Seattle, WA - Comcast - Page 420

Originally Posted by quarque

There was a story on KOMO news tonight about Comcast changes and the need for these new "little boxes" so people can get channels 30-80 on an analog TV. But they said the **** won't hit the fan until April. The story even had Steve Kipp explaining the new little boxes. A major drawback is the little boxes do not support a guide or any other functions, just a conversion of a certain range of channels to analog output. They mentioned something about 3 free boxes per household, then $1.99 for additional ones.

Originally Posted by wareagle

A little more on Comcast's Seattle plans:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...3_brier08.html

Originally Posted by Spike89

Important HD notes: MOJO going away, FSN HD Events gets a new full-time channel, Science Channel HD moves to Digital Starter, Golf HD and Versus HD get their own full-time channels.

This was in the Kitsap Sun legal notices on Wed 10/22: (I have retyped it from the newspaper ad graphic).

************************************************************ ***********

Important Notice to Cable Customers serviced in Kitsap County
Comcast will make the following changes to its channel line-up on the following dates or shortly thereafter:

On November 24, 2008 or shortly thereafter the following channel is changing channel numbers:

Golf channel current channel # 69 new channel # 70

On December 1, 2008 or shortly thereafter the following channels (which currently time share on a single channel) will have the following changes made:

MOJO HD current channel # 664 (shared with FSN HD Events) CEASING BROADCAST
FSN HD Events current channel # 664 (shared with MOJO HD) new channel # 627

On December 8, 2008 or shortly thereafter the following channels (which currently time share on a single channel) will become full-time channels and change channel numbers:

Golf HD current channel # 665 (shared with Versus HD) new channel # 625 (full-time)
Versus HD current channel # 665 (shared with Golf HD) new channel # 626 (full-time)

On December 8, 2008 or shortly thereafter the following channels will move from the Digital Preferred level of service to the Digital Starter level of service:

PBS Kids Sprout ch 118
Discovery Kids ch 121
Bloomberg TV ch 128
G4 ch 136
C-SPAN 3 ch 150
Science Channel ch 272
BIO ch 275
History International ch 276
WE TV ch 502
LMN ch 504
Science Channel HD ch 696

On January 1, 2009 or shortly thereafter the following channel will be added to the Digital Preferred level of service:

MLB network ch 407

************************************************************ ***********

Originally Posted by wareagle

The KING and Times articles don't seem that much different to me. One thing you can't tell is whether the digital versions of the channels above 30 will be encrypted.

Originally Posted by SeattleAl

I think they are encrypted because none of the expanded basic channels show up on a QAM channel on my clear QAM tuner. You can find all of the limited basic QAM channels pretty readily.

Originally Posted by narunet

After they make the actual switch they can't be encrypted because the DTAs don't have security modules, they're just little QAM boxes.

Originally Posted by drew00001

Federal law requires Comcast to support Cablecard devices, now and in the forseable future. If the law had changed, someone would have already posted the changes, and their interpretations of such. Others would respond with how these changes result in "end of the world" after they already spent all this money on equipment.

At this point, no one posted anything indicating that the FCC is doing away with their CableCard requirements . . . no need to jump to the conclution that the "end of the world" is near.

Originally Posted by ericjut

Well, the "TV viewing" end of the world might not happen to CableCard users, but it may be happening to people invested in QAM-only devices.

Originally Posted by jimre

We definitely need more information, and the mainstream newspaper/TV articles are very confused.

But it seems to me that nothing will change for existing clear-QAM digital channels. The only changes will be for ch. 30-80 - and yes, this is a *potential* problem for QAM-TV users. Currently, if you have no cable box or cablecard, you must be viewing ch 30-80 as ANALOG - even on your brand new QAM-enabled TV, since the digital simulcasts of those channels are curerntly encrypted. Once those move to digital only (and assuming they remain encrypted) then you will no longer be able to view ch 30-80 on your QAM TV without at least a DTA.

I think Comcast might have an FCC issue with these DTA boxes if they do retain encryption on (formerly analog) ch 30-80. It's my understanding they're no longer allowed to provide new boxes with "integrated security", and these DTAs certainly don't have separate cablecards or anything. On the other hand, I can't see Comcast making their new "Digital Starter" channels 30-80 available to anyone without a subscription - even with analog, they enforced access via filters/traps.

Originally Posted by wareagle

Comcast must have quite a bit of spare bandwidth here now if they can add the rumored HD channels next week, months before the planned digitizing of the expanded basic.

Originally Posted by wareagle

Comcast must have quite a bit of spare bandwidth here now if they can add the rumored HD channels next week, months before the planned digitizing of the expanded basic.

