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.

Well, there are a couple of improvements possible. First, are you using Component out for viewing SD channels? Check the 4:3 override setting for your box by pressing Power Off then Menu within 2 seconds. Experiment with 480i, 480p and OFF and find which looks best for the non-HD channels.

You could also use SVideo for the non-HD channels and see if you like that better. The box supports multiple simultaneous output types.

For the HD channels with pixelation, go to one of those channels then Press Power Off then OK within 2 seconds to get to the diagnostic menu. Find the OOB menu and right arrow on the remote to look at the readings. If you are getting high uncorrectable errors and SNR/AGC readings are Fair or Poor then you might need a service call with Comcast. Other things that can cause issues with certain HD channels include too many splitters or routing the cable through a surge protector.

Go to the HD Hardware forum and look up the Moto 5100 thread for other suggestions.

Good luck

It has been a while since Comcast added an HD channel or has giving up news aobut possibly adding one. I now TNT HD goes on the air on May 17th and they have the NBA Playoffs and some good series that are going to be in HD. I will love to have TNT HD when it comes on air, but I have been dissapointed with Comcast before, so I am not getting my hopes up.

It's too bad DirectTV and Dish don't do some local channels in HD because I will switch in a heartbeat. Comcast does not care about his customers....other markets are getting their DVRs and we have nothing and they keep saying there are issues, but other cities seem to resolve the issues....

Please if you have any good news about Comcast Atlanta let me know...I am not swiching because D* and E* do not have local HD, but when they add more HD channels you can bet I will be switching unless Comcast goes thru a major change in their policies.....

Originally posted by calebetsy
It has been a while since Comcast added an HD channel or has giving up news aobut possibly adding one. I now TNT HD goes on the air on May 17th and they have the NBA Playoffs and some good series that are going to be in HD. I will love to have TNT HD when it comes on air, but I have been dissapointed with Comcast before, so I am not getting my hopes up.



I have to agree. I am getting bummed about NO PROGRESS in adding any new HD locals here. Nothing in the past YEAR, incredible. At this point I have just about given up on seeing MNF in HD via Comcast for another year. I really wish Bellsouth would wise up and add HD service because the digital cable quality is much better. I do enjoy the limited HD channels we do have but Atlanta does not seem to be a priority for HD for some reason.:(

hi, I am a new HDTV user in Atlanta via Comcast.
My question is about OTA vs the Comcast signal for HDTV.l
For those of you with both do you notice any quality differences between the two.
also . would you recommend I install an OTA antenna to compliment the Comcast feed....thanks

Originally posted by coolpix
hi, I am a new HDTV user in Atlanta via Comcast.
My question is about OTA vs the Comcast signal for HDTV.l
For those of you with both do you notice any quality differences between the two.
also . would you recommend I install an OTA antenna to compliment the Comcast feed....thanks

I cannot tell a difference between Comcast HD and OTA HD. YMMV. One of the main reasons that I went with Comcast HD even though I already had HD OTA was for the ease of use and solid reception as I have had to deal with iffy OTA reception with an indoor antenna. However, I am now using the OTA box to feed a front projector so I am getting some use out of this box occasionally. If I did not already have OTA I probably wouldn't bother except possibly to get MNF on ABC.

I agree with DDisney, the picture quality seems the same compared to OTA.

I am not happy with the extra cost. I have starter digital which gets me ESPN-HD and INHD as well as the locals, but I am paying $20 a month more than I payed for analog cable.

If they don't add more non-pay channels by the end of May I am going back to the analog.

Tom

I was told by 3 different CSRs that June is the month for the rollout of the DVR. They told that that is the for sure date...

Can anybody else call or confirm this info???? We need to get the news straight from them.....

PLEASE CALL COMCAST AND ASK FOR THE DVR !!!

Comcast CSR told me orders will be taken next week (4/26-30) for DVR installs. When asked if I could be put on the list, she said no, not yet, call next week. No firmware updates either to 6200 with the 6208 roll out. No pricing information either. She said 'it hasn't been worked out yet.' Negotiations ongoing for DiscoveryHD, ABC, and any other HD channel I could think to ask her.

Needless to say, I am still very skeptical. But, I guess it's worth a call next week.

Originally posted by MightyDog
Comcast CSR told me orders will be taken next week (4/26-30) for DVR installs. Negotiations ongoing for DiscoveryHD, ABC, and any other HD channel I could think to ask her.



This is the standard party line that they have been spouting for over a year. There certainly is no evidence or confirmation of negotiations, especially with ABC (Cox) locally, but you will continue to hear this from CSR's. If I had an alternate HD cable option I would jump ship in a minute.

I will also believe the story on the DVR availability when I see it, but it is worrisome that there is no pricing info available if the orders are supposed to be taken in a week. For some reason, Comcast Atlanta seems to be behind other parts of the country regarding progress in HD additions.

Usually when the CSR's are wrong, they say DVR will be available next month or in two months or next quarter or ... but "taking orders next week" is pretty specific, so odds are the CSR was correct. If another two or three CSR's say "taking orders next week", I would say it would at a minimum be worth your time to call again on Monday to place your order.

And get the CSR's name or other identifying information and direct line (if any), so if it turns out "next week" is not correct, you can call back and talk to that CSR and ask "Why did you tell me next week?"

With all the other areas rolling out the 6208 next week, it does make sense. But who knows... they could get cold feet at the last moment.

Today I was out at the 'Taste of Marietta' just outside of Atlanta. Comcast had a tent there, getting people to sign up for service etc. One of the folks came out to 'sign me up' and I said I'm already a customer, when are the DVR's coming out? He said May 10, without much hesitation. Either they've got their company line down pat or theres stuff coming soon...

Carlos

I read the earlier post by somebody in Atlanta saying that they called and that they were told to called on Monday April 26th to start signing up for the DVR, but I called today and they know nothing about this...I also read in another Message Board that somebody in Atlanta got a notification by e-mail from Comcast about the DVR been available on the Atlanta area now!!!!!

WHAT IS GOING ON?????

I recently moved into a Comacst provided area here in the ATL and got my Mot5100 (fm 7.07) w/platinum package. The installer new less than I new about the hookup, go figure. I emailed Comcast about the HD DVR's and channel additions. I got a fairly quick response. They said that DVR's are in the works and should be out soon. I asked about WSB, Discovery HD and HDNET. They said "Discovery HD is under negotiations right now" but that they do not intend on adding WSB or HDNET at all. I have heard that some have the Mot6200.

Originally posted by AtlJimK
I recently moved into a Comacst provided area here in the ATL and got my Mot5100 (fm 7.07) w/platinum package. The installer new less than I new about the hookup, go figure. I emailed Comcast about the HD DVR's and channel additions. I got a fairly quick response. They said that DVR's are in the works and should be out soon. I asked about WSB, Discovery HD and HDNET. They said "Discovery HD is under negotiations right now" but that they do not intend on adding WSB or HDNET at all. I have heard that some have the Mot6200.

I cannot believe that they would actually say that they do not intend to add WSB at all. This is an ABC local digital station, for gosh sakes! If this is really true then I may have to consider alternatives sooner than I thought.:confused:

Originally posted by calebetsy
I read the earlier post by somebody in Atlanta saying that they called and that they were told to called on Monday April 26th to start signing up for the DVR, but I called today and they know nothing about this...I also read in another Message Board that somebody in Atlanta got a notification by e-mail from Comcast about the DVR been available on the Atlanta area now!!!!!

WHAT IS GOING ON?????

The person who said that his buddy received an email notice from Comcast about the DVR did not say that this person was in the Atlanta area though that question has been asked a couple of times. This could be from anywhere in the country, most likely the East Coast corridor area. Atlanta is not first with anything as far as Comcast is concerned. Pitiful!

Anybody know yet what the $$$ is gonna be for the HD-PVR box?

Called Comcast today (4/26) and now CSR is saying she has no idea when DVR will be available in ATL. "Probably this summer" is all she could say. No pricing info either.
When I asked why another CSR told me (4/23) to call this week for installs, she, of course, had no idea why I was told such info.
So, with out DVR or updated firmware for 6200 (7.07-7.10) looks like no HD recording or archiving for a while.

Originally posted by MightyDog
Called Comcast today (4/26) and now CSR is saying she has no idea when DVR will be available in ATL. "Probably this summer" is all she could say. No pricing info either.
When I asked why another CSR told me (4/23) to call this week for installs, she, of course, had no idea why I was told such info.
So, with out DVR or updated firmware for 6200 (7.07-7.10) looks like no HD recording or archiving for a while.

This should not surprise anyone. As Clark Howard might say, Customer No Service strikes again.

The problem with Comcast in Atlanta is that it's the same lousy people who ran AT&T/Media one for years. Those guys couldn't manage a Dairy Queen.

There is no organization with Comcast Atlanta. They only thing that keep me is that other services do not have the same amount of HD...Whenever VOOM gets ESPN HD I may think about switching....

I AM TIRED OF COMCAST!

Originally posted by calebetsy
There is no organization with Comcast Atlanta. They only thing that keep me is that other services do not have the same amount of HD...Whenever VOOM gets ESPN HD I may think about switching....

I AM TIRED OF COMCAST!

Me too, but then you have to worry about the hassles of OTA for HD locals.

Not a big deal if you already have this set up but it gets to be more of an issue if you have more than one HD set. Plus, if you are in a fringe area for reception (like I am) then there is the whole weather/airplane/signal loss thing to deal with as well. Still, I might consider Voom later if things don't improve with the Comcast offering. I do enjoy the VOD service, at least for the freebie stuff.

Does anyone here have Biltmore Communications? They offer service to my community as well as Comcast. You pay $10/month to access their HDTV DirecTV dish, and you get all the local HDTV channels as well (from their seperate antenna).

This is what I learned today:
"We are launching the DVRs next Wednesday, May 19. All you have to do is call 404-COMCAST (404-266-2278) next Wednesday to place your order."
Good luck !!! :)

Celia

Celia,

where and how did you get that Info?. I called 3 different times and they all say either June or sometime in the summer, but they have no specific date....

I HAVE HEARD THIS BEFORE! ANOTHER COMCAST RUMOR

That's the information I got from my contact in Comcast. I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

About the price:

"The price for the DVR will be $9.95 (+ $4.80 if it is an additional
receiver...i.e. not a replacement of your current receiver)".

Celia

I think your info is wrong because how come none of the Comcast rep. that I have called know anything about it. How are you suppose to call on Wednesday and they are clueless......

calebetsy,

You should have learned by now that Comcast reps are always clueless about everything that has to do with Comcast.

Celia obviously did not talk with a CSR over the telephone. It appears she has a contact higher up in the Comcast hierarchy, i.e., a person who would have much more reliable information.

There are no guarantees-- that person could be wrong also unless he/she is WAY up in the hierarchy-- but if I were in your position I would be calling the number Celia posted (and not any other Comcast number) tomorrow when they start taking calls.

And remember, there are eligibility requirements which vary from one area to the next. At a minimum, you need to subscribe to a digital package.

