Hey keferg1996....If someone in your building has cable, find out what their exact address is on their cable bill, or if they will give you their account number the csr can pull up the address...if you can do this you "may" be able to get them to send someone out earlier...also, find out if the cable outlets are already in place in your appartment. Good luck.

There is not much "inside" information regarding WSB and Comcast HD. Only that they are ironing out final details at the corporate level.
Sorry.

"Final" details? Well, at least that sounds promising. Or am I getting my hopes up too early???

They better get their act together. It's gettng old......WSB and Comcast needs to have everything straight out so we can enjoy at least some MOnday Night Football games.....

Anyone else have serious issues with INHD 1 & 2?

I can tell they would both be some of the finest looking HD channels, if they were watchable!

Mine tile and freeze to the point they are unwatchable.
The others HD's are terrific and I've checked the connections while watching.

:confused:

I just got my HDTV hooked up yesterday and I have not been able to get ESPN HD at all. It always says "Will be available shortly." I assume that no one else has had this problem due to the fact there are no posts about it. Also, my local channels are seriously pixelated. The guy said that the wiring is horrible in my apartment and they need to fix it. Do you all think this is what is causing my ESPN problem? Any inout would be appreciated.

re: wiring. When the guys first showed up for my HD install they said the same thing (I didn't believe them). Sho 'nuff I was getting pixelation issues on the digital channels and "Please Wait" on the HD stations. They re-wired everything from the street and every channel has worked great ever since.

re: InHD and ESPN HD. As of last evening (Wed night) I was receiving all HD stations loud and clear (Midtown area).

read a little more into some of the posts......i've had plenty of problems getting ESPND and FOX HD. it's always b/c of the connection to the back of the cable box or the physical position of the coax cable. so it is b/c of the wiring....those two channels have very weak reception, according to comcast technical service. try messing with your own cables, otherwise it probably is your building.

Originally posted by dogongt
i've had plenty of problems getting ESPND and FOX HD. it's always b/c of the connection to the back of the cable box or the physical position of the coax cable. so it is b/c of the wiring....those two channels have very weak reception, according to comcast technical service.

I don't know why these two channels would be any different from any of the others, presumably they all carry the same bandwidth requirement. Anyway, I have had problems in the past but it has been all of the HD/Digital channels, not just one or two. I would have Comcast check the signal strength or eliminate any splitters if you can.

Here is the response that I received from Comcast President Steve Burke regarding an email that I sent asking about the logjam between WSB-TV and Comcast regarding their carriage of the ABC digital signal:

Thanks for the thoughtful email. The situation with WSB is much more complicated than what you may have heard, but I can assure you we are working on it!

Courteous and prompt response and at least the issue seems to be under review. Hopefully we will hear something in the near future.

<delurks>

Here in N. Fulton, just south of the river, CBS has been out for almost 24 hrs. I'm on hold now with Comcast since I had been hoping to watch the HD NFL game at 1 PM. Anyone else having this problem?

Originally posted by amninja
<delurks>

Here in N. Fulton, just south of the river, CBS has been out for almost 24 hrs. I'm on hold now with Comcast since I had been hoping to watch the HD NFL game at 1 PM. Anyone else having this problem?

Yes, I reported in the Atlanta Digital Yahoo Group ahdtv and called Comcast after receiving confirmation from others that 809 was out. They dispatched someone to check the headend and channel 809 is now back online.

Anybody got the scoop on when Comcast is going to offer HD in the Douglasville area?

THANKS!

Originally posted by tadellin
Anybody got the scoop on when Comcast is going to offer HD in the Douglasville area?

THANKS!

According to the website at www.comcast.com there should already be service in Douglasville, at least based on the zip codes 30134 and 30135. Go the the website and select 'What is available in my area?' and you can enter your street address. Call 404-COMCAST to confirm.

Thanks for the reply... I called 404-comcast but the chick that answered said I didn't have it, and she didn't know when I would. Typical frontline response; reminds me of when I was trying to get DSL...

I think the deal is that there are two systems that provide cable service to the Douglas county area; one may have HD, the other may be awaiting an upgrade. Just a guess...

Has anyone heard when they may roll out the new motorola pvr hd box? Thanks!

Originally posted by tadellin
Thanks for the reply... I called 404-comcast but the chick that answered said I didn't have it, and she didn't know when I would. Typical frontline response; reminds me of when I was trying to get DSL...

I think the deal is that there are two systems that provide cable service to the Douglas county area; one may have HD, the other may be awaiting an upgrade. Just a guess...

Maybe so, but you can enter your specific street address into their website and it should tell you if service is available at your location. If it does say so, then you have something concrete to discuss with the CSR. Or just play CSR roulette and call again, you might well get another answer.

Originally posted by ji9988
Has anyone heard when they may roll out the new motorola pvr hd box? Thanks!

I saw a report on another board that DVR's are shipping to Comcast locations for December/January launches. No specific Atlanta info however.

...but after missing "West Wing" last night because of a glitch between my VCR and the digital cable box I'm at the end of my rope (the one which my wife almost hung me by last night).

Does anyone have a convenient, fast, relatively easy way of recording from Comcast from the digital cable boxes? Is there some certain type of VCR that provides TIVO like features? I'm simply not willing to wait anymore for Comcast to deliver the DVR sets - I have a sinking suspicion they will be as buggy as the HiDef boxes were in the beginning.

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Originally posted by bryanb426
Is there some certain type of VCR that provides TIVO like features?

Why not just get a Tivo? Who needs tapes.

I just spent 30 minutes with the guys over at Best Buy and they straightened me out.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and TIVO does work with Comcast Digital Cable. :)

Thanks.

So last night HBO-HD and HBO2-HD were not working.

This morning WGCL (ch46) HD is not working.

Anyone else having outages?

I called "customer service" and all they could tell me is to unplug the unit. Any surprise that didn't work? Their next thing was to schedule an appointment for 10 days from now to come check the problem.

ARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!

I'm in Duluth and had the same outage last night. Didnt check it this morning.

Originally posted by srothwell
So last night HBO-HD and HBO2-HD were not working.

This morning WGCL (ch46) HD is not working.

Anyone else having outages?

I called "customer service" and all they could tell me is to unplug the unit. Any surprise that didn't work? Their next thing was to schedule an appointment for 10 days from now to come check the problem.

ARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Yes, several folks have been discussing this in the Yahoo groups ahdtv forum. As of now, the HBO HD channels 880 and 881 are back on, though they were out on Saturday through Monday, coming back online briefly Monday afternoon but out again last night. 809 (CBS) went out late last night and is still out. You have to tell the CSR that others are reporting the same problem and that it is NOT a problem with your box. Very difficult to report HD outages efficiently as they simply are not yet geared to handle this and try to treat each call as an individual problem at that specific location. That is why I always try to confirm with others when such an outage occurs so that I can make that point. It will do you no good to schedule a service call in such a case.

Comcast really needs to address the reporting of HD outages.

Anyone hear anything new on these common questions:

1. When will WSB HD (ABC) be added?
2. When will DVI be activated on the 5100?
3. When will the new Motorola boxes with PVR be available in Atlanta?

There must be someone out there that works for Comacst Atlanta or know somone who does.

The PVR will be SA's Explorer 8000.

Originally posted by Cattledog
The PVR will be SA's Explorer 8000.

If this is true, I would hope that we are talking about the Explorer 8000HD, not the SD version.

The last I got from Comcast in a telephone call to respond to my inquiry, was that the Motorola 6208 would be the PVR that would be used and it would be available in January.

Has something changed? I will be VERY upset if they give us a box that won't record HDTV.

I called Comcast and the guy that I talked to mention that in about 2 more months they will promote the Motorola 6208 which it is a HDTV and PVR set top box. It has a 80 GB drive. He said that definitely by years end it will be available. I CAN"T WAIT! ABOUT TIME!!!!!

Hey guys,

I live in Atlanta and am looking to switch over from Dish Network to Comcast, mainly so I can get the HDTV package. Also, they have a special right now with a $400 credit to former Dish users. This coupled with switching my DSL to a cheaper Comcast cable modem, will save me some cash each month for the first 16 months.

I have a couple of questions for you expereienced Comcast users.

1. Will I notice a major difference in quality (either positive or negative) going from satelite to digital cable on the non HDTV chanels?

2. If I sign up now, can I still get the 6208 when it comes out? How is Comcast about upgrading your existing equipment when new equipment comes out? Do you have to pay for a service call, or can you just take your old box in and trade it for a new one?

Thanks,

Craig

1. Will I notice a major difference in quality (either positive or negative) going from satelite to digital cable on the non HDTV chanels?

i recently switched to comcast. so far, i'm not too impressed w/ their SD channels. they're very noise and blur. i hear moto 5100 HD receivers make SD signals even worse. hopefully, a upgrade or two will fix this problem soon. comcast's SD channels are very crappy compared to satellite. but this isn't much of issue since i'm watching more HD programs than SD programs anyway.

HD and premium channels(movie channels) are ok. they're almost as good as OTA/HD. with $25 discount/mo., it's the best HD deal out there for now, at least in ATL.

2. If I sign up now, can I still get the 6208 when it comes out? How is Comcast about upgrading your existing equipment when new equipment comes out? Do you have to pay for a service call, or can you just take your old box in and trade it for a new one?

i don't know how they're going to do this...but i'm guessing they probably will increase equipment rental fee from $5 to $10.

Re: question 1 -- Comcast Digital is only "digital" for channels 100 and up. Channels 2 thru 99 are analog and therefor could probably appear inferior to what you are used to seeing thru DSS.

Thanks for the replies.

So what is on Channels 1 through 99? Is that where the major networks are located, or is it just odd ball cable channels?


Also, since you say you are watching more HD programming than SD programming, does than mean that most of the major network shows each evening are available in HD? The wife would be happy if she could watch ER, NYPD Blue and Survivor in vivid detail. :)

Originally posted by Gator123
Thanks for the replies.

So what is on Channels 1 through 99? Is that where the major networks are located, or is it just odd ball cable channels?

Also, since you say you are watching more HD programming than SD programming, does than mean that most of the major network shows each evening are available in HD? The wife would be happy if she could watch ER, NYPD Blue and Survivor in vivid detail. :)

Yes, major networks, news channels, ESPN and ESPN2, AMC, History Channel, etc. Basically the standard cable offerings. Channels above 100 are more specialty channels, and premium channels that are not HD.

You will be able to see most major network prime time scripted shows in HD, including ER, West Wing, but not Survivor and not NYPD Blue via Comcast HD since they don't yet carry WSB (ABC) digital. You can get this OTA with an antenna and another Set Top Box of course.

Here is a nice link of the fall lineup that identifies which shows are in HD:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/dstarlin/hdtv/Fall.htm

>> So what is on Channels 1 through 99?

Here is the lineup broken out by format...

THE HI DEF CHANNELS
================
804 FOX HD (not really HD but 480p)
806 NBC HD (a few shows a night in HD)
809 CBS HD(a few shows a night in HD)
846 ESPH HD (rarely in HD, maybe 2 or 3 shows a week)
876 INHD (always in HD)
877 INHD2 (always in HD)
880 HBO HD (almost always in HD)
881 HBO HD (almost always in HD)
890 SHOWTIME HD
(No ABC or PBS in HD yet)

THE ANALOG CHANNELS
================
2 IND (INDEPENDENT) -- WATC
3 ABC -- WSB
4 FOX -- WAGA
5 OTHER -- ATLANTA INTERFAITH BROADCASTERS
6 NBC -- WXIA
7 TBS SUPERSTATION
8 PBS -- GPTV
9 CBS (NATIONAL) -- WGCL
10 UPN -- WUPA
11 TBN - TRINITY BROADCAST NETWORK
12 PAX TV -- WPXA
13 WB (NATIONAL) -- WALT
14 UNIVISION -- WUVG
16 PBS -- WPBA
19 WEATHERSCAN LOCAL
20 QVC
21 LOCAL ACCESS --
22 LOCAL ACCESS --
23 LOCAL ACCESS --
24 LOCAL ACCESS --
25 LOCAL ACCESS --
26 LOCAL ACCESS --
27 TV GUIDE CHANNEL
29 HSN - HOME SHOPPING NETWORK
30 C-SPAN
31 C-SPAN 2
32 WEATHER CHANNEL
33 TLC - THE LEARNING CHANNEL
34 CNN
35 HEADLINE NEWS
36 CNBC
37 FOX NEWS CHANNEL
38 A&E - ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
39 ABC FAMILY CHANNEL
40 SPIKE TV
41 TNT - TURNER NETWORK TELEVISION
42 USA NETWORK
43 FX
44 DISCOVERY CHANNEL
45 CSS
46 ESPN
47 ESPN 2
48 FOX SPORTS SOUTH (GEORGIA)
49 GOLF CHANNEL
50 MTV
51 VH1
52 HISTORY CHANNEL
53 TURNER SOUTH
54 OXYGEN
55 LIFETIME
56 E! ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION
57 FOOD NETWORK
58 COURT TV
59 HGTV - HOME & GARDEN TELEVISION
60 TRAVEL CHANNEL
61 ANIMAL PLANET
62 CARTOON NETWORK
63 NICKELODEON
64 DISNEY CHANNEL
65 TV LAND
66 AMC - AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS
68 COMEDY CENTRAL
69 TURNER SOUTH
70 BRAVO
71 WE - WOMEN'S ENTERTAINMENT
72 BET - BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION
73 TELEMUNDO --
74 SCI-FI CHANNEL
75 SPEED CHANNEL
76 HBO (also in standard def digital, see 300 range)
77 CINEMAX (also in standard def digital, see 300 range)
78 CMT - COUNTRY MUSIC TELEVISION
80 SHOWTIME (also in standard def digital, see 300 range)

