[mythtv-users] YOU'RE NEXT! YOU'RE NEXT! SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun

stefan_jones at comcast.net stefan_jones at comcast.net
Mon Nov 23 20:34:22 UTC 2009


> From: "Kirk Bocek" <t004 at kbocek.com> 
> To: mythtv-users at mythtv.org 
> Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 11:31:58 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific 
> Subject: [mythtv-users] SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun 
> 
> Looks like Comcast has finally executed the previously announced analog 
> shutdown in my part of the San Francisco Bay Area, Martinez 94553. This 
> probably also applies to nearby towns like Concord, Pleasant Hill and Walnut 
> Creek. 
> 
> Analog channels from 40 and up are gone. I've waited a few days to see if it 
> was a temporary glitch but the channels are still gone. 
> 
> The good news is that all the Clear QAM digital channels are still there so my 
> HD Homeruns are unaffected. 
> 
> I've seen conflicting reports regarding Comcast's future ability to encrypt or 
> somehow encode those channels while still using the freebie digital adapter 
> boxes they provide. Anybody have any updates? 

DTAs -- the freebie digital adaptors -- *do support encryption*. 

I'm not speculating. I live in a Portland, OR suburb. We went through the analog=>digital transition last spring. 

Everything was ducky until earlier in the month. 

Over the last two weeks the clear QAM channels for the most desirable cable stations (Syfy, Cartoon Network, TNT . . . basically everything but local broadcast, public and school access, shopping and Telemundo) have disappeared. They really are scrambled, not just moved to other transports. I can still watch them via an STB or DTA, but my digital tuner couldn't see them. 

Over the last week I upgraded to Fedora 12 and Myth .22. I took the opportunity to install a HVR-2250. My old PVR-150 is now attached to a Comcast STB's coax analog out. Its cable map matches the now-scrambled channels. Until I get an IR blaster working, I manually tune the STB to the channel I want to record before the program starts. The three other digital tuners take care of the other stuff. 

I tested this last night. The STB delivers a nice clean signal to the PVR-150 so the program, while SD, doesn't look bad at all. 

So, don't get rid of your old analog cards! 

Stefan 
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