>>>This whole thing was started with the FCC and so it's not because Comcast decided to impose some arbitrary money making scheme.
I believe you're wrong. I'm not aware of any FCC mandate that says Cable companies must switch to digital. In fact they could stay analog forever if they wished (all sets must include the NTSC/analog receiver). Or provide unscrambled ATSC or QAM. Whichever.
I read a funny post recently from a New Comcast subscriber. Well it would have been funny if it had not been so sad. Quoting from memory:
"They said they would take care of us when the Analog switched off. Just pay $10 a month and you'll get all your local stations with your old set. So I signed up. Great deal. Now less than a year later they are telling us we need to rent boxes for $5 per set, per month, if we want to keep getting our local stations. Thanks a lot Comsucks. Had I known that we would have bought the $40 converter boxes with those $40 coupons instead. Now it's too late."
On second thought, no, I can tell you right now you don't need a video distribution box. You can do a setup like mine, where there's a Channel Master CM4228HD on the roof (or second floor) that ties into the home's central coax to feed the main living room TV, plus any other TVs in the side rooms. If the signal is weak, add a preamp at the antenna. That's all you need. Less than $100.
I also have a Winegard FreeVision antenna for use with my portable (like when going camping or whateveR).
- Most customers of Comcast have discovered that 1/3rd of the channels are not scrambled. They can be received directly by the TV without a box. So it's possible you can hookup all the televisions in your workplace without needing to rent those boxes, and watch those 1/3 of channels that are not scrambled.
>>>Isn't digital cable ASTC compatible if it is not encrypted?
Yes and no. ATSC chips are designed for the dual purpose of interpreting both the 8/16VSB and QAM signals. The question is whether or not the engineer enabled the QAM capability. In most cases the answer is yes but not always.
>>>that the TV's QAM receiver is incapable of uncompressing it?
QAM is perfectly capable of receiving the signal and uncompressing it, just the same way my ATSC receiver receives channel 35 and uncompresses it into Mind, Global, Link, and the Extra channels. It's part of the standard. In fact there still are a few unscrambled QAM signals that people watch. It's only the scrambled ones that require the box.
>>>maybe they should stop paying for fucking cable
Ya know it helps if you read the WHOLE post, because I already addressed that issue. Quote: "And next Comcast (along with the FCC and other CATV companies) want to shutdown channels 25 and up to eliminate competition from Free TV. That will effectively force people to upgrade to Comcast TV or Comcast Internet." i.e. They'd have no choice but to "pay the fucking cable" bill.
The workers would probably wonder though, why they can't watch any other channel except CNN (or whatever station the company chooses). The KEY problem here is that Comcast is being greedy, and they want to be able to charge a rental fee *per outlet* instead of per house or per building like they've been doing the past ~20 years.
For example in my brother's house he had analog for $65 a month, but when the digital switchover happened they added a $5 fee per box. The total cost jumped to $85 with the tax included (that's a direct quote from the representative - I asked her to confirm it was really that high, and she said yes). For some people that's half a week's take home pay. Nice for Comcast, sucks for the common people trying not to waste their hard-earned money.
They could just as easily NOT scramble the digital signal and let the TV's built-in QAM receiver be used. But no - they wouldn't be able to collect their per TV fees. And NOW Comcast has taken-over NBC-Universal and next they (along with the FCC and other CATV companies) want to shutdown channels 25 and up to eliminate competition from Free TV. That will effectively force people like me to upgrade to Comcast TV or Comcast Internet in order to watch Supernatural, CSI, Local News, and other shows.
Hopefully the candidate would have enough sense not to follow Every suggestion from his home turf:
- Should women be allowed to vote? 55% no. 35% yes. 10% unsure
- Recently teens were caught in lacivious activities (photographing each other naked). Should I pass a law to give them 10 year sentences in juvenile hall for producing child porn?
Watch "Food Inc" which contains several interviews with farmers that have NO association with Monsanto, and yet found themselves sued by the megacorp.
The reason for the lawsuits varied: One farmer was accused of having Monsanto plants without permission (genetically-engineered pollen infected his naturally-growing corn, and then became GM corn). Another farmer operates a machine that separates seed from the chaff, and he was accused of trying to steal Monsanto's seed (which has no basis on fact). It's similar to how RIAA companies tried to sue people with VCRs or recordable Minidiscs. And yet another farmer was sued just because they wanted to *suspected* her had Monsanto plants, based upon reports from his neighbors. He had not done anything wrong and the case was eventually dismissed, but it still wiped-out his personal savings.
If ever there was a living example of "tyrannical oligarchy" then Monsanto fits the bill (as do most megacorps).
The holiday special actually came while Lucas was still young and brilliant. Here's how I'd probably respond if I were this company. It's ridiculous that Lucas thinks he can copyright a device that looks like thousands of others flashlights, sword handles, and so on.
>>>eating your boogers increases your immune system.
No not really. The stomach acid dissolves the mucus which means the immune system never gets to "see" the pollen and dust that was being held in suspension.