I just called Comcast and the DVR is available. The installation is $ 35.50 and service costs $ 4.95


Thank you Celia. I appreciatte GOOD INFO....I apologize for being so skeptical, but COMCAST has dissapointed me before.

I also was able to get the DVR this morning. I order two for installation on Saturday. The CSR said that he had a informational meeting only yesterday and was amazed that I was his 3rd call this morning considering they wont be advertising its availability for at least a week, if not longer. The good news is that they had plenty of install ability starting this Friday.

i just called and they do have the dvr's available but $30 install fee is hard to swallow.

Where can we find info on the DVR? Is there a spec/feature list out there? I guess I want to order early before they run out, but I want to know more about what is out there.

Does it require digital cable?

Does it do HD?

Carlos

SWEEEET!!!!

I have an appointment for the 25th.

My wife would kick me considering I just paid $30 to Comcast LAST month for the HD install.

*sigh* Whatever happen to self-install? I miss AT&T Broadband. You could just walk in, get a box, and do your own installation.

Originally posted by los
Where can we find info on the DVR? Is there a spec/feature list out there? I guess I want to order early before they run out, but I want to know more about what is out there.

Does it require digital cable?

Does it do HD?

Carlos

a) http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/dct6208.asp

b) No. You can have basic cable to get broadcast HD channels. From what I was told, if you want ESPN-HD, INHD, INHD2, you need to have digital cable.

c) Yes, it does HD.

I don't understand the $30 installation if you already have an HD box. Just swap one for the other.

If Comcast wasn't so anal about the installation this would be much easier.

Originally posted by Paul Hives
I don't understand the $30 installation if you already have an HD box. Just swap one for the other.

If Comcast wasn't so anal about the installation this would be much easier.

For whatever reason, they don't allow self install for HD boxes. Could be that they just want the extra fees, some speculate that the original reason was that they needed their installer to set up the HD to confirm that you actually have an HD set when you order an HD box. Why would they care since they are charging extra for the box anyway?

One reason cited is that originally the number of HD boxes was extremely limited and they wanted to insure that these were used for HD sets. Someday maybe when HD is more mainstream we can get self installation and upgrade options but not yet.

they want $30 install fee per box!!! that is freaking crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does anyone know if the box comcast is using has 2 tuners? Thanks!!

Originally posted by ji9988
Does anyone know if the box comcast is using has 2 tuners? Thanks!!

Just one tuner.

The Atlanta Comcast DVR's are Motorola 6208's, which is a one tuner, cable only, HD & SD recorder. The dual tuner version is a 6408 and is not available anywhere yet. The last I heard, the beta units should be available around September, but that doesn't mean Atlanta would have them by then. I am hoping we will get the 6408 by the end of the year. I have also heard people refer to a 6412 unit, but don't know what the differences are between it and the 6408. If anyone can compare and contrast the two units, I would like to learn.

I would not expect a cable DVR to ever record OTA. The reason the satellite receivers include OTA ability is that the likelihood of a satellite company carrying local HD in the next couple of years is slim to none. Therefore, to compete they must include OTA recording ability even though it adds complexity and cost to the units.

However, all is not lost in the world of cable TV. Remember, the CableCARD standard takes effect in July. This will allow cable users to purchase STB’s, and like-type equipment, that works with all cable TV signals, provided the cable company provided card is installed in the unit. Since 3rd party vendors are providing the units, who knows what type of functionality can or will be included. I would expect the first CarbleCARD DVR’s to trickle out around October, but would expect functionality to be limited or the cost prohibitive for most. However, by this time next year, we should see all kinds of great products either in the stores or nearly released.

HrM .. i just had my comcast HDTV install Tuesday (yes 2 days ago) .. do i have to pay another $30 to have a DVR box sent out ?

Oh and umm I am a new Comcast customer .. What blind idiot designed the Comcast guide ? It shows only one 30 min segment worth of info, and no detailed info what soever ? I do not know if you could design a more useless guide if you tried ??

I assume the new 6208 uses the same crap guide ? If so that would be very disapointing as it is hard enough to find out what is currently on TV much less find things on in the future to record. Half the time when I go into the guide it starts on channel 2 even though I am on say 533 .. horrid guide .. and the worst part is the ads are even more worthless if you are going to waste that much incredibly valuable screen realestate with ads, advertise something other then TVGuide please.

Originally posted by riekl
Oh and umm I am a new Comcast customer .. What blind idiot designed the Comcast guide ? It shows only one 30 min segment worth of info, and no detailed info what soever ? I do not know if you could design a more useless guide if you tried ??

AMEN! The guide is my biggest issue with cable, and I have almost dropped cable several times over the issue.

TV guide is the company that supplies the guide system to most all cable companies. From what I have read, they have long term contracts and no incentive to adjust there product (at this time). Besides, the cable company loves those ads as they provide revenue.

However, there may be good news on the horizon. Microsoft is making a big push to get into the STB software business using a product called Foundation (current version 1.7). ttp://www.microsoft.com/tv/default.mspx It is being tested on the Motorola boxes used by Comcast, and provides a better guide system while still allowing the cable companies to generate Ad revenue and use VOD, DVR and other two-way products. I am not a big Microsoft fan, but have heard great things about the product and from what I can see it is far superior to TV Guide. I have also seen some speculation that many cable companies will change over during the next 18 months.

FYI - My first digital guide experience was with BellSouth’s line of sight digital service. That guide was Fantastic! 8 channels displayed for 1.5 hours of content. When they stop providing LOS service I went to cable because my house was not well equipped for satellite and I could not afford all of the equipment I needed have the same setup. By the time I was ready for satellite, HD was becoming prominent, and I knew satellite would not fully meet my needs again.

Delta,

I guess I just can't fathom it. This guide has been around for a long time .. do any of the cable execs not have cable at home ? Have they never done product comparisons with say DTV and Dish ? I am almost shocked DTV doesn't have commericals saying "this is our guide" "this is theirs" the difference is startling !

The guide data is bad enough, but the navigation (or lack there of !!) just makes it worse. You can't easily get to the guide by channel list (which will be very useful with a dvr, and is very similar to a tivo style guide that i have enjoyed for many years). Even when in the main guide theres that nag at the very bottom that always gets in the way, half the type typing in a channel number results in no change on the guide i have to exit it and come back in.

Guh what a horrible product from every angle. I find myself relegated to soley using the mini guide (1 channel at a time on the bottom of the screen) to see whats on. I can't wait for my replay to get here tommrow !

I just saw this Message come up on the cable menu this morning so I figured everyone here would be talking about it... I've never had TiVO before, but I'm thinking about upgrading to the DVR model... I have the Platinum package and the HD receiver so I'm already paying the extra $5/month... I'm assuming the $4.95 that I saw quoted on here is in addition to that, making the total equipment add-on $9.95?

The PDF user guides on the Motorola site aren't opening for me... So I'm hoping someone here has the answers to my questions.

1) I saw that this model is a single tuner and not a dual tuner? Does this mean I can't watch one show and record another show at the same time? Or just that you can only record one show at a time... but could still watch something else?
2) What is the capacity of this model? How many hours of recording for SD versus HD?
3) Has anyone seen the menu options yet? Is it going to have any intelligent recording options (i.e. always tape Seinfeld re-runs) or are you going to have to manually flag each show that you want to record?

Again, I've never used TiVO... and I don't know if anyone on this forum actually has the Comcast DVR installed yet, but any additional info is appreciated!

tde,

#1) 80gig HD, this means aprox 7-10 hours of HD content or around 40 hours of SD content.

#2) Single tuner this means only one show at a time, you "should" be able to watch a pre-recorded show recording another one.

#3) All indications is that it is very basic record options, can't say much more in detail about it.

I have the MOTO6208 as part of a beta test in Baltimore County.

The unit records HD and pauses. It sometimes skips after pausing for a few seconds. It is not user-friendly and I haven't seen anyway to record a show by name, just times and channels (on separate screens). I recorded Harry Potter in HD on ABC. 4 hours and it said 31% full, which means 12 hours of HD, but I don't know how accurate any of that is.

You can't watch one and record another and I haven't tried recording one and viewing a recorded show at the same time. I haven't tried DVI yet and won't be trying firewire.

They gave me an On Demand remote instead of the DVR remote and I have continual problems navigating and controlling the DVR functions with it (buttons don't work or stop working - very frustrating).

This is a very basic firmware/software implementation and we can only hope that Comcast and Motorola make things easier in the future.

But I will be keeping it. I'm sure I just don't understand yet how to operate it correctly.

Rich N.

Rich,

No :) I'm sure the problem is that the hardware is extremely limited and Motorola couldn't be bothered enough to make DVR software that is feature rich.

The sad thing is comcast is going to be charging more for these devices then DTV charges for Tivo's. Crazy eh ?

Oh well the only good PVR's (Replay & Tivo) are very expensive $13/month/box very painful on the wallet. Seems good software developers are to expensive for the cable companies.

Thanks, Riekl, but it isn't just Motorola. Comcast is involved in the software and activation of the features of the box. I don't know all the ins and outs of this, only that it is a joint venture that is quite poorly implemented. But I am a beta tester, so I will be including these remarks when I submit my second report.

I don't understand about the charges, though. I will be paying $5 a month for the HD-DVR in addition to the $5 I was paying for the 5100HD. I don't know what DTV charges for Tivo's, but the cost is not one of my concerns.

Rich N.

Rich,

My understanding is that the final charges for the DVR will be 9.95 + 4.95 standard receiver fee = $15/month. (per box)

DTV charges a $5 tivo fee, and you can have as many tivo's on the account as you want.

Cable always had a leg up on sattelite in terms of "no equipment to buy, reasonable rental fees". It seems those "reasonable rental fees" are becoming a thing of the past.

Well, our DVR is installed with little hassle here in Midtown Atlanta. Though, thankfully the installer called beforehand to say he was coming and I said--you have the DVR, right? He did not, as it turned out, but he realized what I meant and went back to get one before he came over. So, all's well that ends well.

Thomas

Originally posted by riekl
Rich,

My understanding is that the final charges for the DVR will be 9.95 + 4.95 standard receiver fee = $15/month. (per box)

DTV charges a $5 tivo fee, and you can have as many tivo's on the account as you want.

Cable always had a leg up on sattelite in terms of "no equipment to buy, reasonable rental fees". It seems those "reasonable rental fees" are becoming a thing of the past.

Actually, I spoke with Comcast today. It is the same cost as the HD receiver. So it is $10/month, as he told me.

Originally posted by riekl
Rich,

My understanding is that the final charges for the DVR will be 9.95 + 4.95 standard receiver fee = $15/month. (per box)


No, just 9.95, that's it. It used to be $4.95 with the 5100.

That's in most cases. The trick is that the packages they sell, standard, silver, gold, etc. include at least two set-top boxes. When you replace one of those for one 5100 HD box, you pay an extra $4.95. When you replace the 5100 for a 6208, you an additional $4.90 for a total $9.95 additional to your package.

