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Has Comcast Encrypted Hartford and New Britain?

KML0224

KML0224

Anybody else here with Comcast? I think these idiots went ahead and encrypted the limited basic service on me with no prior notice. My bill is at zero (and has been for almost 15 years). I'm REALLY hoping I don't have to go to their customer service office in Plainville for some converter. WTF? :mad:

P.S. I'm in New Britain, zip code is 06052.
 
On Tuesday, July 30th, I walked to the Comcast customer service office in Plainville to pick up a small "free" converter. That way, I'd continue to receive my limited basic service. However, since the little box only has two 75 ohm coaxial cable in/out connections and a 1990s-like RF 3/4 switch, the thing is incapable of receiving any kind of HD. Therefore, I put on an old indoor antenna with two telescoping rods. I don't see any UHF elements on the thing. Anyways, with the antenna now (dangerously) resting on top of the roughly 1" deep Toshiba LED HDTV in my second floor bedroom (by a south-facing window), I'm getting the following:

WFSB-TV channel 3 Hartford [3-1 CBS, 3-3 Eyewitness News NOW, 3-4 WFSB Fairfield County] Signal 75-80%
WTNH-TV channel 8 New Haven [8-1 ABC, 8-2 Bounce, 8-3 WTNH SD] Signal 80-85%
WCCT-TV channel 20 Waterbury [20-1 CW, 20-2 ThisTV] Signal ~95%
WEDH-TV channel 24 Hartford [24-1 PBS, 24-2 CPTV 4U, 24-3 CPTV Sports] Signal ~95%
WHPX-TV channel 26 New London [26-1 ION, 26-2 Qubo, 26-3 ION Life, 26-4 ION Shop] Signal 70-75%
WVIT-TV channel 30 New Britain [30-1 NBC, 30-2 CoziTV] Signal ~95%
WCTX-TV channel 59 New Haven [59-1 MY] Signal ~70%
WTIC-TV channel 61 Hartford [61-1 FOX, 61-2 Antenna TV] Signal ~95%
WFTY-TV channel 67 Smithtown, NY [67-1 UniMas, 67-2 WXTV-TV 41-1 in SD?] Signal ~45-50%

NOTES:

WFSB-TV channel 3...I'm at the bottom of Walnut Hill, causing possible multipath from Avon Mountain. That's why you don't see WUVN-TV channel 18 being received on my above list.
WTNH-TV channel 8...I don't know how WTNH-TV is solid like it is. Usually, I got just about nothing from WTNH-TV's Hamden, especially with them using VHF channel 10.
WCCT-TV channel 20...Anything from Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington will be solid, as expected.
WEDH-TV channel 24...see WCCT-TV
WHPX-TV channel 26...fairly solid signal so far. Montville site isn't always perfect, though.
WVIT-TV channel 30...see WCCT-TV
WCTX-TV channel 59...surprised the signal is stable so far. WCTX-TV from Hamden isn't always watchable.
WTIC-TV channel 61...see WCCT-TV
WFTY-TV channel 67...This one surprised me! I hadn't received any trace of this signal since the snowy analog days of WHSI-TV, when they carried Home Shopping Network 24/7.

I have yet to receive a hint or trace of anything from Springfield, MA. I haven't attempted an antenna hookup on the second TV in the east side bedroom at all.
 
Just out of curiosity KML, how do you establish your rating system? Especially since digital signals are usually all or nothing at all. Does 75% mean you get freezing occasionally? Or does it mean three out of four times it comes in fine, one out of four times you can't watch it?

For instance, at my family's lakeside cottage in New Hampshire, the CBS, NBC and ABC stations from Portland come in all the time but in the middle of a sunny afternoon they'll sometimes freeze. (The PBS station from NH is always good.) We don't get any Boston stations in the daytime but maybe three or four nights a week, WBZ-TV and WHDH-TV come in, with a few other Boston stations coming in a couple of nights per week, even a couple of Providence statons a few times per month. And once they come in, they can be watched without any freezing or other problems for hours, sometimes till a few hours after sunrise.

I also notice that for more difficult stations, you have to have your antenna pointed PRECISELY in the right direction. If you're off by just a couple of degrees, you may not get the station at all.
 
I fell sorry for the COMCAST subscribers. We have COX Meriden and have 3 HDTVs and presently they don't require their customers to have a converter unless they want digital, premium channels, or On-Demand.

