<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'>> From: "Kirk Bocek" <t004@kbocek.com><br>> To: mythtv-users@mythtv.org<br>> Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 11:31:58 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific<br>> Subject: [mythtv-users] SF Bay Comcast Analog Armageddon Has Begun<br>><br>> Looks like Comcast has finally executed the previously announced analog<br>> shutdown in my part of the San Francisco Bay Area, Martinez 94553. This<br>> probably also applies to nearby towns like Concord, Pleasant Hill and Walnut<br>> Creek.<br>> <br>> Analog channels from 40 and up are gone. I've waited a few days to see if it<br>> was a temporary glitch but the channels are still gone.<br>> <br>> The good news is that all the Clear QAM digital channels are still there so my<br>> HD Homeruns are unaffected.<br>> <br>> I've seen conflicting reports regarding Comcast's future ability to encrypt or<br>> somehow encode those channels while still using the freebie digital adapter<br>> boxes they provide. Anybody have any updates?<br><br>DTAs -- the freebie digital adaptors -- *do support encryption*.<br><br>I'm not speculating. I live in a Portland, OR suburb. We went through the analog=>digital transition last spring.<br><br>Everything was ducky until earlier in the month.<br><br>Over the last two weeks the clear QAM channels for the most desirable cable stations (Syfy, Cartoon Network, TNT . . . basically everything but local broadcast, public and school access, shopping and Telemundo) have disappeared. They really are scrambled, not just moved to other transports. I can still watch them via an STB or DTA, but my digital tuner couldn't see them.<br><br>Over the last week I upgraded to Fedora 12 and Myth .22. I took the opportunity to install a HVR-2250. My old PVR-150 is now attached to a Comcast STB's coax analog out. Its cable map matches the now-scrambled channels. Until I get an IR blaster working, I manually tune the STB to the channel I want to record before the program starts. The three other digital tuners take care of the other stuff. <br><br>I tested this last night. The STB delivers a nice clean signal to the PVR-150 so the program, while SD, doesn't look bad at all.<br><br>So, don't get rid of your old analog cards!<br><br>Stefan<br></div></body></html>