Cablevision Removing Analog Services

[Scott Greczkowski]

I just got the following in my INBOX. Looks like Cablevision will be doing their own Analog to Digital conversion soon on popular cable channels.

Cablevision carries virtually all of the programming it offers in digital format. Beginning Thursday, April 30 and continuing through Tuesday, May 19, 2009, the duplicate analog feeds of certain Family Cable channels are being eliminated. These channels include ABC Family, AMC, BET, C-SPAN, CNN Headline News, Fuse, Galavision, History, Lifetime, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, Spike TV, TV Land VH1 and WE. Once the analog feeds are eliminated, a digital cable box and iO Navigation (or a CableCARD) will be required in order to continue receiving the affected Family Cable channels.

At the same time, the duplicate analog feeds of C-SPAN, which is part of the Broadcast Basic package will also be removed in certain areas. Once the analog feeds are eliminated, a digital cable box and iO Navigation (or a CableCARD or QAM tuner) will be required in order to continue receiving C-SPAN.

Customers in the Bronx and Brooklyn, Newark/Elizabeth, Hudson and Paterson service areas are not affected by this initiative because the duplicate analog feeds of the Family Cable channels have already been removed.

Additional Background Information

The elimination of the analog feeds of these services will allow Cablevision to offer more programming, particularly more free high definition programming and interactive services.

In order to ease the transition, residential customers who do not have a digital cable box or a CableCARD will be offered a digital cable box and iO Navigation for one year free.

 

[Cobra611]

Thanks for the heads up, Scott!!!

 

[RemyM]

Wonderful news!

 

[e2727]

That is good to hear, hope they add some new HD channels now thank's

 

[cforrest]

Appears if any HD will be added, will probably be around June. Hopefully they'll move some HD channels off the same frequency and improve the picture quality of existing channels that are 4 deep in the same QAM channel, while adding more HD in June. Since 16 analog channels will give them a nice chunk of bandwidth once all digital. Good news for those with Cablevision and waiting for more HD, thanks for the news Scott!

 

[hbk409]

hopefully they can take those premiums they recently added off sdv hate turning to a channel only to see channel not available try again later

 

[jpr281]

1 analog channel takes up 1 full QAM, correct?

 

[johnner1999]

this is great - thanks Scott!!!

 

[dm145]

more room=more HD
more room=should mean improved PQ

 

[rtt2]

Scott I am confused about this a bit.

I looked at the channel guide and do not see Galavision listed. I do not think any city in CV's footprint has it at all.

CSPAN is already digital only.

Was this an old memo? or was this an official notification?

 

[NotMe546]

Scott I am confused about this a bit.

I looked at the channel guide and do not see Galavision listed. I do not think any city in CV's footprint has it at all.

CSPAN is already digital only.

Was this an old memo? or was this an official notification?

CH 63
Optimum - Channel Lineups

 

[rtt2]

Thanks. That is weird out of the 38 service areas cablevision serves only 14 get that channel.

Thanks!

These are the places that get Galavision:
Bridgeport
Elizabeth
Hudson County
Newark
Paterson
Riverhead, Southampton, Southold, East Hampton and Shelter Island
Hauppauge
Lynbrook
Woodbury/Islip
Bronx
Brooklyn
Port Chester/Harrison
Yonkers

 

[Claude Greiner]

You all think its great. I agree, but there are alot of customers up in arms about this due to the fact they now have to rent digital boxes and its another $7 per box which gets expensive when they have several televisions just hooked to basic cable.

 

[NotMe546]

You all think its great. I agree, but there are alot of customers up in arms about this due to the fact they now have to rent digital boxes and its another $7 per box which gets expensive when they have several televisions just hooked to basic cable.

That was the number one reason people stayed with cable. I hope a lot more tell dolan where to go!!!
Just another stupid thing the dolans are doing!!!

 

[skohly]

You all think its great. I agree, but there are alot of customers up in arms about this due to the fact they now have to rent digital boxes and its another $7 per box which gets expensive when they have several televisions just hooked to basic cable.

I think you are mixing apples with oranges on this. Yes the IO box is $7.00 but a plain jane analog to digital converter box will either be free or only a couple of dollars. It won't have any features such as the guide. Verizon Fios is already doing this and Comcast is going this route shortly.

 

[dm145]

You all think its great. I agree, but there are alot of customers up in arms about this due to the fact they now have to rent digital boxes and its another $7 per box which gets expensive when they have several televisions just hooked to basic cable.

This conversion is LONG over due. The fact that they are dragging it out and not going completly digital has a hell of a lot more customers up in arms!

The people that are complaining do not care about PQ, HD or OOL speeds.
Once all systems are 100% digital they will be greatly improved.

It can't happen fast enough.

 

[RemyM]

That was the number one reason people stayed with cable. I hope a lot more tell dolan where to go!!!
Just another stupid thing the dolans are doing!!!

So what should they do instead? Not add more HD and lose the customers paying the highest bills to their competitors? All of their competitors require a box on every TV so what will people who don't want a box gain by switching?

 

[RemyM]

Yes the IO box is $7.00 but a plain jane analog to digital converter box will either be free or only a couple of dollars. It won't have any features such as the guide.

Do you know something we don't? Cablevision doesn't currently offer such a box.

 

[NotMe546]

This conversion is LONG over due. The fact that they are dragging it out and not going completly digital has a hell of a lot more customers up in arms!

The people that are complaining do not care about PQ, HD or OOL speeds.
Once all systems are 100% digital they will be greatly improved.

It can't happen fast enough.

The system is already digital.

 

[RemyM]

The system is already digital.

Only the Bronx, Brooklyn; Newark, Elizabeth, Paterson and Hudson, NJ are fully digital. All other systems still offer bandwidth hogging analog stations.