Cable TV Question. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Wyodiver33 · 12-09-2009, 06:48 PM

Hiya. I have Comcast for my ISP and TV. I recently had to contact them about a billing issue and they offered to send me a cable box for free, and with no additional monthly fee. The Customer Service guy said that I'd be able to get 20-something more channels by using the box.

Let me explain my setup: Two analog TV's with cable plugged directly into them. They aren't HDTV's. I have yet to take the plunge.

Is there any benefit to be had by using the box? Is Comcast scamming me somehow? It's just a cable box, not a DVR. I'm not a big Comcast fan, so any help would be appreciated.

Martian · 12-09-2009, 07:49 PM

The box allows you to receive digital cable instead of your basic analog. It's a somewhat clearer picture quality, plus you get an on-screen guide and on demand programming. Honestly, I wasn't aware that anyone was still using analogue these days, and strongly recommend you take the plunge.

I'm a bit suspicious of the 'at no extra charge' bit, though -- the lowest tier digital package maybe a similar price (a cursory glance shows that it seems to go for about $60/month), but typically there's a rental fee for the receiver that you'll need to pay as well. Sounds like a promo rate to me.

Comcast will want to migrate customers to their digital television platform, because once the bulk of them are moved over they can phase out the analog channels. Analog transmission is bandwidth intensive and inefficient, as is running two parallel platforms. That's why they'll be offering analog customers attractive rates, I'd imagine; however, it's likely that this rate will only be for the first 6 or 12 months, and you may not be able to go back.

I'd say go for it, but make sure you ask a lot of questions about the pricing. Make sure you understand the rates and terms, so that you don't get burned.

Xerxys · 12-09-2009, 07:54 PM

You should take them up on their offer. If you do get HDTV's though all the better but right now your TV's will work just fine.

Leto · 12-09-2009, 08:53 PM

i do have a digital box from Rogers, Martian, but I wonder why you are surprised that there are still anolog users out there. I only have the digital service on my main tv - the 42 inch lcd in the living room. The rest (two in the basement one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen) do not use the digital box setup. They are just fine!

passthru · 12-10-2009, 03:54 AM

To answer the questions literally:
No, unless you want an on-screen guide and the on-demand options (the free ones, IMO, are free for a reason..).
Maybe. When my roommates and I got a digital box the "promo rate" is what was given to us. They didn't tell us "free" was a promo rate until 6 months in, though. That was 4-5 years ago, so I've got no idea how applicable it is now.

My fandom towards Comcast is similar to yours, and I'd turn it down simply because knowing the box's impact requires research. Might as well stick with what you've got, unless you really want one of the new channels.

Lasereth · 12-10-2009, 06:59 AM

BTW you can get Digital programming without the cable box. My area has full digital programming whether you have the box or not. The box will add some channels most likely but some people hate the slow as shit UI on most cable boxes (me). Make sure you really have Analog cable before you upgrade. Coaxial doesn't always mean it's analog.

sapiens · 12-10-2009, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lasereth

The box will add some channels most likely but some people hate the slow as shit UI on most cable boxes (me).

Every cable box that I have had has been unbelievably slow. Add to that IR channel changing through our Tivo and surfing becomes very frustrating.

Shauk · 12-10-2009, 07:24 AM

cable is a ripoff anyway, invest your time in learning how to set up a media center and where to stream tv shows from and you'll save a ton. Picture quality may not be the best, but lets face it, high def isn't something we really demand from basic actionless sitcoms.

for that i'll just get it on blu-ray. With as little as I watch tv, would still be less to buy 2-3 blu-rays per month than to pay a cable charge out here.

Glory's Sun · 12-10-2009, 07:25 AM

Lasereth and Shauk win this thread.

telekinetic · 12-10-2009, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shauk

cable is a ripoff anyway, invest your time in learning how to set up a media center and where to stream tv shows from and you'll save a ton. Picture quality may not be the best, but lets face it, high def isn't something we really demand from basic actionless sitcoms.

This, 1000x this. Stream what you can, netflix what you can't. Not having cable these days is even viable if you aren't a pirate.

Lasereth · 12-10-2009, 07:59 AM

Netflix instant queue on 360 or PS3 has changed TV and movie viewing forever. Watched Dexter season 1-3 in a month on 360 instant queue. Quality is HD and there is 15 seconds of buffering before it starts.

