MythTV/Comcast going all digital TV in Cambridge [OT]

[Dan Ritter]

On Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 03:47:12PM -0400, Shankar Viswanathan wrote:
> This is exactly what RCN did -- they switched to all digital (called
> the "analog crush") and encrypted all the non-broadcast channels. I
> requested them to provide the "basic cable" channels as ClearQAM but
> the guy on the phone did not know (or pretended not to know) the
> difference between "digital" and "encrypted digital" and kept saying
> that the FCC mandated this. Arguing with him was futile and a later
> call to a different support person didn't go any better.

They send out about 15 channels in clear QAM...

> As a result, both my NTSC analog capture card and the QAM tuner in my
> TV are useless. The basic converter box that they provided for free
> doesn't have anything except an IR receiver (no serial, no USB, no
> IEEE1394), and I haven't found the time to setup an IR blaster for my
> mythtv yet.

...and if you ask them for a FireWire-equipped STB, they will
get you one, which will send all the channels you pay for to you
and your MythTV or whatever. 

I'm having immense difficulties getting *two* FW STBs to work,
though.

-dsr-