"all digital" somehow synonymous with "encrypted"?

I'm not sure about your market but in mine (Connecticut) Bloomberg in not part of the essential tier so can't be viewed either direct off cable (prior to conversion) or with a minibox.  Also, channels not available in HD will be received in SD but not analog NTSC, they are digital encrypted QAM.  The minibox is designed to supply the HD feed if it's available and the box is connected via hdmi.  You will always get the SD feed if it's connected via coax.  If they were still NTSC you would be able to view them direct off the cable without a box.

I think you missed the point. The tier that Bloomberg is in is not germane to the discussion. Whether or not I am using coax or hdmi is also not germane.

The fact is that Cox is still supplying NTSC *content*, even though full HD digital (720p) content is available from Bloomberg. The fact that they are supplying analog content via a digital signal is still not "all digital". And that's just a single channel example. Some channels do not have a digital content alternative (AHC comes to mind), so in that case I would understand, because that channel simply isn't available in 720p. 

But that's really a side issue. The real issue is that to get ANY content, you must rent boxes now, whereas you didn't have to rent boxes before. Because in addition to "going digital", they encrypted the signal. Which is totally separate and unrelated to "going digital".  Digital signal does not require encryption. Cox CHOSE to encrypt. That choice increases their revenue stream, at the expense of customers with existing contractual agreements.

If some people were taking advantage of the fact that Cox had an unencrypted signal available at the coax to pirate tv signal, well that's unfortunate. I can understand why Cox would want to remedy that situation. But to arbitrarily add charges to existing PAYING customers seems like, well... breach of contract. Cox should provide free mini boxes for every tv set in my house that does not have a STB (I have two digital STB's), for the duration of my current agreement. 



 

I would love to see where, in Cox's contract, they guaranty that you can use the cable without a STB.  Can you post it, thanks.  As far as what the salesperson promised,  I can't address that.  I'm not a Cox employee and have no idea what was said.  All I know is if it was promised you would not need a box, that was wrong.

On the other points, you are confusing transmission method (analog or digital) with resolution (SD or HD).  Just because the signal is SD doesn't mean it's analog/NTSC.  Cox says "all digital" not "all HD" so all digital is correct.  Where they fall down is not talking about encryption except when directly asked.  This has been discussed in much detail here on the forum.

The fact that certain channels are in SD only when HD feeds are available has nothing to do with your problem with encryption.  Nothing has changed, HD wasn't available before the conversion and is still not available after.

I guess my question is, why did they say "all didgital" when in fact, they meant "all encrypted"? The two are distinctly different from a technical perspective. Adding encryption forces us to get additional mini boxes in order to keep getting the same level of service that we were getting before the "transition". After the first mini box, you have to pay a monthly fee. Which means that effectively, encryption amounts to a price hike, in the middle of my three year commitment. Unilaterally changing the terms of service during the period of performance of a contract constitutes a breach. What are my remedies? 

I would be shocked if they wouldn't let you cancel your service without a penalty.  Plus at the 1/2 way point, the penalty is pretty small.

The transition is an opportunity for Cox to get more money.  More money with rental fees and more money with adding channels you'd never watch.  Now that you're required to rent something, they'll eventually phase out the mini box and require everyone to rent a set-top box.  Then they'll start pushing ads and pay-for-view promos on their channel guide.  There are more marketers and accountants at Cox than engineers.

"Going All Digital" is more of a selling point than "Going All Encrypted."  Old people would just get confused.

I would suggest write your congress person but that is how we got here in the first place.

DustinP, great job cutting and pasting the corporate spin. This is what I meant by "Where they fall down is not talking about encryption except when directly asked."  You did it again, talked about digital and ignored the OP's point about encryption.

My market has been all digital for a year now and I've yet to see any use of the freed up bandwidth ... no new HD channels, no HSI speed increase ... just a price increase.  I don't know Cox's plan for the bandwidth but haven't seen anything yet.

Also, you state "provide a HD picture and guide".  The guide is anything but HD.  It is letterboxed 4x3 with such small characters it's very difficult to read from a distance.  Even the info button has space on the left & right and would fit into a 4x3 letterbox.  Yes it does provide an HD picture but the guide leaves a lot to be desired.

Bruce, I take exception to your statement ... I am old but not confused

how can cox get more money by adding channels I thought cox had to pay to carry the channels?

wees, the point is Cox is making money on the minibox, cable card and additional STB rentals.  They are also reducing cost by eliminating truck rolls to disconnect/connect service and reducing theft of services.  It all adds up to a win for Cox ... if it's a win for the customer has yet to be demonstrated.  As I posted, I've been all digital for a year and have yet to see new channels.

Thanks AllenP. You have stated it better than I did. 

It's always entertaining to see forum responses from people who always seem to have plenty of time to fire of a snarky retort, but can't be bothered to actually read enough of the original post to get to the actual question.

I particularly enjoyed the response that suggested that I should be fine with encryption, because Cox's competitors all force you to use cable boxes. That's EXACTLY why I switched to Cox! Because their competitors all force you to use a cable box! Oh the irony 

Good news, maybe. I spoke with Grace at Cox via a chat window. I explained my issue in excruciating detail, and asked "what are my remedies? and was then regaled with the boilerplate responses about digital using less bandwidth, and competitors all using cable boxes, etc etc. Fine answers one and all, but all answers to questions that had not been posed. The real cake-topper was when she said "This is a requirement by the FCC. Is not only Cox. All the Cable TV provider's will require a Cable box in order to watch TV.", which is just patently absurd. 

Finally Grace suggested that I "Please contact our Loyalty department at 703-378-8422 Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. / Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.". She seemed to think that it might be possible for me to get a remedy for this situation via that department. I have a feeling it will end up being 30 wasted minutes on hold, but I will take solace in the fact that I can watch Betty Liu on Bloomberg in stunning 320x240 resolution while I wait. 

HD Channel Guide...ha!  What makes it HD?  Stretching the aspect ratio to 16:9?  It looks awful.  At least it's encrypted.

Update: 

I contacted the Loyalty department. The phone number above actually is for billing, but if you press zero enough times, you will get a human being who you can ask to connect you to the loyalty department. I had a nice conversation with Tricia, who was unable to do anything for me herself, but she put me through to Dan, who was at a sufficient management level where he had some wiggle room. I won't go into specifics, but suffice it to say that they agreed to create a credit in an amount large enough to make two additional mini boxes free for the next year. I would say that qualifies as a remedy. Thanks to Cox, and I hope my experience will help others to find their own remedies.