[mythtv-users] [Slightly OT] comcast moving to settop on Bay Area - goodbye analog

[Marc MERLIN]

On Sun, Mar 08, 2009 at 12:29:40PM -0700, Mark Knecht wrote:
> >> And again, this is all to get recordings of the channels I pay for. I
> >> can get the low channels with an HDHR efficiently but the family will
> >> revolt as we watch the same small list of channels similar to Marc
> >> Merlin's post. Without that list I'm likely to receive divorce
> >> papers...
> >
> > Err, you lost me here. If you can get the channels through HD-HR, why do you
> > say that you'll end up with fewer channels?
> 
> Only that what the HDHR gives me is essentially all the stuff below
> channel 34 that I can get from the free converters that Comcast
> provides for SD->analog conversion. (Assuming I ever get USB-IR
> Blasters working.) The HDHR gives me my major networks, OTA type
> stations. I estimate that these stations account for about 50% of what
> we record. The other 50% is FX, TBS, TNT, USA, FOOD, HGTV, Comedy
> Central, Bravo, SciFi, etc. I'll be shot if we loss Monk, Psych,
> Saving Grace, Damages, The Closer, etc. I'll be nothing but blood on
> the wall. ;-)

So that's the thing, they seem to have added those analog channels as
unencrypted QAM256, and you can tune them with HD-HR, so it doesn't sound as
bad as I was worried about initially.

I'll wait a bit more before changing my config, just in case they move the
channels around a bit, and I'll just retire my analog tuners and tell myth
to use the QAM channels instead.
As long as they stay unencrypted, it's not a huge deal.

I just checked by having HDTV rescan the cable lineup, and the channels on
http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineupui?Cmd=LocationProgramsWeb&Country=US&Postcode=95014
mostly match

I've already found TLCP/COMEDYP and a few others I care about, so I think
things are ok. As long as things stay that way, this migration won't be that
bad for me.
Is that different for you?

Marc
-- 
"A mouse is a device used to point at the xterm you want to type in" - A.S.R.
Microsoft is to operating systems & security ....
                                      .... what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking
Home page: http://marc.merlins.org/