Well, now its even a new 'antenna'... Sigh.

Good Afternoon,

WHYY-DT is still off the air for technical construction and a transition
from Channel 55 to Channel 50. A new broadcast antenna is being installed
on the tower. Unfortunately, this outdoor work is not possible when it is
raining or whenever there are high winds as has been the case over the
past couple of days. We expect to return to the air on UHF Channel 50
late Monday or Tuesday next week.

The digital service continues uninterrupted on Comcast's digital cable
service. You can contact the WHYY technical group directly or request to
be added to the "DTV Community" mail list for regular updates at
dtv@whyy.org.

I don't know if this has been addressed before, but 251 pages is a lot to go through. And I wouldn't even know what search terms to use. So if it has been asked/answered, please forgive me.

Here are the specifics.

1. We live in Media, PA and get Expanded Basic Cable from Comcast. The official channel listing is Delaware County East. For the record, HBO is on Channel 20 Analog.

2. We just purchased a Sharp 46D62U and plugged it into the cable coax connection and let the set find all of the channels. It found all of the analog channels that we expected to receive and a bunch of digital channels that I was hoping to receive.

3. The local HD channels all come through unscrambled, although I'll have to memorize their channel assignments.

Here's the weird thing. I get a bunch of digital channels that show up in the 82.1 through 89.10 range that seem to be OnDemand programs. I don't have a digital cable box, although I did have one for 6 months when we first moved in. I have no idea what channel any of the shows are on or what time they start, but just flipping around, we get various programming.

I happened to catch one HD program last night, it was "Akela and the Spelling Bee". Most of the time, it's stuff like NickOnDemand and Squirt, some Cartoon Network, and once in a while, some soft-core stuff.

Oh yeah, sometimes, the programs will just start fast forwarding. It leads me to beleive that someone in the neighborhood is watching and FF the program. Sound wierd?

Anyways, does anyone know if it's normal to be able to view OnDemand Stuff with a standard QAM tuner?

ft

thats normal.
apparently some ppv is unscrambled.

sometimes you can stumble onto what someone on yoursystem is watching.

I get this constantly with my TV. I don't know if I'm watching other people in my apartment complex/building or community. This is perfectly normal for you to see these channels, OnDemand is unecrypted. I think I understand the technical reason for this, but I'll spare the explaination.

If you have young ones, I would lock out these channels because usually on Fri/Sat nights it is not hard to flip through and find some *adult* entertainment. If I listened to Stern, I would never have to buy the OnDemand package of his show, seemingly every time I flip through, someone is watching Stern OnDemand.


I don't know if this has been addressed before, but 251 pages is a lot to go through. And I wouldn't even know what search terms to use. So if it has been asked/answered, please forgive me.

Here are the specifics.

1. We live in Media, PA and get Expanded Basic Cable from Comcast. The official channel listing is Delaware County East. For the record, HBO is on Channel 20 Analog.

2. We just purchased a Sharp 46D62U and plugged it into the cable coax connection and let the set find all of the channels. It found all of the analog channels that we expected to receive and a bunch of digital channels that I was hoping to receive.

3. The local HD channels all come through unscrambled, although I'll have to memorize their channel assignments.

Here's the weird thing. I get a bunch of digital channels that show up in the 82.1 through 89.10 range that seem to be OnDemand programs. I don't have a digital cable box, although I did have one for 6 months when we first moved in. I have no idea what channel any of the shows are on or what time they start, but just flipping around, we get various programming.

I happened to catch one HD program last night, it was "Akela and the Spelling Bee". Most of the time, it's stuff like NickOnDemand and Squirt, some Cartoon Network, and once in a while, some soft-core stuff.

Oh yeah, sometimes, the programs will just start fast forwarding. It leads me to beleive that someone in the neighborhood is watching and FF the program. Sound wierd?

Anyways, does anyone know if it's normal to be able to view OnDemand Stuff with a standard QAM tuner?

ft

thats normal.
apparently some ppv is unscrambled.

sometimes you can stumble onto what someone on yoursystem is watching.

I've seen this also. What's most amusing is watching them fast-forward and reverse through a video. :-)

Does anyone know when the STB re-programming will happen for those of us on TWC? The last bill was from comcast and I am wondering when the software will hit the boxes. Also, will I lose everything on the DVR? What about the sceduled recordings? Are they going to send us new remotes that have the On-Demand button?

Does anyone know when the STB re-programming will happen for those of us on TWC? The last bill was from comcast and I am wondering when the software will hit the boxes. Also, will I lose everything on the DVR? What about the sceduled recordings? Are they going to send us new remotes that have the On-Demand button?The Time Warner Philadelphia Web site says that in December you'll get the new Guide and new products like CDV.

Considering you'll be going from Passport to iGuide (most likely), it seems unlikely that you'll be able to keep your previous or scheduled recordings, but I don't know that for sure. As for the OnDemand button, it's no big deal. All it does is send out a "1" to change to the OnDemand channel.

The Time Warner Philadelphia Web site says that in December you'll get the new Guide and new products like CDV.

Considering you'll be going from Passport to iGuide (most likely), it seems unlikely that you'll be able to keep your previous or scheduled recordings, but I don't know that for sure. As for the OnDemand button, it's no big deal. All it does is send out a "1" to change to the OnDemand channel.

The OnDemand button is in a very bad location, as when you are trying to hit Play sometimes you hit the large big OnDemand button, and will loose your buffer. This has happened to me many times when pausing a show and coming back like 10 minutes later, i hit the OnDemand button and proceed to throw the remote to the ground and curse.

The up arrow does the same thing as the play button, so I now do that.

Ok, I was wondering about the remote since on TWC they gave me the actual Motorola remote and I wanted to make sure I could learn the command on my harmony. Thanks.

Comcast South Jersey has quietly added MHD on channel 209.

Anyone know when SJ (Pleasantville system) will get the new firmware for the 6412/3412? The one with the feature enhancements?

Has anyone else been getting a lot of false 'DVR full' messages on your 6412/16 or 3412/16 DVR the last few weeks?

Myself and a relative have recently gotten this glitch often, and therefore, won't record unattended, while it never occurred before.

nope

nbc-hd sound question

i've noticed it sounds like they are broadcasting out of a bottle.
the sound has a weird echo effect.
this is listening through the tv spekers on two different tv's.

i first noticed friday night during 1 vs 100

I am watching the game on NBC10 and had to turn off my surround sound, using the TV speakers, and it still sounds like they are talking through a string with 2 tin cans at each end. Horrible, but it was magnified through my sound system!


I am so glad this is the only show I watch on NBC, it seems to be 1 too many.

I noticed the sound problem Saturday morning on the Today show. It's been like this all weekend on both Comcast digital and OTA. You get no "tincan" sound on the analog channel.
Every week it's something with NBC. Last week the sound was very low until the commercial came on at normal volume.

Has anyone else been getting a lot of false 'DVR full' messages on your 6412/16 or 3412/16 DVR the last few weeks?

Myself and a relative have recently gotten this glitch often, and therefore, won't record unattended, while it never occurred before.


Have you tried unpluging and letting it sit for 2 or 3 minutes?

Mr Kane,
Thanks for posting the news on WHYY's antenna work. I was really getting frustrated checking my system, trying to figure out why I could get all OTA signals except WHYY. I should have thought of checking AVSForum sooner! I'm a little smarter now -- will check periodically for info on your work.

thanks,
Jedi Mike

I concur with the Jedi on all counts!

now if DTV could just get the guide data integrated for 12

Hey all-
If you didn't see, Verizon FIOS published the Southeast PA channel lineup on their website either late yesterday or today.

The lineup is great. The only current problem is that it isn't showing Fox 29-HD. I'm hoping that's an oversight.

Comcast Sportsnet will be on in both SD AND HD.

I'm assuming this will be much the same lineup we'll see in Northern DE once it is launched. I'm VERY impressed.

Have you tried unpluging and letting it sit for 2 or 3 minutes?
I did once, to disconnect a wire. I know my relative has needed to unplug it twice when it completely froze. We could try it again, though. I want to do the DVR reset, but it sometimes causes all recordings and Series Recs. to disappear, so I would have to wait until there are some days of re-runs. :(

Before you reset anything just try unpluging it for a minute. These boxes are essentialy just computers and need to be re-started every once in a while.

Mr Kane,
Thanks for posting the news on WHYY's antenna work. I was really getting frustrated checking my system, trying to figure out why I could get all OTA signals except WHYY. I should have thought of checking AVSForum sooner! I'm a little smarter now -- will check periodically for info on your work.

thanks,
Jedi Mike

As of about Wednesday 11/1 the WHYY-DT channels are back, 12.1, 12.2 (and 12.3 on weekdays before 8PM.) Tune them on UHF channel 50 (previously channel 55, so your old channel scan info won't work.) For example 12.1 will now come in on 50.3, and so on. A re-scan will get them back into your channel linup where they belong. So far, signal strength is as good as, if not better than before (up here in Lower Bucks.)

what is going on with the sound on nbc digital
sheesh

INHD2 set to be removed in a couple days...(11/15).

CN8 HD has been pushed back indefinitely.

Don't think we're gaining a channel while losing INHD2.

I am checking into the Fox 29 Hd issue with FiOS and hope to have word on that today. I do note that the FiOS TV package in the SE Pa market is $3.00 more than in the other areas around the country. I would not be surprised if that is due to CSN and CSN HD. Hopefully, they will add INHD also and I am checking into that as well.

I am checking into the Fox 29 Hd issue with FiOS and hope to have word on that today. I do note that the FiOS TV package in the SE Pa market is $3.00 more than in the other areas around the country. I would not be surprised if that is due to CSN and CSN HD. Hopefully, they will add INHD also and I am checking into that as well.

JWhip - thank you for taking the initiative regarding FOX 29 in HD. I'm very curious to see if that was just a mis-print.

And yes, I did see that the Premier package is $3 more. The prices are also higher for the Sports Package, Movie Package, the Sports/Movie combo if you get it - and a standard STB is also $1 more per month.

JWhip - ask when FIOS-TV will be going live in the area (especially in Tredyffrin! :-) I'd heard "as early as November". I signed up for notification (and printed the channel listing), but I don't trust them to notify me (they were many months behind in notifying me about FIOS).

Thanks!

what is going on with the sound on nbc digital
sheesh
Yeah, the audio is terrible here too on the office & my name is earl. Sounds like everyone is in a fishtank. :(

Im watching it on OTA with a dvico fusion 5 & a hauppauge 950

In Western suburbs I've been getting local HD on my Comcast basic cable with my QAM tuner. Today the following channels have "no signal". Anyone know why? Are the channels temporarily out or has Comcast reassigned the channel numbers?
Until today Camcast sent these signals unencrypted. What happened?
118.1 ABC 6 HD
118.2 NBC 10 HD
118.3 ABC NEWS (SD)
118.4 ABC STORM TRACKER (SD)
118.5 NBC WEATHER (SD)

In Western suburbs I've been getting local HD on my Comcast basic cable with my QAM tuner. Today the following channels have "no signal". Anyone know why? Are the channels temporarily out or has Comcast reassigned the channel numbers?
Until today Camcast sent these signals unencrypted. What happened?
118.1 ABC 6 HD
118.2 NBC 10 HD
118.3 ABC NEWS (SD)
118.4 ABC STORM TRACKER (SD)
118.5 NBC WEATHER (SD)

You need to do a re-scan. Comcast re-mapped ~ a week ago. ABC for instance can be found on 74.1

I was able to confirm that FiOS in SE Pa does NOT yet have Fox 29 in HD in their lineup. I was advised though that it would be added in the very near future. Additional HD channels were also promised in the next few months but they would not provide me with the names. I do believe that one will be INHD or MOJO as it will be called in January. FiOS is a no go for me until they add Fox 29 in HD.

Jwhip,

Excellent work as always. Will CSNHD Philadelphia really be included? I am waiting in SJ for FiOS TV.

Thanks

I was able to confirm that FiOS in SE Pa does NOT yet have Fox 29 in HD in their lineup. I was advised though that it would be added in the very near future. Additional HD channels were also promised in the next few months but they would not provide me with the names. I do believe that one will be INHD or MOJO as it will be called in January. FiOS is a no go for me until they add Fox 29 in HD.

