I sent Rogers another email on the quality of the stations lower then 70 (That the look terriable when the feed that is going through my set top box compared to bypassing it and watching it simply off coax).

They responded by saying all station higher then 28 are digital. Is this correct? If so why can I recieved them with out a set top box and why is the quality so much worse then the new digital stations that came online in Janauary? Anybody know this?

I thing they meant 78.

Nope. Emailed them back to please clarify and this was the response:

Channels 28-60 are digitized analogue, meaning that the original signal
is analogue and it is then converted to digital. This is why the signal
on these channels differs from the higher channels which are of digital
origin.

On 2002-03-12 18:23, Systine wrote:
Nope. Emailed them back to please clarify and this was the response:

Channels 28-60 are digitized analogue, meaning that the original signal
is analogue and it is then converted to digital. This is why the signal
on these channels differs from the higher channels which are of digital
origin.I hadn't heard this, but I have noticed the quality of the images on those channel are better than the lower ones. I thought it was just better signal quality.

Ch-28 to 75 are definitely analog and not digital except for ch-59 inside Toronto. There is an analog ch-59 and a digital ch-59 because in some apt building they use ch-59 as lobby camera so the Digital Box shifts ch-59 to ch-01 in the channel map, and customers can still receive ch-59 TV5 if they have a digital box. Without the Digital Box the lobby camera appears on ch-59.

I have a 3100 and using the composite outputs the PQ on analog is actually improved at least with my setup. The specialty analog channels have always looked much better than the analog off-air channels, but overall I'm happy with the PQ I get except for WTVS.

Yes, whoever told you that 29-70 or whatnot are digital is full of crap.

Can anyone in the Toronto area that subscribes to time shifting compare Global West to Global Toronto in see if the quality is the same? Seems to me that Rogers most likely would get a direct digital feed for the west coast source, wouldn't they?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Systine on 2002-03-12 22:10 ]</font>

I find the Global west feed to be a bit crisper than the analog Toronto version.

Channels 28-60 are digitized analogue, meaning that the original signal
is analogue and it is then converted to digital. This is why the signal
on these channels differs from the higher channels which are of digital
origin. I don't have a clue what this person's talking about. Who's digitizing them? Rogers or the SA box? If the SA box, why only channels 28-60. Either way, why aren't they digitizing the audio too?


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: JohnnyG on 2002-03-13 13:57 ]</font>

I have a toshiba television and SA 3100 Digital cable box in Ottawa. The PQ of the analog channels are worse when viewed through the digital box as compared with the PQ of hooking the cable directly to the TV. I have tried both an RCA and S-Video cable. Someone mentioned the bypass. How are you suppossed to use this to improve the PQ of analogue channels?

Exactly, doesn't that burn you? The bypass feature, bypasses the digital box and acts as if you are directly connected to the coax line. I would imagine that you have to have the coax out from the box to the tv connected for it to work. Anyway Rogers won't allows us to use it.

I can completely understand Pawns frustration with the cable company after my latest dealings. Below I have posted my thread of emails with Rogers, tell me does it sound like a run around to you? I realize it is lengthy and I apologize.

ME:

Why do you not carry the analog channels as digital ones as well. Global TV looks so much better on Star Choice then on Rogers, so even if Global is not broadcasting it in digital they must be converting it with better equipment then a set top box which adds a ton of noise to the picture. Unfortunately I have to watch any station lower then 60 on analog do to the poor quality image the digital box produces. Don't get me wrong the station that are actually digital can look great and I am very impressed with the High Definition you offer, it is just you have to do something about the other 60 stations.

ROGERS:

Thank you for taking the time to write to Rogers Cable Inc. We appreciate this opportunity to respond to your inquiry.

If you have a digital terminal, you are seeing channels 29 and above in digital. Channels 2-28 are broadcast in analogue to keep this
package accessible to subscribers who do not wish to have the added cost of a digital terminal monthly.

We appreciate your continuing patronage. Please contact us at your convenience if you have any further inquiries.

ME:

If all the stations above 28 are in digital why are they so much crisper when I bypass may digital set top box?

Several months ago I had a technician come out to my house and check the line and box, everything was fine and he stated that the
picture quality was what was expected and that the digital box does add noise. He also stated that is why the boxes have a bypass feature built into them, however Rogers can not use it because it interferes with the stations in the twenties.

What confuses me is that the new digital stations added in January do not seem to have the added noise, why, if they are all digital?

ROGERS:

Thank you for taking the time to write to Rogers Cable Inc. We appreciate this opportunity to respond to your inquiry.

