New Cox cable lineup a PITA?

[Red Arrow]

What does this box convert from and to?  Cox is getting rid of the analog channels.  Does it convert digital to analog?  The article said it may affect up to 70% of their customers. It sounds like 70% still are using analog TVs. 

[rdj]

The original Tulsa World article failed to mention the box was free for a year and then $1.99/mo after that and you only get one at that deal.

My understanding is that this box will convert their scrambled digital feed to an analog signal for transmission thru COAX or you can use an HDMI cable for a digital TV.  My question is that I'm paying $7.99/mo for my digital TV boxes.  What is better about that one.

[swake]

The original Tulsa World article failed to mention the box was free for a year and then $1.99/mo after that and you only get one at that deal.

My understanding is that this box will convert their scrambled digital feed to an analog signal for transmission thru COAX or you can use an HDMI cable for a digital TV.  My question is that I'm paying $7.99/mo for my digital TV boxes.  What is better about that one.

I'm sure it's just a dumb DTA box, the cable guide probably only goes out a couple of hours. No VOD or any other services.

The rumor is Apple TV is coming June 25th. 25+ channels for $30-40 a month including all the major networks except the ones from NBC/Comcast. With HBO Go already on Apple TV for $14.99 now you may have a real alternative.

[Cats Cats Cats]

We are getting screwed on Cable and on Satellite service. Fees, fees, and more fees

[DolfanBob]

I'm sure it's just a dumb DTA box, the cable guide probably only goes out a couple of hours. No VOD or any other services.

The rumor is Apple TV is coming June 25th. 25+ channels for $30-40 a month including all the major networks except the ones from NBC/Comcast. With HBO Go already on Apple TV for $14.99 now you may have a real alternative.

I just read about Apple TV also.
Here is the problem that I have just started having with Cox internet now that I have moved to a large neighborhood. I have been paying 61 Dollars a month for the 50 meg download speed. Sounds great but my problem is that after 7 p.m. My gaming Son comes home and so does all the other neighbors who I'm guessing are the cord cutting millennials that are doing all their content online. The speed drops to around 20 meg or below and since we have 3 cell phones, 1 tablet, 1 desktop, a genie dvr and a Roku. All connected to a wireless router. You see where I'm going here.
They are not all logged onto the web and doing something but they are separating the router and adjusting the streaming speeds accordingly.

When we lived in a neighborhood of 5 houses on each side of the street and the age of the residents were not millennials. We had no problem whatsoever with the speed that I am paying for. So for 5 Dollars more a month(for 6 months). I upgraded to the whopping 100 meg download speed. Woo Hoo!
Ahh but not so fast Quai Chang Cain. You have not snatched the pebble from their hand. Two days into this internet Heaven. The problem is still there. Had a tech come out. Must be the router. But it does the exact same thing just hooking up the computer to the modem. It might be your modem(since its mine not theirs)It's less than a year old.
And of course this service call was done in the hours of 2 to 4 in the afternoon. And man was that speed awesome. No problems here sir.

So being in the Satellite biz and kind of the old school guy. Hearing all this wonderful stuff about how great the internet is going to serve all of mankind for everything entertainment. Kind of grates on an itch I just can't scratch, or want to.

By the way. And I'm sure you guy's already know this. Cox internet is not unlimited data. Wow there's a shocker! Well at least it was to my son. He maxed out 250 gigs last month and the throttling was on. It must be all the devices, or doing VOD on the Genie. It can't be the countless hours of whatever the popular game is at the moment.   phew! I feel better! carry on......

[patric]

Here is the problem that I have just started having with Cox internet now that I have moved to a large neighborhood. I have been paying 61 Dollars a month for the 50 meg download speed. Sounds great but my problem is that after 7 p.m. My gaming Son comes home and so does all the other neighbors who I'm guessing are the cord cutting millennials that are doing all their content online. The speed drops to around 20 meg or below

I always think of the water pipe analogy.  Cable internet is the big pipe that supplies your whole neighborhood, and its great when your the only one in the neighborhood using water, but the pressure drops the more people start flushing.  DSL/U-verse is a smaller pipe, but it runs directly from your faucet to the water tower so you have some flush-immunity.

