| reply to aes128
Re: WOW Getting bad press in Cleveland As of today. WOW does not require a DTA on a TV with a digital tuner. They still need a dta on old analog televisions though. If you have a HDTV, a DTA will no longer be needed.
I really don't know how their channel line up will look with a digital signal, but the good news is no more dtas on HDTVs.
Technology changes fast people. Why hate the cable companies for trying to broaden their HD offerings? People that just spent 1500.00 on a tv want hd and that is what the cable companies are gonna give them. It sucks that you have an old television and have to pay 1.99 a month to continue to see tv, but you are now in the minority. |
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| said by Cable guy :As of today. WOW does not require a DTA on a TV with a digital tuner. They still need a dta on old analog televisions though. If you have a HDTV, a DTA will no longer be needed.
I really don't know how their channel line up will look with a digital signal, but the good news is no more dtas on HDTVs. Wait, am I misreading what you wrote, or are you saying WOW decided to drop encryption on some channels and broadcast them in Clear QAM? What about their "contractual obligations?" Where did you find this information?
The "hate" mostly came from the requirement to have some sort of box attached to every TV (and eventually pay monthly for it) to receive anything other than local channels. If I understand what you are saying correctly and those with QAM tuners will be able to receive basic channels, I think a lot more of us will be OK with this digital transition. |
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| reply to Cable guy
Really? You must be privy to information that is not provided to WOW customers. I just checked my Sony 52EX700 with a direct feed from the wall and there are no channels above 52...just beautiful snow static (though I still receive two local HD channels).
I've attached a photo that you can stare at and enjoy! |
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 redxiiPremium,Mod
join:2001-02-26
Sherwood, MI
Suddenlink
ISDN
Fiber Optic
Broadband Tweaks
/dev/null
| reply to Cable guy
said by Cable guy :Why hate the cable companies for trying to broaden their HD offerings?
The DTA isn't what makes analog bandwidth reclamation; thus more bandwidth for faster internet, more HD offerings, etc, possible. WOW simply has to stop transmitting analog signals over the wire. All digital cable tuners are compatible with WOW's or any other cable company's digital cable system. Remember, the DTAs have a digital cable tuner exactly like those found on virtually every TV nowadays.
WOW can make more HD offerings available for those on higher tiers, without requiring every Basic user already with a digital cable tuner to use a DTA to get more than local/public. To reiterate:
said by anon :The "hate" mostly came from the requirement to have some sort of box attached to every TV (and eventually pay monthly for it) to receive anything other than local channels. And if you want to schedule record/time-shift/EPG, you will now have to pay them, someone else for a receiver/DVR, or train a monkey to change the channel at certain times and press the Record button instead of using your own PC tuner and TV software at no monthly cost and no monkey.
There is bandwidth yet to tap into by upgrading their plants to 1GHz as well. You don't need a DTA for them to do that either.
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Moe, I need your advice… See I've got this friend named Joey Joe-Joe... Junior... Shabadoo? |
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redxiiPremium,Mod
join:2001-02-26
Sherwood, MI Host:
Suddenlink
ISDN
Fiber Optic
Broadband Tweaks
/dev/null
| reply to Cable guy
You see even a Clear QAM tuner, which is simply one without decrypting abilities, can pick up EVERY single digital channel on the wire. Media Center like a TV, knows which are encrypted and "enables" those that are in the clear and Media Center/WinTV is just a bit more transparent in this case. You see just two of 10 local HDs in the clear in the picture, the SD digital channels are much lower in the 70.x (expanded) and 18.x (local SD), and there are some music channels I have zero interest in the clear as well.
WOW is not using switched digital video, so there is nothing special about their digital cable network that even people with HDTVs have to use a DTA to continue to receive Basic (2-99) even with a digital tuner. |
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| reply to redxii
And if you want to schedule record/time-shift/EPG, you will now have to pay them, someone else for a receiver/DVR, or train a monkey to change the channel at certain times and press the Record button instead of using your own PC tuner and TV software at no monthly cost and no monkey.
There is bandwidth yet to tap into by upgrading their plants to 1GHz as well. You don't need a DTA for them to do that either.
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| said by theclaw :I like the idea of monkeys changing my channels and hitting record, now if they could make me dinner and bring me my morning paper, I would be all set... Just watch out when the helper monkey starts trying to kill you with bleach milkshakes!
»www.youtube.com/watch?v=asDGNyL8A_w |
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| Since some are still not understanding. A DTA IS NEEDED ON A TV WITH AN ANALOG TUNER. The headend already recieves all tv stations in digital format and converts it to analog stations through RF modulation.
The analog will NO LONGER CONVERTED!! The signal will be sent out as the digital signal that the headend recieves without modulation. That is when the dta comes in. An old analog tv starting March 31st will lose stations. Any qam tuner will be fine since encryption will no longer be used.
