Atlanta, GA - Comcast [Text View] - Page 14

slowbiscuit

12-13-08, 10:22 AM

Atlanta Comcast folks:
HELP! I have been on the phone with Comcast to schedule an install of an additional DVR.
SURPRISE! I spoke to a guy 2 days ago but had to terminate the call because the call took over 20 minutes and I had an appointment to make.
I called back today and spoke to a gentleman who asked tha ti call back because his computer couldn't give ma a credit for 6 months, a credit he was offering me after I complained about the high cost of $13.95 plus $5.99 a month.
so I call a third time and get a lady who informs me that i have not been charged the $13.95 a month for my second DVR (only 5.99 a month) and that the collections department will be notifying me about this undercharge and begin charging me.
I hung up bummed.
I thought i would get a third DCVR for an additonal charge, but not an additonal $20 bucks a month plus an additonal $14 bucks a month for what I already have.

What are you all paying for your DVRs?
Thanks
Forget their craptacular DVR's, get a couple of refurb Tivo HD's ($179 ea.) at tivo.com and have Comcast install Cablecards. If you cost it out over 3 years it will be less than what you pay for the Comcast DVR rental anyway, box price included. Plus you can upgrade the Tivos with bigger drives, view shows between Tivos on a network, and transfer recordings to PCs and do whatever you want with them. You will lose access to OnDemand and PPV, but since Tivo just added Netflix instant streaming (and already had access to Amazon Unbox rentals, YouTube vids, etc.) it's probably a wash now anyway.
I think the Netflix streaming quality is excellent if you have a decent net connection, like highspeed DSL or cable. Been watching a lot of the Weeds show since they started up Netflix access this week.

slowbiscuit

12-13-08, 10:31 AM

Anyone have any insight to the situation with WXIA and WATL? According to the Weather Channel crawl Comcast hasn't yet renewed their agreement to carry these channels.

Comcast is having a carriage tiff with Gannett, which owns both stations. I'm sure Gannett is trying to squeeze more money out of them. They claim it will be resolved normally, but we'll see. I can't see NBC going dark for the majority of Atlanta viewers, it makes no sense.

Local stations can either claim 'must carry', which means Comcast has to carry the channel doesn't pay for the feed, or they can negotiate their own deal under the 'retransmission consent' provision. See the wiki about it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retransmission_consent), and the must carry link within. As mtkeller said, the must carry applicability for all digital subchannels (including HD) has not been resolved.

84lion

12-13-08, 12:43 PM

Slowbiscuit, thanks much for the information on WXIA/WATL. I recall similar issues cropping up with other stations, specifically one in Buffalo, NY, where the cableco actually did take the station off cable (a lot of the locals were scrambling for antennas...). Coincidentally, NBC has first-round NFL playoff coverage this season, plus Super Bowl. I'm sure that doesn't affect the negotiations at all. ;)

proudx

12-13-08, 01:29 PM

did comcast move the qam local channels around again? I can't seem to hit the locals anymore. maybe signal issue.

AtlantaDave

12-13-08, 03:37 PM

Comcast is having a carriage tiff with Gannett, which owns both stations. I'm sure Gannett is trying to squeeze more money out of them. They claim it will be resolved normally, but we'll see. I can't see NBC going dark for the majority of Atlanta viewers, it makes no sense.

Hopefully, we won't lose those channels, but you never know. Look at the item below from yesterday. Some station owners are now playing hardball on the issue of fees.

_______________________________________________
Dish Network Drops HD Stations In 11 Cities
The satcaster fails to reach agreement with Young Broadcasting.

Washington, D.C. (December 12, 2008) -- Dish Network has dropped Young Broadcasting-owned local stations in 11 markets yesterday after retransmission negotiations between the companies broke down.

The decision means that Dish subscribers in the following cities will not be able to watch Young's standard-def and high-def signals:

Lansing, Mich (CBS affiliate)
Lafayette, La. (CBS affiliate)
Albany, N.Y (ABC affiliate)
Nashville, Tenn (ABC affiliate)
Knoxville, Tenn (ABC affiliate)
Green Bay, Wis (ABC affiliate)
Richmond, Va. (ABC affiliate)
Davenport, Iowa (NBC affiliate)
San Francisco (My Network)
Sioux Falls SD (CBS affiliate)
Rapid City, S.D. (CBS affiliate)

Dish officials claim that Young is asking for "unreasonable" compensation to carry its local channels. By law, a TV provider can not carry a local station without its permission, which has led to numerous disputes between providers and the stations over the last few years.

By example, Dish now can not carry the Young-owned ABC affiliate in Albany or the Young-owned ABC affiliate in Green Bay.

“It is unfortunate that Young Broadcasting has forced us into this situation and caused this disruption to our customers,” said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of programming for DISH Network. “Our goal is to remain the best value for our customers and in order to do this, we need fair contracts with competitive pricing for the channels our customers want to watch. This is why we refuse to accept Young Broadcasting’s unreasonable terms.”

Dish's contract with Young Broadcasting expired on December 10. The broadcaster said in a statement that the satcaster charges subscribers to watch the local stations so it should compensate it.

There was no word from either company on whether negotiations will resume.

sher

12-13-08, 05:57 PM

thanks!

sher

12-13-08, 05:59 PM

i am trying to compare direct tv, dish and comcast.
anyone have direct tv?
do you have dvrs?
can you record HD?
can you give me any idea what you pay and for what?
thanks so much!

Nismo4564

12-14-08, 02:16 PM

did comcast move the qam local channels around again? I can't seem to hit the locals anymore. maybe signal issue.

They sure did! I cant get Fox HD anymore. I live over in West Cobb. Get all the other local channels in HD though. They changed ABC back to 2-1 and got rid of the 98s. I am getting tired of this happening, but nothing I could do except just try to get set up box.

irfoton

12-14-08, 06:39 PM

Very strange. I have two HDTVs - a Sony SXRD rear-projection and a newer Samsung LCD. I use the internal QAM tuners to get the unencrypted hi-def channels (no set top box for either TV). The Sony gets the unencrypted channels for Fox, ABC, NBC, and CBS on different channels than the Samsung! How is this possible?

ChazzMatt

12-16-08, 09:31 PM

I worked for 10 years at the Young station in Richmond, VA before moving to GA. I still have many friends there.

Recently that TV station (ABC affiliate) laid off a bunch of people, including one of my friends. The recession has hit the advertising business hard, plus all those car dealers going out of business. (How many car dealer ads do you normally see on TV? :p) Less advertising income, people have to go. Same situation with newspapers and magazines. All those advertising-dependent businesses are hurting and cutting staff in double digit percentage numbers.

This is also why the TV stations are playing hardball with the retransmission fees. They are trying to make up "lost" income.

Of course, cable and satellite dish companies are hurting too... All those foreclosed homes no longer subscribe. Plus, cable outfits insert local commercials in cable shows, so they are experiencing less advertising income too. (That's why you sometimes see a flash of another spot between commercials. That's Comcast messing up the commercial break insert. They aren't covering it cleanly.) So the local TV stations are trying to take money from cable/satellite dish companies that won't be given up easily. All the dogs are fighting over the bone.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/23/clonedogs.jpg
GIVE ME MORE OF THOSE SUBSCRIBER FEES "It's mine!" "No, it's mine!"

Hopefully, we won't lose those channels, but you never know. Look at the item below from yesterday. Some station owners are now playing hardball on the issue of fees.

_______________________________________________
Dish Network Drops HD Stations In 11 Cities
The satcaster fails to reach agreement with Young Broadcasting.

Washington, D.C. (December 12, 2008) -- Dish Network has dropped Young Broadcasting-owned local stations in 11 markets yesterday after retransmission negotiations between the companies broke down.

The decision means that Dish subscribers in the following cities will not be able to watch Young's standard-def and high-def signals:

Lansing, Mich (CBS affiliate)
Lafayette, La. (CBS affiliate)
Albany, N.Y (ABC affiliate)
Nashville, Tenn (ABC affiliate)
Knoxville, Tenn (ABC affiliate)
Green Bay, Wis (ABC affiliate)
Richmond, Va. (ABC affiliate)
Davenport, Iowa (NBC affiliate)
San Francisco (My Network)
Sioux Falls SD (CBS affiliate)
Rapid City, S.D. (CBS affiliate)

Dish officials claim that Young is asking for "unreasonable" compensation to carry its local channels. By law, a TV provider can not carry a local station without its permission, which has led to numerous disputes between providers and the stations over the last few years.

By example, Dish now can not carry the Young-owned ABC affiliate in Albany or the Young-owned ABC affiliate in Green Bay.

“It is unfortunate that Young Broadcasting has forced us into this situation and caused this disruption to our customers,” said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of programming for DISH Network. “Our goal is to remain the best value for our customers and in order to do this, we need fair contracts with competitive pricing for the channels our customers want to watch. This is why we refuse to accept Young Broadcasting’s unreasonable terms.”

Dish's contract with Young Broadcasting expired on December 10. The broadcaster said in a statement that the satcaster charges subscribers to watch the local stations so it should compensate it.

There was no word from either company on whether negotiations will resume.

mulox

12-17-08, 01:19 AM

First time posting in this thread, so hope it's the right place to ask. I have been getting at least 4-5 HD channels on the QAM of my 42" Syntax Olevia TV for a long time now. Now I just build a new HTPC with Vista 32-bit and put a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1800 card in it. When I scan for channels, I can't pick up any HD channels. Retraced my steps to make sure I didn't miss anything (regular SD content plays fine) and I came up empty. Any ideas?

Tybee

12-18-08, 02:41 PM

As reported over in the Atlanta OTA thread, it appears WGTV at long last restored HD broadcasting with some hardware upgrades last night. Huzzah!

Meinken

12-19-08, 11:31 PM

neil0311

12-21-08, 10:37 AM

Anyone have any idea when we'll see some of the HD channel additions that many other Comcast systems have been seeing the past week or so...FX HD, Fox News HD, TWC HD, Speed HD, and a bunch of others. I know they removed at least 2 analog channels in Cobb about a month ago, but nothing new besides MLB Network has shown up.

cracker 52

12-21-08, 11:40 PM

Who in the hell knows. For the last few years, Comcast-Atlanta has been among the leaders in the Comcast system in offering the most HD channels. But in the last several months, they added only a few, if that much.

Meanwhile, I've gotten a flyer in the mail from ATT about their U-Verse being available in my area (Chamblee-Dunwoody, which I confirmed on their web page). The number of HD channels is about double what I have now with Comcast. What I'm shaking my head over is the slowness of Comcast-Atlanta to go toe to toe with U-Verse, as their deployment widens in metro Atlanta. It has been know for at least a year that ATT will be rolling out its U-Verse in Atlanta.

Comcast has been aggressive in competing with HDTV and HSI (with DOCSIS 3.0) in Boston, some areas in the northeast and Chicago, where FiOS and U-Verse have been encroaching Comcast's market share. But what's really puzzling is Comcast recent push to upgrade Washington and Oregon to DOCSIS 3.0 and doubling the HD channel totals into the sixties, about double what's offered here in Atlanta. The completion in Washington and Oregon is from Q-West, which certainly doesn't offer competitive TV/Internet services, which are pale in comparison to what's offered by U-Verse. Yet, it doesn't appear that Comcast-Atlanta will step up its HD channels in a major way until the first quarter of next year. (And most of Atlanta probably won't get DOCSIS 3.0 until much later next year, as the Atlanta market was the last to implement the Powerboost download and upload in the entire Comcast system. Also, many markets have already implemented Blast speed tiers and increased Powerboost upload speeds to 6 megs or so, while Atlanta is still stuck on 8/2 and 6/1, at least in my area.)

I can only surmise that Comcast-Atlanta has been doing a poor job of keeping their systems/plant apace with increased demand from the triple package offerings, or they are taking for granted that their customers won't switch to U-Verse en-masse. Comcast top brass in Philly stated that they take competition from U-Verse very seriously (more so than FiOS). But you would never sense that here in Atlanta based on they're being reactive rather than pro-active, unlike many of the other Comcast markets. .

neil0311

12-22-08, 01:15 PM

Unfortunately, for me U-Verse isn't a viable option. There just aren't enough concurrent HD streams available or the ability to record them. I have 3 HD-DVRs and we can watch one HD stream on each while recording another, or watch a recorded program on each while recording 6 HD programs. Nothing even close is availbale from U-Verse due to the limitations of their DSL platform.

Tybee

12-22-08, 02:26 PM

I've also heard the compression with U-Verse can be noticeably worse than Comcast, and their interface isn't exactly user friendly. Combine that with less concurrent streams and the fact that Comcast also is my cable internet provider and it would be a major PITA for me to switch.

U-Verse is not the end-all, be-all people seem to think it is, but any competition to motivate Comcast is always welcome.

cracker 52

12-23-08, 02:21 AM

Actually, I understand that U-Verse uses MPEG-4 compression for their HD channels, which the two satellite services also use. MPEG-4 is a more efficient compression than MPEG-2 and takes up less bandwidth. Comcast would like to use MPEG-4 immediately to save some bandwidth but the transition will be a long one because of complications of having to switch out or modify nearly all of the digital boxes of all digital subscribers. And from what I've seen posted on DSL Reports forum as well as AVS, some people claim that MPEG-4 has better quality picture. But I haven't seen it personally, so I can't say one way or the other.

No TV service of satellite, cable, satellite or teleco is perfect. Each has its own positives and negatives. But U-Verse TV service, while as not as formidable as FiOS, can give Comcast a run for their money, particularly since U-Verse offers more HD channels, as Comcast here in Atlanta has been slow to significantly add more HD channels. (And it appears they won't catch up with U-Verse real soon since there has been no public announcement of upcoming additions like Boston, Chicago and Seattle did, at least not that I'm aware of.) The main drawback of U-Verse is that they can only feed two HD channels simultaneously at most (and only one if the distance to node is too far), as pointed out by Neil. But I only have one HDTV, so that issue doesn't concern me.

I haven't decided yet, but I'll probably try out U-Verse and keep Comcast TV cable for awhile so that I can compare the two. Since U-Verse doesn't require any contract, I can just cancel them at anytime if their service is sub par.

84lion

12-23-08, 12:27 PM

As slowly as U-Verse appears to be being deployed in metro Atlanta, I don't think Comcast has much to worry about. I am also reading about box rental price increases from U-Verse, installation appears problematic, and getting after install assistance appears to be a problem. In short, people who trade Comcast for U-Verse may be jumping from the frying pan into the fire. I have been waiting for over a year for U-Verse to fully deploy in our neighborhood, and it will be interesting to compare prices for packages when (if?) it becomes available to us.

Comcast would be an absolute keeper if they would go clear QAM with extended basic, and especially HD (e.g. - stuff like ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, etc.). My big issue is with the box fees and "digital outlet" fees. I know these are moneymakers for companies like Comcast, but they are a pain to deal with and for lightly used TVs (e.g., bedroom, 2nd room) they are just an additional cost. At least U-Verse has the WHDVR.

I believe Comcast will increase HD offerings big time when they start deploying DTAs and dropping analog channels. The question is what will go on clear QAM (if anything) and what HD channels will be added.

lindros2

12-31-08, 12:37 PM

Just got the 2009 Comcast Channel Guide in the mail. I didn't even notice one new HD channel.

ChazzMatt

12-31-08, 04:36 PM

Just got the 2009 Comcast Channel Guide in the mail. I didn't even notice one new HD channel.

So did I. Here's the 2009 HD line-up and the new pricing:

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q308/chazzmatt/comcast001.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q308/chazzmatt/comcast006.jpg

All takes effect 2/01/2009.

Digital Starter package is going up a couple of dollars and the HD-DVR is going up a couple of dollars. Those are the two prices increases that affect me. My internet is staying the same.

