Craig Birkmaier wrote: > > An STB with the combination digital cable and ATSC > > is close to useless. Because cable systems provide > > their own STBs for this purpose. > > Why would such a box be useless? Most cable systems > are NOT carrying the HDTV signals from the broadcast > network affiliates. And the current FCC regulations > on Must Carry/Retrans consent will only require that > cable systems carry the primary network, not the > full digital multiplex. Good point, then. I thought cable systems did carry the HDTV programs from the local stations. Shame on them if they don't. As to your points about "should" be able to buy an STB that works on any cable system, okay. I guess I look at it from the other perspective. To me, any umbillical service will always try to be non-standard. To the extent that STBs are only meant as a short-term work around, until you buy that new TV or recording device, and to the extent that cable-provided STBs already give you that short term work around for your NTSC set to receive DTV programs, I guess I find it difficult to get hard over on this. > > However, if built into integrated sets or recording > > devices, the combination makes infinitely more sense. > > To you. To anyone who actually uses recording devices. I find it strange that you haven't caught on. The reason cable and DBS companies offer proprietary TiVo-like boxes is exactly this. The built-in front end is essential in a recording device. That's all they're doing. They are selling or renting you the recorder with built-in tuner and decoder. But, of course, keep this guy totally dependent on my distribution medium only. Wouldn't want that recorder to be useful in any other medium. The ATSC tuner mandate and digital cable agreement should solve this problem, if it gets applied to recorders as well as TVs (as one would logically expect).=20 > But you got it exactly right Bert...the market > I am talking about is driving the digital and > HD transition UNTIL the NTSC shutoff. Which is part of the reason we can't seem to communicate. That short term thinking doesn't mean anything to me. I'm only looking for the solution that makes sense after NTSC shutoff, and that's what the FCC is also considering. And that's what the CE vendors are just now starting to produce, e.g. that Hitachi set. Bert ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.