Originally Posted by jimre

These DTAs don't have anything to do with CableCard. They are simple, cheap, "crippled" digital cable boxes for the purpose of allowing people without cable boxes OR WITHOUT CABLECARDS to keep viewing Ch. 30-80 (soon to be digital only) on their TVs. In fact, it's probably good news for Cablecard users, since it postpones the inevitable move to SDV a few more years...

As for whether ch. 30-80 will be encrypted, my guess is yes. Since you'll have to pay extra for this new "Digital Starter" tier - just like you now have to pay for Expanded Basic -Comcast will absolutely not make them available for free. These DTAs will use some form of simple 1-way conditional access to grant access to the new Digital Starter tier, as opposed to the old way of granting access to Expanded Basic (analog filter on your incoming line).

DTAs may have limited function, but they are more than *just* a tuner. At a minimum they provide channel mapping, and probably some simple form of conditional access.

Originally Posted by kb11

Whay do you mean by, " since it postpones the inevitable move to
SDV a few more years"? I thought the choices Comcast had to
increase bandwidth for HD were SDV or analog migration. Since
Comcast has chosen analog migration for your area to free up
bandwidth there is no need for SDV. Analog migration seems
to be the choice for Comcast.

Originally Posted by wareagle

Comcast must have quite a bit of spare bandwidth here now if they can add the rumored HD channels next week, months before the planned digitizing of the expanded basic.

Originally Posted by snorlaxnut

Did anybody get the same notice Spike89 posted in their local paper, and have the same numbers for the channels listed?

I am trying to get these channels on my set's QAM turner without getting a box from Comcast. I am getting the channels from their Digital Starter service, minus a few HD channels, without a box.

If anybody got the same notice Spike89 posted in their local paper, have the same channel numbers (If the numbers in Kitsap and Aberdeen are the same, maybe Seattle and around that area, too), and got the channels today on their TV's QAM turner, could you please post the QAM channel numbers you are receiving thme on?

Thanks for any info. Sorry if I didn't explain what I wanted very well.

Originally Posted by quarque

Yes. You can view the manual online. Here is an excerpt talking about the connectors on the back:

"2 ANT / CABLE IN
Connect the AIR antenna or CATV antenna here.
Connect the cable in the event that a local cable
provider is passing through 8-level Vestigial Sideband
(8VSB) and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)
on their systems."

I had the same problem initially with this because many summaries for the product don't mention cable or QAM capability. Thanks to Dan Kurts on AVS for pointing this out.

The manual is at:

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/do...p_nm=DTB-H260F

Originally Posted by snorlaxnut

If anybody got the same notice Spike89 posted in their local paper, have the same channel numbers (If the numbers in Kitsap and Aberdeen are the same, maybe Seattle and around that area, too), and got the channels today on their TV's QAM turner, could you please post the QAM channel numbers you are receiving thme on?

Originally Posted by artseattle

Right now I can receive 8 HD local channels and channels 2-99 through the cable connected directly to one of my secondary televisions with a built-in QAM tuner. I think that beginning next year I will no longer be able to receive the channels between 30 and 99 without using the free converter offered by Comcast. 2 questions.

a) If I choose to only receive channels 2 -29 and attach the cable directly into my television, will I still get the 8 HD channels such as 4-1 and 5-1?

b) If I install the free converter on the back of the television, will I still get the 8 HD channels (4-1, etc)? If this is "yes" is there a downside to this option?

Thanks,

Originally Posted by hergertr

Between 3:25pm and 3:35 today my cable box switched to CSPAN and froze up all functionality to show the House of Representatives deliberations on the Big Three Bailout bill. I couldn't change channels or call up the menu screen. I tried it on another TV and the same result. I guess its like Big Brother (Comcast) dictating what we watch.

Originally Posted by jimre

It's my opinion that something like SDV will ultimately happen in a few years anyway, even after the currrent analog migration happens. Why waste bandwidth sending every channel to every node, even when no one is watching? Long-term, this is where real scalability gains will happen. There's no need to have 500+ fixed channels constantly using up the vast majority of the total bandwidth coming into your home. How many program streams will you ever watch or record simultaneously? Two? Four? Eight? Then that's how many should be coming into your home at one time...

Originally Posted by artseattle

Right now I can receive 8 HD local channels and channels 2-99 through the cable connected directly to one of my secondary televisions with a built-in QAM tuner. I think that beginning next year I will no longer be able to receive the channels between 30 and 99 without using the free converter offered by Comcast. 2 questions.

a) If I choose to only receive channels 2 -29 and attach the cable directly into my television, will I still get the 8 HD channels such as 4-1 and 5-1?

b) If I install the free converter on the back of the television, will I still get the 8 HD channels (4-1, etc)? If this is "yes" is there a downside to this option?

Thanks,