Tybee

01-01-09, 05:56 PM

That's really pathetic, especially when places like Chicago are getting 30+ new HD channels. I understand that there are infrastructure issues here, but come on. They could at least give us SOMETHING new. At the very least, they need to add the HD version of WPBA.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I've been happy to see WGTV gradually filling out their schedule with HD programming since restoring it a couple weeks ago. This week, for the first time, Independent Lens was in HD, which was a nice surprise.

84lion

01-01-09, 06:44 PM

fuzzy bee

01-01-09, 08:04 PM

Comcast Atlanta just moved two or three channels to digital only a couple of weeks ago - have we received any new channels from that?

ChazzMatt

01-01-09, 10:30 PM

Wow. For HD-DVR service, over $190 per year, or $957 for 5 years worth of HD-DVR service. Some of those "other" fees look...interesting, to say the least (the "reactivation" fees are something else, and why only $1.99 for video and $4 for the other services?) - $5.99 monthly for each additional digital outlet, and what is a "field collection fee?" At least these fees aren't increasing...

All this does is make satellite or U-Verse look more competitive.

Well you can do that with the whole cable bill -- multiply the monthly bill by 12 months or 60 months (5 years). Does that do any good except drive you crazy? :p Iis there a real alternative besides joining an Amish community? If you want to watch more than just the network channels with a rooftop antenna, you have to go with some service. Is U-verse, DirecTV, Dish Network half the cost of Comcast or something? I haven't heard fantastic things about U-verse, but I am glad for the competition.

Plus I still have tons of hatred for BellSouth which became part of the new AT&T. I am still thankful that Comcast + Vonage let me escape the Bellsouth phone & DSL hell. Besides better internet speed I have saved $30 - $40 per month the past 4 years. I'm not sure I want to jump back into the arms of that horrible company.

More HD channels will come only when Comcast moves more analog channels to digital. That won't happen until after March 2009...I believe the cable operators have self-imposed a moratorium on moving analog channels to digital until after that date.

That point is right on. After the switch to digital, that leaves more space for HD channels. Here's an article about Comcast in another area of the country but the underlying principle is the same:

Comcast moving some TV channels from analog to digital-only

Thu. October 23, 2008; Posted: 05:26 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Oct 23, 2008 -- In an effort to add high-definition programs, Comcast is moving some channels to digital-only.

The changes mean the minority of Comcast's Illinois customers who are not digital cable subscribers will need digital equipment or will need to switch to a digital service to view shows on about six stations, said Rich Ruggiero, vice president of communications and public affairs for Comcast Illinois.

The transition frees up capacity for Comcast to add HD channels, the company's most requested service, Ruggiero said. One analog channel consumes the same amount of capacity as 10 to 12 digital channels or up to three HD channels.

"These changes are all about the world, in general, is going digital," Ruggiero said. "The future of what we offer in home entertainment is digital."

In November, changes will occur with C-SPAN2, MTV2 and SOAPnet. Comcast made similar changes with National Geographic, ION and EWTN this summer.

As of Nov. 11, C-SPAN2 will continue to be part of Comcast's basic service but will require digital equipment. Comcast made the same change with ION and EWTN in August.

Basic cable customers can view ION, EWTN and C-SPAN2, as well as the recently added channel TLN, if they have the digital equipment, which means either a digital set-top box, a television with a cable card or a television that can tune digital channels, Ruggiero said.

Customers can lease a set-top box from Comcast for $1.13 a month.

Also on Nov. 11, MTV2 and SOAPnet will become part of the digital classic service. Comcast now offers those channels with its standard cable package.

National Geographic also used to be part of the standard package and now is part of the digital classic service.

Customers automatically receive one digital set-top box if they subscribe to any digital service, Ruggiero said. Digital classic costs $66.74, and additional set-top boxes are $7.95.

The fee for basic service in McLean County will remain at $14.50 a month, while the price for the standard cable package, which includes basic and expanded basic, remains $51.75 a month.

Comcast does not expect to consolidate other channels this year, Ruggiero said. Instead, the company will focus on adding HD channels. During the second week of December, Versus HD and Golf Channel HD, which now share cable space, will have their own full-time HD networks.

At the beginning of December, Comcast also will eliminate MOJO HD but replace it with Local Origination HD, part of the $53.74 digital starter service.

johnc_22

01-02-09, 01:52 PM

Forget their craptacular DVR's, get a couple of refurb Tivo HD's ($179 ea.) at tivo.com and have Comcast install Cablecards. If you cost it out over 3 years it will be less than what you pay for the Comcast DVR rental anyway, box price included. Plus you can upgrade the Tivos with bigger drives, view shows between Tivos on a network, and transfer recordings to PCs and do whatever you want with them. You will lose access to OnDemand and PPV, but since Tivo just added Netflix instant streaming (and already had access to Amazon Unbox rentals, YouTube vids, etc.) it's probably a wash now anyway.
I think the Netflix streaming quality is excellent if you have a decent net connection, like highspeed DSL or cable. Been watching a lot of the Weeds show since they started up Netflix access this week.

After a truly craptacular experience with Comcast and their hardware recently I will go this route for one of my HDTVs and will look for just a set-top cablecard box for the other (don't really need more than one Tivo).

Question: Is a phone line required or can everything work over my internet connection?

Comcast, I wish I could quit you... sigh.

84lion

01-04-09, 02:08 PM

brermike

01-04-09, 08:16 PM

The Tivo HD solution appears very interesting. I called Comcast and they stated they would charge about $20 to install the Cablecard and $1.50 per month for the card.

I have questions about the Tivo HD that I can't seem to find the answer to:

1) Can recordings on the Tivo be modified - for example, to remove excess at the beginning and end of a program, or to excise commercials? I have a SD only HDD recorder that permits this.

2) When playing back Tivo recordings, can the recording be stopped or paused and the Tivo turned off, then when the Tivo is turned back on, the same recording can be restarted at the pause point? My wife likes this "feature" on videotape, if Tivo didn't support something similar it would probably be a deal-breaker.

3) From what I've read, Tivo HD content can be offloaded/recorded to DVD via a PC. How does this work?

While I'm not interested in going Amish, I believe that the Tivo HD would be a great solution to record HD and SD at a better price than the Comcast HD-DVR rental. At least I would own the Tivo HD outright and would enjoy features like Netflix streaming (albeit giving up On-Demand content). From my calculations the break-even point appears to be about 30 months with a lifetime Tivo subscription.

Thanks for input and replies.

Hi there,

I've used Tivo HD with Comcast cable cards for over a year now and love it. To answer your questions ...

1. The recordings cannot be modified on the tivo but it may be possible once you transfer to them to your pc to edit them. I have not done this myself but I believe it is possible.

2. Technically, there is no off state on the tivo. It is always running (recording new shows, keeping live tv in it's buffer) even if you turn off the tv. There is a standby mode on the tivo, but the tivo is still running, just no video output to the tv. I never use standby mode and just leave the tivo on and turn off the tv. If you pause a recording and and turn off your tv, watch a different recording, or watch live tv, you can always return to the recording where you left off. Regardless of which recording you are watching, the the pause point will be remembered.

3. Again, I know this is possible but I have never burned a tivo recording to a dvd. I've transferred a recording from one tivo to another as well as to a pc and watched it, but never tried burning a disc. Maybe someone else can answer.

If you are new to tivo in general, it may take some getting used to, since the interface is different than the Comcast DVR but once you get used to it you will find it much more intuitive and far more powerful. I rarely watch live tv at all and rely on the tivo to do it's job. The Netflix streaming has been great as well. I imagine in time the selection will get better, but for now, it is great to watch.

Another great feature is multi-room viewing. I have two Tivo HDs, one in the family room and one in my bedroom, and you can transfer recordings from one unit to another via your home network. This is such a convenience so that if I want to finish a show in bed, or if more than 2 of my favorite shows air at the same time, I can watch them wherever it is convenient.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide and let me know if you have any other questions.

Michael

84lion

01-05-09, 07:27 PM

brermike

01-05-09, 11:42 PM

Mike, many thanks for your input. I don’t want to hijack this thread to discuss Tivo but this seemed to be the best place…since the traffic in this thread appears to be light hopefully not too many users will be upset.

As far as 1, I guess for SD recordings that I wanted to keep, I could just offload the recording to my HDD/DVD recorder (via component video cables, my recorder accepts this and the quality would be excellent) and then edit from there. I also read about the ability to transfer recordings to the PC but the details seemed kinda sketchy. This link appears to provide good information and if correct, seems to indicate that with the right kind of software, editing is not that hard. http://mymoments.roxio.com/enu/articles/pc/video/2008/12/transfer_tivo_shows_to_dvds__portable_players_with_creator.h tml

Item 2 will sell this for the wife, I’m sure. What happens if the Tivo is unplugged from the wall or the power goes out? Does the unit continue to “remember” pause points on the recordings?

Item 3, see above for SD recordings. What I’m really concerned about are HD recordings. These take up a lotta space. I guess there is always the Hauppauge device, but if I could bypass that and send a HD recording directly to the PC for editing and later, burning…that would be fantastic. What would be really great would be to chop up a HD program into DVD-friendly (~4 GB) chunks, thus avoiding buying a BluRay burner. Big stuff that I couldn’t handle “broken up” I could save whole to a HDD. I suppose if you can transfer a recording to the PC you should be able to do vice-versa, transfer a recording back to the Tivo for viewing.

Right now we don’t have a DVR. My wife records on VHS exclusively. I use the HDD/DVD recorders to record HD and SD content in SD. I am bad about “keeping” recordings (thus the drives fill up and I have to offload to relatively cheap DVDs on a regular basis, which is time-consuming) while my wife watches once and then deletes. A Tivo would allow her to set up ongoing recordings (e.g. – her soaps) so that she wouldn’t have to set up the VCR all the time. It would also allow her to ditch her TV/VCR unit in the kitchen. I am concerned because if that unit dies she will be sunk.

I do like the idea of the multi-Tivos. Do you need to buy a subscription for each Tivo in the family or just one?

Glad I could help. Sounds like you have a good grasp of what is necessary for transferring recordings. I have moved recordings to my computer before, just have not edited them. You can also move the files back to the tivo, so that in itself is a rudimentary means of archiving. Another option is that the tivo supports adding an external SATA drive so you can easily expand the amount of space on the tivo. This again is not something I've ever used but know it is popular. Lastly, the internal drive can be updated so you can expand the amount of recording space ever more. It's not as easy as the external option but isn't too difficult if you know how to do such things. There are instructions for this online, as well.

If you unplug the tivo or the power goes out, the tivo will still remember the pause point. I'm sure it's obvious, but if you unplug the tivo, it won't record anything until you plug it back in :) If the power goes out, the tivo will restart automatically when the power is restored.

If you have multiple tivos, you do have to pay a subscription for each one, but there is a multi-tivo discount. I pay monthly, and I think my second tivo is only $6.95 a month instead of the usual monthly fee.

Any DVR is better than VHS method (which I used to use a lot myself) and I hope you enjoy your new tivo experience!

ChazzMatt

01-06-09, 12:30 AM

If you pause a recording and and turn off your tv, watch a different recording, or watch live tv, you can always return to the recording where you left off. Regardless of which recording you are watching, the the pause point will be remembered.

Same as with Comcast HD-DVR. I know Tivo had it first, but this is probably a common feature of all DVRs. The guy said his wife liked this with "tape" recordings (VHS, I assume), so he may not know this.

I'd heard about Tivo a lot and Comcast is even supposed to start using Tivo software (for an extra fee, if you REALLY just need Tivo). But I started using DVRs with the Comcast HD-DVR.

As far as transferring stuff off the DVR, ahem, that's what torrents are for. ;) To download what you want to keep and burn to DVD. :p This fall I somehow missed an episode of my favorite show -- Sarah Connor Chronicles. (I think my wife accidentally deleted it.) So, I just downloaded it from a torrent site, burned it to DVD and watched it!

=======

p.s. I used to be a pack rack when it came to VHS recordings. When I moved to GA I filled a huge garbage bag full -- and threw them away. I had (hardly) ever watched them again after the first time anyway. DVD came along strong about that time and now there's even Blu-Ray. I can't even watch VHS anymore as the quality is not good enough on my 60" Sony. So, I'm glad I threw all those tapes away.

HollandX

01-06-09, 02:46 PM

brermike

01-06-09, 03:31 PM

Is there any drawback to using TiVo with a Cablecard? I assume it can access every channel the Comcast HD DVR can? Even all HD channels, PPV, and OnDemand?

Thank you...

If yes, it sounds like a great investment.

Tivo with cablecards cannot access PPV or OnDemand, just all the SD and HD channels available on your package. If you want PPV or OnDemand you must still use the cable company's box. You can however get a tivo with cable card and a Comcast cablebox (not a DVR) and split the signal so you can still use onDemand. It just depends on what you want. I dropped the Comcast HD DVR for a variety of reasons and onDemand wasn't enough to keep me using it.

HollandX

01-06-09, 03:54 PM

Tivo with cablecards cannot access PPV or OnDemand, just all the SD and HD channels available on your package. If you want PPV or OnDemand you must still use the cable company's box. You can however get a tivo with cable card and a Comcast cablebox (not a DVR) and split the signal so you can still use onDemand. It just depends on what you want. I dropped the Comcast HD DVR for a variety of reasons and onDemand wasn't enough to keep me using it.

Oh, excellent idea to just keep a regular box around.

I think I'm going to go buy a TiVo today!

Thanks!

ChrisHman

01-07-09, 09:30 PM

brermike

01-08-09, 12:37 AM

Lissa

01-08-09, 03:11 PM

Tybee

01-08-09, 05:31 PM

For those w/ or considering TiVo's... since the topic of "what happens when it is unplugged" was brought up, I highly recommend getting a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply). You can pick one up in the computer department of your favorite store. You don't need a super-pricey one, either - $50 will do. I once had a board on a Series 2 TiVo get fried after some power issues. Never again! I recommend plugging any DVR (or anything else that's basically a computer - PS3, 360, etc.) into a UPS. It's a good protection against brown-outs and power fluctuations that can just kill circuit boards. If the power goes out, you'll have some time before it runs out of battery. It's a rare occasion that the power hasn't come back before the battery failed.

Could anyone recommend some specific UPS models kosher for use with a home theater? I have my computer on an APC 1300 VA and wanted to get similar protection for my home theater, but had always read that the kinds of UPS's that work with computers should not be used for home theater gear. I'd love some protection against the relatively frequent brown outs and lightning strikes we see here in Atlanta (not to mention the annoyance of the Comcast guide emptying out after a power outage). Into it I would be plugging:

- Wii
- Xbox 360
- 32" Samsung LCD HDTV
- AV Receiver (10-year-old Kenwood soon to be replaced by a new Onkyo)
- Comcast HD-DVR
- DVD player

johnc_22

01-09-09, 07:43 AM

ChrisHman

01-09-09, 01:41 PM

I got a brand new Comcast HD DVR (DCH6416) in the mail yesterday (nice package w/even an HDMI cable) for use on a new bedroom plasma. I hooked the box up and after a call to c/s they still could not get all the channels to come through (I believe I have the Digital Preferred with one channel HBO). I get the low channels (2-30) and the local HD channels but that's it. Everything else is "One Moment Please - This channel should be available shortly." I have a service call scheduled for Monday morning but am curious if anyone else is familiar with this problem? I'd very much like to solve it myself and not have to deal with a service visit. I have an identical HD DVR box in my living room that works perfectly. I used to have a plain digital set top box which received everything it should (obviously not HD) in this same room so I suspect there's nothing wrong with the signal or cable I'm using from the wall. It is split with my cable modem but I tried removing the split to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Everytime i tried to swap boxes out at local offices i would bring them home, hook them up and have the same issue. There was always some issue w/ whatever codes they have in the system at comcast werent linking up to my box. After it happened 3 unique times i've come to the conclusion its just a racket to force them to come out and charge you a service fee. But then again im a bit biased.