You sound like an addict. You can't give-up texting even for 30 seconds during a redlight stop? Also you gave me new insight - texting might explain why I see so many people stopped in front of a greenlight. They are so distracted that they don't even notice they can go. .
>>>some people are incapable of listening to the radio while driving. They start singing, get distracted, and plough into buildings
Citation please. If you can provide proof, then yes I'll support such a ban.
>>>My brain is smart enough to multitask
Again the AAA study shows otherwise. They found even hand-free cellphone usage causes decreased reaction time (such as failing to stop when a kid runs out in front of you). Maybe you BELIEVE you are different and better than the average human being, but I doubt it. We often overestimate our own abilities.
Is it? I'd like to see one of the Member States try. Our own states thought it was possible to quit the US too, but when they tried it they were brought back under control via force of Congress. I bet the EU Parliament would respond similarly.
>>>Except for the fact that the 'American Union' is actually one country, and the European Union is not
Yeah except now it IS just one country. 75% of the laws are written by the central EU Parliament. That's a higher percentage than the number of laws written by our own central Congress. In the last ten years while europeans were distracted, the EU politicians converted you into a United States of Europe. They even demoted you from "countries" to "member states" in their documents and websites.
This wouldn't be possible if the Congress simply put a limit on how long a patent lasts. 25 years and then the engineered food falls into the public domain for the benefit of all the People.
Sounds like my hatred for concrete hell (the city) is justified. We'd all be doing ourselves a favor if, instead of fearing the ongoing city depopulation, we embraced it.
I've read several studies in Science News that show exposing allergic bodies to the outdoors "trains" the immune system to ignore things like pollen, dust, and so on as simply part of the natural environment.
If record companies decide that making videos to accompany their songs is a waste of money, that would effectively be the day that Music Television died.
Slashdot Mirror
>>>This whole thing was started with the FCC and so it's not because Comcast decided to impose some arbitrary money making scheme.
I believe you're wrong. I'm not aware of any FCC mandate that says Cable companies must switch to digital. In fact they could stay analog forever if they wished (all sets must include the NTSC/analog receiver). Or provide unscrambled ATSC or QAM. Whichever.
I read a funny post recently from a New Comcast subscriber.
Well it would have been funny if it had not been so sad.
Quoting from memory:
"They said they would take care of us when the Analog switched off. Just pay $10 a month and you'll get all your local stations with your old set. So I signed up. Great deal. Now less than a year later they are telling us we need to rent boxes for $5 per set, per month, if we want to keep getting our local stations. Thanks a lot Comsucks. Had I known that we would have bought the $40 converter boxes with those $40 coupons instead. Now it's too late."
My over-the-aire receiver box is only 3 watts when on. 0 watts (immeasurable) when in standby.
Here Let Me Google That For You.....
On second thought, no, I can tell you right now you don't need a video distribution box. You can do a setup like mine, where there's a Channel Master CM4228HD on the roof (or second floor) that ties into the home's central coax to feed the main living room TV, plus any other TVs in the side rooms. If the signal is weak, add a preamp at the antenna. That's all you need. Less than $100.
I also have a Winegard FreeVision antenna for use with my portable (like when going camping or whateveR).
I just stumbled upon an answer:
- Most customers of Comcast have discovered that 1/3rd of the channels are not scrambled. They can be received directly by the TV without a box. So it's possible you can hookup all the televisions in your workplace without needing to rent those boxes, and watch those 1/3 of channels that are not scrambled.
>>>U.S. digital cable is not ATSC (8-VSB modulation) over-the-air broadcast signal compatible.
Except when it is. There are a few cable operators, the smaller companies, that chose to use 16VSB which is an ATSC standard.
>>>Isn't digital cable ASTC compatible if it is not encrypted?
Yes and no. ATSC chips are designed for the dual purpose of interpreting both the 8/16VSB and QAM signals. The question is whether or not the engineer enabled the QAM capability. In most cases the answer is yes but not always.
>>>that the TV's QAM receiver is incapable of uncompressing it?
QAM is perfectly capable of receiving the signal and uncompressing it, just the same way my ATSC receiver receives channel 35 and uncompresses it into Mind, Global, Link, and the Extra channels. It's part of the standard. In fact there still are a few unscrambled QAM signals that people watch. It's only the scrambled ones that require the box.
>>>maybe they should stop paying for fucking cable
Ya know it helps if you read the WHOLE post, because I already addressed that issue. Quote: "And next Comcast (along with the FCC and other CATV companies) want to shutdown channels 25 and up to eliminate competition from Free TV. That will effectively force people to upgrade to Comcast TV or Comcast Internet." i.e. They'd have no choice but to "pay the fucking cable" bill.
The workers would probably wonder though, why they can't watch any other channel except CNN (or whatever station the company chooses). The KEY problem here is that Comcast is being greedy, and they want to be able to charge a rental fee *per outlet* instead of per house or per building like they've been doing the past ~20 years.