THE DIGITAL (STANDARD DEF) CHANNELS
=============================
120 MSNBC
121 ESPNEWS
122 ESPN CLASSIC
124 FOX SPORTS WORLD
125 C-SPAN 3
126 OUTDOOR LIFE NETWORK
128 GAME SHOW NETWORK
129 STYLE
130 BBC AMERICA
131 DISCOVERY HEALTH
132 THE SCIENCE CHANNEL
133 DISCOVERY KIDS
134 G4
135 NOGGIN
136 NASA
138 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL
139 WAM!
140 IFC - INDEPENDENT FILM CHANNEL
141 WISDOM
142 ENCORE
143 ENCORE TRUE STORIES EAST
144 ENCORE LOVE STORIES EAST
145 ENCORE MYSTERY EAST
146 ENCORE WESTERNS EAST
147 ENCORE ACTION EAST
148 SHOPNBC
150 OTHER -- DIGITAL INFORMATION CHANNEL
156 ENCORE TRUE STORIES WEST
157 ENCORE LOVE STORIES WEST
158 ENCORE MYSTERY WEST
159 ENCORE WESTERNS WEST
160 ENCORE ACTION WEST
162 MTV 2
163 MTV HITS DIGITAL
164 VH1 CLASSIC
165 VH1 SOUL
166 VH1 COUNTRY
170 GAC - GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY
202 LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK
206 CNN FINANCIAL
207 OTHER -- BLOOMBERG
209 TECH TV
210 OUTDOOR CHANNEL
212 WEATHERSCAN LOCAL
218 HISTORY INTERNATIONAL
219 BIOGRAPHY
220 DISCOVERY WINGS
221 DISCOVERY TIMES
253 DISCOVERY HOME & LEISURE
256 HEALTH NETWORK
261 WORD NETWORK
262 INSPIRATIONAL LIFE TV
263 DAYSTAR DIGITAL
264 ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION NET
265 FAMILY NET DIGITAL
266 TOON DISNEY
267 GAS - NICK GAMES & SPORTS
269 NICKTOON
272 MBC NETWORK
275 BET ON JAZZ
276 BET HIP HOP DIGITAL
277 BET GOSPEL DIGITAL
280 SUNDANCE CHANNEL
281 FOX MOVIE CHANNEL
282 OVATION DIGITAL
283 TRIO
284 FUSE
285 GOOD LIFE TV NETWORK
286 INTERNATIONAL CHANNEL
287 NW NEWS
290 FOX SPORTS DIGITAL - ATLANTIC
291 FOX SPORTS DIGITAL - CENTRAL
292 FOX SPORTS DIGITAL - PACIFIC
301 HBO EAST
303 HBO PLUS EAST
304 HBO COMEDY EAST
305 HBO SIGNATURE EAST
306 HBO ZONE EAST
307 HBO FAMILY EAST
309 HBO LATINO EAST
311 HBO WEST
313 HBO PLUS WEST
315 HBO SIGNATURE WEST
317 HBO FAMILY WEST
319 HBO LATINO WEST
321 STARZ! 3 WEST
323 STARZ! THEATER
324 BLACK STARZ!
325 STARZ! FAMILY
326 STARZ! CINEMA
331 CINEMAX WEST
333 MORE MAX WEST
335 ACTION MAX WEST
341 CINEMAX EAST
343 MORE MAX EAST
345 ACTION MAX EAST
346 THRILLER MAX EAST
347 WMAX EAST
348 OUTER MAX EAST
349 @MAX EAST
350 5 STAR MAX EAST
361 SHOWTIME
362 SHOWTIME BEYOND
364 SHOWTIME TOO
366 SHOWTIME SHOWCASE
368 SHOWTIME EXTREME
369 SHOWTIME FAMILY EAST
370 SHOWTIME NEXT EAST
371 SHOWTIME WOMEN EAST
381 TMC - THE MOVIE CHANNEL
383 TMC XTRA - THE MOVIE CHANNEL XTRA
384 FLIX
390 KTN KOREAN TELEVISION
393 TV JAPAN
400 COMCAST iNDEMAND PREVIEWS
401 - 422 COMCAST iNDEMAND
423 - 429 Comcast iNDEMAND/NASCAR
430 - 434 COMCAST iNDEMAND
440 HOT CHOICE NETWORK
441 HOT NETWORK
442 THE HOT ZONE
443 PLAYBOY
444 PLAYBOY EN ESPANOL
445 SPICE
446 SPICE 2
450 ESPN NOW
451 - 455 ESPN EXTRA
460 - 468 NHL / MLB PPV
470 - 481 NBA LEAGUE PASS
501 CNN EN ESPANOL
502 TVE INTERNACIONAL
504 HTV MUSICA
506 FOX SPORTS WORLD EN ESPANOL
508 CINELATINO
510 DISCOVERY EN ESPANOL
512 TOON DISNEY
514 MTV ESPAÑOL
516 VH UNO
518 LATIN CONTEMPORARY
519 FIESTA TROPICAL (CANALES)
520 ROCK 'EN ESPANOL (DIGITAL MUSIC)
521 LATIN JAZZ
522 TEJANO
523 SALSA MERENGUE (DIGITAL MUSIC)
524 MUSICA OF THE AMERICAS
901-945 DIGITAL MUSIC

Great info. I will be printing out that line up.

One more question and forgive me if it is a stupid one. What is broadcast on 804, 806 and 809 when the show is not in HD? Are the channels blank, or is it the regular programs in digital (non HD) quality. I guess my question is, do you ever watch the analog network channels 4, 6 and 9 or do you always have it on 804, 806 and 809?

Thanks again!

All of those channels (804, 806, 809, and 846) broadcast in standard def for non-HD shows, but the broadcast is at least digital. The Motorolla 5100 box will upsample the picture to the resolution of your choice (i.e. 1080i), but it is not the same as if the broadcast had come in at 1080i.

804 (Fox) and 864 (ESPN) are annoying. Unless the show is broadcast in "Fox Widescreen" or ESPN HD, you get a 4:3 picture that is stretched to 16:9 and there is nothing that you can do about it. Its being stretched as its broadcast and not by your TV. At least on the other channels, when they boadcast in non-HD, they keep the aspect ratio correct.

Originally posted by Gator123
Great info. I will be printing out that line up.

One more question and forgive me if it is a stupid one. What is broadcast on 804, 806 and 809 when the show is not in HD? Are the channels blank, or is it the regular programs in digital (non HD) quality. I guess my question is, do you ever watch the analog network channels 4, 6 and 9 or do you always have it on 804, 806 and 809?

Thanks again!

I rarely watch 4, 6 or 9 unless I am having breakups on the digital channels, which was happening for me last night. Even though you get the non-HD program stretch on 804 and 846 it doesn't really bother me and the PQ is better than the analog versions on 4 and 46.

OK.... I have about had it with Comcast!

Once AGAIN channel 809 is out! Called "customer service" but they said there probably wasn't anything they could do about for 12 hours or so and they'd let Network Ops know about it.

Of course, they tried to blame it on my box again!

Maybe we can take up a collection and buy Comcast an HDTV set so they can acutally WATCH the signals to see if they're working.

ARRGGHHH!

Originally posted by srothwell
OK.... I have about had it with Comcast!

Once AGAIN channel 809 is out! Called "customer service" but they said there probably wasn't anything they could do about for 12 hours or so and they'd let Network Ops know about it.

Of course, they tried to blame it on my box again!

Maybe we can take up a collection and buy Comcast an HDTV set so they can acutally WATCH the signals to see if they're working.

ARRGGHHH!

Just posted this question on the Yahoo groups ahdtv forum. I have asked if anyone is getting this OTA. This is getting to be a regular weekend occurrence with an HD channel out. Is somebody flipping a switch before they leave for the weekend? Sheesh!:mad:

If Comcast is going with the Motorola HD box then why is it rolling out the SA 8000HD in Arlington VA and also in a few markets on the West coast? I would think they'd stick with a single box. Also when you go on the Comcast website and go to the PVR menu you see the SA8000 not the Motorola.

Originally posted by Cattledog
If Comcast is going with the Motorola HD box then why is it rolling out the SA 8000HD in Arlington VA and also in a few markets on the West coast?

Which markets on the west coast are you referring to, and what is the source of your information?

Thanks.

From the Comcast website:

Can I view HDTV programs with the Explorer 8000?

No. In order to view HDTV programs, you need an SA 3100 set top box. However, we expect to introduce a box that supports offers both DVR and HDTV service within a year.

Did this information help to answer your question?
Yes
No

I read about it on one of the West Coast threads and they had posted a pic of the unit which was an SA 8000HD.

Originally posted by Cattledog
From the Comcast website:

Can I view HDTV programs with the Explorer 8000?

No. In order to view HDTV programs, you need an SA 3100 set top box. However, we expect to introduce a box that supports offers both DVR and HDTV service within a year.

Did this information help to answer your question?
Yes
No

I read about it on one of the West Coast threads and they had posted a pic of the unit which was an SA 8000HD.

But Comcast uses different boxes in some areas. The quote on their website refers to an area where they use the Scientific Atlanta box for current HD delivery. They use the Motorola 5100 here and we have heard before that they intend to deploy the Motorola 6208 (with only 80GB apparently).

So, who knows? I know that there is talk on the Seattle thread about the Moto 6208.

Originally posted by Cattledog


I read about it on one of the West Coast threads and they had posted a pic of the unit which was an SA 8000HD.

The post on the "West Coast thread" simply went to Comcast.com and copied the picture posted by Comcast there. So, your assumption that the post meant that west coast Comcast areas would get an SA HD PVR box is incorrect.

The box out here, in all west coast areas, will be the Motorola 6208.

Could anyone confirm if you have lost the video/audio feed for the Comcast Fox digital channel 804? Hate to miss the WS in widescreen and I have reported a problem with the feed but as ususal the CSR solution is to schedule a visit to check the box when this type of problem needs multiple reports to goad them into actually checking their feed.:(

Nope, working fine here right now.

Originally posted by ChrisATL
Nope, working fine here right now.

Dang it, now CBS HD channel 809 is out on Comcast! I saw some posts on Yahoo AHDTV group about sound problems earlier but just turned on the game (or tried to) and no audio or video. ARRRRGGGHHH!:confused:

Update on Motorola 6208:

I got an e-mail response yesterday from Comcast regarding the Atlanta rollout of DVR service. They expect to start offering it in December, but no word on price. It will be the Motorola, not SA, box, because Atlanta uses a Motorola head-end.

I also asked about price and whether the firewire port would be active, for external hard drive expansion. Those questions were forwarded on to technical support and I don't expect to hear any definitive answers until the rollout has actually started.

So Is it Middle of December or at the beginning of the month? HOw do we sign up for it?

Attached in pertinent part is the text of the follow up message I just received from Comcast Customer Support:


We will be using the Motorola 6208 HD DVR box. The monthly cost will be
$9.95 for the DVR capability and $5.00 for the HD capability in addition
to the digital package that you subscribe to. The hard drive will record
up to 40 hours of content and will work with our OnDemand feature. The
cable programming will be on a server in the headend rather than loaded
on the set-top box. We have not yet received a test box to see all of
the box features. I have forwarded your name to our Marketing contact so
that you will be contacted when the DVR boxes become available.

If you have any additional questions, please reply to this email or call
our customer service department. Our customer service department can be
reached at 1-888-COMCAST. We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for
your convenience.

Sincerely,

Comcast Customer Care Specialist

PLEASE, PLEASE let us know when you get the e-mail saying the PVR boxes are available.

I called the normal 404-COMCAST number today and, of course, the person there didn't have any idea what I was talking about, much less what HDTV was!

Originally posted by srothwell
PLEASE, PLEASE let us know when you get the e-mail saying the PVR boxes are available.

I called the normal 404-COMCAST number today and, of course, the person there didn't have any idea what I was talking about, much less what HDTV was!

I just used the "e-mail customer support" option on the Comcast website. The first thing I got was (I think) an automated response. The second e-mail was my post above. I think we should all e-mail Comcast about PVR to show some interest is already present.

That being said, I'll definitely post with any new info I receive.:)

Hey!

Check this out:

http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/multimedia_demo.asp


This is an interactive demo of the Motorola 6208.....

regards,

Stacy

I am finally moving back to Snellville from Columbia, SC and I am really looking forward to the HD-PVR. Time Warner has been excellent here in SC for nearly 4 years, but I still only have 2 networks, PBS, HBO, SHOW and DISC-HD. Comcast seems to be offering more channels faster than TW.

I know Comcast customer service sucks, but their product appears to be better than most carriers around the country. They just need to get WSB and GPTV in HD and I will be very happy.

After reading this thread, I have decided to take the plunge and "ditch my dishnetwork". I just ordered up the Comcast Silver Package with two HD receivers and the cable modem and it is supposed to all be installed next Tuesday. With the $400 rebate over the 16 months, my total cost will be under $100 per month, as compared to about $130 per month that I am currently paying from my dish and DSL and I will finally have HDTV! I just hope I am not disappointed with the quality of the non-HD stuff as compared to the satellite.

When I asked about the HD DVR, they said it is not out yet, but should be available "soon", they just don't have a date yet. The guy said it would be no problem to upgrade one of my HD receivers when it comes out and they probably will not charge me any service fee.

