🚀 go-pugleaf

In <17342@borg.cs.unc.edu> hardarso@weiss.cs.unc.edu (Kari Hardarson) writes:
>[cable boxes]
>Why do we need those boxes on top of our TV?  They look ugly, they
>consume energy even when turned off (mine is always hotter than skin
>temperature) and they complicate TV watching in general.  Does anyone
>know if they benefit the consumer in any way?

The boxes make it easier to turn on/off pay channels, because they can just
program the box down the wire. They also allow a two-tier service for the
other channels, by providing a tiny subset of service for a lower price while
scrambling all the useful channels. BTW, I'm *glad* I don't have a box.

A friend of mine in the DC area has a box because he has 2 physical cables
running into his apartment. Apparently, a single coax doesn't have the
bandwidth for the 110 or so channels he can get. Is this true, and if so,
how could 100+ channel "cable ready" sets work anywhere?

>I called my friendly cable company the other day and told them that the
>picture on the Pay-per-view channels was bad - interference and such.
>The answer I got was: "you may come to our office and get your cable box
>exchanged".  I was supposed to drive 5 miles and get another box to test
>the phone operators theory that this was probably the box.  What are those
>vans with Cablevision logos for?  Foreign spies tapping phones, perhaps?

The operator probably did you a favor. All the boxes probably have problems,
and they would likely charge you $35 for the honor of not doing anything, not
to mention you having to be at home for them to come by "sometime Thursday".
Note: heavy sarcasm intended.

>While I'm on the subject of cable TV: How come the cable
>company doesn't broadcast the evening program on a separate channel like
>so many companies do?  Instead they have been trying to get people to
>subscribe to a Cable guide for 4-5$ extra a month (which only lists a subset
>of the channels, i.e. not the network programs).  And how come they
>charge 23.50$ for *basic* service?  Don't they know there's a recession?

"We're the cable company. We can do anything we want."
- possibly misremembered quote frm the Saturday morning "Garfield" cartoon.

Actually, I was visiting the Bay area in CA in August, and things were *worse*.
There were 8-10 cable companies, each with their own monopolized area, and each
carried about 20-25 channels. They even stole 3 of the channels for the "Triple
Cast", instead of using holes like Cablevision. I hate monopolies.

BTW, I heard something second hand about the Justice Dept. not enforcing the
cable bill that got Bush's only overridden veto. Does anyone have any info
(or pointers to info) about this?

>Ahhhhhh!  That felt better!

Indeed.
--
Gordon Keener         SAS Institute, Inc.
flash@unx.sas.com     SAS Campus Dr, Cary,
+1 919 677 8000       NC 27513-2414 USA
"There is a heppy lend, fur, fur a-wa-ay." - _Krazy_Kat_, George Herriman