Comcast Is Now Encrypting Basic Cable Data

sundansx said:
Short: This sux.

Long:
This has large implications for users that have HTPC's hooked up with QAM based capture cards so they can get live TV into their Media Center PC's. With this new change, I think all of their hardware will be useless. They will have to buy new cable card tuners like the Ceton and Homerun Prime devices to get this content (and pay a cable card fee).
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Cox has only had the local channels available over open (unscrambled) QAM for the past few years, all the other digital signals are scrambled. However, they still provide channels 2-74 over analog, so I can plug in an old TV & receive all the channels.

I have a HTPC with a older analog/open QAM dual tuner and a Ceton 4 channel cable card tuner. Never have to worry about recording conflicts since we can have up to 6 channels recoding at once. The single Cable card fee is a reasonable $1.99, a lot cheaper than cable boxes. Biggest problem was getting them to get the card registered in their system. correctly.
 
Terminus said:
I can't wait till Comcast, AT&T and all the other classical telecoms and broadcasters are eating crowe once Google, Netflix and the rest of Silicon Valley start rolling out all that good, cheap, reliable fiber.
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Now if they would upgrade our neighborhood in Sunnyvale (Silicon Valley) from crappy AT&T 3Mbps, I would believe you.
 
NeoGohan said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't an antenna get you the same channels as basic cable?
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Well what you can get with an antenna depends entirely upon where you are. You might not have OTA signals for many channels actually getting to your house. Also "limited basic" has a few additional channels like CSpan, The Discovery Channel, and a bunch more public access channels that I almost guarantee you don't get.
 
nothing new here Mediacom has moved to all digital even for basic
it frees up more bandwidth for things like internet
 
sundansx said:
Short: This sux.

Long:
This has large implications for users that have HTPC's hooked up with QAM based capture cards so they can get live TV into their Media Center PC's. With this new change, I think all of their hardware will be useless. They will have to buy new cable card tuners like the Ceton and Homerun Prime devices to get this content (and pay a cable card fee).
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Well technically... not ALL of the hardware is worthless. You just have to switch out the tuner for one that accepts a cableCARD which you can rent from the cable co for usually $2 - $3 each. In the case of the network HomeRun PRIME tuners, you don't even have to switch/change hardware, just connect it to your existing network and rock on. ;)

On the other hand, it does suck that you will most likely have to get new hardware. In all honestly, since I do still pay for a cable subscription; I kind of wish Cable One would start encrypting their basic cable channels as well because my HomeRun PRIME can not pick them up. If not encrypt them, then at the very least make them digital signals so again, my digital tuner can pick it up. Kind of sucks not being able to get a couple channels that they don't offer in HD because my TV tuner can't read it. OTOH, I don't usually watch those channels anyway, but hey.. I pay for them, I should be able to get them with the device I rent from them too.
 
Elios said:
nothing new here Mediacom has moved to all digital even for basic
it frees up more bandwidth for things like internet
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Just because it's digital, doesn't mean it's encrypted. If it's digital, then any digital tuner can still access the data. If it's encrypted, then you're forced to use some form of hardware from the Cable Company to read the encryption such as a set top box or a cableCARD. ;)
 
Comcast is definitely in my top 5 list of most hated companies. I bet they'll give the first box or two for free, but charge $5 or $10 per month for each additional one. The absurdities that cable companies are allowed to commit need to be stopped.
 
You have to pay $10 per month for basic cable service in order to be able to buy internet access around here, and Comcast is our only option. To me that should be illegal. So I can see why they want to encrypt basic cable, so they no longer have to provide you with the service you're required to pay for and will never use.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Well what you can get with an antenna depends entirely upon where you are. You might not have OTA signals for many channels actually getting to your house. Also "limited basic" has a few additional channels like CSpan, The Discovery Channel, and a bunch more public access channels that I almost guarantee you don't get.
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As a case in point, here in Denver we actually get _more content we care about_ via OTA antenna then we would over Comcast basic.

We get some channels that Comcast doesn't include in _any_ of their tiers (Qubo, 9News/ABC7 Weather channels) that my wife and I use more than we ever did what was on cable.
 
sundansx said:
Short: This sux.

Long:
This has large implications for users that have HTPC's hooked up with QAM based capture cards so they can get live TV into their Media Center PC's. With this new change, I think all of their hardware will be useless. They will have to buy new cable card tuners like the Ceton and Homerun Prime devices to get this content (and pay a cable card fee).
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And pay a cable card fee. This is, in all likelyhood, the point behind the move. It's not about lost revenue due to people "stealing" basic cable, its about potential revenue not yet gained by controlling all of your outgoing signals.
 
