TurtleFan
join:2003-05-03
Wyckoff, NJ
| Dear Verizon - Please unlock HBO Max QAM in HD :)
I spent a good 4 hours just flipping through and watching movies on my TV Tuner last night. The sound is great, no extra box required, and no hassle other than re-scanning to get the channels in your tuner channel list.
IF we can't get all the channels unlocked and in the clear QAM, please at least consider unlocking HBO HD and Max HD. Either that, or doing more free movie previews for longer durations  . |
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darcilicious
Cyber Librarian
Premium
join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR
 ·Verizon FIOS
 ·Comcast
| said by TurtleFan  :IF we can't get all the channels unlocked and in the clear QAM, please at least consider unlocking HBO HD and Max HD. You need to be appealing to the HBO gods  Verizon doesn't really have any say in if content from HBO, etc is encrypted or not... |
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GeekNJ
Premium
join:2000-09-23
Waldwick, NJ | reply to TurtleFan
Are you asking that they broadcast the premium channels "in the clear" so you don't need to pay to get them? Why would they do that? |
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Greg2600
join:2008-05-20
Belleville, NJ | reply to TurtleFan
I thought the digital cable providers had the ability to scramble digital channels from the source, rather than relying on a box? |
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icemannyr1
join:2001-04-11
Township Of Washington, NJ
edit:
September 7th, @12:45PM
| reply to TurtleFan
As Geek said that's the problem, with out a STB or a cable card they can't unlock those channels at a house level.
Yeah I would be nice if I could view the HD movie channels with my PC tuner since we do subscribe to them.
It seems for PC your just going to have to wait till someone comes out with a tuner card that has cable card reader with it.
I know ATI makes one but you need a PC running Vista. |
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PJL
join:2008-07-24
Long Beach, CA | reply to TurtleFan
It amazes me how people expect something for free when all the rest of us pay for it as a service. |
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jankm
join:2005-08-16
Lansdale, PA | reply to TurtleFan
I think he is saying the when there is a free preview, like this weekend for HBO and Cinemax, then it would be nice if the HD versions were provided in the clear for the duration of the free preview. |
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joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to icemannyr1
You see it all in here, people whine because they did not get this channel or that channel. One person because they did not get the (could not find) turn your TV in to a picture channel (Ambient). One because there is not enough free porn, one because there in not enough free sport channels, others because they want technology that has not been invented yet and now this one because they want free premium channels. One guy even posted in here asking how to hack the box for eveything free channels.
ITS pay TV people, not FREE TV or the get something without paying for it forum. The deals you can find or finagle in many cases make it dirt cheap for the amount of content you are getting. Pry a quarter out of your wallet and suck it up and please spare me the "i cant afford it" speal. Cut down on cigarettes, drink less beer, turn the lights off when you leave a room and you can pay for a FiOS premier package. If you can afford a TV with a QAM tuner you can afford to pay for programming. |
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maddoooog
@techentrance.com | reply to TurtleFan
turtlefan the point of these free previews is to try to get people subscribe but there will always be people that wait for the twice a year for these and leech and record every movie shown on the channels lol :-p |
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TurtleFan
join:2003-05-03
Wyckoff, NJ
| reply to GeekNJ
Nope,
I'm hoping it's possible to unlock them so only people who subscribe to those channels can get them on TV Tuners like the Fusion 5. It brought back memories of the old days when you just hooked up a cable and where ready to go . |
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TurtleFan
join:2003-05-03
Wyckoff, NJ
| reply to maddoooog
WHOA guys,
I'm not saying they should make the channels free to EVERYONE. What I AM saying, is that if you have a TV Tuner or a TV that gets Clear QAM, if you subscribe to those channels, they should make the QAM version of that channel viewable to the customer that has the subscription. I thought that was pretty clear, but I guess not |
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joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA
·Verizon FIOS
edit:
September 7th, @01:35PM
| said by TurtleFan :WHOA guys, I'm not saying they should make the channels free to EVERYONE. What I AM saying, is that if you have a TV Tuner or a TV that gets Clear QAM, if you subscribe to those channels, they should make the QAM version of that channel viewable to the customer that has the subscription. I thought that was pretty clear, but I guess not That does not even come close to making any sense what so ever.
EDIT:
If you are saying you are PAYING for premium channels and you want your Fusion 5 HD Tuner to be able to recieve them you will need a cable card from Verizon. If your Fusion 5 will not except a cable card your SOL. However, if you are PAYING for premium channels you should already have to equipment to view them so whats the deal?
Besides, how would Verizon or anyone else make premium channels in the clear for just YOU? |
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TurtleFan
join:2003-05-03
Wyckoff, NJ
| reply to TurtleFan
OK, I know this is an intelligent forum so it's gotta be my crummy explination . Let me try explaining it this way
Back in the Days of yore, you only needed a Coax cable. If you didn't receive HBO or Cinemax, it was either fuzz, or even earlier, blurred out. When you subscribed to those channels, boom, they where instantly available again with no extra equipment needed.
