DirecTV TV ad

[danr]

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

On a DirecTV TV ad comparing themselves to digital cable there is a line... "not
digital on every channel" referring to digital cable. What are they saying?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

On some cable systems (not all),even when you have a digital cable
hookup you still need an additional digital cable box add-on to receive
the digital suite of channels.Otherwise,the "basic" cable tier of
channels without the box is still analog delivered.Satellite claims that
all their channels are digital.They are on the DOWNLINK side,but the
channel uplinks delivered to the authorization center(s) are not
necessarily so.But that is not the satellite providers fault in all
cases either.The program delivery systems to them are sometimes analog
too.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

In article <jackzwick-5245D4.09265305072005@newssvr11-ext.news.prodigy.com>,
Jack Zwick <jackzwick@yahoo.com> wrote:
>That generally includes standard definition local channels, and any
>other channels 1-99 on your Cable Box.
>
>Any time anyone upstream of you is having installation or maintenance
>work done, BLAMMO, there goes your reception, analog or digital.

Are you referring to when you're using the cable box?

In the brief period that I had a cable box, what I suspect was signal
quality issues (likely due to my _own_ "fault" of splitting the signal) would
often cause the signal to be all blocky, even on the analog stations. This
was through the cable box of course. But all of my other devices that
had direct analog tuners were fine.

If this is similar to the issue you're talking about, this would be a good
reason to do the "use tivo for analog channels + cable box only for digital"
hack that one can do. If I ever get a cable box for any length of time
again (they do specials sometimes -- the last time it was cheaper than I was
paying otherwise, but didn't bother to redo my Tivo to control the cable box),
I would do the hack.
--
mattack@gmail.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

In article <11016-42C9F090-849@storefull-3255.bay.webtv.net>,
SAC 441 <SAC441@webtv.net> wrote:
>On some cable systems (not all),even when you have a digital cable
>hookup you still need an additional digital cable box add-on to receive
>the digital suite of channels.Otherwise,the "basic" cable tier of
>channels without the box is still analog delivered.

I don't understand this explanation.

What do you mean by "an additional digital cable box add-on"?

As another person said, even with "digital cable", the channels under 100 are
usually analog (and thus can still be tuned with any cable-ready tuner).

It sounds like you're saying something BEYOND a digital cable box is needed
to get digital versions of what would otherwise be analog???
--
mattack@gmail.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

mattack responded to a response posting:
----" I don't understand this explanation.
What do you mean by "an additional cable box add-on?" As another person
said,even with "digital cable" ,the channels under 100 are usually
analog (and thus can still be tuned with a cable-ready tuner).
It sounds like you're saying something BEYOND a digital cable box is
needed to get
digital versions of what would otherwise be analog???"----


Reply:
I will just give an example of my cable service which is provided by
Comcast.My primary programming supplier is via satellite though,C-Band
first,followed by DirecTV as a supplementary service and also to obtain
local channels which otherwise I could not obtain.
I have cable as a BACKUP in case adverse weather knocks out my
satellite system(s).
Also to pickup 3 channels in an adjacent DMA that service rules by the
satellite providers say they cannot give me.
All I know is that I have 47 basic channels on the cable service that I
get WITHOUT a digital decoder box(presumably analog).They have other
channels available with rental of a digital set top box add-on.I do not
need the add-on and never had it because it would be a duplication of
programming I receive via satellite.
So basically,I have no idea what the digital box does other than to
know it is available.In an adjacent DMA (Adelphia cable) the setup is
similar.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

"DanR" <dhr22@sorrynospm.com> wrote in message
news:47mye.2239$vT3.90@newssvr30.news.prodigy.com...
> On a DirecTV TV ad comparing themselves to digital cable there is a
line... "not
> digital on every channel" referring to digital cable. What are they
saying?
>

I had Comcast (ugh!) "digital cable." Local channels and, if I recall
correctly, "standard tier" channels, such as TLC, Discovery, etc., were
carried in analog, only. The "digital" cable box only received premium
channels in digital.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

In article <14307-42CB4A7A-277@storefull-3253.bay.webtv.net>,
SAC 441 <SAC441@webtv.net> wrote:
>mattack responded to a response posting:
>----" I don't understand this explanation.
>What do you mean by "an additional cable box add-on?" As another person
>said,even with "digital cable" ,the channels under 100 are usually
>analog (and thus can still be tuned with a cable-ready tuner).
> It sounds like you're saying something BEYOND a digital cable box is
>needed to get
>digital versions of what would otherwise be analog???"----

Suggestion: Please use the de-facto standard quoting style for Usenet (and
email). It makes reading/replying to messages much easier. Also, some
white space (especially after periods) makes things FAR easier to read.

> So basically,I have no idea what the digital box does other than to
>know it is available.In an adjacent DMA (Adelphia cable) the setup is
>similar.

A cable box decodes channels that you are allowed to see, and outputs
the currently-tuned channel to the outputs of the cable box (RCA composite
outputs, or the coaxial output, or S-Video, etc.)
--
mattack@gmail.com