JWhip-
I agree with you on that one (not signing up). Was there any explanation as to why? It seems odd they would not have an OTA HD channel available at launch.

Howwen-
Yes, CSN-HD will be included.

JWhip

Are your contacts with Verizon as strong as your Comcast contacts have been?

Thanks Matt.

Anybody have an engineering / tech contact for NBC10? The HD audio feed is still horrible tonight. Was bad at least last night as well.

No Carl, Verizon takes more leg work.

Wow, that was fast. I just got the word that Fox 29 in HD has been added along with WHYY. CSN is on channel 65. CSN-HD is on channel 829. Still no INHD though.

How about Fox 29? ;)

what abou fios in south jersey? is it coming anytime soon?

Just a heads up on the 6ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia. I saw an ad today that says the parade will be in HD! That must be the first big HD production for WPVI. I am looking forward to seeing how they do.

I do not know about South Jersey. Jersey now has a statewide franchise bill. It may just be a question of what municipalities they will target and how long a build out will take.

Hello everyone. I'm in New Castle, Delaware with a Series 3 Tivo and cablecards. After last week's QAM reassignments, I am no longer able to receive channel 233 (KYWDT). Going around and around with Comcast and Tivo and am looking for some supporting data. Anyone else with a Series 3 in the Philly area? Any problems with channel reception (specifically 233)? Thanks.

Dave Wright

Jwhip and the others. I still get ABC on 118-001 and all but was wondering about anything else. Also when should i expect FIOS to go online in my area of Rosemont/Villanova and also South Ardmore Haverford Road section.

The sound for the football game is crap again!! I wish NBC didn't have any football, it is the thing I watch on this channel.

The sound for the football game is crap again!! I wish NBC didn't have any football, it is the thing I watch on this channel.
Audio isnt too too bad a little lets say hollow but not bad.

You need to do a re-scan. Comcast re-mapped ~ a week ago. ABC for instance can be found on 74.1


Got it. Thanks Carl

I just checked on FIOS's web site and it looks like FIOS TV is now available in parts of Wayne, PA. I live on North Wayne Ave. in Wayne and just today the FIOS TV website reports that TV is now available. I checked yesterday and it wasn't available, so something changed today. I haven't called yet, but this is exciting new for anyone in Wayne.

It may depend on what township you are in in Wayne. Tredyffrin or Radnor. Give them a call. No INHD yet on FiOS though.

I'm jealous a township away in Charlestown. I keep asking for FIOS availability and get no response. Let us know how it goes.

It may depend on what township you are in in Wayne. Tredyffrin or Radnor. Give them a call. No INHD yet on FiOS though.
I live in Radnor township, although I think I am close to its edge. I know Radnor's Board approved FIOS TV recently, so maybe that makes the difference.

Just took the HDTV plunge & decided on a 37" JVC LCD.

Antennaweb puts me around 18 miles from the TV stations (I'm in Langhorne)

I'd like to try & receive OTA HD broadcasts. For anyone that's used an indoor antenna, what do you use and how good a job did it do? Quickie searches brings
up a Zenith Silver sensor & a double bow tie Radio Shack model with a lot of
good recs.

Also, this set has a QAM tuner. I currently have Comcast standard cable.
Could the set pick up broadcast HDTV from the coax cable carrying the Comcast signal? If I plug the coax into the ATSC/QAM jack then would it not be able to pick up the analog signals & only the broadcast HD signals?

...Antennaweb puts me around 18 miles from the TV stations (I'm in Langhorne)... I'd like to try & receive OTA HD broadcasts... If I plug the coax into the ATSC/QAM jack then would it not be able to pick up the analog signals & only the broadcast HD signals?I'm in Yardley a few miles from you and roughly the same antenna heading to Roxborough. No luck on an indoor antenna. However, I have a lot of trees in the way and ended up with an outside Channelmaster CM3023 UHF yagi / preamp / rotator. If you have a clear line of sight, then try a simple bow-tie antenna first. This will give you a rough idea of what you can do. Look for ghosting on the analog channels and signal strength on the HD channels (the tuners typically report signal strength only on digital channels). Be sure to check at different times of the day and also in different weather conditions. Snow, rain, and wind can do a number on multipath, especially if there are trees involved.
I don't have ComCast connected to my ATSC tuner at the moment (Sammy DLP), so I can't help you with what's on ComCast (using an STB). ATSC/QAM tuners are backward compatible with NTSC signals, meaning that you'll get both analog and digital signals. ComCast uses 64-QAM for SD digital and 256-QAM for HD content. The premium channels are encrypted (Sportsnet, INHD, etc.).

Just took the HDTV plunge & decided on a 37" JVC LCD.

Antennaweb puts me around 18 miles from the TV stations (I'm in Langhorne)

I'd like to try & receive OTA HD broadcasts. For anyone that's used an indoor antenna, what do you use and how good a job did it do? Quickie searches brings
up a Zenith Silver sensor & a double bow tie Radio Shack model with a lot of
good recs.

I'm in Feasterville (about 15 mi. from Roxborough) and use a Channel Master 4228 UHF antenna (see http://starkelectronic.com/uhf.htm) in my attic (above 2nd floor) with a Channel Master mast-mounted pre-amp to drive the signal the considerable distance (through RG/6U cable) down to the family room and various other split-offs. Nice strong OTA signal on virtually everything local, even WNJS which I'm not even pointed at. But I still have a severe multipath problem when the wind blows the trees (lots of big trees here.) The best receivers can cope very well now with static multipath, but when the wind blows and the reflections are moving all around, there are still occasional dropouts. I think I'd have to go outdoors and up another 2 or 3 stories to even make a dent in the tree problem, so I'll probably just live with it as is. Just think of the dropouts as the digital equivalent of snow and ghosts :^)

I also have a big ol' VHF antenna in the attic, which I'm holding on to for 2009 when 3, 6, 10, and 12 digital plan to re-claim their original VHF analog frequencies.

I also have a big ol' VHF antenna in the attic, which I'm holding on to for 2009 when 3, 6, 10, and 12 digital plan to re-claim their original VHF analog frequencies.Only WPVI is going back to VHF channel 6... for now. When the conversion happens, WCAU is going to be on UHF channel 34. I don't know about the others, but I think they'll be on UHF freqs as well.

channel selections:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-2649A2.pdf

WHYY OTA seems very problematic. I used to get it in "rock solid" but now my H20-600 and -100 don't even pick up a signal. My TS360 get a signal, but every 30 secs or so it pixelates badly and drops out then recovers to start the process all over again. I used to get 83%-93% on all WHYY stations!!!!

JWhip-
I agree with you on that one (not signing up). Was there any explanation as to why? It seems odd they would not have an OTA HD channel available at launch.

Howwen-
Yes, CSN-HD will be included.

When is FIOS "Cable TV" launching? I keep checking the site and there in NOTHING about tv in the Marlton,NJ area!!! Only SE Penna.....

If they carry CSN in HD, I'll drop D*TV IMMEDIATELY!!!!

Looks like I am not the only one frustrated with the WHYY move to uhf 50 and its reception
problems.

Signal level has weakened at many places because of their new antenna pattern.

Maybe if enough people complain they will go back to their previous antenna which had
a much wider coverage area.

Just emailed my complaint to WHYY....

Just emailed my complaint to WHYY too....

It may depend on what township you are in in Wayne. Tredyffrin or Radnor. Give them a call. No INHD yet on FiOS though.
I live in Radnor township, although I think I am close to its edge. I know Radnor's Board approved FIOS TV recently, so maybe that makes the difference.
No maybe about it. In this area, FIOS franchises have been awarded just like Cable franchises, by Municipalities; they can also be awarded by Counties or States. One's Postal Zone or historical village is irrelevant.

WHYY OTA seems very problematic. I used to get it in "rock solid" but now my H20-600 and -100 don't even pick up a signal. My TS360 get a signal, but every 30 secs or so it pixelates badly and drops out then recovers to start the process all over again. I used to get 83%-93% on all WHYY stations!!!!
The switch from UHF channel 55 to UHF channel 50 caused no signal degradation at my location (in fact, it seems a tad better), but it's possible your local environment has some sort of interference or blockage on UHF 50 and that's causing the problem. Are you sure you've done a re-scan so your equipement is now looking at 50?

If you are North or Northeast of Philadelphia you might have interference from analog 50 in Montclair,NJ(NJN).

Thanks for your email showing a great interest in WHYY. WHYY
since coming back on Ch50 DTV has a slightly different directional antenna
then we had on Ch55. However there is no decrease of signal expected in
the direction of Hainesport, NJ. We have been required by the FCC to use
a directional transmitting antenna in the past on Ch55 and now on Ch50 to
protect stations to the north of WHYY from interference. A slight change
in our antenna coverage pattern going from Ch55 to Ch50 resulted in the
overall average power over 360 degrees decreasing. But the power in any
particular direction such as yours was projected by our consultants to be
the same.

I looked up Hainesport and found it to be about 22 miles from our
transmitter site at about due East. At that distance there should be
adequate signal and we have received favorable reports at much greater
distance towards the East since the channel change.

If you havent already done so you will need to do a rescan of your
tuner. And importantly we have heard that on some models you may have to
completely delete all references to 55.1, 55.2, 55.3 if they exist. In
some cases it is best to turn off and unplug the tuner for 30 seconds and
then do a complete rescan. We are aware of a number of people who have
restored their reception after doing the power down rescan.

If this doesnt work, it may be possible for you to improve either
your antenna or add a preamp - here is a URL of a trusted consultant who
has published numerous articles on HDTV. His website has some
comparision charts and recommended preamps to use as well as interesting
reading for HD fans.

I would'nt call it a slight change in antenna pattern. Their new antenna pattern has very
little signal going towards east and northeast which when combined with their lower
power would make it impossible to receive their signal without a very high mount antenna
and preamp.

I also got a reply from WHYY saying they did this move to take part in a pilot program for testing set top boxes for the fcc. I am sure they are is some financial incentive to WHYY and they decided in favour of it over making their programming available to more customers.

Old antenna pattern on uhf 55
--------------------------------------
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/polarplot?temp=46345&rotate=0.00&p0=0.259&p10=0.271&p20=0.324&p30=0.451&p40=0.597&p50=0.710&p60=0.810&p70=0.908&p80=0.972&p90=0.997&p100=1.000&p110=0.979&p120=0.909&p130=0.828&p140=0.773&p150=0.745&p160=0.729&p170=0.751&p180=0.787&p190=0.835&p200=0.898&p210=0.958&p220=0.988&p230=1.000&p240=0.972&p250=0.913&p260=0.806&p270=0.704&p280=0.590&p290=0.450&p300=0.329&p310=0.274&p320=0.254&p330=0.284&p340=0.305&p350=0.284&p360=0.259&

New antenna pattern on uhf 50
---------------------------------------
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/polarplot?temp=71166&rotate=0.00&p0=0.530&p10=0.460&p20=0.380&p30=0.330&p40=0.310&p50=0.310&p60=0.330&p70=0.380&p80=0.420&p90=0.450&p100=0.460&p110=0.470&p120=0.480&p130=0.480&p140=0.480&p150=0.500&p160=0.550&p170=0.650&p180=0.750&p190=0.850&p200=0.950&p210=0.980&p220=1.000&p230=1.000&p240=1.000&p250=1.000&p260=1.000&p270=0.980&p280=0.920&p290=0.820&p300=0.710&p310=0.620&p320=0.580&p330=0.580&p340=0.580&p350=0.560&p360=0.530&

That new antenna pattern is absurd.It shows that Central NJ residents in the Phidadelphia market will have problems receiving their signal.WHYY using such a pattern and the FCC approving it is not in the public interest.Their signal pattern should closely resemble their analog Ch.12 pattern, not some low power station.
Just wait till the summer ducting when analog 50 booms towards the southwest-No picture.

It looks like they have a template for these messages. I got exactly the same message except I have a Mt. Laurel. Either way, their assumption that nothing should change in reception is false. I wonder if the new antenna pattern is increasing multi-path problems in my area... :(

Thanks for your email showing a great interest in WHYY. WHYY
since coming back on Ch50 DTV has a slightly different directional antenna
then we had on Ch55. However there is no decrease of signal expected in
the direction of Hainesport, NJ. We have been required by the FCC to use
a directional transmitting antenna in the past on Ch55 and now on Ch50 to
protect stations to the north of WHYY from interference. A slight change
in our antenna coverage pattern going from Ch55 to Ch50 resulted in the
overall average power over 360 degrees decreasing. But the power in any
particular direction such as yours was projected by our consultants to be
the same.