You wouldn't belive what people do to try and get free cable. They mess up feeds, taps and all kinds of stuff just to get a few channels. If some one messes up a feed I can mess up the whole street or a large area. With everything going digital (requiring a box for all channels) if prevents a lot things getting broken but dumb people messing with the lines. Also analog channels take up a HUGE amount of bandwith vs digital channels. So cable moving over to full digital is more because they can offer more HD channels and faster internet speeds. TWC has already switched over a few channels to digital so it requires a small free adaptor to pick up those channels. You all really need to stop bitching :). Dish and direct TV are all digital requiring a box on all tv's so does verizon and any othere company thats FIBER like GOOGLE. So much hate for the cable company.
 
w4ffles said:
Comcast is definitely in my top 5 list of most hated companies. I bet they'll give the first box or two for free, but charge $5 or $10 per month for each additional one. The absurdities that cable companies are allowed to commit need to be stopped.
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You can stop it by cutting the cord and telling your friends to do the same. Cable customers can complain all they want, but money is the only language that companies like Comcast speak.
 
The linked article is full of fail.

Comcast is doing their digital migration just like every other cable system has been working on since like three years ago. So many misconceptions about cable it's pathetic.
 
They announced they'd wipe out the remaining basic channels here near Mineapolis at the end of March. They did so, and I had my TV search again. I still get the all the local channels (three HD PBS stations!), and a few bonus ones like WGN, TBS and a few others.

If anything, they removed some crappy sd channels, and made my surfing easier.
 
Comcast is behaving like software publishers with piracy. They think that every last family who is paying for cable, but has an extra TV plugged in without a cable box, is going to buy the extra box. It's just like developers who think every single pirated copy = 1 loss sale.
 
Yeah
Comcast pissed me off. They pulled the same crap on my mom when they charged her $80/month for basic cable, then they turned around and said she had to get these boxes.

They are a pain for her to use because she's old and this is another remote she has to learn. But add on top of that, she went from a perfect video signal straight into her TV, to a crappy composite video one. They refused to give a Standard Definition HDMI box without charging us $10/month
 
Just another move to milk more money out of consumers.

Typically you could have cable coming into the house. A digital DVR tuner on your main set and then just have the basic cable (no box) on the other sets.

Now you will have to rent boxes for all your TVs. That used to be the only saving grace to go with a local cable co vs satellite or uverse. Now what's the point. you will need a box at every TV.
 
I hate telco/cable cos with a PASSION, it is ridiculous what it has become. Set top boxes, regulating what can be delivered over the web, etc.

If you think google is going to be your savior then you may want to wake up. If they gain significant market share they will turn around and fuck you in the ass just like any other company. I think the blind hatred for some companies on here, while kiss the ass of other multi billion dollar companies is comical. They all want to screw you out of as much money as they can.

I wish I could cut the cord, unfortunately though I like my sports far too much.
 
Yep, they've been doing this for years here (WA). The real BS is they charge for the stupid little descriptor boxes, like $2-3 a month. That's where they're making it back, Steve.
 
timta2 said:
You would have to be very close to the transmission tower for that to work.
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hazmatic said:
Most TVs have built in digital tuners, you could pretty much take a bit of coax, hook it to the port, and then strip the other end a bit and put the copper in the window
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Not terribly close, but you can't be that far either. I'm 6-8 miles as the crow flies and I did that for a while. It wasn't terribly reliable, but it was after I moved until I got an actual antenna. And I didn't even strip the other end of the coax really. I just used some older stuff that probably wasn't shielded terribly well.
 
NeoGohan said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't an antenna get you the same channels as basic cable?
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Yes and no. They don't carry everything from your local area. In Seattle they show only one of the PBS stations. Plus basic cable would include like a Discovery channel and shopping network and lifetime and such limited usefullness stations

adrift02 said:
Yep, they've been doing this for years here (WA). The real BS is they charge for the stupid little descriptor boxes, like $2-3 a month. That's where they're making it back, Steve.
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That was my que for dropping them. I used to get Comedy Central and a few others thru a computer TV card. When they scrambled their feed I moved to a big ass antenna. Better picture and no lag anyway
 
It's not so much google replacing cable. But providing enough competition to bring prices down. Right now competition is nearly non existent in the cable business.
 
Considering most smart people who have Comcast are giving up cable TV and going streaming, they can encrypt their TV all they want. Who cares? Who wants to watch 100 channels of utter drivel that only troglodytes watch?

