comcast encrypts everything

[hufnagel]

Originally Posted by BrianDC

Think you are out of luck with OTA where you are. As others have said, you were on borrowed time. Those of us in this community are a VERY small minority compared to the typical subscriber base.

Options are
1) Streaming from Hulu / Playon / etc
2) Rent the STB's and use your PVR cards and IRblaster or exeMultituner to control the STB's.
3) Don't watch as much TV

Ok, so #3 really isn't an option

Hell, I NEVER got anything but locals in the clear.

actually #3 is what I'm looking at now. Been thinking for a while I'm over TV'd... going to try and use this event as an excuse to cut back.

[davidjade]

Here in Seattle, I just had a local/OTA Clear QAM HD channel (KING5DT - local NBC channel) completely disappear from Comcast cable. It's been gone for 2 days now. I’ve done channel scans and my HDHR can no longer find it nor can my TV's QAM tuner. I have a friend in a nearby zip code and he can’t get the clear QAM channel anymore on his HDTV's QAM tuner either.

I'm wondering if this is widespread in Seattle or anywhere else Comcast serves?

I'm just trying to figure out if something's broken with Comcast or are unencrypted local HD channels now disappearing too?

[evilpenguin]

I just noticed that tonight too, looks like they moved it down to channel 15.

[egeller]

Sometime early yesterday morning most of the clear QAM channels disappeared from Comcast here in the western Philly suburbs. My HDHR now reports it can find all the locals, TBS, WGN America and a few other channel. We lost close to 50 channels.

I am looking forward to the CableCard version of HDHR later this year, Comcast says the first Cablecard, per device, is free.

[sharker]

I was just about to install and test Sage 7, all psyched, when I found out I have a few network channels left. Everything (USA, Sci-fi, Fox...) all encrypted. Now, I'm figuring what's the use? I am anxiously waiting for a CC tuner, but am weary that I would be dumping $400 and still nto be able to use Sage without jumping through hoops.

Is anyone having luck with ir blasters and the digital tuners? I get pretty lost when people start throwing around acronyms and have no real clue what my options are. Basically, can someone help me out with:

1) I'm assuming I can use my analog tuners and a box from Comcast, but can I switch channels automatically, or will I have to do it myself?
2) Will the Cablecard tuners from Centon or SD work with Sage without going through WMC and using SageMCTuner?
3) Is Sage dead for me if I primarily watch Cable channels and not the local networks?

Very disappointing. I would so give up HD content forever in exchange for going back to having 3 analog tuners that never had to be re-scanned, could change channels immediately, could have 5 or six more tuners added if I wanted, etc.

[stanger89]

1) Yes, it will switch channels automatically.
2) Probably not
3) I don't see why, a lot of us have been using Sage with Satellite for years where the use of STBs has always been required, there are no tuners for Dish or DTV.

[sharker]

1) Ok, thats good news. If I understand correctly, if I take my STB from upstairs, use it through my PVR-150 (which I had thought was past its usefulness!), I can use the IR blaster coming from my Hauppauge PVR-150 to change the channels. There wouldn't be any benefit to plugging the HDHR to the STB anyway, right?

I get a HD200 for upstairs the with the N wireless, to take the place of the STB, and I should be back in business for the cost of an HD200 and n adapter, which I wanted anyway. Does that sum it up?

[stanger89]

The HDHR won't work with an STB.

Though I'd strongly advise running ethernet rather than wireless.

[sic0048]

The best immediate solution is to get a tuner that will record the output of the STBs. Yes, that might mean renting a couple more STBs depending on your useage. However, many of us find that 1 STB is plenty because most shows on cable are repeated about 1000 times each week.

If you want HD quality, then you'll have to get the Hauppuage HD-PVR. Reliability has gone up dramatically as people learned how to use it. Sage V7 has some updates that are suppose to make it even more reliable. I think we are going to see very reliable HD-PVR usage now.