I looked up Hainesport and found it to be about 22 miles from our
transmitter site at about due East. At that distance there should be
adequate signal and we have received favorable reports at much greater
distance towards the East since the channel change.

If you havent already done so you will need to do a rescan of your
tuner. And importantly we have heard that on some models you may have to
completely delete all references to 55.1, 55.2, 55.3 if they exist. In
some cases it is best to turn off and unplug the tuner for 30 seconds and
then do a complete rescan. We are aware of a number of people who have
restored their reception after doing the power down rescan.

If this doesnt work, it may be possible for you to improve either
your antenna or add a preamp - here is a URL of a trusted consultant who
has published numerous articles on HDTV. His website has some
comparision charts and recommended preamps to use as well as interesting
reading for HD fans.

When is FIOS "Cable TV" launching? I keep checking the site and there in NOTHING about tv in the Marlton,NJ area!!! Only SE Penna.....

If they carry CSN in HD, I'll drop D*TV IMMEDIATELY!!!!

Can you tell me the web site you are seeing the SE PA channel lineup with CSN on it? When I've try to look all I see is a generic lineup for "Pennsylvania Area". Nothing with CSN or SE PA on it.

Update: Never mind....found it...

Hello, I am from Reading Pa. 45 miles from Philly. I have a Digitalstream 3150 receiver. There is a Lacrosse amplified antenna on top a second story roof pointed at 129 degrees. There are no obstructions close to the house. All the channels I am trying to receive are at that 129 mark. I am getting channel 61.1 which according to antennaweb should be one of the farthest to receive but i cant pull in my 17 which should be easier. It is very overcast here and my signal meter reads 81 that is the best I can get it. but the picture on all the rest of the 21 channels is awesome, better then my cable ever was. I am also not getting the whyy 12 that everyone is talking about. When I turn the hd receiver off I can pick up channel 17 fairly clear. Is my signal to weak? Is the antenna to small? maybe something is hooked up wrong. I appreciate any help that can be given and thankyou very much in advance. Robert.

Old antenna pattern on uhf 55
--------------------------------------
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/polarplot?temp=46345&rotate=0.00&p0=0.259&p10=0.271&p20=0.324&p30=0.451&p40=0.597&p50=0.710&p60=0.810&p70=0.908&p80=0.972&p90=0.997&p100=1.000&p110=0.979&p120=0.909&p130=0.828&p140=0.773&p150=0.745&p160=0.729&p170=0.751&p180=0.787&p190=0.835&p200=0.898&p210=0.958&p220=0.988&p230=1.000&p240=0.972&p250=0.913&p260=0.806&p270=0.704&p280=0.590&p290=0.450&p300=0.329&p310=0.274&p320=0.254&p330=0.284&p340=0.305&p350=0.284&p360=0.259&

New antenna pattern on uhf 50
---------------------------------------
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/polarplot?temp=71166&rotate=0.00&p0=0.530&p10=0.460&p20=0.380&p30=0.330&p40=0.310&p50=0.310&p60=0.330&p70=0.380&p80=0.420&p90=0.450&p100=0.460&p110=0.470&p120=0.480&p130=0.480&p140=0.480&p150=0.500&p160=0.550&p170=0.650&p180=0.750&p190=0.850&p200=0.950&p210=0.980&p220=1.000&p230=1.000&p240=1.000&p250=1.000&p260=1.000&p270=0.980&p280=0.920&p290=0.820&p300=0.710&p310=0.620&p320=0.580&p330=0.580&p340=0.580&p350=0.560&p360=0.530&

Where did you get these data (either the old or the new)?

Ok, half answered my own question... old data at http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WHYY

But FCC database has not been updated to show the switch to 50, so where did the new data come from?

Just announced today:

Owner of cable nets Golf Channel and Versus, Comcast is set to launch its new HD cable channel, Golf Channel/Versus in January with Golf Channel programming during the day and Versus content at night. It will be carried on DirecTV some time in 2007, and Comcast will launch the network on its own systems beginning in January.

The WHYY UHF 50 data is also off the fcc site. It is listed as a temporary license, I think
they are slow to update it.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=165726

Funny, I logged in to post about how happy I was that WHYY had apparently boosted their signal, and was surprised only to find a ton of complaints from people that can't get the signal anymore. Obviously I now know they didn't boost their signal, but they did change its pattern. I always thought too many people couldn't get their signal previously, now I'm wondering if the change will result in MORE people being able to get it (I bet this is the case) or fewer?

Anyway - I hope they don't go back to the old pattern because I haven't been able to get their signal for years (I was actually able to get it way back in 2000 but only for a little while). Last night I just decided to randomly check it again and it was the best I have ever seen, quite strong and absolutely no drop outs, I couldn't be happier. Instead of going to sleep I watched the fascinating documentary about the guy who invented the bombs to blow up the German dams during WWII :) Also this couldn't come at a better time because I now have an infant who loves elmo and sure enough when I turned it on this morning to show my wife how we now get WHYY, there he was, Elmo in glorious HD :)

p.s. Sorry to those that can't get the signal anymore - hopefully they can boost the power or do something to make more people happy but if they are reading this - PLEASE don't take away MY reception!!

p.p.s. I'm in Phoenixville (about 20 miles northwest of Philly)

-Gordo


Where did you get these data (either the old or the new)?

Ok, half answered my own question... old data at http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WHYY

But FCC database has not been updated to show the switch to 50, so where did the new data come from?

anyone have Service Electric and try a S3 yet?

Actually, I unplugged the box and rescanned....you know what? Now it comes in rock solid. However, it shows:

12-1 WHYY
12-1 WHYY
12-2 WHYY
12-2 WHYY
12-3 WHYY
12-3 WHYY

The second of each "duplicated" number works...weird, but it works. :)

What HD channel will be most likely be put on a Comcast's lineup now that INHD2 is gone? I hope it's something decent and not Versus/Golf Channel HD. I'd hate to see bandwidth wasted on another sports channel. Would love to see National Geographic HD or maybe even FoodTV HD. Do not ever dare to dream about HDNet channels. :(

What HD channel will be most likely be put on a Comcast's lineup now that INHD2 is gone? I hope it's something decent and not Versus/Golf Channel HD. I'd hate to see bandwidth wasted on another sports channel. Would love to see National Geographic HD or maybe even FoodTV HD. Do not ever dare to dream about HDNet channels. :( Systems in other areas are reporting that NG HD and A&E HD are being added. Someone also mentioned that HDnet/HDnet Movies negotiations are ongoing and "very close." I'd love NG HD, but HDnet/HDnet Movies would be awesome. They play decent movies, have hockey, and the new "Dan Rather Reports."

Oops, yea I assume the change in frequency (from 55 to 50) requires most people to rescan. Now I wonder if everyone complaining about a lack of signal just needs to rescan (WHYY should add that to their form letter!). I also wonder how many people will just assume either WHYY is gone or that they can't get the signal anymore and not bother to rescan?



Actually, I unplugged the box and rescanned....you know what? Now it comes in rock solid. However, it shows:

12-1 WHYY
12-1 WHYY
12-2 WHYY
12-2 WHYY
12-3 WHYY
12-3 WHYY

The second of each "duplicated" number works...weird, but it works. :)

Oops, yea I assume the change in frequency (from 55 to 50) requires most people to rescan. Now I wonder if everyone complaining about a lack of signal just needs to rescan (WHYY should add that to their form letter!). I also wonder how many people will just assume either WHYY is gone or that they can't get the signal anymore and not bother to rescan?

Yeah, good question. Anyway it works now and reported so all viewers can do a re-scan and get it. BTW TRADERGORDER, I used to go to Owen J Roberts and my sister lived in Kimberton,PA....Nice area up there. I miss it. Especially going to Marsh Creek, St. Peters, cow tipping, etc...

Just received my JVC LT-37X787

First off thanks to the Fed-Ex folks for leaving it on the porch. I guess I
live in a low-crime neighborhood...

Went thru the initial onscreen setup which also did the analog & digital tuning.

As a test I thought I'd pull up Action News in high-def.
Somehow I found the right menu setting and switched to the digital tuner.
Went onto the Comcast website and their channel lineup says it's on channel 231 (I have the standard Levittown package)
Channel 231 doesn't have a program according to the TV.
But by cycling up & down the channels, I found it on channel 118-1.

Can't check the other broadcast channels as they don't have any shows on in HD at this time.

For anyone else using their QAM tuner to get broadcast HD via a Comcast basic cable, did you use the same channels numbers as listed by Comcast? If not what channels numbers did you find, Fox/CBS/NBC/PBS etc on?

thanks

rescan and reboot of HDtivo didnt fix 12 problem mentioned above

Holy crap, I'd call FedEx and complain that they dropped it on the porch! That's awful.

As for the channels, they are not the same numbers than comcast uses on their digi cable boxes. From the top of my head:
110-1 - WPSG-DT - CW
111-1 - WPHL-DT - MNT
111-2 - WTXF-DT - FOX
111-3 - WPHL - The Tube
118-1 - WPVI-DT - ABC
118-2 - WCAU-DT - NBC
118-3 - WPVIDT2
118-4 - WPVI Weather
118-5 - WCAU WeatherPlus
119-1 - WHYY-DT - PBS
119-2 - KYW-DT - CBS
119-3 - WHYYDT2
119-4 - WHYYDT3

If you do the autoscan on your TV, it will likely find many channels that are "blank", this is an encrpyted QAM channel you can't see unless you have a cablecard. But all those channels above should be in the clear and you should get them.

A poster recently said that his numbers changed, but mine haven't on the Bensalem system.

Just received my JVC LT-37X787

First off thanks to the Fed-Ex folks for leaving it on the porch. I guess I
live in a low-crime neighborhood...

Went thru the initial onscreen setup which also did the analog & digital tuning.

As a test I thought I'd pull up Action News in high-def.
Somehow I found the right menu setting and switched to the digital tuner.
Went onto the Comcast website and their channel lineup says it's on channel 231 (I have the standard Levittown package)
Channel 231 doesn't have a program according to the TV.
But by cycling up & down the channels, I found it on channel 118-1.

Can't check the other broadcast channels as they don't have any shows on in HD at this time.

For anyone else using their QAM tuner to get broadcast HD via a Comcast basic cable, did you use the same channels numbers as listed by Comcast? If not what channels numbers did you find, Fox/CBS/NBC/PBS etc on?

thanks

Checking the HD guide I see the Eagles game is NOT in HD. CBS you suck! I guess I'll check in towards the end, I can't watch an SD game on the 50" set. They need to broadcast more than 3 games a week.

Finally got a reply from Dish about Channel 6. I record my OTA feed, but if the Sat signal wouldn't break up I would use it.

Dear Mr. XXXXXXX,



We are glad you wrote in! We are aware that WPVI has some issues. We have received several complaints on this channel. We have bundled up all of the emails including yours and given them to our engineering department. Please note that some of these issues can be cleared in matter of minutes and other times it can take awhile. Sometimes we not only have to look at our gear but work with your local providers. Thank you for your information, patience, and for being a valued customer.



EchoStar Satellite LLC

Quality Assurance Department

dishquality@echostar.com

Holy crap, I'd call FedEx and complain that they dropped it on the porch! That's awful.

As for the channels, they are not the same numbers than comcast uses on their digi cable boxes. From the top of my head:
110-1 - WPSG-DT - CW
111-1 - WPHL-DT - MNT
111-2 - WTXF-DT - FOX
111-3 - WPHL - The Tube
118-1 - WPVI-DT - ABC
118-2 - WCAU-DT - NBC
118-3 - WPVIDT2
118-4 - WPVI Weather
118-5 - WCAU WeatherPlus
119-1 - WHYY-DT - PBS
119-2 - KYW-DT - CBS
119-3 - WHYYDT2
119-4 - WHYYDT3

If you do the autoscan on your TV, it will likely find many channels that are "blank", this is an encrpyted QAM channel you can't see unless you have a cablecard. But all those channels above should be in the clear and you should get them.

