Bridgeport, CT system going fully digital 5/18

[RemyM]

Starting next month, Cablevision will begin eliminating the duplicate analog feed of the Broadcast Basic and Family tiers, creating a fully digital cable system in the Bridgeport franchise area. The transition will be rolled out in the Bridgeport franchise area beginning on May 6, 2010 and concluding by approximately May 18, 2010. Customers with a digital television with a QAM tuner or digital equipment with a CableCARD will continue to see the Broadcast Basic and Family tiers without any additional equipment. Customers with analog televisions will require a digital set top box to view any tier of service.

To make the digital transition easier for customers, Cablevision will extend various free digital cable box and CableCARD offers to customers and will take numerous measures to inform customers of the changes to their service. Customers will be notified of the digitization through on-air messages on the programming channel guide, by a separate mailing at least 30 days in advance of the changes, and by outbound telephone phone call. Customers will also be able to find their most current channel line-up and more details about the transition on our consumer website www.optimum.com. Customers will be offered multiple options for receiving the free set top boxes Cablevision makes available in connection with this transition.

http://www.dpuc.state.ct.us/DPUCUnd...85256a63004def96852576fc0070c480?OpenDocument

 

[beachrider]

Interesting. One of CV's key attractions when DTV became the rule OTA was that they permitted continued use of analog TVs. I can see that they want to more-efficiently use their bandwidth, but the OTA conversion to CV might unwind a little. I have to say that OTA-DTV is much better than the old analog stuff.

 

[johnner1999]

Any idea when Litchfield will go all digital? as it would I assume end the use of SDV?

 

[beachrider]

I just got the snail mail on it yesterday. I have one HDTV with cablecard and DVR. They charge me for two TVs with that. If I add QAM tuning, that comes for free (but only broadcast basic is guaranteed on QAM). If I add a cable box, I get charged $7 a month plus the cable box cost (they have some kind of discount for the cable box itself for a while).

 

[Jenna]

Not happy about this at all. We only get 2 free cable boxes, for 2 years, and we have 4 tv's in the house.

One of the TV's was purchased in 2009, will that still work, without the cable box?

What is this QAM Tuner? Is it something you buy plug into your TV?

 

[goaliebob99]

Not happy about this at all. We only get 2 free cable boxes, for 2 years, and we have 4 tv's in the house.

One of the TV's was purchased in 2009, will that still work, without the cable box?

What is this QAM Tuner? Is it something you buy plug into your TV?

A QAM tuner is a digital tuner. You cant buy it, as it comes with the tv. Any newer tv that has an ATSC (digital over the air) tuner has a qam tuner in it. You hook it up to the same digital port as if you were hooking an Over the Air antenna and put your tv into cable mode, from there you should be able to scan for digital stations (note your tv may automatically detect it) Your tv will also have a qam tuner in it if it has cable card slots in the tv. The TV purchased in 2009 will most likely work and doesnt require a box, unless you want to view subscribed content. take the cable coming out of the wall and do a digital scan on that tv to see what you get.

 

[beachrider]

New Haven County Cablevision lost its analog channels TODAY. I did a new QAM search, expecting to only see the 'Broadcast Basic' channels in-clear on QAM. It is slightly better than that. It looks like the ATSC 'subchannels' of OTA channels are presented, too. There may be some stray 'other stuff' that I haven't figured out yet, too.

FWIW not all ATSC televisions have QAM. If QAM is present, it will appear in the description.

 

[Jenna]

Toshiba said my TV has a QAM tuner built in.

So, on May 18, 2010, will I have to do anything to keep viewing the Broadcast Basic channels?

 

[beachrider]

You can find out now. Just do a digital-only channel scan on the TV. Those are all the QAM channels (and subchannels). This scan will take between 10-20 minutes (digital-only, else double it).

I still have my OTA antenna outside. I rewired it (corrosion from five years of disuse). I am going to go-OTA for my second-TV. The third TV is due to be discarded, anyway.

 

[beachrider]

One other comment. A CV neighbor told me that CV gave her two ANALOG cable boxes without-charge for two years. I don't know if that was contingent on any other commitment, but anyone else should ask about that deal.

 

[RemyM]

One other comment. A CV neighbor told me that CV gave her two ANALOG cable boxes without-charge for two years. I don't know if that was contingent on any other commitment, but anyone else should ask about that deal.

There is no other commitment and it's two Digital cable boxes free for two years for TV's that currently don't have boxes.
http://www.dpuc.state.ct.us/DPUCUnd...85256a63004def9685257715007053b1?OpenDocument

 

[beachrider]

OK, just so we don't get our panties in a wad...

The cableboxes that were given to my neighbor certainly dealt with digital cable input. They both were not capabile of an HD output, though. They had composite video outputs, as well as 'analog channel 3' outputs.

I was making a point that the boxes didn't have HD-output capability. This would include component-video or HDMI outputs.

 

[beachrider]

I just read the attachment of a sample CV customer letter. It notes a 'buy 1, get 2 free' offer ONLY IF you ask for it by May 18. The 'free' part runs out in 2 years.

My neighbor got a different deal. She just got two 'non-HD output' cableboxes for free; but she didn't have to purchase anything new. I don't know anything else about the deal she got. I was just advising that you might be able to get a CV box without any new commitment.

 

[mkm4]

The cableboxes that were given to my neighbor certainly dealt with digital cable input. They both were not capabile of an HD output, though.

If you want an hd box, you have to ask for it. They don't assume you have an hd tv.
If your neighbor has an hd tv and wants to switch, the easiest thing to do is bring the old box to a customer service center and switch it.