Streaming is the future, fuck ancient mid 90's "push" technology. Remember that guys? Yeah....
 
Galvin said:
It's not so much google replacing cable. But providing enough competition to bring prices down. Right now competition is nearly non existent in the cable business.
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Agreed 100%. But it's not just the speed of google, it's the most important thing of ALL: NO DATA CAPS.

Data caps is the real issue. What purpose is high speed if you can max it out in a day? No, people are too busy talking about speed, when they need to talk about data caps. That's the real issue.
 
adrift02 said:
Yep, they've been doing this for years here (WA). The real BS is they charge for the stupid little descriptor boxes, like $2-3 a month. That's where they're making it back, Steve.
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Under the agreement with the FCC, they can NOT charge for the cable boxes if they scrambled basic service to which you were using. If they are charging you, then they are breaking the agreement with the FCC, and need to be reported to the FTC and FCC.
 
Buxaroo said:
Agreed 100%. But it's not just the speed of google, it's the most important thing of ALL: NO DATA CAPS.

Data caps is the real issue. What purpose is high speed if you can max it out in a day? No, people are too busy talking about speed, when they need to talk about data caps. That's the real issue.
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I run 4 computers + 6 internet connected devices (Receiver, Magic Jack, XBox, 2 Roku, LG BluRay). I stream about 4->5 hours of video a day on average 25d/5u connection. I install steam games on a regular basis. I have YET to even hit 60% of my cap.

So what @#$%@# are you stealing 24/7?
 
Buxaroo said:
Agreed 100%. But it's not just the speed of google, it's the most important thing of ALL: NO DATA CAPS.

Data caps is the real issue. What purpose is high speed if you can max it out in a day? No, people are too busy talking about speed, when they need to talk about data caps. That's the real issue.
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Caps for wired data are still very rare in the USA though ... although outside the US that is likely to be a different story ... since there is so little competition at the high speed rates in the USA I don't see them going for caps anytime soon ... in my part of Plano both Time Warner and Verizon Fios offer high speed with equivalent rates and pricing, and neither of them has caps ;)
 
DigitalGriffin said:
I run 4 computers + 6 internet connected devices (Receiver, Magic Jack, XBox, 2 Roku, LG BluRay). I stream about 4->5 hours of video a day on average 25d/5u connection. I install steam games on a regular basis. I have YET to even hit 60% of my cap.

So what @#$%@# are you stealing 24/7?
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I'm not stealing anything. I have a FAMILY. They watch Netflix and Amazon prime constantly. The TV in the living room is rarely turned off. Last month alone I hit 750 gigs, and not a single torrent was used in the process. Netflix/Amazon/Youtube/Steam/MMO's, you name it.

I am sorry if I am not a single 20 year old just out of high school.
 
kbrickley said:
Caps for wired data are still very rare in the USA though ... although outside the US that is likely to be a different story ... since there is so little competition at the high speed rates in the USA I don't see them going for caps anytime soon ... in my part of Plano both Time Warner and Verizon Fios offer high speed with equivalent rates and pricing, and neither of them has caps ;)
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Well Comcast (which I have) suspended their data caps...for now. But everyone knows they are going to be going with the following plan: 300 gigs base, and charge you $10 for every 50 gigs thereafter. Thus resulting in overages. And guess what? Atlanta has NO competition. Only option is ATT DSL....fuck that, and they got caps as well.

Cable companies KNOW everyone is cutting the cord and going with streaming, they KNOW this. That's why they want datacaps. Has NOTHING to do with "congestion". There is no evidence of that. And data doesn't cost anything, even by their OWN investigations, data being sent when taken into account electricity/data centers/lines, it amounts to a measly 2-5 CENTS per gigabyte. Here are some sites:

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/broadband/370393/isps-exaggerate-the-cost-of-data

http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2011...eally-cost-a-look-at-the-worst-case-scenario/

http://business.financialpost.com/2011/02/05/how-much-does-bandwidth-actually-cost/

http://www.dslprime.com/dslprime/42-d/4148-costs-and-caps

http://stopthecap.com/2011/10/24/in...-bandwidth-costs-are-a-myth-concludes-report/

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/25-Of-Your-Bill-Actually-Goes-To-Bandwidth-113131

Hell I could link all day...
 
I ditched Comcast when I left NJ several years ago and don't miss them at all. I've been OTA'ing for most of the time since then (sans a couple years) and love having the best PQ (no cable/satellite PC beats OTA's) and best cost (free). As far as cable shows go, use the Internet to see them.
 
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