Wyodiver33 · 12-12-2009, 10:31 PM

Well, I have the box hooked up. The installation was a breeze, I'm a techy, and the activation over the phone was painless. BUT: I don't get many of the promised additional channels. Some chans, like MSNBC are full of artifacts and audio-drop outs. (MSNBC worked fine before I installed the magical box.) On-Demand does not work at all. I do like the channel guide a lot. And the music chans are pretty cool. But, overall, I wish I had never bothered. Total waste of time. Now I have a Comcast tech coming out between 8am and 12PM on Monday to fix things. With my past experiences with Comcrap, that means that they will be out at about 11:59 am, and they will putz around for an hour and tell me that they will have to schedule another service call.

I'm not going to get into a long story here, but if Comcrap wasn't a monopoly in so many areas they would either have to change the way they do things quickly, or go the way of the dinosaurs.

When something from Comcrap sounds too good to be true, run. Just say NO!

Martian · 12-12-2009, 10:52 PM

The artifacts are a compression issue, and are due to Comcast trying to squeeze too much data into one channel. It's a periodic thing with most digital cable providers, since bandwidth requirements vary by program, but it happens more often with some providers than others.

I'm sorry to hear that your experience was sub-par.

Digital television is either the emerging standard or a transitory technology, depending on who you talk to. I see IPTV as being the way of the future, but unfortunately it's not available in all areas yet. Aside from that, in it's current format it requires a bit of setup and tinkering, and not everyone is able or willing to go through it.

Here's hoping the tech can resolve your issue. Even the worst companies have a few good ones; it's law of averages.

To address Lasereth, with current technology true digital cable isn't usually possible without a set-top box. New tv's are coming out now with digital receivers built-in, but anything that isn't high def won't have one, and is therefore only capable of receiving analog signals. For that reason, the best a cableco can do is to convert a digital signal to analog upstream, which is likely to result in signal degradation, and won't allow the interactive features.

Even if your television has a digital receiver, all cablecos I'm aware of encrypt their signals. That means that at the very least you need a cableCARD to receive them.

OTA digital is another matter, but if it's coming through a coaxial cable (all cable signals in the home do; FIOS and the like are by definition not cable in the traditional sense), then you'll need some hardware from the provider.

Wyodiver33 · 12-12-2009, 11:03 PM

Martian, thanks for the reply. I guess I wasn't clear enough. I'm talking about TV shows going into digital-hell. Broad streaks of digital havoc. Loss of sound. On some chans it's just an annoyance, but other chans are just unwatchable.

I do understand digital artifacts and compression. That's not what I'm cranky about. I mainly watch TV on a 36" tube TV. I can deal with that. But the video and audio going nuts? Nope. I pay way too much money to have to accept that.

12-09-2009, 06:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
Wyodiver33 Just here for the beer. Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Floriduh	Cable TV Question. Hiya. I have Comcast for my ISP and TV. I recently had to contact them about a billing issue and they offered to send me a cable box for free, and with no additional monthly fee. The Customer Service guy said that I'd be able to get 20-something more channels by using the box. Let me explain my setup: Two analog TV's with cable plugged directly into them. They aren't HDTV's. I have yet to take the plunge. Is there any benefit to be had by using the box? Is Comcast scamming me somehow? It's just a cable box, not a DVR. I'm not a big Comcast fan, so any help would be appreciated. __________________ I like stuff.

12-09-2009, 07:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	The box allows you to receive digital cable instead of your basic analog. It's a somewhat clearer picture quality, plus you get an on-screen guide and on demand programming. Honestly, I wasn't aware that anyone was still using analogue these days, and strongly recommend you take the plunge. I'm a bit suspicious of the 'at no extra charge' bit, though -- the lowest tier digital package maybe a similar price (a cursory glance shows that it seems to go for about $60/month), but typically there's a rental fee for the receiver that you'll need to pay as well. Sounds like a promo rate to me. Comcast will want to migrate customers to their digital television platform, because once the bulk of them are moved over they can phase out the analog channels. Analog transmission is bandwidth intensive and inefficient, as is running two parallel platforms. That's why they'll be offering analog customers attractive rates, I'd imagine; however, it's likely that this rate will only be for the first 6 or 12 months, and you may not be able to go back. I'd say go for it, but make sure you ask a lot of questions about the pricing. Make sure you understand the rates and terms, so that you don't get burned. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

12-09-2009, 08:53 PM	#4 (permalink)
Leto Junkie Location: The Danforth	i do have a digital box from Rogers, Martian, but I wonder why you are surprised that there are still anolog users out there. I only have the digital service on my main tv - the 42 inch lcd in the living room. The rest (two in the basement one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen) do not use the digital box setup. They are just fine! __________________ You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey And I never saw someone say that before You held my hand and we walked home the long way You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I

12-10-2009, 06:59 AM	#6 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	BTW you can get Digital programming without the cable box. My area has full digital programming whether you have the box or not. The box will add some channels most likely but some people hate the slow as shit UI on most cable boxes (me). Make sure you really have Analog cable before you upgrade. Coaxial doesn't always mean it's analog. __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

12-10-2009, 07:59 AM	#11 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	Netflix instant queue on 360 or PS3 has changed TV and movie viewing forever. Watched Dexter season 1-3 in a month on 360 instant queue. Quality is HD and there is 15 seconds of buffering before it starts. __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

12-09-2009, 07:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
Xerxys Junkie Location: My head.	You should take them up on their offer. If you do get HDTV's though all the better but right now your TV's will work just fine.

