Matt wrote me an email after reading an article on EngadgetHD last week about cable operator RCN converting to an all-digital video platform. He asks,
...I know that everything cost money...I just wanted to see where you stood on this. I think RCN has the right idea here.
RCN is completing something that most other cable operators are in the process of doing -- eliminating or nearly eliminating their analog signals and converting those networks to digital. Indeed, Time Warner in New York City has already completed this conversion as well.
In order to accomplish this change (which is unrelated to the broadcast TV digital transition), cable operators first must take a number of interim steps. Insight is about to begin that process in the coming weeks.
The first step of the conversion will be to "simulcast" our classic analog channels in digital. Customers who have digital video service will not have to tune to a new channel in order to find the digital format of their favorite classic channels -- their set top box will do all the work. But digital channels, even in standard definition, tend to look better than analog channels on large TV screens, so customers will probably see an improvement in their pictures. Analog customers will be unaffected by this change. Over time, we will decrease the number of customers who rely on analog by installing new all-digital set top boxes for all new installations. At some point in the future, we will convert any remaining analog customers to digital. Although that may require a converter where none is needed today, it is not going to happen soon and many people, by then, will have already converted their equipment to digital.
Unfortunately, simulcasting doesn't save us bandwidth, instead, it takes up more bandwidth and bandwidth is a limited resource on any cable system. We do that temporarily so we can begin to install new all-digital set top boxes and decrease the number of customers who rely on analog receivers over time. Once the number of analog customers is reduced to a small and manageable amount, we will convert them to digital. Then, we can turn off the analog channels and allocate much, much more bandwidth to new and advanced services, including many more HD channels and super-fast Broadband connections. This is a multi-year plan but watch for us to it in motion during the first half of this year.
So Matt, as you can see, we totally agree with you.
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