Apparently, they weren't making enough money, so they kill analog broadcast just to make you rent one their stupid boxes. Which, based on what I've heard, are quite expensive to rent. UNBELIEVABLE! I have never seen such greed! :rant:

Chuck Farter Communications.. The Audio cuts out ALL THE TIME on the HD channels, you call customer service, 1st off, its an Indian from Delhi, Bangalore, or SOME 3rd world shytehole... He CAN'T understand my thick Hillbilly accent, & I really can't understand HIM too well. Either. Then, he starts babbling that I don't have their Phone Service, would I like to sign up ? Chuck U, Farley, your goddang Internet & Cable go south ALL THE TIME, you tell me WHY I'd wanna give you Arsewholes any MORE money ? And be subjected to loss of phone service every 3rd blue moon, as well ?!? Grrrrrrrrrr....

LOL@Chuck Farter. I'm gonna start saying that.

Don't blame Charter. It was the FCCs Viewability Rule that said they didn't have to carry analog any longer, so why should they?

.

Apparently, they weren't making enough money, so they kill analog broadcast just to make you rent one their stupid boxes. Which, based on what I've heard, are quite expensive to rent. UNBELIEVABLE! I have never seen such greed! :rant:
I may be reading this wrong, but the boxes appear to be free or quite reasonable depending on the number of sets that you desire to hook up;
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/charter-cable-to-require-set-top-boxes/article_29a6a2c8-e5ad-5ffe-9f4b-b6af780e3748.html

jr

I'm actually surprised analog cable stayed around as long as it did for you guys. The only analog cable system here (Optusvision) shut down long before over the air analog. Their competitor (Foxtel) was digital from the start, though the exact system (and boxes) have changed a couple of times over the years.

Plugging a TV straight into the cable was never a thing here - at least not for most people. I had Optusvision on and off for a few years as adding and later removing TV from your package was a way to extend your contract and grandfather you into the "good" internet package that was withdrawn. Without the box all you'd get was a couple of random channels that were in the clear that week/day/hour, a couple of channels that showed test patterns and in the later days an "Unauthorised receiver" message.

Towards the end of the service they were using very frequent channel map updates and bad map updates in an effort to take out modified boxes, but by this point it was futile. Anyone running such a box had resorted to a default all channels map and disabled updates coming over the cable.

I had Foxtel up until recently - their box fees make yours sound reasonable. One box included with the package regardless of tier. At the time I disconnected extra SD boxes were $20 a month with an extra fee for HD on top of that.

TWC analog cable is still alive and well here...

... And Chortle, do you absolutely HAVE to run a block of YOUR ads EVERY SINGLE TIME the show breaks for commercials ?!? And its the SAME smarmy metrosexual dude, or the bimbette in the dopey blue dress... ARRRRRRGH ! As bad, if not WORSE than that OTHER insufferable Harpy, Flo... And the "Too School for Cool" electronic piano music.... Grrrrrrr...

You've been very lucky.

Analog cable has been gone from my area for at least five years now.

Well, the company that sold them these boxes likely likes them...
http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=183886&d=1407465906

I miss C-band....

SR

Chuck Farter's done it again. The wireless Internet won't work. :dammit: My iPhone said something to the effect of "the server is not responding." I'm using 3G to post this message. I have yet to read a positive review if them.

Yep, here in Bugtussle, the Internoot was out from about 4.30 ystrday afternoon til sometime earlier this morning. At least the cable TV stayed up.. And while I don't normally advocate violence against children, I would SERIOUSLY love to pour hot tar all over that revolting little girl from "Andover Junior High"... The 1st 750 K times I saw that ad, it was cute, but after that, it got to be a bit dreadful..

Sandy G,

We don't call them Chortle Communications for nothing. It is bad when I am near Charter's headend and 4 tech visits to the radio station in Sweetwater gets no connectivity. And our farmhouse neighbor is Comcast's last subscriber on nearby Philadelphia's headend and has no issues. I see Comcast truck out, he is working on the neighborhood. I ask him if we can get Comcast, he says yes and "When I finish with this last little issue, I'll see if I can wire you". He does, all works great and 99% uptime. And superb service. And we're the last Philadelphia subscriber on the headend.

I think most cable companies are corrupt.:yikes:Nobody likes them but still feed them loot because of the OTA DTV switchover.

We lost analog cable in Dec 2012 here.

All Analog cable will go the way of the dodo. Digital encoding and recompression of signals(so that they have almost VHS quality in some cases) allows the provider to throw more content down the pipe.
It happens faster in areas where people demand higher internet speeds or the cable company gets caught with their pants down by a fiber provider coming in and offering things like 1gbps internet and DVR's that can record 12 programs.

Just wait till the TWC/Comcast merger goes through. The decision to divest inter areas and sell them to other providers has already been planned.

I have been out of town a couple of days. Plopped down in front of Ye Olde Toob de Boob, tried running thru the channels, but Chortle's "Hokey Box" decided it was time to "Re-Initialise" itself, a process that takes up to 10 minutes. Damthing's been "Off" for nearly 3 days now, WHY does it HAVE to do that right when I want to watch it ?!? As annoying as the Sirius satellite radio on my wife's Touareg, it has to go thru the same blasted rigamarole if its been turned off for more than 5 minutes. Why does turning on or off ANY "Smart" device require more time than an old woman fixing to go to bed for the night ? Sheesh..

Don't cha jus luv how SS gear has finally 'evolved' to the point that it takes twice+++ as long as tube gear to 'warmup'?.... If anyone asks me why I still watch a tube TV and not internet videos for entertainment I'll tell them 'cause my TVs warmup faster than your computer!'

Don't cha jus luv how SS gear has finally 'evolved' to the point that it takes twice+++ as long as tube gear to 'warmup'?.... If anyone asks me why I still watch a tube TV and not internet videos for entertainment I'll tell them 'cause my TVs warmup faster than your computer!'

No Shit, Sherlock.. The computer was off for the same amount of time, & of course, IT had to go thru the old "Re-Initialise" rigamarole... Finding updates, populating Drivers, Picking its Nose, Scratching Its Arse..... What IS all the crap w/why all these Dee-Vices can't simply just "Turn on", all have to go thru a routine that would make starting a 747 up seem simple by comparison ?!? Jeez...