[mythtv-users] Questions about MythTV and Digital Cable (slightly off-topic?)

[Steven Adeff]

On 3/9/06, Michael Tiller <michael.tiller at gmail.com> wrote:
> I realize this is only slightly related to MythTV so my apologies if it is
> too off topic...
>
> I've gotten a bit frustrated with my analog cable so I was considering
> upgrading to digital cable.  The potential advantages I considered were:
>
> 1) Better picture quality (I have some analog interference from splitting,
> etc).
> 2) Possibility to get local channels in pure digital form via firewire/QAM.
> 3) Bigger range of channels (not that there is anything good on most of them
> :-().
>
> But, I just realized that there might be a major fly in the ointment here.
> In talking with the Comcast (and WOW) rep on the phone (ob. grain of salt) I
> was told that all channels below 100 in my area (i.e. the channels that are
> available for analog cable) are not digital even if you have digital cable.
>
> The bottom line is that everything I watch is on those <100 channels now and
> I don't see any reason to think there are digital versions of my shows on
> any of the channels >100.
>
> Am I missing something?  I hear people talk about getting their local
> channels via firewire in digital format...where do these come from if there
> isn't a "digital" version of the channel in the lineup?!?

This is how most cable company's work, they don't bother to send
digital versions of channels that they send analog. The HD cableboxes
convert these analog singals to mpeg  internally. For instance, the
only difference between the Motorola DCT6200 and their DVR, the
DCT6412 is a harddrive. In fact, if you plug in a harddrive to the
DCT6200 it will automatically format the drive and convert itself to a
6412 (though the cable company won't let you actually use it as a 6412
since they can control whether your 6412 uses its PVR features).

Some areas do get both though, my dad has Comcast in L.A. and last
time I was there I noticed that some of their analog channels were of
poor signal quality but through their DCT6412 they were all perfect,
with better picture quality overall as well. So they must be sending
both. I asked my dad and he said when he talked to them they started
sending all the regular channels digitally about  a year ago.

If you want guaranteed digital for these lower stations go satelite,
even through a PVR card they will look and sound much better.

> It seems crazy that if I get digital cable I don't get digital versions of
> NBC, Comedy Central, TNT?! But, I get digital versions of CSPAN3 (for all
> the things that were too niche for CSPAN and CSPAN2!) and Noggin' (WTFIT?).

its about bandwidth utilization not making customers happy.

> If I go with digital satellite, I get all digital, no?  Why should digital
> cable be so stingy with the digital feeds?!?

satelite has to be digital, for cable companies its about bandwidth.
In the space they carry an analog station I believe they can get
something like 10 digital stations at "equivalent" quality. But since
most have to send these basic channels in analog for many customers
they don't bother to send as both analog and digital. Some areas (like
my dad where Comcast ran fiber everywhere about 10years ago) do both,
and some are even not offering anything but OTA as analog on their
lines (which they are legally obligated to do by the FCC).

--
Steve