Now, with Verizon switching to all digital, EVERYTHING is blocked out in QAM minus 2-13. Essentially making QAM TV Tuners and ATSC tuning DVD recorders useless. So, why can't they do what they did back in the early days with normal cable, only this time do it with a QAM signal?
Anyone who subscribes to HBO, Cinemax, etc, will instantly be able to scan the QAM channels on either their TV, ATSC DVD recorder, or TV Tuner like a Fusion 5, and instantly gain access to to them without the need for a Cable Card or box?
Did that help any? I can't explain it any better than that.
Right now I subscribe to HBO and Cinemax, and I am using my Fusion 5 HDTV tuner to view them WITHOUT a cable card enabled system on my computer. Once the preview window is over, those QAM Channels once again go black. Why can't they leave them on all the time for people who subscribe to those channels? |
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joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA
·Verizon FIOS
edit:
September 7th, @02:23PM
| BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM and you would need a cable card for your Fusion 5 to see them.
You are not going to hear what you want to hear. These are pay channels, you have to PAY for them. Your fusion 5 see's them because they are in the clear for a few days as a promotiom to get you to PAY for them. If you are NOT going to use Verizons equipment to do it then you need a CABLE CARD for YOUR equipment. IF YOUR fusion 5 DOES NOT accept CABLE CARDS then you are NOT EVER going to see premium channels through it except on free preview days that happen maybe twice a year.
These are NOT the old days, welcome to ther 21st century where companies are finding ways to make sure they do not get burned for services.
Verizon has to pay for use of the premium channels for you to see, so you have to pay to see them, thats how Verizon or (you name the cable company) makes money. ON EACH TV YOU OWN that you wish to use thier services on.
You can use Verizons equipment, Tivo's equpiment, Fusions equipment or Gods equipment but you are still going to have to get a cable card from Verizon (or you cable company) for it to work. |
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shark2k
join:2008-06-01
West Orange, NJ
| said by joe01880 :BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM and you would need a cable card for your Fusion 5 to see them. You are not going to hear what you want to hear. These are pay channels, you have to PAY for them. Your fusion 5 see's them because they are in the clear for a few days as a promotiom to get you to PAY for them. If you are NOT going to use Verizons equipment to do it then you need a CABLE CARD for YOUR equipment. IF YOUR fusion 5 DOES NOT accept CABLE CARDS then you are NOT EVER going to see premium channels through it except on free preview days that happen maybe twice a year. These are NOT the old days, welcome to ther 21st century where companies are finding ways to make sure they do not get burned for services. Verizon has to pay for use of the premium channels for you to see, so you have to pay to see them, thats how Verizon or (you name the cable company) makes money. ON EACH TV YOU OWN that you wish to use thier services on. You can use Verizons equipment, Tivo's equpiment, Fusions equipment or Gods equipment but you are still going to have to get a cable card from Verizon (or you cable company) for it to work. I really do not think you are understanding him here. He said that this would only be for the people that actually subscribe to the premium channels. His last explanation was crystal clear and makes perfect sense. The only reason for Verizon (or any other cable company) making you "need" there equipment to view is so they can charge you for that equipment. I actually agree and think it would be nice if I did not need to get another STB for the TV I just bought for my room so that I can get all the HD channels. As of now all I get are 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 in HD. Since my parents (I still live with them) subscribe to HBO, CineMAX, Starz, Showtime and TMC it would be awesome if I could get those channels by just plugging the cable into my TV, scan for digital channels and voila, I get all the channels my parents pay for. Considering the fact that there is already a fee for the premium channels, I would say that is how Verizon helps pay for those.
-Shark2k |
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KA3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium
join:2006-01-17
West Chester, PA
clubs:
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to TurtleFan
said by TurtleFan :OK, I know this is an intelligent forum so it's gotta be my crummy explination . Let me try explaining it this way Back in the Days of yore, you only needed a Coax cable. If you didn't receive HBO or Cinemax, it was either fuzz, or even earlier, blurred out. When you subscribed to those channels, boom, they where instantly available again with no extra equipment needed. Now, with Verizon switching to all digital, EVERYTHING is blocked out in QAM minus 2-13. Essentially making QAM TV Tuners and ATSC tuning DVD recorders useless. So, why can't they do what they did back in the early days with normal cable, only this time do it with a QAM signal? Anyone who subscribes to HBO, Cinemax, etc, will instantly be able to scan the QAM channels on either their TV, ATSC DVD recorder, or TV Tuner like a Fusion 5, and instantly gain access to to them without the need for a Cable Card or box? Did that help any? I can't explain it any better than that. Right now I subscribe to HBO and Cinemax, and I am using my Fusion 5 HDTV tuner to view them WITHOUT a cable card enabled system on my computer. Once the preview window is over, those QAM Channels once again go black. Why can't they leave them on all the time for people who subscribe to those channels? In the 'old days', cable companies used Traps/Filters on the Tap at the pole to Block or De-scramble Analog Pay Channels.
