Boston, MA - RCN

[junhorde]

Today I noticed the following channels dropped off the scope...

77-2 Food HD
77-3 TBS HD
78-2 HGTV HD
79-2 ESPN2 HD
131-41 ESPN HD

... and thus my reason for staying with RCN has largely dissipated. Time to go comparison shopping for cable service.

[irishcream]

I also just lost all but NESN, TNT, and ESPN as far as non-local HD goes. I can't believe they're doing this just so they can charge us an extra $10/month for the cable box.
Charging more for less is a great business plan

[toastyfries]

I was so excited when I found out about RCN a couple months back (just moved here) and now to have them take away the clearQAM HD's like this is upsetting. I wonder if they plan to remove the clearQAM SD channels too.

I guess they are no different from any other cable company...

Since I need to rent an HD STB now, I guess I should check out FiOS

[toastyfries]

Originally Posted by irishcream

I also just lost all but NESN, TNT, and ESPN as far as non-local HD goes. I can't believe they're doing this just so they can charge us an extra $10/month for the cable box.
Charging more for less is a great business plan

It's not just $10/month. I believe this is the start of the analog crush like they did in Chicago. When they were finished there, they had no analog channels and all digital channels were encrypted. So it's a STB rental for every TV or tuner that you own. And for a computer tuner that only has clearQAM reception, we'll be SOL.

[toastyfries]

Originally Posted by junhorde

Today I noticed the following channels dropped off the scope...

77-2 Food HD
77-3 TBS HD
78-2 HGTV HD
79-2 ESPN2 HD
131-41 ESPN HD

... and thus my reason for staying with RCN has largely dissipated. Time to go comparison shopping for cable service.

I've noticed WSBKDT & WLVIDT have also dropped. Our Smallville & Supernatural recordings failed last night.

I can sort of understand the encryption of non broadcast, but taking away the broadcast channels too, that's ridiculous.

[Trocadile]

I've lost the HD channels as well - am now down to the four major networks, NESN and TNT.

Question: I've only been doing clearQAM for a couple months - has RCN ever taken away HD channels before and then brought them back? Or is this likely to be the way it will be for a while?

[Trocadile]

As of today, ESPNHD is back.

[winnabago]

As of this morning, I get no HD channels unencrypted. Don't know about everyone else, but that's going to be it for RCN for me, as I'm not about to start paying $15 extra for network television in HD. They took away HGTV, Food, and ESPN2 last week, now it's ESPN and the broadcast networks.

What is crappy about that is I live in a RCN-only apartment building, so no Comcast, no Fios in my area, no dishes allowed. See you guys over in the OTA forum.

[toastyfries]

Originally Posted by winnabago

As of this morning, I get no HD channels unencrypted. Don't know about everyone else, but that's going to be it for RCN for me, as I'm not about to start paying $15 extra for network television in HD. They took away HGTV, Food, and ESPN2 last week, now it's ESPN and the broadcast networks.

What is crappy about that is I live in a RCN-only apartment building, so no Comcast, no Fios in my area, no dishes allowed. See you guys over in the OTA forum.

I had a feeling that they would finish taking them all away this week so I purchased my UHF antenna from Radio Shack over the weekend.

[dworsky]

I agree that the whittling down of HD and non-HD channels available from RCN via a QAM tuner is very disappointing, maddening, annoying, etc. I do still have network HD (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc), it appears, in Somerville. If they take that away, then it is time to complain.

I too hope that we don't become the next Chicago where every TV needs a box, even if you were smart enough to get a TV with a QAM tuner.

[irishcream]

I actually used to live by Fenway and had Comcast. They switched to all digital and I just hated them. I moved to Brookline and was so excited to get RCN because of the clearQAM. Last week I almost bought a qam tuner for my Computer! So glad I didn't do that!

Anyways, I'll be switching too. Seems that many other companies have more HD than RCN. No reason to stay now!

Sucks since we're in the middle of the NBA playoffs

[KungFu_Toe]

I can confirm. They've encrypted WLVI HD in Somerville. Isn't there some kind of law against encrypting broadcast stations? I had my HD Homerun set up just right. So much HD. I've been bragging about RCN being cheaper and having so much clearQAM. I guess I'll have to stop suggesting that people switch to them on the forums. I'll go back to telling them to buy an antenna.

[dworsky]

In Somerville, at least since last night and this morning, the CBS network's HD channel (93.2) is gone. I'm calling RCN today, because you can't even get local news on that channel anymore. I am assuming (hopefully) this is a fluke, rather than a tactic.

[dworsky]

To update the previous post... for the first time ever, I got a customer service center in the Philipines when calling RCN. Usually I have great people in Pennsylvania.

As expected from folks who tend to go by a script, "sir, you need a box to get HD" was the answer. I spoke to a supervisor there who said she would try to get a real answer.

