PVR and Digital Cable
12-22-01, 09:02 PM
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PVR and Digital Cable
Okay, I have played with a friends Tivo and have seen the light. I want a PVR now. Badly. Here's the rub, I have Digital Cable from AT&T and many of the channels I would want to record have to go direct through the set top box.
The box AT&T is using here is a Motorola box.
1. This thing has nothing digital coming out (Grr. this sucks)
a. No S-Video, no component video, just composite.
b. no toslink, no digital sounds, just RCA plugs.
Is it possible that Motorola will include a PVR function in a future box?
Is it possible that Motorola will finally have digital output from their digital cable?
Any help would be appreciated.
The box AT&T is using here is a Motorola box.
1. This thing has nothing digital coming out (Grr. this sucks)
a. No S-Video, no component video, just composite.
b. no toslink, no digital sounds, just RCA plugs.
Is it possible that Motorola will include a PVR function in a future box?
Is it possible that Motorola will finally have digital output from their digital cable?
Any help would be appreciated.
12-22-01, 11:36 PM
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I have the same box and same AT&T service and it is suck that they don't offer any S-Vid or digital audio out. I called them and they said they don't have such equipment or plan to and that I wouldn't be able to use an after market box.
The thing that pisses me off is they compare themselves(and say they are better) than satellite but yet they dont offer digital audio, s-vid or HDTV. Also, only the premium channels are digital on digital cable, the rest are analog.
The thing that pisses me off is they compare themselves(and say they are better) than satellite but yet they dont offer digital audio, s-vid or HDTV. Also, only the premium channels are digital on digital cable, the rest are analog.
12-23-01, 12:14 PM
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I believe that AT&T are planning to offer an intergrated unit with Tivo. I do not know the timeframe, but they did do a small run of intergrated units with ReplayTV. To answer your second question of course anything is possible with them offering SVGA and digital audio, but your guess is good as mine as to when.
12-26-01, 10:32 AM
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Time-Warner Digital Cable
Just to show there is hope for cable systems and also being a little philosophical...
For 23 years after college, I lived in a cable wasteland in southwest Ohio region (Cincinnatti, Dayton). Small monopolistic low-tech cable systems (except Cincy recently). Time-Warner bought out the entire region of SW-Ohio several years ago. They are in the last year of a complete bottom-to-top state-of-the-art digital upgrade. That means every foot of fiber-optics to the latest digital delivery systems for the cable company. I talked with a manager and he said the equipment they were installing was for the future tech coming, not just today. The upgrade cost them around $200 Million. The section I live in got switched over to digital several months ago (waiting for two years, a year late). Same monthly fee as I was paying before.
The Digital convertor (Pioneer BD-V1100) seems to be outstanding for a cable system. It has composite, S-Video, plus the standard RF output and stereo & Digital Audio outs. It also has USB and a serial port (VCR Commander, $12 one-time add-on: 1- buttom interactive programming for, yes, VHS. Works superbly. Give me VHS that records digitally, please!)
What I have noticed from many hours reading forums on DVD players/Surround Sound systems (I am in the market) and HDTV (next year or so) is how hosed up a very expensive system could get if one moves or is transferred to another part of the country due to the national cable TV disgraceful state it is in overall. For instance, I know that where I grew up, they will NEVER have a digital cable, too small (20-30K subscribers).
The point is... unlike computers, you can take your expensive systems with you, but they may be reduced to brain dead status by the delivering technology. Seems like satellite would be the only alternative (geesh, now we're back to monopolies). I may have to face just such a situation in several years when my plant closes. I would hazard a guess that outside of hours driving and jobs, the most hours spent on any one generic area is TV/Audio viewing.
For 23 years after college, I lived in a cable wasteland in southwest Ohio region (Cincinnatti, Dayton). Small monopolistic low-tech cable systems (except Cincy recently). Time-Warner bought out the entire region of SW-Ohio several years ago. They are in the last year of a complete bottom-to-top state-of-the-art digital upgrade. That means every foot of fiber-optics to the latest digital delivery systems for the cable company. I talked with a manager and he said the equipment they were installing was for the future tech coming, not just today. The upgrade cost them around $200 Million. The section I live in got switched over to digital several months ago (waiting for two years, a year late). Same monthly fee as I was paying before.
The Digital convertor (Pioneer BD-V1100) seems to be outstanding for a cable system. It has composite, S-Video, plus the standard RF output and stereo & Digital Audio outs. It also has USB and a serial port (VCR Commander, $12 one-time add-on: 1- buttom interactive programming for, yes, VHS. Works superbly. Give me VHS that records digitally, please!)
What I have noticed from many hours reading forums on DVD players/Surround Sound systems (I am in the market) and HDTV (next year or so) is how hosed up a very expensive system could get if one moves or is transferred to another part of the country due to the national cable TV disgraceful state it is in overall. For instance, I know that where I grew up, they will NEVER have a digital cable, too small (20-30K subscribers).
The point is... unlike computers, you can take your expensive systems with you, but they may be reduced to brain dead status by the delivering technology. Seems like satellite would be the only alternative (geesh, now we're back to monopolies). I may have to face just such a situation in several years when my plant closes. I would hazard a guess that outside of hours driving and jobs, the most hours spent on any one generic area is TV/Audio viewing.