Best thing you can do is call and make sure the numbers on the back of the box match what they have in the system.

johnc_22

01-09-09, 07:51 PM

Everytime i tried to swap boxes out at local offices i would bring them home, hook them up and have the same issue. There was always some issue w/ whatever codes they have in the system at comcast werent linking up to my box. After it happened 3 unique times i've come to the conclusion its just a racket to force them to come out and charge you a service fee. But then again im a bit biased.

Best thing you can do is call and make sure the numbers on the back of the box match what they have in the system.

That seems like the most likely solution but I read the ID to them twice, and the ID on the documents they sent me matches the Unit Id displayed in the diagnostics menu, so if that's the problem someone is retarded and I don't think it's me.

God how I wish there was a viable option in my condo development. I hate paying Comcast so much every month, and to deal with incompetence like this is like salt in the wound.

ChrisHman

01-10-09, 07:30 PM

anyone having audio issues w/ cbs lately? i get audio drops every min or so during nfl games on sunday. I thought it was my box, but now im getting it on a different tv just using QAM and noticed it on an awards show. anyone else?

I'm watching NFL game right now and its literally every 30 seconds. I switched the receiver it to the RCA analog out out the box and im still hearing clippping all the time (though not a bit of video noise). SNR on motorola box is good and no error counts coming up. Can others confirm the frequency of cuts im getting? I cant fathom others wouldnt be complaining based on how this sounds, so thats why im a bit worried its just me.

JudgeSmails

01-10-09, 09:02 PM

I'm watching NFL game right now and its literally every 30 seconds. I switched the receiver it to the RCA analog out out the box and im still hearing clippping all the time (though not a bit of video noise). SNR on motorola box is good and no error counts coming up. Can others confirm the frequency of cuts im getting? I cant fathom others wouldnt be complaining based on how this sounds, so thats why im a bit worried its just me.

Yah, happened to me during the playoff game also. I figured out the root cause. My receiver recognizes the signal coming in from the box and auto sets it to Dolby Digital or Stereo contingent on source. During the game the audio signal kept swapping between the two. So something on our local CBS' signal is a mess and can't consistently send over the normal DD audio signal like they usually do. Definitely just a CBS problem, Discovery HD and the game on FOX sound fantastic in DD. Today is the first time I've noticed this problem with CBS. If it continues we'll have to start calling them on it.

ChrisHman

01-11-09, 09:37 AM

Yah, happened to me during the playoff game also. I figured out the root cause. My receiver recognizes the signal coming in from the box and auto sets it to Dolby Digital or Stereo contingent on source. During the game the audio signal kept swapping between the two.

Well when i switched the audio source to RCA analog out from the box it keeps it in stereo, and there is still major clipping that can be heard at the same frequency intervals. So forcing stereo doesnt help the cause either.

If it happens on today's game we all need to start calling.

Joejeep

01-11-09, 10:32 PM

JudgeSmails

01-11-09, 10:39 PM

I've also noticed the CBS HD audio problem. But I'm more concerned about ABC HD. Has anyone else noticed severe stuttering on this channel the last few weeks? The screen keeps jumping like it's missing frames. This channel is becoming unwatchable for me lately. I thought maybe it was a problem with 720p channels, but Fox HD comes in crystal clear with no stuttering whatsoever. Am I the only one experiencing this?

Scrubs is the only ABC thing I think I've watched recently and it was fine. CBS during tonight's football game was much better. No audio dropouts and the picture was stunning.

Lately I've noticed that so many of the basic HDTV problems are due to crap feeds. It kills me when I put in a BR and it is so, so pretty and then come back to Comcast and see UGH across so many channels. Sigh, one day (2025 maybe?) I'm sure cable will be 1080p/24 fps too.

ChazzMatt

01-11-09, 11:34 PM

I got a brand new Comcast HD DVR (DCH6416) in the mail yesterday (nice package w/even an HDMI cable) for use on a new bedroom plasma. I hooked the box up and after a call to c/s they still could not get all the channels to come through (I believe I have the Digital Preferred with one channel HBO). I get the low channels (2-30) and the local HD channels but that's it. Everything else is "One Moment Please - This channel should be available shortly."

I have an identical HD DVR box in my living room that works perfectly.

I used to have a plain digital set top box which received everything it should (obviously not HD) in this same room so I suspect there's nothing wrong with the signal or cable I'm using from the wall.

Try swapping the two boxes, see what happens. Wherever it's still wrong is where your problem is. If the bedroom box works great in the living room, then it's not the box. If the living room box works great in the bedroom, it's not the cable.

If neither works when moved to another room, then this was a stupid idea for me to suggest. :)

But try it. Experiment.

Joejeep

01-12-09, 12:55 AM

Roger Weiner

01-12-09, 01:44 AM

Once again the combination of Comcast + FOX provided a terrible HD signal for the much anticipated premiere of 24.

JudgeSmails

01-12-09, 10:12 AM

It seems Comcast is always having problems with one channel or another in HD. ABC seems to be the latest casualty. I cannot believe they are going up on price in Atlanta with not one new HD channel added. I'm about 99% sure I'm switching to DirecTV. I would do Fios, but it's not available here.

Good luck with that, DirecTV isn't all puppies and rainbows either. I had DirecTV for 10 years and when I tried to upgrade to HD in late 2007 it all went to hell in a handbasket. First they charged me $300 for an upgrade that was supposed to be free. Secondly, they couldn't get an HD signal at my house (too many trees in backyard) so I had to cancel they order yet they still charged me for the visit and hardware that they took back with them. Lastly, I was finally able to get them to fix the billing errors which they would only correct by crediting my card for the amount so I had to stick with them for 5 extra months just to clear out my credit and make sure I didn't lose my money. And to add insult to injury they still continue to send me weekly "Please Come Back to Us!" mailings which makes me sick to my stomach.

Comcast isn't the best company but I have had less service disruptions and billing errors with Comcast than I had with DirecTV and I can at least get their HD service.

johnc_22

01-12-09, 03:25 PM

Try swapping the two boxes, see what happens. Wherever it's still wrong is where your problem is. If the bedroom box works great in the living room, then it's not the box. If the living room box works great in the bedroom, it's not the cable.

If neither works when moved to another room, then this was a stupid idea for me to suggest. :)

But try it. Experiment.

I did this last night for a variety of reasons not the least of which you thought of above and sure enough it has nothing to do with my cables, etc. The box that didn't work in my bedroom didn't work in my living room either.

The Comcast guy arrived today and walked in the door telling me what the problem was. Comcast apparently has a really bad habit of sending boxes out to people on the Vinings headend that will only work on a different headend (Greenbriar?). I didn't really want to pay for another DVR but just an HD box with HDMI and he had a brand new one on his truck. I must say at the end of the day that guy who I met in person was professional, friendly, knowledgeable and got me exactly the results I wanted. Fortunately since this was Comcast's screw-up I was not charged for a service call.

Joejeep

01-12-09, 03:40 PM

I've had unbelievable nightmares with Comcast, much along the lines you had with Directv. I don't think any service is all that great. But I cannot live with crap like ABC programs stuttering, since half my shows I watch are on that network. I paid $5k for an HDTV, and I'm saddled with crappy HD delivery. I really wish Verizon's Fios were available where I am. I hear it is consistently ranked the best, with Directv second. Comcast is pretty much at the bottom from all the rankings I've seen. It's too bad. For awhile there they had nice HD quality for the few HD channels they had. Now they have a pathetically small HD lineup (in Atlanta), and crappy quality, which also appears to be inconsistent. One channel in particular will go to crap, then be fixed, then they move on to screwing up another! I guess the only hope for Comcast is the digital switchover. Maybe THEN they can get their act together. Ok, I'll step off the soapbox now, lol.

fuzzy bee

01-12-09, 03:43 PM

The grass is always greener, isn't it?

illestdomer2005

01-12-09, 04:52 PM

I'll have to run through the list of QAM channels the tuner in my HDTVs picked up. I'm pretty sure my Samsung picked up a few more than my Sony, but the Sony was also from 2006 and the Samsung 2008; so, maybe a more fancy schmancy tuner? I dunno.

Regarding Comcast, I formerly hated them more than any other company. Now, BellSouth/DirecTV occupy that slot. BellSouth or AT&T now is terrible, absolutely terrible. Not only is DSL significantly slower than cable, but you also have to either pay for a land line or go through the hassle of talking to an ATT salesperson to get DirectAccess...and I believe it is further slowed as "payback" for not buying a landline.

DirecTV is even shadier about their billing than Comcast, and what friggin century are we living in when you might have to pick out your new residence based on a clear access to the southwestern sky...? I enjoy the substantially more robust HD offerings of DirecTV, but unless you live in a major city like Atlanta, cable is far and away your best choice for HD if for no other reason than locals aren't available in HD. If you call yourself a sports fan, and you don't live in a big city, you better NOT get DirecTV...because those local channels that have more big time sports than anyone else aren't available in HD...

AtlantaDave

01-12-09, 07:24 PM

Unless my poor tired eyes deceived me, the 6pm local news on CBS46 (WGCL) was in high definition tonight.

Is this the first day, or did I just miss it earlier?

ChazzMatt

01-13-09, 12:53 AM

I
Now, BellSouth/DirecTV occupy that slot. BellSouth or AT&T now is terrible, absolutely terrible. Not only is DSL significantly slower than cable, but you also have to either pay for a land line or go through the hassle of talking to an ATT salesperson to get DirectAccess...

I went through years of BellSouth hell. They lie about their DSL speeds. You can get the speed you want only by paying for the NEXT level up. My 1.5mbps package was always 700k - 1000k. It was never over 1mbps. But my friend paid for a 3mbps package and he got 1.5mbps - 2mbps. So, if I REALLY wanted the 1.5mbps speed I was paying for, I would have to pay their 3mbps -- just to get the lousy 1.5mbps speed.

Whereas with Comcast, my 6MBs is 6MBs. And when I first changed over to Comcast, 3mbps was the standard package -- but I got the full 3mbps (unlike people who had 3mbps DSL with Bellsouth).

My telephone bill with Bellsouth (not counting the DSL charges, just telephone) was always about $50 -- not including any long distance charges. Lots of "fees" for this, that, the other. Plus fees for voice mail, call forwarding, call waiting which you have to have nowadays. But $50 for the telephone each month. It was ridiculous.

Now since I have cable modem, I am able to use Vonage. For MORE telephone services and features than I had with Bellsouth, I now pay less than $20. Even with all taxes and fees thrown in. And that price includes any long distance calls I make. :cool:

Comcast + Vonage let me escape the Bellsouth hell and I'm saving about $30 per month too.

84lion

01-13-09, 11:38 AM

HollandX

01-14-09, 01:22 AM

slowbiscuit

01-14-09, 08:53 AM

To all who provided assistance, many thanks. Our Tivo should be delivered tomorrow (methinks UPS is optimistic but we shall see).

My question regards cablecards and Comcast. Based on what I’ve read it appears that installing the cablecards (or M-Cards) isn't difficult. Has anyone in the Marietta area managed to get Comcast to provide them with cards at the Marietta office and permit self-install? I would really prefer that route to avoid the $20 house call, plus who knows when they will be able to come out. I don’t want to schedule a card install with Comcast before the Tivo arrives…I’d rather spend a few days checking out the Tivo and making sure it works.
You'll only need one M-card but you can't pick them up because Comcast thinks you're not smart enough to plug them in and call in the Host ID pairing numbers.
So you'll need a $17 and change service call, BUT you might get the runaround on getting an M-card. If they cancel appt's more than once on these claiming out of stock, cards bad, etc. I would escalate to Comcast corporate. If the tech comes out and the card gets paired but the Tivo doesn't get all your channels (you'll usually see some of the expanded basic and local channels, but not all), it probably needs an initialization hit because they have not been setting these up properly before they go in the field.

Good luck, I have a feeling you'll need it because they really don't want to deal with Cablecards and Tivos here...

slowbiscuit

01-14-09, 08:56 AM

Question, my friends.

I have an old Motorola black cable box from Comcast, and I want the silver box with the Component/HDMI ports instead. Am I able to just take it in and swap it at a Payment/Equipment Drop-off Center... Or do I have to schedule a time for a guy to come out? If it's the latter, will Comcast charge me?

Thanks!
Yep, you can swap them out at the payment center, BUT there's a chance you'll drive there and find out that they don't have HD boxes in stock. And you can't call ahead first to check. Otherwise you can get them to roll a truck but they will charge you unless you're upgrading service (then you might be able to get the fee waived).

Gotta love Comcast...

proudx

01-14-09, 11:24 AM

slowbiscuit

01-14-09, 05:01 PM

Tell you what, I might do that if you promise to stop obsessing over every AV signal dropout here... :D

But seriously, sports has me on cable, that's all. Too much missing OTA.

proudx

01-14-09, 06:16 PM

Tell you what, I might do that if you promise to stop obsessing over every AV signal dropout here... :D

But seriously, sports has me on cable, that's all. Too much missing OTA.

hahahaha.. Guess you got me on that one!

84lion

01-14-09, 09:04 PM

You'll only need one M-card but you can't pick them up because Comcast thinks you're not smart enough to plug them in and call in the Host ID pairing numbers.
So you'll need a $17 and change service call, BUT you might get the runaround on getting an M-card.

Thanks. I have the installer scheduled for next week. I'll let everyone know how it turns out. Actually, the rep's excuse was that they didn't have the cards at the office, only available to the employees on the trucks. :rolleyes: Personally, I think the truck roll is ridiculous. I hope they come with the correct card. I told the rep I had a Tivo HD with dual tuner and specifically stated "M-Card."

ChazzMatt

01-14-09, 09:42 PM

with all these problems why don't you just fire comcast and get an HDTV OTA antenna and HD-DVR? you will have so much digital stuff recorded from the networks and PBS/PBA stations you will never run out of stuff to watch. Then you will save thousands of dollars a year that you can use for your kids college savings account or vacation.

Just a thought....

:)

Because I rarely watch any of the broadcast networks. My wife watches Food Network, Oxygen, Hallmark, Bravo, USA. (she loves "Top Chef", "Project Runway", "Jon & Kate + 8") I watch CNN, Sci Fi, History. When I want news, I want the news -- not "Judge Judy" (or "Judge Joe Brown", "Judge Mathis", "Judge Alex", "Judge David Young") or whatever repetitive syndicated copycat crap the local stations have on at the time. Maury, Springer, Dr. Phil favorites: "boot camp for wild teens!" "who's the daddy DNA testing!" "lie detector cheating tests". They all cycle through those topics over and over. I would go crazy if I had to depend on just the OTA stations.

There's ONE weekly show I watch on the networks (on Fox) -- and it's in danger of being cancelled. :mad: I tried recording a Billy Joel special on a PBS station and I got more fund raising plea than music.

The networks and PBS might have some of what we could watch but not nearly enough. A cable/satellite HD package with HD-DVR really satisfies the 60" Sony 1080p HDTV. In the past year we put 1600 hours on that TV, which is almost 31 hours per week.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q308/chazzmatt/tv.jpg

Nismo4564

01-17-09, 07:41 AM

Is anybody in West Cobb area without a set up box still not picking up Fox HD at all? Used to be in the 98 range like CBS but now ABC is 2-1 and 2-2 is the ABC rtn feed. I am puzzled as it why it has disappeared from the QAM tuner on my tv but I pick up all the other HD channels. Not like this has not happened before but it soon reappeared quicker before. I too think the CBS feed was giving problems but last night it was doing alright while I had the tv on.

