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YOU'RE NEXT! YOU'RE NEXT! SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun

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stefan_jones at comcast

Nov 23, 2009, 12:34 PM

Post #1 of 5 (946 views)
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YOU'RE NEXT! YOU'RE NEXT! SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun

> From: "Kirk Bocek" <t004 [at] kbocek>
> To: mythtv-users [at] mythtv
> Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 11:31:58 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
> Subject: [mythtv-users] SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun
>
> Looks like Comcast has finally executed the previously announced analog
> shutdown in my part of the San Francisco Bay Area, Martinez 94553. This
> probably also applies to nearby towns like Concord, Pleasant Hill and Walnut
> Creek.
>
> Analog channels from 40 and up are gone. I've waited a few days to see if it
> was a temporary glitch but the channels are still gone.
>
> The good news is that all the Clear QAM digital channels are still there so my
> HD Homeruns are unaffected.
>
> I've seen conflicting reports regarding Comcast's future ability to encrypt or
> somehow encode those channels while still using the freebie digital adapter
> boxes they provide. Anybody have any updates?

DTAs -- the freebie digital adaptors -- *do support encryption*.

I'm not speculating. I live in a Portland, OR suburb. We went through the analog=>digital transition last spring.

Everything was ducky until earlier in the month.

Over the last two weeks the clear QAM channels for the most desirable cable stations (Syfy, Cartoon Network, TNT . . . basically everything but local broadcast, public and school access, shopping and Telemundo) have disappeared. They really are scrambled, not just moved to other transports. I can still watch them via an STB or DTA, but my digital tuner couldn't see them.

Over the last week I upgraded to Fedora 12 and Myth .22. I took the opportunity to install a HVR-2250. My old PVR-150 is now attached to a Comcast STB's coax analog out. Its cable map matches the now-scrambled channels. Until I get an IR blaster working, I manually tune the STB to the channel I want to record before the program starts. The three other digital tuners take care of the other stuff.

I tested this last night. The STB delivers a nice clean signal to the PVR-150 so the program, while SD, doesn't look bad at all.

So, don't get rid of your old analog cards!

Stefan

t004 at kbocek

Nov 23, 2009, 12:44 PM

Post #2 of 5 (902 views)
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Re: YOU'RE NEXT! YOU'RE NEXT! SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun [In reply to]

stefan_jones [at] comcast wrote:
> DTAs -- the freebie digital adaptors -- *do support encryption*.

Yes, that's what I meant.

> I'm not speculating. I live in a Portland, OR suburb. We went through
> the analog=>digital transition last spring.

Too bad.

> Over the last week I upgraded to Fedora 12 and Myth .22. I took the
> opportunity to install a HVR-2250. My old PVR-150 is now attached to a
> Comcast STB's coax analog out. Its cable map matches the now-scrambled
> channels. Until I get an IR blaster working, I manually tune the STB to
> the channel I want to record before the program starts. The three other
> digital tuners take care of the other stuff.
>
> I tested this last night. The STB delivers a nice clean signal to the
> PVR-150 so the program, while SD, doesn't look bad at all.

I was unaware that this was an option. I had no idea that any Comcast STB
would provide analog out. Which STB do you have that sports the analog out port?
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stefan_jones at comcast

Nov 23, 2009, 1:16 PM

Post #3 of 5 (910 views)
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Re: YOU'RE NEXT! YOU'RE NEXT! SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun [In reply to]

----- "Kirk Bocek" <t004 [at] kbocek> wrote:

> From: "Kirk Bocek" <t004 [at] kbocek>
> To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users [at] mythtv>
> Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 12:44:16 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] YOU'RE NEXT! YOU'RE NEXT! SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun
>
> stefan_jones [at] comcast wrote:
> > DTAs -- the freebie digital adaptors -- *do support encryption*.
>
> Yes, that's what I meant.
>
> > I'm not speculating. I live in a Portland, OR suburb. We went
> through
> > the analog=>digital transition last spring.
>
> Too bad.
>
> > Over the last week I upgraded to Fedora 12 and Myth .22. I took the
> > opportunity to install a HVR-2250. My old PVR-150 is now attached to
> a
> > Comcast STB's coax analog out. Its cable map matches the
> now-scrambled
> > channels. Until I get an IR blaster working, I manually tune the STB
> to
> > the channel I want to record before the program starts. The three
> other
> > digital tuners take care of the other stuff.
> >
> > I tested this last night. The STB delivers a nice clean signal to
> the
> > PVR-150 so the program, while SD, doesn't look bad at all.
>
> I was unaware that this was an option. I had no idea that any Comcast
> STB
> would provide analog out. Which STB do you have that sports the analog
> out port?

When analog was phased out in my area we were sent one Motorola DCH-70 STB and up to two Motorola DCAs.

They both have coaxial outputs that supply an analog signal. The DCH-70 also has a composite video and audio out.

Comcast expects you to use the coax for your TV. It filters out the over-the-air analog and HD stations, though.

I have a splitter. One output directly to the TV. One to the STB. One to my pcHDTV3000, one to my new HVR-2250.

The DCH-70s's coax out goes to my old PVR-150. The DCH-70's composite out goes to the TV's auxilary in port.

Fancier STBs have component out for HD delivery. There's an external Hauppauge encoder that can handle that.

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t004 at kbocek

Nov 23, 2009, 1:29 PM

Post #4 of 5 (912 views)
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Re: YOU'RE NEXT! YOU'RE NEXT! SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun [In reply to]

stefan_jones [at] comcast wrote:
> When analog was phased out in my area we were sent one Motorola DCH-70 STB and up to two Motorola DCAs.
>
> They both have coaxial outputs that supply an analog signal. The DCH-70 also has a composite video and audio out.
>
> Comcast expects you to use the coax for your TV. It filters out the over-the-air analog and HD stations, though.
>
> I have a splitter. One output directly to the TV. One to the STB. One to my pcHDTV3000, one to my new HVR-2250.
>
> The DCH-70s's coax out goes to my old PVR-150. The DCH-70's composite out goes to the TV's auxilary in port.
>
>
>
> Fancier STBs have component out for HD delivery. There's an external Hauppauge encoder that can handle that.

I think I misunderstood you. I thought you meant that a coax output on the STB
was providing all the encrypted digital channels in a multiplexed analog form
suitable for tuning with your analog TV.

It sounds like you have the usual STB plus IR blaster scheme here.
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t004 at kbocek

Nov 23, 2009, 5:36 PM

Post #5 of 5 (903 views)
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Re: YOU'RE NEXT! YOU'RE NEXT! SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun [In reply to]

stefan_jones [at] comcast wrote:
> Everything was ducky until earlier in the month.
>
> Over the last two weeks the clear QAM channels for the most desirable
> cable stations (Syfy, Cartoon Network, TNT . . . basically everything
> but local broadcast, public and school access, shopping and Telemundo)
> have disappeared. They really are scrambled, not just moved to other
> transports. I can still watch them via an STB or DTA, but my digital
> tuner couldn't see them.

Thought I'd check one more thing for you:

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineup_web/US:97212#lineup_1134552

Silicon Dust, the makers of the HD Homerun, keep a database of the digital
channels their device finds. I only checked a couple of zip codes in the
Portland area but the pickings were pretty meager. Basically OTA, public
access and shopping channels, like you said.

Sad.
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