[mythtv-users] Possibly a "dumb" question

[Brian Wood]

On Friday 05 February 2010 10:40:37 am Gavin Peters wrote:
> On Fri, Feb 05, 2010 at 09:42:05AM -0700, Brian Wood wrote:
> > A cable system could theoretically just heterodyne an off-air ATSC signal
> > to another frequency and put it on the wire, then use an STB to simply
> > mix it down to channel 2 or 3, all the information would be untouched,
> > and the TV set wouldn't know the difference.
> 
> Sort of.  Modern TVs tuning ATSC are stateful about channel identification,
>  subchannels, and are snarky about how they map guide information.  You'd
>  likely have to set your TV up again every time you changed channels!!!

Good point, but the cable operators are not going to put unadulterated ATSC on 
their wires anyway, they want to reduce the quality and hence the bandwidth 
requirements.

The digital changeover was not to benefit consumers, it was to enhance profits 
for TV makers, Dolby Labs and cable companies, as well as make spectrum 
available for sale by the government. Very few people expressed a desire for 
something better than NTSC, after all, most consumers were satisfied with VHS.

Cable and Satellite operators were quick to see additional profits, by taking 
advantage of consumer confusion. Witness the "You're OK with Cable" promos.