You don't have to "quit" analog cable, Smokey, its quitting YOU

[pixelthis]

Most cable companies are dumping analog cable service, something they have wanted to do for awhile.
THIS IS the "expanded basic" that everyone knows about, and Comcast is leading the way in getting rid of it.
Analog stations take up half of the "pipe" that cable has.
ONE channel can hold two or three HD channels.
THE MAGIC WORD IS DIGITAL.
And it will make it harder to get "free cable", and eliminate most service calls,
as service will be able to be cut off in the cable office.
there is a little converter that will convert digital to analog(not a cable box) but it requires
its own remote.
So if you havent gotten on the digital bandwagon you are about to be thrown on
it, no choice, really.
To papaphrase myself...analog is dead

[Rich-n-Texas]

Yer a knucklehead. And... cable is way behind the telco's with their "advanced fiber network" rollout.

"eliminate most service calls" is a reach, at best. As long as they continue to employ minimum wage, under-skilled labor to do the installs, there'll be service calls. Remember, this IS all about greed right?

[bobsticks]

What's "analog cable"?

[noddin0ff]

What's "analog cable"?

It's one long bendy piece of cable as opposed to one that's cut up in little bits.

[bobsticks]

Baddum--chuck!!

[Rich-n-Texas]

It's one long bendy piece of cable as opposed to one that's cut up in little bits.

I agree with this description.

[Smokey]

Most cable companies are dumping analog cable service, something they have wanted to do for awhile. THIS IS the "expanded basic" that everyone knows about, and Comcast is leading the way in getting rid of it.

Hey Pix,

Really if you think about it, eventually Cable company have to get rid of their analog service whether they want to or not. Since analog OTA transmission will cease to exist by February of next year, television manufactures will quit integrating NTSC tuner in their TV set.

And whomever buy new TV set without NSTC tuner will not be able to pickup cable’s analog channels without a cable box. So on the customer side, it will not matter if cable carrying analog cable or not and eventually will be phased out.

BTW, I like your new avatar

"eliminate most service calls" is a reach, at best. As long as they continue to employ minimum wage, under-skilled labor to do the installs, there'll be service calls.

I think under skill (or un informed) also apply to their higher up that work at office like their tech support department. I tried several time to get cable box with s-video output (their current basic digital cable box only have composite output), and this guy gave me a long lecture as how composite connection is better than s-video.

But after several minutes of discussion on these two type of connections (even told him to google it) think I convinced him that s-video is better connection fo video. It is sad day when customer have to educate the tech support about their product.

[Rich-n-Texas]

BTW, I like your new avatar

Oh great, another poll is in the works. I can see it coming.

I think under skill (or un informed) also apply to their higher up that work at office like their tech support department. I tried several time to get cable box with s-video output (their current basic digital cable box only have composite output), and this guy gave me a long lecture as how composite connection is better than s-video.

But after several minutes of discussion on these two type of connections (even told him to google it) think I convinced him that s-video is better connection fo video. It is sad day when customer have to educate the tech support about their product.

My experience with (at the time) AT&T Cable CS was an absolute nightmare. There was no such thing back then as 1 or 2 year commitments, so I wasted no time dumping cable and signing up for D*TV.

[Jack in Wilmington]

I got word in May that Verizon was going 100% digital on June 23. They offered free conversion boxes for any of my sets that didn't have set top boxes. They said once they dump analog, we will be receiving more HD channels.

[pixelthis]

Yer a knucklehead. And... cable is way behind the telco's with their "advanced fiber network" rollout.

"eliminate most service calls" is a reach, at best. As long as they continue to employ minimum wage, under-skilled labor to do the installs, there'll be service calls. Remember, this IS all about greed right?

By "eliminating service calls" I mean that the service , when canceled, will be at the office,
not on the "pole"
AND my cable has been fiber optic for years, nimrod, you're the one doing the "catching up"
Knucklehead? Speaking of which, related to this guy?

[pixelthis]

Sure looks related to you

[pixelthis]

[QUOTE=Smokey]Hey Pix,

Really if you think about it, eventually Cable company have to get rid of their analog service whether they want to or not. Since analog OTA transmission will cease to exist by February of next year, television manufactures will quit integrating NTSC tuner in their TV set.

And whomever buy new TV set without NSTC tuner will not be able to pickup cable’s analog channels without a cable box. So on the customer side, it will not matter if cable carrying analog cable or not and eventually will be phased out.

BTW, I like your new avatar

I had an almost exact same experience when we got boxes with coax and SVHS.
They did a little better when they rolled out HDMI, voice, VOD, ETC.
AS for analog OTA that is a different beast entirely.
Analog cable, regardless of source, is usually 70 or 80 channels, called something like "expanded basic" or something like that.
These are the channels that the cable companies have been telling analog set users that they would have when the switchover happened in 09, now it looks like it will be gone,
most are planning to offer broadcast local only, and thats because its been ruled that they are required to.
There is an exelent article in fridays USA today, takes up an entire page, if you can find it.
Kinda funny how things change, the industry fought HD because of the size of channels,
Japans system took one and a half channels, now HD is , with compression, the efficient one, and it seems like everybody is winning on this one.
AS for the avatar , thanx, it was hard finding one as disturbing as bobstix.
HAD to dig up an old family album

[Rich-n-Texas]

By "eliminating service calls" I mean that the service , when canceled, will be at the office,
not on the "pole"
AND my cable has been fiber optic for years, nimrod, you're the one doing the "catching up"
Knucklehead? Speaking of which, related to this guy?

aaaaaaaaaaaaahh... shuddup porcupine!

Oh and, I should've said FTTH. Cable companies probably have some little mux at the head-end that's maybe like OC12.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Sure looks related to you

Curly! He da Maaaaaan!!! But I'd say he more closely resembles Sir talksalot rather than me.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Curly! He da Maaaaaan!!! But I'd say he more closely resembles Sir talksalot rather than me.

How did I get in to this my big boned brudda? I am not the only one in the world with a shiney skull cap.

[techjunkie]

How did I get in to this my big boned brudda? I am not the only one in the world with a shiney skull cap.

That's why you shouldn't spin on your head when your corps wins...

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

That's why you shouldn't spin on your head when your corps wins...

Hey Vanguard type individual, I didn't spin my head, I spun a rifle. But Machine certainly did spin my head, and so did spin cycle, so maybe my head did spin!

You guys stole my corps director, and I don't like it one bit

[pixelthis]

aaaaaaaaaaaaahh... shuddup porcupine!

Oh and, I should've said FTTH. Cable companies probably have some little mux at the head-end that's maybe like OC12.

Fiber to the neighborhood on older installs, to the pole on newer