Unfortunately I still live at home with my mother and in my mid 20s however I am in control of paying the cable bill. In the past I have tried a set up box in my room prior to get the HDTV and it was having a problem with the feed and comcast sent several piece out here to fix and it would work alright for a few days then it stop working and I would get no channels. Something about how my room had some incorrect wiring coming from outside, but they could never seem to fix it. I dont care for a box right now because I am in the process of looking at condos/home and/or apartment to buy for myself since I am lucky to have kept my job after being told several months back we might not have a contract anymore with our client.

I posted this in the other forum about the Fox HD channel but really got no response just want to see if people in Marietta West Cobb area are missing the same channel.

slowbiscuit

01-17-09, 11:47 AM

albert_m

01-17-09, 06:50 PM

I just connected a Philips HDD DVD 3576 and while I also have Comcast boxes, when viewing through the 3576 I am trying to figure out what the channels are. I have tried to search this site, this thread, and outside of this forum to see if there is a list out there for reference.... does anyone have any recommendation?

Nismo4564

01-18-09, 09:09 AM

If you can, rescan digital channel 98 on your TV, Fox HD is still on 98-804 (Vinings headend, which is the one you're probably on). I'm in S. Cobb on Vinings headend and Fox has not gone away. But if you can get WSB on 98-3 you should be able to see Fox...

I read about the different headend. Think I am not on the Vinings one. Fox is not coming in at all. WSB is on 2-1 for me. Erggg I want to watch 24 in HD. I will run a re scan today. I stayed up way too late last night and need some rest.

ironcross

01-18-09, 02:49 PM

Is the $17.45 Limited Basic Service all I need to be able to get the clear QAM HD channels? I've searched the thread but haven't found a clear, definite answer. OTA isn't a viable option where I am located in Auburn, according to AntennaWeb. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

84lion

01-18-09, 08:45 PM

I read about the different headend. Think I am not on the Vinings one. Fox is not coming in at all. WSB is on 2-1 for me.

Don't know what headend East Cobb is, but I am getting WAGA HD on 2-3. Clear QAM on Comcast is strange. WSB (both 2-1 WSB HD and 2-2 RTN), WXIA (both 11-1 WXIA HD and 11-2 Weather), and WGCL (46-1) are all showing PSIP or equivalent data and are mapped just like OTA channels. I don't know how they're doing it, but I wish they could do it for the rest of clear QAM.

HomieG

01-19-09, 08:14 PM

Is the $17.45 Limited Basic Service all I need to be able to get the clear QAM HD channels?

Yes.

steve_lostmt

01-20-09, 08:19 AM

Nismo, I'm still getting Fox HD on 98.804 in West Cobb (Lost Mountain area) without a set top box. I have no idea what headend I'm on.

ironcross

01-20-09, 06:43 PM

Thanks HomieG.:)

BMaugans

01-26-09, 10:20 AM

Is anyone else experiencing sound dropouts on CBS HD recently? This has been happening for the past several weeks and it's starting to get annoying. It does not happen on any other station, but on CBS I get 6 - 10 audio dropouts every hour, usually during the CSI shows.

commodore_dude

01-26-09, 03:59 PM

JudgeSmails

01-26-09, 05:55 PM

This has been reported by DirecTV customers as well, so it must be a WGCL issue.

I don't watch much "live" CBS other than football since I watch CSI via OnDemand only. But it happened quite a bit during some of the recent football games. It has to be a WGCL issue.

84lion

01-27-09, 04:40 PM

ESPN appears to be in clear QAM on 85-103, as of this past weekend (1/24).

Devil98

01-28-09, 09:53 AM

ESPN appears to be in clear QAM on 85-103, as of this past weekend (1/24).
Thanks for the heads up 84lion. If Comcast gives me ESPN on clear QAM, that will be at least one thing they do right this year. Now if they could work on FX in HD at all...

Rotacidare

01-28-09, 12:05 PM

Lately I have been growing tired of Comcast and their crappy HD quality (I'm ok with the lineup but tired of the pixxelated picture on some of their HD channels). I have been greatly intrigued by the Dish Network Turbo HD package, as it has most of the channels I watch and is cheaper. Is there a thread where Comcast vs. Satellite is discussed? I have been trolling for an hour and can't find one.

oleus

01-28-09, 01:43 PM

i've noticed a slowly degrading picture here in Atlanta on the HD channels. Locals, ESPN, pay channels - all of them. Just waiting for a viable alternative before I jump ship, DirecTV would require some trees being cut down.

jayntguru

01-28-09, 10:02 PM

oleus

01-29-09, 12:32 AM

Noticed or measured? Measuring is easy to do and more factual.

noticed, not measured. but i have a pretty good eye and i remember what i was seeing two-three years ago was markedly sharper and less prone to artifacts than what i am seeing now. projected at 120" these these can reveal themselves.

Devil98

01-29-09, 08:23 AM

noticed, not measured. but i have a pretty good eye and i remember what i was seeing two-three years ago was markedly sharper and less prone to artifacts than what i am seeing now. projected at 120" these these can reveal themselves.

As little as I love Comcast, I've actually noticed the opposite trend. No measurements or documentation, but the best HD content looks better to me these days than it did when I joined the HD age last year. Bad content still looks bad, such as stretched 4:3 "HD" and shows with poor production quality. However the good shows, such as Fringe, Lost (in most scenes), and Ugly Betty (thanks to my wife) look stunning and display few to no artifacts to my eye, which I couldn't say last year at this time. Maybe it's just my calibration improving through tinkering, but I certainly wouldn't say that Comcast has degraded their signal in any visible way.

This weekend I'm planning to build a DIY OTA antenna. If I get a strong signal out of it, I will compare OTA quality to what I get from my Comcast 3416 DVR. If I see a difference, I'll post back here with my un-measured, non-scientific impressions.

BMaugans

01-30-09, 04:20 PM

As little as I love Comcast, I've actually noticed the opposite trend. No measurements or documentation, but the best HD content looks better to me these days than it did when I joined the HD age last year. Bad content still looks bad, such as stretched 4:3 "HD" and shows with poor production quality. However the good shows, such as Fringe, Lost (in most scenes), and Ugly Betty (thanks to my wife) look stunning and display few to no artifacts to my eye, which I couldn't say last year at this time. Maybe it's just my calibration improving through tinkering, but I certainly wouldn't say that Comcast has degraded their signal in any visible way.

My theory on what Comcast has done is that they have allocated bandwidth to the networks and more popular stations. I agree that most of the major network shows that I watch look fantastic (Criminal Minds is one that always looks drop dead gorgeous on my 100 inch projection setup), but trying to watch one of the HD concerts on Paladia is a mess - fast camera pans and high action turn the image into a blocky suckfest.

oleus

01-30-09, 04:35 PM

now that you mention it, i still think CSI on CBS still looks fantastic so you may be on to something. I have noticed a downturn for ABC-HD though.

nielloeb

02-02-09, 09:14 AM

inshu

02-05-09, 12:11 AM

slowbiscuit

02-07-09, 11:37 AM

Is it just me or have we lost HD on WGTV (PBS channel 8) again?!? Some of the shows I've recorded in the last couple of days are in postage stamp format even though they were broadcast in HD. Independent Lens, Secrets of the Dead, etc.

ChrisHman

02-08-09, 03:12 PM

From WGCL, who answered promptly when contacted:
We are painfully aware of the problem. It is not a DirecTV issue, however DirecTV makes the situation worse as they take our signal off the air, ship it back to LA (via fiber) then re-encode it to MPEG 4 for distribution. It is not even our problem at WGCL. The problem is in the new CBS network distribution system. That system is what CBS uses to get the signal to us. Four weeks ago they changed all the receivers and switching equipment at our station, and upgraded the modulation stream they use. There is a bug in the system that causes drop-outs (mostly audio) that occur randomly….about twice to three times an hour. We continue to work on it with CBS. Sorry for the disruption.

Thanks for posting this. At least they are aware and working on the issue. My HK reciever used to show the drop outs by changing the display and speaker indicators. Recently after a drop it doesnt indicate any loss of sound. Clearly CBS is playing with it. Hopefully they get it worked out. 4 weeks of this is quite awhile.

David Scavo

02-08-09, 09:20 PM

I am in Alpharetta. It looks like Comcast has placed all of their "Full Basic" cable lineup into ClearQAM.

I count 44 new channels spread across the subchannels of 84, 85, 103, and 104.

This makes my HDHomerun very happy.... :)

84lion

02-09-09, 04:40 PM

I am in Alpharetta. It looks like Comcast has placed all of their "Full Basic" cable lineup into ClearQAM.

Not yet here in East Cobb. I assume that these are all the digital versions of the analog Extended Basic package. I also assume that former analog channels now digital only (e.g. - History, Oxygen, Hallmark) remain encrypted?

02-09-09, 05:28 PM

Not yet here in East Cobb. I assume that these are all the digital versions of the analog Extended Basic package. I also assume that former analog channels now digital only (e.g. - History, Oxygen, Hallmark) remain encrypted?

Those three all come up in clear QAM for me in Dekalb (Stone Mountain Headend).

Oxygen is a little weird in that is marked encrypted but is actually clear. History and Hallmark are both marked clear and are clear.

jon1964

02-09-09, 07:40 PM

Any new HD Channels in their line up?

JudgeSmails

02-10-09, 12:16 PM

Any new HD Channels in their line up?

BWAH HA HA HAH HAHAHAHHAAH. Ha. Sorry, that was funny.

jon1964

02-10-09, 06:34 PM

That was funny!

ChazzMatt

02-10-09, 09:14 PM

Any new HD Channels in their line up?

I think the rumor was no new HD channels until March -- after the mid-February analog-digital switchover. Now that Congress has messed that up, wait until July. :mad:

McDonoughDawg

02-11-09, 09:38 PM

WATL 813 has lost the HD feed for Duke/UNC...It seems to happen to them all the time.

F B Mulligan

02-12-09, 07:59 AM

hdtv_atl

02-12-09, 09:55 AM

Has anyone lost WXIA (11.1 in clear QAM) and WGCL (46.1)?
On Tuesday morning from 01:00 to 04:00 Comcast appears to have made
some changes to their channel plan, at least for the headend that serves
downtown Atlanta. I did a rescan and noted 10 signals added to ch 27
(the old analog TV Guide) and 3 signals on ch 52 (ex History channel). Ch 86
acquired 11 signals, apparently moved from ch 105. All are closed, so my
QAM set can just ignore them, but I found both ch 11 (WXIA/HD) and ch 46
(WGCL/HD) are empty. These were both shared with analog signals, so I
assume they were moved to eliminate problems (like WUPA and WATL were
moved to ch 29 a while ago), but I can't find them.
Is this just my location (we lost WGTV/HD from 5.808 a year ago and it
never came back) or has Comcast hidden them somewhere?

As of last night, on Comcast fed by the Vinings headend, WGCL-DT was on 108-10, and WXIA-DT was on 108-30. This is how it always has been.

However, Comcast does something funky with the PSIP information (which defines virtual channels) for these two. I think Comcast passes both the TVCT (terrestrial virtual channel table) and the CVCT (cable virtual channel table) data. This causes the channels to be mapped to 11-1 and 46-1 on some brands of HDTV tuners and not others. For instance, my Samsung tuner and Sceptre HDTV show WGCL-DT and WXIA-DT on 46-1 and 11-1 respectively (so I think they are picking up the TVCT info.). On my LG tuner, the channels appear on 108-10 and 108-30 (so I think the LG ignores the TVCT info. and displays just the CVCT info.).

You can read up on the fascinating world of Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) through Wikipedia and other sources on the internets.

In regards to the other channel you mentioned, WGTV is still on 5-808 as seen on my LG tuner. Again, some funky PSIP info. might be screwing up your tuner to be able to pick up this channel.

jon1964

02-12-09, 02:50 PM

Here in the Oakhurst neighbood of Decatur I found out today that the AT&T fiber optic cables are in place below ground. They have yet to be activated. A little research on AT&T Uverse reveals that in other areas of Atlanta they offer more than double the HD as Comcast. So this begs the question for anyone out there... and I have had a very few comments in the past... what are the advantages and disadvantages to dumping Comcast and picking up AT&T Uverse? I already have Phone, Cell, and internet through AT&T so they have given me bundled discounts.

A little guidance will be most appreciated.

David Scavo

02-13-09, 08:24 AM

what are the advantages and disadvantages to dumping Comcast and picking up AT&T Uverse? A little guidance will be most appreciated.The main knock I have heard is that up until recently, they only had the bandwidth to supply 1 HD channel per uVerse connection (I think that limit is now 2 HD channels per connection).

As I sometimes record 3 or 4 HD channels at once, uVerse is a non-starter for me....

commodore_dude

02-13-09, 02:23 PM

brermike

02-13-09, 07:37 PM

I just ordered U-Verse in Alpharetta, getting installed tomorrow. I hear the PQ isn't great, but Comcast's HD PQ in Atlanta has been bad for a while now so I don't see how it can be any worse. If you have a lot of people in the house watching HD it probably wouldn't be a good move for you, I'm on my own so the 2 HD stream limit isn't a killer. Also, I have to have ESPNU and Speed HD, Comcast has neither.

If you wouldn't mind, after your install and usage, can you come back and give us your thoughts? I would love to have more HD channels but haven't heard much great about AT&T and would rather hear from someone in my area. Thanks!

F B Mulligan

02-13-09, 11:16 PM

As of last night, on Comcast fed by the Vinings headend, WGCL-DT was on 108-10, and WXIA-DT was on 108-30. This is how it always has been.

However, Comcast does something funky with the PSIP information (which defines virtual channels) for these two.

Thanks for the info. A quick check showed my Sharp set would remap 108.30 to 11.1 (unfortunately 108.10 also produced 11.1). I'll have to do some exploration to find out where WGCL is hiding, and maybe unearth WGTV in the process. I just have this vision of punching in every channel from 2.1 to 135.999 to pin things down.
And here I was feeling so superior when others posted about their sets remapping Comcast's xx.888 down to xx.1, xx.2, etc.

commodore_dude

02-14-09, 02:08 PM

If you wouldn't mind, after your install and usage, can you come back and give us your thoughts? I would love to have more HD channels but haven't heard much great about AT&T and would rather hear from someone in my area. Thanks!

Here's some interesting preliminary thoughts... installers were supposed to be here at 12, instead I got a call saying that I had to disconnect my DSL first, then in 3 days they'd be able to come install. No thanks, I work from home so that's unacceptable. Called around some more, got put back on the work queue for this afternoon but nobody can give me an ETA. So far I am NOT impressed with the customer service and if they don't get an installer out here today I'll be calling Comcast instead.

84lion

02-14-09, 03:34 PM

I had to disconnect my DSL first, then in 3 days they'd be able to come install.

I've heard of that being an issue with U-Verse. From what I’ve read, most users seem pretty happy with the service although there are the usual few installation and service horror stories. Check out uverseusers.com or dslreports.com, which have forums where people discuss the service. I think I remember reading some tips that folks have for getting around the "need to disconnect DSL" problem.

I do not have U-Verse but I have Comcast. I had looked into U-Verse as an alternative. U-Verse only allows two HD streams maximum at the present time. That is two for the entire house, meaning that if the included whole-home DVR is recording two HD streams you are going to have to watch SD live unless you have an OTA antenna and want to watch HD via that. If you want to use internet at the same time, that might be affected because the data stream includes TV and internet. U-Verse is available to less than half our neighborhood at present. U-Verse has been a “coming attraction” for a few years now, so it has been a bit frustrating waiting for it. My address is still not available for U-Verse. Using a neighbor’s address I priced the service and all things considered it is equivalent to Comcast, price-wise, depending on what you want. You might get a few more channels (that you may or may not want) but of course you need the boxes to watch TV, and the Internet is slower (unless you pay extra). Bottom line, based on what I priced out, if you are expecting big savings (better than 10 percent) you are likely going to be disappointed. For someone who is a “light” TV user and casual internet user, and a single or two-person household, U-Verse might be a better deal, but I think for the typical family Comcast works out better. One other thing, the U-Verse internet doesn’t currently have caps but AT&T has been testing caps in certain markets.

