LurkerLito
join:2004-06-08
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Digital is great but it sucks too
IMO cable companies should by law be giving their "standard"/"basic" plan cable packages free in unencrypted QAM form so that TVs bought today with ATSC/QAM tuners built in can receive their regular channels they have gotten for years without a box and a rental fee. People should only need to rent a "box" for their PPV or "paid" commercial-less channels like it has been for years with analog cable.
It really ticks me off that I have to rent a box for the digital version of some stations now that my cable company is taking them off the analog section. It's the analog station line up that's keeping me from moving to FIOS TV. Once they move to a "every tuner needs a box" system, then I will no longer have any incentive to stay with my cable company any longer. They have like 3 or 4 stations left that I care about that I can record with my mythTV box. If anymore of them move I'll be getting rid of my cable company. |
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hobgoblin
Sortof Agoblin
Premium
join:2001-11-25
Orchard Park, NY
clubs:
| "IMO cable companies should by law be giving their "standard"/"basic" plan cable packages free in unencrypted QAM form so that TVs bought today with ATSC/QAM tuners built in can receive their regular channels they have gotten for years without a box and a rental fee."
I assume that you would also force DISH companies to do the same by law.
Hob
--
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Cable has local franchise agreements... Dish/DTV do not.
If I'm not mistaken, DTV boxes allow for hookup of OTA.
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Canada = Hollywood North |
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hobgoblin
Sortof Agoblin
Premium
join:2001-11-25
Orchard Park, NY
clubs:
| said by en102  :Cable has local franchise agreements... Dish/DTV do not. If I'm not mistaken, DTV boxes allow for hookup of OTA. and the ability to use local infrastructure then gives poliyicians the right to tell them how to run their business eh?
Hob
--
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Somewhat... franchise agreements were a bit of a payoff... and its not like these companies didn't make money. Some of it was legit, to keep cable companies 'honest' and supporting what they sell.
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Canada = Hollywood North |
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crginc
Premium
join:2003-03-28
Thousand Oaks, CA
| reply to hobgoblin
Typically cable TV bandwidth is 750 MHz with approximately 550 MHz (though channel 78) is analog and channels 79 - 125 being digital with as many as 13 SD stations on one main channel (multiple sub channels) and 3 HD stations on a main channel with subs.
Historically the advantage of cable over satellite, etc. is in a home with multiple TVs, all one has to do is buy a cable ready set and plug it into an cable outlet and receiver channels 2 - 78 with expanded service (now called basic). If one wants premium channels in say a family room only one set top box is required. This is primary advantage of cable over any other TV delivery service.
Now if I were a cable operator I would just convert as many of the analog signals as legally possible to digital but not scramble them. Still offer expanded/basic service only in digital. This would immediately free up plenty of bandwidth to compete with satellite and phone companies.
This could be called customer retention as if the cable industry forces everybody to rent a box for every TV, they have lost their primary advantage of being wired almost into every newer home in the USA!
If my local cable company (Time Warner) forces me to rent a box for every TV in the house, cable will lose its advantage for me and millions of others. Satellite and other provides will be equally attractive or unattractive depending on your view. |
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PDXPLT
join:2003-12-04
Banks, OR
| reply to hobgoblin
said by hobgoblin :and the ability to use local infrastructure then gives poliyicians the right to tell them how to run their business eh? Um, yea. If you make use of public property to run your business, then the public should get compensated; most franchise authorities have chosen policies like this as the form of that compensation. |
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hobgoblin
Sortof Agoblin
Premium
join:2001-11-25
Orchard Park, NY
clubs:
| said by PDXPLT :Um, yea. If you make use of public property to run your business, then the public should get compensated; most franchise authorities have chosen policies like this as the form of that compensation. A franchise fee is compensation. Messing with companies policies is not compensation. Its meddling with shareholders profits.
Hob
--
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to hobgoblin
said by hobgoblin :said by en102 :Cable has local franchise agreements... Dish/DTV do not. If I'm not mistaken, DTV boxes allow for hookup of OTA. and the ability to use local infrastructure then gives poliyicians the right to tell them how to run their business eh? Hob When those same franchise agreements had "exclusivity" clauses, then yes, the local government has a right to tell the cable company how to run their business. |
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