Analog to Digital Switch

[Taddeusz]

Not that I watch the channel but I find it interesting that Cox Cable broadcasts Planet Green HD in the clear. I think I heard someone else on here mention they also had it in the clear. I wonder if Discovery has some kind of deal with the cable companies to keep them from encrypting it?

[waylo]

Originally Posted by shab44

I have also called comcast to ask about the switchover to all digital. I am in a suburb of Chicago. No information available. It is interesting that after the switch over to all digital you found that Comcast broadcasts the extended cable channels (USA, TNT, etc.) in QAM. I only get the broadcast channels (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS) in QAM which is useless. My fear is that I will need to get one of those mini-boxes and hope the IR blaster works with it.

HD-PVR 1600

About 6 months ago when I moved into this area, only the network broadcast channels were sent in QAM (okay, maybe a few of the more popular expanded cable channels too). Sometime recently, they "copied" over all the expanded basic channels and broadcast them in digital unencrypted. I suspect if they make this transition in your area, the same will happen.

[mets3145]

I'm in SF and my 1600 has pretty much crapped out on me.

My apartment building gets comcast extended basic (channels 1-81) so i do not need a cable box. For the past 2 years, I've been getting the local channels in HD with my 1600 and my TV. Starting monday, only my TV has been picking up the local HD channels.

A long story short, my 1600 is not picking up any unencrypted digital channels except for 10 of them 91-1 thru 91-10.

No more local HD channels

Anyone else use a 1600 and lives in SF?

[mets3145]

I found this on Comcast's FAQ website about the switch to digital:

3. Who will be affected?
Customers may be affected if they:

* Subscribe to Comcast Standard Cable or Digital Cable; and,
* Have a TV connected to a Comcast service without a Digital Set Top Box.

Customers who subscribe to Comcast Basic Cable** are not affected.

4. What if I don't do anything?
Any TV connected directly to Comcast service without a digital device will eventually lose access to some of the channels it currently receives. You’ll keep the 15-30 Comcast Basic Cable channels, (local broadcast TV stations, plus local government, education and public access channels) But you'll lose all Expanded Basic channels, like Disney, CNN, Lifetime and 30-50 others.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

My question is this: Even TVs with ATSC/NTSC tuners will lose service to those 30-50 channels, which will force us to buy a Set Top Box?

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by mets3145

My question is this: Even TVs with ATSC/NTSC tuners will lose service to those 30-50 channels, which will force us to buy a Set Top Box?

ATSC is the over-the-air HD tuner, and NTSC is an analog tuner. So, I assume what you're really thinking about are QAM tuners, which is a type of digital cable tuner. Because Comcast typically acts like QAM tuners in TVs don't exist, there's not a clear answer to your question. Comcast has been handing out cheap digital cable boxes that lack decryption capabilities. If they do that in your area then if your TV has a QAM tuner you should be able to get the expanded basic lineup. If Comcast is handing out more full-featured cable boxes then that won't work. You can keep calling Comcast to try to get a definitive answer, but to be honest I wouldn't trust anything they say. I don't think they'd intentionally lie- I just don't think their support reps are trained all that well.

As for your issue with your HVR1600, if you're cable to get unencrypted QAM channels on your TV you should be able to get them on your HVR-1600. The 1600s seem to be pretty fussy when it comes to signal strength- too little or too much and it won't work right. Also, it seems like Sage's QAM channel scanning doesn't work as well as in WinTV, for reasons entirely unknown to me. So, you could see what you pick up in WinTV. If you get the missing local channels in there. You can also head over to the QAM and HVR-1600 threads in the hardware forum and look for tips about QAM scanning.

[mets3145]

Originally Posted by reggie14

ATSC is the over-the-air HD tuner, and NTSC is an analog tuner. So, I assume what you're really thinking about are QAM tuners, which is a type of digital cable tuner. Because Comcast typically acts like QAM tuners in TVs don't exist, there's not a clear answer to your question. Comcast has been handing out cheap digital cable boxes that lack decryption capabilities. If they do that in your area then if your TV has a QAM tuner you should be able to get the expanded basic lineup. If Comcast is handing out more full-featured cable boxes then that won't work. You can keep calling Comcast to try to get a definitive answer, but to be honest I wouldn't trust anything they say. I don't think they'd intentionally lie- I just don't think their support reps are trained all that well.

As for your issue with your HVR1600, if you're cable to get unencrypted QAM channels on your TV you should be able to get them on your HVR-1600. The 1600s seem to be pretty fussy when it comes to signal strength- too little or too much and it won't work right. Also, it seems like Sage's QAM channel scanning doesn't work as well as in WinTV, for reasons entirely unknown to me. So, you could see what you pick up in WinTV. If you get the missing local channels in there. You can also head over to the QAM and HVR-1600 threads in the hardware forum and look for tips about QAM scanning.

Yeah, I stopped listening to Comcast reps a long time ago... example: one morning last month I woke up without the Fox HD or CBS HD from my TV. I talked to one of them and they told me it was gone for good if I didn't sign up for their digital service. The next morning, it was back...

I'll keep trying to tune my channels... but I have a feeling something isn't right with the digital signal over at comcast in SF right now.

[waylo]

Originally Posted by mets3145

My question is this: Even TVs with ATSC/NTSC tuners will lose service to those 30-50 channels, which will force us to buy a Set Top Box?

Reggie14 is right, with it being the QAM and not the ATSC tuner that brings in the digital HD unencrypted channels you (and I) have been enjoying. When I called comcast to get the FREE digital to analog (DTA) converter box, the customer support rep didn't quite know what the correct options are. All expanded basic cable customers are supposed to be eligible for free digital to analog conversion boxes (these don't have the ability to decrypt anything, so they don't work for any premium digital channels). But the output from these boxes won't be useful when hooked into a tuner card.

I'm a little wary of how QAM tuning works in SageTV so I'd appreciate an update when you get (if you get) some results mets3145.

[mets3145]

Originally Posted by waylo

Reggie14 is right, with it being the QAM and not the ATSC tuner that brings in the digital HD unencrypted channels you (and I) have been enjoying. When I called comcast to get the FREE digital to analog (DTA) converter box, the customer support rep didn't quite know what the correct options are. All expanded basic cable customers are supposed to be eligible for free digital to analog conversion boxes (these don't have the ability to decrypt anything, so they don't work for any premium digital channels). But the output from these boxes won't be useful when hooked into a tuner card.

I'm a little wary of how QAM tuning works in SageTV so I'd appreciate an update when you get (if you get) some results mets3145.

Refer to the thread I have currently about my problem...

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40292