Silver package + 5100 = x + 4.95

Silver package + 6208 = x + 9.95

If you had the 5100 already you pay an additional 4.95

(plus the $30 installation + $15 technical visit fee.

Originally posted by lcaamano
No, just 9.95, that's it. It used to be $4.95 with the 5100.

That's in most cases. The trick is that the packages they sell, standard, silver, gold, etc. include at least two set-top boxes. When you replace one of those for one 5100 HD box, you pay an extra $4.95. When you replace the 5100 for a 6208, you an additional $4.90 for a total $9.95 additional to your package.

Silver package + 5100 = x + 4.95

Silver package + 6208 = x + 9.95

If you had the 5100 already you pay an additional 4.95

(plus the $30 installation + $15 technical visit fee.

This is also my understanding of the pricing, though I was not told of the $15 tech visit fee, just the $29.95 installation fee.

Originally posted by DDisney
This is also my understanding of the pricing, though I was not told of the $15 tech visit fee, just the $29.95 installation fee.

They were not going to tell me either until I asked for ALL the charges. When I got the 5100 back in March 2003 I did get that extra $15. I only saw it when the tech gave me the service form.

Nobody mentioned it here though. I always get the feeling that it's an extra $15 they charge randomly and I always win it (or lose depending on you point of view :)

A question to anyone who already got their 6208 installed in Atlanta----is your video on demand working yet? I thought this might take a day or more to download to the box, but no luck yet, so I was wondering if anyone else with a 6208 has working VOD?

(Assuming this was a feature you already had working previously--but supposedly everyone with Comcast digital cable in Atlanta in upgraded areas has VOD now right?)

As to the prices---a couple of years ago (a la AT&T/MediaOne) the packages with 2 or more premiums included 2 boxes, then later the wording was changed to "at least one box" and on my account only one box was ever included after that.

So now, one box is included,
---extra digital boxes are $4.80--(labeled on my bill as "Digital Service A/o")
---if that extra box is a 5100/6200 then it is $4.80+5.00
---if that extra box is a 6208 then it is $4.80+9.95 since all DVRs are HD-capable so you pay both charges whether you have HD or not, though I'm not sure yet whether they will let you order a DVR if you don't have an HDTV, but I would think they would want to--if they have enough boxes.

I turned in my "extra box" a while back, so besides my silver or gold package price, I always paid just an extra $5.00 since my only cable box was a 5100, and now that $5.00 will become $9.95 since my only cable box is a 6208.

Thomas

Originally posted by harpshutler

I turned in my "extra box" a while back, so besides my silver or gold package price, I always paid just an extra $5.00 since my only cable box was a 5100, and now that $5.00 will become $9.95 since my only cable box is a 6208.

Thomas

I'm in the same situation. I only have one box, which will be the 6208 for an additional $5.

I don't think the fee's are that bad, I'll bascially be getting an HD-DVR for an extra 5-10$ a month. That sounds pretty good to me instead of buying tivo hardware and paying for the Tivo service. Not sure why everyone is complaining about it. When I went HDTV it was pretty painless, I don't expect the most advanced DVR in the world but there are not that many models that record HDTV and for the price it's a no brainer.

Originally posted by swanlee
I don't think the fee's are that bad, I'll bascially be getting an HD-DVR for an extra 5-10$ a month. That sounds pretty good to me instead of buying tivo hardware and paying for the Tivo service. Not sure why everyone is complaining about it. When I went HDTV it was pretty painless, I don't expect the most advanced DVR in the world but there are not that many models that record HDTV and for the price it's a no brainer.

It isn't that the monthly fees are bad..

It is the fact that they will charge you $30 a pop every time you want to upgrade. I have paid $30 for the 6200 that was installed last month. Now I have to pay $30 for the DVR. Then I will have to pay $30 to get the dual tuner DVR.

That is $90. So yeah.. I am a little ticked and could understand why others are too. That is $90 which could go towards a TIVO box which you can install by yourself and only pay the monthly TIVO charge, which is cheaper than the monthly HD/DVR rental price.

Only reason I am with Comcast because I have basic cable with my high speed internet. My primary service is with DirecTV.

/end rant

Originally posted by Darkhound

That is $90. So yeah.. I am a little ticked and could understand why others are too. That is $90 which could go towards a TIVO box which you can install by yourself and only pay the monthly TIVO charge, which is cheaper than the monthly HD/DVR rental price.


Not so sure about that: I'm paying $12.95/month for TiVo....
-Jack

Originally posted by jacquesb
Not so sure about that: I'm paying $12.95/month for TiVo....
-Jack

I am paying $5.95 for DTv Tivo.

I had the DVR installed today. It was a smooth install it lasted 15 minutes even thugh the Tech told it was his 1st one ever. I am ok with the DVR I know it's no TIVO, but it does the job. The only things I will like improve is the fast forward and rewind speeds and the fact that it does not have a 30 or 15 seconds skip ahead....

Does anybody knows if the 15 second skip ahead will be added later or there will be improvements with a later firmware?????? I AM CURIOUS!

Hi everyone,

Still no VOD here on my 6208. When you press Menu, and the small menu box comes up in the top left hand portion of the screen, how many options do you have? I have three TV listings, DVR, and Main Menu.

On the main menu, there's no mention of VOD, does anyone have a VOD option on their main menu? An if you do, is it in the left or right column and between which two buttons is it?

And finally on the Guide screen, there's are a bunch of icons on the bottom of the screen, in between the down arrow icon, and the movie camera icon, I have a movie ticket/clock icon which represents PPV channels in the 400s, is this a VOD button on your 6208? Comcast seems to be saying mine should be a VOD icon, and not a PPV icon.

If anyone with a 6208 in Atlanta could answer any of these questions, I would greatly appreciate it. I have a repair appointment for Monday afternoon, if nothing else I suppose they can switch out the box. The only indication on my current 6208 that VOD even exists is the Guide listing for channel 1.

Thanks in advance,

Thomas

Thomas-

I just had mine installed this afternoon and the options after selecting the Menu button are: TV Listings, On Demand, DVR, Main Menu in that order, top to bottom. After pressing the Guide button, there is an icon labeled, "OND" between the up arrow and camera icons.

Sounds like you don't have VOD but you can have mine <grin> since I never requested it and have no intention of using it.

-Skip

Originally posted by Skipm
Thomas-

Sounds like you don't have VOD but you can have mine <grin> since I never requested it and have no intention of using it.

-Skip

You ought to check it out. There is some decent freebie stuff out there, and if you have HBO then you can see episodes of things like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Deadwood and Sopranos if you missed them the first time.

Only reason I would do VOD if they offer movies in HD. Of course, Comcast wouldn't be smart enough to do that!

:)

Ditto what Darkhound said, plus with the 6208 there is no need to worry about missing an episode of the Sopranos since I can record it and watch it later in HD!

-Skip

Originally posted by Darkhound
Only reason I would do VOD if they offer movies in HD. Of course, Comcast wouldn't be smart enough to do that!

:)

Actually, I believe that you can expect that to happen at some point in the not too distant future. There has been some testing elsewhere, though the prices I heard ($6.95 I believe) were a little high for my tastes.

Originally posted by Skipm
Ditto what Darkhound said, plus with the 6208 there is no need to worry about missing an episode of the Sopranos since I can record it and watch it later in HD!

-Skip

That's true, but there is some other freebie stuff that is interesting, at least to me.

Must be a lot of interest in the DVR because I can't get an appointment 'til next Thursday. Yeah, that's 11 days out. I'm confident that I can switch out the component cables myself, but that's beside the point. When I called this morning, they said I also had to pay a $100 deposit for the box. Is this normal? $29.50 install fee and $100 deposit have to be paid to the installer. For those of you that have already had the box installed, am I getting scammed?

They did not mention the $100 deposit when I made my appointment for June 5th. Wwhen I got my box swapped out for HDTV I didn't have to pay a deposit either. your being scammed

I'm getting my box on Wednesday with no install and no deposit charge. Installers are delivering the 6208 and swapping it for the 5100 and I'll hook it up. I was promised no charge whatsoever. Maybe it's because I've been such a PITA with them in the past.

The $100 deposit is based on your credit rating.

I thought the $100 deposit was to make sure that no one tries to sell the receiver on Ebay or the HT Marketplace!

:)

Just got the 6208 installed. It works as advertised but having been a replayTV user for many years, the DVR features left me completely disappointed (as expected). It's amazing that they used such bad software knowing that it would get compared to Tivo and ReplayTV software.

Whatever, at least we can record HD now, e.g, Jay Leno in HD!!

The guide is still downloading and so far it only has half a day. I hope we get at least two weeks of channel guide.

The install was a breeze. Put the box on top of the 5100 and moved all the cables up, DVI, optical, components, etc. The override menu was already setup correctly to 16:9 and 480i override.

The firmware is 07.07 and it has firewire and usb connectors but I haven't tested any of those. DVI works but just like before, I can't tell any difference in PQ between the component outputs and the DVI on my Sony XBR800, they both look excellent.

The DVR pauses live TV but it stutters when coming out of pause. The stuttering is pretty consistent.

The software doesn't have 30 second skip, idiots, still thinking like a VCR. You have to fast forward holding the button. It's going to be hard to get used to that after so many years of "quantum skipping" with the replay. If you don't have replay or tivo you won't miss the skip though.

The remote is very cool with OnDemand and MyDVR buttons to shortcut to specific menus. I have to add those and the transport buttons to the MX500.

The remote IR codes are the same as before and I didn't have to adjust the replaytTV's IR blaster at all. It just worked as it did before.

The box took about 20 minutes to download its stuff and come back on and another 10 to download (I hope the first part of) the program guide.

The hard disk is louder than the replay's hard disk but I guess we're used to that noise already.

The replacement/install couldn't have been any easier.

The recording features are pretty brain dead. Find a show and record based on channel and time, again, like a stupid VCR not like replayTV which records based on show name, which allows it to adjust the time and length based on the info coming in on the guide. A very nice feature for things like Golf Central, which is normally a half hour show at 7:30 but sometimes goes an hour long later or earlier. I don't think that's going to be a big deal though.

Is it worth the extra $5? Only because it's the only choice. If we could get a ReplayTV or Tivo that recorded HD from cable, I'd get those in a heartbeat because of better software.

Ok.. lets remember.

This is COMCAST CABLE.

It seems like the cable companies aren't even trying to be innovative anymore.

Originally posted by lcaamano
Just got the 6208 installed. It works as advertised but having been a replayTV user for many years, the DVR features left me completely disappointed (as expected). It's amazing that they used such bad software knowing that it would get compared to Tivo and ReplayTV software.

Is it worth the extra $5? Only because it's the only choice. If we could get a ReplayTV or Tivo that recorded HD from cable, I'd get those in a heartbeat because of better software.

Luis, thanks for the info. My install is scheduled for Friday. Since I have not previously owned any DVR, I probably won't be as upset as some folks about the clunky interface, but hopefully this is a stopgap until the Moxi units become available. Just having the ability to finally timeshift HD makes it easily worth the extra cost for me.

