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Bill Bogstad wrote: > It's clear that some channels which I receive in analog (say Sci-Fi, > ESPN) either aren't also sent in digital (or are sent encrypted). I'm quite sure they're carried in digital, just encrypted. Basically Comcast is saying you can't have access to the programming you paid for without renting additional equipment from them. This seemed like an acceptable compromise back in the day when a cable box was required only if you subscribed to one of a small handful of premium stations, but now were talking about the majority of the programming on an "extended basic" package is inaccessible. There's not really a good excuse for this, as the industry has (or at least did have) equipment that could provide the channels in the clear while blocking the ones you don't subscribe to. They were known as addressable taps. Instead of having a descrambler in a set top box, the tap out on the pole had electronics to filter out the channels you weren't supposed to get. (This was a step up from the old passive filter system, where a change in your subscription required a guy to climb a pole.) The best excuse against this technology is probably cost, and Comcast might be able to make a case for that, but it'd be a harder case for Verizon to make, as each FIOS tap already has a non-trivial amount of electronics built-in to it. Of course putting the electronics into a set top box and then charging the customer to rent it just helps them squeeze more revenue from their customers to pay for something that should be a part of their infrastructure. > P.S. I also did a scan for over the air (ATSC) digital channels and I > think I need a better antenna/amp to get much of anything there. Even > the stuff I did pick up was somewhat intermittent. I ran a quick test with "rabbit ears" with an HDHR and had similar results. I'd be curious to know if anyone can recommend a good ATSC antenna. Anyone tried a "smart antenna?"[1] I picked up an RCA DTV converter box recently, and I see it has a jack for a smart antenna. 1. http://broadcastengineering.com/hdtv/smart_antennas/ -Tom -- Tom Metro Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA "Enterprise solutions through open source." Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/
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