If they trim just a few channels from Analog, then they free up a lot of bandwidth. Analog channels are pigs. 75% of their bandwidth is for Analog TV. The other 25% is for Internet, VoIP, digital SD and Digital HD.
These numbers are several years old, but it's probably still pretty close. At some point, it'll be worth their while to send free converter boxes to convert all of your TVs to digital, so they can free up that bandwidth.

I think I see some confusion and worry when the answer seems fairly
clear...

You have two PVR-350's and cable. You either have:
- the 350's RF TUNERS directly attached to the cable and no irblasters
- or SD set-top boxes controlled by irblasters (and the 350's are recording
VIDEO coming out of the STB's)

When they eventually convert to digital you (everyone) will have to get
digital STB's and you will have to do your MythTV the second way listed
above.

This means that you will have to get two digital STB's if you really want to
record two channels at once.

Your 350's are not capable of HD and your TV may not be either, so don't
pay extra for that (i.e. you only need an SD STB) unless you plan to
upgrade.

I recall that there is a firewire requirement for digital STB's that you may
want to research, but with this thing they call DTCP, firewire will probably
be about useless for us.

Cliff

Cliff,

From where I sit I hear the comments you wrote all the time. "Oh, don't worry just use a STB, blah blah blah".

I'm worried. I want to know what is going to happen and when. I don't consider my worry to be unreasonable either. I simply want to plan ahead. I don't think I'm asking too much since this truly is a BIG CHANGE for the cable companies and for me.

Thanks,

-abs

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R6.04, dual core 3ghz, 3 gig memory, Zotac 8400 passive heat sink dvi/hdmi out video, 500 gig sata, dual tuner hdhomerun, streamzap remote

Abby

The analogy that analog frequencies are pigs is correct... Analog channels down the cable take approx 6mhz spread, whereas digital (1 way) channels only take up ~1mhz spread. therefore, 6-to-1 ratio being wasted. (numbers from memory are from ~2000, when I was working on Motorola and Scientific Atlanta gear in our NOC.)

Eventually, we are all going Digital (whether we like it or not), though I dont like the extreme compression being used, or the fact channel changing takes forever on the STBs.

_________________
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts"
--Albert Einstein

Or the fact that they used to let us tune "extended basic" channels on our cable-ready TVs, and they could let us tune those same channels on our ATSC tuners if they sent them via open QAM, but instead they're sticking us with a STB to get them.

An interesting thing has happened in Comcast land. Hidef channels are now running ~3.9GB/hour -- they used to average ~6.9GB/hour. I did some research and confirmed that comcast has reduced the bitrate on the hidef channels to save bandwidth and enable them to offer more hidef programming. They may also be doing this so that they can continue to provide analog service while simultaneously increasing the number of hidef channels.

Marc