Some Cable systems utilized an Addressable Converter box to accomplish the same thing.
The video port on the ONT is either ON or OFF, and the boxes contain the necessary hardware to De-scramble what you are paying for.
The ONT is NOT addressable down to the point that you can toggle individual Encrypted QAM channels ON or OFF, the Cable Cards and Boxes do that instead.
If the Video port on the ONT is turned ON, all you will get with a QAM tuner(Non-CableCard)is the Unencrypted QAM Local channels, if it is turned OFF, you get nothing.
--
"Follow The White Rabbit....." |
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TurtleFan
join:2003-05-03
Wyckoff, NJ
| reply to TurtleFan
Wow, way to over re-act.. Obviously you didn't see the fact that I ALREADY GET THESE CHANNELS WITHOUT THE FREE PREVIEW. I AM PAYING FOR THEM MONTHLY ALREADY WITH THE HBO/CINEMAX combo rate. I AM NOT ASKING VERIZON OR ANY OTHER COMPANY TO GIVE THEM OUT FOR FREE....
If they charged an extra small fee so we could get those QAM Channels tuned in on top of our already paying fee for the HBO/Cinemax combo, I think it'd be worth it.
It's amazing how people get so annoyed at such a simple question. One reason why I tend to avoid message boards as much as possible these days as most tend to go down hill when this starts to happen. |
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TurtleFan
join:2003-05-03
Wyckoff, NJ
edit:
September 7th, @02:55PM
| reply to shark2k
THANK YOU shark2k It's nice to see someone understands without the need for going off on a rant
I need to lay off forums for a while....
>>user=KA3SGM]>>
The ONT is NOT addressable down to the point that you can toggle individual Encrypted QAM channels ON or OFF, the Cable Cards and Boxes do that instead.
If the Video port on the ONT is turned ON, all you will get with a QAM tuner(Non-CableCard)is the Unencrypted QAM Local channels, if it is turned OFF, you get nothing.
>>
OK, I can understand that.. but then wouldn't all the other channels that are basic, like GSN, or HGTV come in as well? I can't tune these in either, yet I can tune in all the HBO and Cinemax ones in QAM perfectly for this weekend only. If I had a Starz Subscription, I probably couldn't tune in those either on the QAM side. Right now it just seems to be only HBO and Cinemax I can tune in via a QAM Tuner, along with the basic 2-13 and music channels. Everything else is blocked.
>>Joe>>
Retail TV's can tune in Clear QAM Channels for the last few years now. When My Fusion HDTV 5 scans channels, it finds a good 500 or so of them, and naturally all but 2-13 and a few of the minor local ones are listed as 'encrypted'. The channels are there, but we just can't see them. Yet somehow for this free preview weekend, they turned that encryption off for HBO and Cinemax, even for the customers that ARE PAYING FOR THOSE CHANNELS MONTHLY. When that preview weekend is off, the channels go back to being encrypted, and we still get them via TV's that have a box, or Cable card. We just can't see them over an ATSC or TV Tuner enabled box. That's what I'm not getting.
If they are either all on, or all off, why don't I See the basic channels we get with the box as well? |
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joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA
·Verizon FIOS
edit:
September 7th, @02:47PM
| reply to shark2k
I understand what he/she is saying just fine, what ya all are not understanding is if you want to see the HD or standard def on a different TV is you are going to have to pay for the equipment to do it. If your not going to use Verizons equipment you are going to HAVE to get the cable card from VERIZON. Right, wrong, legal or not thats just the way it is. They are in business to make money in every way they can.
It still a fantastic value even if you have to get the $3.99 cable card. If you want to complain about something try gas prices.
Edit to shark;
How is your TV going to tune to channel 1811 without a Set Top Box. That channle is included with the Pemier package which also has all the moive channels standard and high def. |
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joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to TurtleFan
said by TurtleFan :>>Joe>> TV Tuners can tune in Clear QAM Channels for the last few years now. When My Fusion HDTV 5 scans channels, it finds a good 500 or so of them, and naturally all but 2-13 and a few of the minor local ones are listed as 'encrypted'. The channels are there, but we just can't see them. Yet somehow for this free preview weekend, they turned that encryption off for HBO and Cinemax, even for the customers that ARE PAYING FOR THOSE CHANNELS MONTHLY. When that preview weekend is off, the channels go back to being encrypted, and we still get them via TV's that have a box, or Cable card. We just can't see them over an ATSC or TV Tuner enabled box. That's what I'm not getting. For the last time, because they are encrypted and the STB unencrypts it and you have to pay for the STB.
Geez, if you know how to finagle with Verizon even a little you dont even have to pay for the STB. |
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