PBS TV CH 22 and 32.. GONE.. ideas?

[Robert Stratton]

It is likely because Cox has migrated to Switched Digital Video. It requires the use of their Scientific Atlanta box or the TiVo adapter (if they ever released them), to request the headend to light up the signal you want on an idle frequency. 

SDV allows them to essentially "oversubscribe" the bandwidth available on the wire. Cox is using technology from a company called Bigband Networks. They dropped a bunch of channels for which I was paying and using a Sony HD DVR with a CableCard. When I called and asked if they had lit up SDV, they acted like it was a state secret, so I pointed them to the Cox press release indicating that they were about to start using it. 

PBS is particularly challenging for them because of their decision to multiplex channels. Anything that takes a real (full-time) channel slot seems to be viewed with derision, as they want to cram as much content as they can on their pipe. 

It's tough, the cable companies still seem to be providing (except for Cox's Internet service, which is passable), the worst service for the highest price, but the satellite companies aren't much better if you care about video quality as they overcompress horribly. Cox, for all its advances still hasn't been able in 10 years to get their audio levels to be even remotely consistent across their programming providers, which is sad. 


--Bob S.