Does anyone have any tips for the initial installation? Like things that I should make sure they do? I have two cable outlets that I have never used as they were never terminated (the wire has a bare end). Will they hook these up as part of the installation, or can I get the guy to do it for some extra cash?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Gator,

As much as I love to slam Comcast, they did a pretty good job on my install.

The biggesting thing you'll need to watch out for is signal strength. I have a central wiring system in my home for phone, RJ45, RF. The RF is passive. When it was being distributed to 12 different rooms the signal strength degraded enough that the HD stuff wouldn't work.

Frankly, I expected the installer to say it wasn't his problem and move on. Quite the contrary. He installed an amplified splitter at no charge and, except there's now this big octopus of wire hanging out of the wall where the central wiring box used to handle everything in a sealed in-wall container, it works great.

There is one very annoying thing you'll start to have to deal with (like everyone else here)..... For no reason, randomly, certain HD channels will just not work any more. You'll get a screen that says ONE MOMENT PLEASE and it will never go away. Just like all of us here in this group, you'll call the customer-no-service idiots at Comcast and they'll tell you that they've never heard of any outage and unless 25 people call in and say there's a problem, they'll have to send a tech out to your house sometime in the next 10 days.

Almost like clockwork, the next business morning, the channel comes back. It's remarkably like someone comes in the office and looks and finds a piece of gear locked up. Of Comcast denies this and still claims it has to do with your house........

This last thing is the only thing that makes me shy about having a SuperBowl party at my house..... it's on a Sunday and there's a whole lot of chance that WGCL-DT will not work.

Oh, yes..... there's still the issue of WSB not being on Comcast. WSB says, point-blank, that Comcast is demanding too much money. I don't know who's telling the truth but they're both probably greedy, lying sacks of sh*t. At least ABC has crappy shows :-)

Good luck and welcome to HD!

Originally posted by Gator123
Does anyone have any tips for the initial installation? Like things that I should make sure they do? I have two cable outlets that I have never used as they were never terminated (the wire has a bare end). Will they hook these up as part of the installation, or can I get the guy to do it for some extra cash?

Thanks for any suggestions.

I had several unterminated cable outlets when they came to install mine. The tech was happy to terminate them and test all my other outlets for no charge. He even installed a splitter to support all 8 rooms in my house that are wired for cable. Hope everything works out well for you... I'm very happy with my Comcast HD so far!

For me I have only had 2 problems since getting the HD package from Comcast. When they 1st came out to install CBS was out , and I think a month ago CBS was out again for a couple of hours.

Overall I have been very happy with Comcast HD service, I just wish we get more stations ie. ABC, Discover HD...

any news on the new Moto DVR system as of today?

I'm FINALLY about to ditch the Dish as well, but it's really tough to do because of my PVR system. My wife and I are COMPLETELY addicted to that service. So, this is exactly the news I've been waiting for.

Plus the fact that Comcast hasn't had HD in my area...I just called today (my bi-weekly call) and it's actually available! I was totally expecting the usual "should be available next month" answer.

So anyway...if you have any news on the DVR, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks in advance
J

Originally posted by srothwell
Gator,

There is one very annoying thing you'll start to have to deal with (like everyone else here)..... For no reason, randomly, certain HD channels will just not work any more. You'll get a screen that says ONE MOMENT PLEASE and it will never go away. Just like all of us here in this group, you'll call the customer-no-service idiots at Comcast and they'll tell you that they've never heard of any outage and unless 25 people call in and say there's a problem, they'll have to send a tech out to your house sometime in the next 10 days.

Almost like clockwork, the next business morning, the channel comes back. It's remarkably like someone comes in the office and looks and finds a piece of gear locked up. Of Comcast denies this and still claims it has to do with your house........

This last thing is the only thing that makes me shy about having a SuperBowl party at my house..... it's on a Sunday and there's a whole lot of chance that WGCL-DT will not work.

Oh, yes..... there's still the issue of WSB not being on Comcast. WSB says, point-blank, that Comcast is demanding too much money. I don't know who's telling the truth but they're both probably greedy, lying sacks of sh*t. At least ABC has crappy shows :-)

Good luck and welcome to HD!

A couple of comments about your post. The "channel will be available shortly" message can be caused by a local signal strength problem if it is not an actual channel outage. You can check the current signal strength and errors for that channel but turning off the cable box and pressing OK within 2 seconds to bring up the box menu. Go the in Inbound Status (or something similar) to look at the current status of that channel.

Also, the fact that neither Comcast nor Charter carries the local WSB digital signal tells me that it is more likely an issue with WSB rather than the cable company demands, though that is my personal opinion of course. Also, remember that Cox owns WSB, isn't that coincidental?

Originally posted by DDisney
Also, the fact that neither Comcast nor Charter carries the local WSB digital signal tells me that it is more likely an issue with WSB rather than the cable company demands, though that is my personal opinion of course. Also, remember that Cox owns WSB, isn't that coincidental?

I have never heard of anyone saying that Comcast wants $$$ to carry a major network's (ABC, NBC, CBS) HD signal. Comcast wants to carry these HD signals to boost its HD local advantage over satellite and thus will do so without asking for any compensation from a local station from everything that I have read and observed.

Where Comcast draws the line is it won't pay the local station extra $$$ for carriage of the HD signal-- that way Comcast subscribers don't have to pay extra $ to get local HD signals. Comcast already pays the local stations with major network (ABC, NBC, CBS) affiliations $$$ for the analog versions of their channels-- this is a significant source of income for these local stations. But some local stations (Sinclair-owned, Cox-owned, Viacom-owned) apparently want more $$$ for the "privilege" of Comcast carrying the HD signals.

It is definitely a Cox problem, versus a Comcast problem. Comcast carries ABC HD locals in just about every market where Comcast has HD, so it's not a problem dealing with ABC affiliates in general.

But NONE of Cox's major stations (KIRO-CBS in Seattle; WSB-ABC in Atlanta; WPXI-NBC in Pittsburgh; KTVU-Fox in San Francisco Bay Area) have reached agreement to allow Comcast carriage of their HD/digital signals.

So all appearances are that Cox (like Viacom and Sinclair) is demanding more from Comcast than are all the other HD broadcasting local stations that have already gained digital carriage on Comcast.

For all you in Atlanta, Comcast has all the major local digital signals (CBS, NBC, Fox) except ABC. And as I mentioned, ABC HD/digitals are available in almost all other Comcast HD areas. So that right there tells you that Cox is playing hardball with respect to negotiations about Comcast carriage of its HD/digital version of WSB.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
So all appearances are that Cox (like Viacom and Sinclair) is demanding more from Comcast than are all the other HD broadcasting local stations that have already gained digital carriage on Comcast.

For all you in Atlanta, Comcast has all the major local digital signals (CBS, NBC, Fox) except ABC. And as I mentioned, ABC HD/digitals are available in almost all other Comcast HD areas. So that right there tells you that Cox is playing hardball with respect to negotiations about Comcast carriage of its HD/digital version of WSB.

I have no doubt that you are correct, that's basically what I was implying.

I am just sick of the pettiness between these guys and we are the ones who lose of course.

has anyone heard if the new Moto box is out yet (the PVR version)?

I'm still waiting on this to "ditch the Dish"...otherwise the wife might hand over the divorce papers. She's just a TAD bit attached to TIVO. :p

Thanks
J

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
. . . For all you in Atlanta, Comcast has all the major local digital signals (CBS, NBC, Fox) except ABC.

What?! No HD Monday Night Football? I'm a newbie to cable, have been with E* and am fed up with them if I can just get comparable programming.

Just a couple of questions:

Does the Motorola have OTA capability?

I keep hearing about how bad SD is on cable. Is it really a whole lot worse than SD with E*?

Originally posted by dmorphy
What?! No HD Monday Night Football? I'm a newbie to cable, have been with E* and am fed up with them if I can just get comparable programming.

Just a couple of questions:

Does the Motorola have OTA capability?

I keep hearing about how bad SD is on cable. Is it really a whole lot worse than SD with E*?

Nope, no OTA capability and the lack of ABC digital carriage is my biggest gripe with Comcast locally.

Don't have E* so I can't compare, but the SD channels are hit or miss as to quality through the Moto 5100 using component. Some folks use the Svideo output to watch the Non-HD channels but you lose the guide that way I believe.

So any word on the newer PVR edition of the Motorola box for Comcast?

Still waiting word on this before I jump the gun and go for Comcast.

Thanks,
J

I just got off the phone with Comcast after ordering installation for my 61" DLP. Sales Rep. said they are being told "by Spring" also said ABC & Discovery by the end of the year. We will see

Spring....man, I don't know if the wife and I can go "DVR-less" until then. I was hoping for a closer time period.

Oh well...we'll see what happens I guess.

Thanks for the info.

J

So which end of year for ABC are they talking about 2003 or 2004 :rolleyes: ?

Good question - she just added this info at the end of the call but I assumed it was 2003

I just talked to a Comcast manager and he told me that they had to move the date to deploy the new Motorola DVRs from December to January because during the testing in Washington DC they found several software bugs. They are working with Motorola to fix that.

Hope this helps.

My installer told me basically the same thing on Tuesday. He made it sound like they had the boxes in house and were just waiting to get the "bugs worked out" before they roll them out. He did not have any idea of the time frame though.

I am having a couple of problems with my install that I was hoping some of you might be able to help me with.

The first is that the sound breaks up intermittently on a few of the HD channels so bad that my wife had to switch over to the analog channel to watch survivor last night. Is this common, or could it be a problem with my cable line to that set?


The second is that the video on the INHD1 channel on the same set will also break up some times into a crazy looking vertical stripe pattern. It does not seem to do it on that same channel on my other set and does not do it on any of the other HD channels on that set. Any thoughts?

Finally, since I hooked the cable up, I am getting a very faint line that rolls up the screen when I watch DVD's. If I unhook the cable from the back of the HD box, it goes away. I am guessing this is some sort of ground loop, but I was not sure what to do about it other than unhook the cable every time I watch a DVD.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Overall, so far I am happy with the switch from E* and just need to get these few issues worked out.

Thanks!

Gator,

I think there was a problem last night with 809 & 876 ( I don't eve think it was working for a couple of hours).

Check this yahoo group out, you can always ask other if their having same issue. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ahdtv/messages

The first is that the sound breaks up intermittently on a few of the HD channels so bad that my wife had to switch over to the analog channel to watch survivor last night. Is this common, or could it be a problem with my cable line to that set?
i'm in atl as well. i'm not sure if it's a common problem but mine does the same thing. some DT programs seem to do this but luckily i haven't seen this problem on HD programs yet.

The second is that the video on the INHD1 channel on the same set will also break up some times into a crazy looking vertical stripe pattern. It does not seem to do it on that same channel on my other set and does not do it on any of the other HD channels on that set. Any thoughts? Finally, since I hooked the cable up, I am getting a very faint line that rolls up the screen when I watch DVD's. If I unhook the cable from the back of the HD box, it goes away. I am guessing this is some sort of ground loop, but I was not sure what to do about it other than unhook the cable every time I watch a DVD.
hmm, i don't know. perhaps you might have a bad STB or cables. i do see picture break up's every once a while but i don't see the vertical stripe you mentioned. of course, my setting is different from yours so it's not a good comparison. i route my stb through a receiver then to TV.

comcast hd signal is very sensitive, at least at my place. i had to make sure every connection was securely fastened. i also had to trace my cable and straightened most of the place. this helped a lot. but i still get occasional drop outs. i hate them but i'm also getting used to them.:(

since you recently got it installed, you should be able to ask comcast to come out and check your wiring/equipments again. if the signal is too low/noisy, they may install an amp/filter for you. good luck

So far, so good with Comcast - though it's only been a few days. They installed it earlier this week.

The cable guy was friendly and helpful, and knew absolutely nothing about the Motorola HD STB. Quote: "they haven't taught us anything about these." Of course this box is sprouting with I/O: USB, DVI, S-Video, Component, and one lonely co-ax. So he was in the process of "working up a co-ax jumper" to go from the STB to my Pioneer 530, and I said "here, why don't I try these optical and component cables." Luckily, I had been using an HD tuner for OTA HD, so I just moved the cables and voila, it all worked. I have the optical cable going directly to the receiver (for sound) and the component cables going directly to the TV (for video).

One thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of digital artifacts (pixelization, blocking) on the non-HD channels. I assume this is due to the lossy digital compression that is part of "digital cable". It seems especially bad on the History channel for some reason.

BTW, before the install I ran all new cable in the house, and had the tech run new cable from the street box to the house. No problems with sound or picture on HD sources so far.

Originally posted by Bingman
So far, so good with Comcast - though it's only been a few days. They installed it earlier this week.

One thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of digital artifacts (pixelization, blocking) on the non-HD channels. I assume this is due to the lossy digital compression that is part of "digital cable". It seems especially bad on the History channel for some reason.

BTW, before the install I ran all new cable in the house, and had the tech run new cable from the street box to the house. No problems with sound or picture on HD sources so far.

You should not be having breakup/blocking on ANY of your channels. especially the non-HD channels. If anything, it should be more likely to see this problem on the HD channels. I would ask Comcast back to check the signal strength. It has taken several visits to get things tweaked for HD but I have never had problems with the non-HD channels.

I'm from Baltimore. DMuir wrote that the tech said ABC and DISCOVERY by the end of the year.

My understanding is that nobody on Comcast has DiscoveryHD and it is, now (we got CBS 3 days ago), with HDNET most asked for channel. (I assumed we'll never get HDNET, but competition is wonderful).

