Is TiVo geared up for the massive channel lineup changes?

[vman41]

On Feb. 17th, anyone getting OTA should get an updated channel list reflecting the dropping of analog transmissions. Many markets will also get frequency changes for the digital channels. That's a lot of edits to their database, are they going to try it all at once or roll it out days or only update as they get requests?

Some OTA-only S3/HD users may be recording some stuff in analog to save space and have to redo season passes.

[ZeoTiVo]

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/images/1.gif

[pdxsam]

On Feb. 17th, anyone getting OTA should get an updated channel list reflecting the dropping of analog transmissions. Many markets will also get frequency changes for the digital channels. That's a lot of edits to their database, are they going to try it all at once or roll it out days or only update as they get requests?

Some OTA-only S3/HD users may be recording some stuff in analog to save space and have to redo season passes.


In theory, it shouldn't make a difference. Since the PID is still X-1, the listings shouldn't change. The underlying frequency can move but the stations will still ID themselves as 2-1 or 3-1 or 6-1. The listings should keep up without a hitch.

The only change will be, as you pointed out, analog season passes will need to be re-entered.

"In theory" :)

[lew]

Aren't the digital channels already transmitting? Tribune/Tivo has enough time to be ready.

A better question is if tivo is ready for the customer service calls. Series 1 customers who are out of luck. Series 2 customers who waited to buy a digital convertor. Who forgot how to run setup. Who aren't happy that a two tuner unit is now (effectively) a one tuner unit (unless I'm missing something). Customers who want a free update to a series 3.

I don't know how to steal the image from the previous poster but I think tivo might be prepared for the technology but the I suspect the customer service support may be :down:.

edited to add; of course this depends on the number of subscribers that are receiving signal via OTA.

[Adam1115]

On Feb. 17th, anyone getting OTA should get an updated channel list reflecting the dropping of analog transmissions. Many markets will also get frequency changes for the digital channels. That's a lot of edits to their database, are they going to try it all at once or roll it out days or only update as they get requests?

Some OTA-only S3/HD users may be recording some stuff in analog to save space and have to redo season passes.

This is the least of the problem.

When the Digital Stations FLASH CUT, all Series3's will require a rescan of OTA. That and the lineup for all flash cut digital channels will change.....

Forget to rescan and your tivo won't be recording anything!

[johnny99]

I agree that a channel scan should get you all the new frequencies in one shot. The channel numbers should be unchanged.

[Adam1115]

I agree that a channel scan should get you all the new frequencies in one shot. The channel numbers should be unchanged.

Hopefully..

But for the people who don't know... They get channels that suddenly stop working.

[visionary]

John, not so, many stations are moving from UHF HD to VHF and the bat ear antenna that got HD so well, gets nothing, or a flashing on and off picture, but still says it's the same channel. You think THAT won't generate LOTS of complaints!!!!

And worst is, you cannot be ready for it, won't know till you are missing shows. You can look at a list of what you may lose, that is about all. Why do stations not mention this in all the DTV talk?

By the way the gov MADE them put on any messages at all about this, but now the gov needs to make the notice be truthful, you may need a new antenna, and so on. No where have I seen it mentioned that EXISTING DTV's also will quit working on many channels, why? It is true.

[pilotbob]

This thread seems to duplicate http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=415423

BOb

[pdonoghu]

Aren't the digital channels already transmitting? Tribune/Tivo has enough time to be ready.

A better question is if tivo is ready for the customer service calls. Series 1 customers who are out of luck. Series 2 customers who waited to buy a digital convertor. Who forgot how to run setup. Who aren't happy that a two tuner unit is now (effectively) a one tuner unit (unless I'm missing something). Customers who want a free update to a series 3.


Series 2 dual tuner boxes were never designed to work with OTA, and do not support a DTV converter box.

[lew]

Series 2 dual tuner boxes were never designed to work with OTA, and do not support a DTV converter box.


I didn't realize dual tuner boxes coincided with the removal of OTA capability. The dual tuner boxes will be impacted as more cable systems move more channels from analog to digital only. I went from DTivo to TivoHD.