Good luck!

oleus

02-14-09, 03:42 PM

I just ordered U-Verse in Alpharetta, getting installed tomorrow. I hear the PQ isn't great, but Comcast's HD PQ in Atlanta has been bad for a while now so I don't see how it can be any worse. If you have a lot of people in the house watching HD it probably wouldn't be a good move for you, I'm on my own so the 2 HD stream limit isn't a killer. Also, I have to have ESPNU and Speed HD, Comcast has neither.

glad i'm not the only one noticing poor HD PQ on comcast. watching on a 110" screen doesn't help the situation but i remember back in 2004 when i first switched from D* to Comcast how blown away I was by the relatively uncompressed PQ....those days are long gone IMHO.

commodore_dude

02-15-09, 03:10 PM

Well, the installers didn't show, spent 6 hours on the phone with various departments where one department said the installers would show up and the other said they couldn't install at all... told em to cancel me, called Dish and they installed this morning. Probably shouldn't switch from Comcast to U-Verse right now if you have better things to do than sit around all day being frustrated.

jon1964

02-16-09, 09:44 PM

Thanks to those of you who responded to my AT&T Vs. Comcast post about a week ago.

I live alone so how many streams of HD I'd get doesn't weigh too heavily for me, but it is still good to know that. I am concerned about that shutting down of the DSL for 3 days. I couldn't find any info about why that has to be or how to avoid it.

Comcast's HD quality is nothing to write home about. Should there be a lot of quick shot changes or movement the pixiliation kicks in and my 42" HDTV screen turns into something resembling a 42" iPhone picture.

Any info about prices? More specifically how much would an HBO package on 2 TV's with one DVR cost monthly? Are they competetive with Comcast.

Thanks in advance. All the information so far has bee Comcastic!

Jon

thara01

02-17-09, 01:11 PM

David,

i also have comcast in atlanta and I see full basic channels appear in clearqam. I recently installed Hauppuage 2250 card in my PC and I am wondering how to setup the channel lineups and guide for my ClearQAM channels since I don't see any lineup for ClearQAM. i am using Vista Media Center with TV Pack 2008. This is FYI.

Thanks,
RT

I am in Alpharetta. It looks like Comcast has placed all of their "Full Basic" cable lineup into ClearQAM.

I count 44 new channels spread across the subchannels of 84, 85, 103, and 104.

This makes my HDHomerun very happy.... :)

commodore_dude

02-17-09, 02:53 PM

Any info about prices? More specifically how much would an HBO package on 2 TV's with one DVR cost monthly? Are they competetive with Comcast.

https://uverse1.att.com/un/launchAMSS.do

You can price it out here. I found it to be a few dollars cheaper than Comcast overall, but their tiers are odd... to get Fox Business and Fox Soccer Channel (which I watch from time to time) I would have had to get the package that also contained about half the premium movie channels...

slowbiscuit

02-17-09, 05:55 PM

Comcast's HD quality is nothing to write home about. Should there be a lot of quick shot changes or movement the pixiliation kicks in and my 42" HDTV screen turns into something resembling a 42" iPhone picture.

I have a 42" plasma and personally I think the local HD channels' quality is excellent, with no pixelation, either on my Tivo HD or natively with the QAM tuner. Some of the cable HD channels vary in quality but some of this is due to the source. I'm not sure how much can be blamed on Comcast. Hopefully when they convert us from analog to digital it will free up enough bandwidth to avoid excessive compression.
So I really don't have a problem with Comcast HD in Austell - you might have a signal level issue. And I've heard that U-verse' HD picture is more compressed (i.e., not as good). But the killer for me is the 2 HD streams limitation - we routinely record 2 HD shows at the same time here, which means you couldn't watch anything else in HD.

jayntguru

02-18-09, 10:54 AM

I agree. The Comcast HD quality is not bad at all. With the recent clear QAM changes for most of extended basic, I absolutely love getting 70+ channels including networks HD for free with my internet. You can't beat that.

As far as customer service goes, I hate comcast, but the PQ is not bad at all. It's at least average, if not slightly above.

Comcast internet is the best in town, hands down. Going to uverse means going back down to DSL... their speeds are years behind cable, and they're straining their tech to get as far as they have. Don't you have to get an analog phone, too? For me it's a deal killer.

commodore_dude

02-18-09, 03:12 PM

McDonoughDawg

02-18-09, 10:24 PM

IF someone wants another service, go for it, I'm just not sure this is the place to debate other services benefits/drawbacks... just my humble opinion. Ask about Comcast all you want, but when someone tells you why they like it, don't come back with Uverse, blah,blah,blah...if you want another service, by all means, GET IT.

slowbiscuit

02-19-09, 05:46 PM

This is the perfect place to compare U-Verse to Comcast in Atlanta. It's not like this forum gets a lot of traffic.

02-20-09, 12:10 PM

The good news is that Comcast has added the two GPTV subchannels kids and knowledge on 247 and 246. The bad news for clear QAM users is that 5-246 and 5-247 are encrypted. I didn't think that encrypting over the air channels was legal.

I wonder if the addition of the two was because GPTV shut off analog OTA , and perhaps must carry now applies to the digital subchannels. Still I don't see how encrypting it would apply.

I'm on the Stone Mountain frontend.

ChazzMatt

02-20-09, 08:41 PM

I don't think U-verse internet is the same as DSL (the reason they didn't show up for my install in fact was because at the last minute they wanted to have my AT&T DSL canceled several days before they showed up, not gonna happen since I work from home). They offer IP phone service similar to CDV in other markets, but not in Atlanta yet. I don't know why "analog" phone would be a bad thing though, I vastly prefer it. In the past when I had a landline, it worked through tornadoes, tropical storms, etc. I've got Vonage, and sure maybe it'll work through my UPS for a few minutes, but it's just not the same.

I may be wrong, but I think they meant "same as DSL" was because it was AT&T/Bellsouth. They are always going to give you slower speed than you pay for (like DSL) and for phone service they are going to nickel and dime you to death.

I have Comcast and my 6MBPS is 6MBPS or even faster (with power boost) for some downloads.

My Vonage is less than $20 per month with more features than AT&T/BellSouth charged me $50 for.

I have a friend who has U-verse. Predictably he says his internet speed sucks. With DSL you have to pay for the next tier to get the speed you want, and he says it's the same with U-verse. So, "same as DSL". Ha.

He likes the TV channels, but he doesn't have HD service -- so what he likes is the SD channels. So, not relevant to our discussion.

IF someone wants another service, go for it, I'm just not sure this is the place to debate other services benefits/drawbacks... just my humble opinion. Ask about Comcast all you want, but when someone tells you why they like it, don't come back with Uverse, blah,blah,blah...if you want another service, by all means, GET IT.

I don't mind a little discussion, but I don't want pages of Comcast vs Uverse, when cynically I don't think it matters that much. If you do a google search you will find thousands of pages on DirecTV sucks, Dish Network sucks, Comcast sucks, and even AT&T sucks. You have to find the service that sucks less for you personally. Going from Bellsouth to Comcast was a breath of fresh air. But if you like AT&T better, go for it!

HomieG

02-23-09, 09:34 PM

Anyone have a recent clear QAM channel list for Comcast/Atlanta they can post here?

02-23-09, 10:03 PM

Anyone have a recent clear QAM channel list for Comcast/Atlanta they can post here?

Put your zip in at

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels_us

antennaguyga

02-24-09, 12:56 PM

McDonoughDawg

02-25-09, 06:18 PM

I agree that AT&T DSL does NOT give the advertised speeds. I have the 1.5 Mb service and internet radio at 40Kb buffers periodically. And it ain't cheap. BUT,

I have D*TV. Great HD PQ - difference btwn OTA only noticable on comparision. The CSRs are usually available and helpful. Had it since '02 and I love the NFL pkg. :D

Sony KDL-46W3000
Pioneer 12” 3 way (2)
DTV HR22-100
______________________
Toshiba 26HL66 LCD
Channel Master 4220 UHF
Radio Shack VU-90XR VHF
Channel Master 00264 amp

My friends direct tv works well as long as it's not storming.

IF the NFL is a deal breaker for you, seems to me no discussion is needed. But I get all the NFL one could stand on my locals over Comcast. No complaints with quality either.

HomieG

02-25-09, 09:00 PM

Put your zip in at

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels_us

Thanks km. This worked out great!

ChrisHman

02-27-09, 10:48 AM

According to WGCL they will once again multicast the NCAA Tournament, but in a limited capacity. The Analog and HDTV channels will be the same feed (which will be in HD). They will also setup a single additional multicast channel to have a second game.

This is a decrease in the # of games shown as last year they had 4 channels showing 4 unique games but no HD game. The first year they had 3 unique games as the analog and HD channels had different games, and they setup a multicast channel for a 3rd game. This in my mind would be optimal, but it appears they want Analog and HD to be the same feed to avoid confusion.

84lion

03-01-09, 08:17 AM

We recently got a Tivo HD and returned our Comcast HDTV box (non-DVR). The HDTV box was shown as "HDTV Equipment" on the bill, and my understanding was that the $6.95 per month was for rental of the box, and that cost for the reception of the encrypted HDTV channels was included in the package (Digital Starter, DS). We liked the Tivo so much that we got a second Tivo HD. Comcast has had trouble sending the proper signal to the second Tivo cablecard, and right now this is only getting unencrypted channels (encrypted channels in the DS package aren't being decrypted). In the process of attempting to get this fixed, Comcast has indicated that the encrypted HDTV channels in DS (e.g. - ESPN HD) are included in the DS package but that the $6.95 fee applies per unit, per month, in order to receive these channels. I pointed out that the Tivo unit is HD capable and that I am already paying $1.50 per month for the second cablecard (in addition to the $5.99 additional outlet fee). Comcast is adamant that the $6.95 fee applies. This gets a bit expensive if one has more than one HDTV, especially with cablecard units. The only HD channels included without the $6.95 monthly fee are the local HD channels, which are unencrypted.
I was curious if others were aware of this and had experience with this pricing.

fuzzy bee

03-02-09, 09:13 AM

Has anybody been able to find the HD WGTV using MythTV? For the life of me, I can't get it on a scan - either using the internal MythTV scanner or the one in my HDHomeRun.

03-02-09, 09:42 AM

Has anybody been able to find the HD WGTV using MythTV? For the life of me, I can't get it on a scan - either using the internal MythTV scanner or the one in my HDHomeRun.

I get it in Decatur (Stone Mountain head end). Its 5-808, as the hdhomerun scan shows:

SCANNING: 79000000 (us-cable:5)
LOCK: qam256 (ss=100 snq=73 seq=100)
PROGRAM 246: 0.0 (encrypted)
PROGRAM 247: 0.0 (encrypted)
PROGRAM 802: 0.0
PROGRAM 808: 0.0

246 and 247 are the WGTV subchannels kids and knowledge (which I believe are illegally encrypted). 802 is Peachtree TV.

At times I have troubled with cable-5 because of ingress from the OTA analog Fox 5.

fuzzy bee

03-02-09, 09:44 AM

I get it in Decatur (Stone Mountain head end). Its 5-808, as the hdhomerun scan shows:

SCANNING: 79000000 (us-cable:5)
LOCK: qam256 (ss=100 snq=73 seq=100)
PROGRAM 246: 0.0 (encrypted)
PROGRAM 247: 0.0 (encrypted)
PROGRAM 802: 0.0
PROGRAM 808: 0.0

246 and 247 are the WGTV subchannels kids and knowledge (which I believe are illegally encrypted). 802 is Peachtree TV.

At times I have troubled with cable-5 because of ingress from the OTA analog Fox 5.

Crap. You know what, I *did* find it on the HDHR scan. I can't find it anywhere using the MythTV scanner, though.

I noticed the same thing about the OTA channel 5. I wonder if there's a way to ignore that signal.

03-02-09, 12:59 PM

Crap. You know what, I *did* find it on the HDHR scan. I can't find it anywhere using the MythTV scanner, though.

I added it to mythtv/hdhr maybe a year ago. At that time there was some confusion over 5-808 and 5-816 and I had to do some hand editing. At any rate I'm suprised that the mythtv scanner does catch it if the hdhomerun scanner does. They both use the same mechanism.

Are you sure your not getting a UNKNOWN5-XX from the myth scanner?

fuzzy bee

03-02-09, 01:13 PM

The only 5's I got were 5#2 (which pulled in the WAGA OTA signal) and 5#3. I don't know why Myth didn't pick up the 808 that my HDHR picked up.

jayntguru

03-02-09, 10:22 PM

I just looked at mine and have the same problem. HDHR shows the channels in the scan, but they don't show up in Vista MCE. Also on the stone mtn head end here (in Marietta).

03-02-09, 10:44 PM

The only 5's I got were 5#2 (which pulled in the WAGA OTA signal) and 5#3. I don't know why Myth didn't pick up the 808 that my HDHR picked up.

Do you have an OTA antenna one one of the HDHR inputs?

I have comcast cable on both of mine. If you are using one with OTA and the other with Comcast you need to scan separately on each input.

fuzzy bee

03-02-09, 10:55 PM

Nope - they're both pulling from the Comcast feed. I'm pretty sure it's MythTV-related.

slowbiscuit

03-03-09, 05:16 PM

I've had 5-802 and 5-808 configured on my Myth box ever since they were moved there (a little over a year ago? they used to be on a 90-something channel), with no problems. Using a Kworld ATSC-110 and an ATI HDTV Wonder, QAM only. Never seen a problem with interference from analog 5 either. Vinings headend.

If your box doesn't pick up 5-808 or something else on a scan, you can add them to the database manually with some work. The pertinent tables are dtv_multiplex and channels. See this link (http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Adding_QAM_Channels_For_HDTV_Tuner_Cards) for details. I'm running 0.20.1-fixes (which is dated now), and I don't think the scanner was all that great, so I had to add some of the channels this way when I built the box a year and a half ago.

I've also noticed that they're encrypting the new PBS channels (incorrectly), but I have no idea who to contact about it. Since they're SD and mostly rehashes of existing PBS material, I don't much care. I've never understood why they're not carrying PBS 30 in HD either since you'd think it would be a must-carry channel.

slowbiscuit

03-03-09, 05:33 PM

fuzzy bee

03-03-09, 07:42 PM

84lion

03-04-09, 06:12 AM

Thank you very much, Slowbiscuit! My first issue (which will hopefully be fixed later today) is that the 2nd Tivo cablecard still isn't picking up DS encrypted channels (e.g. - 155 Movieplex). Hopefully they will get that fixed, otherwise that'll be another issue for Frank.

slowbiscuit

03-04-09, 09:20 AM

IIRC, I'm also on the Vinings headend. Would you be able to paste the appropriate entries from your channel and dtv_multiplex tables? I may be able to make a manual entry.
Check your PM. Note that your channel ID, source ID, etc. might be different than mine. The important thing is that the mplexid in the channel table entry must be the one for the correct freq in the dtv_multiplex table, and the serviceid in the channel must be 808 for WGTV (this is the video PID for the channel on the freq and is where the 808 in 5-808 comes from).

fuzzy bee

03-04-09, 10:05 AM

Thanks! The PM didn't go through, though.

slowbiscuit

03-05-09, 12:53 PM

My bad, I sent it to 84lion by mistake. Check again.

fuzzy bee

03-05-09, 12:54 PM

Awesome- thanks!

84lion

03-06-09, 12:03 PM

That used to be the way they billed HD before all the channels were included with DS. They are screwing you over on this fee because it is an HD box fee now as you said. I would contact Frank Eliason (http://twitter.com/comcastcares) to see if you can get it escalated.

I have a Tivo HD on Digital Preferred and I do not have this charge, just the additional outlet fee.