For example in my brother's house he had analog for $65 a month, but when the digital switchover happened they added a $5 fee per box. The total cost jumped to $85 with the tax included (that's a direct quote from the representative - I asked her to confirm it was really that high, and she said yes). For some people that's half a week's take home pay. Nice for Comcast, sucks for the common people trying not to waste their hard-earned money.
They could just as easily NOT scramble the digital signal and let the TV's built-in QAM receiver be used. But no - they wouldn't be able to collect their per TV fees. And NOW Comcast has taken-over NBC-Universal and next they (along with the FCC and other CATV companies) want to shutdown channels 25 and up to eliminate competition from Free TV. That will effectively force people like me to upgrade to Comcast TV or Comcast Internet in order to watch Supernatural, CSI, Local News, and other shows.
Okay. Stepping down from soapbox. ;-)
Another example (from the past)
- We were just attacked and bombed at Pearl Harbor - an act of infamy. Should we round-up japanese-Americans and put them in concentration camps?
- 90% yes. 10% no.
Hopefully the candidate would have enough sense not to follow Every suggestion from his home turf:
- Should women be allowed to vote?
55% no. 35% yes. 10% unsure
- Recently teens were caught in lacivious activities (photographing each other naked). Should I pass a law to give them 10 year sentences in juvenile hall for producing child porn?
70% yes. 20% no. 10% unsure
And so on.
Watch "Food Inc" which contains several interviews with farmers that have NO association with Monsanto, and yet found themselves sued by the megacorp.
The reason for the lawsuits varied: One farmer was accused of having Monsanto plants without permission (genetically-engineered pollen infected his naturally-growing corn, and then became GM corn). Another farmer operates a machine that separates seed from the chaff, and he was accused of trying to steal Monsanto's seed (which has no basis on fact). It's similar to how RIAA companies tried to sue people with VCRs or recordable Minidiscs. And yet another farmer was sued just because they wanted to *suspected* her had Monsanto plants, based upon reports from his neighbors. He had not done anything wrong and the case was eventually dismissed, but it still wiped-out his personal savings.
If ever there was a living example of "tyrannical oligarchy" then Monsanto fits the bill (as do most megacorps).
Google did it for me: "The diameter of the universe is 1.4 hellameters"
I'm curious how long it will be 'til somebody says, "This hellabyte drive just isn't big enough to hold all my pron."
>>>And don't forget the holiday special. shivers
The holiday special actually came while Lucas was still young and brilliant. Here's how I'd probably respond if I were this company. It's ridiculous that Lucas thinks he can copyright a device that looks like thousands of others flashlights, sword handles, and so on.
Dear Lucas-san:
Flak you.
Sincelely,
Hong Kong
>>>Yes, urban sprawl is much better for humanity and the environment than living in a city.
Actually - you're correct. Converting stripped farmland to suburbs has created an increase in the number of trees over the last 100 years.
>>>eating your boogers increases your immune system.
No not really. The stomach acid dissolves the mucus which means the immune system never gets to "see" the pollen and dust that was being held in suspension.
obama video seiu
http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=obama+video+seiu
>>>who can't even hear the crazy in your own words.
Distrusting strangers (government) to run your life is a logical thing to do.
You sound like an addict. You can't give-up texting even for 30 seconds during a redlight stop? Also you gave me new insight - texting might explain why I see so many people stopped in front of a greenlight. They are so distracted that they don't even notice they can go.
.
>>>some people are incapable of listening to the radio while driving. They start singing, get distracted, and plough into buildings
Citation please. If you can provide proof, then yes I'll support such a ban.
>>>My brain is smart enough to multitask
Again the AAA study shows otherwise. They found even hand-free cellphone usage causes decreased reaction time (such as failing to stop when a kid runs out in front of you). Maybe you BELIEVE you are different and better than the average human being, but I doubt it. We often overestimate our own abilities.
>>>it's possible to quit the EU.
Is it? I'd like to see one of the Member States try. Our own states thought it was possible to quit the US too, but when they tried it they were brought back under control via force of Congress. I bet the EU Parliament would respond similarly.
>>>Except for the fact that the 'American Union' is actually one country, and the European Union is not
Yeah except now it IS just one country. 75% of the laws are written by the central EU Parliament. That's a higher percentage than the number of laws written by our own central Congress. In the last ten years while europeans were distracted, the EU politicians converted you into a United States of Europe. They even demoted you from "countries" to "member states" in their documents and websites.
This wouldn't be possible if the Congress simply put a limit on how long a patent lasts. 25 years and then the engineered food falls into the public domain for the benefit of all the People.
Sounds like my hatred for concrete hell (the city) is justified. We'd all be doing ourselves a favor if, instead of fearing the ongoing city depopulation, we embraced it.
Also helps allergies:
I've read several studies in Science News that show exposing allergic bodies to the outdoors "trains" the immune system to ignore things like pollen, dust, and so on as simply part of the natural environment.
If record companies decide that making videos to accompany their songs is a waste of money, that would effectively be the day that Music Television died.
It would be like pre-1980 again.