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As you have requested, we will make available for Internet file transfer copies of the software used in the USDTV receiver that is covered by these licenses. Unfortunately, your request has caught us at a bad time. The USDTV development offices are currently in the process of moving to a new location, so we do not at this time have a server to host copies of the software to download. Once our move is completed and our full Internet service is restored, we will set up a site with the requested software available. (... snip ...)

Thanks,
Jim Burmeister

claimed they were having technical difficulties and would release the source post-haste

Our passion was to help families save money on their cable TV bills and provide a service that had a higher quality of cable networks.

I can share some of the research we did.

Here is an example of ala-cart service, for individuals. If you have a large block that buys as one collective, you can negotiate a better price:

http://skyvision.com/programming/alacarte.html

Even as an idividual, there are pleanty of $1 a month channels- Sci-Fi, Comedy Central, E!TV, and others. They even have a $12.49 per month package of 21 channels including CNN, Sci-Fi, Fox News, Disney, and lots of others. There is good choice.

Just so people don't accuse me of selling a service, here is another one:

http://www.usdtv.com/

They have a HDTV package for $19 a month, including ESPN, Fox News, lots of popular stations. The only problem is they are in three areas in the USA (Arizona I believe).

Back to our research. We then discovered all the free channels with a large C-band dish-

http://www.lyngsat.com/freetv/United-States.html

Many of them are stations I never heard of, but there is Animal Planet, 7 channels of Bloomberg which I had in college and remember as a headline news type channel, 3 channels of C-Span for the government junkies (I love C-Span for book tv), CBS HDTV east and west, 5 CNBC's, 4 CNN's, 6 Discovery tv (including one that is HDTV and one that is spanish), 7 MTV's although none are from the USA but I have seen MTV from Russia and it was almost all USA music videos the only differance was the DJ's spoke russian, 7 PBS and one of them is HDTV. I am not going to list them all, but those are some good channels and they are all FREE.

If that is what I think you are doing, that is pretty sweet - talk about screwing the "man" and telling him where to stick it!

We don't think we are screwing the man at all. It is more like stopping Comcast from screwing us. We've all lived with bad service, and an overpriced product. If there were 10 different cable companies, and they had to compete, prices would be 25% of what they are today. But there is a monopoly.

All in all, kudos to you and your (hopefully) merry group - I hope it works out for you, and you get what *you* want (hmm - alternatively - have you thought about mixing the two - get the sat feed, turn each channel into .torrents, then give each unit a box to view the .torrents, and other 'net video offerrings - combine it with cheap T1 service from Speakeasy or similar - so sweet)...

That would require more work than we are willing to do. Since we are an association, we pay dues, and we want to minimize our fees. For example, they decided to open the swimming pool 3 hours later this summer than last (1pm instead of 10am on weekdays). Why? To save a few bucks of cost- pool attendant being the largest.

We just want to get a large sattelite or two, and run cable to everyones home.

We have also talked with a lawyer. There is a state law where we live that says any cable a cable company lays down on private property is the property of the land owner and not the cable company. We are trying to find out if we can cut off the feed from comcast and run our own over the existing cables.

What I do know is we will find a solution that is better than comcast!! I'll also say another thing. If I did not live in an association, I would talk to my next

I can't get cable where I am, so I'm stuck with going with one of those pizza dishes or USDTV. Or so I thought. USDV does not get the scifi channel and thats a must for me. So I looked at the Pizza dish companies, and I really don't feel like paying $30-50 a month for so many channels that I won't watch. So I though I was stuck with USDTV, BUT a lightbulb came on in my head. I'm going to aquire a BUD (Big Ugly dish) from someone who has "upgraded" to a digital quality DBS dish. Snag a 4dtv reciver off of ebay and get my basic subscription programming from NPS. Plus I'm going to add a FTA reciver just because the feeds are there. THEN if after I spend so much money on all of this, I want a DBS system, I'll do it the hard way; I'll get Star Choice.

Links of intrest:
http://www.satelliteguys.us
http://global-cm.net/CAN/legal.html
http://www.bigdish.info/main.html
http://www.callnps.com
http://lyngsat.com/freetv/United-States.html
http://www.orbitmagazine.com/

To clarify - it will allow you to basically get the digital signal of the current analog stations in your area for free (after buying the box).

If you pay the subscription you will also get the encrypted channels, which look like your standard short list of BASIC Cable stations, but minus a few that you might expect - notably the Viacom ones like MTV, VH1, and Comedy Central. AS noted elsewhere, it means paying about $2/month for each additional channel.

The box itself is not worth it since failure to subscribe aparently raises the price $250, and make the box unusable. As HDTV capable DTV receivers (ie set-top boxes) seem to start at about $180, meaning you'd save $70 by getting one and subscribing to USDTV.

" Do I get to keep the USDTV set top box after my one-year contract is up?
"Yes, you will be able to keep the USDTV receiver after your contract is up, but you will only be able to receive your local channels if you cancel your USDTV contract."

" IMPORTANT NOTE : The enclosed HDTV receiver will not receive ANY channels without a USDTV service agreement. Credit card required for monthly service fees."

" Do I get to keep the USDTV set top box after my one-year contract is up?
"Yes, you will be able to keep the USDTV receiver after your contract is up, but you will only be able to receive your local channels if you cancel your USDTV contract."

" IMPORTANT NOTE : The enclosed HDTV receiver will not receive ANY channels without a USDTV service agreement. Credit card required for monthly service fees."

Actually, I am correct on #4...

at the bottom of this page

IMPORTANT NOTE : The enclosed HDTV receiver will not receive ANY channels without a USDTV service agreement. Credit card required for monthly service fees.

Also, people are free to buy TVs with integrated tuners, like this Mitsubishi TV. They just happen to be a lot more expensive than the same TV without the tuner. I saw the benefit of the integrated tuner (and the firewire ports) and I got one.

You're wrong about point 4. The box does work for non-encrypted digital channels even if you don't continue your subscription. See their FAQ at USDTV FAQ :

Q: Do I get to keep my ... box after my ... contract is up?
A: Yes ... but you will only be able to receive your local channels if you cancel your USDTV contract.

So: Even if USDTV is not your cup o' tea, it is a good way to get more digital tuners in circulation and that will eventually encourage real innovation in the use of the "extra" digital channels that the gov just gave all the incumbent licensees.

One peeve of mine is that Circuit City et al. are selling digital sets by the boatload and most do not include a digital tuner! So you are wedded to the cable company and will probably never see the digital subchannels that are being broadcast. That's not going to encourage true (i.e. free) broadcasting on these new subchannels!

USDTV only really adds 10 channels that you can't get with a normal digital TV decoder. Namely, Disney Channel, Toon Disney, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, HGTV, Food Network, ESPN, ESPN2, Discovery Channel and TLC.

Everything else they list on this page are channels that can be plucked out of the air with a standard digital TV tuner in the Salt Lake City area. So, in effect, viewers are paying $19.95 to get 10 channels... roughly $2 per channel.

Also,
I want a system where I can pick each and every channel individually. I'd only want about 12-15 of them and I'd be willing to pay .50/channel :)