Slow, I took your advice and elevated the issue. Comcast informs me that the $6.95 is in reality a “HD Access Fee” despite the fact that it is shown on the bill for “HDTV Equipment.” I had a long talk with a Comcast rep on this. I pointed out that the latest rate card states “There are no additional HD programming fees from Comcast. That’s a savings of up to $240 per year over satellite.” The fine print does say that a monthly HDTV Equipment charge applies, but says nothing about situations where the customer owns the equipment and merely needs a cablecard to permit access to the HDTV channels. I was told that the $6.95 per month, per unit fee is to access the HD channels, whereas the cost for the HD programming is in fact included in the package. I expressed my displeasure and said that the rate card and website need to state this specifically. My guess is that a lot of folks aren’t paying the $6.95 fee based on “luck” or whatever (had I not gotten “greedy” and got the second Tivo the lack of $6.95 fee probably never would have registered with Comcast). Because I have only one HDTV, I told Comcast to apply the $6.95 fee to “access” HD channels on the first Tivo but remove the fee from the second Tivo along with the HD channels. The rep showed that there are new HD packages now available that waive the “HD Access Fee” for the first unit on the account. IMO that’s helpful but not a great savings. People who go out and buy HDTVs requiring cablecards for the rec room, bedroom, et al thinking that the only additional costs will be the $1.50 for cablecard and $5.99 for additional outlet are going to be shocked when they see the additional $6.95 per unit. The thing is, the way the rate card and website are arranged nothing tells you this is how the fee is applied. In fact, the rate card states “HDTV (monthly)” which would normally lead one to believe that this charge is a monthly one for the entire account and not for each unit.

F B Mulligan

03-07-09, 12:43 AM

It appears Comcast has dropped the closed status on all of the basic
channels. Checking some of the previously locked channels (from downtown
Atlanta) I found 84.xx, 85.xxx, 93.xxx, 103.xxx and 104.xxx are now open
(with a few exceptions). I also found 82.39 and 86.296 (NHL Net, which is
not in the basic analog service). These are all SD, but at least we now have
the History channel back.

ChrisHman

03-07-09, 12:45 PM

From WGCL, who answered promptly when contacted: We are painfully aware of the problem. It is not a DirecTV issue, however DirecTV makes the situation worse as they take our signal off the air, ship it back to LA (via fiber) then re-encode it to MPEG 4 for distribution. It is not even our problem at WGCL. The problem is in the new CBS network distribution system. That system is what CBS uses to get the signal to us. Four weeks ago they changed all the receivers and switching equipment at our station, and upgraded the modulation stream they use. There is a bug in the system that causes drop-outs (mostly audio) that occur randomly…. about twice to three times an hour. We continue to work on it with CBS. Sorry for the disruption.

Still experiencing audio problems on WGCL through Comcast. Watching the Pitt Uconn basketball game and its coming every couple of minutes (not just 3 times an hour). My reciever doesnt react to the drop, which indicates its from the feed itself not the signal coming into the box. I dont watch much prime time programming on CBS so dont know if this is just a live broadcast issue. Wonder how much longer this is going to take?

pcgraffy

03-11-09, 05:03 PM

Has anyone seen any evidence that the SEC Tournament will be in HD in Atlanta on Comcast?

I guess our options would be 810 or 848, but I'm not seeing it listed in any of the guides.

commodore_dude

03-11-09, 05:16 PM

The opening rounds should be on FSN South, semifinals on CW, final on CBS, all HD.

pcgraffy

03-11-09, 05:20 PM

The opening rounds should be on FSN South, semifinals on CW, final on CBS, all HD.

Online Guide is indicating the PAC 10 tourney will be on 848 all day tomorrow. Where will the SEC games be Thurs/Fri?

commodore_dude

03-12-09, 02:44 PM

Don't know what to say... according to Raycom's schedule (http://www.raycomsports.com/SECbb09-tourn.g-1.pdf) it's supposed to be on FSN... but I'm watching on Dish right now and it's not there!

Edit: I was able to find it on an alternate channel but if y'all aren't seeing it on 848 I guess you're out of luck... that's pretty absurd, surely they have to realize that the SEC tourney is much more important than some Pac-10 nonsense!

pcgraffy

03-12-09, 07:43 PM

pcgraffy

03-17-09, 10:22 AM

Here's the schedule for Thursday/Friday on CBS46.

No more than 2 games at a time, but one will always be in HD (except for the 5pm slot on Thursday).

McDonoughDawg

03-18-09, 02:21 PM

Here's the schedule for Thursday/Friday on CBS46.

No more than 2 games at a time, but one will always be in HD (except for the 5pm slot on Thursday).

Thanks for posting the link...I think the two game rule max was put into place by CBS. Probably because of their deal with Direct TV.

ChrisHman

03-19-09, 12:12 PM

Anyone find what QAM channel the WGCL multicast station is on? Last year it was 46.2 and 46.3, but its not coming in for me. Comcast Vinings Head end.

Edit: 100-56

McDonoughDawg

03-19-09, 09:07 PM

Anyone find what QAM channel the WGCL multicast station is on? Last year it was 46.2 and 46.3, but its not coming in for me. Comcast Vinings Head end.

Edit: 100-56

I logged on here looking for the same thing...maybe someone has it. I'm getting CBS (the main one) on 108-10 on my QAM tuner...

ChrisHman

03-20-09, 12:03 PM

Its 100-56.

nielloeb

03-20-09, 05:51 PM

84lion

03-20-09, 08:41 PM

If you don't already have a set-top box, they will send you up to two "Digital Adapters" free. These adapters are little boxes that will allow you to continue getting up to channel 78.

What do they say for the situation where you already have a set-top box? I suppose "set-top box" includes CableCard tuners.

Did they state a date when analog service above channel 26 would be discontinued?

I would appreciate it if they would just number the QAM channels reasonably...of course, then folks with clear QAM tuners wouldn't need set-top boxes...

nielloeb

03-29-09, 01:27 PM

What do they say for the situation where you already have a set-top box? I suppose "set-top box" includes CableCard tuners.

Did they state a date when analog service above channel 26 would be discontinued?

comcast.com/digitalnow

McDonoughDawg

03-29-09, 02:13 PM

I wish CBS in Atlanta would turn off the sub channel...it's still affecting the quality of the broadcast...

AtlantisMichael

03-30-09, 12:47 PM

bidweld

03-30-09, 04:16 PM

Anyone here using TVGOS devices through Comcast cable. My units have lost the host channel (shows no host) since last week sometime. So I am not getting any updates to my TV guide listings. I am on North Cobb Comcast and the host was channel 97.
Thanks, Michael
PS if I am on the wrong forum for this, let me know. Thanks

I lost my TVGOS host channel a week ago and am on Comcast Vinings headend. I have absolutely no idea why channel 97 stopped transmitting the listings. It would appear this is a nationwide issue due to the digital coversion and no standard solution across the various cable providers. We probably need to start a full court press with Comcast Atlanta regarding their plans to resolve this.

AtlantisMichael

03-31-09, 03:40 PM

I lost my TVGOS host channel a week ago and am on Comcast Vinings headend. I have absolutely no idea why channel 97 stopped transmitting the listings. It would appear this is a nationwide issue due to the digital coversion and no standard solution across the various cable providers. We probably need to start a full court press with Comcast Atlanta regarding their plans to resolve this.
I am being told that they( Comcast ) does not have to pass the TVGOS info. It is considered a commercial app and therefore the cable companies do not have to pass it through. Hope this is wrong, but from what research I have done and some info from others here I think we are at the mercy of the cable companies. So much for the free market. Guess i will have to but the MOXI next.
Michael

AtlantaDave

03-31-09, 09:08 PM

MLB HD just showed up in the grid as channel 823. No picture yet, but for baseball nuts like me, it will be great. I am in Johns Creek.

joe30306

04-01-09, 04:43 PM

MLB HD just showed up in the grid as channel 823. No picture yet, but for baseball nuts like me, it will be great. I am in Johns Creek.

Thanks, AtlantaDave. I probably wouldn't have noticed it for a few days. It's live here in Poncey-Highlands too.

neil0311

04-01-09, 11:32 PM

MLB HD showed up today just in time for the season opener. Nice.

Tybee

04-04-09, 06:06 PM

Isn't MLB HD subscription only, like NFL HD? It says "unauthorized" when I try to tune to it.

irfoton

04-04-09, 07:05 PM

Did anyone else lose all of their unencryted digital channels? Mine went away yesterday evening. I used to get the major networks just fine.

irfoton

04-05-09, 01:43 PM

Ok, now i'm wondering if my QAM Tuner is bad on my Sony. Are there ways to determine if the digital tuner is bad? I get normal cable channels but non of the clear QAM channels.

McDonoughDawg

04-05-09, 03:52 PM

They are working fine for me...

whodean

04-05-09, 11:15 PM

titans4ever

04-06-09, 08:45 AM

Any word on the digital change to move all but 2-26?

AtlantisMichael

04-06-09, 10:17 AM

I'm dropping my Comcast Cable Service (keeping Comcast HSI), originally I was going to use an antenna to pull in my locals but can I go with QAM instead and which channels can I expect to receive? I have a HDHomerun.

ThanksShould be able to get all the locals in HD as well as SD. Not as good as off the air, but will do.
Michael

AtlantisMichael

04-06-09, 10:20 AM

Still no answer form Comcast on the host problem for TVGOS. Anyone here have a contact at Comcast that I can try?
Thanks,
Michael

Devil98

04-06-09, 11:46 AM

I think Comcast is running the MLB channel un-encryted through April 12th, then they'll lock it down and charge you. They did something similar with NBA tv at the beginning of the season. I think I saw the 12th as the date for MLB over the weekend, but my 1 month old son guarantees 50% of the facts in my head to be wrong 100% of the time.

Tybee

04-08-09, 05:16 PM

fuzzy bee

04-08-09, 05:24 PM

I assume you mean over QAM, because it's been locked from day one on the box.

Not for me. Watched it last night, and I don't subscribe.

McDonoughDawg

04-08-09, 05:42 PM

Not for me. Watched it last night, and I don't subscribe.

Agreed, mine works on 123 and 823..and no sports subscription for me either.

droopyGT

04-08-09, 06:09 PM

Hi:

I'm new to this. Can someone pls explain this to me why....

At my mother's house, she subscribe to Comcast basic. The clear QAM channel are different between the Sharp and Philips. Example,

Station Sharp Philips
ABC 98.002 98.3
FOX 98.001 98.804

Does any know the complete mapping?

thx

I'm new to this clear QAM stuff too. I'd appreciate if someone could explain what the above poster is describing. My TV only shows channels as xx-yy or xxx-yy. I don't see any channels with three numbers after the dash or decimal. Only two. Thanks.

AtlantisMichael

04-08-09, 07:13 PM

I'm new to this clear QAM stuff too. I'd appreciate if someone could explain what the above poster is describing. My TV only shows channels as xx-yy or xxx-yy. I don't see any channels with three numbers after the dash or decimal. Only two. Thanks.
Clear QAM is usually only on the digital basic or starter services which do not have a cable card or use a cable box. The digital channels are ones that show up after you have done your channel scan for the tv along with the analog ones 1-78 or such. Anything above 80 is a digital channel with numbers such as 98.248-RTN(WSB retro channel in SD) 98.3 is WSB HD, 108.806 is WXIA 11. You will find that by using the channel editor which channels you have and their numbers. I found a few numbers in the 80s which has programming that comes and goes. This is where some of the on demand is found and sometimes I can catch a movie that someone else has ordered.
Michael

ChrisC47

04-09-09, 03:37 PM

AtlantisMichael

04-09-09, 04:47 PM

I'm chiming in on the TVGOS issue. I have an analog device (Pioneer DVR-533H DVD/HDD recorder) in service doing regular recordings and DVD burns. It's about 5 years old now but Just Works. A couple weeks ago it stopped getting TVGOS EPG listings. I can manually program it, but it's a pain. Hopefully Comcast solves the problem and brings it back!
Still no response from Comcast even after a promise to call back the next day. That was on Monday. Here it is Thursday and not a word or Email.
Michael

frostlich

04-13-09, 10:00 PM

Chalk another one up for no TVGOS....this sucks.

McDonoughDawg

04-15-09, 03:15 PM

Anyone else getting breakups on the Braves Peachtree TV HD home games? SD feed is fine, but..but..but..I want the HD feed to be fine.

BillyBeatnik

04-15-09, 06:27 PM

Anyone else getting breakups on the Braves Peachtree TV HD home games? SD feed is fine, but..but..but..I want the HD feed to be fine.

I haven't noticed any up here in Cherokee County. We are on a different system though. We were formerly Adelphia before Comcast bought them out, and we get the HD feed on channel 241.

AtlantisMichael

04-15-09, 07:01 PM

Following is the reply from ask Rick:
Dear Mr. Martin,

Thank you for contacting the Comcast Office of Rick Germano, Senior Vice
President of Customer Operations regarding being not being able to
utilize TVGOS epg data. I appreciate you giving me an opportunity to be
of assistance to you.

I have reviewed your e-mail and unfortunately you have requested
assistance on something Comcast does not support. For your information,
Comcast only supports the TV Guide that comes with the converter box.

In order to provide you with the highest level of technical assistance,
Comcast must limit its support to the Comcast High-Speed Internet
service. This means we will support your connection to the Comcast
High-Speed Internet network and the software included on your Comcast
High-Speed Internet CD-ROM.

If you would like more information on what is supported by our customer
service, or links to some other support sites you can visit our help
site at the following location:
Left off the rest because is was just their web site and other non-pertinent garbage. But here is the bottom half:Should you have any further questions or concerns, please respond
directly to this email and either myself or one of my colleagues would
be happy to assist you.

In any responses requiring assistance with SmartZone please include the
type of computer that you have Windows or Apple (Mac) and the type of
operating system you this information will assist us in answering your
queries in a timely manner.

Further for your information, I wish to advise you that your screen
resolution needs to be at 1024 x 768 or higher to run SmartZone. You can
change your screen resolution through your Control Panel. Once you have
completed these steps please restart your computer to ensure that your
changes have taken effect.

Once again Mr. Martin, we thank you for choosing Comcast as we truly do
value your patronage.

Sincerely,

Carole Sonier
The Office of Rick Germano

As you can see, they can not even get my name remotely right. Are these replys generated from a computer or are these people think we are that stupid? Are they Morons?What gives?
Michael

jayntguru

04-16-09, 01:03 AM

Here's how to get somewhere.

Google comcast's corporate office phone #. Google the name of an executive (CFO for example). Call the office and ask for the executive. You will get their admin assistant. Tell them why you are calling and they will have someone from the "executive customer care" call you. Be extremely nice, professional, and concise. Tell them you have tried the other methods and gotten nowhere.

I did this one day and they had a tech out in literally 30 minutes after I got off the phone. He was extremely competent and fixed the problem I had for weeks with multiple techs telling me was a site wiring problem. It was not.

commodore_dude

04-16-09, 02:30 PM

Anyone else getting breakups on the Braves Peachtree TV HD home games? SD feed is fine, but..but..but..I want the HD feed to be fine.

Haven't seen any issues on the games I've caught at my parents' house in Norcross.

McDonoughDawg

04-16-09, 03:08 PM

Haven't seen any issues on the games I've caught at my parents' house in Norcross.

Last night's game was MUCH better...maybe it was a local issue.

AtlantisMichael

04-17-09, 10:35 AM

Comcast rep called yesterday and said they had taken off the TVGOS host from 97 and that they were not going to pass TVGOS info if the FCC does not mandate it. She said she is checking with legal to see if they had to carry it.
She sounded a little arrogant about this.
Michael

ChazzMatt

04-18-09, 03:45 AM

I received a letter from Comcast that they are upgrading to digital in such a way that you must have a set-top box of some kind to get channels above 26.

