It's official, I utterly loathe Bright House Networks

[law.of.averages]

So a couple of years back I get this big honkin 50" plasma tv. Bought it for 3 reasons

1. price mismarked by $300
2. on-board DVR and 160G HD
3. slot for a cable card

And we spend the next couple of years watching HDTV routed through our cable box. Then the recession sets in and I start looking for ways to save money. I look at our set-top-box... $12/mo + $6/mo for the remote + 0.45KwH /day added to my electric bill

(side not here, the set-top-box consumes 18 watts, on or off... makes you wonder why there's a power button. A fair guess is that half that consumption becomes heat... 50% efficiency FTL)

I say to myself "Law, you should swap that box (& remote) in and for a $4/mo cable card and divert $14/month to something more useful (like beer) And so I boot the wife out of bed and send her down to the local cable office to get one.

Annoyance #1. They can't just *give* her one, they have to install it. (This thing is a PCMCIA card device, and slides in 'this side out' ... )

Now when we signed up for this they 'warned' us. It's single-direction, you won't get premium channels (of which we have none), pay-per-view (of which we've only ever used twice), and the on-screen guide (well, the TV has one that works)

Annoyance #2 As soon as the cable card went into the TV, the TV's program guide stopped working. "No data for this screen" ... Ok *maybe* that's the TV's problem, or *maybe* the card is actively blocking it.

Annoyance #3 What they said about Pay-Per-View, and Premium Channels was true. That I can accept, however it also applies to "Switched Digital Channels" which they completely failed to mention. What are switched digital channels? Well as far as I can tell they're any channel that the cable company thinks you might want bad enough to swap your $4/mo cable card back in for a $12/mo (+ $6/mo remote) set-top-box.

Annoyance #4 The DVR in the TV won't let you create 'manual recordings' without the channel being in the line-up. So that functionality is also blocked by the card. Again, this could be poor design of the TV, or maybe not.

And the 'final straw'

Dear Valued Customer:

Bright House Networks would like to thank you for choosing us as your video service provider.

Bright House Networks is rolling out a new digital video delivery technology in your area known as Switched Digital Video (SDV) SDV is a robust bandwidth-management system that makes it possiible for us to offer more digital video programming than ever before, including new HD channels.

In order to launch even more new video services we are migrating some existing services to the SDV system which is a bi-directional platform. Unfortunatly, your unidirectional retail device does not support bi-directional programming delivered over the SDV system.

Please be advised, therefore on April 21, 2009, Bright House Networks will deliver the following packages on the SDV system and this programming will no longer be available on unidirectional retail devices until further notice:

33 Big Ten Network
103 NHL Network
105 Fuel
107 Tennis Channel
108 NBA TV
1300 Hallmark Movie Channel HD
1302 HDNet
1303 HDNet Movies
1304 Universal HD
1306 MGM HD

If you wish to continue receiving the above services you may contact Bright House Networks to obtain a digital set-top-box or similar bi-directional device that is capable of supporting two-way communicaitons with the SDV system.

Now personally I've never been inclined to watch the Tennis channel. (and sometimes wonder who the hell does) But the FCC ordered the cable companies to support cable cards. Exactly what kind of support is it when you get 0 channels?

[Porkinator]

wow
I been using air tv for about 4 years ever since Commie Cast pissed me off.
Best to just to unplug it and let it go.

[Sideous Prime]

law, out of experience i can tell ya....i don't know if it's the cable cards or the cable providers or both, but somewhere in there something sucks. i ran a cable card in a tv for a couple of years and it never worked quite right. when the digital transition started to take shape and things started changing, it really went downhill. i don't know if it's the providers fault or the cards fault, but there was a huge breakdown somewhere in the system. channels were disappearing one day to the next. on screen guide was gone. total fuck storm dude. TFS. just went back to the set top box.

[pewterdragn]

I have 2 cable cards (Comcast) in a Tivo hooked up to a HDTV.

Comcast also forced the install, but I bitched until I got a refund. Especially since the "installer" just handed me the cards... he had no idea how to hook them in.

I can get premium channels, full HD line-up, etc. The only thing I don't have is VOD, which I can get via Tivo/Amazon anyway. And BTW, I think (at least in MI) they are required to give you the first card free.

Cablecards can work, its up to the provider.


Note: this is in no way an endorsement of Comcast aka Comcraptic Cablevision. They are the devil.

[law.of.averages]

I have 2 cable cards (Comcast) in a Tivo hooked up to a HDTV.

Comcast also forced the install, but I bitched until I got a refund. Especially since the "installer" just handed me the cards... he had no idea how to hook them in.

I can get premium channels, full HD line-up, etc. The only thing I don't have is VOD, which I can get via Tivo/Amazon anyway. And BTW, I think (at least in MI) they are required to give you the first card free.

Cablecards can work, its up to the provider.

Note: this is in no way an endorsement of Comcast aka Comcraptic Cablevision. They are the devil.

You're right, and Dragn as much as you *love* Comcast, I hate to tell you your success is largely due to TiVo fighting for *thier* rights as a 3rd party vendor.

BHN did call a week after the letter and schedule an appointment to 'bring out a new card' (though I don't know if that's the exact wording, cause the wife handled the call) Well when they got here it was a converter box that hooked up to a tivo to let tivo and the CC record the other channels.

The lineman was very apologetic as I quietly explained how I'd already drafted my complaint to the FCC and hadn't mailed it because I was waiting to see what happened.

[Porkinator]

The lineman was very apologetic as I quietly explained how I'd already drafted my complaint to the FCC and hadn't mailed it because I was waiting to see what happened.


Bet that made him poop in his pants.

[law.of.averages]

The lineman was very apologetic as I quietly explained how I'd already drafted my complaint to the FCC and hadn't mailed it because I was waiting to see what happened.


Bet that made him poop in his pants.

I woudln't know. Unlike some, I don't stick my hand down another man's trousers.

[Yrrek]

ROFL Law! Too funny! I almost toppled out of my chair when I read that last comment! =D

Kerry

[pewterdragn]

Law: 1
Pork: 0

[myxxplyxx]

[Porkinator]

The lineman was very apologetic as I quietly explained how I'd already drafted my complaint to the FCC and hadn't mailed it because I was waiting to see what happened.


Bet that made him poop in his pants.

I woudln't know. Unlike some, I don't stick my hand down another man's trousers.

To quote an old oriental saying "Law you are invited to have cardinal knowledge with yourself"

[law.of.averages]

The lineman was very apologetic as I quietly explained how I'd already drafted my complaint to the FCC and hadn't mailed it because I was waiting to see what happened.


Bet that made him poop in his pants.

I woudln't know. Unlike some, I don't stick my hand down another man's trousers.

To quote an old oriental saying "Law you are invited to have cardinal knowledge with yourself"

Now Piggles, despite what our comrades in arms believe, my comment was in no way directed at you personally. I'm told (or at least, I've had occasion to see on the internet) that there are folks that enjoy that sort of behavior. I only wished to profess my opinion on such things.

I figure you've got enough to deal with trying to avoid swine flu.

[Porkinator]

Avoid it ?
I am trying to spread it.
Swines attack !!!