A poster recently said that his numbers changed, but mine haven't on the Bensalem system.


i also get espn classic at 89-11 and niversal hd bt cant remember the numer right now..

wonder why espn clasic is there but not on the cable box or any other way.

delaware county pa area

Not to change the subject but...No Friggin HD for the Eagles-Titans...WTF!!! You gotta be kidding me!

Yes, it's CBS. I don't have the birds in HD on comcast and same for my buddy on sat.

Not to change the subject but...No Friggin HD for the Eagles-Titans...WTF!!! You gotta be kidding me!

I take it back...I'm glad the game its not in HD...otherwise I might actually see the the stench coming off the EAGLES in hi-def!!! Put a fork in 'em!!! :mad:

Not to change the subject but...No Friggin HD for the Eagles-Titans...WTF!!! You gotta be kidding me!

Well lame CBS only broadcasts SOME of its games in HD (the top tier games).

And this game is making me nauseous in SD the way the Eagles are playing. So be thankful its not in HD or it would look even worse (if that's possible.

Maybe you all who are watching the Eagles (I could careless about them) will like watching them play Indy next week in HD? ;)

Maybe you all who are watching the Eagles (I could careless about them) will like watching them play Indy next week in HD? ;)

No -- cause it won't mean anything for the Eagles now since they probably lost their QB for the season and they will probably lose today. So either way, next week means diddly now for the Eagles.

And NBC is stuck with the game now -- Peyton vs. the Eagles backup QB.

OT one last time. McNabb out for season with a torn ACL.

inhd 2 is of the grid now.

Not to change the subject but...No Friggin HD for the Eagles-Titans...WTF!!! You gotta be kidding me!
I posted that 3 posts above yours. CBS sucks, they only show 3 HD games. If you really want to see what games are coming look here: http://www.hdsportsguide.com/

Tony Bruno, formerly of WIP and now on SportsTalk 950, has been ripping CBS for their lack of HD. He usually picks games for the weekend and this weekend he said he will be announcing his CBS nonHD plays only. He has been an advocate for HD, and this is his way of ridiculing CBS.

Tony Bruno, formerly of WIP and now on SportsTalk 950, has been ripping CBS for their lack of HD. He usually picks games for the weekend and this weekend he said he will be announcing his CBS nonHD plays only. He has been an advocate for HD, and this is his way of ridiculing CBS.

I believe there is some technical reason. The way FOX does it is different than CBS -- and CBS would have to change their whole infrastructure to be able to do what FOX does. In other words, CBS would have to spend gobs of cash.

Or it could be that there aren't enough HD trucks for all the games (or CBS doesn't want to spend the $$$ for additional rental HD trucks).

For anyone else using their QAM tuner to get broadcast HD via a Comcast basic cable, did you use the same channels numbers as listed by Comcast? If not what channels numbers did you find, Fox/CBS/NBC/PBS etc on?

thanks
On my system, Delaware County, PA

83 through 86 - Comcast On Demand (very spotty)

89.something - History Channel
89.something - ESPN Classic
91.2 - G4 (formerly TechTV)
109.1 - Discovery Health

110.1 - The CW-HD
110.3 - Universal HD
111.1 - Fox-HD
111.2 - MyPHL HD
118.1 - ABC-HD
118.2 - NBC-HD
119.1 - WHYY-HD
119.2 - CBS-HD

Wayne - Tredyffrin down by chesterbrook is getting FIOS tv. prices out to almost exactly what Comcast charges. A few more channels and a multi-room DVR + loathing for Comcast = gonna switch.

Wayne - Tredyffrin down by chesterbrook is getting FIOS tv. prices out to almost exactly what Comcast charges. A few more channels and a multi-room DVR + loathing for Comcast = gonna switch.

Ugh. I can literally see chesterbook from my windows (up on the ridge above it); I'm in Tredyffrin; I have FIOS; and the FIOS-TV site still doesn't show it available to me yet. And for added fun, there's no FIOS-TV customer-service order number for PA on their website; you apparently have to order online. How did you find out? Putting your number in, or email, or ??? Is it by neighborhood, or by CO? I know we're handled out of the Paoli CO. (610-889-xxxx); we're literally right on the Tredyffrin/Charlestown border at the north end of town. We are NOT in the section in the north-east that's slated for later deployment; I looked at the map in the Tredyffrin agreement with Verizon.

that stinks...we're down by VF Middle School/Gateway. the phone # says it's available, and the verizon operator confirms.

Nice to see more Tredyffrin township residents on this board. As far as I know, FiOS TV is available now for anyone in the Tredyffrin Township area except those on the other side of 202. I have priced it out as well as with the highest speed internet, a DVR and a regular HD box also, it comes out to about $111.00 a month which is at least $20.00 a month cheaper than my Comcast service. The upside is that you are able to get CSN HD and HDNet and HDNet movies on one system which will save me another $10.99 that I am paying Directv for their HD tier. However, you also lose INHD and the NBA, NHL and MLB games they offer. I have not been able to get an answer from the programming people at Verizon on the INHD issue. I have also asked to see the system in actual operation here but do not yet know of anyone who has it installed. If you get it Reddavid, let me know. I am just up the hill from you.

Fios TV service now appears to be available in West Goshen Twp. Very excited to say goodbye to Comcast.

well, folks... FIOS TV will be on hold for a while. The 'switch concept' didn't go over well with the family (mostly fear of change, and losing a few channels. Is there life without Comcast On Demand?)

Since I wear the pants around here :rolleyes: , here's the REAL reason we're not switching...1.) No FOX HD 2.)Called Comcast and got a 1/3 reduction in our cable bill for 6 months. 3.)Verizon price increase for new customers (where's the welcome mat?)

I figure that'll give Verizon a chance to settle out their channel lineup and installation headaches in a new area. probably just postponing the inevitable.

see you in June '07

Fox HD is on, their web page needs to be updated. The pricing is the same as it will be around the country. SInce PA is new, we got it first. I am glad to see Comcast drop their bill for you. It should be for a year but 6 months is not bad.

JWhip do you have any idea when the Villanova/Rosemont Area will be FIOS ready since you have good contacts? Also Ardmore along Haverford Road near Eagle Rd and Wynnewood Road?

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/16081538.htm

Hurry up FiOS TV! come to Marlton!

inhd 2 is of the grid now.

Yes, no INHD2, but there's some new PPV on 201 that is "Off The Air" but appears to be showing MSG hockey and other random programming.

Does anyone know what this channel is?

Also, are there any other HD channels in our future? MHD isn't as bad as I thought, since they are showing concerts as opposed to the idiotic crap on MTV.

i dont see that 201 here del county pa

also i dont see the nfl net football game that is supposed to be on inhd 206.
just a movie

No picture or sound on INHD 206 for the NFL game in South Jersey. Comcast Garden State is simply incompetent.

In order to get NFL network in HD, I believe you need to subscribe to at least the Digital Plus package. If you get NFL on 180 or 275 you would get the HD on 206. (which is what Comcast uses for NFL, NBA, NHL etc)

I have everything and still HD was not showing, definitely a screw up on Comcast's part....

I get everything as well thu Comcast of Garden State. INHD was 'blacked-out' during the NFL Network game. Looks like plenty of people on Comcast in other area's got the game on INHD, so obviously a Garden State system problem. Obviously, everyone I had over to watch were not too impressed with SD football on the NFLN.

Of course, this comes on the same day that we find out that Comcast is raising rates again in January!

I'm not really a Comcast basher, but it looks pretty bad to not have the highly-hyped HD game in prime-time on one of the biggest football days of the year. Especially when those of us with HDTV's are going to have our friends and family from SD-land over to watch!

-Dan
Haddon Twp, NJ

In order to get NFL network in HD, I believe you need to subscribe to at least the Digital Plus package. If you get NFL on 180 or 275 you would get the HD on 206. (which is what Comcast uses for NFL, NBA, NHL etc)


NOPE! I have digital plus. The guide showed that the NFL Network game was SUPPOSED to be on INHD (channel 206). However, 206 was showing some lame movie (not even a INHD show) -- with the logo "mojo" on the top right.

I could see the game on the normal NFL network channel (180 or 275), but it was NOT broadcast in HD (Comcast in Montgomery County, PA), despite the guide showing it was supposed to be on 206.

Wonderful comcast.

The game eventually came on on 206. Must have been some technical glitch.

The typical canned response to my email concerning Comcast's rate increase:


We work hard to bring the latest in television and Internet services and we want our customers to see the value in that. Rates are setup to allow us to continue to provide you with a wide variety of channels, superior picture quality and reliability as well as the most up to date technological advancements. Rates are also structured to cover programming and carrier fees, as well as programming and service improvements. Programmers are not regulated and therefore can increase their rates to cable companies to cover their costs. We have also been updating our infrastructure to offer you more products and services, and we are continuing to improve our customer service. Our prices reflect the value in Comcast's service, new products and commitments to the community.

All companies set their rates to reflect the value of their products and services. We believe that our price best represents the value for cable TV and internet service in the marketplace today. We have heard your concern and thank you for your understanding. We do appreciate your business.

If you have additional questions or if you would like to learn more about the features and benefits of Comcast products and services, you may call our customer service department or contact us via email. Our customer service department can be reached at 1-800-COMCAST. We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your convenience.

Thank you again for your e-mail. We appreciate you taking the time to contact us with your concerns.

Sincerely,

Michelle
Comcast Customer Care Specialist

In order to get NFL network in HD, I believe you need to subscribe to at least the Digital Plus package. If you get NFL on 180 or 275 you would get the HD on 206. (which is what Comcast uses for NFL, NBA, NHL etc)
Actually, you can get NFL Network as part of Digital Plus or the Sports Pak.

The game eventually came on on 206. Must have been some technical glitch.

DAMN!!! I guess I gave up to soon, but I really wish Comcast would check their systems every once and a while. CSN HD still has some problems on my Comcast system, although the hockey game last night looked pretty darn good.

Any more word on Universal HD?

INHD here in south jersey has not shown the nfl hd programs even though the guide says the nfl program should be on

they were showing a replay of the steelers-brown game just now on INHD.. it was mostly SD.. but it was NFL-HD network

The CSN HD games have looked very good. It will be interesting to see how they look on FiOS.

For anyone else using their QAM tuner to get broadcast HD via a Comcast basic cable, did you use the same channels numbers as listed by Comcast? If not what channels numbers did you find, Fox/CBS/NBC/PBS etc on?


I am in Lower Merion and I've found the following HD channels

76.1 - ABC
76.2 - NBC
90.1 - WHYY
90.2 - CBS
91.1 - MY-PHL
91.2 - FOX
110.1 - The CW
110.2 - Universal

Allse i am waiting for is FIOS to become avilable here. 15M/2M connection would be sweet and also their TV package might be a goodthing as well.

JWhip-
Check out this thread..

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17367045

It looks like someone in Blue Bell that got hooked up with FIOS TV this week went to watch the Flyers in HD last night on CSN-HD (829) and it was a blank screen.

They called Verizon and they told him that no Philly home games would be shown in HD for the time being! If this is the case, that is major false advertising. They "carry" the HD station and then never show anything in HD? C'mon now.

Any info on this?
Thanks.

I have been traveling back and forth to NY for the industry HD Expo where I met with one of the top peoiple at Verizon
s FiOS program. If see him today I will ask him. If not, I will call him Monday. It must be a technical glitch.

Thanks J-
I appreciate it. It just seems odd that they'd do that.

Maybe you'll get some other juicy info as well.

JWhip-
Check out this thread..

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17367045

It looks like someone in Blue Bell that got hooked up with FIOS TV this week went to watch the Flyers in HD last night on CSN-HD (829) and it was a blank screen.

They called Verizon and they told him that no Philly home games would be shown in HD for the time being! If this is the case, that is major false advertising. They "carry" the HD station and then never show anything in HD? C'mon now.

Any info on this?
Thanks.
I live in Wayne, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. I just had FIOS TV installed on Monday and the same thing happened. For most of yesterday, the HD feed of CSN was blacked out. It only came back after the Flyers game. The SD feed was fine. However, when I called Verizon tech support about this, they had no idea what was going on. They went through normal troubleshooting steps, and even scheduled a serviced call. I called back when the channel came back and cancelled the call. If this is true, I am really angry about this. I will try and call and get more info.