12-10-2009, 03:54 AM	#5 (permalink)
passthru Addict Location: Portland, OR	To answer the questions literally: No, unless you want an on-screen guide and the on-demand options (the free ones, IMO, are free for a reason..). Maybe. When my roommates and I got a digital box the "promo rate" is what was given to us. They didn't tell us "free" was a promo rate until 6 months in, though. That was 4-5 years ago, so I've got no idea how applicable it is now. My fandom towards Comcast is similar to yours, and I'd turn it down simply because knowing the box's impact requires research. Might as well stick with what you've got, unless you really want one of the new channels.

12-10-2009, 07:24 AM	#8 (permalink)
Shauk Confused Adult Location: Spokane, WA	cable is a ripoff anyway, invest your time in learning how to set up a media center and where to stream tv shows from and you'll save a ton. Picture quality may not be the best, but lets face it, high def isn't something we really demand from basic actionless sitcoms. for that i'll just get it on blu-ray. With as little as I watch tv, would still be less to buy 2-3 blu-rays per month than to pay a cable charge out here.

12-10-2009, 07:25 AM	#9 (permalink)
Glory's Sun Registered User	Lasereth and Shauk win this thread.

12-12-2009, 10:31 PM	#12 (permalink)
Wyodiver33 Just here for the beer. Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Floriduh	Well, I have the box hooked up. The installation was a breeze, I'm a techy, and the activation over the phone was painless. BUT: I don't get many of the promised additional channels. Some chans, like MSNBC are full of artifacts and audio-drop outs. (MSNBC worked fine before I installed the magical box.) On-Demand does not work at all. I do like the channel guide a lot. And the music chans are pretty cool. But, overall, I wish I had never bothered. Total waste of time. Now I have a Comcast tech coming out between 8am and 12PM on Monday to fix things. With my past experiences with Comcrap, that means that they will be out at about 11:59 am, and they will putz around for an hour and tell me that they will have to schedule another service call. I'm not going to get into a long story here, but if Comcrap wasn't a monopoly in so many areas they would either have to change the way they do things quickly, or go the way of the dinosaurs. When something from Comcrap sounds too good to be true, run. Just say NO! __________________ I like stuff.

12-12-2009, 10:52 PM	#13 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	The artifacts are a compression issue, and are due to Comcast trying to squeeze too much data into one channel. It's a periodic thing with most digital cable providers, since bandwidth requirements vary by program, but it happens more often with some providers than others. I'm sorry to hear that your experience was sub-par. Digital television is either the emerging standard or a transitory technology, depending on who you talk to. I see IPTV as being the way of the future, but unfortunately it's not available in all areas yet. Aside from that, in it's current format it requires a bit of setup and tinkering, and not everyone is able or willing to go through it. Here's hoping the tech can resolve your issue. Even the worst companies have a few good ones; it's law of averages. To address Lasereth, with current technology true digital cable isn't usually possible without a set-top box. New tv's are coming out now with digital receivers built-in, but anything that isn't high def won't have one, and is therefore only capable of receiving analog signals. For that reason, the best a cableco can do is to convert a digital signal to analog upstream, which is likely to result in signal degradation, and won't allow the interactive features. Even if your television has a digital receiver, all cablecos I'm aware of encrypt their signals. That means that at the very least you need a cableCARD to receive them. OTA digital is another matter, but if it's coming through a coaxial cable (all cable signals in the home do; FIOS and the like are by definition not cable in the traditional sense), then you'll need some hardware from the provider. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

12-12-2009, 11:03 PM	#14 (permalink)
Wyodiver33 Just here for the beer. Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Floriduh	Martian, thanks for the reply. I guess I wasn't clear enough. I'm talking about TV shows going into digital-hell. Broad streaks of digital havoc. Loss of sound. On some chans it's just an annoyance, but other chans are just unwatchable. I do understand digital artifacts and compression. That's not what I'm cranky about. I mainly watch TV on a 36" tube TV. I can deal with that. But the video and audio going nuts? Nope. I pay way too much money to have to accept that. __________________ I like stuff.