Since the Red Tower thread was several hundred pages and two years old, I have started this new official thread. Please post all comments related to Birmingham, AL (and surrounding areas) digital television issues here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by daivideosvcs /forum/post/18764729
If you're thinking about switching to Dish or Directv (or U-verse if you can get it).. now is a good time to do it !! Waiting 5 seconds for a channel to tune in.. and constantly getting the "try again" error message is not my idea of an enjoyable experience watching TV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shaddix /forum/post/18768899
Umatter2Charter, I just lost ESPN and ESPN2 HD over clear QAM so I'm signing up for directv right now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4bama /forum/post/18769249
IMHO, you will get a better deal and a better DVR with Dish Network.
Look at one of their VIP receivers, the 722, 722K or the 922 (with Sling).
Dish will also market two add-on devices later this summer, one device will connect to older HD receivers to add Sling capability to it. The other device will connect to any HDTV and add "Sling receive" capability to it so you can have "HDTV anywhere" capability from one receiver.
Also, look at the "HD for life" offer....free HD for every package that has SD equivalents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Umatter2Charter /forum/post/18769808
Expanded basic channels are encrypted to prevent those who are not paying for them from receiving them. If these were not encrypted anyone with basic and a QAM tuner could get channels that they are not paying for. Again, these channels should have been encrypted the entire time. We do not support Clear QAM technology. The only channels the FCC requires to be in the clear are those in our basic tier. We provide our expanded basic HD channel with the use of a Charter approved decryption device only (box or cable card). I'm apologize if you're upset on the service delivery method, but it is now as it should be.
Quote:
The programming agreements between ESPN and cable companies in the past several years have been that ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD were provided at no additional charge to subscribers who recieve ESPN SD and ESPN2 SD.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Umatter2Charter /forum/post/18770177
We do not charge extra for the channels. You receive all expanded basic channels that we offer in HD when using decrypting equipment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shaddix /forum/post/18772345
Do you not charge for using decrypting equipment?
Quote:
Originally Posted by stkrenegade /forum/post/18773045
you guys take espn and espn 2 away, yet you give me FX, C-SPAN 2, and Lifetime in HD. here's a thought, why don't you give your customers channels they might actually want to watch in hd. this is one of but many reasons your company is alienating so many customers in the area and why i am starting the process of switching over to dish or direct tv. you guys are free to do what you want, but the more you pull garbage like this the less people will want to do business with you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whizbang75 /forum/post/18775284
This morning's Bham News has a notice from Brighthouse that frequencies are changing for HD channels, including ESPN and ESPN2, for customers WITHOUT SET TOP BOXES who use QAM tuners.
Why Brighthouse but not Charter ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Umatter2Charter /forum/post/18776359
Not sure what they are doing but we do realize that many televisions do in fact have QAM tuners which are capable of picking up and showing the content on the other channels, they are not addressable meaning there is no way to give you what you're paying for without giving your neighbor access to all of the same content without paying for it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shaddix /forum/post/18776994
My area has 14 channels available with just basic analog service.
What % of your customers that subscribe to just these 14 channels also have an HDTV with a QAM tuner? I would wager not very many.
So the good minds at Charter are thinking "1% of our basic cable subscribers getting ESPN1/2HD for free vs rolling out digital boxes to all of our expanded basic subscribers, and adding all the extra tech and customer support cost that comes with that rollout."
Quote:
Originally Posted by stkrenegade /forum/post/18777351
to get the espn channels from what i understand i would have to upgrade to your expanded basic cable or buy new equiptment. my problem with charter is that you're forcing me to do this when hd channels like fx and cspan 2 are coming in hd without having to do any of the extra stuff. I would wager your customers would be more dependent on the epsn hd channels over the ones you are currently giving us. but hey, you're a cable company, and you guys live to make as much money off us as you can. forcing us to pay extra to get the hd channels we actually USE is a great idea, but it also gets us thinking about switching to other options.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Umatter2Charter /forum/post/18777748
No expanded basic channels should ever be available to those not paying for them. I do see that you now have a box. Let us know if you have any issues or questions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whizbang75 /forum/post/18778580
I am paying for expanded basic. Should I be getting ESPNHD and ESPN2HD ??
I would subscribe to a reasonable HD package if there was a way to use my TV's QAM tuner without a set top box. I totally detest set top boxes of any ilk. If I have to have one I'll look at satellite services carefully.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Servo /forum/post/18778628
I thought the whole deal with putting QAM tuners in new televisions was to help eliminate the need for proprietary cable boxes... or am I thinking of a cablecard?