[dworsky]

BULLETIN: "Analog Crush" is coming to Boston. That is RCN's name for going all digital, as they recently did in Chicago. According to this story, we are next:

http://www.lightreading.com/document...53368&site=cdn

Grrrr. Now that we all have TVs that never needed a box..., we will all have to get one for EACH TV in the house.

[dworsky]

RCN to 'Crush' It in Beantown

MAY 09, 2008



RCN Corp. says Boston is the next market it's targeting with the all-digital, bandwidth-reclamation strategy it calls "Project Analog Crush." (See RCN's 'Analog Crush' .)

RCN, a competitive cable overbuilder, has already completed its analog-to-digital migration in Chicago, where, just as in Boston, Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is the incumbent MSO.

RCN says its digital migration in Boston is already 82 percent complete, so it doesn't have that much left to go.

RCN president and CEO Peter Aquino relayed the analog-reclamation plans for Boston Thursday during the company's first quarter earnings call. (See RCN Posts Q1.)

RCN hopes its digital strategy will free up spectrum for high-definition (HD) television and other bandwidth-hungry services. The service provider already offers 39 linear HD channels in Boston, but believes that, with analog removed, it can offer about 100 HD channels, and complement its video service with its 20-Mbit/s (downstream) cable broadband service.

And its all-digial activity in Chicago and Boston will be just the beginning. "The acceptance rate in Chicago has exceeded our expectations and, given this success, we are committed to a complete roll-out, company-wide, over the next two years," Aquino said.

RCN, which has about 362,000 video subs, also serves parts of New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Lehigh Valley, Pa.

In an effort to help fuel its analog reclamation plans, RCN filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week that seeks to extend its one-year waiver on the Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board) DCT700, an all-digital set-top with integrated security.

In July 2007, the FCC put a new rule into effect that requires cable operators to deploy boxes with separate, decoupled security, typically via a removable CableCARD module. (See Countdown to 'Seven-Oh-Seven' and Son of 'Waiver Central' .)

"If our request is granted, we expect to complete our all-digital migration in all markets except Lehigh Valley by June 2009," noted RCN's CFO Michael Sicoli. He estimates that an all-digital migration would cost about $20 million more without the waiver.

In previous waiver requests and regulatory documents, RCN has stated that the lowest end CableCARD-based set-top box from Motorola costs about three times the unit price for the bare-bones DCT700 model. Sicoli said RCN doesn't expect an answer on its waiver extension request "until June, at the earliest."

Comcast, RCN's main video competition in Boston and Chicago, is also working on an all-digital startegy that's due to cover about 20 percent of its footprint by year end.

Although Comcast's approach reclaims about 40 analog channels, it's not abandoning analog altogether, and plans to continue delivering a small analog lineup of about 30 channels. Last week, Comcast confirmed plans to support its all-digital/mostly-digital plan using a simple one-way device called the Digital Terminal Adapter (DTA). (See Comcast Confirms Digital Dongle Project.)

Comcast's continued use of analog gave RCN's Aquino an opportunity to take a swipe at its rival. "By not reclaiming a significant amount of spectrum, Comcast may lag behind RCN... and we like our position here [in Chicago]," he said.

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Cable Digital News

[winnabago]

Networks and ESPN came back yesterday on a rescan. However, in a much more unreliable way (3-4 dropouts per hour and full time jumbled closed captioning). Interestingly, this is why I took back my SD STB, because it couldn't lock into the stations reliably, and it couldn't pick up CC. My vizio had no problems until recently.

CC is the most important factor for my family, and I didn't realize RCN could mess even that up.

[wallen]

Originally Posted by dworsky

BULLETIN: "Analog Crush" is coming to Boston. That is RCN's name for going all digital. This story says that Boston is next:

lightreading dot com document.asp? doc_id=153368

(I can't post a url... so you need to put the pieces together with a / after the com and remove the space after the question mark.)

This is bad news because all of us with QAM tuners will have to get boxes all the TVs we have.

Grrrr.

I think you will be OK (won't need a box) if you have a QAM tuner and the channels are "in the clear". Easily finding and selecting them could be as inconvienent as it is now, however, particularly if RCN doesn't create/provide the channel mapping in a logical manner. Note that they will be freeing up channels 2 to 70 or so, and all those physical channels then become available for HD or other purposes, and the digital channels that have replaced them (almost all are already available in digital) will only use up the space of about 6 channels. Over time I expect that most of the networks will be converted to HD, or at least 16:9 aspect ratio.

[dworsky]

>>I think you will be OK (won't need a box) if you have a QAM tuner and the channels are "in the clear".>>

I don't think so. That is why everyone in Chicago is up in arms... because they bought TVs with QAM tuners, and RCN is forcing boxes on everyone (apparently because all signals are going to be scrambled).

See: http://www.rcn.com/digital/faqs.php

[wallen]

Originally Posted by dworsky

>>I think you will be OK (won't need a box) if you have a QAM tuner and the channels are "in the clear".>>

I don't think so. That is why everyone in Chicago is up in arms... because they bought TVs with QAM tuners, and RCN is forcing boxes on everyone (apparently because all signals are going to be scrambled).

