Comcast Digital Adapters?

[DCal430]

The full box or digital adapters? The FCC ruling allowed them to go all digital but they must rent the digital adapters (small boxes will little function) to allow you to watch TV (no premiums, etc). These small boxes can't cost more than $1.99 per month (TWC currently charges $0.99 per month).

Yea, you can rent a small box or DTA for 1.99 to get the channels 1-99.

To get what you pay for which includes channels over 99 you have to rent a cablecard or regular digital box, this cost $9.99. Scam.

 

[ultimatebob]

Hey... it could be worse! AT&T charges $8 a month for any of their digital TV adapters.

 

[chimaxi83]

Hey... it could be worse! AT&T charges $8 a month for any of their digital TV adapters.

It's not an adapter. It's a full box, and the DVR gives any of those additional boxes DVR functionality.

 

[ViRGE]

You're not talking about the digital adapters now required to watch TV in your house. You're talking about a full digital box (with on demand, cable guide, etc). The digital adapters that TWC provide (in Lexington) only allow the channels 2-99. No premiums. Just channel. They are coax or composite out boxes and are shitty. Why should we be required to have such boxes and pay continuously for them when most TV's today have a digital tuner built in? They cost $0.99 each per month. You can't even turn them off....they stay on 24/7.

Hell, at least get rid of the tuners in the TV's, since we don't need them, and lower the cost and energy usage of the TV.

It's just another perpetual revenue stream for big cable, brought to you by the lobbying firms that they spend millions (if not billions) on.

While I doubt they're all that upset over the additional revenue, that's not the reason why CATV providers have gone this route. The real reason is provisioning.

By going to an all encrypted service, all devices that access the service must be provisioned to receive (and continue to receive) the keys to access the system. This means that turning on service is a few keystrokes, and similarly turning off the service is a few keystrokes. The cable companies no longer have to roll a truck to a dwelling to actually hook up or unhook the service, install'/remove filters, etc.

And admittedly even that is about money since truck rolls are expensive, but it's not the same outright profiteering. A centrally managed system with fewer truck rolls (read: waiting for service appointments) is better all around.

Is there is a good reason why they don't sell cable cards, so consumers can buy our own?

Long story short: separable security. The idea is that you buy your own box, but the cable company provides the security module. You can't buy the security module since they're meant to be cable company property (so that they can trust they are working correctly). Though the fee is more about the service/provisioning than the cost of the hardware.

 

[DCal430]

While I doubt they're all that upset over the additional revenue, that's not the reason why CATV providers have gone this route. The real reason is provisioning.

By going to an all encrypted service, all devices that access the service must be provisioned to receive (and continue to receive) the keys to access the system. This means that turning on service is a few keystrokes, and similarly turning off the service is a few keystrokes. The cable companies no longer have to roll a truck to a dwelling to actually hook up or unhook the service, install'/remove filters, etc.

And admittedly even that is about money since truck rolls are expensive, but it's not the same outright profiteering. A centrally managed system with fewer truck rolls (read: waiting for service appointments) is better all around.

If it not about money why does a cable box with a cablecard included cost 9.99 a month, the card by it self also cost 9.99 a month. Why do they claim the digital box it self cost nothing to rent only the required card.

 

[DCal430]

If it wasn't about profit, CableCards would cost less than a $1 a month to rent, not the same price as the cable boxes.

 

[ViRGE]

If it not about money why does a cable box with a cablecard included cost 9.99 a month, the card by it self also cost 9.99 a month. Why do they claim the digital box it self cost nothing to rent only the required card.

Because in that case your cable company wants $9.99/month per TV. Mine gives you the first card for free, so *shrug*.

 

[DCal430]

Because in that case your cable company wants $9.99/month per TV. Mine charges $1.99 for a CableCARD, so *shrug*.

My cable company is ComCrap the largest of all, and planning to get even larger. Don't worry, they will probably buy your company out too one day.

 

[ViRGE]

My cable company is ComCrap the largest of all, and planning to get even larger. Don't worry, they will probably buy your company out too one day.

Mine is Comcast too. So, uh, I guess you're in a particularly awful market?

 

[DCal430]

Mine is Comcast too. So, uh, I guess you're in a particularly awful market?

Do you actually have a cable card? Comcast use to charge 1.99 for them, but they changed it to the same as the digital converter boxes in late 2012.

This is a national policy of Comcast, not some local thing.

 

[ViRGE]

Do you actually have a cable card? Comcast use to charge 1.99 for them, but they changed it to the same as the digital converter boxes in late 2012.