As a current Series 2 TiVo user, I think I'll wait at least until the fall to upgrade my 5100 to a 6208 (or whatever else Comcast offers at that time). My reasoning is that the main HD shows that I'd want to record (ER & Third Watch) have had their season finales already. Although the picture quality I get from the TiVo on my 40" Toshiba is pretty bad, I can accept it for the convenience it offers me.

Glad I'm not the only one who couldn't find a way to record on the 6208 by program name. Glad I'm not the only one to notice the stuttering when starting a paused program. I haven't spoken with or seen any comments praising the software in this product. Thanks, Luis.

Darkhound: While the 6208 HD-DVR is definitely at the bottom of the list for functionality (the 6412 will have two tuners and 120GB harddrive) at least it is here and functioning. I think Comcast thinks its VOD is innovative while the HD-DVR is just competitive. Certainly they are not innovative or competitive on the HD channels they show, but who knows what the impacts will be when all content providers significantly increase their bandwidth for HD.


Rich N.

Originally posted by raidbuck
Glad I'm not the only one who couldn't find a way to record on the 6208 by program name. Glad I'm not the only one to notice the stuttering when starting a paused program. I haven't spoken with or seen any comments praising the software in this product. Thanks, Luis.

Darkhound: While the 6208 HD-DVR is definitely at the bottom of the list for functionality (the 6412 will have two tuners and 120GB harddrive) at least it is here and functioning. I think Comcast thinks its VOD is innovative while the HD-DVR is just competitive. Certainly they are not innovative or competitive on the HD channels they show, but who knows what the impacts will be when all content providers significantly increase their bandwidth for HD.


Rich N.

Well.. I understand this. The reason I am going with it is for the fact that I personally can't force myself to pay $900+ for the DirectTV TiVo. After buying a Z2, screen, and about to build a HTPC, it just isn't in my budget.

I think this device is a great quick fix, and an absolute wonder for those who don't have TiVo.

(About to run home in an hour or so to receive the 6208.)

Now only if Comcast could get the rest of the broadcast networks on HD, I would have a great summer watching Smallville repeats in HD! :D

Originally posted by DDisney
Luis, thanks for the info. My install is scheduled for Friday. Since I have not previously owned any DVR, I probably won't be as upset as some folks about the clunky interface, but hopefully this is a stopgap until the Moxi units become available. Just having the ability to finally timeshift HD makes it easily worth the extra cost for me.

I agree it's very nice to finally be able to timeshift HD but let me tell you, it gets old pretty darn quickly. I was laughing almost all the time I was setting it up to record Jay Leno ... and I had to use my replayTV's guide to find Beavers and SuperSpeedway in INHD2 because the guide in the 6208 doesn't go that far in the future (unlike replay's two weeks worth of info).

It seems to me that nobody in the chain of command sat down to use this box before releasing it. There are serious usability issues ... little ones but a bunch of them.

The only chance for good DVR HD quality software is a CableCARD tivo or replaytv:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=cablecard+replaytv&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=19c13a19.0404281237.54262fec%40posting.google.com&rnum=1


http://groups.google.com/groups?q=cablecard+replaytv&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=megazone.1079674712%40sidehack.sat.gweep.net&rnum=2


Until then ...

Found this news today and thought I would share.

http://att.com.com/Comcast+tunes+into+Microsoft+TV+software/2100-1041_3-5217056.html

I too am not as happy with the 6208 as I could be, but I think a change to Microsoft Foundation will solve all my problems. The big issue with the Motorola box is the software. From what I have read, the real issue is that any company that produces DVR software was either too slow to adapt to the cable boxes or wanted too much money and/or control over the business (i.e. Tivo). Yes the cable companies are slow to adapt and I am as frustrated as the next person, but in the end I think cable will win out and has always been the better choice for me. I have yet to see any of the Satellite companies show HD locals without an antenna feed and special configurations in the DVR. Tivo has yet to produce any box that is able to take a direct cable feed without having to use IR blasters and requiring two cables boxes to record different digital signals. Lastly, when the 6412 is available and utilizes good software, such as Microsoft Foundation, I will have to rent the DVR from my cable company for a long time before buying another companies DVR is feasible. A $900 Tivo would take 7.5 years to pay off at 10.00 per month. However, I will be interested to see what kind of CableCARD boxes will be offered by this time next year. I would love to have video archiving ability, a network of DVR functionality, and centralized audio storage. If these items are put in CableCARD ready systems, I would do a cost benefit analysis.

Originally posted by DeltaBill
Found this news today and thought I would share.

http://att.com.com/Comcast+tunes+into+Microsoft+TV+software/2100-1041_3-5217056.html

I would love to have video archiving ability, a network of DVR functionality, and centralized audio storage. If these items are put in CableCARD ready systems, I would do a cost benefit analysis.

I don't know about archiving (except short term of course) but doesn't the proposed Moxi offer the whole house networking? I think the UI should also be much improved. I really hate the TV Guide interface with ads plastered all over the place.

Originally posted by DDisney
I don't know about archiving (except short term of course) but doesn't the proposed Moxi offer the whole house networking? I think the UI should also be much improved. I really hate the TV Guide interface with ads plastered all over the place.

I saw a lot of information on Moxi last year, but have not heard much lately. However, what I saw looked great! Moxi is where I first saw whole house networking and was immediately hooked on the idea, especially since the underlying OS was Linux. The downsides are that you have to purchase equipment, would need to subscribe to a guide system over the internet, and it would not interact with the cable company in any way, i.e. VOD and PPV. On the upside, you would be able to purchase PPV over the internet in a later version and could expect less advertisements since you are paying for the hardware and information.

Since I have not heard much about Moxi in the last six months, I would guess they have either folded, or are regrouping to work with either cable or satellite. If anyone knows more about the status of Moxi, I would appreciate you posting the information.

As for archiving, this has been a lunch table topic for several of us. Though no definite information has been leaked, we speculate the first versions will allow you to move (not copy) the file to another data store and the moved version will be keyed based on the hardware. This would allow users to store files for a longer time, but would prevent us from viewing it on any other box. Then as DVR’s become more popular, you will see companies test the parameters which will eventually lead to law suits and inevitably more defined and unrestricted fair-use rules. Like I said, this is pure speculation and there are no facts or rumors to support these ideas.

I found this:

"When it launched two years ago at CES, Moxi was a revolutionary concept. But now, after a change of ownership, it's just another HDTV DVR. The finalized Moxi-based box from Motorola, called "Broadband Media Center" (BMC9012), includes two HDTV tuners. It can simultaneously record two shows to its 80 gigabyte hard drive, which stores around 9 hours of HDTV content."

http://www.extremetech.com/print_article/0,3998,a=113979,00.asp

Hi all,

I'm sure it's primitive, but you can still search by title on the Comcast DVR 6208. Select the magnifying glass icon from the bottom of the guide screen.

By the way, as far as guide info goes, our box currently has 15 days of program information. Of course, if the box ever gets unplugged, it takes a while for the info come back.

Thomas

Thanks, I'll try that to search by title tonight.

By the way, I'm having a problem with freezing and breaking up when just watching. The picture freezes, goes black, comes on and immediately breaks up (pixels turn black) and then goes back to normal. I have 7.07. Just wondering if others have had this.

Rich N.

Originally posted by raidbuck
Thanks, I'll try that to search by title tonight.

By the way, I'm having a problem with freezing and breaking up when just watching. The picture freezes, goes black, comes on and immediately breaks up (pixels turn black) and then goes back to normal. I have 7.07. Just wondering if others have had this.

Rich N.

The freezing/breakup sounds more like a typical signal strength issue. I have seen this recently on my 5100 and have a service call along with my install of the 6208 on Friday. I don't know how you get to the diagnostics menu on the 6208 but when you get there, check out the Inband status screen after first tuning to one of the HD channels giving you problems before you power off to review the diagnostics.

Look at the SNR/AGC readings. If either is fair or poor or if you have high uncorrectable error counts, you could have a signal strength issue, which means it could be too high or too low. This can also be affected by such things as splitters, routing the cable through a power filter, etc. Stay on top of Comcast to get this right. When they make system changes in my area, my readings sometimes change and the HD channels are sensitive due to the bandwidth requirements.

there are reports on other forums that Comcast has an agreement to carry Discovery HD and WB stations...does anybody knows when and why Comcast Atlanta has not added them???? is it a bandwith issue???...and if it they should get rid of all of those useless analog channels......

"In the know" folks agree that DiscoveryHD is on the way, but no implementation date has been given. When it does it will be up to the local Comcast regions to actually start showing it, I guess based upon bandwidth availability.

We in Baltimore will NOT get WB since it is owned by Sinclair and Sinclair will not give its HD feeds to Comcast. I don't even know if the Baltimore WB is even broadcasting in HD. I know they own the Fox affiliate and it isn't doing WS now and I think that is also true for WB.

Rich N.

Hey everyone,

Comcast and/or Turner seem to be testing the first Turner HDTV Braves game on channel 755.

The logo on 755 says "Turner South". I guess that long ago
mentioned date of June 4th I had heard for the first HDTV Braves game may be correct after all.

I had originally thought the date was all wrong, since the game was
to be on Turner South on June 4th, and the only channel mentioned in
that original post on the message board of Yahoo group ahdtv was WTBS 20-1 OTA.

Not that I personally watch, or care about baseball, but more HDTV
progamming is good for everyone.

Thomas

Looks great, plus no commercial break. My son said 'Show the scoreboard, I want to play the car race game'.

Originally posted by harpshutler
Hey everyone,

Comcast and/or Turner seem to be testing the first Turner HDTV Braves game on channel 755.

Not that I personally watch, or care about baseball, but more HDTV
progamming is good for everyone.

Thomas

Same here, I am much more of a football fan than baseball but this is a nice addition. However, I had bad breakups on this channel and no problem with other HD channels, so I don't know what's up with that. Also, this channel is ONLY active during Braves games apparently. I would much rather see ABC than a Braves-only HD channel.

Got my 6208 today. Pretty exciting, none of the channels above about 130 work and comcast can't communicate to the box so they have to send someone back out. I can see INHD1/2 and ESPN-HD but none of the local HDs even show up on the guide.

I have firmware 7.07 too, I thought it was supposed to be 7.10 or so? After an hour and a half it also only downloaded about 8 hrs worth of guide info, I thought it was supposed to be about 14 days worth?

Argh. On Demand works, which is pretty smooth.

According to my reliable source they watched the game Friday at their Techwood facility and the signal was rock solid coming from Turner Field. From their perspective it was a Comcast problem.

Also, it will only be Turner South until maybe July. The TBS HD games will then be on both Comcast and ch 20.

Tom

I noticed Fox in Atlanta isn't on this list of stations ready for 720p yet:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=409554

Anyone know if this is coming soon for us?