If you don't already have a set-top box, they will send you up to two "Digital Adapters" free. These adapters are little boxes that will allow you to continue getting up to channel 78.

More here:

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/04/18/comcast-extending-all-digital-push-in-boston-and-atlanta/

Comcast extending all digital push in Boston and Atlanta

by Richard Lawler, posted Apr 18th 2009 at 1:32AM

Not to be confused with the OTA switch to digital, Comcast is apparently ready to resume shoving customers off the analog coil and making room for more HD, DOCSIS 3.0 high speed Internet and other things we like, starting with Boston and Atlanta.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadgethd.com/media/2009/04/12-3-08-comcast-dta.jpg

Termed "Project Cavalry", it's not removing every channel from analog, but about 40 of them, and as the FCC directed giving customers two digital terminal adapters (pictured) and one digital box for free as long as they remain with Comcast.

According to Cable Digital News, Chattanooga picked up 22 new high definition networks and 50Mb Internet service after the digital migration, so it really can't happen fast enough.

==============

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=175456&site=cdn

Comcast Expanding 'All-Digital' Domain

APRIL 17, 2009 | Jeff Baumgartner

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) has started the "all-digital" process in parts of its Boston- and Atlanta-area systems as the MSO continues to free up space for more HD networks and the speedier Docsis 3.0 cable modem platform. (See Comcast Sets Wideband Goal .)

The MSO says it's already starting to migrate some analog channels to the digital domain in Winder, Ga., with plans to do the same in nearby North Fulton County in the next month or so, according to Comcast spokeswoman Alana Davis. The MSO will continue doing that in the Atlanta area on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

Comcast isn't that far along yet in the Boston area, but it has started the "marination" process in Newburyport. In that early, preparatory phase, the MSO is proactively installing digital boxes and simpler, one-way digital terminal adapters (DTAs) during routine truck rolls before the market is "on the clock" for the analog-to-digital channel migration.

Marination is also underway in the MSO's Philadelphia region. The initiative, dubbed internally as "Project Cavalry," is already started or completed in the Bay Area; Portland and Salem, Ore.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Seattle and other parts of Washington. (See Comcast Sends In the All-Digital 'Cavalry' and Comcast 'Cavalry' Rides Into NoCal .)

A key goal of Cavalry is to move about 40 analog channels from the operator's expanded basic programming tier to digital, while leaving its basic "B1" tier (about 20 channels, depending on the market) in analog. In those markets, the MSO is giving each expanded basic customer two DTAs and one entry-level, interactive set-top (so it supports the MSO's interactive program guide and video-on-demand apps) for no additional cost for as long as they remain Comcast customers. (See Comcast Seeds Digital Shift With Free Boxes.)

Comcast, responding to pressure from the likes of DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV) and Dish Network Corp. (Nasdaq: DISH), is already starting to beef up its HD lineup using reclaimed analog spectrum capacity. In Salem and Eugene, for example, the MSO launched 30 new hi-def networks last month after it completed the digital migration there. In Chattanooga, meanwhile, the MSO is starting off by packing in 22 new hi-def channels and booting up a 50 Mbit/s (downstream) Docsis 3.0 service.

Cisco Cometh

So far, all of Comcast's all-digital moves have occurred in markets based on Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT)'s digital platform, where the MSO is deploying DTAs from that suppler, as well as from Thomson (NYSE: TMS; Euronext Paris: 18453) and Pace Micro Technology .

Comcast expects to start the process in some initial Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO)-based markets by mid-2009 or later, according to Comcast VP of video services Jay Kreiling.

That timing will likely hinge on how rapidly Cisco polishes off its own DTA product and a headend component that can control it. Just ahead of the recently concluded cable show in Washington, D.C., Dave Clark, director of product strategy and management for Cisco's set-top product unit, told Cable Digital News that his company expects to start delivering DTA samples to MSO customers by June.

"It's definitively a real product. We're about finished with the development phase on this," Clark said.

Cisco, he noted, has developed a specific model for Comcast, called the DTA30, that houses some unique frequency specs for the device's remote control. Another model, the DTA50, is for other MSOs.

Comcast had previously indicated that it will need up to 25 million DTAs to complete the project across the board.

In a video interview at the cable show, comcast chief technology officer Tony Werner said he's been pleased with the performance of the DTAs so far, and that Comcast is on track to have about half its markets started down the all-digital path by the end of 2009. Werner's comments about the DTAs appear at the six-minute mark of the video, embedded below:

(go to the URL above if you really want to see the interview)

AtlantisMichael

04-18-09, 11:41 AM

Will this mean that Comcast carry the digital version of TVGOS instead of the analog? Or will they just still thumb their nose at us?
Michael

pcgraffy

04-21-09, 02:24 PM

Is Channel 848 double booked for Wednesday night with the Braves and the Hawks? Anyone know what Comcast has planned for this?

McDonoughDawg

04-21-09, 10:19 PM

Is Channel 848 double booked for Wednesday night with the Braves and the Hawks? Anyone know what Comcast has planned for this?

I'm guessing the Hawks are on TNT or Espn...just a guess. I'm not sure Fox has the playoffs for the NBA. Otherwise, give me the Braves... at least MLB playoffs don't last 2 months.

johnbe

04-22-09, 12:33 AM

Is Channel 848 double booked for Wednesday night with the Braves and the Hawks? Anyone know what Comcast has planned for this?

Channel 841 & 041
TNTHD & TNT
8:00PM

pcgraffy

04-22-09, 09:33 AM

I'm guessing the Hawks are on TNT or Espn...just a guess. I'm not sure Fox has the playoffs for the NBA. Otherwise, give me the Braves... at least MLB playoffs don't last 2 months.

Hawks game 1 was on both TNTHD and FSNHD. I believe the same is scheduled for tonight.

whodean

04-22-09, 12:29 PM

comcast-extending-all-digital-push-in-boston-and-atlanta/

How will this affect clear QAM tuners?

04-22-09, 12:33 PM

How will this affect clear QAM tuners?

It already has. They have turned off encryption on the digital/QAM versions of all the extended basic channels.

whodean

04-22-09, 07:16 PM

Does anyone know if the MLB network is available on clear QAM?

titans4ever

04-22-09, 07:54 PM

MLB is not in the clear.

AtlantisMichael

04-23-09, 11:46 AM

Comcast finally came through on my TVGOS host problem. From what I gather, when the local digital 46.1 had encoder problems and turned off the data stream, it also affected Comcast since it had no data to pass. The frustrating part of all this is the lack of knowledge about how everything works from some of the techs. It was not unitl I "asked Rick" a time or two that I got a call from a very nice lady in the executive office which was able to explain what was going on. I talked with the office twice and the first time it was confusing, but on the second call from Tashia all was just right. She also gave me some numbers for the engineers who handle this stuff. So we all should be back to normal.
Michael

ChrisC47

04-23-09, 11:53 AM

Are you saying that analog TVGOS on Comcast should be working now?

I'll find out tomorrow if my device is picking up the EPG data again.

AtlantisMichael

04-23-09, 12:53 PM

Are you saying that analog TVGOS on Comcast should be working now?

I'll find out tomorrow if my device is picking up the EPG data again.
Yes, all four TVGOS devices have listings again. Last night I had to choose the provider for the analog dvr. The Pioneer tv, I did not. Both of those have grid and listings now. The two digital Sony dvrs currently are getting listings from an antenna host (channel 2 analog) but I have taken the antenna off of one of the units to see if it will acquire the host from cable.
Michael

ChrisC47

04-27-09, 06:58 PM

I'll find out tomorrow if my device is picking up the EPG data again.

Well, it's still not working for me. That could be because I've got a strange cable signal (long story). But it could also be because my device needed to be reset. I just repeated the TVGOS setup and I'll see what it does overnight. If that doesn't work then I'll try a TVGOS reset.

Which Comcast channel (name and number) do your devices say it is coming from?

los

04-27-09, 07:58 PM

ChrisC47

04-27-09, 10:21 PM

Obsolete? No :)

bfdtv maintains a very thorough Tivo HD FAQ here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=879469

I'm sure someone here will have local experience to report, but here's what that FAQ says about CableCards:

10. How do I know if my cable company offers CableCards? How much do they cost?

All cable companies with 750+MHz systems (i.e. basically any modern cable system) are required by federal law to provide CableCards.

Many cable companies like Comcast offer the first CableCard for free as part of digital cable. Without digital cable, the typical charge for a CableCard is $1.50-$3.00/mo, but some cable company representatives can make it difficult to order a CableCard without some form of digital cable service. If the cable company representative gives you a hard time, ask to speak to their supervisor. Tell them you want to pay for just a CableCard so you get digital versions of your basic cable channels. As a last resort, you can order digital cable to get CableCards, and then cancel digital cable after the CableCards are installed; the CableCards will continue to function without digital cable, remapping your local HD channels to the official numbers with guide data.

AtlantisMichael

04-28-09, 08:15 AM

hdtv_atl

04-28-09, 09:54 AM

Which Comcast channel (name and number) do your devices say it is coming from?

Well, I put my LG LST-3410a in the TVGOS VBI test mode last night. I checked the analog channel for WGCL (CBS) on channel 9. The TVGOS VBI test failed for that analog channel (9) as well as the digital versions at 80-206 and 108-10. I checked several other analog and digital channels and ran the TVGOS VBI test. Nothing was coming through on Comcast last night. I even ran the test on analog and digital channels OTA by switching to the antenna input with no success. The TV Guide on my LG LST-3410a has been empty for several weeks. It is running v7 of TVGOS.

The TV Guide on my LG LST-3410a had been working for a couple of weeks after the analog shutdown of WGPB on 8 back in February. It seemed to be getting TV Guide data from WGCL on analog channel 9 on Comcast during that time. The TV Guide data has been missing for several weeks now.

Folks with v8 TVGOS units may be getting data through the digital WGCL channel, but the LG LST-3410a that I have has v7 TVGOS that must be received through an analog channel as far as I know. I hope the analog TVGOS encoder at WGCL gets corrected so I can receive TVGOS TV Guide data through Comcast analog channel 9 again.

ChrisC47

04-28-09, 11:09 AM

AtlantisMichael, you reported that you were getting EPG data. Is your TVGOS device getting it by analog or digital? Channel name and number?

slowbiscuit

04-29-09, 09:19 AM

Hi,

I've been out of this for a while and have been thinking I'd maybe buy an HD Tivo and give Comcast back their DVR box. Assuming I don't care about Comcast OnDemand, is there anything to be worried about? Are the Tivo's going to become obsolete anytime real soon?

I understand I would need a cable card. What's the right kind to get and will they just hand you one, or do they need to come out to install it?

If this is all written up somewhere, please point the way...

Thanks,

Carlos
You have to get a truck roll to get a Cablecard (you need an M-card for the Tivo HD), you can't pick one up. It was less than $20 when I had them out last year. Then you'll need some luck to ensure that a) they have a card in stock, and b) the card has been initialized properly, and c) the tech has a clue. Comcast *really* doesn't want to deal with them at all. But once you get past the Cablecard hassle, the Tivo HD is a far superior DVR than the Moto crap that Comcast uses here.

slowbiscuit

04-29-09, 09:21 AM

Check out the Moxi dvr, no fees and has 2 tuners and other good stuff.
Brand new with unproven track record for the consumer market (yes I know they supply boxes to cableCos). Also costs at least $200 more than an equivalent Tivo HD with a lifetime sub and doesn't have multi-DVR networking support yet. No thanks until they lower the price and prove that they have reliable HW/SW.

AtlantisMichael

04-29-09, 08:37 PM

AtlantisMichael, you reported that you were getting EPG data. Is your TVGOS device getting it by analog or digital? Channel name and number?
Analog through channel 97. Have not done an upgrade on the dvr yet that will enable it to use the digital channel. I think it is the CBS HD channel 809 on the system.
Michael

los

04-30-09, 07:06 AM

My parents in Alpharetta just got the new digital tuners, but they don't have a Tivo, so next question is... How will the Comcast shift to these new mini-set-tops interact with Tivo? Will I need to use one and control it via IR, or will the Tivo work without them for the stuff being moved away from analog?

I guess the short version of this is whether to jump to an HD Tivo now, or wait 'til later this year when there will hopefully be a new Tivo and the Comcast shift to more digital stuff is done? I've also just started hearing about True2Way, will Comcast be moving there too?

Thanks!

ChrisC47

04-30-09, 11:32 AM

AtlantisMichael, you reported that you were getting EPG data. Is your TVGOS device getting it by analog or digital? Channel name and number?

Analog through channel 97.

What channel name is that? (the channels are moved around on my feed, long story)

I did a TVGOS reset last night, still nothing working. Listings display is blank, debug screen's Host Chan is blank. Fortunately the reset didn't wipe out the manual recordings I had configured and they ran overnight.

JudgeSmails

04-30-09, 12:24 PM

bidweld

04-30-09, 12:51 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC47
AtlantisMichael, you reported that you were getting EPG data. Is your TVGOS device getting it by analog or digital? Channel name and number?

Quote:
Originally Posted by AtlantisMichael
Analog through channel 97.

What channel name is that? (the channels are moved around on my feed, long story)

Quote:
I did a TVGOS reset last night, still nothing working. Listings display is blank, debug screen's Host Chan is blank. Fortunately the reset didn't wipe out the manual recordings I had configured and they ran overnight.

I also did a TVGOS reset yesterday and nothing is working for me either. No host channel or screen data. I previously got data from Channel 97 analog but it stopped working in early April. AtlantisMichael, are you sure you are receiving VBI info from Comcast 97 as host?

AtlantisMichael

05-01-09, 08:21 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC47
AtlantisMichael, you reported that you were getting EPG data. Is your TVGOS device getting it by analog or digital? Channel name and number?

Quote:
Originally Posted by AtlantisMichael
Analog through channel 97.

I also did a TVGOS reset yesterday and nothing is working for me either. No host channel or screen data. I previously got data from Channel 97 analog but it stopped working in early April. AtlantisMichael, are you sure you are receiving VBI info from Comcast 97 as host?
I am on North Cobb Comcast in Woodstock. If I remember correctly, their headend for this area is Stone Mountian, which I find odd. Channel 97 here is CBS in sd. It shows VBI packets. And it is an analog feed that Comcast set up just for TVGOS. Perhaps they have not gotten to your area yet. Also checked and listings are up to date.
Michael

Ryokurin

05-02-09, 07:51 AM

When do ya'll think we will see new HD channels? This is getting kind or ridiculous. I guess we got MLB (bah, baseball is like watching paint dry) but I want MORE. I want FX, BRAVO, and E! for example. Get with it Comcast.

Side note, I just signed up for Comcast phone so now they totally have me by the balls. Treat me well Comcast!

It was said several months back on DSL reports that they were not going to add any new channels anywhere until after the digital conversion in order to cut down on confusion. The delay to june probably just added to that. And personally I don't think they will add any in the Atlanta metro until they get everyone over to DOCSIS 3. There's a lot of balls in the air at the moment.

bidweld

05-02-09, 11:30 AM

I am on North Cobb Comcast in Woodstock. If I remember correctly, their headend for this area is Stone Mountian, which I find odd. Channel 97 here is CBS in sd. It shows VBI packets. And it is an analog feed that Comcast set up just for TVGOS. Perhaps they have not gotten to your area yet. Also checked and listings are up to date.
Michael

I live in East Cobb and the analog feed that Comcast set up for TVGOS was Channel 97 PBS, not CBS. However, I just checked and 97 is now CBS analog....go figure....but still no TVGOS. Do you think it has something to do with the equipment at the headend? Anyone on the Vinings headend receiving VBI packets? AtlantisMichael, can you PM me contact information for the engineer(s) that you spoke to that had a clue as to what was going on?