I can't imagine the game was blacked out on purpose. It was clearly a technical glitch. The HD version would not be on and then the game not be. That would make NO sense. A neighbor just got it installed today and I will hopefully check it out tomorrow. Regarding Comcast, I received a flyer in the mail today with the new rate increases. Digital classic with standard cable is goin up from $60.40 a month to $64.15. Digital plus from $65.40 to $67.15. The DVR is going up $2.00 to $11.95. A second non DVR HD box is not mentioned. I presume it will remain $8.90 a month. If you want a second DVR, the cost is going from $9.95 a month to a whopping $16.00 a month. To quote Tom McGinnis, "You must be Kiddddddiiiinnnng me" I will be paying Comcast $142.00 a month in January. If I switch to Verizon, the same video service with better internet speeds than I am getting now, will be $113.00 a month. I will lose INHD but gain HDNet and HDNet Movies. Seems like a no brianer to me.

I can't imagine the game was blacked out on purpose. It was clearly a technical glitch. The HD version would not be on and then the game not be. That would make NO sense. A neighbor just got it installed today and I will hopefully check it out tomorrow. Regarding Comcast, I received a flyer in the mail today with the new rate increases. Digital classic with standard cable is goin up from $60.40 a month to $64.15. Digital plus from $65.40 to $67.15. The DVR is going up $2.00 to $11.95. A second non DVR HD box is not mentioned. I presume it will remain $8.90 a month. If you want a second DVR, the cost is going from $9.95 a month to a whopping $16.00 a month. To quote Tom McGinnis, "You must be Kiddddddiiiinnnng me" I will be paying Comcast $142.00 a month in January. If I switch to Verizon, the same video service with better internet speeds than I am getting now, will be $113.00 a month. I will lose INHD but gain HDNet and HDNet Movies. Seems like a no brianer to me.
We get our increases on the Willow Grove system effective in March, so I am sure they will be similar. :( Those prices sound very much like here, except for the HD box, it is $5 above a Digital sub, and $8.90 with Basic or Standard. (The reason being they include a $5 box with Digital subs that can be upgraded).

That $5 HD box is effectively $10 for Digital subs here. And the $9.95 DVR is effectively $14.95, and add $2 according to what you quoted.

Second DVRs are always complicated and do vary even in this general area. If you just want Basic access, it has been just another $10, but add Expd. and it another $5 or instead add Digital Classic/Plus and Std., and it is $9 more, and Premium access is another $5.

So, they are making it so even if you want a second DVR for just Basic, you have to pay about the same effective cost of the first DVR.

Are they keeping the Additional Outlet (service mirroring) fees the same?
That could really make second DVRs cost much more. :(
This is one factor that makes Comcast so expensive.

Just had my Fios installation today in West Chester. I was only supposed to be getting internet today and tv next week but to my surprise they did everything today. My wife said that there were a lot of people there including supervisors so it was no surprise everything went smoothly. Only issue was that HD channels are not yet available as I have read from other people. Seems even though you order premier package they still have to place an order for HD. Tech gave us his personal number to follow up with him tomorrow to make sure everything gets squared away. First class service and I hope it stays that way (Comcast techs were always nice as well). Can't wait to get home and give everything a test drive. Although I will probably flip out and rip everything back out if CSN HD really not available. My wife actually noticed a difference in the picture quality and this is a woman that minimized the impact of HD on a TV. lol

YOu should see better PQ on SD channels and I would be surprised if you didn't. As for the HD's that will be interesting. Post your impressions.

is there any word on whether or not they've fixed the problem with NFL-HD on INHD?

I wonder what this whole issue is with the HD channels not showing up at install?

A poster from Blue Bell called FIOS on the 2nd day when the national HD's still weren't on - threatened to go back to Comcast if they weren't on by the time he got home, and then 30 minutes later they were on.

Seems like there's still confusion behind the scenes with PA FIOS TV.

Also, a post on DSLReports stated that last night there were technical issues with the HD feed between the Wachovia Center and the Philly Video Hub for FIOS TV. Sounds like a reasonable answer.

I was able to confirm that with CSN. There was no black out.

Follow up to yesterday's post. To clarify the HD channels missing ... the local HD's were already there and the national HD's where in service this morning. Tech said there is a bug in the software that is causing the exclusion of national HD channels and they are working on it. What impressed me most was that the tech said he spent 2 hrs on the phone with Verizon to resolve the issue. You would think Verizon would have a back line number for their techs but they have to call the same number we do and go through all the motions.

Picture quality in SD was not a good as I expected on my Sony 42 A10 but after some tweaking of the picture settings it looks very nice. HD appears to be even crisper than Comcast. Have not been able to watch a sporting event yet which will be the true test but I do not expect to see the same pixelation problems and occasion screen freeze I did with Comcast HD.

On another note, they installed the ONT and other boxes in my basement (which I like) and the quality of the install is really good (no extra wire hanging around, etc).

All in all I give FiOS a 9 out of 10.

For some reason I do not have On Demand access to the channels in the movie package I ordered and I will have to go through the customer service arena to get it fixed.

Ok, I will report on the quality of Verizon's picture this weekend as a neighbor had it installed yesterday. Fromn what he tells me, and he is picky, the SD is much better that Comcast. They have only watched one HD broadcast last night, the NFL Thursday Night game and he tells me that it was the best HD he has seen. It therefore looks promising that Verizon's service offers better PQ than Comcast on both SD and HD. Fox 29's HD channel IS on the system. CSN also confirmed for me that a fiber line was installed from the Wachovia Center plant to Verizon so they have the HD feeds of the games. The blank screen was just a glitch. Comcast is offering deals when you call to cancel but if I can get better PQ network streaming of DVR content to other boxes in the house, it will be hard to get me to stay, even giving up INHD.

Are people comparing both services actual 'SD', which is Digital 480i?
Or are there still areas without ADS, and some are comparing Analog (which is sometimes called SD) to SD (Digital)?

we have ADS here. If Verizon's SD looks better than Comcast's ADS SD, what is the difference? I will check it out Sunday. The fact that the HD looks better is more significant to me as is the $30 a month savings. Comcast did offer many deals not to switch but he switched anyway.

Let me clarify my previous comments on SD PQ. The problems were only related to my main TV (HD with HDMI connection). When I turned it on to watch football (SD only, no HD last night), the picture had a lot of artifacts with the motion of the game. I mentioned this because the FiOS service may require you to tweak some of you TV settings (which I got from this site for Comcast originally). After the adjustment, the picture looks very nice. My other SD TV in the house was a vast improvement over Comcast right out of the box. PQ is an easy win for Verizon on both the SD and HD front.

The football was in HD on the NFL HD channel on Verizon.

called up verizon today, seems like fios tv wasnt available in schwenksville yet. not suprised one bit....

Yo this royally sucks i dont have a digital box but have direct hookup to the back of the set and now what pisses me off is my 19-01 WHYY ARTS 119-02 WHYY HD and 119-03 CBS3 HD signal feed is totally friggen missing. They like cut off 3 important channels here in Rosemont/Villanova area from Comcast. To me its rediculous. It was there up untill tuesday. Now they are gone is there any way to figure this crap out?

Call them about the missing WHYY ARTS 119-02 WHYY HD and 119-03. Maybe it's just it's a tech problem

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/16149496.htm

Article on Verizon FIOS getting CSN-Philly and the roll out plan for the sate of NJ will be anounced tomorrow.

Call them about the missing WHYY ARTS 119-02 WHYY HD and 119-03. Maybe it's just it's a tech problem

Well after speaking to my friend he said to check out some channels in the lower #'s because comcast does some wacky things. So i found WHYY on 26-001 CBS3 on 26-002 and PBS on 26-003. And i must admit since they moved them from the 119-xxx to the 26-xxx i dont know if its my eyes or not but the picture quality is so much better and the sound is increadably so much better. I'd like to know if it is just me or not or is this the truth.

I just had an audition of Verizon FiOS TV from a neighbor. The SD picture is a big improvement over Comcast. It is amazing who clear the picture was with no digital noice. Very impressive. The SD channel lineup is mighty impressive also. The HD looked a tad sharper also compared to Comcast. The HDNet feed blows away what I get on Directv. Very impressive and worth exploring. I may have to switch!

i wonder how long it will take to get it down here in south jersey.

I had FIOS internet installed on Friday. Hopefully, Medford makes the list of first communities to get TV.

Those of you that have had it installed, please post your impressions of SD and HD and functionality of the system. Thanks.

I was wondering if I could get some feedback....I'm going to be moving to the philly/southern NJ area in a few months and was wondering if people could tell me the HD/Cable options in the area. I'm up in Boston using comcast right now.
Thanks in advance!

Comcast is basically the only cable option with FiOS in some areas in SE Pa but not yet in S. jersey.

It looks like national Geographic and A & E HD will be added in SE Pa at the beginning of January. Don't ask, HDNet will NOT be added anytime soon.

What's Verizon customer service like? When I call them with a telephone problem it's been a morass of robotic voice prompts and generally impossible to reach a human. Comcast, on the other hand, has a relative minimum of buttons to push and human help appears quickly.

I'm hoping with the FIOS rollout that they've beefed up their CS...

(Not that I'll be able to get it anytime soon in my area...)

My neighbor tells me that the Verizon customer service has been very responsive at least up to now.

The Delaware rollout schedule for FIOS TV was announced today..

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061204/BUSINESS/61204011

Southern New Castle county in 2 weeks - my area (Talleyville /North Wilmington) won't be until early next year. Guess i'll enjoy DISH for another month or so..lol...

Looks like they're rolling out to the smaller areas first (my hope in working out any kinks). :)

TV as You've Never Seen It Before: Verizon Launches FiOS TV in Greater Philadelphia Area (http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2006/tv-as-youve-never-seen-it.html)

Company Begins Offering FiOS TV in Southeastern Pennsylvania; To Expand to Delaware and New Jersey by End of Year

Video Service Is Delivered by Verizon FiOS, Nation's Largest Digital, All-Fiber-Optic Network

December 4, 2006

PHILADELPHIA - The future of television is arriving for consumers in dozens of communities in the greater Philadelphia area as Verizon introduces FiOS TV over its revolutionary fiber-optic network, the first such rollout in the tri-state area.

At a news conference today to announce the rollout, the company also announced the availability of Comcast SportsNet-Philadelphia for FiOS TV subscribers and described several new features that will launch in all FiOS TV markets in 2007.

Verizon delivers FiOS TV over the nation's largest digital, all-fiber network. Only Verizon's FiOS network has earned the certification of the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers' homes.

"This is great news for consumers in the tri-state area who have waited a long time for a better choice in TV service," said William B. Petersen, president of Verizon Pennsylvania. "FiOS TV will bring something to consumers they've never had before: incredible picture and sound clarity and innovative new services - all from a brand they know and trust. Customers who liked what FiOS has done for their Internet connection will love what it does for their TV."

In southeastern Pennsylvania, Verizon FiOS TV is available now to 80,000 households in parts of 35 communities in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. The company expects that number to increase to 100,000 households by the end of the year.

In Delaware, Verizon plans to offer FiOS TV to 13,000 households in the southern New Castle County area by the end of the year.

In New Jersey, under the state's new streamlined video franchise law, Verizon has announced plans to offer FiOS TV over its all-fiber network in 316 communities in the next few years. With state approval of Verizon's plan expected in mid-December, the company expects to have FiOS TV available in dozens of communities in New Jersey by the end of this year -- including South Jersey.

####

FiOS TV is now available in parts of the following southeastern Pennsylvania communities:

Montgomery County

Ambler Borough
Horsham Township
Lower Gwynedd Township
Montgomery Township
Springfield Township
Upper Dublin Township
Whitpain Township
Hatfield Borough
Hatfield Township
Lansdale Borough
Towamencin Township
Upper Gwynedd Township
Upper Providence Township
Upper Merion Township

Chester County

Charlestown Township
East Pikeland Township
Schuylkill Township
Tredyffrin Township
Easttown Township
West Pikeland Township
Birmingham Township
East Bradford Township
East Goshen Township
Pocopson Township
Thornbury Township
West Bradford Township
West Chester Borough
West Goshen Township
Westtown Township

Bucks County

Hulmeville Borough
Bensalem Township
Langhorne Manor Borough
Lower Southampton Township

Delaware County

Thornbury Township
Radnor Township

316 communtiies in the next few years, that does not sound like the entire state to me

what part of del county is that available/

down here in upper chi no verizon dsl or fios.

