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From: tomb@tekecs.UUCP (Tom Beach)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: Re: Laser and Vcr stuff
Message-ID: <5823@tekecs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 7-Nov-85 15:41:52 EST
Article-I.D.: tekecs.5823
Posted: Thu Nov  7 15:41:52 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 10-Nov-85 08:08:08 EST
References: <21169@mgweed.UUCP> <1557@utcsri.UUCP> <2659@brl-tgr.ARPA> <391@tekcbi.UUCP> <337@tekcrl.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 66

> > Not where I live.  In eastside Portland, we are served by Rogers cablesystems
> > (Basically a Canadian company with franchises around the U.S.).  They
> > use the Zenith Z-TAC converter box.  The video is noisy and sometimes
> > not watchable.  I have an excellent picture off my outside antenna and
> > prefer it to cable for watching the locals.  And the cable company tells
> > me that I have a good signal level.
> 
>      I live west of Portland, served by Storer Cable, and it's not much
> better. They use the Zenith Z-TAC converter box, also.

...

>      Well, my Zenith box has direct video/audio out (I need it for my 25"
> NEC monitor; thank God they have these outputs, or my monitor would be use-
> less!!!) Sometimes, when I'm watching a premium channel (usually HBO, which
> is scrambled, BTW), the picture will get real fuzzy with some snow (but not
> enough to make it unwatchable, just enough to make it annoying...) and stay
> like that for 5-10 minutes. Now I know Storer uses repeaters/amps `cause they
> just switched over to the Zenith boxes from a different box. I wasn't getting
> a good picture on some of the channels, and the person who came out to fix
> it said that when they did the conversion, they left some of the amps from
> the old system connected.

I suspect the person who was "fixing" it was either blowing smoke or
didn't understand the situation. I'm served by Storer also, and they've
also "upgraded" out service from the old 36 channel system to their
58 channel Z-Tac. I have a cable ready TV which receives all of the
unscrambled stuff just fine. I have it hooked up as follows:


                    --------------------------
                  /                           \
        ---------                              ----------
--------| Split |                              | Switch |----------
 Cable  ---------                              ----------  To TV
                  \    -------     -------   /
                    ---|Z Tac|-----| VCR |--
                       -------     -------

This allows me to watch 1 channel while recording another as long
as the channel I'm watching is unscrambled. This also allows me to
do A-B comparisons of my TV's picture directly from the cable with the
picture remodulated by the Z-Tac. Except for some degradation of the
VIR coding, I don't find enough difference to worry about. Now the
quality of the signal on the cable is something else again. It's
getting better, but I still have days when the picture from my
rabbit ears outclass the signal from the cable. BTW this is a recent
phenomena. With the old system, cable, amps, et al the picture was
first rate. Therefore I find it hard to fault those amplifiers.
Signal quality here is highly variable. Some days EXCELLENT, some
days UNACCEPTABLE, often so-so. Several times when I've complained,
they've allowed a reduction of our bill for the BAD days. But
that's a hassle. (Musnt make it easy, or everyone would be doing it.).

Anyway, I have little or no criticism of the Z-Tac box as mine puts
out a picture as good as what's on the cable. I live within easy
walking distance of Storer's antenna farm and broadcast facility.
Lord only knows how far that is by cable though.

-- 
Tom Beach

email: ..tektronix!tekecs!tomb

"The past is another country;
	they do things differently there."