damink23
join:2002-08-19
Waltham, MA
| [CATV] Official Boston area digital conversion Thread
With the Boston area next on the chopping block for digital conversion, I thought it would be nice to have one thread for all the questions instead of 2 or 3.
My first question is for rcbrcb. How long did the process take from analog QAM crush to all digital line-up? |
|
rcbrcb
Premium
join:2007-02-21
Chicago, IL
 ·RCN CABLE
 ·T-Mobile VoIP
 ·T-Mobile US
| I believe the process started sometime in February and is still going on in some parts of the city, but it may have been completed by now. RCN converts each neighborhood node over at a time. I got a mailer about a month before my area was converted and that mailer had a date on in which we would be converted. I was originally set for conversion on March 25th but on March 24th I was informed that we were delayed by 2 weeks and our new date was April 10th. When I woke up on 4/10 I was converted and all I had to do was run the guided setp on my three Series 3 HD TiVo's to grab the new lineups.
I choose to ditch my 1 RCN HD DVR and 1 RCN HD Receiver before the switch, as I was going to have to rent another HD or HD DVR for my 3rd TV that I was just getting the analog channels and QAM HD Channels on before the switch. I went with three Series 3 HD TiVo's and rented Cabel Cards from RCN instead. While I was all for the switch to full digital, I felt that handling of the HD QAM Encryption was a joke and I was not about to pay RCN any more rental fees a month for what is a best, crappy equipment. I was not a cheap venture to upgrade to 3 HD TiVo's but ay least I now only have to pay RCN $4.50 per month total for the (3) M-Type Cable Card Rentals. The best part of the switch to HD TiVo's is the ability to network all 3 together using my wireless network, share recorded programs via the same network and the ability to expand the HDD with external Drives...All 3 of the above are things that RCN's equipment can't handle. I did loose the ability to get VOD, but in the 9 years I have had RCN, I had not used in ONCE, so no love lost for me.
I do have to say, the new lineup is great and blows away what Comcrap is offering in Chicago. I guess it will get intertesting when AT&T UVerse launches in Chicago later this year, which is why I am guessing RCN choose to do the "Analog Crush" here in Chicago first. |
|
clock
join:2007-05-02
Roslindale, MA | reply to damink23
Re: [CATV] Official Boston area digital conversion Thread
How come RCN encrypted WLVI (CW) & WSBK? Shouldn't those be counted as locals as well? |
|
rcbrcb
Premium
join:2007-02-21
Chicago, IL | They most likely encrypted the HD versions of those channels, RCN is only leaving the SD Verisons of the locals un-encrypted. |
|
arlington
join:2008-03-03
| reply to clock
On Sunday here in Arlington I found some of the local hd channels in the clear (4,5,7) but not all. NESN hd and TNT hd were also unencripted and watchable. However most channels without the box (sd included), had stuttering audio and were unwatchaable. |
|
foom
@rcn.com
| reply to rcbrcb
RCN phone tech support confirmed that everything except channels 2 through 22 and 83 through 98 will be encrypted soon.
When I complained about not wanting to pay RCN another $12/month to rent a crappy cable box, the RCN sales rep suggested that I switch to Dish instead: apparently they include a HD box with your subscription.
That's certainly something I'll be looking at now, but not what I expected to hear from RCN. |
|
walthambob
@rcn.com | what will the channel lineup be? rcn.com/digital on list chicago lineup but not boston. |
|
damink23
join:2002-08-19
Waltham, MA | reply to damink23
rcn.com/digital now lists the locations of the Boston area offices. The link for channel line-ups still goes to Chicago.
Maybe a June 1st announcement? |
|
l008com
@rcn.com
moderated:
May 31st, @09:52AM
| reply to damink23
I've now lost all my HD channels, including the only one that matters, NESNHD.
I know it's probably a futile effort, but I just started a Facebook group. If enough people sign up and complain. Maybe, just maybe, RCN might unencrypt all or at least some of the basic HD channels.
