Motorola DCT5100 - doesn't have analog descrambling function?

Post by Captain America
Today, I had my HDTV Upgrade install on Comcast (former AT&T San
Francisco). I already had a Motorola DCT2000 but as soon as the install
tech walked in the door with the DCT5100, he said the DCT5100 will not
descramble the analog premium channel, Jade TVB (Chinese Cantonese) which
is on Channel 71 so I ended up with both the DCT2000 and the DCT5100. Did
Motorola not implement the General Instrument/Motorola analog descrambler
in the DCT5100 boxes which both the DCT1000/2000 had? Or did the tech get
misinformed since the premium is from 7pm-2am when everyone usually is not
working while the non-premium is 2pm-7pm.
Thanks,
John

In the DCT2000, analog descrambling is an option that the cable company has
to pay for. I believe it is option "B" in the model number (ABCEFK,etc.). I
have never ordered any DCT5100, so I don't know if that option is available
for it. It could be that it is available but your cable company chose not to
spend the money on the option, since it would be for just one part-time
premium channel that may not have many customers or may not have a digital
version.

Captain America

2003-12-10 15:05:20 UTC

Post by Captain America
Today, I had my HDTV Upgrade install on Comcast (former AT&T San
Francisco). I already had a Motorola DCT2000 but as soon as the
install tech walked in the door with the DCT5100, he said the DCT5100
will not descramble the analog premium channel, Jade TVB (Chinese
Cantonese) which is on Channel 71 so I ended up with both the DCT2000
and the DCT5100. Did Motorola not implement the General
Instrument/Motorola analog descrambler in the DCT5100 boxes which
both the DCT1000/2000 had? Or did the tech get misinformed since the
premium is from 7pm-2am when everyone usually is not working while
the non-premium is 2pm-7pm.
Thanks,
John

In the DCT2000, analog descrambling is an option that the cable
company has to pay for. I believe it is option "B" in the model number
(ABCEFK,etc.). I have never ordered any DCT5100, so I don't know if
that option is available for it. It could be that it is available but
your cable company chose not to spend the money on the option, since
it would be for just one part-time premium channel that may not have
many customers or may not have a digital version.

You're right that option B is the GI/Jerrold Analog Descrambler and option
M is the Zenith Analog Descrambler. That channel originally required a box
that had option B and option M as it was originally on a Zenith system
which originally had Zenith ST boxes and then Jerrold/GI CFT2014/Z boxes
and then the DCT1000 did have both the B and the M options but only M was
used as there used to be HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and Jade that all used it.
Then I guess the DCT1000 had problems with the Jade channel earlier this
year so they switched to the Jerrold/GI system and then the DCT2000 which
had only the B option did start working. But when they rebuilt the system
to 750Mhz or was it 850Mhz 2 weeks ago, the channel was relaunched as
channel 71 from 34, didn't they have new headend equipment? On analog
channels, is there a way the cable company can authorize a channel during a
certain timeframe for viewing but disable it to people who don't have boxes
at all since that would be one solution other than a digital version of the
channel which isn't available. The DCT5100 boxes doesn't seem to have any
letters in the model number but only numbers. I just thought it would be
more costly to actually have two boxes rather than one box just to fix a
problem for one channel since the same remote controls both boxes at the
same time.

Thanks,
John

Captain America

2003-12-10 16:12:51 UTC

Post by Captain America
Today, I had my HDTV Upgrade install on Comcast (former AT&T San
Francisco). I already had a Motorola DCT2000 but as soon as the
install tech walked in the door with the DCT5100, he said the DCT5100
will not descramble the analog premium channel, Jade TVB (Chinese
Cantonese) which is on Channel 71 so I ended up with both the DCT2000
and the DCT5100. Did Motorola not implement the General
Instrument/Motorola analog descrambler in the DCT5100 boxes which
both the DCT1000/2000 had? Or did the tech get misinformed since the
premium is from 7pm-2am when everyone usually is not working while
the non-premium is 2pm-7pm.
Thanks,
John

In the DCT2000, analog descrambling is an option that the cable
company has to pay for. I believe it is option "B" in the model number
(ABCEFK,etc.). I have never ordered any DCT5100, so I don't know if
that option is available for it. It could be that it is available but
your cable company chose not to spend the money on the option, since
it would be for just one part-time premium channel that may not have
many customers or may not have a digital version.