On COX Meriden without a box we get:

Channels 3-13 plus 15, 17, 18, and 20.

Then we get 24-62 plus 70 and 96.

Then we get:

3.1 WFSB HD
3.3 WFSB Eyewitness News Niow

8.1 WTNH HD
8.2 Bounce TV

19.3 UniMas

20.1 WCCT HD
20.2 This TV

24.1 CPTV HD
24.2 CPTV 4U
24.3 CPTV Sports

30.1 WVIT HD
30.2 COZI TV

40.1 WGGB HD

59.1 WCTX HD

61.1 WTIC HD
61.2 Antenna TV

In addition we get:

117.170 Government Access
117.173 Educational Access
118.180 Sonlife Bible Network (Jimmy Swaggart's Network)
119.179 Jewelry TV
119.182 WZME/43 Bridgeport
121.181 Liquidation Channel
122.177 TVGN
123.185 COX Public Access TV 15
 
MarcB said:
I fell sorry for the COMCAST subscribers. We have COX Meriden and have 3 HDTVs and presently they don't require their customers to have a converter unless they want digital, premium channels, or On-Demand.
Click to expand...

The operative word is "presently." Soon all cable systems will require DTAs, even for basic channels. In the past week our local TWC system has gone encrypted digital for government and public affairs channels, just one more step before all remaining vestiges of analog, in-the-clear cable TV go away for good.
 
My guess with signal strength has to do with a signal meter that my Toshiba LED HDTV shows in the top left of the screen. If it shows 4 out of 5 bars, I'll estimate that the signal received is close to 80%. The Rattlesnake Mountain stations (CW, PBS, NBC and FOX) show the solid 5 of 5 green bars at all times. Here's an example of the meter now:

http://imgur.com/eWYslDo WHPX-TV (ION) channel 26 of New London
http://imgur.com/rzVqXfM WVIT-TV (NBC) channel 30 of New Britain
 
Ken said:
But isn't this only for the old tube tvs. If you have a HDTV your fine as has the digital turner already.
Click to expand...

No, cable companies are encrypting their entire lineups so you either need a box or a CableCARD (rental fee$) to watch anything at all on the cable system.

- Trip
 
The TV I took those pictures off of is a 24" Toshiba LED HDTV, made in early 2011. Yes, it has a QAM tuner. Until early Tuesday morning, I received QVC, The Weather Channel (national) and the local -1 stations in HD. I had no converter of any kind until Tuesday.
 
Yes I know this stinks .

Comcast Encrypted its Branford CT franchise on Aug 1st.

The notice was with last months bill.

I already have 5 cigarette pack size DTA's plus the main big box . I dont need anymore .Thank goodness.

I dont know about the New Haven /Hamden Comcast area.

This is another way Comcast can get money out of the subscribers for box rentals.
 
WPPCProductions said:
Yes I know this stinks .

Comcast Encrypted its Branford CT franchise on Aug 1st.

The notice was with last months bill.

I already have 5 cigarette pack size DTA's plus the main big box . I dont need anymore .Thank goodness.

I dont know about the New Haven /Hamden Comcast area.

This is another way Comcast can get money out of the subscribers for box rentals.
Click to expand...


The primary intent isn’t so much rental fees, but just forcing you to use their boxes, period.
Why?
Because the boxes record/document what you are watching, meaning, like it or not, you are a TV ratings measured household! :eek: ::)
 
Methinks the real purpose of the boxes(I have two, no charge, if I want more, they're less than a dollar a month)is to cut down on signal theft.
 
Uncle Kaimbridge said:
WPPCProductions said:
Yes I know this stinks .

Comcast Encrypted its Branford CT franchise on Aug 1st.

The notice was with last months bill.

I already have 5 cigarette pack size DTA's plus the main big box . I dont need anymore .Thank goodness.

I dont know about the New Haven /Hamden Comcast area.

This is another way Comcast can get money out of the subscribers for box rentals.
Click to expand...


The primary intent isn’t so much rental fees, but just forcing you to use their boxes, period.
Why?
Because the boxes record/document what you are watching, meaning, like it or not, you are a TV ratings measured household! :eek: ::)
Click to expand...

Oh OK .I forgot about that too.

I just only have the basic 26 channels.

They wont get much on what I watch on TV because I spend most of my time online or listening to the radio or my iPod.

I dont watch TV like I used to these days.
 
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