I just switched from Comcast not two months ago. At first I was blown away at all I got from RCN. Looks like it was all too good to be true. Why don't they understand that all I want is a tv, not a tv and a mess of wires and a pile of remotes.
In my opinion, HD is supposed to be the evolution of TV. Not 'one more thing we can get a monthly fee off of' |
|
damink23
join:2002-08-19
Waltham, MA
edit:
June 3rd, @05:38PM
|  reply to damink23
The notice came in the mail today. July 22nd for digital switch over in my area!!!
As far as new HD channels
USA
SPIKE
M-HD???
Fox Business
The Weather Channel
Comcast Sportsnet- We already have that but marked new????
Speed
Smithsonian
MGM
Universal
HBO2
Cinemax2
Showtime2
Starz Kids
Starz Edge
Starz Comedy
New Digital Channels
Reelz
Shop NBC
American Life
Nickelodeon West
Disney West
Qubo?????
TBN????
Insperational
C-Span3
NASA
Pentagon
Comcast SportsNet Plus
HRTV
BET J
NBC Weather Plus
Current
That appears to be all from the brochure in the mail. |
|
bostman
@comcast.net
| New channels look like they could be great, alot more hd then I have with Comcast.
M-HD= MTV HD
Comcast Sportsnet right now only shows the celtics home games in hd, I believe RCn is working on getting the contract from comcast to have a full time hd feed.
Qubo is similar to nickalodian
TBN is a christian network, religious broadcasting, rcn dropped it 4 years ago but is getting it back.
More stuff to come along I bet, Wish i was that lucky, no competition here. |
|
mrbigk
join:2004-01-22
Natick, MA | reply to damink23
My big hope is with the conversion to an all digital lineup, RCN can avoid using frequencies that get interference from ATT wireless, causing pixelation and an unwatchable tv experience when a cell phone receives voice/data. |
|
damink23
join:2002-08-19
Waltham, MA | reply to damink23
Why is RCN adding another horse racing channel(HRTV)? We already have TVG. Seems like a waste to me.
You could take that channel off and add another HD channel, Maybe ESPN News? |
|
jhlmsln
join:2005-05-01
Washington, DC
| GUESSING, HRTV is probable dirt cheap and adds
to the bragging rights that my HD line up is bigger
than yours. I would not surprise me that the next
HD channel is BASKET WEAVING with the losing contestants
from the IDOL and DANCING with the STARS.
jhl |
|
damink23
join:2002-08-19
Waltham, MA | The thing is HRTV is not going to be in HD, just SD. I think it is a waste of an SD channel. |
|
damink23
join:2002-08-19
Waltham, MA
| reply to damink23
Just saw an RCN commercial with some idea of rollout dates:
The commercial stated you needed a digital Box by a certain date:
Dedham July 8th
Waltham July 15th
Watertown July 29th
Arlington Aug 5th
Lexington Aug 19th
These were the only towns listed. |
|
mrbigk
join:2004-01-22
Natick, MA
| reply to damink23
said by damink23  :The notice came in the mail today. July 22nd for digital switch over in my area!!! As far as new HD channels USA SPIKE M-HD??? Fox Business The Weather Channel Comcast Sportsnet- We already have that but marked new???? Speed Smithsonian MGM Universal HBO2 Cinemax2 Showtime2 Starz Kids Starz Edge Starz Comedy New Digital Channels Reelz Shop NBC American Life Nickelodeon West Disney West Qubo????? TBN???? Insperational C-Span3 NASA Pentagon Comcast SportsNet Plus HRTV BET J NBC Weather Plus Current That appears to be all from the brochure in the mail. Did the brochure include a new channel lineup? Or just list the new channels? |
|
damink23
join:2002-08-19
Waltham, MA
| New Line-up.
Pretty much channels 1-25 stay the same. After that it is completely different. I unfortunately dont have a scanner or I would scan the brochure.
HD channels will be starting at 602 and go thru 763. Not consecutively, so appears to be room for even more HD channels. |
|