Please let us know if anybody else can confirm that Altlanta will get Discovery by the end of the year.

Thanks,

Rich N.

Raidbuck,

Can't really confirm, but I called Comcast's Atlanta number today about the Motorola 6208 (still no news) and while I was on they did tell me that ABC and DiscoveryHD were the two channels that were in negotiation to be added in Atlanta and they "hoped they would be added by the end of the year."

In Comcast time, that means we should have those channels around May. But if the CSRs know that Comcast is in talks with DiscoveryHD, it's probably true and almost a done deal, because usually the CSRs know less about what Comcast is doing than every single poster on this thread.;)

Talked to Comcast again, this rep. said "sometime next year" I guess we will see

Thanks, guys. My wife would love it if we got DiscoveryHD (and I assume that if Atlanta got it then Baltimore would as well) in time for the Rose Parade.

Anyway, hope is wonderful, and things are happening. Good luck on ABC, they have lots of HD stuff.

Rich N.

Why do some other Comcast cities alredy have Starz HD and Cinemax HD, but not here??

Originally posted by gt5059b
Why do some other Comcast cities alredy have Starz HD and Cinemax HD, but not here??

Good question, I bet that they will say its a capacity issue, but that's just a guess. Of course they could do away with some of the garbage SD channels (plenty of those) or some of the PPV channels that show the same movie with different start times, but that would be too easy. Besides, the first thing I want to see added is ABC HD. No locals have been added since I got the service about 8 months ago.

I called Comcast and they told the Motorola 6208 will be out at mid January and also that Cinemax HD will be on channel 885. They also know for sure Discovery HD and ABC HD will be added no later than end of January. I GUESS WE WILL SEE

Originally posted by Gator123
My installer told me basically the same thing on Tuesday. He made it sound like they had the boxes in house and were just waiting to get the "bugs worked out" before they roll them out. He did not have any idea of the time frame though.

I am having a couple of problems with my install that I was hoping some of you might be able to help me with.

The first is that the sound breaks up intermittently on a few of the HD channels so bad that my wife had to switch over to the analog channel to watch survivor last night. Is this common, or could it be a problem with my cable line to that set?


The second is that the video on the INHD1 channel on the same set will also break up some times into a crazy looking vertical stripe pattern. It does not seem to do it on that same channel on my other set and does not do it on any of the other HD channels on that set. Any thoughts?

Finally, since I hooked the cable up, I am getting a very faint line that rolls up the screen when I watch DVD's. If I unhook the cable from the back of the HD box, it goes away. I am guessing this is some sort of ground loop, but I was not sure what to do about it other than unhook the cable every time I watch a DVD.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Overall, so far I am happy with the switch from E* and just need to get these few issues worked out.

Thanks!

We have been having this issue also. Exact same issues (except the DVD thing) This cable box is stupid in that it outputs some signal over the component cables even when it's turned off. This casues it to override the svid and compisite that's on the same input on my tv

The 5100 does not "override" the other video outputs. Output is simultaneous on all Video outputs.

CD

An installer came out on 12/30 to install a 5100 box. ESPN and INHD2 have never worked (says it is "not authorized"). Fox 804 has been terrible. INHD has been bad. Today, 806 has been bad while I was trying to watch the Rose Parade. Then while I was on hold with Comcast, all my HD channels went out (says this channel should be back shortly).

Various CSRs at Comcast have told me (1) wait a few hours for download, (2) wait 24 hours for download, (3) FOX is no longer providing HD signal, (4) we'll get a technician out today [12/31] and will call you back, (5) we'll fax you instructions for the antiquated remote we left for you...none of which has happened.

I just spoke with an "escalation specialist" who said (1) FOX is still broadcasting, (2) a tech will come tomorrow (Jan 2) to get things working, and (3) he'll bring a new remote. We'll see what happens.

Originally posted by hughn41
An installer came out on 12/30 to install a 5100 box. ESPN and INHD2 have never worked (says it is "not authorized"). Fox 804 has been terrible. INHD has been bad. Today, 806 has been bad while I was trying to watch the Rose Parade. Then while I was on hold with Comcast, all my HD channels went out (says this channel should be back shortly).

Various CSRs at Comcast have told me (1) wait a few hours for download, (2) wait 24 hours for download, (3) FOX is no longer providing HD signal, (4) we'll get a technician out today [12/31] and will call you back, (5) we'll fax you instructions for the antiquated remote we left for you...none of which has happened.

I just spoke with an "escalation specialist" who said (1) FOX is still broadcasting, (2) a tech will come tomorrow (Jan 2) to get things working, and (3) he'll bring a new remote. We'll see what happens.

You should not be having these problems. I just checked and all of the HD/digital channels are working fine for me. Fox has NEVER broadcast in HD, but does broadcast in digital. Your situation sounds like a signal strength issue. Do you have a splitter for the cable going into your Moto 5100? If so, get rid of that to test. It does not take 24 hours for a download, usually no more than an hour. What instructions do you need for the remote? You can go to the navigation guide channel on Comcast cable if you have questions about the operation. Another thing to try is to check the signal strength and errors for the HD/digital channels giving you trouble. Go to one of these channels, press Cable, then Power on the remote, then press OK within 2 seconds. Go to the Inbound diagnostic option and watch the screen and note the correctable and uncorrectable error count, which updates every few seconds. If you are getting a high number of uncorrectable errors (over 1K) then you probably have a signal strength issue.

Glad I found this thread.

I don't get my box until Monday, but there is a lot of information here that I can use! :thumbs:

Is everyone getting TRUE 5.1 surround when they watch the HD channels (of course, for the shows that are putting it out).

For a couple of months now, I have noticed a lack of "depth" in the sound on the HD channels, particularly the movie channels (like HBO HD) which I KNOW are transmitting the full 5.1 mix. In fact, I do not believe I have ever heard anything come out of the rear channels.

The front three channels work just fine, and my Sony ES receiver tells me that, in fact, it is receiving the flag that there are 6 channels of audio coming in from the optical connector out of the 5100.

So, I out my Star Wars Episode II DVD in, and of course, was hip-deep in surround sound from the moment the first ship appeared. 10 minutes later, I tuned in HBO-HD to watch the same movie... nothing in the surround channel.

Anyone have any ideas? Just to be safe, I swapped inputs to the receiver with my DVD player, just on the off chance that something was messed up (which I seriously doubted it was), and nothing changed. I also made sure the volume was up on the surround channels. I even turned it to maximum.

You gotta know that Comcast is re-compressing the HD bitstream. Could they have their encoders messed up so that it is deleting the rear channels, but keeping the flag turned on? Just a guess.

Please take a moment to see if you're getting any surround info.

Best regards,

Stacy

about the problems with FOX and ESPN on HD. i've had issues with them ever since they installed my HD box. i've called a bunch of times and all they can tell me is to "jiggle" the wires. as dumb as that sounds, it usually works. i have a 50ft coax cable running under carpet across the room, and have to make sure nothing heavy is sitting on it and it's not kinked at any point. if it is, then i either get no signal to those 2 channels, or it's so pixelated and jumpy that it's unbearable to watch. right now the signal is good, but i don't expect that for too long.

anyway.....i was wondering (and hoping) that a cable signal booster might help. is this possible? i live in an apartment, and the signal isn't split once it enters my living room, but does that necessarily mean that comcast hasn't split the signal before it enters the building or something? if a booster would work, is there a recommended type? i need this to be working as good as possible.....the Super Bowl's coming up! thanks in advance.

oh yeah......any word on when the DVI output will be activated?

Very few broadcasts are in 5.1. The brodcasters are putting out a 5.1 signal but the source is rarely in 5.1.

So even though the indication in the amp is 5.1 the source is usually only in stereo.

Originally posted by dogongt
about the problems with FOX and ESPN on HD. i've had issues with them ever since they installed my HD box. i've called a bunch of times and all they can tell me is to "jiggle" the wires. as dumb as that sounds, it usually works. i have a 50ft coax cable running under carpet across the room, and have to make sure nothing heavy is sitting on it and it's not kinked at any point. if it is, then i either get no signal to those 2 channels, or it's so pixelated and jumpy that it's unbearable to watch. right now the signal is good, but i don't expect that for too long.



I had problems with HD reception with Comcast as well from the 5100 to my Sammy HLN467 DLP. On any of the HD channels I'd either get breakups (video and audio) or I'd get the "Channel will be available" shortly message. These problems would be totally random when they happened and would last for very short to long periods of time. With my setup I orginally had the cable from the wall go into my surge protector; then I split it with one line going straight to the TV and the other to the 5100.

I called Comcast and they sent out a tech to look at it. After I explained the problems and showed him my setup. The guys said the problem is that 1) I wasn't using the reccomended splitter and 2) I shouldn't be running the cable into my surge protector.

After removing the surge protector from the equation and using the Comcast splitter, the problems I had have virtually disappeared. Every once inawhile, I'll get a breakup, but it's very rare and have yet to get the unavailable message. I'm pretty sure the Monster splitter I was using wasn't the problem, but it was the surge protector degrading the singal.

P.S. Go Jackets ;-)

yeah, go jackets! is your monster splitter also a signal booster? i wanna split the signal as well.....so can use the PIP features on my hitachi 51s500. i just don't understand how every channel, including all HD channels (of the few that are provided) are perfectly fine, expcept for FOXHD and ESPNHD. doesn't make sense to me. i don't think those channels (i know FOX isn't) are true HD either.....just straight digital. so they should be taking up less bandwidth in the cable transmission, correct? wouldn't that mean that the channels should come in as clear and problem-free as possible....especially if CBS or NBC true 1080i broadcasts come in crystal clear? maybe i'm missin something....

I just got my box today from Comcast. I connected the coax digital audio output. My receiver is showing that I'm getting the 5.1 signal from the box, but it's breaking up, ALOT.

Anybody know what's causing this? Should I go with the optical output?

Thanks.

Originally posted by dogongt
yeah, go jackets! is your monster splitter also a signal booster? i wanna split the signal as well.....so can use the PIP features on my hitachi 51s500. i just don't understand how every channel, including all HD channels (of the few that are provided) are perfectly fine, expcept for FOXHD and ESPNHD. doesn't make sense to me. i don't think those channels (i know FOX isn't) are true HD either.....just straight digital. so they should be taking up less bandwidth in the cable transmission, correct? wouldn't that mean that the channels should come in as clear and problem-free as possible....especially if CBS or NBC true 1080i broadcasts come in crystal clear? maybe i'm missin something....


Something is wrong with 804 and 846 since yesterday. I am getting 0 signal from both channels and have reported this to Comcast. You should do the same and indicate to the CSR that others are reporting similar issues and ask them to report to dispatch to check the headend.

Originally posted by DDisney
Something is wrong with 804 and 846 since yesterday. I am getting 0 signal from both channels and have reported this to Comcast. You should do the same and indicate to the CSR that others are reporting similar issues and ask them to report to dispatch to check the headend. There's nothing wrong with either on my box.

Originally posted by KWP
I just got my box today from Comcast. I connected the coax digital audio output. My receiver is showing that I'm getting the 5.1 signal from the box, but it's breaking up, ALOT.

Anybody know what's causing this? Should I go with the optical output?

Thanks.

What Channels? the only time I ever get 5.1 signal are when the football games are being broadcast in HD.

Originally posted by KWP
There's nothing wrong with either on my box.

Great, must be a local head-end issue. Thanks for the update.

Hello all,

I've been reading the posts here recently and I know I've posted this information before, but felt it was probably time again.

Before an October visit by a Comcast technician I was having all of these problems. From time to time I would get pixelation problems and have to "jiggle" the wires. Sometimes I would lose signal alltogether and would have to re-boot the box. Not to mention that sometimes I would get some really weird 5.1 effects when watching one channel that were coming from another. After this technician visited all of these problems were solved.

What did he do? He installed (free) a signal booster in my basement where my main line comes in from the street. All of my HD issues were resolved (and have never come back) and my two other digital boxes are working perfectly as well.

This is a really, really, really easy troubleshooting step to try and I would advise everyone give it a shot. In my case I had a brand new "tap" coming from the street. If this and a signal amplifier does not solve your problem then you probably have an "engineering" (their term) issue in your neighborhood. The technician can open a ticket item with the Comcast "engineering" group at this point and they will check things on the street (happened with a friend of mine who lives around the corner from me).

I hope this helps, happy new year everyone!
Bryan B.

Originally posted by jgn1013
What Channels? the only time I ever get 5.1 signal are when the football games are being broadcast in HD. It was on HBOHD. It was during the broadcast of The Time Machine

Wow, i live in charlotte, had a friend from atlanta check out my HDTV here and now he wants it, so i'm doing a little research. I hate to see that you guys dont have abc or discovery (discovery is the best looking channel in my opinon).

My question is about ESPNHD, we are still in neg for carrying ESPNHD and i wanted to know what the quality has been so far. PQ? sound? amount of content shown in HD? Hopefully, we will have it soon....

peace,
ant

Originally posted by stealthg2000

My question is about ESPNHD, we are still in neg for carrying ESPNHD and i wanted to know what the quality has been so far. PQ? sound? amount of content shown in HD? Hopefully, we will have it soon....

peace,
ant

ESPN HD is fine on Comcast here. PQ is very good, at least during HD broadcasts, but they are sparse. Note that ESPN HD stretches the SD signal when not showing HD. Schedule link posted below, and they are increasing the number of HD broadcasts slowly. I don't have HT audio yet so cant' comment on the sound quality.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tvlistings/espnhd/index

Originally posted by KWP
I just got my box today from Comcast. I connected the coax digital audio output. My receiver is showing that I'm getting the 5.1 signal from the box, but it's breaking up, ALOT.