Originally posted by cjones20
Got my 6208 today. Pretty exciting, none of the channels above about 130 work and comcast can't communicate to the box so they have to send someone back out. I can see INHD1/2 and ESPN-HD but none of the local HDs even show up on the guide.

I have firmware 7.07 too, I thought it was supposed to be 7.10 or so? After an hour and a half it also only downloaded about 8 hrs worth of guide info, I thought it was supposed to be about 14 days worth?

Argh. On Demand works, which is pretty smooth.

I've had similar problems since I got my 6208 last Saturday. All analog and digital channels work, and HD locals and ESPN and INHD work, but no regular or HD HBO or Starz. Also OnDemand doesn't work.

Comcast also cannot communicate with my box, and I've got another appointment set up for next Saturday. I've also got firmware 7.07. After having the box for 2 days, I finally received the full 2 weeks worth of guide info.

Originally posted by jdp_atl
I've had similar problems since I got my 6208 last Saturday. All analog and digital channels work, and HD locals and ESPN and INHD work, but no regular or HD HBO or Starz. Also OnDemand doesn't work.

Comcast also cannot communicate with my box, and I've got another appointment set up for next Saturday. I've also got firmware 7.07. After having the box for 2 days, I finally received the full 2 weeks worth of guide info.

I had the above problem when they came out and installed for HD the first time. The problem ultimately was the fact that the initial signal was split off too many times. The installer had to find out which signal went to the room I was in and split once for that room, and then split multiple times for the other rooms. I am suprised he didn't install an amplified multiswitch. *shrug*

Originally posted by Darkhound
I had the above problem when they came out and installed for HD the first time. The problem ultimately was the fact that the initial signal was split off too many times. The installer had to find out which signal went to the room I was in and split once for that room, and then split multiple times for the other rooms. I am suprised he didn't install an amplified multiswitch. *shrug*

As I understand it, amplification can also hurt. The HD signal has to be within a strength range. Lower or higher will make the decoder lose the bit stream.

Although I guess I could be having a signal strength problem, I don't understand why that would be the case. I'm getting channels in the HD frequency range perfectly, as well as all the regular digital cable channels. Prior to getting the 6208, I had a 5100 box and experienced no problems. Also, my second digital cable box upstairs (one of the old black non-HD models) receives HBO, Starz and OnDemand without any issues.

I'll just wait until Saturday and find out...

Hey everyone,

This is a weird problem that has happened 5 or more times since we
got our Comcast 6208 DVR almost 3 weeks ago.

When we watch a show recorded from FOX-804, and try to fast forward--
1X-FF is okay, 2X, 3X, or 4X FF makes the picture freeze. The
picture stays frozen, until I press the stop button, and then the
box seems to work normally (guide and menu wise at least) but none
of the channels have audio or video. All you get is a black screen,
you can look at the guide, look at the menu, change channels, etc,
but there is no audio or video on any channel--analog, digital, or
HD.

If you unplug the power for a few seconds and then plug it in again,
all is well once more, though it takes the box a few minutes to
reprogram itself, and several hours or more to regain the normal 15
days of guide data. If you go back to the recorded FOX 804 program,
the error will not happen again immediately and you can finish
watching the program, or whatever you want and the error won't
happen again until say a day or two later.

But regardless of whether this error occurs or not, ANYTIME you FF a
program recorded from 804 at 2X, 3X, or 4X, it shows a still/paused
picture the entire time that you are fast-forwarding. You have to
hit play to see where you are in the program, such as to see if you
are past the commericials yet.

Anyone else have a similar problem?

Thomas

Originally posted by jdp_atl
I'm getting channels in the HD frequency range perfectly, as well as all the regular digital cable channels. Also, my second digital cable box upstairs (one of the old black non-HD models) receives HBO, Starz and OnDemand without any issues.

I'll just wait until Saturday and find out...

Well, now I'm not getting HBO and Starz on my second box, and on the DVR box, channels above 130 aren't coming in...

So far, DVR isn't worth these hassles. I hope I prove to be wrong...

Originally posted by ChrisATL
I noticed Fox in Atlanta isn't on this list of stations ready for 720p yet:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=409554

Anyone know if this is coming soon for us?

I'll answer my own question if anyone is curious. They are now broadcasting 720p, but they have a bit more work to do. And they finally quit stretching 4:3 content.

hey everyone,
i'm moving to atlanta in july to my apartment in midtown. i was wondering if you can give me feedback on the comcast cable service. this is what i'm looking for when i move up there:

Digital cable w/ hdtv
3 rooms (2- bedroom, 1- living room) so i need 3 cable boxes?
I just need hdtv in the living room.

I have a standalone tivo series2 but was wondering how the dvr unit 6208 is in comparison. how is the menu and scheduling ease?

Also, i'm going to get broadband internet and gotten different views. Apparently, comcast customer service is pretty poor, is this true? They have a special for 9.95/month for 2 months. How are the speeds? (i'm rooming with 3 people, very bandwidth thirsty)

i'm buying a projector soon (hitachi tx100 or sanyo z2). does anyone else use either of these projectors and how do they look with comcast cable?

thanks

james

Comcast internet is FAR, FAR, FAR better than any other offering in ATL. I've had BellSouth DSL and Earthlink DSL and they both on average were about 10x slower than the Comcast cable modem. I get regular download speeds above 2Mbps and upload around 400Kbps.

Now for the bad news, everything you've heard about Comcast customer service on the Cable TV side is probably true. I usually only call their customer service number to get a tech scheduled to come to my house. Then, roll the dice that you get someone who really knows their stuff (50-50 so far). Unfortunately, there is no other game in town for HD local stations unless you want to attempt the OTA game. (Let's see, I can get CBS if certain planets are in alignment and I stand in the corner with one hand above my head and the other behind my back...)

Also, be aware there is a long-standing dispute between Comcast and Cox so there is no HD ABC.


Best of luck to you!
BB

James:

The number of receivers depends on whether you want digital service on all three sets. I have 1 HD box 6208, and one digital because I want the digital music on both. But you may only need one box and just run the cable into the TV if all you want are the 2-99 channels (with no premiums) on the other sets.

I have Comcast broadband and it is fine (I'm in Baltimore).

As far as the 6208, it works, but it is nowhere near as sophisticated as a TIVO. It is really just like an old-time VCR only storing the data on disk instead of tape. You can schedule by program name, but outside of that it is basically a channel and time selection (on different menu pages).

We are all hoping the 6412 is better when it comes out. But you can't beat the price ($5 per month extra) and it does work. The images are similar to watching live TV (on my DLP).

Three Issues:
1. Only aroun 8-9 Hrs of HD recording, 30 hours of SD
2. When watching a recorded program, hit Pause before hitting FF or RW or the show keeps FF or RW until you go out of the DVR menu.
3. Only one tuner, so you can't watch one show while recording another. If you are watching one channel and you scheduled another channel to record, it does warn you, asking if you indeed want it to change channels to start recording.

Good luck,

Rich N.

When watching the programs "In Theaters" and "Order In" on INHD2, I get frequent pixelations & breakups. I don't get this on other HD channels, or even on other programs on INHD2. Any explanation for that? (Actually, the other HD channels do get breakups occasionally, but not nearly as often as those specific programs on INHD2.)

I have another possibly related question. On the side of my house, where the drop line is, there is a 3-way splitter. The line that goes to my HDTV appears to have some type of in-line amplifier on it. It's a few inches long, cylidrical and says "AMP" on it. However, most amps that I'm familiar with require some type of power going to it. This one doesn't appear to have any, so how could it possibly work? It also looks very old, and I'm concerned that it may be the cause of my break-up problems. Any ideas?

(By the way, the 3-way splitter has two outlets that are -7db, and one that is -3db. I have the -3db outlet going to my HDTV. )

June 17 1:00pm Kansas City Royals
The following games are listed as in HD on Channel 755 in Atlanta. Note that these are the Turner South games. I have no idea when or if the TBS games will be in HD.

June 18 7:30pm Cleveland Indians
June 19 7:00pm Cleveland Indians
June 20 1:00pm Cleveland Indians
June 29 7:30pm Florida Marlins
July 3 7:00pm Boston Red Sox
July 15 7: 30pm Montreal Expos
July 16 7:30pm Montreal Expos
July 17 7:00pm Montreal Expos
July 19 7:30pm Philadelphia Phillies
July 20 7:30pm Philadelphia Phillies
July 30 7:30pm New York Mets
July 31 7:00pm New York Mets
Aug. 10 7:30pm Milwaukee Brewers
Aug. 24 7:30pm Colorado Rockies
Sept. 7 7:30pm Philadelphia Phillies
Sept. 11 7:00pm Montreal Expos
Sept. 21 7:30pm Cincinnati Reds
Sept. 25 7:00pm Florida Marlins
Sept. 28 7:30pm New York Mets

Cheers,

Bernd

Originally posted by Bernd
June 17 1:00pm Kansas City Royals
The following games are listed as in HD on Channel 755 in Atlanta. Note that these are the Turner South games. I have no idea when or if the TBS games will be in HD.



Here's a link to the entire schedule, including TBS games which are supposed to be in HD starting June 28:

http://www.comcasthdtv.com/BravesHDTVSchedule.htm

What I get is a screen freeze for a few seconds, then pixelation until the correct image is shown. The sound stops and picks up when the pixelation is done. Since I mostly watch INHDs and PBS those are the ones I most readily remember. I have the 6208.

Rich N.

Originally posted by tdejong01
I know that you can see some signal strength measurements in the setup menu so I checked out all of my HD stations.

How do you do this? (I have the 6208.)

Originally posted by MadDogMike
How do you do this? (I have the 6208.)

He may be talking about the diagnostics menu. Tune to an HD station, then press Power on the remote, then Menu (or OK, can't remember which) within two seconds and you should get to the diagnostics menu. The other is the setup menu for 16:9 and 4:3 settings. Go to the OOB screen using the cursors, and look at the AGC/SNR readings. Generally it is best when both are Good or Fair, compared to Poor of course. This also shows a count of correctable and uncorrectable errors that refreshes every few seconds. This can give you an idea of signal strength issues, which I check whenever I get breakups on a particular HD channel.

I checked out chan 755 the other night. some still shots came thru clear, but it the picture was mostly breaking up and blocky. audio was clear. i figured perhaps it was the rainy weather.

now tonight (6/18) the channel either says "available shortly" or is a frozen pixelated screen. called support and they said to shut off my box, wait ten mins for them to "send a signal" to the box and then try again. that didn't seem to help.

hm. none of the other HD channels I get (all but premiums) have this problem at the moment.

anyone getting it clearly tonight?

e.

Clear as can be. I got the "available shortly" Tuesday and it never changed.
Tom

hm. thanks for the info. they'll send a tech tomorrow... of course, they'll be in static color bars at that point so it might not show the problem with no motion.

it got a little better a few minutes ago: blotchy, blocky pix and good audio. i can tell it's baseball, but motion is jerky, blocky, etc.

it will be interesting to see how it goes with a repair. when my HD was first installed in Dec2003, we were missing three of the six "basic HD" channels. turned out to be a termination problem in a house down the street causing the problem! yikes.

e.