This is a national policy of Comcast, not some local thing.

Yes, and it's consistent with their current policy.

How much will I be charged to use a CableCARD?
The first CableCARD in a retail device (e.g., TiVo devices or CableCARD-equipped televisions) is provided at no additional charge to Comcast customers. If a second CableCARD is needed for the same device (e.g., TiVo Series 3 boxes), there is a nominal fee for the additional card. Check your local market pricing for this information. Again, this only applies to a second CableCARD in the same device.

I get the first one for free.

 

[DCal430]

Yes, and it's consistent with their current policy.
I get the first one for free.

You get a first CableCard or First Box for Free. So you get nothing. Everyone can choose to get either a regular box for free or a cablecard for free.

 

[DCal430]

Here is someone who has a CableCard and DVR box. You see the DVR is free with his package, because he accepted free DVR he now has to pay 9.95 for each cablecard.

 

[ViRGE]

You get a first CableCard or First Box for Free. So you get nothing. Everyone can choose to get either a regular box for free or a cablecard for free.

No, I mean I get the first CableCARD for every device for free. $1.99 was the fee for a second card for the TiVO Series 3 (which required 1 card per tuner).

Here is someone who has a CableCard and DVR box. You see the DVR is free with his package, because he accepted free DVR he now has to pay 9.95 for each cablecard.

You're confusing the outlet fee (the service fee) with the card fee. You're not being charged for the card. You're being charged for hooking up an additional TV to the service.

And actually you get a $2.50 credit for using your own device right now, so that bill is a bit out of date.

 

[DCal430]

No, I mean I get the first CableCARD for every device for free. $1.99 was the fee for a second card for the TiVO Series 3 (which required 1 card per tuner).

You're confusing the outlet fee (the service fee) with the card fee. You're not being charged for the card. You're being charged for hooking up an additional TV to the service.

And actually you get a $2.50 credit for using your own device right now, so that bill is a bit out of date.

That makes no sense because digital box cost 9.95 and includes the access fee. The cable card with access fee is also 9.95 a month, less 2.50. Each box also includes a CableCard. So you only save 2.50 a month using a cablecard vs renting a box.

So basically we are paying for the right to access the channels we are already paying for.

 

[ViRGE]

That makes no sense because digital box cost 9.95 and includes the access fee. The cable card with access fee is also 9.95 a month, less 2.50. Each box also includes a CableCard. So you only save 2.50 a month using a cablecard vs renting a box.

So basically we are paying for the right to access the channels we are already paying for.

Correct. You functionally pay $7.50/month/outlet for service, and $2.50/month/box for the equipment if you rent it.

 

[DCal430]

No, I mean I get the first CableCARD for every device for free. $1.99 was the fee for a second card for the TiVO Series 3 (which required 1 card per tuner).

You're confusing the outlet fee (the service fee) with the card fee. You're not being charged for the card. You're being charged for hooking up an additional TV to the service.

And actually you get a $2.50 credit for using your own device right now, so that bill is a bit out of date.

That makes no sense because digital box cost 9.95 and includes the access fee. The cable card with access fee is also 9.95 a month, less 2.50. Each box also includes a CableCard. So you only save 2.50 a month using a cablecard vs renting a box.

So basically we are paying for the right to access the channels we are already paying for.

 

[DCal430]

Oops double post

 

[DCal430]

Correct. You functionally pay $7.50/month/outlet for service, and $2.50/month/box for the equipment if you rent it.

Before they encrypted it all you could buy your own cable decoders and watch on as many TVs as you wanted

 

[alkemyst]

The full box or digital adapters? The FCC ruling allowed them to go all digital but they must rent the digital adapters (small boxes will little function) to allow you to watch TV (no premiums, etc). These small boxes can't cost more than $1.99 per month (TWC currently charges $0.99 per month).

We just came full circle, I am saying for $1.99 a month I am seeing boxes that are just $20-30 to buy outright.

Sometimes cheaper for multiple purchases.

$1.99 is not a lot of money, but to simply rent a $20 box it's excessive.

 

[ultimatebob]

It's not an adapter. It's a full box, and the DVR gives any of those additional boxes DVR functionality.

Oh, don't get me wrong... The AT&T wireless "cable" boxes and network DVR are awesome, but I wish there was cheaper option available for that third TV in the house that doesn't get used all that often.

I'm not spending $8 a month to watch TV on a set that I might use once a week. Hooking it up was a no-brainer back when I had Comcast and the adapters were free.