[gastrof]

In theory, it shouldn't make a difference. Since the PID is still X-1, the listings shouldn't change. The underlying frequency can move but the stations will still ID themselves as 2-1 or 3-1 or 6-1. The listings should keep up without a hitch.

The only change will be, as you pointed out, analog season passes will need to be re-entered.

"In theory" :)


Not quite right.

Series 3s using OTA will have to rescan to find the new frequency of any channels that have moved.

Any TiVos using external digital tuner boxes for OTA will be okay, but the owner will still have to rescan with the converter box.

[Adam1115]

This thread seems to duplicate http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=415423

BOb

THAT thread was started after this one. ;)

[pilotbob]

THAT thread was started after this one. ;)

I was just informing not judging. I thought perhaps the mods could merge them or something.

BOb

[berkshires]

So with all this mumbo jumbo, how many hours will it take our cable companies to get all the channels retuned at the headend(s) and sent down the cable system to us?

I guess we should all be a bit anxious for the first day.

[jrm01]

I guess we should all be a bit anxious for the first day.

Just think what would have happened if the magic date had been set for Feb 1 - Super Bowl Sunday.

[gastrof]

I'm ticked already.

Our cable system imports an extra PBS station from another state, and when I turned it on last night it was obvious that "someone" had set it up to get to my set (no cable box) as a zoomed version of a widescreen broadcast.

Isn't that special? Apparently they want to avoid making anyone "unhappy" who doesn't like letterbox, and they're chopping off the sides.

Real nice when the show runs captions that go off the screen and thus can't really be read. Obviously the show was meant to be presented as letterbox on a 4x3 set.

Guess my cable system thinks they know better.

[ZeoTiVo]

Just think what would have happened if the magic date had been set for Feb 1 - Super Bowl Sunday.
I think they put it just after the Super Bowl deliberately

[lew]

The government coupon program for digital boxes is out of money. Consumers Union, and probably others, are asking congress to postpone the analog shutdown date.

[modnar]

I'm ticked already.

Our cable system imports an extra PBS station from another state, and when I turned it on last night it was obvious that "someone" had set it up to get to my set (no cable box) as a zoomed version of a widescreen broadcast.

Isn't that special? Apparently they want to avoid making anyone "unhappy" who doesn't like letterbox, and they're chopping off the sides.

Real nice when the show runs captions that go off the screen and thus can't really be read. Obviously the show was meant to be presented as letterbox on a 4x3 set.

Guess my cable system thinks they know better.
My cable company has been doing that with any SD widescreen programming on NBC off and on for at least 1 1/2 years. I've reported it and got them to fix it temporarily, only to have them eventually switch back. It was first glaringly obvious during the last few episodes of "The West Wing" and on-screen text was being chopped off on the left/right of the screen. :mad:

It turns out what they were doing was sending their digital feed of the local NBC affiliate to all subscribers since it is cleaner than the analog feed (and they'll have to let go of the analog feed anyway), but the switching equipment doesn't handle the widescreen stuff properly. Programming that is normally 4:3 is not cropped; only 16:9 content is. When it would be fixed for a while, they had switched back to the analog feed. After switching back to digital, the problem would recur.

Last I talked to them about this, I think they finally got a good understanding of what was going on and were going to order new switching equipment that would handle this properly.

Since then, I've gotten HD, so it's not a big an issue right now, but I've noticed on other TVs they're still having the issue on their SD feed.

[SCSIRAID]

This is the least of the problem.

When the Digital Stations FLASH CUT, all Series3's will require a rescan of OTA. That and the lineup for all flash cut digital channels will change.....

Forget to rescan and your tivo won't be recording anything!

The 'other' thread has a seemingly knowledgable post that claims that the virtual to physical channel mapping info for OTA channels in the program guide is actually carried in the program guide data and not via channel scan.

For a TV, a scan is absolutely the right answer. For TiVo Im not sure what to believe....

[gastrof]

The 'other' thread has a seemingly knowledgable post that claims that the virtual to physical channel mapping info for OTA channels in the program guide is actually carried in the program guide data and not via channel scan.

For a TV, a scan is absolutely the right answer. For TiVo Im not sure what to believe....


Here's what to believe-

On the first "no analog" morning, RESCAN ANYWAY.

You'll be fine.