I just talked to Motorola Product Support and they said the DCT5100 doesn't
have the backward capability even as a option at all while it's available
on the DCT5000 and they said it might be on the 6200/6208 as well. The
strange thing is that if you look at the product datasheets at www.gi.com -
the DCT1000/1200/2000 all show Analog Descrambler as a Optional feature for
full backward capability with analog scrambled channels. But the
5100/5200/6200/6208 doesn't even mention it. Does HDTV require a different
headend from Motorola that doesn't even support analog scrambling anymore
since it seems kind of weird to get rid of backwards compatibility.

Thanks,
John

Mike Rush

2003-12-10 16:22:07 UTC

www.gi.com -

Post by Captain America
the DCT1000/1200/2000 all show Analog Descrambler as a Optional feature for
full backward capability with analog scrambled channels. But the
5100/5200/6200/6208 doesn't even mention it. Does HDTV require a different
headend from Motorola that doesn't even support analog scrambling anymore
since it seems kind of weird to get rid of backwards compatibility.
Thanks,
John

Since nearly all systems are getting rid of the analog scrambling, it won't
be long before backwards compatibility is no longer needed. Since the next
generation of digital boxes is already very expensive, I guess Motorola
decided to reduce costs by skipping the analog descrambler from the design.

Captain America

2003-12-10 16:44:49 UTC

I just talked to Motorola Product Support and they said the DCT5100

doesn't

Post by Captain America
have the backward capability even as a option at all while it's
available on the DCT5000 and they said it might be on the 6200/6208
as well. The strange thing is that if you look at the product
datasheets at

www.gi.com -

Post by Captain America
the DCT1000/1200/2000 all show Analog Descrambler as a Optional
feature

for

Post by Captain America
full backward capability with analog scrambled channels. But the
5100/5200/6200/6208 doesn't even mention it. Does HDTV require a

different

Post by Captain America
headend from Motorola that doesn't even support analog scrambling
anymore since it seems kind of weird to get rid of backwards
compatibility.
Thanks,
John

Since nearly all systems are getting rid of the analog scrambling, it
won't be long before backwards compatibility is no longer needed.
Since the next generation of digital boxes is already very expensive,
I guess Motorola decided to reduce costs by skipping the analog
descrambler from the design.

Thanks Mike. Guess the question is that as this is a part time premium
channel, is there a way the cable company can have the non-premium in the
clear for people without boxes and then during premium hours, to just block
the signal to people without boxes and authorize it for people with boxes
since from what I know from the Comcast Fulfillment manager is that even
for people who subscribe to the premium portion, they all have DCT boxes
that replaced all the CFT boxes out there. Do the new headends that
Comcast uses to support HDTV and IPPV actually have analog scrambling at
all? Wouldn't it be cheaper for Comcast to just have the same channel in
the digital channels for people with DCT5100 boxes since it seems like
it'll be cheaper for the cable company to deploy and the customer wouldn't
need to be responsible for two boxes especially when the remote controls
both boxes at the same time.

Thanks,
John

Mike Rush

2003-12-10 18:34:20 UTC

I just talked to Motorola Product Support and they said the DCT5100

doesn't

www.gi.com -

Post by Captain America
the DCT1000/1200/2000 all show Analog Descrambler as a Optional
feature

for

Post by Captain America
full backward capability with analog scrambled channels. But the
5100/5200/6200/6208 doesn't even mention it. Does HDTV require a

different

Post by Captain America
headend from Motorola that doesn't even support analog scrambling
anymore since it seems kind of weird to get rid of backwards
compatibility.
Thanks,
John

Since nearly all systems are getting rid of the analog scrambling, it
won't be long before backwards compatibility is no longer needed.
Since the next generation of digital boxes is already very expensive,
I guess Motorola decided to reduce costs by skipping the analog
descrambler from the design.

It appears that Jade TVB is a standalone channel delivered by satellite to
cable companies in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The equipment to receive
such a signal and process it into the correct digital format and add it into
the digital can be expensive, over $10,000. Could be they don't have enough
customers with expensive DCT5100's to be worth the expense. It's very cheap
and easy to scramble an analog channel, and they probably already had
equipment in place for other scrambled analogs that they no longer have. No
new equipment would be needed to continue the analog scrambling already in
place for Jade.

