 touchtone561
join:2007-12-10
Lake Worth, FL
 ·AT&T Southeast
| I do really like HD, but... I hope this trend dies out. My cable company forced 70 digital channels I didn't want for the 8 HD channels I did want.
Now they might follow this trend and force digital boxe$ on my other sets the I use occasionally( Guest room,etc.)
I don't know is RCN a market leader? | |
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wmcbrine
Touched by His Noodly Appendage
join:2002-12-30
Laurel, MD | Re: I do really like HD, but... It's not going to die out. It's the future; get used to it.
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| | jester121
Premium
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL | Re: I do really like HD, but... What have you done with ptrowski? | |
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wmcbrine
Touched by His Noodly Appendage
join:2002-12-30
Laurel, MD
| Re: I do really like HD, but... He's still here AFAIK... saw him post the other day.
I never saw his avatar until well after I'd made mine; I don't know which of us was first.
But His Noodliness welcomes all.
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emptywig
Huh? What?
Premium
join:2002-08-05
Pasadena, TX
| Provide the converter box free now? When cable companies go 100% digital, I hope they will be including at least 1 digital converter box in their base package price. If a box is ABSOLUTELY necessary to view the content, then its not an option any longer, its an integral part of the service, and should be provided without any additional charge.
wig
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Please keep your f---ing religion to yourself. | |
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| MRCUR
join:2007-03-09
Columbia, PA | Re: Provide the converter box free now? Comcast already does this. All of their digital packages include one SD STB. In my area, and HD STB is $6.50/month. | |
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Hehe
@comcast.net
| Re: Provide the converter box free now? said by MRCUR  :Comcast already does this. All of their digital packages include one SD STB. In my area, and HD STB is $6.50/month. I have Comcast and my 6 TVs and 2 VCRs are analog! I don't have any converter boxes. I hope it stays like this!
Parkville, MD | |
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ablack6596
join:2005-01-28
Scarsdale, NY
1 edit | Verizon provided up to 3 for free in the transition to all digital. | |
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tuaris
You Clicked on the Apple
join:2001-10-19
Naples, FL | 1 box is not enough, 5 seems more reasonable. | |
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pokesph
It Is Almost Fast
Premium
join:2001-06-25
Sacramento, CA
clubs:
 ·Comcast
| must carry gone? ..and what of the FCC mandated must carry requirements?
Will they provide free STBs for the local-only channels that they are required to offer to customers when they drop the direct-connectible analog signals? (i.e. 2nd or 3rd TV sets whether NTSC or ATS, or both) | |
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TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| Re: must carry gone? said by pokesph :..and what of the FCC mandated must carry requirements? Will they provide free STBs for the local-only channels that they are required to offer to customers when they drop the direct-connectible analog signals? (i.e. 2nd or 3rd TV sets whether NTSC or ATS, or both) The providers only have to carry the channels. But are not required to carry them in analog form. And for the 18 months commencing in 2009 they can satisfy the FCC by providing 1 no extra charge digital STB with their basic access pkg. After that they can charge you whatever they want for STBs.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page | |
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| | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH | Re: must carry gone? Give your post a few hours or until tomorrow and people will be screaming DISH and DirecTV doesnt do this! Because we all know how bad the cable companies are and should provide the STBs for free | |
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RickNY
Premium
join:2000-11-02
New York
1 edit | said by TKJunkMail :And for the 18 months commencing in 2009 they can satisfy the FCC by providing 1 no extra charge digital STB with their basic access pkg. There is no such provision by the FCC for the cable company to supply one no extra charge STB. If a cable company decides to switch to 100% digital, the cable company is required to merely supply a box, with charges, if any, determined by the cable company.
"If a cable company makes the business decision to go all-digital (meaning it will stop offering any channels to its customers in analog), it must ensure that its analog customers can continue to watch their local broadcast stations. This may require customers with analog televisions to get a set-top box. If the cable company provides the customer with a set-top box, any costs related to it will be determined by the cable company.
