Too Many Duplicate Channels?

[cb80]

I live in the Indy area and I trying to figure out why bright house has 50 duplicate channels (cnn, cartoon network, mtv etc..). I wonder what they are trying to do. Why don‘t they just add new channels instead? It looks like they are wasting bandwidth.

 

[charper1]

The are likely simple channel number remaps or the same thing, not actually taking up additional bandwidth.

Any other possibility is one SD and one HD or one analog and one digital.

 

[cb80]

Thanks for your answer! It would be nice if bright house would replace those duplicate channels with some new channels, because they are very slow in that deparment!

 

[mbbrumm]

I use a QAM tuner on my Media center PC. Some of the channels are put on the wire up to 3 times. Once analog, once as digital SD and once as HD.

I find the same broadcast at 3 different frequencies on the wire. They do waste a lot of bandwidth.

 

[stevenl]

Its not a waste. Customer A has no cable box needs CNN analog. Customer B has a box wants it ditigal. Customer C has an HD TV wants it in HD.. 12-16 Digital channels can be put in the same slot 1 analog channel can, so its not alot of wasted space. Customers with digital boxs get a better picture and it costs BHN very little bandwidth to do so.

Plus with Switch-Digital launching around the country in BHN areas, they will have very little to worry about in the bandwidth department.

 

[mbbrumm]

It is a waste in bandwidth. They are choosing to waste bandwidth rather than supply STB to all their current analog only customers. It is all a choice of how brighthouse wants to balance the needs of the customer and the needs of the shareholder. In this case the choice was to waste bandwidth and not supply STBs. Just to demonstrate the issue look how Brighthouse will supply a STB for any analog only customer who wants the Marion County access channel after it was moved to digital only.

 

[stevenl]

BHN has no shareholders. They are a privately held company.

Do you know how much a STB costs? Do you know how many customers have cable simply because they do not want a STB on there tv? That was cables biggest advantage over satellite (among others) was that you could just plug in any tv in the house and get picture. Yes times are a changing and eventually BHN maybe digital only. But for now they most maintain an analog network for those many holdout customers.. Think of this out of the over 900k customers in the CFL area, only about 450k are digital customers... thats a lot of analog customers! (note that CFL has the highest digital penetration of any BHN system in fact I beleive they are #1 in the nation among cable providers)

Also like you said BHN is working to move some channels to digital only, and to make up for it to customers who are upset they offer a STB for 1$ a month to customers who wish to get those channels still. Eventually it will be great when we can go all digital there are STBS being made now for under 100 some for even 50$ the problem is convincing those hold out customers of the need.

Also note the avg customer has about 4 TVs, at say 50$ per box, plus around 100$ to get them installed, thats about 300$ per customer to get them all setup with all digital. The avg analog only customer pays less then 50$ a month so it would take 6 months of 50$ a month payments just to cover the cost of the equipment and installation, but wait all 50$ cant goto it, as 40% of the cost is programming. So you can see how many months it would take for BHN to recover its costs. Now take into count the churn rate. BHN is in the business to make money not lose it. At the current time, it is not cost effective they would lose there shirt if they gave every customer a STB... Perhaps in the future it would be right for it but right now and years ago was not effective business.

 

[Chucky Cheese]

Its not a waste. Customer A has no cable box needs CNN analog. Customer B has a box wants it ditigal. Customer C has an HD TV wants it in HD.. 12-16 Digital channels can be put in the same slot 1 analog channel can, so its not alot of wasted space. Customers with digital boxs get a better picture and it costs BHN very little bandwidth to do so.

Plus with Switch-Digital launching around the country in BHN areas, they will have very little to worry about in the bandwidth department.

:up:up You Hit it right on the nail....

 

[jcarrera]

Everybody's right. You can look at a nail and see a fastener or a tire puncturer.

 

[Chucky Cheese]

:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo:sleeo

 

[Isomorphic]

I realize that there are different models of STB with different cost concerns, but it seems like BHN should source all new STBs as HD. Then (eventually, when the old ones died) they could simulcast one analog channel for the antique crowd and one digital/HD channel for everyone else. People with SD displays but with a STB would see the HD feed downsampled--just like those OTA boxes the Federal government is giving rebates for.

stevenl is right, though. BHN is actually airing ads about the upcoming analog shutoff saying "You don't have anything to worry about, you're on Brighthouse Networks." Way to turn obsolete tech into an advantage! Go Marketing!!

 

[stevenl]

Also note that I do believe BHN is only buying new HD boxes. They are giving even STD digital customers HD boxes (unless they are older boxes) but all new boxes are HD. So they are still using the old standard digital boxes already in rotation, but the new purchased boxes are all HD boxes.

 

[jcarrera]

So, I have the HD box (for the larger hard disk) but no HD TV or HD service other than what is just in the digital tier. So, I should just switch to "standard box" at the standard rate, and will get to keep the HD box?

 

[stevenl]

Its possible. What they would do likely is just turn off the HD channels. Of course the HD box and STD box should be the same price?

What they are doing is this. Any box they already own they are still using in the system so if you order digital cable you may get one of those old non-hd boxes. But NEW boxes they are buying are ALL hd. So you have a good chance of getting an HD box or a STD box. Just depends on whats in stock at the time.

 

[Randalllind]

I live in the Indy area and I trying to figure out why bright house has 50 duplicate channels (cnn, cartoon network, mtv etc..). I wonder what they are trying to do. Why don‘t they just add new channels instead? It looks like they are wasting bandwidth.

I think they should add a options to hide duplicate channels. I have HDTV so block the non HD channel that are the same.

 

[jcarrera]

That's a darn good idea, so long as it is an option and not automatic.

 

[ddeloach1228]

DirecTv has this feature.

 

[Khandurian]

Also note the avg customer has about 4 TVs, at say 50$ per box, plus around 100$ to get them installed, thats about 300$ per customer to get them all setup with all digital. The avg analog only customer pays less then 50$ a month so it would take 6 months of 50$ a month payments just to cover the cost of the equipment and installation, but wait all 50$ cant goto it, as 40% of the cost is programming.

Let me help your math out here....

They pay 150$ for new standard digital box. They pay their contractors $3 to install that box. The box rental fee is 10$ a month. It takes 16 months to pay off 1 digital box. (not taking into account any other money).

They pay $350 for new HD boxes. They pay their contractors $3 to install that box. The box rental fee is 10$ a month. It takes 36 months to pay off 1 digital box. (not taking into account any other money).

They pay $275 for new DVR boxes... (see above)

They pay $425 for New HD-Dvr boxes.... (see above)

Also note that I do believe BHN is only buying new HD boxes. They are giving even STD digital customers HD boxes (unless they are older boxes) but all new boxes are HD. So they are still using the old standard digital boxes already in rotation, but the new purchased boxes are all HD boxes.

This may be true in your area. It's not true in our area. They do purchase new standard digital boxes after their ability to repair/send off for replacement for free period ends.

Please note all the above ramblings are for the area of which I am involved in. I have no idea about anyone elses. All though I am pretty sure those numbers would be pretty close.