Anybody know what's causing this? Should I go with the optical output?

Thanks. I repeat. Does anyone have their digital coax hooked up out of their box?

My constantly breaks up. I need help! :mad:

There is absolutely no differnce between the coax and optical output..exact same signal. If you are having breakups it's something else.

There are many time when the source is breaking up. I know this because I also have an OTA receiver.

This may be old news, but I spoke with a CSR this morning who said Cinemax HD will be online this Tuesday, January 13. The bad news is that Comcast is dropping HBOHD west, and to replace it with Cinemax, they will charge you another $10 a month depending on your package. She did not know of any other planned or imminent HD additions, and, with respect to ABC, she repeated the 'in negotiations" line I've been hearing for 6 months or so ( there must be some former Soviet arms negotiators involved). Also, with regard to the various signal problems mentioned in other posts, I also had them until adding a signal booster and skipping the expensive surge protector. Since then, no worries.

Originally posted by carlton h
This may be old news, but I spoke with a CSR this morning who said Cinemax HD will be online this Tuesday, January 13. The bad news is that Comcast is dropping HBOHD west, and to replace it with Cinemax, they will charge you another $10 a month depending on your package. She did not know of any other planned or imminent HD additions, and, with respect to ABC, she repeated the 'in negotiations" line I've been hearing for 6 months or so ( there must be some former Soviet arms negotiators involved). Also, with regard to the various signal problems mentioned in other posts, I also had them until adding a signal booster and skipping the expensive surge protector. Since then, no worries.

CSR's are notoriously unknowledgeable regarding new channel info, but Jan 13 is a pretty specific date so maybe there is something to that. Sounds like the $10 extra is the charge for adding another premium channel if you don't already have the Max channels. I would hope that there would not be a $10 charge if you already subscribe to Cinemax premiums. Not good news about ABC if that is true. I am getting a bit irritated that they have not added ANY new HD locals since they starting HD service Q2 of last year and don't care about Cinemax since I don't have the Max channels anyway.

Originally posted by carlton h
Also, with regard to the various signal problems mentioned in other posts, I also had them until adding a signal booster and skipping the expensive surge protector. Since then, no worries.

did you have comcast supply a signal booster or did you buy one yourself? if so, what brand/kind is recommended and what features should be checked for? i'm assuming radio shack is probably the best place to buy one. i'm in an apartment, so i guess i'd be installing it b/w my wall connector and the STB.....unless there's a better way to do it.

Originally posted by carlton h
This may be old news, but I spoke with a CSR this morning who said Cinemax HD will be online this Tuesday, January 13. The bad news is that Comcast is dropping HBOHD west, and to replace it with Cinemax, they will charge you another $10 a month depending on your package.

If true, this is unacceptable. They have already done this once with SHOHD-West, to make room for InHD1 and 2 and ESPN-HD. If bandwidth is really an issue, how about dropping some of the SD digital channels that have low viewership? Taking away HD channels is not the way to keep your customers that pay the most for your service happy. I think it's time to let Comcast know that we don't want to drop existing HD channels just to make room for new ones...I will be calling to find out if this is true and register a complaint.

i just got and tried out a bidirectional splitter/booster (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F003%5F010%5F001%5F000&product%5Fid=15%2D1197) from RadioShack......trying to improve FOXHD and ESPNHD. it didn't do anything!

what did i do wrong? is that a good/possible solution to the problem?

i installed it near the STB, b/w my 50ft coax from the wall and a 6ft coax to the box. nothing improved, even after adjusting the gain. i then tried putting it near the wall, running a 6ft coax to it, then the 50ft coax to the STB. even worse, as i noticed more distortion on normal cable channels like Comedy Central.

did i not install it correctly, should i have used higher quality coax cables, or should i just call comcast and bitch at them? i really need to get this situation taken care of, especially before the super bowl!

Did anyone lose Simms and Gumbel on the CBS signal during the playoff game in the first quarter?

Originally posted by KWP
Did anyone lose Simms and Gumbel on the CBS signal during the playoff game in the first quarter?

yes...not sure when it came back; I had switched to hear the SD channel while watching HD.

Anyone kknow what's going on with the 6208 PVR Box?

For the 10th time, I called Comcast today and the "CSR" told me they expect them to be available by the end of NEXT month.

Also, they're back to saying they have no idea when WSB or Discovery will be available and he went on to lecture me on the fact that Comcast doesn't choose what it will air, we air what we're given. We'd air everything if we could.

What a line of crap.

I wish these people'd get their act together!

anyone else having any problems with 806 recently? NBC seems to be broadcasting in 480p mode now, instead of it's normal true 1080i, even during normal HD programming (Las Vegas, Leno, etc.). comcast is coming out this afternoon to look at my other problems, so maybe they can fix this too.

Did anybody had a channel 885 in their Comcast guide saying that it was going to be available shortly? It dissapeared the next day....what was that???

Why is NBC not showing HD the last couple of days ????

About the PVR I keep calling Comcast and I keep getting different time frames...they are not all in the same page...it is ridiculous for a company to be clueless....their CSR don't have a clue...some say Discovery HD is coming soon..other say it will be 6 months....and WSB the same....COME ON COMCAST GET IT TOGETHER!!!!

Originally posted by dogongt
anyone else having any problems with 806 recently? NBC seems to be broadcasting in 480p mode now, instead of it's normal true 1080i, even during normal HD programming (Las Vegas, Leno, etc.). comcast is coming out this afternoon to look at my other problems, so maybe they can fix this too.
Yes, I have been having problems as well. Picture quality has been sporadic, some commercials have been stretched to widescreen, but the biggest problem has been audio video synchronization. Nothing worse than seeing lips move without sound. NBC Atlanta has been inconsistent for a while now. Often they will forget to show a HD widescreen show (i.e. West Wing or ER) in widescreen, which displays black bars both horizontally and vertically. Hopefully they will get there act together soon as that is the channel I watch most.


I was anxious to get Cinemax yesterday, and was disappointed to see nothing transpire. Maybe that is what the 885 channel was supposed to be, though I never saw it in the guide myself.

I'm still waiting on word about the 6208 boxes as well. I have told Comcast I plan to swap 1 DCT2000 and my 1 DCT5100 for the DVR when it is available, but have not heard from them yet. The last I was told it is scheduled to be complete before the end of January, but was told not to hold my breath as the trails in other cities have not gone as hoped and they were waiting for software patches on the boxes. Other forums I have read indicate the same information in other cities as well.

Originally posted by dogongt
anyone else having any problems with 806 recently? NBC seems to be broadcasting in 480p mode now, instead of it's normal true 1080i, even during normal HD programming (Las Vegas, Leno, etc.). comcast is coming out this afternoon to look at my other problems, so maybe they can fix this too.

There was a post on the Yahoo groups ahdtv forum the other day indicating that WXIA (NBC local) lost its upconverter and it did not get shipped to them yesterday as they had hoped. Supposedly it is to arrive today but no word on how long it may take to replace. The last two days have been broadcast in SD on 806 due to this problem and last night there was a significant audio delay on this channel, most likely due to the upconverter problem.

Originally posted by calebetsy
Did anybody had a channel 885 in their Comcast guide saying that it was going to be available shortly? It dissapeared the next day....what was that???

Why is NBC not showing HD the last couple of days ????

About the PVR I keep calling Comcast and I keep getting different time frames...they are not all in the same page...it is ridiculous for a company to be clueless....their CSR don't have a clue...some say Discovery HD is coming soon..other say it will be 6 months....and WSB the same....COME ON COMCAST GET IT TOGETHER!!!!

I don't get Cinemax so I don't really care about 885, which is supposed to be for this channel I believe. However, I hear that they may be dropping 881 (HBO HD West feed) to make room for this so I am not happy about this. Also getting irritated that we can't get any more HD locals, especially WSB. There have been 0 HD locals added since the startup of HD service early last year.

If they have to drop HBO-HD-W to make room for Cinemax, does that mean that they will have to drop something else to add ABC (when the day comes, of course)?

Yeah, God forbid they get rid of a few of the 30 shopping channels taking up valuable bandwidth that could be used to expand the HD Line-up.

ARRGGGHHHHH!!!!

So, did anyone watch the 1pm game on CBS last Sunday?

I was getting rather pissed that it didn't seem to be in HD.

Then about 5 minutes after the game started, an ad came on that had a man standing in between two giant TV's that said SONY on them.

The announcer said "CBS and Sony are proud to offer this game in High Definition. If you haven't seen HD... blah, blah"

About 5 seconds after the above statement aired, the picture magically became HD - right in the middle of the ad.

I hope the guy at Ch 46 didn't sprain anything when he probably lept across the console to push "the HD button" that he forgot to push in the first place.

One of these days the local stations are actually going to CARE about HD. I mean, I get real tired of all the audio dropouts and lip-sync problems on Ch 46.

Where the hell is my Fox HD channel?!?!?!?!?!?

The game is about to start and my channel 804 won't come in! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Originally posted by KWP
Where the hell is my Fox HD channel?!?!?!?!?!?

The game is about to start and my channel 804 won't come in! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I assume you're talking about the Panthers-Eagles game. My 804 is out too!

Did anyone else have any difficulty with the CBS HD game earlier today? (Colts-Patriots)

For me, none of the SD content (lead-ins, commercials) had any sound, and for a few minutes in the middle of the first half, I had crowd/game noise, but no play-by-play announcer audio.

>>>Did anyone else have any difficulty with the CBS HD game earlier today? <<<

Yes, I had no local HD channels. Only INHD and HBO. So the best reason to have HD, live sports, and no HD. As soon as I get my system moved, I'll have OTA backup again, but that seems a bit silly when I'm paying money for this.

804 finally came back late in the 3rd qtr. last night. :mad:

But TODAY, HBO West is gone and there's a new channel, 885, but it's not showing any content and doesn't say what channel it's going to be. Maybe we will finally get DiscoveryHD. :D

I was told by a CSR in Comcast that channel 885 is Cinemx HD and they are going to get rid of HBO West HD to make room for Cinemax HD. It makes no sense to take an HD channel away to replace it with another one. They should get rid of all the other junk analog channels that all they do is take bandwith....I AM VERY UPSET WITH COMCAST!!!!


NO DISCOVERY HD, NO ABC HD, NO STARZ HD!!!!! ARRGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Has Atlanta Comcast introduced the M 6200 box with DVI active ?

I just got my HD TV (61" Samsung) on Dec 31 and since I already used Comcast it was the easiest route to HD. But if they don't get Discovery and ABC soon I will be looking into satellite service.

Originally posted by BlackTieC5
Has Atlanta Comcast introduced the M 6200 box with DVI active ?

Surely you jest. No active DVI on M 5100 either.

Originally posted by calebetsy
I was told by a CSR in Comcast that channel 885 is Cinemx HD and they are going to get rid of HBO West HD to make room for Cinemax HD. It makes no sense to take an HD channel away to replace it with another one. They should get rid of all the other junk analog channels that all they do is take bandwith....I AM VERY UPSET WITH COMCAST!!!!


NO DISCOVERY HD, NO ABC HD, NO STARZ HD!!!!! ARRGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Couldn't agree more. I noticed that 881 disappeared last night, figured this was what they were doing. So for those of us who don't subscribe to Cinemax but do have HBO, we actually lose an HD channel it that is what the new one will be. Not a good plan.

Originally posted by dmuir
I just got my HD TV (61" Samsung) on Dec 31 and since I already used Comcast it was the easiest route to HD. But if they don't get Discovery and ABC soon I will be looking into satellite service.


Well satellite will not get u ABC either.

Originally posted by jgn1013
Well satellite will not get u ABC either.

Not true. D* and VOOM (not sure about E*) will allow you to get local HD channels OTA; assuming your in range of the transmitters.

Originally posted by gt5059b
Not true. D* and VOOM (not sure about E*) will allow you to get local HD channels OTA; assuming your in range of the transmitters.


When you say OTA , does that mean you have to but up an antenna. Like the old days of getting local TV stations ? If this is true than you really do not nee D* or Voom just put up an antenna. OTA reception is not as stable as what you would get from Comcast "most of the time;) ".

Originally posted by jgn1013
When you say OTA , does that mean you have to but up an antenna. Like the old days of getting local TV stations ? If this is true than you really do not nee D* or Voom just put up an antenna. OTA reception is not as stable as what you would get from Comcast "most of the time;) ".

Yes, you need an antenna. I believe what he is referencing is the fact that most of the satellite HD boxes also have OTA capability, but you do need an antenna to receive the signals. Also true that OTA is subject to instability due to weather, trees, airplanes, etc. This is one of the reasons that I went with HD via cable in the first place. I just want to see more local HD stations added. At this time, we are missing digital signals from ABC (WSB), UPN (occasional HD) and WB ( a bit more HD) as well as the digital but non-HD signal of TBS. Not even counting PAX, which is digital but totally uninteresting to me at least. At least the only multicasting is done locally by PAX. I hope that we don't see this on any of the network channels but it would not surprise me.

Originally posted by jgn1013
When you say OTA , does that mean you have to but up an antenna. Like the old days of getting local TV stations ? If this is true than you really do not nee D* or Voom just put up an antenna. OTA reception is not as stable as what you would get from Comcast "most of the time;) ".

