Oceans Digital from Cable Bahamas (click for more info.)

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I read an article in one of the newspapers earlier this week about Cable Bahamas' new digital service. I couldn't tell by the end of it whether they had found three people who didn't like it, or just "spun" what their interviewees said to make it sound like criticism. In either case, it seems like scraping the bottom of the barrel to me.

For anyone reading this overseas, understand we have one local television channel ... the unfortunately named ZNS-13. Miami VHF stations can be pulled off over-the-air with a huge deep-fringe aerial antenna and super-booster ... but only on good days, when the wind is blowing west to east! UHF stations are even harder, and since High Definition/digital services are carried on that band, there's not a lot of hope for direct transmission. Enter Cable Bahamas.

I for one appreciate what they have done for in-home entertainment in the Bahamas. Others may have done as well, but what continues to please is that they do try and stay "cutting edge".

Back to their digital offering ...

It's good stuff. A great selection of channels. Top quality picture overall. Price in-line with satellite and many stateside providers.

But a few "observations":

1) TV sound in a modern home is as important as the picture. Too many channels don't re-transmit the sound correctly. Some carry only the left stereo channel, some the right, some don't seem to be tuned in properly at all.

2) It's disconcerting to try watching some channels where it seems they're pulling in the picture from one satellite/service and the sound from another. I've seen PBS-NY out of phase by at least two seconds on occasion. Weird.

3) Drop-outs. Picture-freezes. 2-5 second interruptions. I know in the digital world you either have a signal or you don't. There's no such thing as fade. But I've heard enough people comment about this that maybe it should be looked in to. I've watched digital TV for hours stateside with nary a ripple, so it's not inherent in the transmission system.

And now in April we have High Definition to look forward to. I'll sign up if I'm convinced that it won't be that in name only. We'll have to receive at least a 720p resolution (when available) and the sound has to be fixed.

Keep up the good work guys ... and I'll start saving for my super-flat widescreen.

Hey ... before I invest too much, will Oceans Digital ever retransmit 1080p?