[mythtv-users] QAM question - cable providers & changing channel mappings?

[Steven Adeff]

On 4/14/06, Brad Fuller <bradallenfuller at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Steven Adeff wrote:
> > On 4/14/06, Peter Watkins <peterw at tux.org> wrote:
> >
> >> Mark J. Small wrote:
> >>
> >>> On April 8, 2006 05:06 pm, Steven Adeff wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> On 4/8/06, Mark J. Small <msmall at eastlink.ca> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> I'm thinking about taking the leap and getting a card that can do QAM
> >>>>> decoding for my cable system.  My biggest worry is this; what happens
> >>>>> when the cable system changes its channel map?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I know that the channel map changed recently on my system,  and there is
> >>>>> nothing stopping my provider from changing it again next week.
> >>>>>
> >>> I was bored one day, and found the frequencies for all the digital channels
> >>> using the service menus of my cable box.  I don't have the energy to do it
> >>> again right now, so it could be that many of the frequencies have changed.
> >>>
> >>> My point is that if my cable system does this again, then there is no way for
> >>> me to know about it until my recordings start to fail.  This would really
> >>> stick if it happened at the beginning of a 2 week vacation...
> >>>
> >>> My cable company is planning on adding several new channels soon, so I really
> >>> don't know how much the digital channels will jump around.  Failed recordings
> >>> would really mess up my WAF.
> >>>
> >> I've got the same concerns. I've tried to read up on FCC guidelines (I'm
> >> in the United States) regarding "must carry", etc., and never found
> >> anything terribly clear. I even wrote the EFF (eff.org) and received a
> >> nice response saying, basically, the FCC does not have clear guidelines
> >> for QAM, even regarding channels that are "local" broadcasters.
> >>
> >> My provider (Comcast) has maybe 80-90% of the local ATSC broadcast
> >> channels also in clear QAM. And hundreds of QAM channels I can't tune,
> >> presumably encrypted content. Beyond carrying some locals in clear QAM,
> >> I found a few cable-only channels. Very few clear QAM channels had
> >> useful PSIP (?) labels.
> >>
> >> I would love to see legislation that clearly required cable providers to
> >>  - make all local broadcaster's HD/ATSC available in unencrypted QAM
> >>  - make all "basic tier" channels available in unencrypted QAM
> >>  - clearly label (PSIP) all unencrypted QAM channels
> >>  - not change the frequency/aid/vid QAM settings for any channel that
> >>    they're required to make available in unencrypted QAM without
> >>    notifying all subscribers (who ask for such notification?) with the
> >>    exact change, exact date/time of the change -- and provide such
> >>    notification at least 8 weeks in advance
> >>
> >> As it stands, when I add my 2nd HD card, I intend to use it for QAM only
> >> for the channels I can't pick up OTA (including the unencrypted
> >> cable-only channels), and continue using my "silver surfer" antenna and
> >> ATSC for those I can get OTA -- just to avoid missing a show because of
> >> cable provider QAM-mapping shenanigans.
> >>
> >>
> >>>> if you want cheap entry, the Avermedia A180 works great with kernel
> >>>> 2.6.15 and can be had for ~$70, which I think is the cheapest QAM
> >>>> capable PCI card available right now.
> >>>>
> >>> I've been eyeing that one, thanks.
> >>>
> >> It looks like a much better card (physically) than the HD3000 -- much
> >> better connectors, stress relief on the coax jack, etc. But then I think
> >> the HD3000 is unusually poorly designed for a card w/ a coax jack. But
> >> my A180 is back in the box. Word is that its kernel drivers conflict
> >> with the i2c drivers for the Hauppauge PVR-350, and I'm using the
> >> PVR-350 IR receiver (with lirc_i2c) for my remote. LIRC became
> >> unreliable (would miss IR events) as soon as I put the a180 in my box
> >> (FC4 loaded its drivers automatically). So I've removed the a180 and
> >> have to get another IR dongle working for LIRC to receive my remote
> >> control's IR commands. I tried for a while to get an old Belkin
> >> SmartBeam serial dongle to work, but though lirc_serial and lirc_dev say
> >> they found it, mode2 and irw couldn't see any activity. So I hope to get
> >> a StreamZap USB receiver working, even if I have to remove the PVR-350
> >> entirely.
> >>
> >> It would have been far easier to buy another HD3000 and keep using the
> >> PVR-350's IR dongle; maybe I should have split the difference between
> >> the $70 a180 and $170 HD3000 and tried the $120 Air2PC HD5000...
> >>
> >
> > the FCC guidelines may not be clear, but they're there and a little
> > reading will net you the following facts:
> > 1. Only over the air analog broadcasts are required to be carried free
> > of charge to everyone over cable lines. This was the trade off the
> > federal government made with the cable companies to allow them to run
> > cable lines on "government property".
> > 2. Over the air ATSC signals are *NOT* considered "analog", they are
> > considered "digital" and thus not required to be free and clear on
> > cable lines.
> >
> > But, processing these channels would require extra cost at no extra
> > benefit to cable companies, so most don't bother and just send the HD
> > signals clean and clear. Some, whom don't get free coffee at work,
> > decided to take advantage of the law and encrypt all their QAM
> > content.
> >
> >
> I too looked at fcc.gov and couldn't easily find if local digital-tv
> will be/is a must-carry on cable.
>
> but, wouldn't you think that by 2009
> (http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html#whatisdate) that since "analog"
> will be gone from the airwaves, the govt will mandate that the local HD
> content must be available unencrypted on cable?
>
> Well.. one would hope so, anyway.

you assume the federal government cares.

--
Steve