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Cablevision Scamming People Into Getting Converter Box With Basic Service
Best Buy Turns to Component Cable Deception To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
How Best Buy Sells Its Pricey HDTV Calibration Service: Deception

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Kaiser-Machead
02/23/09

In reply to Cablevision Scamming People Into Getting Converter Box With Basic Service
I grow weary of these Scientific Atlantic boxes. I want to grind them. I want to put them into a giant blender, and pulverize these wretched set-top turds into a fine toxic powder, mix it with ketel one and floor cleaner, and funnel this poisonous swill down the gaping maw of our cable repair man.
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
02/23/09

In reply to Cablevision Scamming People Into Getting Converter Box With Basic Service
"UPDATE: It has come to our attention that some neighborhoods do require a box."

Is there any way of finding out which neighborhoods require it and which do not, in order to avoid being scammed if it's not needed?
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warf0x0r
02/23/09

In reply to Cablevision Scamming People Into Getting Converter Box With Basic Service
SCIENTIFIC ATLANTIC BOXES ARE TEH SUC!!!
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ripfire
02/23/09

@warf0x0r: Seriously, this should have been the first comment.
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ZLevee
02/23/09

In reply to Cablevision Scamming People Into Getting Converter Box With Basic Service
It actually sounds more like they were trying to say that if you don't have a built-in digital tuner, your "cable-ready TV" will still need a digital cable box (or a store-bought digital converter) to interpret the signal. The coaxial wire alone is not any better than an antenna.
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ZLevee
02/23/09

@ZLevee: Another thing: Since this guy is probably going to find out that he needs a converter box or cable box after all since the uncles TV probably doesn't have a digital turner despite being "cable-ready", he should know that in Manhattan at least if you use a generic converter, you get better results with an antenna that with the cable line, as ridiculous as that sounds. So either go with the actual cable box if you want to use the wire, or cancel the cable service and get a converter with the antenna.
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ZLevee
02/23/09

@ZLevee: thirdly, I still think cable-company employees don't know shit.

I say this despite them being somewhat correct in this instance. It's evident here not only by the fact that they didn't suggest a simple converter (could be they wanted a sale) but by the fact that they couldn't explain the difference between "cable-ready" and a digital tuner which would have cleared up why soem type of box might be needed.
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Elliuotatar
02/23/09

How do you know if your TV has a digital tuner? And how do these "cable cards" fit into all this?
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ZLevee
02/23/09

@Elliuotatar: Digital Tuners - some TVs say it right on them, but otherwise I'd either check the manual or look up your model on the manufacturer's website.

You're gonna have to get more specific with your cable card question. Generally, cablecards were supposed to eliminate set top boxes and allow you to get digital and HD channels directly to a cablecard TV, cablecard PC, or cablecard DVR. Certain non-cable company DVRs (Tivo HD for example) accept cable cards. I haven't seen a Media Center PC that takes one yet, though I have seen an external ATI box that connects to a PC which can use cable cards to get HD channels from digital cable service. There are single stream cable cards and multistream cable cards, the latter of which will let a Tivo HD for example get 2 broadcasts simultaneously while only requiring one card. The downside of cable cards is that cable companies haven't made them compatible with sending info, so you can't order Pay Per View or On Demand content with them. Version 2 is supposed to fix this, along with adding switched video (basically frees up bandwith for other services by not sending you channels you aren't watching at the moment). Other tech is in the works that may replace all this.
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davezatz
02/23/09

In reply to Cablevision Scamming People Into Getting Converter Box With Basic Service
Actually, in more and more regions cable-cos are going all digital. The first neighborhoods seem to be high density, like Brooklyn, as a means of preventing piracy. So maybe the old guy needs a "cable ready" TV... with CableCARDs. If he doesn't want a box.
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mnerd
02/23/09

In reply to Cablevision Scamming People Into Getting Converter Box With Basic Service
If they were so knowing, he should have advised them to get a 40 dollar converter box. Cable should not have even come up in this situation.
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ZLevee
02/23/09

@mnerd: Both the dude making the request and the cable company don't know what their talking about.

The 95-yr old uncle might have a "cable-ready TV" but they called TVs that before the days of digital tuners. His is probably one of these older types. Without a digital cable box or digital converter box, it ain't gonna work. The guy asking and the guy explaining both seem to think they're so knowledgable but neither seems to know that.