Shades,

Verizon has been very selective about the communities it would rollout in first. They have never said it would initially be the entire state. The law passed allows them to negotiate one franchise with the state as compared to negotiating with each individual town. They are concentrating on several towns in SJ first, then I am sure they will want to cover the entire state. Here in Marlton I am lucky, our infrastructure is in and I am just waiting for the word that FiOS TV is ready, I will then switch TV and internet to FiOS.

What's Verizon customer service like? When I call them with a telephone problem it's been a morass of robotic voice prompts and generally impossible to reach a human.

As a Verizon Encore customer (phone/internet), one is directed to a 'special' phone number for FIOS customer service. Over the last year-and-a-half, I've been impressed with their response and attention to any questions/concerns.

While you DO get an initial computer prompt for phone number and the reason you are calling, I get directed to a human every time... with little-to-no wait. I've got no complaints - but that's just my experience.

what part of del county is that available/

down here in upper chi no verizon dsl or fios.
I think I saw Radnor and Thorton as being the Delaware County townships that will be getting FiOS.

I think I saw Radnor and Thorton as being the Delaware County townships that will be getting FiOS.


Where do you find out -- link?

I'm moving to Marple Township -- Broomall, Delaware County.

As of this morning (12/5/2006), I am receiving a No Signal on all of my Comcast HD QAMM channels. They will show up for a split second and then disappear. Is anyone else having this problem? It worked great yesterday and before that.

Where do you find out -- link?

I'm moving to Marple Township -- Broomall, Delaware County.
Actually, it's listed on post 7659. And I was mistaken, it's Thornbury, not Thorton.

I think it was originally on the Verizon press release.

TV as You've Never Seen It Before: Verizon Launches FiOS TV in Greater Philadelphia Area (http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2006/tv-as-youve-never-seen-it.html)

Company Begins Offering FiOS TV in Southeastern Pennsylvania; To Expand to Delaware and New Jersey by End of Year

Video Service Is Delivered by Verizon FiOS, Nation's Largest Digital, All-Fiber-Optic Network

December 4, 2006

PHILADELPHIA - The future of television is arriving for consumers in dozens of communities in the greater Philadelphia area as Verizon introduces FiOS TV over its revolutionary fiber-optic network, the first such rollout in the tri-state area.

At a news conference today to announce the rollout, the company also announced the availability of Comcast SportsNet-Philadelphia for FiOS TV subscribers and described several new features that will launch in all FiOS TV markets in 2007.

Verizon delivers FiOS TV over the nation's largest digital, all-fiber network. Only Verizon's FiOS network has earned the certification of the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers' homes.

"This is great news for consumers in the tri-state area who have waited a long time for a better choice in TV service," said William B. Petersen, president of Verizon Pennsylvania. "FiOS TV will bring something to consumers they've never had before: incredible picture and sound clarity and innovative new services - all from a brand they know and trust. Customers who liked what FiOS has done for their Internet connection will love what it does for their TV."

In southeastern Pennsylvania, Verizon FiOS TV is available now to 80,000 households in parts of 35 communities in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. The company expects that number to increase to 100,000 households by the end of the year.

In Delaware, Verizon plans to offer FiOS TV to 13,000 households in the southern New Castle County area by the end of the year.

In New Jersey, under the state's new streamlined video franchise law, Verizon has announced plans to offer FiOS TV over its all-fiber network in 316 communities in the next few years. With state approval of Verizon's plan expected in mid-December, the company expects to have FiOS TV available in dozens of communities in New Jersey by the end of this year -- including South Jersey.


Does this mean they'll sell the Philly sports rights to Directv? Please oh please say yes!!! If not, I'll have to switch to Verizon for my TV service...I will NEVER go back to Commycast!!!

Comcast will NOT supply CSN to Directv. The reason that Comcast had to do the deal with Verizon as the signal is being supplied terrestrially to Verizon. Verizon picked up all the costs to run a fiber line into the Wachovia Center to take out the CSn signal. Comcast could not take advantage of their terrestrial loophole under those circumstances. Do not think for a minute that this means that Directv or Dish will get CSN. It will NOT happen any time soon.

Comcast will NOT supply CSN to Directv. The reason that Comcast had to do the deal with Verizon as the signal is being supplied terrestrially to Verizon. Verizon picked up all the costs to run a fiber line into the Wachovia Center to take out the CSn signal. Comcast could not take advantage of their terrestrial loophole under those circumstances. Do not think for a minute that this means that Directv or Dish will get CSN. It will NOT happen any time soon.

I just figured that Directv was working with Verizon that this meant Verizon would sell the rights to Directv....why else would Verizon be offering Directv? If that's the case, when Fios is in my area, I'll drop Directv for Verizon to get local sports.

Verizon has no right to sell Comcast programming to anyone.

Has anyone seen Comcast sportsnet in HD on Verizon????

yes I have and it is there.

Those of you out there who have switched from Comcast or a DBS provider to FiOS, please post your impressions on PQ as well as the operability fo the system. Are you happy you made the switch? Thanks.

I have recently switched from Comcast to Fios and I feel like the picture quality is much improved for SD and a slight upgrade for HD. I used to have a lot of problems with Comcast HD feeds of Sunday NFL games. Don't know if it was Comcast or Fox/CBS problem. I also have a HD DVR from Verizon. I have heard many complaints about it but it does the job just fine for me. Of course, I never had Tivo or other DVR prior to Verizon so my experience is limited. Only complaint I have with Verizon is the on screen TV Guide. Seems to be a little lacking compared to Comcast. For instance, when scanning programs in the current hour, it does not come close to displaying the entire program title so you have to scroll down over each channel to see what is on. Hopefully they will fix this with a future update. All in all, I am very happy I switched and will not go back to Comcast ever unless price to quality swings back to Comcast's favor.

Thanks for the feedback. That is what I noticed on my neighbor's system. I am not sire about the increase in HD PQ until I see on my set up but it looked alittle better on my neighbor's. The SD is noticably better.

Also forgot to mention that VOD guide is even worse than TV guide on Fios. Comcast was well organized with a thoughtful layout.

I can't imagine the game was blacked out on purpose. It was clearly a technical glitch. The HD version would not be on and then the game not be. That would make NO sense. A neighbor just got it installed today and I will hopefully check it out tomorrow. Regarding Comcast, I received a flyer in the mail today with the new rate increases. Digital classic with standard cable is goin up from $60.40 a month to $64.15. Digital plus from $65.40 to $67.15. The DVR is going up $2.00 to $11.95. A second non DVR HD box is not mentioned. I presume it will remain $8.90 a month. If you want a second DVR, the cost is going from $9.95 a month to a whopping $16.00 a month. To quote Tom McGinnis, "You must be Kiddddddiiiinnnng me" I will be paying Comcast $142.00 a month in January. If I switch to Verizon, the same video service with better internet speeds than I am getting now, will be $113.00 a month. I will lose INHD but gain HDNet and HDNet Movies. Seems like a no brianer to me.


Thanks for the info.

I just called Verizon, two HD PVR's and all the channels I get now would be about $10.00 less than I pay comcast, and right now that is with only 1 HD PVR, and no second comcast box. Comcast currently has a 1 PVR per houshold restriction.

I called comcast to cancel, they didn't offer anything to try and keep me.

Just switched yesterday from Comcast to Verizon Fios. Comcast Sports Net is indeed on.
SD and HD both look very good, but I can't say they are better than they were with Comcast. Without seeing my first bill I can't be sure, but I think I will save $40 - 50/month by switching my phone, internet, and tv to Verizon Fios. I got the HD DVR for my family room and the other tvs in my house are networked to this DVR because Verizon installed a router. So with one DVR the other TVs with a settop box can view DVR content. Amazing!

I think that my internet connection is about twice as fast than my comcast cable modem, even though I didn't get the fastest verizon connection that I could have gotten.

NFL network is HD! Also HDnet looks like a nice addition.

Another very nice touch is that the video technician that came out was very thorough and decided that my existing coaxial terminations were not up to his standards so he redid all the terminations with better quality connectors.

So: Good (?better) picture quality, some $ saving, breaking the comcast monopoly without having to give up local sports, new features I haven't figured out yet (Media Manager PC application that allows streaming of pictures and music from a PC to the DVR). So far looks like a thumbs up for Verizon Fios.

Anyone else notice the sixers game tonight is NOT blacked out on ESPN? At least not for me in lower Bucks county.

Sixers game not blacked out on ESPN here either in Lower Makefield Twp. Bucks County. Nice HD picture quality. Now I can see the Sixers get stomped on by the Bulls in both SD and HD (end of 1st quarter).

No FIOS TV for Lower Makefield Twp. :mad:

Is Fox 29 HD available on Verizon? It is not listed in the channel lineup at the Verizon website.

Any comparisons with Directv to FIOS on SD/HD? I believe Marlton,NJ is due to go FIOS TV in late January...If the PQ is better and indeed has CSN, I'm switching. I like Directv but miss the local sports....

Fox 29 HD is on channel 213.

I have only compared HDNet from Directv to FiOS and the FiOS picture was noticably sharper.

I have only compared HDNet from Directv to FiOS and the FiOS picture was noticably sharper.

Wow!! That's bad news for now, but good news when they roll out FIOS in Marlton,NJ

You should see HDNet programming on an HD DVD!

Mike,

I am waitng in Marlton as well (Greentree Village). I have stayed with Comcast all of these years for Phillies/Flyers on CSN. I believe it has been confirmed by JWHIP and others that indeed CSN HD will be carried. As soon as it is available I am in for FiOS tv and internet. Lets keep each other up to date, if you hear any time frame for roll out post it and I will do the same.

Fox 29 HD is on channel 213.

JWHIP, the Verizon broadcast HD channels start at 810? Verizon's channel lineup
has channel 213 as American Life TV. Channel 213 sounds like a Comcast HD
channel? Does Verizon really have Fox 29 HD on channel 213?

Mike,

I am waitng in Marlton as well (Greentree Village). I have stayed with Comcast all of these years for Phillies/Flyers on CSN. I believe it has been confirmed by JWHIP and others that indeed CSN HD will be carried. As soon as it is available I am in for FiOS tv and internet. Lets keep each other up to date, if you hear any time frame for roll out post it and I will do the same.


You got it! BTW, my BIL lives behind Wal-Mart (I forget the name of the development) but he lives next door to a person that works for Verizon. I'm sure he's pretty high up, the house he lives in is huge!! Anyway, he said they PLAN rolling ut FIOS tv by the end of January in Evesham...I really hope so. I'll miss D*TV, but I really miss local sports!!

You should see HDNet programming on an HD DVD!

I could only imagine, because some of the "higher bitrate" HD programming looks incredible and I could only imagine uncompressed, High BR HD DVD is probably awesome!!! never seen it....can't wait.

JWhip meant Fox HD is on channel 813.

On another note, I was watching Dave Matthews storytellers on MHD last night and it was the clearest picture I have ever seen on my TV. Really amazing picture. Really glad I switched to FIOS.

I still have not been able to resolve my VOD problems with them so I will probably have to give them an ultimatum (even though I will not be going back to Comcast).

Sorry, typo, it is 813.

WGTW recently expanded their over-the-air ATSC channels:
48.1 TBN simulcast of analog 48
48.2 Church Channel
48.3 JCTV (youth oriented, a lot of music videos)
48.4 Enlace (Spanish)
48.5 Smile of a Child

I noticed on the TitanTV website they list all 5 stations but other than 48.1 don't give any programming information, just gray bars marked "programming unavailable". So I called the station today and spoke to the Chief Operator who apparently hasn't even heard of TitanTV. He's going to contact them so hopefully TTV will give more complete listings soon. It sounded like I was the first person he's spoken to who gets their digital signal OTA; he was asking me how good the picture is. Sheesh - I'm all of 11 miles from Roxborough and WGTWDT is rock solid for me using a rooftop UHF antenna and an older generation Motorola HDT100 set top box.