Yes, OTA means over the air and hence an indoor/outdoor antenna. Actually, I found OTA to be more stable than Comcast (excluding very bad weather) as my Comcast HD channels are prone to audio-video dropouts.

However for my viewing purposes OTA HD isn't sufficient as you can't get ESPN, Discovery, Starz, etc. Since I'm still in an apartment, Comcast is the easiest HD option for me, and I'm not going to buy a dedicated OTA STB.

Originally posted by gt5059b
Yes, OTA means over the air and hence an indoor/outdoor antenna. Actually, I found OTA to be more stable than Comcast (excluding very bad weather) as my Comcast HD channels are prone to audio-video dropouts.

However for my viewing purposes OTA HD isn't sufficient as you can't get ESPN, Discovery, Starz, etc. Since I'm still in an apartment, Comcast is the easiest HD option for me, and I'm not going to buy a dedicated OTA STB.

I also suffered from sporadic audio/video dropouts with Comcast HD originally but I stayed on top of them. Took several service calls but finally got them to do some tweaking in my neighborhood. Give them a call if you are having dropouts.

Originally posted by DDisney
Couldn't agree more. I noticed that 881 disappeared last night, figured this was what they were doing. So for those of us who don't subscribe to Cinemax but do have HBO, we actually lose an HD channel if that is what the new one will be. Not a good plan.

885 is MaxHD. I called Comcast to register a complaint about losing HBOHD West on 881 and the CSR told me that 881 shouldn't be gone, just 885 should be added. She said they would need to make some changes on their end and then reset my box so that 880, 881, and 885 were available. I'm not hopeful that this is the reality of the situation (most likely 881 really is gone). I'm at work right now so can't check, but will post back with updates.

Same CSR said DVR won't be available in Atlanta until mid-March (that may be true:rolleyes: ...)

jdp

Originally posted by jdp_atl
885 is MaxHD. I called Comcast to register a complaint about losing HBOHD West on 881 and the CSR told me that 881 shouldn't be gone, just 885 should be added. She said they would need to make some changes on their end and then reset my box so that 880, 881, and 885 were available. I'm not hopeful that this is the reality of the situation (most likely 881 really is gone). I'm at work right now so can't check, but will post back with updates.

Same CSR said DVR won't be available in Atlanta until mid-March (that may be true:rolleyes: ...)

jdp


Did you ask when ABC & Discovery HD will be available?

According to my call yesterday, no news on ABC and Discovery HD - still in negotiations.

Glad to hear that they are in negotiations with Discovery HD. I know my wife would love that channel and help soothe the pain of the cost of our HDTV. We have ABC in Baltimore. I assume that if Atlanta got Discovery all Comcast would get it.

I just wish I would hear rumors about negotiations for BravoHD and HDNET. These three would really improve the quality of HD offerings on Comcast and make cable (IMHO) very competitive with satellites, especially in combination with broadband internet.

Rich N.

I'd like to know why we don't have Starz-HD when many other Comcast markets already do.

Does anyone know if the Comcast infrastructure here is still being upgraded or whatever?? I'm wondering if they removed HBOW-HD because of bandwidth issues.

Originally posted by jdp_atl
885 is MaxHD. I called Comcast to register a complaint about losing HBOHD West on 881 and the CSR told me that 881 shouldn't be gone, just 885 should be added. She said they would need to make some changes on their end and then reset my box so that 880, 881, and 885 were available. I'm not hopeful that this is the reality of the situation (most likely 881 really is gone). I'm at work right now so can't check, but will post back with updates.

Same CSR said DVR won't be available in Atlanta until mid-March (that may be true:rolleyes: ...)

jdp

Could you please let us know if you are able to get 881 back as I have the same issue?

Thanks

Originally posted by gt5059b
I'd like to know why we don't have Starz-HD when many other Comcast markets already do.

Does anyone know if the Comcast infrastructure here is still being upgraded or whatever?? I'm wondering if they removed HBOW-HD because of bandwidth issues.

Well, bandwidth did not keep them from adding the OnDemand service and there are plenty of garbage channels that they could remove. For example, there are east and west feeds of some of the Encore Action/Mystery/Western channels that are essentially timeshifted dupes, not to mention multiple shopping channels (ugh). I also could care less about the music channels personally. If I want music then I can use a radio or CD player, not cable tv, but I am sure others would disagree.

jdp,

Ditto, I lost my 881 with the addition of 885. Let us know how this turns out.

Well, I still don't have 881 back and now Comcast is saying that the CSR I spoke with didn't know what she was talking about. 881 is gone, and replaced by 885. No explanation is available. They did say that bandwidth is not the issue.

:mad:

jdp

Originally posted by jdp_atl
Well, I still don't have 881 back and now Comcast is saying that the CSR I spoke with didn't know what she was talking about. 881 is gone, and replaced by 885. No explanation is available. They did say that bandwidth is not the issue.

:mad:

jdp

Can't say I am surprised by this. So where is StarzHD and what are we going to lose when they add that one? I don't think a one to one tradeoff for new HD stations gives me much confidence on seeing any new HD in the near future.

I'm out between in Gwinnett Cty between Snellville and Stone Mtn. Old MediaOne territory.

I didn't lose 804 for the playoff game at all. Picture sucked, though. Not HD.

Anyone getting OTA HD out here? How is it?

Originally posted by DMF
I'm out between in Gwinnett Cty between Snellville and Stone Mtn. Old MediaOne territory.

I didn't lose 804 for the playoff game at all. Picture sucked, though. Not HD.

Anyone getting OTA HD out here? How is it?

You do know that 804 (Fox digital) is never HD, right? Fox won't do HD until later this year at best. Regarding OTA, I am further out than you (between Lawrenceville and Grayson) and I get OTA just fine with a RS double bowtie indoor antenna. Have to move it around sometimes, but I get most of the channels with no problem once I find a sweet spot.

No, I didn't realize that. When we first demo'd this set, the Cowboy game was playing in HD. (Seeing my beloved 'boys in HD probably sold the set.)

So where were they getting the signal?

Originally posted by DMF
No, I didn't realize that. When we first demo'd this set, the Cowboy game was playing in HD. (Seeing my beloved 'boys in HD probably sold the set.)

So where were they getting the signal?

If they were in HD, it was not on Fox. Fox did some games in Fox Widescreen, which is sent as 16:9 but in ED resolution. If you actually saw the Cowboys in HD it was most likely CBS. ESPN HD had Sunday night pro games in HD and of course ABC had Monday Night Football in HD, but you won't get that around here in HD on digital cable, only OTA.

In the Comcast Atlanta website www.comcasthdtv.com in the channel lineup list they have channel 895 listed as STARZ HD!!!!


Is this true???? Is STARZ HD coming and when ???

They also list 881.

Originally posted by calebetsy
In the Comcast Atlanta website www.comcasthdtv.com in the channel lineup list they have channel 895 listed as STARZ HD!!!!


Is this true???? Is STARZ HD coming and when ???

If you go to that site now, it says Starz-HD is coming March 1st. So hopefully it's true... Atlanta seems to be on the bottom end of the Comcast markets.

And it is good for us that the Superbowl this year is on CBS (and since we all have Comcast we don't have to worry about the weather that day!), but...

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH WSB!!! C'MON COMCAST IT'S BEEN A F$*@#&('ING YEAR!!! GET YOUR S*&T TOGETHER!!!

My apologies to everyone, just needed to get that out. :)

I agree.....Comcast needs to step up and get WSB now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Know that negotiations must be tough because WSB is own by COX a competitor, but they need to bite the bullet and just conceed and sign a deal. I will also recommend COMCAST to sign a deal with NBA TV so we don't get those blackouts in INHD.......I think that if they solve these 2 issues and get Discovery HD soon we will be satisfy for a while.....PLEASE COMCAST don't forget about the ATLANTA market and our DVRs....

I'm beginning to see a pattern here and I don't like it. They appear to be only adding channels that they can charge a premium for. I know the deal about ABC/WSB/Cox but what's the problem adding DiscoveryHD and BravoHD?

-Skip

Angel! In HD!

Mars Rocks! In HD!



I'm ready.

Originally posted by Skipm
I'm beginning to see a pattern here and I don't like it. They appear to be only adding channels that they can charge a premium for.
-Skip

Not only that, but the last one they added (Cinemax HD) came at the loss of HBO HD W. Which means if you don't subscribe to Cinemax but do have HBO then you actually lost an HD channel, though I know it is just timeshifted from HBO HD E. Still not a good sign. Who knows what may be lost when they add Starz HD? Also slow on DVR rollout, DVI and NO NEW HD LOCALS!

I "ditched the dish" and switched from Dish Network to Comcast in anticipation of the HD PVR and a reduction in monthly cost. So get this.

I called Comcast and ask if I qualify for the Ditch the Dish promotion since I have basic cable service on my up stairs TVs in addition to Dish Network downstairs. The woman checks with her manager and she says yes, you qualify.

Great. Comcast comes out and installs the receiver and I sell my Dish 6000 and Dish 721 on ebay for $1000. Great $1000 + $400 credit = food money for a starving college student.

I check my bill today and there is no credit, I call Comcast and they asked if I turned in my Dish receiver and I told them no, noone told me I had to. They then told me it was too late and the promotion was over and I couldn't get it. WTF!!! Are you fisting me?

I get a supervisor and scream bloody murder and he tells me to fax my Dish Network bill to support and they'll see what they can do, but no promises. This is freaking fraud in my book. Hell I'll buy a cheap Dish receiver on ebay for $40 and turn it in if I have to, but it sounds like they are saying it's too late for that.

If they don't credit my account what should I do? Call Clark Howard, state Attorney General's office, FCC? Overall from what I can see Comcast just plain sucks.

Comcast are you reading this?

:eek: AAAAAAAAARGH!!!!! What's up with CBS 809 :mad:

The audio is dropping out every 10 to 45 seconds. That better NOT still be happening by 6:30pm for the Super Bowl or I'm gonna get strung up by a dozen+ angry guests.

yeah, WTF is goin on with this? 809 has always been the best HD reception, now it's pixelating and audio dropping just like you said.

good timing comcast!

i can't wait for all my friends to show up for the super bowl just for no HD!

I have both Cable & OTA. I am getting pixelation on Comcast 809. I am also getting dropouts on my WGCL OTA signal. My Samsung box has locked up on me twice in the last hour when tuned to WGCL (and I've had no lockup problems with the same setup over the last 6 months). Could there be a problems with WGCL's signal?

I have redundant systems just for this situation and both are not working.

that's comforting.....so calling comcast and complaining won't do any good will it?

Originally posted by dogongt
that's comforting.....so calling comcast and complaining won't do any good will it?

I doubt that it is Comcast. WGCL is broadcasting at less than normal strength due to equipment issues that aren't likely to be resolved for a month or two. We just have to hope that they can hang on through the game today. I also have OTA as a backup but if there are problems at the source (WGCL) we will all be SOL.

Just to join the class-action about this, I too am having problems with the freaking picture on 809 today!!!! :mad:

This shiznit had better not happend during the game broadcast!

Originally posted by KWP
Just to join the class-action about this, I too am having problems with the freaking picture on 809 today!!!! :mad:

This shiznit had better not happend during the game broadcast!

Comcast 809 is solid for me, could just be certain areas. Make sure that you don't have a splitter before your cable goes into the Moto5100. Also check the tightness of the cable into the box. It can be very sensitive on HD channels.

A tech from WGCL engineering posed over on the Yahoo Atlanta HDTV forum that they are monitoring the issue and monitoring posts on the Yahoo forum.

They seem to be attributing the issue to a multipath signal reception issue that many, but not all, OTA views are experiencing. (Comcast, I believe, still gets WGCL OTA).

Multipath signal reception issues are related to both location and climate, so there is a hope that the issue may clear itself up by nightfall. (Translation: there may be nothing WGCL can do about it)

just called comcast......they said it's a known problem (related to CBS, not comcast....whatever) and they're trying to fix it "as quickly as possible." no definite time yet, but hopefully by 6pm.

Originally posted by DDisney
Comcast 809 is solid for me, could just be certain areas. Make sure that you don't have a splitter before your cable goes into the Moto5100. Also check the tightness of the cable into the box. It can be very sensitive on HD channels. I got all that covered. I've never had problems this bad on 809!!! And it's not just me. Comcast is fecking over a lot of people!!!!! :mad:

anyone having problems with 804 right now too?

this is BS! what are we paying for HD for if we can't enjoy the few simple things that should be in HD?

I have no signal on 804 and pixelation on 809. all other channels seem to be fine.

I'm also having pixelation issue with 809 and no 804....Well I don't care about 804 but 809 better get fixed fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by jgn1013
I'm also having pixelation issue with 809 and no 804....Well I don't care about 804 but 809 better get fixed fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Appears to vary by area. I am east of Atlanta near Lawrenceville and not having those problems with 809. But someone posted elsewhere that Comcast is aware of the reported problems and is supposed to be working with WGCL, but is sounds like more of a local headend issue. Maybe it will improve as darkness approaches, hope so.

Still having the issues!!!!! Comcast is going to get it from me tomorrow!!!!

FU*KING Comcast!!!!!!

Leave it to those as*holes to screw up the one thing everyone wants to watch.

I'm calling their corporate headquarts tomorrow over and over until I can speak to the head as*hole.

FU*KING morons!!!!!!

Originally posted by srothwell
FU*KING Comcast!!!!!!

Leave it to those as*holes to screw up the one thing everyone wants to watch.

I'm calling their corporate headquarts tomorrow over and over until I can speak to the head as*hole.