»www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html#faq25
Even though RCN is providing the 1st box at no charge to their customers, they are not required to do so. | |
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cornelius785
join:2006-10-26
Worcester, MA
| i may be dreaming, but... would it be so bad to turn those analog channels into 'clear QAM' with no restrictions? i know this is a stretch, but would be pretty sweet for those with clear QAM tuners. i'd say it almost say that this idea is almost an equivalent to the current way cable is (in general) where there is one set of highly restricted channels and one set of channels in which you can do whatever you want with for the most part. i doubt this will ever happen, but i still can dream, right? | |
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djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA | Re: i may be dreaming, but... I agree. I find it irritating that cable companies are enrypting the digital versions of their "clear analog" counterparts. | |
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insomniac
Oh Yeah
Premium
join:2002-09-22
Naperville, IL
clubs:
·AT&T Midwest
| Re: TIVO impact? Yes and no.
Comcast went all-digital in the city of Chicago a while back, but the channels that are part of "limited basic" (basically over-the-air stations and public access) are still available in analog. So if you record a lot of shows from ABC, CBS, etc., you'd still be able to use one tuner to record those, and the other tuner (with a digital box attached) to record everything else. You'd only run into trouble if you wanted to record two digital channels at the same time. I never used my older dual-tuner Series2 TiVo with this sort of setup, so I think you can specify which tuner is capable of receiving which channels, but I am not 100% sure.
Of course, if you have a TiVo Series3 or TiVo HD with CableCARD slots, you'd be able to record whatever digital channels you want without a box. (The only exception is if your market uses switched digital video. Mine currently doesn't.)
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If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something. | |
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dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ | $ $ $ $ $! I bet this has execs creaming their jeans. turning all those pesky no box subs into box renters!
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When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee | |
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anon3
@comcast.net | Re: $ $ $ $ $! one box will be included free to each customer | |
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Jmartz
join:2000-07-20
Tenafly, NJ
| Re: $ $ $ $ $! It's really funny how all these cable companies are boasting how they will be able to offer hundreds of HD channels and SD channels, but always end up bitching and moaning when they actually have to PAY for them. Cablevision is the absolute worst when it comes to that... they want to make room for the channels, but refuse to pay for them. Yeah, we will be all digital, we will all be paying for boxes on each TV, but somehow the revenue will end up going towards something else. | |
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anon4
@comcast.net | they are providing one free box for everyone | |
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| | Endgame
Your member at work
Premium
join:2005-07-07
USA
·Pacific Bell - SBC
1 edit | Re: $ $ $ $ $! 1 free box is not good enough because my place has 3 analog sets that need cable and once Comcrap goes 100% digital with zero analog channels I'll be canceling my service with them until they bring analog tv back or make more than 1 STB free. 
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Give me a 100% uncapped, unblocked and unthrottled 100/100 meg interweb connection to my apartment for cheap and I'll stop complaining! | |
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| | ElJay
join:2004-03-17
·Great Works Internet
| Who has one outlet these days? When DirecTV and Dish Network were taking off, the cable companies were advertising that you never had to pay more for additional outlets, unlike with satellite. Now they're going back on that idea in the hopes of bumping everybody's already ludicrous bill by at least $10-15 a month in box rentals. It's like a timewarp back to the 1980s. This is at the same time when TV is saturated with ads more than ever and more and more content is being made available online legally and with minimal ads.
I wouldn't be surprised if a year from now I drop my cable subscription entirely. | |
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hahvahdgrad
@optonline.net | .... u can thank fios and direct tv promise of over 100 hd channels for rcn to do this. i guess all those college kids in boston can no longer steal basic analog from rcn anymore LOL | |
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Radardan
join:2003-08-15
Scottsdale, AZ | And my personal pet peeve . . . Lets not forget all those PAID PROGRAMs. They're even on HD now.
It's truly amazing to me checking the Program Guide after midnight Until the cable company changes my perception with reality, most of the program slots are PAID PROGRAM. | |
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tuaris
You Clicked on the Apple
join:2001-10-19
Naples, FL | What's wrong with anolog? Really, what is it with this digital signal obsession. Digital is not always better. In some ways, the analog signal is better.
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President/CEO - Pacy World - »www.pacyworld.com | |
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RCN Moves Forward with Boston Analog Crush
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TIVO impact?