Most of the discussion on this forum seems to be about cable; am I the only person here who actually uses an antenna as opposed to cable to get digital TV??

i'm OTA! :) love my hdtivo

I'm using OTA tonight because the all of the ComCast digital channels are highly pixelated. Sportsnet-HD is unwatchable, but ESPN-HD is fine. The diag menu on the setup box (power off, then select) shows a marginal SNR with lots of uncorrectable errors. At least the flyers are on WPSG tonight (SD from Jersey).

Some days the pixelation is minimal, some days it's really bad. I wonder if there's any interaction caused by the cable modem modem traffic. I know they're low frequency (11 MHz or so), but maybe it's cross-mod'ing the line amps. That would explain an intermittent problem caused by internet traffic usage.

I watch OTA channels in HD since the quality is slightly better than Comcast. My OTA is limited due to multipath / tree blockage.

I have 2 DVR boxes from comcast in my house.

Thanks for the info.

I just called Verizon, two HD PVR's and all the channels I get now would be about $10.00 less than I pay comcast, and right now that is with only 1 HD PVR, and no second comcast box. Comcast currently has a 1 PVR per houshold restriction.

I called comcast to cancel, they didn't offer anything to try and keep me.

It appears that Comcast does not want to make much of an effort to keep subscribers. The best they will do seems to be to offer a discount on the internet service for 6 months. They seem to figure that Verizon won't be in the TV delivery business for long and you will have to come back to Comcast. That may change when enough people leave. Right now, there are no figurs as to haw many Comcast subscribers Verizon has stolen away.

As of this morning (12/5/2006), I am receiving a No Signal on all of my Comcast HD QAMM channels. They will show up for a split second and then disappear. Is anyone else having this problem? It worked great yesterday and before that.


Same here...In fact, I came here looking for an explanation!

I thought something was wrong with my TV...

Ideas? (I'm in Mt. Laurel)

-Kevin

I thought I was the only one going crazy here. I listed my problems a few posts ago. On Saturday, just about all of the xx-QAM signals were unwatchable. I still have some problems today (Sunday).

The diags menu showed reasonable AGC and marginal SNR, but there were a lot of uncorrectable errors. The analog channels were a bit noisy, but no worse than they usually are. You have to use an ATSC tuner, since the STB maps all channels to SD / 64-QAM (HD is 256-QAM).

I'm just wondering if adding all of these new channels pushed the distribution amps (the ones on the telephone pole) over the edge on intermod. Waiting for FIOS...

I want to thank WYSP for syncing the Eagles FM broadcast to WTXF-29. WYSP was leading about a second or so in the 1st quarter, but then it lined up just fine. You could watch the ref call the penalties on WTXF with near perfect lip sync to WYSP. Merrill's calls were a bit behind, though.

WTXF-DT was about 7 seconds behind. I'll do almost anything to listen to the WYSP broadcast for the game, SD was a nice compromise. Wonder what the delay will be when WYSP broadcasts the Giants game next week on the internet.

I was watching OTA since I didn't want to risk any problems with ComCast during the game.

Same here...In fact, I came here looking for an explanation!

I thought something was wrong with my TV...

Ideas? (I'm in Mt. Laurel)

-Kevin

Same problem here.. It seems that the lineup has changed.. I did an auto-scan, and all of the channels have changed. Weird is that the call-letters that were previously picked up by default, have gone as well.

Here are the channels I've taken the time to identify so far:

80.1 ABC HD
80.2 NBC HD
80.4 ABC Weather
80.5 NBC Weather
81.21 PBS HD
81.22 CBS HD
81.23 Y Arts
106.41 CW HD
116.42 FOX HD

The conspiracy theorist in myself thinks that Comcast is making it as painful as possible for QAM users.. :mad:

Looks like something is up with my HD freq's as well, cable box just lost WPVI-DT,KYW-DT,WCAU-DT, and WHYY-DT. All of a sudden they aren't showing up on TV's qam tuner anymore either... I think they just flipped a switch or something to change the frequencies around. Also found UHD free and in the clear.

Update as of this morning: about half the HD's are gone, must have changed the freq's as the box now works for them. I'll do a rescan when i get home to find them and post the results, curious if they are the same as some of the other posters have listed them recently moving around.

Same here...In fact, I came here looking for an explanation!

I thought something was wrong with my TV...

Ideas? (I'm in Mt. Laurel)

-Kevin

No changes here in Cherry Hill/Maple Shade. HD-QAMs are still located between 109.1 and 117.3, and hasn't changed since they added TNT-HD back in June. My local franchise is Comcast of Maple Shade/Wildwood LLC, if that helps narrow it down any. Good luck.

109.1 CW-HD
110.2 TNT-HD
111.1 WB-HD
111.2 FOX-HD
113.1 ABC-HD
113.2 NBC-HD
117.1 PBS-HD
117.2 CBS-HD

FIOS now is showing DE in their pricing drop-down box - however, no entry for DE on the channel lineup side.

First installs supposedly set for next Monday, 12/18.

I'm in Swarthmore. Last night WNJS-DT Camden (23.1,23.3,23.4,23.5) was coming in solid (maybe one brief dropout every 10-15 minutes). Their tower is about 30 miles from me. When I first got my set top box about three years ago this station was completely unwatchable, which at the time I attributed to multipath problems. Anyone know whether they have increased power or changed antenna patterns in the last year or so? Also I used to be able to get WNJT-DT Trenton (about 40 miles away) at least during the fall/winter when the leaves are off the trees. Now my STB won't even detect a channel there even with the antenna pointed directly at it. Anyone in western Philly suburbs able to receive WNJT?

Most of the discussion on this forum seems to be about cable; am I the only person here who actually uses an antenna as opposed to cable to get digital TV??
I was confused too, but there's a separate Philly OTA forum here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=620626) I believe this has become more-or-less the de facto Comcast HDTV thread. Anyone... feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about this!

you are right on that one Team.

a seperate ota thread is there

in fairness, they do need a forum to complain about their (..... ) service

Looks like something is up with my HD freq's as well, cable box just lost WPVI-DT,KYW-DT,WCAU-DT, and WHYY-DT. All of a sudden they aren't showing up on TV's qam tuner anymore either... I think they just flipped a switch or something to change the frequencies around. Also found UHD free and in the clear.

Update as of this morning: about half the HD's are gone, must have changed the freq's as the box now works for them. I'll do a rescan when i get home to find them and post the results, curious if they are the same as some of the other posters have listed them recently moving around.
Yesterday was the 3rd time that Comcast remapped the QAM channels in the 1.5 months that I've had my TV.

Previous remappings only affected CBS and PBS. Yesterday, it was ABC, NBC, PBS, and CBS for the HD channels and G4 for the SD digital ones.

Incidentally, the new channels are at:

90.1 ABC
90.2 NBC
91.2 PBS
91.3 CBS

Other HD channels are still at the same spot:

110.1 CW (formerly UPN)
110.3 UHD
111.1 Fox
111.2 MNT (formerly WB)

I'm in Delaware County, PA

Yesterday was the 3rd time that Comcast remapped the QAM channels in the 1.5 months that I've had my TV.

Previous remappings only affected CBS and PBS. Yesterday, it was ABC, NBC, PBS, and CBS for the HD channels and G4 for the SD digital ones.

Incidentally, the new channels are at:

90.1 ABC
90.2 NBC
91.2 PBS
91.3 CBS

Other HD channels are still at the same spot:

110.1 CW (formerly UPN)
110.3 UHD
111.1 Fox
111.2 MNT (formerly WB)

I'm in Delaware County, PA

My mappings are very similar, 89 and 90 range. Still have some on 110 and 111. I noticed that some channels in the 119 range now show specific OnDemand feeds that look like they are for some new version of OnDemand.

Noticed a new bug on WHYY-DT, very small and unobtrusive in the bottom right that says "Y - HD"

Also, I now have a BIG UGLY Advertisement bar on the bottom of my on-screen guide. :mad:

In the Philadelphia area (Roxborough) and looks like I was moved over to Comcast during the night.

My regular digital box is fine with the new menus, On Demand, etc.. But my Motorola HD box (DCT6200) is hosed.

It just keeps rebooting, first it displays a line of '88:88' then '1' as if its on that channel, then another reboot. I have tried unplugging everything and resetting and unplugging power, with no luck - Just more reboots.

Anyone having similar issues? I have tried calling both Comcast and Time Warner, but they are both busy and I can't get through.

Hope this post is in the correct area and also hope somone has a suggestion/help for me!!

Thanks.

Sounds like you need a new box. It shouldn't continually reboot. Channel '1' is where it goes when it can't tune / decode the RF channels. Something inside the STB died.

Just an observation from my own experience in which my STB would randomly shut down after a few hours. I had to unplug it to reset. Sometimes, it wouldn't show any channels except '1' and a blank screen. It became more frequent until I replaced it. Problem solved.

Don't bother calling. Just take it back to your local office and swap it out. They shouldn't give you any problems over a simple "it doesn't work" reason. Especially if your other box is OK.

The pixellation problems seem to be gone from my SD and HD digital channels today. SNA and AGC are good, but lots of correctable errors.

When I selected the Guide menu, an ad showed up for TNT at the bottom of the screen :mad:. It only did it once, so far. Anyone else seeing ads on the Guide?

I don't like ads. Period. That was the last straw with ComCast. Can't wait for FIOS.

GeekGirl- I noticed an ad yesterday morning :mad: But last night when I came home it was gone, and I haven't seen another one since. Why the F do they put it where the 5th channel is listed at the bottom! Put it at the top or something so it doesn't decrease how many channels I can see. (I know the real reason they put it at the bottom, so we see it, a**holes).

Myshtigo- Before taking the box back perhaps you could try a hard reset. Search Wiki for 6200 or 6412, I'm not sure if the procedure is the same for the 6200 as the 6412/3412 though. A hard reset redownloads the firmware, software and stuff to the STB, that might fix it. Besides if you call all they would do is just "hit" your box or tell you to unplug it again.

I was confused too, but there's a separate Philly OTA forum here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=620626) I believe this has become more-or-less the de facto Comcast HDTV thread. Anyone... feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about this!
We still get some OTA talk, I think this is because they never listed the OTA thread in the regional thread list.

Besides OTA, this is a Comcast and Verizon FIOS thread. :)

Thanks ak3883 and ftaok. Saved me some time searching for numbers.

GeekGirl- I noticed an ad yesterday morning :mad: But last night when I came home it was gone, and I haven't seen another one since. Why the F do they put it where the 5th channel is listed at the bottom! Put it at the top or something so it doesn't decrease how many channels I can see.

Yes, we got the ad yesterday too, and for us it also went away eventually. Friends we called to ask about it yesterday didn't have it but have since told us it has appeared.

Called Comcast last night, went thru support queue for "If you're having trouble with your service" selection, and told them I had a major problem with my service, a big ugly ad was positioned over my guide, seriously impairing the useability and I didn't know how to get rid of it.

After waiting on hold for 6min or so, the CSR came back on the line and informed me that it's "a feature" called I-Guide and that it would be sticking around for good. When we asked why Comcast needed to supplement their income with making paying customers look at ads, the woman said, "I guess they're just trying to pay the bills," at which I EXPLODED with, "*I* pay your bills with the exorbitant fees you charge." She didn't have much to say to that, just the standard, can't-think-outside-the-box, "I do apologise for the inconvenience..." BS.

You CAN get 5 channels to list when the ad is present, but you have to go to SETUP => GUIDE SETUP and make the GRID CELL HEIGHT single instead of double. Text stays the same size, but fewer words appear for each show, so it makes it kinda tough to read it for information easily.

I HATE this ad. I HATE Comcast.

But I hate DirecTV more.

C'mon, FIOS!!!

For anyone in the Marlton area FYI, My second tv in my computer room (Sony 30xs955 QAM tuner) i have the cable (Comcast) running right from the wall into the tv. No box. I used to be able to get NBC, CBS, Fox , ABC, all the local HD channels (231, 232,234 etc) . Well now i get no signal. After 2 calls to coprorate customer service (local office is clueless) they tell me I now need a box to get them. I did however find fox hd on channel 116.42 and WB 17 on 116.41. Has anyone been able to find the rest? Do I have to get a box now. I hate Comcast. It is not my tv either , I called my buddy who lives 4 vblocks from me with a different tv but same set up and he doesn't have them either.

thanks

Anyone know if WTXF Philadelphia (FOX) is doing its local newscast in HD? I know WPVI (ABC) is. There have been a couple articles written that they are, but I think this is misleading. As far as I understand, WTXF is still doing its local news in SD.

