Free HD cable? No way!

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: toekramp
I just want my OTA and ESPN 🙁 GIVE ME A SOLUTION.

ESPN=Disney=ABC so they could use one of their local affiliates -X channels to send it OTA but don't hold your breath since they make money from charging the cable providers that carry it.

 

[ggnl]

Originally posted by: richardycc
I usually pick up a random porn ppv channel from someone in my neighborhood is watching. fun stuff to just watch them what they watch, they usually skip the boring stuff and fast forward to the good stuff.

Yeah I can pick up other peoples' PPV stuff occasionally. Most of the time there's no signal on the channels though. Never gotten porn before. Seems I only get weird foreign films.

 

[ZappDogg]

1. who is your cable provider? 2. are you paying for basic cable TV as well, or just cable internet?

Time Warner

Just paying for 7.0 cable internet.

 

[AeroEngy]

Originally posted by: ggnl

Originally posted by: richardycc
I usually pick up a random porn ppv channel from someone in my neighborhood is watching. fun stuff to just watch them what they watch, they usually skip the boring stuff and fast forward to the good stuff.

Yeah I can pick up other peoples' PPV stuff occasionally. Most of the time there's no signal on the channels though. Never gotten porn before. Seems I only get weird foreign films.

I also get all the networds in HD plus for awhile I was getting ESPN and a bunch of ohter cable channels in HD then they starting encrypting it.

I still pick up lots of PPV and anything someone in watching On-Demand. The annoying part is when the person fast-forwards or pauses the program it does the same on my TV.

 

[ViRGE]

Our Comcast system is going almost entirely digital in January (only basic cable in analog), so Comcast has stopped encrypting the entire 1st tier of digital channels in order to be compliant with the separable security directive, since their new Digital Terminal Adapters aren't separable. It's nice to be able to pick up everything with my HDHomeRun/VistaMCE instead of having to go with one of their bloody awful STBs. I just wish they didn't charge extra for the HD versions of non-OTA channels, so that they could stop encrypting those too. I want my ESPNHD.🙁

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: ViRGE
Our Comcast system is going almost entirely digital in January (only basic cable in analog), so Comcast has stopped encrypting the entire 1st tier of digital channels in order to be compliant with the separable security directive, since their new Digital Terminal Adapters aren't separable. It's nice to be able to pick up everything with my HDHomeRun/VistaMCE instead of having to go with one of their bloody awful STBs. I just wish they didn't charge extra for the HD versions of non-OTA channels, so that they could stop encrypting those too. I want my ESPNHD.🙁

you're right! everyone should give everything away for free, all the time!

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler

Originally posted by: ViRGE
Our Comcast system is going almost entirely digital in January (only basic cable in analog), so Comcast has stopped encrypting the entire 1st tier of digital channels in order to be compliant with the separable security directive, since their new Digital Terminal Adapters aren't separable. It's nice to be able to pick up everything with my HDHomeRun/VistaMCE instead of having to go with one of their bloody awful STBs. I just wish they didn't charge extra for the HD versions of non-OTA channels, so that they could stop encrypting those too. I want my ESPNHD.🙁

you're right! everyone should give everything away for free, all the time!

Well come on, why on earth should the HD channels cost more? It's not as if they're paying extra for the content. Hell, the issue isn't even that it costs more, it's that it's encrypted.

I absolutely despise those wretched STBs, and I'm not about to start shelling out $15/month to TiVo for the privilege of getting guide listings for their otherwise nice gear.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: ViRGE

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler

Originally posted by: ViRGE
Our Comcast system is going almost entirely digital in January (only basic cable in analog), so Comcast has stopped encrypting the entire 1st tier of digital channels in order to be compliant with the separable security directive, since their new Digital Terminal Adapters aren't separable. It's nice to be able to pick up everything with my HDHomeRun/VistaMCE instead of having to go with one of their bloody awful STBs. I just wish they didn't charge extra for the HD versions of non-OTA channels, so that they could stop encrypting those too. I want my ESPNHD.🙁

you're right! everyone should give everything away for free, all the time!

Well come on, why on earth should the HD channels cost more? It's not as if they're paying extra for the content. Hell, the issue isn't even that it costs more, it's that it's encrypted.

I absolutely despise those wretched STBs, and I'm not about to start shelling out $15/month to TiVo for the privilege of getting guide listings for their otherwise nice gear.