And yes, they both should have known about the option of a converter box with an antenna without any cable service.
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ripfire
02/23/09

@ZLevee: Actually, some cable companies (Comcast & Charter as far as I know) still transmit basic analog signals through the cable along with the digital signal. That's how my parents get digital cable in the living room but still get basic from a split wire hooked directly to their TV in the bedroom.
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ZLevee
02/23/09

@ripfire: and @tande04: As far as I know, they're not planning on maintaining the parallel signals indefinitely
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ZLevee
02/23/09

@ripfire: @tande04: out of luck on Febraury 2012: [seattletimes.nwsource.com]
Of course, for the 95 yr old guy that might be long enough.
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Toshie
02/23/09

@ZLevee: You're making some pretty large assumptions but I was thinking the same thing. Especially since Cablevision has switched so many of their channels (don't know if that includes OTA channels) to digital only. That *would* require a cable box.

I hate Cablevision with a passion, but even the FiosTV reps do the hard sell on the 'free' channels. Hoping that you'll forget to cancel the free services at the end of the trial period...
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ZLevee
02/23/09

@Toshie: we posted at the same time so see the link to the Seattle Times article.
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ripfire
02/23/09

@ZLevee: Even if it was planned to discontinue in the future, I just wouldn't go as far as saying that this guy doesn't know what he's talking about.
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ZLevee
02/23/09

@ripfire: Well OK, then he wasn't clear that his assumption was that he only cared about the next 3 years.
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Purple Dave
02/23/09

@ZLevee:
"As for the nation's analog-cable subscribers, cable operators must either convert the digital signal to analog at the point where the cable signal originates,
OR SUPPLY CUSTOMERS WITH A 'DOWN-CONVERTER' DEVICE THAT WILL CHANGE DIGITAL SIGNALS TO ANALOG AT THE TV SET."

Or you could be out of luck today. This seems to be what Cablevision was opting for. Hand out cable boxes to the customers who don't have ATSC-ready TVs, and cut your transmission costs in half. Being that it was probably SOP, it _would_ actually require a manager's approval to do anything different.
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ghackett
02/23/09

In reply to Cablevision Scamming People Into Getting Converter Box With Basic Service
It's not that easy in BK or anywhere in NYC for that matter. If you're in an apartment you proably can't use a dish cause you'd have to install it (unless you have a window facing the correct direction). If your building has a deal with CableVision, you're stuck with em. That's the only reason I'm suckling the TimeWarner tite.
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OMG! Ponies!
02/23/09

@ghackett: Preceisely. I was going to cut the Cablevision cord last week (to save some money) but it would only save about $45 a month. I need to have a landline for my fax machine and dropping cable would make my phone service go from $15 to $30. Also, I'd lose my movie discount and see an increase in my cost for internet.

Still, I am looking at something like a Vudu box.
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Purple Dave
02/23/09

@ghackett:
I keep trying to explain to one of my coworkers that just because her apartment complex has an exclusive contract with Comcast doesn't mean she can't opt for AT&T's U-verse service, since it comes in on the phone lines. Likewise, she could drop AT&T for Comcast's phone and internet, since they come in on the cable lines. These days, there's _always_ a choice, unless you live in a place that doesn't have cable and/or phone service available.
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frigg
12/29/08

In reply to Best Buy Turns to Component Cable Deception To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
That's like Best Buy has a display of a "calibrated" HDTV displaying nicely on a marble pedestal, and an "uncalibrated" HDTV semi-submerged in a bathtub of fish chum. SEE... see how much easier it is to watch the calibrated one?!
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Seiven
12/29/08

In reply to Best Buy Turns to Component Cable Deception To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
not all Best Buys do crap like this...I think the people at that store are asshats for trying to deceive buyers. Sure some TVs look better when calibrated...but most TVs don't need a professional to calibrate them AND most users couldn't tell the difference unless the 2 were side by side...it's ok to sell a service that most of the readers here would find insulting if you offered us, but don't lie to someone we might be related to and expect us not to call you on it.
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Jay Gordon
12/29/08

In reply to Best Buy Turns to Component Cable Deception To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
the other BS thing that they do is sell "optimized" notebook computers. I went and bought a HP which had a huge discount, they told me there was a $40 charge because the "Geek Squad" had already optimized it. I asked what that meant and was told they took off all the trial software and made some reg edits. I told them to get me one that wasn't optimized because I could have done these things on my own and not paid them extra. He told me it was the only one he had left. He talked to a supervisor and they saved me the 40 bucks.

they tried pulling the "calibrated" thing over at circuit city too for a plasma tv i bought. sales guy swore that they could save me tons on my electricity bill and make the picture look better. really they just kind of set the colors and that's about it, i passed.
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tidybowl
12/29/08

@Jay Gordon: how would calibrating save you "tons" on your electricity bill? I can see saying calibration makes the picture better - but save electricity?