Originally posted by erinn
hm. thanks for the info. they'll send a tech tomorrow... of course, they'll be in static color bars at that point so it might not show the problem with no motion.

it got a little better a few minutes ago: blotchy, blocky pix and good audio. i can tell it's baseball, but motion is jerky, blocky, etc.

it will be interesting to see how it goes with a repair. when my HD was first installed in Dec2003, we were missing three of the six "basic HD" channels. turned out to be a termination problem in a house down the street causing the problem! yikes.

e.

I checked out the channel earlier and it was solid. The first day that it was available I had the same issues as you, could be something in your area or problems with splitters, but you wouldn't think that would affect a particular channel. If I have issues for more than a day or so, I call them for service like you did, so stay on top of them till they get it right.

yeah, the dreaded "low signal strength". so this tech guy turns it over to "maintenance" who are the "bucket truck" guys. oi. he says they'll check it in 24hrs.

have been thru this before with the initial HD install. only have two 3.5 dB splitters before the HD box. we took one out and 755 came up fine. nevertheless, he said he's measuring about 15dB low at the pole. <sigh> one day hopefully we'll get this all straight.

e.

(I posted the Following on the Motorola 5100/6200 thread, but I think it's more appropriate here. A friend of mine is experiencing the same thing, so I think it's an ATL Comcast issue, rather than a hardware issue. Is anyone here experiencing this, too?)

On INHD2, when watching "In Theaters" or "Order In" I get breakups, pixelation, etc, very frequently. Sometimes the picture will just freeze and the audio drops out for a second, other times the picutre will block/pixelate big time. Other channels, and even other shows on INHD2, are usually trouble free.

On the diagnostics page, I show SNR & AGC both well into the "Good" range. And the kicker, it always shows all zeros for both correctable & uncorrectable errors. So what's up with that?

(I do have a couple splitters installed, as well as a Motorola amp, but removing those doesn't seem to help.)

I have had the 5100 for a year now and have never had such problems watching "In Theatres". (I've never watched the other.)

If the diagnostics look good then maybe it is a problem getting the signial to your display.

Tom

anybody knows when it's DiscoveryHD going to show up in Atlanta?

Originally posted by tombarry
If the diagnostics look good then maybe it is a problem getting the signial to your display.

I don't think that's the problem. I'm using component cables, but I've tried DVI with the same results. Also, the audio drops out at the same time as the video problems, whether I'm listening with the TV (connected with RCA cables) or via my home theater (connected with digital optical cables.)

I notice it pretty much only happens on those shows, whether it's on INHD or INHD2. My friend (who also has a 6208, but different display) notices the same thing. Could it be a 6208 issue? Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon?

Originally posted by Darkhound
Ok.. lets remember.

This is COMCAST CABLE.

It seems like the cable companies aren't even trying to be innovative anymore.

I think an HD DVR at $10/mo is highly innovative. As always, YMMV.

Originally posted by lcaamano
Just got the 6208 installed. It works as advertised but having been a replayTV user for many years, the DVR features left me completely disappointed (as expected). It's amazing that they used such bad software knowing that it would get compared to Tivo and ReplayTV software.

Is it worth the extra $5? Only because it's the only choice. If we could get a ReplayTV or Tivo that recorded HD from cable, I'd get those in a heartbeat because of better software.

Has anyone else received their first bill with the 6208? I just got mine and they are still showing the HD equipment fee of $5 per month PLUS the $9.95 HD Ready DVR fee. Since the 6208 replaced my 5100, I was under the impression that I should only be paying the $9.95 in total for the HD DVR which itself is an HD receiver replacing the 5100. Can anyone confirm?

Originally posted by MadDogMike
(I posted the Following on the Motorola 5100/6200 thread, but I think it's more appropriate here. A friend of mine is experiencing the same thing, so I think it's an ATL Comcast issue, rather than a hardware issue. Is anyone here experiencing this, too?)

On INHD2, when watching "In Theaters" or "Order In" I get breakups, pixelation, etc, very frequently. Sometimes the picture will just freeze and the audio drops out for a second, other times the picutre will block/pixelate big time. Other channels, and even other shows on INHD2, are usually trouble free.

On the diagnostics page, I show SNR & AGC both well into the "Good" range. And the kicker, it always shows all zeros for both correctable & uncorrectable errors. So what's up with that?

(I do have a couple splitters installed, as well as a Motorola amp, but removing those doesn't seem to help.)

I also have the problem of freezing then pixelation with the 6208. I have a DLP. It happens basically on all HD channels for me (I mostly watch PBSHD, INDH1&2, DiscoveryHD, HBOHD and ESPNHD, no SD). Comcast replaced the 6208, adjusted the signal strength and changed the cable plate (the cable comes in using the faceplate and it had some paint on it.) No help. I keep recording thinds and checking them, but I haven't noticed it on playback, only semi-live (since it is buffering the input.)

This behavior also happened on the 5100. But I don't see how it could be the TV. I guess I'll continue to work with Comcast on it.

Rich N.

Originally posted by DDisney
Has anyone else received their first bill with the 6208? I just got mine and they are still showing the HD equipment fee of $5 per month PLUS the $9.95 HD Ready DVR fee. Since the 6208 replaced my 5100, I was under the impression that I should only be paying the $9.95 in total for the HD DVR which itself is an HD receiver replacing the 5100. Can anyone confirm?

Guess I will answer my own question. I called Comcast today and told them that I had swapped out the 5100 for the 6208 DVR. Got a credit for the monthly $5 charge for the 5100 from the date of the DVR install. Is there nobody in Atlanta with contact info for the local Comcast area who knows anything about Discovery HD and (someday, please) ABC HD?

Nobody with Comcast in Atlanta will know anything about your ABC HD because the negotiations are being handled by Comcast corporate in Philadelphia.

But Cox's HQ are in Atlanta, so it would be a local call for you to call Andrew Fisher's office (he is the head of Cox Television) and ask for a status from them. (They probably won't say anything about it except that it's "in negotiations.")

What happened to the Comcast FOX HD channel (804)? The last couple of days it has been showing in 480i. Normally on the HD channels, the box sends the picture out in 1080i, even if the show is SD, in which case the vertical bars are displayed. Now, on channel 804 it's just sending out the picture in 480i, exactly the same as the SD FOX channel (4). A temporary glitch, or are we losing FOX HD? (Maybe we'll get Discovery HD or ABC HD instead!)

Thank goodness someone else has this problem--I was beginning to think it was just me.

I posted the problem to another forum, and somone said all was normal with them.

I am in Midtown Atlanta though, and this person was in Gwinnett. The way I understand it, the metro Atlanta Comcast area is divided into at least two headends, Cobb County and City of Atlanta for instance are in the "Vinings" headend, and points east like Gwinnett County are I think part of the "Stone Mountain" headend.

You can usually see evidence of which headend you are in from a sticker on the back of your cable box--our boxes always have a "Vinings" sticker.

I don't know what is wrong with 804 on our Comcast boxes or how widespread the problem is, but I hope it's fixed before Fox starts their HDTV programming this fall. The channel is fine on my OTA box.

Thomas

I have the problem here in East Cobb.

Originally posted by harpshutler
I am in Midtown Atlanta though, and this person was in Gwinnett. The way I understand it, the metro Atlanta Comcast area is divided into at least two headends, Cobb County and City of Atlanta for instance are in the "Vinings" headend, and points east like Gwinnett County are I think part of the "Stone Mountain" headend.

Yeah, I'm in Midtown too...I always wondered why my box had a "Vinings" sticker on it. Has anyone called Comcast to report the problem?

(BTW, you need to update your location...it says Kennesaw!)

I'm having the same problem in Buckhead.

Originally posted by MadDogMike
Yeah, I'm in Midtown too...I always wondered why my box had a "Vinings" sticker on it. Has anyone called Comcast to report the problem?

(BTW, you need to update your location...it says Kennesaw!)

If anybody calls about this. please ask about Discovery HD here. Most other areas either have it or at least have a date, haven't heard anything about Atlanta.

I happened upon a Comcast employee at HiFi Buys and he was clueless about DiscoveryHD. He did say that the head ends were under going changes to accept the 720p signal from WAGA. So the guess is that Vinings is being done first and we will have the 16:9 back when the change is complete. He was not a csr, but a techie.

Tom

Has anyone noticed INHD1 and 2 as well as HBO being down in Atlanta or more specificly Dallas, GA or Rome GA?

Any other forums to check.

The VERY helpful (NOT) CSR said she can send service to check on the problem tomorrow!

I unplugged the box for 5 minutes and nothing changed for me. This usually reset the downed channel in the past.

Originally posted by calpon
Has anyone noticed INHD1 and 2 as well as HBO being down in Atlanta or more specificly Dallas, GA or Rome GA?

Any other forums to check.

The VERY helpful (NOT) CSR said she can send service to check on the problem tomorrow!

I unplugged the box for 5 minutes and nothing changed for me. This usually reset the downed channel in the past.

I hope that this has been resolved for you. There is apparently work going on with the Vinings headend related to preparation for carriage of Fox HD (real HD this fall, not just Fox digital that Comcast incorrectly labels as Fox HD on 804 at present) and others have reported some issues in the Cobb area, but mostly with Fox digital.

If you do need to call Comcast, try to pry some info about Discovery HD. There seems to be a real lack of Atlanta Comcast info for some reason.

The problem resolved on it's own. I had an emergency at work the next day and had to cancel service. When I got home everything was fine. The tech came the following morning and concurred that unplugging the box for 5 minutes usually does the trick. He had no idea as to what caused my problems.

My area (out of Rome, GA- 1 hour from where I live in Powder Springs) (5 minutes from Douglasville and Marietta) is still on the old system (I don't know at the moment who Comcast bought out- A phone company?) They will be transitioning to the same setup as most of the metro area soon. My analog is from channels 1-100 (not all filled) digital up to 300 something (not all used) HD from 173- 190 (not all used)

I was told Discovery would happen very soon (Transition to new set up most likely will not happen until later). They believed WSB will happen by the end of the year. I should be able to get MLB extra innings next year!!

I got this from a source that I'm not to reveal. I told them that I miss MNF and other programs because I will only watch locals in HD. They said the best thing I can do is call the station and inform them of this because they(WSB corporate) believe not enough people care about HD and they don't really lose much. Comcast believes that this is now wrong because people are jumping on the HD bandwagon rapidly. WSB is only grudgingly beginning to see this very slowly. This person believes, that at the station level, WSB has more and more HD believers that care about getting the viewers back that they are losing.

I was also told that TNT HD should happen by the end of the year at the latest.

I didn't get this info from the president of Comcast, but it wasn't from a CSR either. Take what I told you with a grain of salt, but this person has been good to me since coming over to Comcast from D*.

i haven't checked it out myself yet, but there are early reports of atlanta's WB and Discover HD showing up tonight on people's guides here in atlanta.

