Hey guys,

I did a search on this forum and didnt find anything. Im a Comcast customer and have the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR but when I go to record a show I only get 3 options "Any time on this channel","In this timeslot on this day on this channel", and "In this timeslot any day on this channel". My parents(in a different market, Time Warner) have the same box and get the "First run on this channel" option.


Also, when I view a program in the guide it does not tell me if the program is new or not.

Is there a way to force the box to upgrade its firmware? I know that in the SA manual it states that the First Run Only option availability may vary but I want it! :(

Considering a Tivo HD but having trouble convincing the girlfriend as she uses the Free video on demand through the cable box for excersizing...

The firmware only updates when the provider pushes an update. However, that won't affect the menus; that's software which is loaded as part of the netboot phase. The features you'll have will depend on whose software they're running on the box. Sounds like you probably got something other than SA's SARA software, so it doesn't have that feature.

If VOD is important, you could still have a plain cable box just for VOD, and get a TiVo for recording. It's not the best, but it at least gets you where you want to go.

I am heavily considering it...without the first run on this channel feature I mine as well setup a dvd recorder to record shows since all im telling the system to do is to record that show at that time...whats even stupider about the options Im given is if a show starts or ends 1 or 2 minutes later or earlier than usual it wont record because its in in the timeframe I setup to record...

I looked at my DVR and following the instructions in this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=4682052&&#post4682052

It appears I have SARA. because I have the A B C commands they list.

For the "First Run only on this channel" menu option to show up, the program guide must support the "NEW" flag. Comcast needs to upgrade the program guide. You can try contacting a Comcast cable engineer who works with the DVR and ask them.

For programs that change the start or end time, you can look at the Scheduled Recordings page to see if the program you want to record is listed. If it is not you can reschedule it. Also, you can try the "On this channel at any time" menu option if the program changes the start or end time, unless it is on multiple times and you only want to record it once.