Visit form Cable Guy was very enlightening

Can you trust cable guys? Well, sometimes you can. I've had pretty good luck when I have needed to work with them.

This week, I was forced to pay for Internet from my cable company. I had been picking up unsecured wireless networks around the neighborhood but people have either moved away or secured their networks. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

Anyway, I got to talking with the two guys that showed up to install my modem (why they neeed two I have no idea). They saw my big HDTV and noticed the antenna I had hooked up and asked what it was and how it all worked. I explained to them that I received all 7 major broadcast networks out the Portland area in digital, over the air, and of course with that, I get all of the HD programming they offer. The didn't believe me. These are people in the cable industry.

I actually had to turn on my HDTV, put it in antenna mode for input, and scrolled through all the channels (and sub-channels) I had. They were amazed, in disbelief, and had no idea that you could actually do that. One said "I didn't think you could carry a digital or HD signal through a coax cable".

I was amazed that they knew so little about broadcast TV and the digital conversion in general. One of them said that he thought the broadcast networks were getting rid of their over-the-air signals entirely (analog and digital). That's what he thought the digital conversion was all about.

I am NOT kidding. Maybe these guys are new to their job; maybe they are more focused on learning how to install cable, digital cable, Internet and IP Phone and have no time to follow what is going on with the broadcast side of the digital conversion. They were nice guys so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

I've been writing this blog for almost 2 years. It has moved from one location to another so the dates on the early posts don't accurately reflect the original posting date. In the last two year I have spoken with General Managers at TV stations, customer service reps at the cable company, cable TV installers, the Maine Association of Broadcasters, and the FCC just to name a few. I am blown away by how little people know about the whole TV Industry right now. But then again, this lack of knowledge and lack of information available to the general public is one of the reasons I started the blog in the first place.

Take care all.