FU*KING morons!!!!!! I with you! These *******s are pissing me off!!!!

1 and 1/2 quarters into the game, it finally comes back! That's still too dang late!

Originally posted by KWP
1 and 1/2 quarters into the game, it finally comes back! That's still too dang late!

Hey, guys, it was not Comcast. WGCL had the problem, read up on the OTA problems in the Atlanta Yahoo Groups ahdtv forum.

It's not even (all) WGCL. A friend in Maryland was complaining that they had problems very similar to what we were seeing.

Originally posted by DMF
It's not even (all) WGCL. A friend in Maryland was complaining that they had problems very similar to what we were seeing.

Well, if so, I would suggest that it must have been much less widespread as there were no reports of anything similar to the Atlanta WGCL problem posted in the HDTV Programming forum and there are plenty of Atlanta complaints.

Anybody has any news about the years long Comcast and WSB negotiations for Comcast to carry HD and any new light about the time to introduce the Motorola DVR in Atlanta???? seems that we are already in February and no news after they promise it by the beginning of the Year....


I am willing to have it even with the bugs as long as the firmware upgrades can fix the problems.....

I've got firmware 7.07 showing on both of my 5100s tonight. Based on what I've read, this should enable DVI out and is the necessary firmware for the 6208.

Anyone tried their DVI connection? I can't see anything in the menu to enable it.

Originally posted by brol
I've got firmware 7.07 showing on both of my 5100s tonight. Based on what I've read, this should enable DVI out and is the necessary firmware for the 6208.

Anyone tried their DVI connection? I can't see anything in the menu to enable it.

I believe that the firmware update is all that is required to activate DVI. I don't have any DVI devices so it doesn't make any difference to me if it is enabled or not. If you have a DVI connection and cable, give it a try.

DVI works in Dunwoody. I haven't had a chance to properly calibrate, but on my Toshiba 34HDX82, digital (and HD) looks identical, SD looks a bit fuzzier.

DVI works great from the 5100 to my Sammy DLP. Now if Comcast will just add more HD channels.

So where's a good source for a new DVI cable? Am I going to notice the difference enough to make it worth $100+?

Thanks

Originally posted by ChrisATL
So where's a good source for a new DVI cable? Am I going to notice the difference enough to make it worth $100+?

Thanks

I think that you need DLP or another digital display (not CRT) to get real benefit.

You can get some less expensive DVI cables on the net. Here is one link and a couple of other sources:

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/DVI_monitor_cables.html

pacificcables.com
bettercables.com

Originally posted by DDisney
I think that you need DLP or another digital display (not CRT) to get real benefit.



Thanks for the tips. I'm running a Hitachi 50V500 LCD RPTV, who needs DLP:)

Originally posted by ChrisATL
So where's a good source for a new DVI cable? Am I going to notice the difference enough to make it worth $100+?

Thanks

Check out Pacific Cable (http://www.pacificcable.com) . I got my DVI cable for $15 and I could tell no difference between it and a $100 Monster cable.


DVI is most effective on digital displays where there are no D-A/A-D conversions of the signal before reaching the display engine. DLPs, LCOS, plasma, and lcd's fall into this digital category. However be aware there are some digital displays that convert the digital signal to analog internally. Also, with the DVI you can get 1 to 1 pixel mapping if your digital display is 720p or 1080i native.

Yahoo Groups is reporting that people in Atlanta are starting to receive flyers from Comcast saying that StarzHD will be available starting 3/1.

Anyone want to start a pool to bet on which current channel these boneheads will drop in favor of Starz?

I mean, they've already dropped HBO-W.

Maybe they'll drop a local channel. I mean they can't be bothered to have ABC, so why not drop NBC as well.

I certainly wish the FCC would move on DTV must-carry with these damn cable companies.

Originally posted by srothwell
Yahoo Groups is reporting that people in Atlanta are starting to receive flyers from Comcast saying that StarzHD will be available starting 3/1.

Anyone want to start a pool to bet on which current channel these boneheads will drop in favor of Starz?

I mean, they've already dropped HBO-W.

Maybe they'll drop a local channel. I mean they can't be bothered to have ABC, so why not drop NBC as well.

I certainly wish the FCC would move on DTV must-carry with these damn cable companies.

The flyer is basically a rate increase announcement of $4 per month for most packages starting March 1. They also show the Fox digital channel as HD, which of course it is not as of yet. No mention of any other new HD channels though. Getting a bit irritated on the lack of progress of adding new HD channels since you have to subscribe to Cinemax or Starz to get those HD versions. Also getting worried about ever having ABC HD via Comcast.

Originally posted by DDisney
The flyer is basically a rate increase announcement of $4 per month for most packages starting March 1. They also show the Fox digital channel as HD, which of course it is not as of yet. No mention of any other new HD channels though. Getting a bit irritated on the lack of progress of adding new HD channels since you have to subscribe to Cinemax or Starz to get those HD versions. Also getting worried about ever having ABC HD via Comcast. I argued with the guy when I ordered the HD package that I shouldn't have to pay for additional channels just to get HD. I kept my Silver package with only Starz and HBO. I didn't have to add Cinemax or Showtime.

Then again, maybe I'm getting screwed. Does anybody pay $9.80/mo for "additional HDTV outlet," in addition to the $5 for the box, on their cable bills?

Originally posted by KWP
I argued with the guy when I ordered the HD package that I shouldn't have to pay for additional channels just to get HD. I kept my Silver package with only Starz and HBO. I didn't have to add Cinemax or Showtime.

Then again, maybe I'm getting screwed. Does anybody pay $9.80/mo for "additional HDTV outlet," in addition to the $5 for the box, on their cable bills?

My digital silver package only includes one premium channel (HBO for me). The gold includes 2 and the platinum includes all 5. How do you get 2 premiums with a silver package? The additional outlet charge is 4.80 per digital box. The $5 is the rental fee for just the HD box. If you only have one digital box and are charged 4.80 plus the 5.00 for that one box then that doesn't sound right based on what I have seen.

I have th basic digital with one box/digital outlet and am only being charged $5.00 for the HD box.

Any new word on the 6208 PVR availability here? Not sure if it's been mentioned, but they appear to be rolling it out now in MD.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=358823

I now have OnDemand available in Kennesaw. I've been wondering when it would ever be activated and what it was all about. So far it seems pretty impressive for a "free" feature. I wish it had some HD abilities though.

Originally posted by bryansj
I now have OnDemand available in Kennesaw. I've been wondering when it would ever be activated and what it was all about. So far it seems pretty impressive for a "free" feature. I wish it had some HD abilities though.

Yes, it has potential, but they have very limited channel offerings that don't seem to change much. For example, for the Sundance Channel, there are shows listed that have been there for a couple of months. Not bad if you subscribe to movie channels since that allows you to watch on your schedule but of course the freebies are SD versions.

I have never ordered PPV but that is also available and they do offer some widescreen versions of certain movies. I don't think any are availble in HD though and the pricing that I have seen for other areas for HD movies is too high in my opinion.

does anyone find it funny that Comcast thinks it can handle the takeover of the entire Walt Disney company? they can't even seem to handle their own issues or train their own employees by themselves. how do they expect to takeover one of the largest entertainment empires in the world?

plus side is that comcast will have control over all ABC affiliates, so we should "theoretically" have no trouble getting ABC HD.

Originally posted by dogongt

plus side is that comcast will have control over all ABC affiliates, so we should "theoretically" have no trouble getting ABC HD.

I don't think this would help us since local ABC (WSB) is not a network owned station but is owned by Cox(grrrr..., can't stand Cox). Only thing that will help is if there is a national Cox/Comcast agreement as Cox owns stations in several markets and they seem to be currently blocking Comcast HD carriage in general at this time.

Starz HD on channel 895 starting March 1st. HBO w HD was dropped to add Cinemax HD . So now we will have HBO, Cinemax, Starz, Showtime,
INHD, INHD2, ESPN and locals in HD. Now if they would just add Discovery!

CD

Originally posted by Cattledog
Starz HD on channel 895 starting March 1st. HBO w HD was dropped to add Cinemax HD . So now we will have HBO, Cinemax, Starz, Showtime,
INHD, INHD2, ESPN and locals in HD. Now if they would just add Discovery!

CD

Well, only a few locals. Just NBC, CBS and Fox digital. Need ABC, PBS (if they ever broadcast digital in Georgia), UPN and WB locals. Wouldn't mind WTBS either as they have digital but no HD yet, but neither does Fox. The movie channel additions only help if you subscribe to those services and the only one I have is HBO, so I recently lost HBO HD West. Going the wrong direction here.:mad:

Originally posted by DDisney
My digital silver package only includes one premium channel (HBO for me). The gold includes 2 and the platinum includes all 5. How do you get 2 premiums with a silver package? The additional outlet charge is 4.80 per digital box. The $5 is the rental fee for just the HD box. If you only have one digital box and are charged 4.80 plus the 5.00 for that one box then that doesn't sound right based on what I have seen. I don't know, it's always been that way.

Anyone with an update on the digital recorders?

Time keeps going by. We lost all of the Monday night Football last season and now the Oscars are this Sunday and still Comcast and WSB do not agree on terms. This is ridiculous....It is not like they are negotiating the END OF THE WORLD!!!! I think they need to get it together....I will also like Comcast to make more of an effort to add more HD channels like Discovery HD...I will pay 9.95 for an HD package that it's worth having. There are too many useless analog channels......

I completely agree. They could eliminate 100 of some of those useless analog channels that no one watches for just 1 extra HD channel and I would be happy. DirecTV said they are doubling their HD content this year... will Comcast keep up?

Originally posted by bryansj
I now have OnDemand available in Kennesaw. I've been wondering when it would ever be activated and what it was all about. So far it seems pretty impressive for a "free" feature. I wish it had some HD abilities though.

I checked the onDemand menu last night and it now has an HD/DD5.1 group.

Originally posted by DDisney
My digital silver package only includes one premium channel (HBO for me). The gold includes 2 and the platinum includes all 5. How do you get 2 premiums with a silver package? The additional outlet charge is 4.80 per digital box. The $5 is the rental fee for just the HD box. If you only have one digital box and are charged 4.80 plus the 5.00 for that one box then that doesn't sound right based on what I have seen.

I'm only paying for the silver package and getting both HBO and Starz. (I've had them since the MediaOne days). I want to add Showtime by going up to the gold package, but afraid Comcast will turn off my Starz.

I am getting charged ~10 for box fees, but that's cause I have one digital HD box and one standard analog box.

Originally posted by gt5059b
I'm only paying for the silver package and getting both HBO and Starz. (I've had them since the MediaOne days). I want to add Showtime by going up to the gold package, but afraid Comcast will turn off my Starz.

Comcast WILL turn off Starz, and will not give you fair warning that they will do so before making the switch. I was in the same boat as you: upgraded to get SHO-HD and lost Starz even though I kept HBO.

Somebody mention that there was an option on the On Demand menu for HD/DD5.1, but I look yesterday and did not find anything.....I am in the Gwinnett area.....anybody has that option????

I am in Snellville and do not have this option either.

Originally posted by calebetsy
Somebody mention that there was an option on the On Demand menu for HD/DD5.1, but I look yesterday and did not find anything.....I am in the Gwinnett area.....anybody has that option????

Don't see it either. I see a Widescree/DD5.1 option.

I believe he means the Pay-Per-View channels.

Originally posted by jdp_atl
Comcast WILL turn off Starz, and will not give you fair warning that they will do so before making the switch. I was in the same boat as you: upgraded to get SHO-HD and lost Starz even though I kept HBO. When I added Showtime last year during some promotion, my Starz stayed. It even stayed when I cancelled Showtime a few months ago.

For about the past week, or so, I have noticed that all the channels above 800, particularly the local DTV channels have small breakups every 10 minutes or so.

This is beyond the normal cruddy signal from WGCL and their "kung-fu" style audio lip-sync problems. This is now affecting WXIA, which is normally very good from Comcast.

Just checking to see if others are having this problem with Comcast. If so, I guess it's Comcast. If not, maybe my box is going on the fritz a little bit.

Regards,

Originally posted by srothwell
For about the past week, or so, I have noticed that all the channels above 800, particularly the local DTV channels have small breakups every 10 minutes or so.

This is beyond the normal cruddy signal from WGCL and their "kung-fu" style audio lip-sync problems. This is now affecting WXIA, which is normally very good from Comcast.

Just checking to see if others are having this problem with Comcast. If so, I guess it's Comcast. If not, maybe my box is going on the fritz a little bit.

Regards,

I understand WXIA just completed a hardware upgrade this week. I noticed problems with WXIA this week (plus the usual WGCL nonsense) but no problems on other channels.

Called Comcast yesterday and they said early summer before the DVR is rolled out. Maybe they are skipping the 6208 and going to the 6408 (which is dual tuner).

Either way I'm pissed since they said it would be available last December. I wish I had stayed with Dish network.

any DVI update? i've had my damn DVI cable for 3 months now.....just sitting in its original packaging.....waiting to be used.

Originally posted by dogongt
any DVI update? i've had my damn DVI cable for 3 months now.....just sitting in its original packaging.....waiting to be used.

DVI is working great here, has been for a few weeks. If you got the firmware update, it should work.

Has anyone tried one of the widescreen/DD 5.1 On Demand PPV movies yet?

For lack of better terms are they "letterbox" widescreen or "anamorphic" widescreen?

