  Ladia Member Username: Ladia Post Number: 210 Registered: 05-2008 |
the newspaper had an article yesterday about how many comcast users lost their basic cable services. If your tv doesn't have a box then you need to get a special converter box, even if your tv is new, to receive most of the channels.comcast says they give you one free converter box,and you can rent others for $4.95 a month, i'm not sure what they mean by 'speccial',it isn't the usual converter box?this whole digital transition thing seems to be a disaster, tv's that were supposed to be ready, suddenly need converter boxes, when it was advertised that they didn't need one if you had cable,or had a newer tv, also even the newer tv's need a converter box,to receive the digital cable | ||
Ro_resident Member Username: Ro_resident Post Number: 219 Registered: 11-2003 |
This isn't directly related to the switch from analog to digital signals that will be required for over-the-air signals from tv stations. Analog cable service takes up a lot of bandwidth. Comcast wants to switch to digital-only service to free up 'space' for HD shows, internet, telephone servce, and interactive programming. One way to do that is to reduce the footprint of the analog service. The downside--you need a new converter box to be able to view the signal, even on cable-ready tvs. Wide Open West (my cable provider) has been doing this piecemeal over the past few years, too. They have been dropping stations on the analog band and putting them in the digital range. | ||
Stosh Member Username: Stosh Post Number: 17 Registered: 01-2009 |
Are these cable boxes available for purchase from outside companies? I'm sure that buying would be more attractive than leasing these from a company, if a long term relationship is where the consumer is going. Does WOW have any plans to do this too? I'd be in the market for a few boxes then as well, or a switch to the dish. | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 740 Registered: 05-2007 |
If you're complaining about having to use a converter box for cable, then switching to the dish makes no sense. Dish requires a converter box no matter what, since it's all digital. | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 2066 Registered: 02-2006 |
If you have digital cable (ie. you got a converter box from Comcast within the last 5 years, probably), you do not need any other equipment. The "digital switch" getting much press lately is ONLY related to over-the-air (antenna) broadcast stations. Homes with cable are unaffected, but most of the cable providers are switching to digital as well, for the reasons Ro_resident mentioned. | ||
Rid0617 Member Username: Rid0617 Post Number: 385 Registered: 03-2008 |
And the cable companies found another way to prop up their sagging revenues by requiring $4.95 a month to their already high rates just to watch TV | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 1765 Registered: 12-2006 |
The Prof and Mrs. Prof paid a guy to put one of those big-ass old-fashioned antennas on the roof, then bought one of those government-coupon digital converters. Works great. We used to have cable, but we don't watch all that much television, and we didn't need that monthly bill. The TV in the living room, we paid extra for the digital converter with analog pass-through so we can push a button to watch Hockey Night in Canada. The folks at CBC Windsor tell the Prof they will not be digitizing their signal anytime soon. | ||
Original63 Member Username: Original63 Post Number: 464 Registered: 08-2008 |
Ladia where did you see that story? | ||
Iddude313 Member Username: Iddude313 Post Number: 173 Registered: 07-2005 |
http://www.freep.com/article/2 0090204/NEWS09/902040345/1011/ NEWS09/Some+in+Detroit+lose+Co mcast+channels+ | ||
Jerrytimes Member Username: Jerrytimes Post Number: 169 Registered: 04-2007 |
You say that the cable companies are making up revenue by charging people for boxes now, but all they are doing is starting to change their system over to all digital, which is something that the FCC is going to make them do a couple of years down the road. Since the inception of Dish tv, you always had to pay for extra boxes which are required to have tv's with them, yet noone complains about that. | ||
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies Post Number: 1649 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: This is not true. The FCC is not making them do anything. The FCC doesn't care about a cable companies built infrastructure. This is strictly about making bandwidth available for more profitable services. By packing 5 or 6 digital channels into the space of one analog channel they free up bandwidth. It creates more room for pay per view, More room for customer grabbing HDTV, Three HDTV channels fit in the space of one of those old analog channel. More bndwidth for internet. This is strictly a revenue enhancing move. | ||
Detroiterbychoice Member Username: Detroiterbychoice Post Number: 163 Registered: 04-2008 |
So does anyone know if you can use a non comcast digital cable box to get your channels back. | ||
Ladia Member Username: Ladia Post Number: 215 Registered: 05-2008 |