See: http://www.rcn.com/digital/faqs.php

Yikes! They certainly say you need a box for each TV . . . here are a few thoughts -

1. They may be referring to analog (non QAM) TVs only, which is still what most people have, and their statement is true for those sets.

2. I think the FCC cable "must carry" rules say they must provide the local stations in the clear . . . but I may be mistaken.

3. In my experience cable boxes draw about 30 watts continuously, on or off. That's about 20 KWH per month per box. People should be upset if one will also be needed in the kitchen, playroom, a couple of bedrooms, etc., even if each will be used sparingly with only the local channels.

4. Unless all their competitors do the same thing, it will certainly cost RCN a bunch of customers if sets with QAM tuners can't directly receive at least the basic local programming stations. On the other hand, the cable provider who makes it easy for the customer to use his QAM TV to receive a package of basic stations should find new customers, possibly those who have departed RCN.

5. There might also be the Cable Card option for compatible sets - this avoids the cable box, but probably does add a smaller fee.

[dworsky]

Originally Posted by wallen

Yikes! They certainly say you need a box for each TV . . . here are a few thoughts -

1. They may be referring to analog (non QAM) TVs only, which is still what most people have, and their statement is true for those sets.

2. I think the FCC cable "must carry" rules say they must provide the local stations in the clear . . . but I may be mistaken.

Wallen,

Here is part of an article from the Chicago Tribune, where the writer first explained the beauty of QAM. This follows:

"My cable company is telling me I'll need a cable box for my analog TV. Is that true?

Generally, no. The vast majority of cable systems are required by the Federal Communications Commission to continue carrying analog signals until 2012. So most people can continue to connect the cable line directly to their TV, without a box, for several more years.

There is an exception. If a cable network goes "all-digital" in a TV market, it no longer has to transmit analog signals. In that case, it can require every TV to have a box, similar to satellite TV service.

For example, RCN in Chicago is switching completely to digital signals. Customers will need a digital converter box or cable card for each TV, said Rick Swiderski, vice president of network engineering for RCN. That transition is happening now.

In Chicago the first box is free, but customers will have to pay for additional boxes. RCN is quick to point out that customers will receive more robust programming choices because of the switch to all digital.

By contrast, RCN customers in eastern Pennsylvania, where it continues to broadcast both digital and analog signals, do not need boxes."

[clock3687]

I don't like the fact that RCN is encrypting all of the ClearQAM either. It looks like Comcast is doing the samething. So, whichever provider you go with, your going to need a box for your TV.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r205...-now-encrypted

[bicker1]

Comcast hasn't started doing that, in most areas... yet.

[Trocadile]

Yikes! As of this morning, most of the SD digital QAM stations have disappeared. Here in Watertown, this is what I seem to be left with:

In HD: WCVB (5), WHDH (7), WFXT (25), ESPN and TNT
In SD: WGBH (2), WBZ (4), WENH (11), WSBK (38), WGBX (44), WLVI (56), and myTV

I haven't rescanned yet to see if anything has moved, but it's not looking good.

[KungFu_Toe]

Lost the following this morning:

TBS HD
Food HD
HGTV HD

The SD channels are still unencrypted. Hopefully, they will hold out on encrypting everything long enough for Vista Media Center to implement DirectTV support. Then, I'm ditching RCN. They can lose all the business they want by encrypting their channels. I'll find someone else who wants my business.

[toastyfries]

I spent the last week fiddling with an antenna to get OTA locals in HD, but alas, I'm sunk in a valley area and cannot get a consistent signal. I was going to attempt to keep RCN with OTA locals to record in HD but it has failed. I'll be ordering FIOS this week as their website has it in their FAQ that HD locals are available in ClearQAM.

RCN, you were the most awesome cable company in the land with your clearQAM policy, but you have lost that claim to fame by encrypting the channels that even Comcast lets you have. That's saying something.

[dworsky]

Bad news in Somerville (again)!

Most standard definition digital channels via QAM are gone as of today (May 27). ABC/CBS/PBS/FOX HD are left and a few others... but dozens were just removed.

This is bad!

[jondeath]

Has anyone tried to complain to the FCC? There is a complaint page with a section on DTV:
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

Even if they are technically not doing anything wrong by not keeping the HD feeds, it doesn't hurt to complain.

[toastyfries]

Originally Posted by jondeath

Has anyone tried to complain to the FCC? There is a complaint page with a section on DTV:
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

Even if they are technically not doing anything wrong by not keeping the HD feeds, it doesn't hurt to complain.

I complained. Thanks for the link.

[bicker1]

My understanding is that such complaints need to be forwarded to the franchising authority first, and then after the franchising authority provided an unsatisfactory response, will the FCC consider getting involved.