HD = more bandwidth usage.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21

Originally posted by: ViRGE

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler

Originally posted by: ViRGE
Our Comcast system is going almost entirely digital in January (only basic cable in analog), so Comcast has stopped encrypting the entire 1st tier of digital channels in order to be compliant with the separable security directive, since their new Digital Terminal Adapters aren't separable. It's nice to be able to pick up everything with my HDHomeRun/VistaMCE instead of having to go with one of their bloody awful STBs. I just wish they didn't charge extra for the HD versions of non-OTA channels, so that they could stop encrypting those too. I want my ESPNHD.🙁

you're right! everyone should give everything away for free, all the time!

Well come on, why on earth should the HD channels cost more? It's not as if they're paying extra for the content. Hell, the issue isn't even that it costs more, it's that it's encrypted.

I absolutely despise those wretched STBs, and I'm not about to start shelling out $15/month to TiVo for the privilege of getting guide listings for their otherwise nice gear.

HD = more bandwidth usage.

That's both true and false. Compared to SD digital it's true, compared to analog it's using 1/2 to 1/3rd the bandwidth. In either case that still doesn't justify charging extra.

 

[ZappDogg]

i try not to think too deeply about awesome things like free HD 😀

 

[AstroManLuca]

Comcast's "Digital Starter" cable is like $60/month already. I can't believe how much cable TV service costs. And that apparently doesn't even include HD service! Crazy.

I'll stick with basic cable - $13/mo. The only times I really wish I have cable are Monday nights, but I'm not about to pay $15 per game to watch football on Mondays.

 

[kalrith]

I've been paying too much for DirecTV, and with a baby on the way, I really need to cut costs. I plan on buying the Echostar TR-50 (HD DVR for OTA with no monthly fees) and hooking up my OTA antenna. I wish there were a solution out there for ESPN for $5/month or something like that, but until that day comes, free OTA HD is the way to go.

 

[coolVariable]

I think TWC is testing something with History Channel and Discovery (and some others like it).
I am in Los Angeles and received those over unencrypted QAM from June through September ... now, all of a sudden, they are gone. Black.
Sucks, because I use an HDHomerun with my Media Center.

 

[Darthvoy]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: CKent

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: GoPackGo
Waiting for the "youre stealing" crowed ....

5
4
3...

Waiting for the "learn to spell" crowd ....

5
4
3...

Technically he spelled it right, he just missed the apostrophe. "Your stealing" would have been far worse IMO.

Edit: Oh. CAW, CAW!!

Failboat leaving town, all aboard!

i'm afraid it's a one man trip

 

[Homerboy]

QAM is hardly anything new. You're telling me people haven't known about this?

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Homerboy
QAM is hardly anything new. You're telling me people haven't known about this?

I'd say the vast majority of people don't know you can plug a HD set into cable and get HD without a box and without paying more. They also don't know you can get free HD with an antenna.

 

[vshah]

funny thing is, cable internet + basic cable is often cheaper than just cable internet, at least around here.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Homerboy
QAM is hardly anything new. You're telling me people haven't known about this?

I'd say the vast majority of people don't know you can plug a HD set into cable and get HD without a box and without paying more. They also don't know you can get free HD with an antenna.

Until 2 weeks ago for me, it wasn't worth knowing about. Everything except the national networks was encrypted.

 

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: richardycc
I usually pick up a random porn ppv channel from someone in my neighborhood is watching. fun stuff to just watch them what they watch, they usually skip the boring stuff and fast forward to the good stuff.

I had the same thing happen when I got a LCD with a QAM tuner last year.

I just hooked it up to the cable outlet and let it scan and then was going through all the .x channels (IE: 100.5) and saw that the movie Knocked Up was on so I stopped on that to watch it for awhile. Well the wife and I are sitting there watching the movie then all the sudden the image goes fuzzy and then a hardcore porn comes on with a circle jerk in the process and guy after guy blowing their load on the "star" then it went back to Knocked Up.

I about shit myself 😛 My in-laws and parents and wifes grandma were all over but (thank God!) were all in another room when that happened 😛

 

[Parasitic]

Wait, so could you get into trouble if you didn't pay for cable TV but still hooked up a TV to your cable internet line via a splitter for those channels?
Because it'd be nice for me to be able to do this and at least get some news reports and OTA stuff.

 

[Zee]

buy a splitter.
preferably where one side says in, the other side says Out and -8db.
hook modem back on to the OUT port and the tv to the -8db.
welcome to 2002.


or buy a splitter with -3.5db on both outputs.

TW might even just give it to you for free if you go over there and ask for one.