[mythtv-users] Comcast to drop analog cable

[Brian Wood]

On Sunday 15 June 2008 08:04:49 Mark Covington wrote:
> Well this could be excessively annoying.
> http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2008-06-12-cable-digital_N.htm
> http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2008/06/got_expanded_analog_cable_
>from_comcast_not_fo_1.html
>
> Comcast plans to drop all analog service by 2010 and other cable providers
> are expected to follow depending on how successful Comcast is.  Between
> Comcast's move to switched digital video and dropping analog service its
> going to be harder and harder to keep running a Mythtv box.
>
> It looks like a firewire connection out of a set-top-box might be the only
> route in the future unless some other options start appearing.  What are
> y'alls thoughts?

The trend towards HD and digital is pretty much inevitable. The cable 
companies want to go digital to increase carrying capacity, which makes 
sense. They also like the subs needing to have an STB both for revenue and 
for "control". The cable companies don't really care about "control" but 
their program suppliers do, and they will coerce the cable companies into 
such efforts.

So we'll have to get used to STBs and satellite receivers, but we've been 
dealing with them for a while. I suspect STBs and sat rcvrs will have analog 
outputs for a while, the cable companies are already touting "any TV 
connected to cable will continue to work".

Analog component outputs will probably be around for a while, one reason I 
bought a 1212. There are a lot of component-input only HD sets out there.

The "worst case" for might be everything going to HDMI, but I'm sure an answer 
will become available, Myth will deal with it. The Myth devs and users will 
triumph over the dark forces of Hollywood and the evil cable companies 
because our motives are golden and out hearts are pure.

beww