What's next, "calibration will cure male pattern baldness"?
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ceilingFANBOY
12/30/08

@tidybowl: By default, TVs are set at a ridiculously high brightness. The brighter the TV is set to, the more energy it uses. It's the same reason your laptop will dim the screen when you unplug it from the wall. The thing is, though, brightness is one of the easiest settings to calibrate correctly on your own.
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tande04
12/29/08

In reply to Best Buy Turns to Component Cable Deception To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
Best Buy has a track record of this sort of thing. If you look at the Consumerist article there was another case where they were running a SD signal as uncalibrated and the HD one as calibrated.

Neither are likely corporate policy but probably the result of store managers making bad decisions in trying to up their calibration numbers. Still corporate holds some of the responsibility since they aren't likely to be coming out strongly against it otherwise you wouldn't see it time and time again.

Slight aside but how is Gawker linking sites now? Used to be I'd see that an article was clearly from another Gawker site as it was labeled as such right in the title. Now I click on some articles and I'm jumped to a sister site.

Or the flip side like this. Clearly another Gawker site's article but no mention of it until the link at the bottom. Is it part of the Gawker break-up (not wanting to drive more traffic to the "failing" sites)? Do I really think I'm going to get an answer to this?
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Brian Lam
12/29/08

@tande04: Hey man, yeah, our layout is in flux. If you have a complaint, let us know at [getsatisfaction.com]

Thanks Tande
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rulerofthemoon
12/29/08

In reply to Best Buy Turns to Component Cable Deception To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
You gotta calibrate that new TV. Not sure what the point of the criticism is. It's more likely that their source did not have two HDMI outputs but instead had 1 HDMI and 1 component.
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srdailey
12/29/08

@rulerofthemoon: bs. calibration is necessary sure, but this is a blatant misrepresentation to sell clueless consumers an expensive service they can do by themselves.
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Saboth
12/29/08

@srdailey:

I'm not sure why you even need to "calibrate". I got a 46" samsung 120 mhz touch of color tv, and I love the colors right out of the box. Sure, maybe some fine tuning might make it look a bit better here and there, but honestly...I'm pretty sure it is awesome out of the box.
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racermd
12/29/08

@rulerofthemoon: Likely right. But one could easily split the component signal since it's analog. Splitting an HDMI connection requires some modestly-expensive equipment. Splitting a component connection requires an RCA (cinch) splitter for each leg of the trio, probably about $5 total.

What's also troubling is that they're showing an A/B calibration IN THE STORE! This is the same location where they pump the brightness and blow the contrast so that the sets look better in the crappy store lighting.

I'd give them credit for trying, but I really can't believe people fall for this sort of trickery. If they are, well... "Fools and their money" and all that.
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dc-united
12/29/08

@Saboth: I'm glad you're pleased with your display out of the box, but I have never bought a TV that I haven't had to calibrate. I've always done it myself, and it has always made a huge difference.

The biggest pain is in explaining to visitors that TVs are not meant to rival large colored spotlights in their brightness. (I don't get why stores always turn up the brightness and sharpness on their display models.) Once my guests get used to the quieter image, they start to notice that colors look more realistic and 'film-like'.
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ceilingFANBOY
12/29/08

@racermd: My guess is that this isn't a store with a Magnolia center. Most of the stores with the Magnolia centers have the calibration thing in there where you can actually see a difference. This one, though, appears to be on an endcap where it isn't even in the TV section where the lights are at least not as bad.
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ceilingFANBOY
12/29/08

@dc-united: The turning up of the sharpness it what really bugs me. If you are watching a hi-def source, you're just going to cause jaggies. However, from my experience, the average customer is ignorant enough to think that those jaggies are good clean edges rather than taking something that's supposed to be a smooth curve into something that isn't. The brightness just draws attention and in the stores you can't see things like color saturation and accuracy.
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admoseremic
12/29/08

In reply to Best Buy Turns to Component Cable Deception To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
Don't forget to buy our Monster power strips for another $200.00 so that your TV gets 'clean power'.
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PrimaveraHoi
12/29/08

@admoseremic:
A cheap $70 battery backup system will absorb any spikes and brownouts and power irregularities coming out of the wall better than any thick-gauge cable. It doesn't make sense that you'd want cabling as thick as a baby's arm from the wall socket to the appliance when the power cables behind the drywall all the way to the breakerbox is thin gauge.
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ceilingFANBOY
12/29/08

@PrimaveraHoi: Some of them have the actual strip be where the power is cleansed. However, those Monster power strips can be found on Amazon for about $20-30 which is reasonable for a power strip.
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Kaiser-Machead
12/29/08

In reply to Best Buy Turns to Component Cable Deception To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
Sigh, Best Lie

How do we always let you by?

CC's dyin, economy's fryin

And it's still your shit that we keep buyin'

Shame
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UofITom
12/29/08

In reply to Best Buy Turns to Component Cable Deception To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
I wouldda switched the cables :o
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nutbastard
12/29/08

@UofITom:

ditto. all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
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