Comcast has been moving channels around a lot in almost all areas it seems like. Anyone who cannot find the channels, just do a rescan on your TV tuner and it should find them. Yes it will find a lot of blank channels(which are encrpyted and can't be seen w/o a cablecard). Check the 89 and 90 area, that's where channels showed up for me. 89.1-89.5 and 90.1-90.4 or something for me, when they changed over Sunday night. They are still unencrypted, they just changed frequencies around. You should NEVER need a box for network HD, I believe that is an FCC thing, and obviously cable co's will never flat out tell you that HD locals are included free in standard, non-digital cable.

WTXF DOES do news in HD, however the only HD is their in studio cameras, no HD graphics, intro, or anything else, only the studio cameras. This differs greatly from WPVI who has some HD graphics, the weather radar in HD, HD intro, and an HD bug in the bottom right. Field cameras for WPVI are also 16:9 but SD only, NOT HD. Just the SD 16:9 cams though look pretty good and much better than a stretched 4:3 obviously.

Yes, we got the ad yesterday too, and for us it also went away eventually...it's "a feature" called I-Guide and that it would be sticking around for good...You CAN get 5 channels to list when the ad is present, but you have to go to SETUP => GUIDE SETUP and make the GRID CELL HEIGHT single instead of double. Thanks FuzzyDicePHL and ak3883. Guide is now setup for single height cell.
Well, they're back today with a vengence. After some experimentation, I think that they are customizing the ads for my viewing habits :mad:. As soon as I tuned to the Sixers game, I get an ad for the NBA.

Ads are rotating with every page up/down on the menu. I fairly sure that the ComCast "helper" ad to learn about favorites is a teaser to see how many people are going to react. Don't fall for it. Don't ever click on any ads. IMHO it's compiling a database of your habits.

The pixelation is back, but minimal on broadcast channels. The signal levels from the pole are running on the thin edge of working. That's what happens when you add channels. Something gives, usually the intermods and signal levels.

Comcast has been moving channels around a lot in almost all areas it seems like.

This forum has been very helpful in solving the mystery of the missing Comcast HD channels (231-236, 240). That's why I just joined. I thought I could help others by adding my experiences.

I live in Mount Holly, NJ. I have a Panasonic TH-42PX60U with built in ATSC/QAM tuner which until this past weekend, I was using to receive HDTV channels with my "Limited Basic" package from Comcast (Garden State).* Then the channels went away. I started checking everything from the cabling to the TV's firmware (which I also upgraded). I contacted Comcast (via e-mail) and got some really lame responses about having to pay an extra $5/month to get the HD channels.

I re-scanned, but that only found three of the HD channels. This forum has at least confirmed for me that there's no problem with my TV, but that Comcast is changing their service. I think what's happening is they're phasing out the "free" clear QAM HDTV channels and moving towards charging customers extra for it - that's what DirecTV does, and I couldn't find anything on the FCC web site that says cable providers must provide HD without a STB. In fact one of their sites states that you may need a STB:
(can't post URLs yet!)
dtv.gov
/consumercorner.html
#howdoiget

So I'll keep pursuing Comcast, with the hopes that I'll finally get them to admit that they once offered HDTV without a STB, but are now going to require one. I'll post whatever I find out.
Thanks for the great forum!

* I have Limited Basic with my Internet service from Comcast but I also have DirecTV, which I watch more often. I'm just not ready to upgrade to DirecTV's HD service yet.

Apparently the channels that were part of the Cablevision deal showed up today. ( I know they're not HD - but I'm aware people in Philly read this thread for updates)

FUSE - channel 186
AMC - channel 201
IFC - channel 385
WE - channel 129

As well as part of the Comcast deal:
PBS Sprout - channel 222

Now they just need to add more HD! C'mon VZ - add Food HD and HGTV HD before next month when it becomes available in DE!

We still get some OTA talk, I think this is because they never listed the OTA thread in the regional thread list.

Besides OTA, this is a Comcast and Verizon FIOS thread. :)And as the creator of the OTA thread, I have asked the mods to add that thread to the regional thread list, on more than one occasion. :confused:

Merry Christmas from Comcrap! Raising rates again on Jan 1st! Got the card in the mail today. This will be the 2nd increase in the last 9 months, last year's increase went into effect in like March or April. :mad:

NJ BPU met in a special session at 11:30 this morning to approve Verizon's request to be granted a cable franchise. I believe this is only a formality as all of the details have already been worked out. Let's croos our fingers and wait for the word from Verizon. Does anyone know why Comcast has been laying low with their response to FiOS. I know it has already launced in SE PA, has anyone been called by Comcast with a counter offer?

HERE IT IS ! !

http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2006/happy-holidays-new-jersey.html

Well, they're back today with a vengence.

Yeah, we had them back too.

And all the friends & relatives we called the night we discovered it who DIDN'T have it yet, has it now.

My BF's cousin, who's quite good at giving CSRs a hard time, called Comcast & found out that they've been getting a LOT of complaints about it. Maybe enough folks'll bray about it until they take it away.... We can hope, at least.

Merry Christmas from Comcrap! Raising rates again on Jan 1st! Got the card in the mail today. This will be the 2nd increase in the last 9 months, last year's increase went into effect in like March or April. :mad:

Directv....Only one rate increase in 6 years....I hate Commycast!!!!

According to that press release it looks like only Camden county in SJ for now. That is a little surprising considering that the parts of Burlington county that are cabled are now live for internet. Does anyone else have any thoughts or info?

I was wondering the same thing about Burlington County. Hopefully, it was just an oversight. I'm in Medford and have FIOS internet and will switch to Verizon for cable once it's available.

I may have someone to talk to at Verizon, I will let everyone know what I find out.

I was wondering the same thing about Burlington County. Hopefully, it was just an oversight. I'm in Medford and have FIOS internet and will switch to Verizon for cable once it's available.
Don't know if you read today's Inquirer, but they had a story about FiOS in New Jersey in the business section here. (http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/business/16252568.htm)
It does say this:
In addition to Camden County, Verizon initially will sell FiOS in Bergen, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic and Somerset counties. Burlington County can expect service early next year.
So, whatever. I guess when the actual list comes out we'll know for sure! I know I'll have a bit of a wait in any case... :(

what about gloucester county :mad:

I have 2 DVR boxes from comcast in my house.

What does the second PVR cost?


I know at one time, the restriction was lifted. At the time (Septemberish) I called comcast and asked what the fee was for a second DVR, the girl on the phone said $9 something, I said I'd be over to get one. Then she said, your bill will go up 17 something. I asked why she said 9 something if it was really 17 som thing. She said it was a 9 something adder over the digital box, and because I didn't have a non PVR cable box to turn in, it was 17. I told them to forget it.

Then on Black friday I picked up a 32" Olevia, on the way home I stopped at the Comcast office where they had the "no second PVR signs up. They were also out of digital boxes, so I have been using the QAM tuner.

FYI - A thread has been started to rally support against the ComCast on-screen guide banner ads.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=768921 includes links to a new website and the ComCast customer feedback area.

i just got the new price guide.

did i misread that thing or will the second dvr be $17 now.

$11 for the first.

i still don't understand why I have fios internet service but no cable?? anybody no the reason why? none of the CS reps know....

I am going to say goodbye to Comcast. No, I don't have their cable service, just a cable modem. But, now they are raising the price by $3.00 per month. I was paying $54.95 to Time Warner Cable, now Comcast wants $57.95. No way. Just to switch companies, they want more?!?! I am off to DSL (will Verizon ever offer Fios to Philly?) and its lower monthly price. I don't need the 6MBs D/L speed on my line. 768K will work just fine for me.

i just got the new price guide.

did i misread that thing or will the second dvr be $17 now.

$11 for the first.


17 total i think

I am going to say goodbye to Comcast. No, I don't have their cable service, just a cable modem. But, now they are raising the price by $3.00 per month. I was paying $54.95 to Time Warner Cable, now Comcast wants $57.95. No way. Just to switch companies, they want more?!?! I am off to DSL (will Verizon ever offer Fios to Philly?) and its lower monthly price. I don't need the 6MBs D/L speed on my line. 768K will work just fine for me.
The increase is not the cost of switching companies, rather it is just what Comcast charges for HSI to non-TV customers in this area, and possibly in all of their systems. You didn't expect them to keep their prices the same as TWC? ;)

Of course, I think $58 is way too expensive, even $43 is expensive, IMO.

What does the second PVR cost?

I know at one time, the restriction was lifted. At the time (Septemberish) I called comcast and asked what the fee was for a second DVR, the girl on the phone said $9 something, I said I'd be over to get one. Then she said, your bill will go up 17 something. I asked why she said 9 something if it was really 17 som thing. She said it was a 9 something adder over the digital box, and because I didn't have a non PVR cable box to turn in, it was 17. I told them to forget it.
The DVRs are $9.95, as it usually is with Comcast systems, but that price is indeed to upgrade from the included non-itemized $4.75 Digital box.
So the effective cost is $14.70.

When it is an Additional Outlet they have to get at least that same total price of $14.70.
They do this by having Digital Addtl. Outlet fees.

Notice as of the '06 price card, even just an 'Enhanced A/O' (Standard) was $4.75, the same price as a Digital box.
So, if one would choose that, it would be the same $14.70 for a second DVR as the first DVR actually costs.

It sounds like you they were adding a 'Digital Classic/Plus A/O' of ~$7.95 to get a total of ~$17.90.
You could look at it as $14.70 for the DVR and $3.20 to mirror Digital Classic/Plus. (I have heard of this type of A/O varying from $6.95 to $8.90, here they raised it to $8.90 last year.)

The only way to get a second DVR for $9.95 was to just get Basic mirrored. Apparently, the took this option away.

I heard the DVR was going to be $11.95 upgrade fee, is this true?
If so, I could see a second DVR being $16.95.

17 total i think
It was always around that for a second DVR, unless one just got Basic on the second DVR. I think they are nominally charging $17 for a second DVR now. I would assume anything over Standard would be even more. I should be getting my Comcast info. card any day now, so I don't know for sure.

The increase is not the cost of switching companies, rather it is just what Comcast charges for HSI to non-TV customers in this area, and possibly in all of their systems. You didn't expect them to keep their prices the same as TWC? ;)

Of course, I think $58 is way too expensive, even $43 is expensive, IMO.Thanks for the information. I did not know that Comcast gouges even more out of their customers than TWC. Doesn't Comcast realize by raising rates on something that has competition (HSI), they are losing customers (at least this one, who never signed up with them)? Well, I am not going to help them build their "Monstrosity on Market St." :p

The increase is not the cost of switching companies, rather it is just what Comcast charges for HSI to non-TV customers in this area, and possibly in all of their systems. You didn't expect them to keep their prices the same as TWC? ;)

Of course, I think $58 is way too expensive, even $43 is expensive, IMO.

i think 43 is areasonable price for HIgh speed internet at the speeds we get, i used to pay 25 for aol DIAL UP, that was basically like not having the internet at all really

i have 2 dvr's 9.95 each. no extra 4.95 fees for anything.

The new rate for a second DVR effective Jan 07 will be $16.95

Channel lineups and pricing now online for DE FIOS TV.

Looks like we're getting both CSN - Philly AND MASN for our sports channels. Guess it's to keep the O's fans happy.

The lineup also has an updated list of locals - as well as the newer Cablevision deal channels.

As i've said before - add a few more National HD's (Food, HGTV) - and i'm signing up on Day 1 when they roll it to Northern DE early next year.

Jeepmatt;

As I understand it, Northern DE does NOT include Wilmington in the FIOS deal, correct?

Carl

One thing that FIOS threat allows a Comcast customer to do is negotiate a little. They have a retention department, and they're wheeling and dealing over there. I came in with two competitive advantages: 1) I have all three services, and 2) FIOS is available in my area. All I have to do was call Comcast and say "I'm thinking of leaving Comcast for FIOS" and the CSR immediately said "let me see what I can do." He came back a few minutes later with an offer to shave 25% off my total bill and throw in Showtime (I already get HBO.) The duration of the offer is 12 months, but the CSR was pretty confident that Comcast would roll it over next December. So, I decided to stay put.