a 30 year old antenna in the attic (we are only about 40-45 miles from the transmitters).
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I am not lost, I find myself every time. | |
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| | Digital Channels Vs Analog Analog signals travel a hell of a lot farther then the new digitals will. At least with analog if you're out on the fringes you can still pick up a fuzzy/snowy picture that's watchable. With the digital box it will either lock on or it wont. That's the trouble with on and off.
As for Comcast offering BASIC cable service. No "box" is needed with their BASIC service. Usually BASIC includes a list of local channels plus a few extras (about 30 total) that come right through the TV's tuner. EXPANDED BASIC is about 60 chanels and again comes through the TV's tuner. It's all the premium channels or HD's that require a DCT. | |
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| Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Canonsburg, PA | Re: Digital Channels Vs Analog said by Ioh1andzero :
EXPANDED BASIC is about 60 chanels and again comes through the TV's tuner. It's all the premium channels or HD's that require a DCT.
The additional thirty-some channels of EXPANDED BASIC won't stay analog for long and will soon require a box. Depending where you live YMMV. | |
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| | suck it comcast can suck a nut -- well as long as I dont have to use them and right now I dont but yeah. . . great for a typical customer but its only for a year! | |
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| | Doesnt phase me Still doesn't change the fact that I cant get Comcast here. If they don't want my loyal service, then so be it. | |
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| | I like analog better I got digital cable and mostly watch the tv with just the cable connected, its just as clear and channels change faster! | |
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 fuziwuziNot born yesterdayPremium
join:2005-07-01
Atlanta, GA | current analog I have two TVs. My main one is in the living room, connected to an old Tivo Series2 and Comcast analog cable. The picture quality is so-so, there is a fuzziness about the whole thing, no matter which channel I'm viewing. The other TV, in my bedroom, is currently using OTA SD via some rabbit ears. Picture quality there is phenomenal. It is so much clearer and crisper than the analog cable signal. And yes, I've had Comcast techs check the lines, etc. they say everything is perfect. Maybe later I will purchase a TivoHD and get cablecards and the digital package, but right now I just can't afford that, and my old Series2 still works beautifully and I do not own an HDTV, still using a 27" RCA Colortrak CRT that is about 12 years old.
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I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image.
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| | Comcast is smart. Comcast wants to get as many new customers as they can. Then, after 1 year, after the analog signal is stopped, Comcast will end there analog signal over cable. What this means is that every TV in your home will now require a STB, which means higher monthly fees. I currently have 6 TV's and only 2 boxes. Besides, Comcast's product and services suck, big time, so why would I want to give them any more money. Have you ever called for service, and have them tell you "we'll have a tech out there in 10 days". WTF, no internet or cable tv for 10 days??? COMCAST SUCKS!!! | |
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 tim_kButtons, Bows, Beamer, Shadow, KaseyPremium,VIP
join:2002-02-02
Stewartstown, PA
kudos:13 | count me in I'll take even Comcrap service over Wildblue. All they have to do is run it 5 miles to my house. | |
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| | Boo Hoo Every cable company has the same or similar offer.
I never understand why consumers whine and complain.
Either take it or leave it.
Grasp an understanding or leave it alone.
The only people that need to ask questions or the old and confused people!
I doubt by company will offer anything free. we never give anything away. But hey, it's always the people who have the money to pay that complain, while the people who don't, just deal with it. | |
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CSR does not acknowledge offer!