Digital Transition Could Raise Cable Bills

[babylonsister]

Digital shift affects cable

Digital Transition Could Cost Cable Customers

JOHN DUNBAR
AP News

Apr 11, 2008 16:53 EST

For months, TV viewers have been told by government, by industry and by the media that if they already subscribe to cable, there's no need to worry about the coming transition to digital broadcasting.

So cable customer Doris Spurk was surprised to learn that thanks to the transition, she would have to rent a converter box for $5.95 per month, per television set, plus pay for a $60 service call to install it. With five televisions in her home, the conversion would increase her bill by 75 percent.

"It really ticks us off," the 63-year-old central Florida resident said. "If they are in the right and can do this — charge these prices — then the educational effort that the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is doing is really misleading everybody."

Thus far, government and the broadcast industry have focused their consumer-education efforts regarding the transition on viewers of over-the-air television programming. But information about how the transition will affect cable subscribers has been scant.

The congressionally mandated transition requires all full-power television stations to broadcast only in a digital format starting in mid-February. Anyone with a non-digital television who uses an antenna will need a converter box. The government is giving out two $40 coupons per household to subsidize the cost of the boxes, and about 10 million coupons have been requested so far.

more...

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/04/digital_shift_affects_cable.php

[Poll_Blind]

1. Glad as hell I gave up cable years ago. n/t

PB

[Deja Q]

2. I've watched lots of cable channels in the past...

What's educational about it? :evilgrin:

Sadly, DVDs are cheaper than cable as it stands.

And why can't our government subsidize gas? Mind you, if people threw out all their old tvs, it'd make a real mess for the local landfills.

[Mojambo]

3. Just cancel your cable and download the 0.0050% of shows that are actually worth watching. n/t

[eShirl]

4. or even just stream them

like in my sig below...

[LTR]

5. This doesn't really have much to do with the DTV conversion

The DTV conversion is mostly about over-the-air broadcast television. The subject in question here affects people who currently get analog cable service (i.e. subscribers who plug the cable directly into the back of their TV set). Cable companies won't be required to turn off their own analog service, and are kind of discouraged from doing so for the near future, but they really want to. Analog uses up a lot of bandwidth, and they can make money renting out their own boxes and charging installation fees.

What they will never tell you is that you don't have to use the cable company's digital boxes. With some modern receiving equipment or third party cable box, you can simply use a CableCARD, which by law you are able to request (for a monthly fee) from the cable company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CableCARD

[seabeyond]

6. i dont want cable, dont want it, dont want it. .... so bad. and hubby does

i have to have it in house. i really dont want ALL the garbage in house. and i really dont want to pay more.

all you that dont have it, ... i am envious.

[Fumesucker]

7. FIVE televisions?

They deserve to pay through the nose, stupidity should be painful.

You can watch TV from all over the world over your broadband with this little freeware program.

http://www.anytvplayer.com/

[PSPS]

11. Be honest

It costs $70.

AnyTVPlayer is only "free" if you get the cripleware version, which lacks most of its useful features. Most of the TV stations lack sound as well.

[eShirl]

12. or just go to these free websites for the same thing

http://www.channelchooser.com/

http://www.freeetv.com/index.php

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

8. Whats new about this? The bill's gonna go up anyhow...

I thing it goes up sometimes because they "can"!

[Publius2008]

9. Five TVs in one House?

That seems like a lot. Turn off the TV and go outside.

[mitchtv]

10. A cloudy day could raise cable bills

or perhaps an executive bonus?