To the guy above with the sony tv. Do a FULL CHANNEL SCAN, the one that can take up to an hour to complete. I bet you will have more channels than you think.
As for the privledged info, that is correct. But if you call wow I bet they now will tell you the same thing. I have several friends at wow and I am in the buisness as well, but work with a company that starts with an I. I see my company doing the same thing soon and always talk to my friends about the growing pains of an all digital system. My hats off to Wow for trying it first and taking the risk to actually improve their offerings.
As I also read some of the other comments in the forum, I can tell that hardly no one knows jack squat about broadband systems. I've been with the industry since the good old analog days but it seems most the people here are STILL there in 1995. |
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| I have no idea where you are getting your information from (or whom) but it is wrong. Though I knew it would be a waste of my time, I rescanned the cable from the wall and it is still the same. No more channels above 52. Still get some local HD's on the 200's but for how long is anybody's guess.
Cable Guy, I have a news flash for you; I started losing channels on March 6, the day WOW said the first block of channels would be removed.
Do you even have WOW cable? |
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redxiiPremium,Mod
join:2001-02-26
Sherwood, MI Host:
Suddenlink
ISDN
Fiber Optic
Broadband Tweaks
/dev/null
| Not to deny nor confirm the validity of his info but just because he said it doesn't mean at that instant they made all of Basic in Clear QAM in all areas or necessarily yours. You may have to wait a bit, or maybe you're trying to view an analog channel. Unless he chimes in says that all Basic channels should be Clear QAM again for all areas again right now.
I have a TV that says "53 Digital" or "53 Analog" but some TVs might use "53" for analog or "53.1/53-1" for digital.
As far as I know the use of the decryption in the DTAs is temporary, 3 years. The FCC may grant a new waiver after that. I don't know much about cable/broadband systems but it seems backwards on the logic that the DTA on the customer's premise would some how free up bandwidth when the bandwidth hogging analog signal is still crowding the wire from the headend to the customer's premise.
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Moe, I need your advice… See I've got this friend named Joey Joe-Joe... Junior... Shabadoo? |
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| For those of us still waitng for the transition I really wish there was a better way to understand this. Even though supposedly they are shipping/installing DTAs in my area WOW has not even informed me about any of this. Everything I've learned is from this website.
At first I thought it didn't matter if I had a TV I bought yesterday, as long as the cable was connected direct I would need the DTA.
Now I'm reading maybe not. I am willing to upgrade my TV if it will avoid the DTA but unless I know for sure I certainly can't do it. |
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bsipe9
join:2007-03-24
Berea, OH | reply to cable guy
said by cable guy :Any qam tuner will be fine since encryption will no longer be used. I would love for this to be true, but I seriously doubt it. Unless of course the negative response was more poignant than I suspected.
As for NE Ohio, all the channels from Phase 1 are STILL encrypted. Phase 2 goes into effect in 9 days so we'll see for sure then whether they are dropping the encryption.
As for: "But why in the hell would you own an hdtv and not have an HD digital receiver already installed? Its like owning a car with no tires."
That is a bunch of short sighted BS. Never heard of a HTPC? Never heard of BluRay players? Never heard of a PS3 or Xbox? Never heard of HD media players like WDTV or Boxee Box?
A better analogy for having an HD TV without a HD box would be like owning a car and changing your own oil for $14 instead of paying the dealership $70 to do it, adding your own wiper fluid for $1 instead of paying the dealer $15 to do it, filling your own gas tank instead of waiting an extra 10 minutes for the full service guy to waddle out to your car to do it and then tipping him $5. |
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| My comment about not having a HD set top box is not short sighted BS. I own an HTPC, 3 Ps3's that act as blu ray players and media hubs. Also 2 of my HDTVS have the abilty to connect to the net as well. Why have all the best toys and have SD cable?(Unless you use your HTPC as the digital tuner).
My setup is sweet but changes constantly due to changes in technology. Can you believe I do NOT HAVE A DVR? I use the HTPC for that, and it then can stream over my home network ( cat 6 ran to every room ). A whole house dvr solution years before any cable system.
And for the Qam tuner, its true, No dta needed. Thats the way it is and should be. |
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bsipe9
join:2007-03-24
Berea, OH | said by Cable guy :And for the Qam tuner, its true, No dta needed. Thats the way it is and should be. Perhaps you should call WoW and tell them, because they didn't get the memo. |
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| reply to Cable guy
said by Cable guy :Just to let you people know, I am in no way employed by WOW. I just see what they are doing and understand why they are doing it.
I confused you with CableGuy1, who is a WOW employee. Sorry. |
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| Please refer to this link as this guy is a wow employee.Great info and he seems to answer all questions.
»DTA's and encryption - A message from WOW! |
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| Just confirmed that clear QAM is working for the March set of channel conversions in Columbus... did have to channel scan. But they're definitely there. |
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