Interesting. Do you happen to know how much bandwidth the local cable network is built out to in Chatham? My guess is that they only likely have a 550MHz (or less) network, and thus capacity constraints forced their hand to drop analog....

 

Often "all digital" does not mean a total drop of analogue service, simply that all channels will be available digitally, which I call "all channels digital". There is a difference with the latter requiring more bandwidth, still providing some analogue channels to customers with analogue TVs and no STB requirement.

I therefore doubt that it's true "all digital" since there would be a major announcement about everyone on Cogeco in Chatham requiring digital STBs. Was that the case in this letter or simply a misinterpretation of what was said in the letter?

Edit- it appears that only basic cable will stay analogue and many channels will be moving to the digital tier.

 

You are right. There will continue to be a small subset of channels that will be available to users, although it would only be a handful compared with what people on analogue get now. In the letter I received it mentioned to me that if I wanted to receive the same channels I do now with a TV hooked directly to cable (no digital receiver) I would need to ask Cogeco for a digital adapter. This is right from the Cogeco site regarding Chatham (if I am not allow to post this please remove):

Digital Migration Schedule in ChathamBefore March 4, 2011

Determine if you require additional digital equipment for the other TVs that are connected directly to cable in your home. Call 1-877-675-9145.
If we don’t hear from you, we will automatically send you an Adapter so you can continue enjoying all your current channels with Option 1..

Starting the week of March 7th, 2011Receive at home your Adapter(s) or Digital Receiver(s) as selected.

Start installing your digital equipment right away with the instructions included in the setup guide.

Visit Cogeco.ca/digitalnow if you need further information with the setup..

March 21st, 2011 Analogue Value Pack service, in it’s current form on your TV’s directly connected to cable will no longer be available..

May 6th, 2011 Last opportunity to take advantage of our Adapter offers..

Many of the channels that are currently analog will no longer be available and can only be viewed through digital means.

 

Finally CHM is going all Digital....maybe an increase in the level of HD provided.....then maybe I might come back to Cogeco and enjoy good HD and good Video on Demand.....But I will continue to watch to see what come available on March 4 before I make the switch from Bell back to Cogeco

 

From the letter I got the amount of HD in Chatham is at least tripling. If I can find it I will post the HD channels coming in March / April.

 

My assumption is Catham, North Bay, Gravenhurt and Lindsay are the test markets in Ontario for going "Mostly Digital"

These digital adapters don't provide an on-screen guide, VOD access or the ability to order additional services such as TMN, Sports Packages and digital specialty channels.

 

Interesting. So a digital adpater is a reduced functionality STB? Any links to a more detailed description of one of these?

-Mike

 

Try.... www.cogeco.ca/godigital

 

its like a stripped down stb, no guide or on demand, its still connects to your tv like a stb does.

 

I wouldn't have thought there would be much difference in price between that, and the regular SD STB.

I guess Cogeco figures this option is cheaper than upgrading their infrastructure (i.e. freeing space by removing duplicate Analog content rather than increasing capacity by way of network infrastructure upgrades). I guess this works where the customer base isn't very dense.

-Mike

 

The problem with using more bandwidth on cable networks is that you need to shorten distances between amplification (higher frequencies attenuate faster). And while this is standard practice in dense urban areas, it's cost prohibitive in less dense/rural systems. Your standard two-way trunk amp, not including powering, runs well over $3k each.

 

New HD lineup

464-467 - NHL Center Ice
468-471 - NBA League Pass
472-475 - MLB Extra Innings
476-479 - NFL Sunday Ticket
480-483 - NCAA Football/Basketball
484-486 - Nascar Hot Pass
705 - Sun TV
706 - Global
707 - CHCH
708 - OMNI 1
709 - OMNI 2
717 - ABC (Seattle) ---> Confused about the Seattle? Does this mean prime time viewing will be 11pm for us????
718 - CBS (Seattle)
719 - NBC (Seattle)
720 - FOX (Seattle)
731 - TSN 2 ---> No more TSN? Score? Rogers? Rogers One?
739 - Leafs
740 - Raptors
742 - Speed
743 - Golf
744 - CBS College Sports
752 - Movie Time
753 - History
754 - TLC
756 - APTN
757 - Showcase
758 - National Geo
759 - BOLD
765 - CBC News
782 - MExcess
783 - MFun
788-789 - SuperChannel
793 - WGN
794 - WPIX
795 - KTLA
796 - WSBK
799-800 - PPV


I'm hoping these are NEW channels to only be ADDED to the existing ones? Cause CTV, HDNet, Discovery, A&E, all the sports channels as mentioned, the East coast feeds as mentioned, HBO - are missing from this list.....

 

yes these show only the NEW channels to be added. I had to re-read that statement as well on the letter I got. But it makes sense.

I am also hoping we get the new HD channels that were just added this past week for other areas. I am guessing the literature was already printed before they were announced and were just omitted.

 

@MrWisker - Tha's what I thought too, but just makin' sure....

Anyhoo
Since we're getting digital channels, will an HDHomerun work now? I bought a double tuner one off newegg cause it was darn near 80 bucks off a few months ago, but of course didn't pick up the analog signal.