Originally posted by oleus
i haven't checked it out myself yet, but there are early reports of atlanta's WB and Discover HD showing up tonight on people's guides here in atlanta.

Confirmed. Just checked it out and we now have WB (WATL) on 813 and Discovery HD on 844. C'mon WSB!

WB?!?!?!


WOOO HOOO... Smallville in HD here I come!!!!

Discovery was quite a surprise out of nowhere!!! I new it was comming but I didn't know what day, and then all of a sudden WB...!!! Unfortunately, my WB is horrible.It's breaking up and glitching like crazy!! Anybody else witnessing this? All other, even Discovery, HD channels are flawless. Let me know.

Dennis

i'm not getting any sort of glitches on the new digital WB, but the braves game tonight in HD on channel 755 turner south hd was horribly ridden with glitches from start to finish when i watched my recording of it. still waiting to hear if anyone else had a clean signal on that tonight.

The Braves game on 755 looked great. No glitches. Clean signal.

Originally posted by oleus
i'm not getting any sort of glitches on the new digital WB, but the braves game tonight in HD on channel 755 turner south hd was horribly ridden with glitches from start to finish when i watched my recording of it. still waiting to hear if anyone else had a clean signal on that tonight.

I reported in the Atlanta ahdtv Yahoo groups that I switched to the game a couple of times for a minute or two and did notice breakup late in the game. Did not stay on the channel long enough to see if the problem was persistent but did not have problems with other HD channels during this time.

I've been having breakups and pixelation every since i got the DVR box. Previously I never had that issue with HD content on comcast.

One question when fox goes to 720P will my cable box be able to convert it to 1080I? My tv cannot display 720p, I have a setting checked so that YBG convert to 1080I but not sure how 720p will react.

755 was the only channel breaking up for me. i wonder what was happening where some were getting it clean and others weren't?

Tune into 755 now

I saw the game on INHD and it looked great (they would use the Turner South feed, even had the Turner South logo on the screen). I have Comcast and a Moto6208 HD-DVR.

Rich N.

they are 'testing'. Live pictures at the stadium.

thanks for the heads up i'll check now!!!!

still getting the tiny pixel breakups, constantly.


they started playing some music and it went away for a bit. then it came back. i reset both of my receivers, and they're both still doing it on 755 but no other channel.

called comcast - they confirmed a ton of reports last night of breakups.

BUT - they are blaming turner south, and also saying it's this way because the channel hasn't launched in my area (which it HAS, since i'd been seeing games fine on 755).

i told them some people were getting it fine, didn't seem to make a difference.

i tried...not sure what else i can do now.

I have gotten none both days. None now, none earlier.

Tom

well i guess i'll them send somebody out but this is discouraging, especially since my other channels are working great (meaning i doubt there will be an easy fix from the comcast boneheads).

can anyone else with access to channel 755 on comcast HD check the singal for me?

thanks

tomberry -

what receiver are you using?

i'm getting the breakups on both of my 6208's.

5100

maybe it's a problem with the motorola 6208 handling the signal they're sending out to us?

what kind of receiver is the 5100?

on another note, being able to watch batting practice today was pretty damn cool! even with the breakups it's fun to watch that. i hope they keep piping the pre-game camera tests into channel 755.

any chance they're trying to troubleshoot a signal problem with these tests? even though the 2nd and 3rd csr's i talked to were clueless (the second was insisting 755 wasn't an HD channel and that i needed to subscribe to a baseball pkg to get 755!)....but the first one did say they had a lot of reports last night of the same problem i'm having.

-oleus

I live in Snellville and I have a 6208 DVR and I was getting the games fine until yesterday and now I have breakups only in that channel.

The comcast supplied Motorola. DCT-5100 ?

Arrrgghhh!
I"m (out of Rome, GA) not getting the new channels yet!!!!!
Sucks to be in Powder Springs and having to be serviced by Rome. Who comes up with this stuff?

calebetsy -

did you call comcast? whenever i call them they seem to think i'm crazy. one of them even insisted 755 wasn't an HD channel.

seems to me about 1/2 the people who can get 755 are having bad breakups, the other half are having no problem.

those of us with problems need to keep calling, because they seem oblivious to the issues.

i'll be pissed if i can't watch tomorrow night's game in HD on channel 755....

Originally posted by oleus
calebetsy -

did you call comcast? whenever i call them they seem to think i'm crazy. one of them even insisted 755 wasn't an HD channel.

seems to me about 1/2 the people who can get 755 are having bad breakups, the other half are having no problem.

those of us with problems need to keep calling, because they seem oblivious to the issues.

I will check it out again for the next game if I am home. If the problem persists, tell them that others from the Stone Mountain headend have reported the same issue, but we have not heard any reports of this issue from Vinings headend I don't believe.

on the atlanta HD forum mailing list we have had reports from stone mountain and decatur but every time i call they insist there is no problem. i guess i'm the only one calling!

i guess i'll show the tech tomorrow, but this is much harder to take care of than i thought it would be.

some of us have techs coming to our houses to show them the problem with Braves HD channel 755 breakups..... the only issue with that is that unless they're here when a game is on it's going to be a wasted trip.

also a bunch of us lost FOX-HD today from comcast. the channel is black (channel 804). wonder what's going on?

The Comcast Atlanta website is finally showing the new Discovery HD channel on 844 and the WB digital (sometimes HD) on 813. Took a few days after the channels were active for this to show up but better late than never I suppose.

a couple pf us have made formal FCC complaints about comcast atlanta's current lack of support for firmware upgrades to our HD boxes (making the firewire ports of the 6208 receivers useless).

i'll update if anything happens.

PS -

the breakups on ch. 755 have subsided for the most part. it's gone from constant breakups to isolated ones, mostly after the commercial breaks (with they are showing now).

still a little annoying but i can definitely live with it.

Originally posted by oleus the breakups on ch. 755 have subsided for the most part.[/B]

I never had the problem on 755, but I am still getting terrible breakups on INHD and INHD2 only, and ONLY when watching the "In Theaters" or "Order In" programs. They are unwatchable. But every other channel and even other shows on those same channels (876 & 877) are fine. Diagnostic page shows 36+ db SNR, and no errors at all.

Am I really the only one with this problem?

now that you mention it, i have had bad breakups lately whenever i watch IN THEATERS. i thought it was some random problem, now i'm wondering.....

Comcast ch 844 is just showing up black for me yesterday & today. Anybody else?

Same problems for me with DiscoveryHD in the 30307 zip code.

I spoke with Comcast earlier about this problem. They know about it but I don't know if fixing it has a high priority. I told her I knew of others with the problem and she said to have them call and complain.

It's back now. We'll see how long it lasts. I'm in zip 30309, on the Vinings headend. (I don't really know what "headend" means, but I've seen the term here on this forum. All I know is that I have a "Vinings" sticker on the back of my 6208.)

i think i am in the "stone mountain" headend (i had the channel 755 braves HD breakups a couple of weeks ago), and DiscHD and FoxHD were coming in good this evening.

the only ongoing problem i'm having now is the same thing a few others have mentioned - breakups on INHD *only* when "In theatres" or "Order in" are playing! i know if i call Comcast about breakups on specific shows, their heads would spin, so i haven't bothered.

now i'm just waiting on the new firmware that the other headends appear to have.

just what is a "headend" anyway? guess i should know the answer to that, but i don't....

PS - telling Comcast "others are having the same problem" seems to actually make them LESS responsive to the problem as far as the phone CSR's are concerned....when the channel 755 problems were occuring, it took ovr a week for them to actually diagnose that it wasn't people's equipment.

And if nobody calls nothing will get fixed. I read many post on the AHDTV group that talk about a Comcast problem but there is no mention of reporting the problem.

A 'headend' is where the Cable company gets the signals from either satellite or land links to the tv stations/cable networks and then feeds those signals into the cable system. I don't know if there is a technical reason why we have two (are there more?) or if it is the infrastructure left over as AT&T bought local systems.

Discovery is still out at my home. The other HD channels are fine.

Originally posted by tombarry
And if nobody calls nothing will get fixed. I read many post on the AHDTV group that talk about a Comcast problem but there is no mention of reporting the problem.

A 'headend' is where the Cable company gets the signals from either satellite or land links to the tv stations/cable networks and then feeds those signals into the cable system. I don't know if there is a technical reason why we have two (are there more?) or if it is the infrastructure left over as AT&T bought local systems.

The problem with Discovery for some folks may be related to the recent firmware upgrade to 7.15 for the Vinings headend, while those of us in the Stone Mountain headend area still have firmware 7.07 and do not appear to be experiencing this issue. I would report the problem to Comcast and mention the recent firmware changes.

if you mention "firmware" on the phone to comcast csr's, be prepared for confusion. none of them know what firmware is.

for weeks i was calling about trying to get the 7.15 upgrade so i can use the firewire output of the 6208, and i learned firsthand that they think firmware is an imaginary concept from another world.

I don't have the pvr. Is there a firmware upgrade for the 5100 that might be causing my Discovery problem?

Anyone else getting a continuous stream of dropouts on Discovery HD about every 5 to 10 seconds? (I'm in the Duluth/Alpharetta area.)

Discovery HD was fine Sunday evening, and then I noticed this condition last night.

I've got the standard HD box (not PVR), with firmware 7.10, if that matters.

Originally posted by greggz
Anyone else getting a continuous stream of dropouts on Discovery HD about every 5 to 10 seconds? (I'm in the Duluth/Alpharetta area.)

Discovery HD was fine Sunday evening, and then I noticed this condition last night.

I've got the standard HD box (not PVR), with firmware 7.10, if that matters.

No, I watched Discovery HD from 11-12 last night with no problems. Located in Lawrenceville area, but we did have a total system outage in the afternoon for about 1 1/2 hours.

OK, I just recorded a few shows overnight from ESPN (846) on my 6208. I tried to watch them today, and they were all screwed up. I figured there must have been some problem with the ESPN signal last night, perhaps due to the storm. But then, I tried to watch something else that I had previously recorded. It was all screwed up, too! I had watched it a number of times previously with no problems. Then I went to setup, and noticed it was showing firmware version 7.07. Just the other day it was 7.15. What's going on here?

just got 7.15 on my two 6208s, and i'm having BIG problems..

7.15 has wiped out my DVI connection to my projector apparently. When i went downstairs to see if my other 6208 got the update, i got a weird "HD SINGAL PROTECTION NOT COMPATIBLE - use PBR connection or alternate" screen and now whenever i turn the cable box on, i see a signal for one second then it's gone.

this must be some sort of "handshake" issue with my projector or switcher, right? is there any fix?

thanks comcast!

That's wierd that you just got 7.15, while I just got rolled back to 7.07. Anyway, it seems like everything that I recorded while on 7.15, won't play back properly now that I'm back on 7.07. Programs that I recorded when I previously had 7.07 play back fine. Also, programs I have recorded since the rollback are fine, too.


PS: I can't tell you about any DVI problems, as I'm using component with my 6208. My display only has one DVI input, and I'm using it for my Bravo D1 DVD player.