If you only want SD quality, then look at an analog tuner as you have already suggested.

Keep the HDHR to try an record any local shows. Those are the ones that are only aired once generally, so it is really nice to have a dual tuner (without STBs) recording those shows. Even if you have to switch to an antenna to pick up the locals via ATSC, it is worth it. That allows the STB and tuner card to focus on the encrypted channels.

I have a HDHR recording local network channels and 1 HD-PVR and I record about 40-50 favorites with little problems. There are always some recording conflicts, but it's always way down on the priority list, and there is so much recorded that I couldn't watch it anyway. I personally would have little benefit to adding a 2nd STB.

[jhkoenig]

I had a very similar loss of channels two weekends ago. Suddenly I couldn't get any channels beyond 32, mostly OTA with a few cable channels that must pay Comcast to carry them. Had a very unhappy afternoon talking with Comcast tech support, who told me that I "didn't deserve" any more channels than I was now getting and it would be $60/month to get them back. Yes, I am another low-life basic cable subscriber.

Today I had a very happy visit to the local Comcast store. For a total cost increase of $4, I got back all my channels and received to set-top boxes. But I really got excited when the clerk told me that a tech would be coming to my house tomorrow to "take something off" my cable line at the street. No need for me to be home, the work was all out in the Comcast underground conduit. That sounds to me like he is removing a trap. If so, my HDHRs will work again on ALL the channels and I can use the set-top boxes as paperweights.

Not bad for a few bucks. My advice is to skip the on-line chats and telephone support and march into the local Comcast office. Those folks have to be nice, otherwise they would get choked regularly.

[sharker]

OK, I now have a firewire cable box, I have channel.exe working on a command line. I have meinmaui's instructions on how to get Sage to change channels with the STB, but I can't find ExeMultiTuner.dll!? I feel like a tool, but I can't locate it anywhere. Now, has it been replaced? Should I be using another set of instructions? I read the huge thread on using a firewire box, but I am now using the firewire strictly for channel changing so I keep getting lost int he 100 pages of posts! Can anyone lead me in the right direction, as far as should I still be using the exelumtituner plug-in or have things evolved? Or at least send me a link to the dll?

Thanks in advance...

[Naylia]

FWChannelProxy is better (personal opinion - I think it's easier to setup). Search for that.

[QueOnda]

Originally Posted by jhkoenig

Today I had a very happy visit to the local Comcast store. For a total cost increase of $4, I got back all my channels and received to set-top boxes. But I really got excited when the clerk told me that a tech would be coming to my house tomorrow to "take something off" my cable line at the street. No need for me to be home, the work was all out in the Comcast underground conduit. That sounds to me like he is removing a trap. If so, my HDHRs will work again on ALL the channels and I can use the set-top boxes as paperweights.

Not bad for a few bucks. My advice is to skip the on-line chats and telephone support and march into the local Comcast office. Those folks have to be nice, otherwise they would get choked regularly.

Can you explain a little more on what they took out? Also, are you getting local HD on your HDHR? Can you tell me the model number of the DTAs? Are they just clear QAM tuners?

[jhkoenig]

After a few missed appointments, the Comcast tech showed up. When I asked about "removing the trap" he laughed and told me that they hadn't used traps in years. He said that all of the cable channels beyond OTA must carries were encrypted and I would need their Pace boxes to watch my "new" channels. Comcast crushes my spirit again.

So this past weekend I attached two DTAs to Sage with USB-UIRT blasts taped to the fronts. Wrapping the DTAs in aluminum foil was the only way I could keep the blasters from affecting the wrong box, but they look kinda' cute behind the media center.

At least now I have two streams of SD cable so the WAF is back up. No joy on the high definition via HDHRs but I still have the OTA channels from Comcast in high def.

[QueOnda]

Originally Posted by jhkoenig

...but I still have the OTA channels from Comcast in high def.