I wasn't thinking about getting a converter box,because the tuesday check on the news said the tv's were okay,they didn't say you needed a converter box to get cable channels.they said you only needed a converter box if you didn't have cable,and you had an old tv. | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 751 Registered: 05-2007 |
"So does anyone know if you can use a non comcast digital cable box to get your channels back." Unlike days of old where one could "modify" a cable box to give you all the channels without paying, today's cable boxes are digital and have an ID number that needs to be registered in the cable provider's system. Plug in an unregistered box and all you see is a startup screen. The boxes also need to be programmed for the specific cable provider's content which is why they don't all use the same brand. Securing an analog signal is not overly easy. Securing digital is too easy. | ||
Bagman Member Username: Bagman Post Number: 144 Registered: 06-2004 |
Raptor56, I miss those days of the black box. Now I am going to have to pay for cable in order to watch TV. It's about time. I moved into the building I live in 8 years ago and I plugged a TV into the cable outlet and I had free cable until they cut the analog signal last week. I have saved about $5000 over the years. | ||
Rid0617 Member Username: Rid0617 Post Number: 391 Registered: 03-2008 |
They do still have free to air receivers that accepts downloads to illegally get dish network programming | ||
Swingline Member Username: Swingline Post Number: 890 Registered: 11-2003 |
A very lucrative revenue enhancement indeed. This move is allowing Comcast to force millions of basic cable customers around the country to "upgrade" to a more expensive digital package in order to receive the same level of programming. The monthly fee for the digital box is another extra cost for these customers. These equipment fees are highly profitable. The cost of the equipment is recouped within just a few months. Also, lots of digital customers who previously only rented one digital box for their main viewing tv and settled for analog service on other tv's in their house now need to rent boxes for any tv on which they want to view more than the programming on Channels 2-22. This recent move by Comcast very effectively squeezes a lot more revenue per customer without taking on any significant new expenses. There are a lot of Comcast customers who were paying $70/mo 3 or 4 years ago who are now paying twice that and the only significant additional service they are getting is HD. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3497 Registered: 07-2004 |
So my "free cable" is gonna stop working?  | ||
Enduro Member Username: Enduro Post Number: 163 Registered: 11-2006 |
The thing that bugs me about Comcast's move here is that if you have a QAM tuner this was not supposed to effect you. They are legally supposed to keep broadcasting these "clear to air" (QAM) channels to you so you can use your own digital tuner to get basic. Comcast took this opportunity to only broadcast the networks, shop at home (x 5 versions), Big10 network and TBS in QAM. Cutting out all of the basic channels that should be "clear to air". I bought a DVD-R with QAM tuner anticipating this but now if I want any of my old basic channels I have to cough up 6 more bucks a month. | ||
Eastdetroit224 Member Username: Eastdetroit224 Post Number: 6 Registered: 01-2007 |
The deal with comcast at 3.95 a month per box only lasts a year, then the price doubles. The only stations you get without the box are low level and QVC. Anything good is found in the box | ||
Enduro Member Username: Enduro Post Number: 164 Registered: 11-2006 |
Ya know, it's been a while since I looked into descramblers. The other option would be to get a TiVo or other device with a cable card slot but then you'd still have to rent a cable card for 2-3 bucks a month from Comcast. I should really look into the legality of them scrambling normal "basic" channels in the digital spectrum. It was my understanding the digital QAM tuner would future proof me. | ||
Original63 Member Username: Original63 Post Number: 477 Registered: 08-2008 |
I should really look into the legality of them scrambling normal "basic" channels in the digital spectrum. It was my understanding the digital QAM tuner would future proof me. BINGO I think its illegal and like selling water from a drinking fountain. It has already been paid for. | ||
Big_baby_jebus Member Username: Big_baby_jebus Post Number: 66 Registered: 09-2008 |
I smell a scam BIG scam-o-lla. | ||
Speddaddy4 Member Username: Speddaddy4 Post Number: 7 Registered: 04-2004 |
I was enjoying my 70+ channels free with my cable internet subscription ... not anymore. I'm not willing to pay $100 plus for tv and internet. Bought an antenna and watch HDTV programming for free. I only really watched HGTV on the cable anyway and all they play is "House Hunters" anymore. | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 757 Registered: 05-2007 |
Back in the day (20+ years ago), my neighbor had one of those large satelite dishes in the backyard for tv. Does anybody know if that service was A) Free and B) still exists? Driving around town you still occasionally see those 10ft tall dishes in folks yards. From my foggy recallection, you had to by descrambler boxes for the signal, but that was it. |