AtlantisMichael

05-04-09, 03:21 PM

I live in East Cobb and the analog feed that Comcast set up for TVGOS was Channel 97 PBS, not CBS. However, I just checked and 97 is now CBS analog....go figure....but still no TVGOS. Do you think it has something to do with the equipment at the headend? Anyone on the Vinings headend receiving VBI packets? AtlantisMichael, can you PM me contact information for the engineer(s) that you spoke to that had a clue as to what was going on?

I Email the "ask Rick" contact of Comcast after not getting any real help from tech support. A lady from the executive office responded and we went through several days of misunderstandings about TVGOS and such. The last call from her, she explained that they had come up with a fix and gave me a couple of engineers to call if I needed more help, but by that time everything was working again. A day or two later I received a call from an engineer who explained all this. It was from someone different than the names I was given. I will look to see if I still have the contact info and PM it to you.
I think that since CBS has an agreement with Macrovision and PBS here no longer does, then it would make sense that 97 now is a CBS channel. From what the engineer said, he convinced Comcast to purchase some equipment to be able to add the analog TVGOS data to their system with channel 97 as the analog station. The digital version is suppose to be carried on the CBS HD channel of Comcast if I understand correctly.
MIchael

AtlantaDave

05-05-09, 03:00 PM

It was said several months back on DSL reports that they were not going to add any new channels anywhere until after the digital conversion in order to cut down on confusion. The delay to june probably just added to that. And personally I don't think they will add any in the Atlanta metro until they get everyone over to DOCSIS 3. There's a lot of balls in the air at the moment.

28 new HD channels on the grid today in Johns Creek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:D

joe30306

05-05-09, 05:12 PM

28 new HD channels on the grid today in Johns Creek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:D

What are the new channels you're seeing? I'm on the Vinings head-end and nothing new here yet (channel #'s in the 800's).

brermike

05-05-09, 05:41 PM

28 new HD channels on the grid today in Johns Creek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:D

I can confirm this!!! I'm also in Johns Creek and my Tivo HD has a bunch of new HD channels listed. No guide data for them yet and I'm not sure of the whole list, but there is definitely FX, E!, Green and a lot more. I'll update when I can make a full list. They are in the 800s.

Ok, the channels are ...

817 - WE HD
818 - Green Planet HD
819 - Biography HD
820 - QVC HD
821 - ESPN News HD
828 - E! HD
829 - Style HD
831 - Fox Business HD
832 - The Weather Channel HD
836 - CNBC HD
837 - Fox News HD
843 - FX HD
855 - Lifetime HD
860 - Travel HD
862 - Cartoon Network HD
863 - Nickelodeon HD
866 - Disney Extreme HD
871 - TVONE HD
872 - Bravo HD
873 - Fuse HD
875 - Speed HD
876 - G4 HD
878 - Spike HD
891 - Travel & Leisure HD
894 - MGM HD
896 - Hallmark HD
897 - Lifetime Movies HD
898 - IFC HD
899 - Encore HD

JudgeSmails

05-05-09, 06:22 PM

I can confirm this!!! I'm also in Johns Creek and my Tivo HD has a bunch of new HD channels listed. No guide data for them yet and I'm not sure of the whole list, but there is definitely FX, E!, Green and a lot more. I'll update when I can make a full list. They are in the 800s.

Ok, the channels are ...

817 - WE HD
818 - Green Planet HD
819 - Biography HD
820 - QVC HD
821 - ESPN News HD
828 - E! HD
829 - Style HD
831 - Fox Business HD
832 - The Weather Channel HD
836 - CNBC HD
837 - Fox News HD
843 - FX HD
855 - Lifetime HD
860 - Travel HD
862 - Cartoon Network HD
863 - Nickelodeon HD
866 - Disney Extreme HD
871 - TVONE HD
872 - Bravo HD
873 - Fuse HD
875 - Speed HD
876 - G4 HD
878 - Spike HD
891 - Travel & Leisure HD
894 - MGM HD
896 - Hallmark HD
897 - Lifetime Movies HD
898 - IFC HD
899 - Encore HD

If this is a late April Fools joke I'm gonna find ya'll!

AtlantaDave

05-05-09, 10:00 PM

If this is a late April Fools joke I'm gonna find ya'll!

No joke. We got 'em.

JudgeSmails

05-05-09, 10:09 PM

No joke. We got 'em.

Hmmm. I tried this evening here in Marietta/Kennesaw and no dice. Lucky buggers! :)

ChazzMatt

05-06-09, 12:23 AM

Comcast, responding to pressure from the likes of DirecTV Group Inc. and Dish Network Corp. is already starting to beef up its HD lineup using reclaimed analog spectrum capacity. In Salem and Eugene, for example, the MSO launched 30 new hi-def networks last month after it completed the digital migration there. In Chattanooga, meanwhile, the MSO is starting off by packing in 22 new hi-def channels and booting up a 50 Mbit/s (downstream) Docsis 3.0 service.

30 new channels in Oregon towns... 22 new channels in Chattanooga...

Sounds like we are in the same ballpark number of HD channels as those other cities.

This must have been in the works for post-digital changeover -- and when that got moved back to June Comcast decided they couldn't wait any longer, due to competitive pressure from the satellite dish companies.

QUESTION: how many of these new channels show up in the Digital Starter package? For instance, Digital Starter gets "Discovery" channel but is not authorized for "Nat Geo". We get "Sci Fi" but not just "Sci" (Science).

Anyone in John's Creek have Digital Starter and can tell me?

==========

On a related note, Comcast sent me an email last week informing me that DOCISIS 3.0 50 Mbps was available if I wanted to order that, but even if I didn't that my internet speed was now doubled. But I checked and my speed is still 6Mbps -- not 12Mbps. :mad: I even power-cycled my cable modem to make sure. I think they jumped the gun on that email.

Maybe both the increased internet speed AND the extra HD channels will show up in Kennesaw the same time! ;)

LeRoyK

05-06-09, 09:04 AM

Tybee

05-06-09, 01:32 PM

Oh boy new HD channels,

but I don't see two of the SD channels we watch fairly often.

PBA30
TCM

I hope those two show up soon as well.

No sign of the others in the guide here in Woodstock this morning.

Wow! Is anyone outside of John's Creek getting these? Vinings? Stone Mountain?

PBA30 HD would certainly be nice. I can't understand why they haven't added that one yet. But there is no such thing as TCM HD, and it ain't coming any time soon. See this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=806556) for discussion.

commodore_dude

05-06-09, 02:44 PM

Very cool, it'll be nice when I'm at someone's house with Comcast now being able to watch some more in HD! About WPBA, interestingly enough DirecTV has WPBA in HD instead of WGTV...

LeRoyK

05-06-09, 04:11 PM

Thanks for the link Tybee. You seem to be better informed than most on this topic.

If you looked at my DVR today you would see the majority of both titles and runtime are from PBA30 and TCM. I have a full HD home theater but it's the programming that gets my attention.

ChazzMatt

05-07-09, 12:24 AM

I can confirm this!!! I'm also in Johns Creek and my Tivo HD has a bunch of new HD channels listed. No guide data for them yet and I'm not sure of the whole list, but there is definitely FX, E!, Green and a lot more. I'll update when I can make a full list. They are in the 800s.

Is "John's Creek" in North Fulton county? (I just checked and YES). Then the rest of us have to wait for awhile. :mad:

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=175456&site=cdn&f_src=lightreading_gnews

Comcast Expanding 'All-Digital' Domain

April 17, 2009

Comcast says it's already starting to migrate some analog channels to the digital domain in Winder, Ga., with plans to do the same in nearby North Fulton County in the next month or so, according to Comcast spokeswoman Alana Davis. Comcast will continue doing that in the Atlanta area on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

Comcast, responding to pressure from the likes of DirecTV Group Inc. and Dish Network Corp. is already starting to beef up its HD lineup using reclaimed analog spectrum capacity. In Salem and Eugene, for example, Comcast launched 30 new hi-def networks last month after it completed the digital migration there. In Chattanooga, meanwhile, Comcast is starting off by packing in 22 new hi-def channels and booting up a 50 Mbit/s (downstream) Docsis 3.0 service.

May is now "the next month or so". The rest of us will have to wait for the "neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis".

bidweld

05-07-09, 09:02 AM

I Email the "ask Rick" contact of Comcast after not getting any real help from tech support. A lady from the executive office responded and we went through several days of misunderstandings about TVGOS and such. The last call from her, she explained that they had come up with a fix and gave me a couple of engineers to call if I needed more help, but by that time everything was working again. A day or two later I received a call from an engineer who explained all this. It was from someone different than the names I was given. I will look to see if I still have the contact info and PM it to you.
I think that since CBS has an agreement with Macrovision and PBS here no longer does, then it would make sense that 97 now is a CBS channel. From what the engineer said, he convinced Comcast to purchase some equipment to be able to add the analog TVGOS data to their system with channel 97 as the analog station. The digital version is suppose to be carried on the CBS HD channel of Comcast if I understand correctly.
MIchael

I am now receiving TVGOS data on Comcast channel 97 (CBS analog). Michael, thanks for laying the groundwork on getting Comcast's attention. I spoke to an engineer yesterday and informed him that it appeared Stone Mtn headend was providing VBI but Vinings wasn't....and voila, TVGOS listings are now available. The engineer did say that channel 97 analog would go away once they can provide the digital signal so who knows what new problems that will cause. I believe my Panasonic can only handle analog VBI.

AtlantisMichael

05-07-09, 09:24 AM

I am now receiving TVGOS data on Comcast channel 97 (CBS analog). Michael, thanks for laying the groundwork on getting Comcast's attention. I spoke to an engineer yesterday and informed him that it appeared Stone Mtn headend was providing VBI but Vinings wasn't....and voila, TVGOS listings are now available. The engineer did say that channel 97 analog would go away once they can provide the digital signal so who knows what new problems that will cause. I believe my Panasonic can only handle analog VBI.
The person that I spoke with said that they had planned to keep the analog version for some time, even after the transistion in June. I know they are making changes to all digital and giving out the little boxes to convert back to analog, so perhaps it will not go away any time soon. The engineer I spoke with said they had purchased equipment just to handle the analog TVGOS, so I can not see them just throwing that away.
Michael

commodore_dude

05-07-09, 02:15 PM

No new channels in Norcross as of last night...

Tybee

05-08-09, 12:44 PM

Hmmm...Last night around midnight, I was taking out the recycling and noticed a utility truck at the top of our street with a guy in a crane working on something. At the same time, our cable and (cable) internet stopped working (didn't notice at first because we were watching something on the DVR). Later, they were at work in our cul-de-sac. Once they wrapped up, cable came back.

Wondering if this could be some sort of upgrade/prep for the "neighborhood-by-neighborhood" rollout. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to check this morning to see if I had the additional channels.

pcgraffy

05-08-09, 02:09 PM

No new channels in Norcross as of last night...

None in north Sandy Springs either.

titans4ever

05-10-09, 10:21 PM

12Mbps has arrived to North Buckhead

cleverdevil

05-11-09, 11:54 AM

I'm curious when I'll see these new channels in Dunwoody. I called Comcast a few months ago to inform them I was considering switching to U-Verse because they have so many more HD channels. They told me that a bunch of new channels were coming in May or June, and then gave me a discounted rate for 6 months and free Showtime to hold me at bay.

For those of you that already have the new channels, did this cause you to lose all, or most, of you analog channels? I'm curious where the bandwidth is coming from. I don't imagine that I'll wake up one morning and see a bunch of new HD channels without receiving some sort of letter in the mail telling me about the impending change, and offering me a free DTA for my analog set in my bedroom.

Anyone have any more information on this? Comcast is irritatingly tight-lipped about progress (unless you threaten cancellation).

ChazzMatt

05-11-09, 12:08 PM

12Mbps has arrived to North Buckhead

You sure? I got an email saying that but it's not true yet....

What tests did you run and did you correct for Comcast's speed booster which makes most speed test resuts erroneous? Speed tests usually use small files to download and upload. Comcast's speed booster kicks in for small files -- which is great if you are downloading an mp3 or pictures but bad if you are just trying to test your base speed. :mad:

Every time I test with with SpeakEasy I get between 15-18 Mbps -- which I know is really 5 - 6 Mbps, since I have to discount Comcast's 3x temporary Speed Boost for small files.

You have to find a LONG test that uses LARGE files so you can get true speed. Or wait until SpeakEasy reports 33 - 36 Mbps! ;) Then you will know that is really 11 - 12 Mbps!

Don't get me wrong -- I LOVE Speed Boost. Comcast's speeds are always equal or greater than promised unlike AT&T's DSL.

Nathan_R

05-11-09, 01:51 PM

12Mbps has arrived to North Buckhead

Up in my area of Marietta, we now have the 22- and 50- down pipes, which shocked me to say the least. Last week, I received the email stating that "Fastest Fast" was now available for me, but Comcast's site said that the new speeds weren't yet available in my neighborhood. A quick call verified that my area was indeed up and running at up to 50mbps down, so I opted for the less expensive 22 down upgrade. Yay. :)

titans4ever

05-11-09, 10:19 PM

JudgeSmails

05-11-09, 11:00 PM

Is anyone else experiencing audio drop outs on ABC HD and FOX HD? I have my system running through my reciever which decodes the DD signal. It seems like lately every few mins (sometimes 2, sometimes 10) the receiver loses the DD signal from Comcast and drops down to Stereo and then bounces back. I remember this happening a bit during the NFL playoffs on CBS but I haven't seen it in months. Now it seems like it happens on all the shows I watch. Anyone else notice this on shows like American Idol, Fringe, Lost, etc?

ChazzMatt

05-12-09, 08:26 PM

Yes, I am sure everything is extremely faster. I have been look for improvement for about two week now. Call as soon as I got the letter Comcast promised that it would be 48 hours before I would see a change but It took 2 weeks. When it is this fast test my a.. it is much faster.

OK, just asking. I am anticipating the faster speed so my movie downloads on my computer don't interfere with my wife's web browsing on her computer...

I'm also anticipating all the extra HD channels, if they will ever get here! :mad:

ChrisHman

05-12-09, 11:29 PM

AtlantaDave

05-13-09, 12:18 PM

The additional HD channels wont show in a neighborhood/head end until they go all digital, this is just reality and we have to wait for it IMO. The additional bandwidth was unexpected and will just take modem rebooting randomly until it happens. That is unless we are told otherwise well after the fact. Here's to hoping this Marietta suburb is chosen sooner than later!

I don't know how we (John Creek) were first. Just lucky I guess. Maybe there was a larger critical mass of newer infrastructure up here or something like that. For me, the best thing about the additional channels is that there are more HD news sources other than CNN. That's not idealogical, just better to have more choices. Only downside is that the Weather Channel HD does not have the "locals on the 8's". It's the national feed instead. Maybe that will change somewhere down the road. Still no HD channels for SportsSouth, CSS or NBA-TV, though.

commodore_dude

05-13-09, 02:45 PM

I don't know how we (John Creek) were first. Just lucky I guess. Maybe there was a larger critical mass of newer infrastructure up here or something like that. For me, the best thing about the additional channels is that there are more HD news sources other than CNN. That's not idealogical, just better to have more choices. Only downside is that the Weather Channel HD does not have the "locals on the 8's". It's the national feed instead. Maybe that will change somewhere down the road. Still no HD channels for SportsSouth, CSS or NBA-TV, though.

I don't recall CSS broadcasting anything in HD since some Conference USA football game back in 2007 when they also did the SEC baseball tournament. Since I've got Dish now I have no idea if they're doing that this year, I do recall seeing some HD highlights on ESPN from CSS broadcasts of the CUSA basketball tournament a couple of months ago but AFAIK the games weren't available directly to cable customers that way. It's a shame, because from what I saw of that baseball tournament they did a pretty good job, it sure would be nice to get a break from their abysmal SD quality which from what I've seen even extends to the Gwinnett Braves games this year...