Captain America

2003-12-10 19:10:34 UTC

I just talked to Motorola Product Support and they said the DCT5100

doesn't

Post by Captain America
have the backward capability even as a option at all while it's
available on the DCT5000 and they said it might be on the
6200/6208 as well. The strange thing is that if you look at the
product datasheets at

www.gi.com -

Post by Captain America
the DCT1000/1200/2000 all show Analog Descrambler as a Optional
feature

for

Post by Captain America
full backward capability with analog scrambled channels. But the
5100/5200/6200/6208 doesn't even mention it. Does HDTV require a

different

Post by Captain America
headend from Motorola that doesn't even support analog scrambling
anymore since it seems kind of weird to get rid of backwards
compatibility.
Thanks,
John

Since nearly all systems are getting rid of the analog scrambling,
it won't be long before backwards compatibility is no longer
needed. Since the next generation of digital boxes is already very
expensive, I guess Motorola decided to reduce costs by skipping the
analog descrambler from the design.

block

Post by Captain America
the signal to people without boxes and authorize it for people with
boxes since from what I know from the Comcast Fulfillment manager is
that even for people who subscribe to the premium portion, they all
have DCT boxes that replaced all the CFT boxes out there. Do the new
headends that Comcast uses to support HDTV and IPPV actually have
analog scrambling at all? Wouldn't it be cheaper for Comcast to just
have the same channel in the digital channels for people with DCT5100
boxes since it seems like it'll be cheaper for the cable company to
deploy and the customer wouldn't need to be responsible for two boxes
especially when the remote controls both boxes at the same time.
Thanks,
John

It appears that Jade TVB is a standalone channel delivered by
satellite to cable companies in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The
equipment to receive such a signal and process it into the correct
digital format and add it into the digital can be expensive, over
$10,000. Could be they don't have enough customers with expensive
DCT5100's to be worth the expense. It's very cheap and easy to
scramble an analog channel, and they probably already had equipment in
place for other scrambled analogs that they no longer have. No new
equipment would be needed to continue the analog scrambling already in
place for Jade.

That makes sense. I just thought they could move channels to digital as
when they launched the rebuild, they moved a lot of digital channels to
analog so people without digital cable got the channels too. So basically,
they can add in analog scrambling equipment to co-exist with the digital
headend equipment and it'll still work without messing with the other
signals. Speaking about equipment, wouldn't Comcast already have the
correct equipment to process a signal to the correct digital format though
or can each piece of equipment be used for one channel only? I was told by
Comcast or rather AT&T though that Jade TVB changed their broadcast format
to them from analog to digital last December which was the cause for the
DCT's not working while the CFT's did and when they did get it correct, the
Zenith scrambling system was phased out and got replaced with the
GI/Jerrold scrambling system for that one channel. Is Multiplexing
basically the same channel content at different channel locations?

Thanks,
John

Mike Rush

2003-12-11 00:22:15 UTC

Post by Captain America
Speaking about equipment, wouldn't Comcast already have the
correct equipment to process a signal to the correct digital format though
or can each piece of equipment be used for one channel only? I was told by
Comcast or rather AT&T though that Jade TVB changed their broadcast format
to them from analog to digital last December which was the cause for the
DCT's not working while the CFT's did and when they did get it correct, the
Zenith scrambling system was phased out and got replaced with the
GI/Jerrold scrambling system for that one channel. Is Multiplexing
basically the same channel content at different channel locations?
Thanks,
John

Most digital cable channels are processed in groups of channels called
"pods." Each pod contains up to 12 channels of MPEG video, and is usually
processed as a whole pod, using one set of equipment for each pod. To add a
single channel into a pod requires special processing to convert it into the
correct form to be compatible with the processing equipment, and other
equipment to mix (multiplex) the different streams together into a pod to
put on the cable. Each pod fits in the same bandwidth (6 MHz) as one analog
channel.

Captain America

2003-12-11 03:19:48 UTC

Post by Captain America
Comcast or rather AT&T though that Jade TVB changed their broadcast
format to them from analog to digital last December which was the
cause for the DCT's not working while the CFT's did and when they did
get it correct,

the

Post by Captain America
Zenith scrambling system was phased out and got replaced with the
GI/Jerrold scrambling system for that one channel. Is Multiplexing
basically the same channel content at different channel locations?
Thanks,
John

Most digital cable channels are processed in groups of channels called
"pods." Each pod contains up to 12 channels of MPEG video, and is
usually processed as a whole pod, using one set of equipment for each
pod. To add a single channel into a pod requires special processing to
convert it into the correct form to be compatible with the processing
equipment, and other equipment to mix (multiplex) the different
streams together into a pod to put on the cable. Each pod fits in the
same bandwidth (6 MHz) as one analog channel.

That explains it better. Thanks Mike.

Thanks,
John

Tramr300

2003-12-21 05:34:17 UTC