Originally posted by ChrisATL
DVI is working great here, has been for a few weeks. If you got the firmware update, it should work.

great....i'll give that a shot tonight. i just hope i notice some sort of quality improvement on my hitachi 51s500 over the monster cable components i'm currently using. if not, guess i'll just wait to use DVI for my bravo d1 or something. :rolleyes:

I don't know if you'll notice it, don't know the set. But I definitely noticed a difference on my Hit 50V500 LCD RPTV.

You should notice a difference with DLP and LCD. You cannot tell that much with a CRT display device.

Starz-HD is finally on. Now if we can get WSB, HD-Net, HD-Net Movies, and Discovery HD I would be much more satisfied.

Any updates on the status of the HD-PVR boxes that are supposed to be released to us? I know that they are available in Columbia, South Carolina on Time Warner Cable. It is a shame that we are such a large market and their programming is superior to ours. I picked a bad time to move back to Atlanta.

Go Gamecocks!

You should notice a difference with DLP and LCD. You cannot tell that much with a CRT display device.

Starz-HD is finally on. Now if we can get WSB, HD-Net, HD-Net Movies, and Discovery HD I would be much more satisfied.

Any updates on the status of the HD-PVR boxes that are supposed to be released to us? I know that they are available in Columbia, South Carolina on Time Warner Cable. It is a shame that we are such a large market and their programming is superior to ours. I picked a bad time to move back to Atlanta.

Go Gamecocks!

I think Comcast should be helad accountable because they say that DVR will be out by the end of 2003, then they say end of Jan 2004 and now they just keep pushing it back and they were claiming all over the news media that they were going to roll out DVR to most of their markets and that they were ready to compete with D* and E* DVR's service, but here we are in MARCH and nothing other than 3 markets.......I AM REALLY UPSET and I feel I cheated......

Now they are taking about the summer for the DVR to roll out...COME ON! How come Time Warner and others are using the MOTOROLA 6208 and COMCAST keep claiming that they are still testing them??????

Does anybody knows if Comcast Atlanta is planning to carry Encore HD on their launch date of March 22?

Any news on WSB in HD signal??? seems that we have lost the interest on it....they keep dragging the whole issue....


WHEN COMCAST WHEN?????? PLEASE AND ADD THE DVR SOON TOO!!!!

Originally posted by calebetsy
Does anybody knows if Comcast Atlanta is planning to carry Encore HD on their launch date of March 22?

Any news on WSB in HD signal??? seems that we have lost the interest on it....they keep dragging the whole issue....


WHEN COMCAST WHEN?????? PLEASE AND ADD THE DVR SOON TOO!!!!

I am getting tired of waiting for WSB HD to be added. The only new channels that have been added recently are movie HD channels, none of which I receive, and I am not interested in raising my cable bill even higher. If they can't get WSB (ABC) HD added before football season I will be looking for alternatives for sure, but I really don't want to have to go for multiple OTA HD boxes.

You guys in Atlanta should organize a picket out at Cox's corporate headquarters, since they are in Atlanta. Get the local media involved-- wouldn't your local CBS or NBC station like to show up so they can get a little dig in against WSB?

Or make some telephone calls-- hey, you won't even incur long distance charges.

As you know, Cox owns WSB, as well as the CBS affiliate in Seattle, the Fox affiliate in San Francisco and the NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh. Cox is not allowing the digital-HD signals of any of these stations to be carried by Comcast.

Apparently Cox is taking the same position as Emmis and Sinclair in this respect.

But this is perplexing because Cox Cable is having an argument with Emmis about a CBS digital-HD signal in Omaha, Nebraska, and Cox is taking the opposite position in that brouhaha!

So when Cox is wearing its cable company hat, it says it should get the digital-HD signal for free (no cost above the compensation, if any, for the analog signal)...

But when Cox is wearing its local station owner hat, it says the local cable company (which happens to be Comcast for all four of the above-mentioned areas), should NOT get the digital-HD signal for free (but should compensate Cox extra, above and beyond the compensation, if any, for the analog signal).

It's frustrating to see a digital-HD withheld because the owner of a local station wants some sort of compensation beyond what (if anything) is given for the analog signal... but it's inexplicable when one company takes two directly contradictory positions on the issue.

Note: No one at Cox or Comcast has publicly or officially said that this is what is going on between them, but there is really no other explanation... obviously Comcast wants to add the digital-HD signals for these stations, but Cox is not allowing Comcast to add them. If Cox is not allowing Comcast to add them, then why? The only explanation is that Cox is seeking something in return-- compensation, whether monetary or otherwise.

Do any of you know anyone who works at Cox's corporate HQ? Or know someone who knows someone? n degreees of separation ...

Here's to hoping Cox comes to its senses before the NBA playoffs (for you guys), the MLB season (for us), the Olympics (for the Pittsburghians) and/or March Madness (for the Seattle-ites)

For what it's worth, here is the number for Comcast Atlanta's channel request "hotline": 770-559-7680. You can call and leave a message asking for channels to be added.

It can't hurt for everyone to call in and ask for WSB-HD to be added. Maybe if they see there is a critical mass of people who really want this channel it will help to push the negotiations.

I also asked them to add Discovery-HD and to add back HBO West-HD.

jdp_atl

I just made the call and requested the same. Maybe if enough people call, it MAY make a difference. It doesn't hurt to ask.

I found this on another site. This person sent an e-mail to WBS regarding their refusal to allow Comcast to carry their DTV signal. Here's what they got in reply. Note the name and phone number.... They said they replied asking for contact information at Cox HQ to complain at a corporate level, but never got another reply.....

---From WSB---

Currently, COX Broadcasting and Comcast are in retransmission negotiations affecting several markets Cox Television markets including Atlanta. When those negotiations conclude, you most likely will see WSB-TV’s programming carried in HDTV by Comcast. Unfortunately, I cannot give you a date by which this will occur.

For now, you can receive our HDTV programming for free, over the air, on our digital channel, WSB-DT, Channel 39. You need a HDTV antenna to receive the signal, but it is available and it is free.

Background:

You may be aware that in the early 1990’s, the FCC granted stations the right to negotiate the terms for which cable operators could redistribute their signals (i.e. programming). Prior to that, cable operators captured the broadcast signals of TV stations and redistributed them through their cable connections to subscribers without any legal “consent” from the stations.

The retransmission agreement act changed that. Now, cable system operators must negotiate for consent and that is the process underway between Cox and Comcast.


I hope this answers your question.


Steve Riley
Director of Creative Services
404-897-7447

Thanks for that info. I will be trying to reach Mr. Steve Riley tomorrow via telephone to find out if there are is new information regarding this. The CSRs at Comcast are sure as hell not going to know anything.

So.... I take my family down to Disney World this weekend and I'm watching TV in the hotel room.

Orlando has Brighthouse Networks for cable (I think a spin-off of Time Warner cable). Anyway, not only do they have about three times the HD channels that we do here with Comcast, but they have not a one-tuner DVR with HD capability, but a TWO tuner DVR with HD capability. It's been available for some time and it costs the $10 per month.

These MORONS at Comcast can't even get a single-tuner box that already obsolte out the door for cryin' out loud!!!!

The good news is that companies like Sony have announced Digital Cable boxes that you can buy that use the new cableCard smartcard. Sony's comes out sometime in the fall.

My guess is that these idiots at Comcast won't have the freakin' DVR out even by then. I'll just by one myself from a company that get's it!

I wouldn't get that excited. I too am disappointed that the HD PVR is not available yet, but it will come. I am actually more than delighted that HDTV has come as far as it has so quickly, and it seems more promising every day.

Also, I have relatives with Bright House in the Orlando area (who as you said used to have Time Warner), and the selection of HD locals is pretty complete and much better than ours, plus they have Discovery, and the two HDnets, but they are a much smaller company, and they heavily promote themselves as a some sort of whole house technology company. Some of their commercials barely portray them as a cable company--I think the first one I saw left me wondering what the heck kind of company it was.

As for their DVR situation, the way I understand it, they have the SA 8000 standard definition PVR, and their current website stills say this also. Though there is a new Scientific Atlanta 8000-HD, so maybe they are using that or will be soon.

At least Comcast, lately, seems to try as hard as possible to roll out these new services "nationwide" as least as much as is feasible.

So here's hoping for a quick DVR rollout :) It can't be too much worse than our waiting for the inital Comcast Atlanta HDTV rollout--especially that period from December 2002 to March 2003 when they kept pushing back the date.

Thomas

Does anyone know if Comcast is still offering that "ditch the dish" program?

here's the info from comcast new england website:

http://comcast-ne.com/ditch_the_dish.html

not sure when it expires.
will not hurt to ask comcast atlanta.

Well, It is official that Dallas, Washington and the Virginia suburbs of Richmonds are the first 3 markets with the Motorola DVR....I thought they said that they were having problems.....how come they don't have issues in Dallas and Washington...I e-mail Comcast and they replied saying that the DVR has been delayed because of problems with the box, but then I see on the news that it has been officially released in the 3 markets above.....????? What's is going on???? DO they think we are stupid?????

Atlanta it's a bigger market than Dallas, so market size don't make sense...oh well....I wish Comcast will be straight forward and don't keep promising what they are not going to delivered.

Nice to see Comcast listens to their channel request number, I just called and the mailbox is full.

And the idiocy continues ..... and grows.

Well, this does it....I am officially fed up with Comcast......Knoxville and Cleveland have the HD DVR available as of this week and here in Atlanta we cannot even get the ABC local channel.......I just don't believe Comcast anymore....if Dish and DIrect TV get more HD channels I am switching or maybe if VOOM becoms a success, but I am not keeping Comcast much longer....thay have drop the ball with the whole DVR issue......

sorry to change the subject.....

just a reminder for everyone to watch the Final Four game tomorrow night on CBSHD (809) and cheer Tech on to the Finals.

nothing better than high-definition sports!

Yeah, go Tech! I won't be able to watch in HD (prior commitment), but I will be watching!

dogongt, enjoy the ride. I was there in 1990 and there's nothing quite like the excitement around campus when something like this is happening.

for sure....there's nothing like the Final Four and possible National Championship to cap off a 5-year college career.

Go Jackets!

p.s. if anyone is interested, and in the Atlanta area this coming Tuesday, Tech is planning a huge homecoming celebration for the basketball team (provided they make it to the Final game on Monday). here's a direct quote from President Clough:

"After Monday's championship game, we expect the team to return to
Atlanta sometime late Tuesday afternoon. Rather than having a group
just meet the bus, we are planning a full-scale welcome home
celebration in the Coliseum for 5:30 Tuesday evening. The doors will
open at 4:00 and Monday's game will be replayed in its entirety on the
big screens without commercial interruption, as a warm-up to the event.

Tuesday's celebration will feature Wes Durham as MC and the entire
men's basketball team. The entire Tech community is welcome for this
event and no I.D. will be necessary for admission. Any crowd overflow
will be accommodated in the Russ Chandler Baseball Stadium for viewing
on the big screen there."

:)

I am also getting very upset with Comcast, but not only for the HD-DVR, with I get different answers each time I ask. I'm about 30 miles from the people using the 6208 but still can't get it.

I'm very upset about Comcast's refusal to carry Discovery,Bravo,HDNET. I doubt we'll ever get those, but until VOOM gets ESPNHD and a DVR I guess I'm still stuck.

Maybe things will get better for all of us Comcasters in a few months, but I don't think so. programmatically. Eventually we'll all get the 6208 and then the 6408.

Rich N.

I just got my Z2 a few weeks ago and put it an order for the Comcast HD receiver. I can't believe I have to wait for 2 weeks before someone is willing to come out to install the daggone thing. You would think they only have one installer.

I offered to pick it up myself, but they told me that they don't offer that. Bah!

Is there an actual timeline when Comcast will be adding more local stations to its lineup?

I just got my Z2 a few weeks ago and put it an order for the Comcast HD receiver. I can't believe I have to wait for 2 weeks before someone is willing to come out to install the daggone thing. You would think they only have one installer.

I offered to pick it up myself, but they told me that they don't offer that. Bah!

Is there an actual timeline when Comcast will be adding more local stations to its lineup?

Originally posted by Darkhound

Is there an actual timeline when Comcast will be adding more local stations to its lineup?

That's a pretty funny question. Comcast has added exactly ZERO local HD channels in the past year, and I am afraid that we could be looking at another Monday Night Football season without the local ABC HD channel, which unfortunately is owned by Cox. They appear to be bickering like siblings when it comes to carriage of the HD signal, and not just in Atlanta.

Thanks a lot Comcast and Cox. :mad:

I guess I should be happy that is only $5 for the set-top box and the channels.

I wonder if there is going to be legislation in the future to make cable companys and broadcasters have to pick up local HD stations. I live in Stone Mountain, and I would have to get a big honking antenna to pick up most of the stations according to antennaweb.org.

Hello, I just had comcast installed. I was a Dish customer. The quality of the analog and SD channels on comcast are sub-par to dish.
I also notice lots of Pixelation on HBOHD and STarzHD, is this normal ??
INHD and ESPNHD look real good.

Originally posted by coolpix
Hello, I just had comcast installed. I was a Dish customer. The quality of the analog and SD channels on comcast are sub-par to dish.
I also notice lots of Pixelation on HBOHD and STarzHD, is this normal ??
INHD and ESPNHD look real good.

Comcast in ATL is just sub-par overall. It seems like the only decent channels are the HD ones. (Note: I only get basic HD - NBC, CBS, FOX.)

I have both DirecTV and Comcast. I just can't bring myself to cut completely over to Comcast just for that reason.