Re: analog equipment and the FCC

On Sat, 12 Jul 2008 05:57:02 GMT Smarty <nobody@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
| <phil-news-nospam@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
| news:g59fnq0jlt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
|> On Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:30:49 -0400 Rick Merrill <rick0.merrill@xxxxxxxxx>
|> wrote:
|>
|> | Recent FCC regulations will make analog over cable (that's right, over
|> | cable) obsolete by Feb 2012.
|>
|> Technology did that back in the early 1990's. The FCC is just now
|> catching up.
|>
|> --
|> |WARNING: Due to extreme spam, googlegroups.com is blocked. Due to
|> ignorance |
|> | by the abuse department, bellsouth.net is blocked. If you post
|> to |
|> | Usenet from these places, find another Usenet provider ASAP.
|> |
|> | Phil Howard KA9WGN (email for humans: first name in lower case at
|> ipal.net) |
|
|
| Phil,
|
| I don't understand your point. My local Time Warner cable company delivers
| nearly 70 analog TV channels to this day in analog format. Are you referring
| to some cable companies which are purely digital?

My point is that the emergence of digital technology itself is what made analog
technology for TV delivery obsolete. The FCC didn't do it. Instead, the FCC
just took its time very slowly getting out of the way of digital technology.
Some cable companies are slower than others in adopting this technology. They
do know it can mean more money. But it also takes money invested to make the
change and remove the obsolete technology. One of the issues is the installed
base of analog input STBs they have to replace. Most are doing this tier by
tier with basic being last (where they might have to provide free STBs).

As I understand it the cable system in Chicago is 100% digital. I have not
found out how they are meeting the "analog mandate" to provide analog signal
to the basic customers. A simple STB that has only analog output could do
the job.

There is talk that Comcast is deploying (testing?) 8VSB instead of QAM for
the few channels that will be on the basic tier, apparently to take advantage
of the cheap converter boxes that emerged from the government coupon program.
They won't have to provide an STB at all to customers that have one of these.
It may be the case they will squeeze all the basic channels in SD into 2 or 3
RF channels, and deliver the HD versions of these on the remaining QAM channels
to regular customers who get a full cable digital STB. Taking 15 basic analog
channels and sqeezing them into 3 8VSB channels receovers 12 RF channels for
use in delivering other digital programming on above-basic tiers.

--
|WARNING: Due to extreme spam, googlegroups.com is blocked. Due to ignorance |
| by the abuse department, bellsouth.net is blocked. If you post to |
| Usenet from these places, find another Usenet provider ASAP. |
| Phil Howard KA9WGN (email for humans: first name in lower case at ipal.net) |
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: How can digital be more spectrum efficient than analog ?
    ... This even with the steep-sided filters and SSB technology. ... Since the input and output need to be in analog form, I find digital's claim very unintuitive -- almost doubting it. ... If you want to apply efficiency to some existing technology you have to make allowances. ... So IT is about transfering info, and as much as possible on existing channels and in this context digitasation of info is "efficient". ...
    (sci.electronics.misc)
  • Re: OT -- Because...
    ... 1972, and I *like* technology. ... variables for failure than similar analog technology, ... Tube guitar amp (Okay, it *does* need power, but it sounds better ... and the battery in my watch died today. ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)
  • Re: OT -- Because...
    ... I've worked in electronics since 1972, ... The Kindle is a great-looking piece of technology, and devices like it will most certainly become a part of modern life. ... Digital technology is wonderful stuff, but much of it has many more variables for failure than similar analog technology, power requirements and durability being the ones that come immediately to mind. ... and the battery in my watch died today. ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)
  • Re: OT -- Because...
    ... The Kindle is a great-looking piece of technology, ... variables for failure than similar analog technology, ... here I'm speaking primarily of electronics), ... Tube guitar amp (Okay, it *does* need power, but it sounds better than ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)
  • Re: OT -- Because...
    ... I've worked in electronics since 1972, ... The Kindle is a great-looking piece of technology, and devices like it will most certainly become a part of modern life. ... Digital technology is wonderful stuff, but much of it has many more variables for failure than similar analog technology, power requirements and durability being the ones that come immediately to mind. ... and the battery in my watch died today. ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)