Also, unless everyones been sleeping, crews around Tulsa have been running fiber and/or coax at a maddening pace, and small WiMax or WiFi boxes have been showing up on utility poles.   
Im not sure if this is going to be a new service, or a municipal-only WiFi like OKC has, or a mesh for "Smart Meter" networking.

[cynical]

What many people don't realize is that the local channels on Cox were carried without encryption, meaning that anyone with a cable signal could get them for free. Cord-cutters who kept Cox internet or VoIP phone service could hook their television directly to the cable and watch major network programming over cable without any TV package at all. The FCC passed a rule in 2012 that allowed cable providers to encrypt their local channels as long as they didn't run afoul of the "must carry" rules. That meant they had to provide a free converter box to each subscriber for 2 years, then charge only a nominal fee for continuing to rent the box, or provide third party providers with a software solution that would allow them to offer the decrypted channels. Cox seems to have avoided the 2 years free box requirement by waiting a year or more to encrypt their local channels.

Cox hasn't actually said this, but I suspect that in addition to freeing up bandwidth by eliminating analog signals, if any still exist, they are trying to rein in the "free riders" who have been watching TV over cable without paying even for the basic cable TV package.

This is significant for those few viewers who want to watch local broadcast programming but whose access to the signals is compromised by the terrain, distance, or other factors. Do the digital broadcast signals include error-correction technology?

[swake]

This is significant for those few viewers who want to watch local broadcast programming but whose access to the signals is compromised by the terrain, distance, or other factors. Do the digital broadcast signals include error-correction technology?

It's probably going to be an MPEG-4 stream that the box can down convert to SD.

[sgrizzle]

The box thing is a non-starter for me. I have local channels only and internet-based services make up about 80-90% of my TV watching. Most of my inputs are in use and I don't need another dang remote. The only reason I didn't go antenna for locals is I didn't want to hang something off of all of my TVs. If It have to do that either way, might as well save myself the $20/mo.

Customers will enjoy numerous new benefits. To start, the box will allow customers to get high-quality digital signals on their televisions, as the direct-to-wall method only provided analog signals.

That's funny, since I am watching 1000-series (digital HDTV) channels right now.

[patric]

It's probably going to be an MPEG-4 stream that the box can down convert to SD.

That puts them only two years behind DirecTV instead of four.  Progress.

[sgrizzle]

I got my two free Cox Mini-boxes. Will see if I can try them out tonight and report back. The option for COAX pass-through on channel 3 gives me a warm and fuzzy 1985 feeling.

[sgrizzle]

What does this box convert from and to?  Cox is getting rid of the analog channels.  Does it convert digital to analog?  The article said it may affect up to 70% of their customers. It sounds like 70% still are using analog TVs. 

I have several TVs and no converter boxes to date. All of them are HDTVs and viewing HD programming.

[sgrizzle]

I've only tried on one TV so far, but here is what I have...

Negatives so far:

1. It's another dang box in my house.

2. They want you to use HDMI (which I have no available ports on some TVs)

3. You can use COAX, but if you use COAX, it crops to 4:3 and down-converts to SDTV

4. The remote is IR and my viewing location is not always line of sight from my equipment location

5. The sound quality is bad on COAX and actually seems worse on HDMI

Positives:

1. It came with the cables and batteries.

[Breadburner]

I'm going to amazon fire TV and Sling TV.......Sling is 20 dollars a month....The Fire TV is 49 after rebate.....Bye Bye Cox.....

[Red Arrow]

I got my two free Cox Mini-boxes. Will see if I can try them out tonight and report back. The option for COAX pass-through on channel 3 gives me a warm and fuzzy 1985 feeling.

I wonder if my old 36 channel box from the 80s is worth anything.   

I would post a picture but I don't have anyplace to send it.