Channels 28-60 are digitized analogue, meaning that the original signal is analogue and it is then converted to digital. This is why the
signal on these channels differs from the higher channels which are of digital origin.

We appreciate your continuing patronage. Please contact us at your convenience if you have any further inquiries.

ME:

Is it not possible to source the channels directly from a digital feed? As I mentioned the satellite providers quality of these stations is much better, how come?

I have been a digital subscriber for some time now and recently purchase a new TV, with my old I just didn't notice the quality difference with digital compared to analog. It disturbs me that I was believing that I was receiving a superior picture quality when in
reality the majority of my viewing was actually worse.

To quote your web site:

- &quot;Digital Cable is a new way of broadcasting television signals. The result is a clearer, sharper picture with excellent sound quality.&quot;
- &quot;Improved reception capability&quot;

Do you not think this is misleading? No where on the page (http://www.shoprogers.com/store/cable/digitaltvcontent/digitaltv.asp) does it mention that the improved single is only for a select number of channels that a subscriber may not even be getting. The only hint is &quot;Improved reception capability&quot;, which I guess you could say that most the stations are not capable. However that could be made a little clearer.

ROGERS:

Thank you for your reply.

Digital services are added to regular cable, which is the reason why the prices are customized for channels above 60. The regular analogue channels must remain as is to be accessible to all customers.

We appreciate your continuing patronage.

ME:

Well you really didn't answer any of my questions, as I didn't ask about the pricing of the channels above 60. I suggest you please
re-read my email (found below).

Are the time shift channels source from analog as well? I would hate to know that I am getting Global West in true digital and much poorer reception for my local one.

Why can't you just repeat stations such as Global, NBC, CBS, ABC, etc higher up on the dial sourced from ditigal for those who have digital. That way the analog subscribers can still watch there existing stations and I get the primium quality I am paying for.

Thanks.

ROGERS:

Thank you for taking the time to write to Rogers Cable Inc. Duplicating channels 2 through 60, or any variation of them onto the digital channel lineup would constitute a substantial increase in bandwidth requirements, which would translate into higher user fees. This is something Rogers would prefer to avoid. Also, the Time-shifting channels are not available on the analog lineup, only through our Digital cable service.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Systine on 2002-03-13 19:49 ]</font>

I can see why you're frustrated. I've found e-mailing Rogers is like talking to a brick wall. Phone calls tend to be more effective. But you have to realize that you're asking fairly fundamental, high level questions that CSRs aren't equipped to answer.

I would have thought that it would have been escalated after the third email.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Systine on 2002-03-14 07:56 ]</font>

I have a Toshiba 43H70 and just replaced my SA2000HD with a SA3100HD (feed from Rogers). The quality and function is better with the latter, but both worked well with the 43H70. A high quality composite cable is way better than s-video. The 3100 came with better component cables too. Don't use any Radio Shack products, they introduce too much noise. Have a field rep check your levels and request an in-line amp to boost your signal. If you have old wire, get them to replace it inside and out. They are losing customers and will bend over backwards to make you happy, so keep after them until you are satisfied.

Steve 'O'

I did or have tried all of the above. Still no progress.

Just to keep this thread going ....
I have Rogers, SA3100HD,Panny 47 HD and the cable split between my TV and the digital box.
Did I read corectly earlier that some said they tried the RCA outputs on their SA3100HD
and there was no picture and it was a problems with the box and Rogers would replace it? Can someone else confirm that because that is what's happening to me.
I would also like to say that the analogue channels below 79 through the box come in much worse than diectly from the cable. And with the free 30 days for the new digital channels I had a lot of breakups and some wouldn't come in for days at a time (sexTV - thought they were just blanking it out before 11pm so kids wouldn't surf it 'by mistake')or never came in at all. Anyone else have this?
As for the HD digital channels, I get regular breakup on FOX and occasional breakup across all the others (except PBS).
I've never seen anything on the HDNHL channel and now the PPV channel is there but even that occasionally breaks up.
I haven't asked for a technician yet. Is there anything I should try first or does this all sound normal to anyone on Rogers?

thanks.

I've had HD for two weeks now. At first I had some awful reception at night and eventually a service guy came out. He checked the feed at the tv which, during the day, was fine. However, he went outside and checked the connection box. He discovered ice inside the connectors. No idea how it got there. The connectors were replaced and all is now fine......except for occasional blips on CBS and ABC. I gave up trying to watch Letterman via the HD connection last night and dialed up the normal analog channel (poorer quality). All the other HD channels were fine, including NBC and the Tonight Show.
So I suspect this problem is incoming and nothing to do with my box/connectors/etc. Oddly, during the day, everything is perfect - all HD channels are clear and steady.