What's the point of continuing to carry Dual HD/SD cable feeds in 2023?

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Considering IMO it looks like the "SD feed" of HD cable channels these days seem to me to look like a severely downcompressed, cropped signal--while those channels still in SD only are still actually shown in full screen, at least on my Comcast lineup--what is the point as we start 2023 of cable systems still bothering to carry both HD and SD feeds of cable channels?

Comcast is still doing this and does not appear to have any plans to wind down SD even on "legacy" (i.e., 2-99) cable channels--the complete opposite of their push to encrypt everything including local channels, drop analog, and go all-digital over a decade ago.

Although the HD feeds take up more bandwidth than their SD counterparts, why can't Comcast and others set a date to convert all their systems to a primarily "all-HD" lineup (with maybe either legacy 2-99, Limited Basic lifeline lineup, plus the channels that aren't still offered in HD--but still are in widescreen--being the only exceptions, if any).

 

[Larry]

What I don’t understand is why Comcast/Xfinity has many of its HD channels on 2 different stations (in addition to the SD channel). Example being KYW CBS being on 803 and 1003 (in addition to SD channel 3) or CNN on 817 and 1111 (in addition to SD 27)

 

[crainbebo]

There are still people in their 70s, 80s, and 90s that have a CRT television. I wouldn't doubt if a 90-year-old in this town is watching a TCM or Hallmark movie right now using an RCA wood-paneled console television sitting on their living room carpet. I saw a 1990s model about a year ago at an estate sale with a VCR plugged in on top of it. Complete time warp. Yes, there were VHS tapes at that sale too...but they were in a closet in stacks. Too bad there wasn't a faux-wood storage box of VHS tapes NEXT to that VCR...

 

[davideduardo]

I wouldn't doubt if a 90-year-old in this town is watching a TCM or Hallmark movie right now using an RCA wood-paneled console television sitting on their living room carpet.

Make that a "shag carpet" and I get a picture that I can't erase from my mind.

 

[K6JHU]

Cable box doesn't care whether there is one channel number assigned or multiple channels. Box will map to the HD signal.

 

[Joey1986]

I’m totally with you on this, @Tim from Springfield IL. It makes no sense to me, either.

Many now-Spectrum systems, in their Time Warner Cable days, made the lineups so that there is no longer a separate SD or HD channel number, with a national channel lineup. The reshuffling of channel numbers only affected channels 100 and up, while the positions of legacy channels 2 through 99 stayed the same, while also being mapped to HD. Because of this, whether the box is SD or HD determines the resolution of the channel, not the channel number the subscriber enters. For example, on my West L.A. system, I have ESPN on channels 39 (legacy) and 300 (national lineup). Both numbers show up in HD. It used to be that the HD channels were all in the 400s (with the local channels together and the cable channels in a hodgepodge) in my neck of the woods, so if I wanted to watch, say, KCBS-TV in HD, I’d have to enter channel 402. Now I just enter 2 and it’s HD. Much easier, isn’t it?

Cox Communications also still has separate SD and HD channel numbers on their regular boxes, whereas on their mini-boxes, the lower numbers map to HD. On the regular boxes, it’s like a math equation: HD = SD + 1000. So, for example, SD channel 2 would correspond to HD channel 1002.

I think a ton of bandwidth would be recovered if cable providers went all-HD. It’s high time for that to happen, in my view.

 

[Megatron]

Only when the power flickers and comes back on the Spectrum cable box will map to channel 788 which is WOODTV HD takes about 10 minutes for channel 8 to get to HD otherwise it's SD. Channel 60 The Weather Channel is still SD HD is channel is 732 when the HD was added in 2014 was the national feed only wasn't until 2015 that the local forecast was added, still had to use The Weather Channel SD for local on the 8's before that.

 

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Woah the last time SD signals were relevant was when CRT TV's were common in the 2000's but by that time it was going through a transition phase from CRT to LCD or LED TV's. But by today's standards that is fading by more recent devices like LED or LCD TV's that carry streaming capabilities. Sure there are those that have CRT TV's as nostalgia reasons for retro reasons to remember the 1980's to 2005 timeframe.

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[Mikey Radio]

My Comcast boxes are programmed so that I can start at a low channel when looking through the lineup for something to watch. If that particular channel or network has an HD offering up higher, the cable box automatically takes me there so I get HD anytime it's available. If there is no HD version (in the case of our local Regional Sports Networks, for instance) then it just stays put on the SD offering.

 

[Don CT]

Cox around here finally did away with the SD channels.