WTF Comcast? (DC ATOTers chime in!)

[GTaudiophile]

So I get home and turn on the TV and get like "scrambled content" message everywhere. WTF?

I mean I know Comcast has been rolling out this "all digital" thing but I never got a notice.

And I don't have any sort of fancy package. Just the locals (NBC, Fox, etc.).

I have an antenna that I could hookup.

I also have an HDHomeRunPrime. Guess I could request a CableCard and get my HD locals back?

I obviously don't want to pay them another dime. Craptastic company.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

if you get ota reception, why would you pay for the same channels?

 

[mrjminer]

I remember reading somewhere that they had to provide you with one cable card for free if you had no boxes because they had to provide you with a means to actually view what you are paying for. Otherwise, you'd have to pay them to get a card.

Don't know if that's true, though, I just read about it randomly a few months ago.

 

[shortylickens]

Sorry, I cant relate. Right now verizon is giving me 65 down and 45 up. I'm too busy enjoying an HD movie and torrenting porn like a demented pervert.

 

[ponyo]

if you get ota reception, why would you pay for the same channels?

Because he loves Comcast?

 

[Markbnj]

I feel your pain. I had a nice setup with an HDHomerun a few years ago, initially with over 120 clear channels. Then over the years they disappeared in chunks until I was down to 20-something channels of crap. I'm a little too far from NYC for decent OTA, so that was the point at which I basically stopped watching cable. My family continued to watch a few shows for awhile, but last weekend we turned in all our cable boxes and upgraded the Internet service to 50/10. Screw cable TV. They're dinosaurs.

 

[cronos]

Charter is turning off clear QAM as well. No more free TV for us with terrible OTA access.

 

[zanejohnson]

how sucky!


luckily as of now i can still pick up all the qam channels without paying for service (and thats about 80 channels, locals+basic (in hd) + streaming music channels.... cant use the guide or anything, but it's essentially free TV (using the qam tuner in my HTPC)


i use a small private ISP though, they're pretty liberal

hopefully this isn't a new trend coming to my little isp soon, i'd be upset (i needz my ESPNs)

 

[Jimzz]

If you are in DC/NoVA a OTA antenna will pick up around 40 channels give or take.

I get in the mid 40 channels in NoVA with an antenna in my attic.

 

[ponyo]

Charter is turning off clear QAM as well. No more free TV for us with terrible OTA access.

Charter turned off clear QAM in my area two months ago. So I installed RCA antenna in my attic and now I get over 70 OTA channels. I was getting way less with Charter QAM. So it worked out better for us.

 

[kinev]

http://www.comcast.com/digitaladapterinfo

 

[notposting]

Yep.

Technology moving forward eh? Now, you can enjoy the BENEFITS AND SATISFACTION of having a box on every single TV/Device/Tuner in your home! No more of this cable ready TV nonsense! No more extra TV in the basement for workouts with a limited lineup. No sir! You can get your assfucking (via large rectangular cable box insertion) dry, enjoy it, and probably get a rate increase too! Enjoy the merger and thank your local and national DC officials when you see them!

 

[notposting]

<--bitter and cynical, if you hadn't noticed

 

[Exterous]

Wow - I thought they had finished that 'enhancement' already. We lost our channels about 3 years ago. No announcement just one day they didn't work.

I remember reading somewhere that they had to provide you with one cable card for free if you had no boxes because they had to provide you with a means to actually view what you are paying for. Otherwise, you'd have to pay them to get a card.

It seems to vary. They DO have to provide you with a card for free if you have no boxes (not that all of their reps know this). After that they may charge you but I haven't had to pay for my CableCARD in 3 years on 2 different accounts. FWIW Comcast's CableCARD support people are actually competent and you get a direct number to them with the card.

 

[cronos]

Charter turned off clear QAM in my area two months ago. So I installed RCA antenna in my attic and now I get over 70 OTA channels. I was getting way less with Charter QAM. So it worked out better for us.

Yeah, we're in an apartment building (can't install outside antenna), facing north, while all the TV stations are south of us. We do get some channels with a rabbit-ear thingy, but the reception is unreliable.

 

[ControlD]

Charter turned off clear QAM in my area two months ago. So I installed RCA antenna in my attic and now I get over 70 OTA channels. I was getting way less with Charter QAM. So it worked out better for us.

Geez. I don't think my entire quadrant of Ohio has 70 OTA channels.

 

[SunnyD]

You had an announcement. It was either:

A) In a separate letter set to you.
B) In one of your billing statements within the last 12 months.
C) When you signed up for your service.

I didn't get A or B because I was told from day 1 when I signed up that I would need a digital box to get TV service in my area. They completed their transition back in March, I now have no ClearQAM channels. I do, however, have a HDHomeRun Prime with a CableCard and don't really care otherwise.

 

[Mursilis]

If you are in DC/NoVA a OTA antenna will pick up around 40 channels give or take.

I get in the mid 40 channels in NoVA with an antenna in my attic.

What antenna are you using and where in NoVa are you located?

 

[boomerang]

You had an announcement. It was either:

A) In a separate letter set to you.
B) In one of your billing statements within the last 12 months.
C) When you signed up for your service.

I didn't get A or B because I was told from day 1 when I signed up that I would need a digital box to get TV service in my area. They completed their transition back in March, I now have no ClearQAM channels. I do, however, have a HDHomeRun Prime with a CableCard and don't really care otherwise.

I also got automated phone calls telling me of the conversion and the need to order the digital box at no charge. I have Dish for TV and at that time had the bare minimum TV package from Comcast to satisfy their triple play requirements. I did not actually have Comcast hooked up to any TV in the house. I had not intended to get the digital box at all but they were pestering me incessantly so I did.

 

[lupi]

The key question is what service is he paying for, any actual tv or just freeloading off aof "internet" and now complaining because he's the reason they are doing this.

 

[boomerang]

Geez. I don't think my entire quadrant of Ohio has 70 OTA channels.

You might now that the broadcasters have all gone digital. You can pick up stations like 4, 4.1, 4.2, etc.

We're a long ways from any broadcast antennas and have a ton of very tall trees surrounding the house. Analog reception was unwatchable but I have not tried digital. Not really interested in purchasing an antenna just to find out what I can get.

 

[Markbnj]

The key question is what service is he paying for, any actual tv or just freeloading off aof "internet" and now complaining because he's the reason they are doing this.

What? Please elaborate on this freeloading you speak of.

 

[Jimzz]

What antenna are you using and where in NoVa are you located?

I'm near the Springfield/Franconia metro stop.
I got the large outdoor antenna from Radio Shack, maybe $40ish, and put it in my attic. I ran the line to a splitter/booster (good one not the cheap ones from RS/Walmart types) and then run those lines to each outlet.

I get all the major networks, several PBS stations, MHZ channels, etc... come in great. I even can pick up channel 2, I think its a Baltimore station, on some TVs.

 

[shortylickens]

I am in Manassas and last time I checked over the air we got a CRAPLOAD of channels. But I still like FIOS better.

 

[Zee]

Time Warner turned off the analog/unencrypted cable here. used to get a handful of channels with cable line straight to the tv.

no more. not one single channel.