Comments on: How the Cable Guy could salvage the DTV transition, and why he's afraid to try. http://technosailor.com/2008/10/20/how-the-cable-guy-could-save-america/ Business and Technology with Common Sense Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:14:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4-alpha-19888 By: Frank http://technosailor.com/2008/10/20/how-the-cable-guy-could-save-america/comment-page-1/#comment-45839 Frank Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:56:06 +0000 http://technosailor.com/?p=4648#comment-45839 Our home town cable company (RCN) made the switch over the summer. No notice, just one day TV's wihout cable boxes just STOPPED working. In order to get it fixed, they require a visit to their walk in center and it's a "do it your self" exercise. All of the affected elderly people were left to fend for themselves. And we wonder whey everybody hates their cable company? Frank Our home town cable company (RCN) made the switch over the summer. No notice, just one day TV’s wihout cable boxes just STOPPED working. In order to get it fixed, they require a visit to their walk in center and it’s a “do it your self” exercise.

All of the affected elderly people were left to fend for themselves. And we wonder whey everybody hates their cable company?

Frank

]]> By: Andrew Feinberg http://technosailor.com/2008/10/20/how-the-cable-guy-could-save-america/comment-page-1/#comment-45838 Andrew Feinberg Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:10:21 +0000 http://technosailor.com/?p=4648#comment-45838 Yes, I did not mention that some systems have switch to all-digital which adds an extra hurdle. Providing cheap digital boxes for lifeline service would be more difficult considering the outcry that giving away boxes that don't need CableCards would cause. The cliff isn't a red herring, it's a difference between analog 700mhz broadcast NTSC and digital broadcast QAM. Crappy reception that's snowy or faded is different than the all-or-none scenario of digital. The properties of the DTV signal mean it may not be able to reach as many people as the analog signals did, no matter what the contour maps tell you. Auctioning the spectrum was lucrative, and the transition is overdue. But if you want to ask a question, ask why the incumbent broadcasters were simply handed the multicast channels along with their digital ones. In an era of concentrated ownership where the trend has been towards deregulation more and more, where were all the people who scream about diversity in ownership rules when the FCC simply gave away more spectrum to the same people. The amount of space available for OTA (and therefore free) increases by 200% w/ the multicast channels, and there was no effort to get new players in on local broadcasting. Maybe if the multicast channels were controlled by those other than the incumbent broadcasters, there would be more significantly viewed content that would have given NAB a better position to fight for multicast must-carry. Yes, I did not mention that some systems have switch to all-digital which adds an extra hurdle. Providing cheap digital boxes for lifeline service would be more difficult considering the outcry that giving away boxes that don’t need CableCards would cause.

The cliff isn’t a red herring, it’s a difference between analog 700mhz broadcast NTSC and digital broadcast QAM. Crappy reception that’s snowy or faded is different than the all-or-none scenario of digital. The properties of the DTV signal mean it may not be able to reach as many people as the analog signals did, no matter what the contour maps tell you.

Auctioning the spectrum was lucrative, and the transition is overdue. But if you want to ask a question, ask why the incumbent broadcasters were simply handed the multicast channels along with their digital ones.

In an era of concentrated ownership where the trend has been towards deregulation more and more, where were all the people who scream about diversity in ownership rules when the FCC simply gave away more spectrum to the same people. The amount of space available for OTA (and therefore free) increases by 200% w/ the multicast channels, and there was no effort to get new players in on local broadcasting.

Maybe if the multicast channels were controlled by those other than the incumbent broadcasters, there would be more significantly viewed content that would have given NAB a better position to fight for multicast must-carry.

]]> By: Dave Zatz http://technosailor.com/2008/10/20/how-the-cable-guy-could-save-america/comment-page-1/#comment-45837 Dave Zatz Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:56:48 +0000 http://technosailor.com/?p=4648#comment-45837 Cable "lifeline" services are available for relatively few dollars, which essentially rebroadcast the locals and maybe a few more. However, the flaw in your theory is that franchises can optionally go all digital - something we've seen in some dense metro areas like Chicago and Brooklyn to prevent cable theft. Meaning you can't plug directly in, though they do provide very small digital converter boxes as well. Also the "cliff" is something of a red herring since there's no guarantee folks have reception of NTSC stuff. Having said that, I agree this is and will be a cluster and I question the government's motive - seem like auctioning off the spectrum was extremely lucrative... Cable “lifeline” services are available for relatively few dollars, which essentially rebroadcast the locals and maybe a few more. However, the flaw in your theory is that franchises can optionally go all digital – something we’ve seen in some dense metro areas like Chicago and Brooklyn to prevent cable theft. Meaning you can’t plug directly in, though they do provide very small digital converter boxes as well. Also the “cliff” is something of a red herring since there’s no guarantee folks have reception of NTSC stuff. Having said that, I agree this is and will be a cluster and I question the government’s motive – seem like auctioning off the spectrum was extremely lucrative…

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