That really sux. I should be transitioned at the end of June.
So, that means Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS all HD on your HDHR?

If they encrypt those, I'm going to contact my congressman.

[Fuzzy]

They might encrypt them.. as long as they have an SD version availabe in the clear, they are fine as far as regulations are concerned.

[reggie14]

I doubt Comcast will encrypt the HD locals. I think the vast majority of Comcast customers have the HD locals available in clear QAM. While the FCC regulations are vague enough they can probably get away with encrypting the HD channels as long as the SD channels are available, there's little reason to risk it.

More troubling is the FCC's recent willingness to give out waivers on the rule prohibiting encryption of the basic tier.

Comcast switched over to digital in my area starting last November, with the last set of channels moving over in January. Since November, the SD digital channels in the expanded basic tier were unencrypted until a few days ago. Now I just have the SD and HD locals. Of course I never find these things out until I miss recordings, but at least they weren't anything important this time.

I also still have all of my non-premium channels available without copy protection. So, I have one DCT6200 for firewire recording, and one DCT6200 hooked up to an HD-PVR. It's gotten to the point where the vast majority of the channels I watch have HD versions, so I was rarely watching any of the SD expanded basic channels on the HDHR anyway.

[freewheeling]

I don't really understand why our computers can't decrypt the digital signal for these encrypted channels. I mean, it's a computer. Isn't that what it does?

I have an HD box (SA Explorer 4250HDC) and an HDPVR. I change channels using the UIRT whatchamajigger. But I split the cable before it goes to the HDPVR (and from there via component cables to the Explorer STB), and get channels 2-132. I generally don't watch those except when the STB is out for some reason. But I've never been very clear why I need the STB if I have a computer. Seems like the computer should be able to do everything the STB does. What am I missing? (Obviously, something.)

BTW, I can apparently record Netflix movies and TV using PlayOn within SageTV, as long as I wait until the whole show is downloaded before trying to save it. Not that it really gets me anything, since I subscribe to Netflix and would rather they used their storage space rather than mine.

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by freewheeling

I don't really understand why our computers can't decrypt the digital signal for these encrypted channels. I mean, it's a computer. Isn't that what it does?

Well the cable companies encrypt the channels for a specific reason. They don't want people stealing cable. If every computer could decrypt the cable stream, then no one would buy cable. They would simply hook their computer up to the cable wire. There are plenty of QAM tuners out there that will pick up the cable company's broadcast, but none of those cards can break the encryption. The encryption code is too strong (and illegal to break - so no manufacturer is going to produce a card that breaks the encryption). Therefore you cannot watch or record any encrypted channel with a QAM tuner.

I guess it should also be mentioned that the cable companies have changed the way they send out the signals. In the old days of analog cable, they had suppressors at each distribution node around the neighborhoods. When you subscribed to cable, a tech would come out and change/remove the suppressor for your house. This took a lot of man hours and therefore cost the cable companies a lot of money.

Now that the cable companies can encrypt their digital signal, they actually send every channel out to every house that subscribes to cable. Your set to box communicates with the cable company and determine which channels you have subscribed to and decodes only those channels. But the cable company doesn't want a personal to be able to simply hook up their computer and decode all the channels (even the ones they haven't subscribed to) - hence the encryption.

This is why cable card tuners are really wanted by the computer DVR crowd. This would allow a person to hook their cable up to their computer and record everything allowed. But the cable card would communicate to the cable company and determine which channels and shows you are allowed to record. They allow people to use their computer to record, but still leave total control up to the cable company. It is a "win win" for both parties.

Hopefully that makes sense.

[src666]

Originally Posted by freewheeling

I don't really understand why our computers can't decrypt the digital signal for these encrypted channels. I mean, it's a computer. Isn't that what it does?

Because encryption is designed to be difficult/impossible to break no matter how big a computer you have. That's the point of encryption.

A computer isn't a magic wand - it's just a very fast calculator.