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Cable companies ending analog too?
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goMac
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Mar 6, 2009, 03:23 PM
 
Just got a notice from Comcast today, they're ending transmission of a lot of my analog channels in favor of digital versions (think anything that's a cable channel and not an OTA channel.)

Has anyone else noticed this? My parents are on Comcast in Seattle, and they have refused to get cable boxes (they have a HD Plasma now with a cable box, their first one..) I'm waiting to get the call that their old bedroom TV now can't get CNN or whatever...

I thought the cable companies were making a big stink about not discontinuing analog transmission?
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Art Vandelay
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Mar 6, 2009, 03:34 PM
 
No, they were making a big stink that you won't have to do a thing if you have cable. That turns out to be false for those locations where they are dropping analog and you don't already have a box. Comcast is giving out free (up to two) DTA boxes for those with analog TVs still.
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mduell
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Mar 6, 2009, 05:46 PM
 
Analog cable will be around for years (IIRC there's a regulatory requirement), but I don't know which channels they're required to maintain.
     
Art Vandelay
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Mar 6, 2009, 06:37 PM
 
I believe only the local OTA channels will continue to be simulcast on analog around here. However, I don't know if they are required to nor for how long. If the stations themselves don't have to do analog after June, doesn't make sense why cable has to.
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waxcrash
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Mar 6, 2009, 08:07 PM
 
I have RCN. They dropped analog cable about 2 months ago in my building. I live in a high rise and basic cable is free (actually it comes out of your assessment). I called up RCN when they stopped the analog signal and they wanted $10 month to rent a digital cable box - so I said screw it.

I'm running my little social experiment to see how long I can last without a TV. I've had cable TV my whole life, so for about a month it was weird. I packed up my two TVs and put them in storage.

I still watch movies and certain shows, but that is thanks to Hulu and bittorent.
     
Big Mac
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Mar 6, 2009, 08:13 PM
 
An AT&T U-verse salesperson I spoke to told me last year that the cable companies were lying about maintaining analog cable service. I was incredulous given the ad campaign assuring customers that that would not happen, but now his prediction is apparently coming true.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
Teronzhul
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Mar 7, 2009, 12:08 AM
 
To remain competative with satellite/fios/uverse they have to free up the bandwidth used by analog. Most cable companies have already switched all but their expanded basic lineup to digital formats only. Those who haven't are far behind the curve.
     
mduell
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Mar 7, 2009, 07:22 PM
 
http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2...until-2012.ars

The FCC voted 5-0 to require that cable operators must continue to make all local broadcasts available to their users, even those with analog televisions.

After broadcasters stop transmitting in analog, cable operators will have two signals to work with: digital standard definition (SD) and digital high definition (HD). Neither will work with analog TV sets, which the FCC estimates are still in use in 40 million American homes. After yesterday's ruling, cable operators will have two choices come February 2009. They can either convert the digital SD signal to analog SD and pipe it across their lines (which means using more bandwidth and carrying three versions of a single channel) or they can offer digital SD only and roll out converter boxes to all their subscribers (which could be expensive).

Thanks to the various FCC actions, analog TV owners are guaranteed a few more years of life out their TVs, though the new cable rules only last until 2012. At that point, the FCC will review them again and decide if they need to be renewed.


So the digital box should be free if they discontinue the analog signal.
     
Big Mac
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Mar 7, 2009, 11:39 PM
 
I think the cable companies would rather do just about anything than lease equipment for nothing to their customers.

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Eriamjh
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Mar 10, 2009, 07:07 AM
 
I fully expect all cable companies to force people to upgrade to digital within 24 months of the "digital transition". They will do it by slowly, but surely decreasing the number of channels offered on analog cable until the selection is so poor, that subscribers will either cancel or upgrade. This means an cost increase for those who just don't want to install an antenna.

I also expect the quality of the analog transistion to degrade significantly so that the transitition to digital seems even more substantial. It will drop to VHS quality or worse.

Or maybe just Comcast in my area will do this.

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