I'll assume that channels 27-48 won't be re-mapped? But channels 2-70 will be digital, with 27-48 ONLY digital?

 

It would depend if the digital channels are in clear (unencrypted) QAM or not. If so, you'll be fine.

 

Well, you think the CRTC would protect customers and require cable co's going all digital to provide clear QAM signals. That would be nice and customer focused.

 

We have several clear QAM threads, so let's not take this thread off topic. Cogeco are supplying free STBs/adaptors.

 

These adapters tend to run in the $40-$50 range while a DCT700 (the cheapest Moto STB) tend to cost around $85.

 

Windsor ?

A friend of mine talked to Cogeco in Windsor, about returning his Digital Box, and was told not to bother because by early summer all users will require a box. You will not be able to go simply from a wall plate cable directly to a tv.

Don't know if anyone else has heard about this?

 

Looks like the analogs are remapped to the 900's now.

 

Wow, I have noticed a HUGE difference in PQ. Not so much on the older tube TV's (27, 32") but on the 2 52" LCD's and 32" LCD.
Looking good so far and just might keep me from jumping ship now (as I was extremely close to satellite). Can't wait to see what's in store for the HD channels.

And just on a side note, seems it's clearQAM as HDHomerun picks them up, yay.

 

Now that Chatham has the 900's would I be able to pick up the all digital PACE DVR receiver? I want to purchase one and return the older Motorola to Cogeco as I am renting it. Or should I wait a few more weeks until the old analoge system gets switched to digital?

Thanks

 

Yes. I bought the Pace HD receiver in Windsor back in December and as of a week ago I'm now able to receive channels 2-73 on it in Chatham.

 

Analog versus Digital

With the conversion from Analog to Digital being announced (for sure), I am a little confused as to what we have already. On a digital box (Ancaster), what is the difference between channels 2-70 and channels 902-970? I believe I was told once that the 2-70 channels were digital and the 902-970 were analog but that can't be true because all US stations are digital and they show up in both areas and not all Canadian stations have both analog and digital yet. I beieve Cogeco just converts the digital signal to analog.

I guess one question would be, does it make a difference? Is the clarity of a SD station any better when it is a digital signal as opposed to an analog signal? Because I have a digital tuner connected directly to the cable, I will pick up digital stations and they don't seem any better than the equivalent analog stations.

 

1. The fact that the original channel is digital has nothing to do with whether the cable service provider gives it to you in analogue or digital format, so yes, the 900 channels are analogue.

See: http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=90621

2. The digital channels are typically of better picture quality and less affected by signal strength in that you either get them or you don't (except for a very small range of signal where picture breakup occurs). Digital PQ is affected by the amount of compression, so a much watched channel usually has good PQ while a little watched channel may have less bandwidth and more compression artifacts.

3. Getting rid of the analogue channels will free up a lot of bandwidth that can be used for better picture quality and/or more channels.

4. Digital channels are also better for PVRs because then the bits are recorded directly bit for bit instead of having to undergo a conversion to be recorded.

 

57, not sure why you moved my post into a Chatham post because I'm asking about current service, not future service and not in Chatham. Someone looking through topics isn't going to answer my question because they wouldn't expect it within that topic.

You didn't answer the question as to the difference between channels 2-70 and 902-970 on a digital receiver. If they are both analog, why have both? Doesn't it use up broadband doing this?

I have a Pioneer Kuro with a QAM tuner to which I connect the Cogeco cable (separate from the digital receiver which I watch through component). When I do a scan I will get channel 3 (Global) and 81.3 (I assume Global Digital). It basically picks up any basic digital stations available with a digital STB (non-subcription, non-HD channels). Is there a difference between the two? Is the 81.3 channel a true digital feed? Could channel 3 be a digital feed that Cogeco converts to analog? It's strange because the US station such as WIVB in Buffalo (17 and 81.5) are all digital but 81.5 is sharper than 17 (on the QAM/ATSC tuner). Does something get lost when Cogeco converts it to analog to be shown on regular cable? I'm just interested in what Cogeco does to various inputs.

Talking about future service, if the cable is connected directly to a ATSC/QAM tuner, won't it pick up the digital stations like it does now? Realistically, if you have a HDTV, you wouldn't be using that kind of connection anyways, you would be using the component or HDMI connection from the digital receiver to get HD (unless the adaptor supplies HD). My wife prefers to watch TV through the tuner on the Pioneer because she is used to the stations as they are set up on the bedroom TV (no STB).

 

1. This thread is not Chatham specific, it's about Cogeco going digital, per the title - I will change the title some more.

2. Chanels 2-70 on the STB are digital, not analogue. They are analogue on an NTSC tuner TV without STB. These channels can be mapped to any number - the numbers are meaningless on the STB.

3. See the following FAQ on QAM. Note that different providers and different areas can get different channels and the unencrypted channels could be encrypted at any time.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=32271

4. Yes, any conversion is likely to lose you PQ.

5. Re "Future" see item 3 FAQ.