Cable Companies May Confuse Consumers About DTV
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I was reading an article on how some cable companies may require higher fees by consumers to view DTV. It seems that the companies are quietly changing more and more stations to digital, leaving only some local stations in the analog format. In an article I just read, it seems that consumers than may be required to rent a cable box at additional fees. The article stated the following:
Take this report by HD Guru Gary Merson, who called NYC-area cable provider Cablevision posing as a regular customer and was told that “due to government regulation,” the company would no longer carry analog channels. As Gary points out, this is patently false–nothing in the government’s mandated transition prevents cable companies from continuing service as-is. They may, however, decide to force analog-only subscribers to get a digital subscription and the requisite box, which of course adds a monthly box rental fee and opens up the possibility of customers ordering lucrative Pay-Per-View and Video-On-Demand services.
Merson also reports that another area provider, Time Warner Cable, has reduced the number of analog, unscrambled channels–the ones you can watch by plugging the cable directly into the TV, without the need for a cable box–available on its system from 74 to 13, keeping only the local broadcast stations such as ABC, CBS, PBS, etc. A TWC spokeswoman told Merson that even those broadcast stations will have to go digital in February 2009, “requiring all subscribers to pay $7.35 a month for cable box for each television in your home” according to the report.
It seems that the FCC was aware that some cable companies could opt to go completely digital:
“If a cable company makes the business decision to go all-digital (meaning it will stop offering any channels to its customers in analog), it must ensure that its analog customers can continue to watch their local broadcast stations. This may require customers with analog televisions to get a set-top box.” In other words, the DTV transition may affect cable subscribers after all, in the familiar form of increased fees.
Hopefully the transition will be smooth for everyone. But it appears that for some folks who have cable, there may be issues.
What do you think? Is the transition from analog to digital TV going to be a nightmare or will it be smooth sailing?
Comments welcome.
3 Comments
Tahoe Joe
August 7th, 2008
at 6:00am
Did the author even bother to check Cablevison’s web site?
He takes the word of one ill-informed rep and writes an article. I am no fan of the Cable companies but Cablevision has even advertised their analog capabilities. This is the reason I left Verizon FIOS which is all digital in my area now.
Also, the FCC requires that those cable companies that those companies offering an analog tier must continue to do so though at least 2011 or offer a “low-cost” conversion box to allow customers to continue to view the analog channels which implies that it is something different than the existing digital set-top box.
http://optimum.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/optimum.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2279&p_created=1201112438&p_sid=hXSBMIaj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MiZwX3Byb2RzPSZwX2NhdHM9JnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfcGFnZT0xJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9RFRW&p_li=&p_topview=1
“DTV Transition - February 2009
Effective February 17, 2009 broadcast television stations nationwide are required by law to switch from the old analog method of transmitting TV signals to a digital television (DTV) transmission.
Will I be affected by the change?
No. Your Cablevision service experience will not be affected by the DTV transition.
Cablevision’s Optimum Network is already digital.
iO TV™ customers using a digital cable box or CableCARD will continue to enjoy brilliant digital picture and sound.
Cablevision will continue to provide the analog signal of select channels.
Today and throughout the DTV Transition, Cablevision intends to maintain the analog signal of over-the-air broadcast channels and select other channels. As a result, customers who have their cable line connected directly to the back of a cable-ready analog television, will experience uninterrupted viewing of those channels on that TV. “
Ron Schenone
August 7th, 2008
at 6:06am
Tahoe Joe,
Thanks for the information. It does appear that this was a knee-jerk reaction.
Regards, Ron
GOOSE
August 7th, 2008
at 6:58am
Geez Ron,
I told you what Volcano TV did over a year ago………