Has anybody heard anything new about ABC HD? It's getting to be that time of year again for MNF.

Originally posted by MadDogMike
Has anybody heard anything new about ABC HD? It's getting to be that time of year again for MNF.

Forget it or get an antenna and OTA STB. Until/unless Cox changes its position on asking for additional compensation for the digital broadcast of stations that it owns, it appears that we won't be seeing Cox station HD signals on major cable systems like Comcast and Charter. This has been 'under negotiation' for well over a year now. Good thing that we can get most of our HD football on ESPN HD, CBS, Fox and even INHD this fall.

Yes, both Cox and Sinclair will not let their HD signals on major cable systems. This football season is probably lost (in Baltimore Sinclair owns Fox45). When enough of us make noises (complaining to Comcast and your local station may help for the future) and subscribe to HD packages, then the station owners will see a potential market lost and might be more amenable to a solution.

Also, when Nielsen starts measuring HD viewing (which I think would represent the most desirable of demographics) that would also help.

Rich N.

When did the NFL Network become availiable here in Atlanta on Comcast? I remember requesting it. Did I miss something?

Originally posted by spacecowboy
When did the NFL Network become availiable here in Atlanta on Comcast? I remember requesting it. Did I miss something?

It has been available for a couple of weeks I believe. There was a message on the box when it arrived.

Any new info on Comcast adding ABC HD? I am really missing MNF HD

Why is CBS showing some cheesy movie instead of the Colts-Titans game?

Originally posted by DFul4d
Any new info on Comcast adding ABC HD? I am really missing MNF HD

Forget about it until Cox changes its reported position on requiring additional fees for carriage of their digital signal, which Comcast has resisted. Same problem that Charter has from what I understand. This situation also exists in other areas in which Cox owns local stations but of course their cable unit supposedly takes the same position as Comcast/Charter in areas where Cox cable is a provider. Basically, the consumer loses in either case.

Originally posted by DFul4d
Why is CBS showing some cheesy movie instead of the Colts-Titans game?

If it is a local decsion then maybe they did not want to compete against the 1PM Falcons game on Fox HD.

Originally posted by DDisney
If it is a local decsion then maybe they did not want to compete against the 1PM Falcons game on Fox HD.

I'm almost positive you will never see another game (without sunday ticket of course) at the same time as the Falcons game. Probably part of the blackout rules.

Originally posted by ChrisATL
I'm almost positive you will never see another game (without sunday ticket of course) at the same time as the Falcons game. Probably part of the blackout rules.

Good point, that is probably the case.

Is anyone else getting a fuzzy (static) line at the very top of the screen on SD channels? The problem does not seem to ever manifest on HBO or on the HD channels - mostly on the low channels, but it does seem to appear every now and again in the 40-100 range. This does not show on the other two digital boxes in the house by the way.

Called Comcast today, scheduled a tech to visit (same day, can you believe it?) and according to him this is the case on every HD Motorola box and that they are working on a fix.

Anybody else hear/see this?

Part of the sd signal carries non-picture information, like program rating, title (some TVs can display this info). I see it all the time with my projector which I think has no overscan. the overscan on most TVs hides these lines. It is nothing that I worry about.

Has anyone heard when comcast will roll out the dual tuner dvr? Thanks!

I originally heard October, but then I heard December. I have not heard anything concrete.

Does anybody know when we might get PBS HD on Comcast?

guys -

we might hope that atlanta NEVER gets the 6212 dual tuner units....

areas that have them have been reporting much higher compression on the HD channels in order to remedy some sort of "tiling" problem with HD recordings. supposedly on the headends they cranked up the compression so high on HBO-HD that it barely looks like HD...

very scary......

Originally posted by oleus
guys -

we might hope that atlanta NEVER gets the 6212 dual tuner units....

areas that have them have been reporting much higher compression on the HD channels in order to remedy some sort of "tiling" problem with HD recordings. supposedly on the headends they cranked up the compression so high on HBO-HD that it barely looks like HD...

very scary......

That is scary since I have read repeatedly that Comcast does not compress HD signals. I hope that this is a temporary thing and is fixed before the dual tuners appear here. Of course Atlanta is not usually one of the first areas to get new thingies from Comcast. I really want to see ABC HD on Comcast someday, along with PBS, but don't hold out too much hope for either one very soon.

what's even more scary to me is that even on my 6208, i swear i'm seing more compression over the last week....especially on HBOHD...colors don't look as good either.

anyone else see this, or am i just seeing things after hearing about the problems with the 6212 tiliing/headend/compression issues....

Originally posted by bryanb426
Is anyone else getting a fuzzy (static) line at the very top of the screen on SD channels? The problem does not seem to ever manifest on HBO or on the HD channels - mostly on the low channels, but it does seem to appear every now and again in the 40-100 range. This does not show on the other two digital boxes in the house by the way.

Called Comcast today, scheduled a tech to visit (same day, can you believe it?) and according to him this is the case on every HD Motorola box and that they are working on a fix.

Anybody else hear/see this?

I was getting this also, but I adjusted the picture position on my set up a little and never see it any more.

I'll try to make this as brief and concise as possible.

I'm in Loganville, GA

1. I live in a neighoborhood which is served by ComCast Cable
2. ComCast Cable only offered basic cable (no digital) and only 13 channels
3. I decided I wanted satellite so I went with DirecTV
4. Later I elected to go to HDTV
5. I bought a really nice Toshiba that fit my needs
6. DirecTV wanted $400+ to upgrade my service equipment to HDTV
7. I elected to go with DishNetwork becasue they would provide me with HDTV reciever equipment and install at no-charge up front and their monthly pkg was less than DirecTV.
8. Obviously Satellite did not offer Locals (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS) in HDTV
9. NOW.... ComCast has upgraded the neighborhood to Digital and is offereing HDTV with Locals (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS and others).

My questions and conserns are as follows:

1. When the cable crew was upgrading, I did not see them actually laying "NEW FIBER CABLE". It appeared rather that they only put in some kind of "splice" every 200 feet or so???
2. I do not want to cancel DishNetwork and pick up ComCast only to find out the signal (picture) is not as good as DishNetwork.
3. None of the customer service people with ComCast can tell me how they are providing a Digital Signal.
4. What should I be asking about "signal strength, Impeedence, or whatever" to know that the picture quality is going to be good before I make the switch??

THANKS!!

Here is the simple answer Rich.

With Comcast you have NO risk. You can start up their HD service and you might be charged $20 or so just to get everything set up. However, I have a feeling you'll be very happy with what you find with Comcast. I know I have been.

I would keep both for 30-60 days and see. From this board and others it seems that the Comcast service does "come and go" and it seems heavily dependent on what area of town (and "headend") you are located.

I live downtown (Vahi) and sometimes Comcast HD is flawless, sometimes I have problems (pixelation, etc) and then sometimes like the other night some channels don't come in at all.

Comcast HAS been a lot better than expected in the customer service department though, usually they can schedule a technician at my home before my schedule permits. Of course, generally everything works great at soon as the van pulls up to the curb... :)

Good luck to you!

Originally posted by richolland
2. I do not want to cancel DishNetwork and pick up ComCast only to find out the signal (picture) is not as good as DishNetwork.

I switched from Dish to Comcast, and I find the picture to be as good if not better than Dish. I mainly switched because I wanted HD locals, without putting an antenna on my roof, and without paying for hardware. (BTW, Comcast does NOT offer ABC in HD. No HD Monday Night Football!) Dish's HD DVR, the 921, is $1000. Comcast gives you an HD DVR for $10/month. HD without the PVR is $5/month, and still no equipment to buy. Make sure you ask for the "Ditch the Dish" promotion, and you'll get $25/month off of your bill, for 16 months.

After that discount runs out, I may go back to Dish or DirecTV. DirecTV just announced they're launching two satellites next year, which will allow them to provide 500 local HD channels (through the Dish, not an antenna). They're also launching two more in 2007, that will give them the bandwidth for an additional 1000 local HD channels, and 150 national HD channels. I'm guessing the hardware costs on their HD DVRs will come down too, and they will end up being a better deal than Comcast.

JMHO,
MadDog

Originally posted by ji9988
Has anyone heard when comcast will roll out the dual tuner dvr?

And does anyone know how much they will charge, vs. the single tuner DVR? I saw a post on another forum that suggested they'll just swap it out for free, but that sounds too good to be true.

Also, is it a "6212", as has been posted here, or is it really the 6412?

http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/dct6412.asp

It is the same price in Baltimore and a 6412 120GB drive, up to 15 hours of HD.

Rich N.

So, Comcast was out replacing my 6208 Saturday, picture kept going black, had to power down and up at least once a day.

Anyway, the tech tells me they were told the 6412 would be out this week. He didn't sound all that confident though, so we'll see I guess.

Is anyone else having problems with the 6208 box losing video? At least once a day, I have to un plug power from it, and restart, because the video just goes black. Still have sound, can change channel, etc... I'm running DVI Out to a Hit 50V500 if that matters.

Just had the box replaced Saturday, and still having the same issue. Heat maybe?

I just had a Runco VX-1000ci projector installed with my Motorola 6208 DVI connected to the projector. Well, as described in an earlier post from August (#932), the picture comes up for about one second then disappears. So is DVI disabled by Comcast on the 6208 or do I have a bad box? Any insights would be appreciated.

I Have been using the DVI out on the 6208 to my Toshiba since I got the box last may. I have had only minor problems (losing signal to tv on several occasions) either a box reboot or turning the Tv off then back on resolved my problem.


hope that helps.

btw
when the Comcast tech came to hook up my DVR he didn't even know that the DVI was enabled!

your projector may not be HD-Copy Protection (hdcp) compliant. I had to send my infocus projector in for service to get this fixed.

I have had the 6208 for a few months now. I have recently started having problems with the box missing recordings. I have seen several of my scheduled recordings not start up when scheduled. Last night I was watching a channel expecting the box to change channels and start recording "West Wing". I noticed that it was 9pm and it didn't switch. When I checked the scheduled DVR recordings the one for 9pm on last night was not listed. The recording for next Wednesday was there. I have seen the box also miss recordings when it was turned off and the time for a recording hits and the box doesn't come on. Sometimes, it will be turned off and I have back to back recordings scheduled. The first recording will record but the second recording will never stop.

It is getting frustrating since I am starting to not trust that my recordings will happen.

Let me know if anyone else has seen these problems.

Thanks.
TheWhistler

The specifications for the projector say its DVI w/ HDCP. So, it sounds like I potentially have a bad 6208 box, I guess.

Did anyone else have their picture go black or freeze during the Florida/Georgia game this weekend? This also happened last year during the Super Bowl. Both times the SD channel was fine, only the HD channel had the problems. Is this a problem with bandwidth or something, with Comcast not being able to handle so many viewers?

I love how Comcast commericals bash D* & E*, saying they lose the picture when it rains, meanwhile Comcast loses the picture for no reason whatsoever.

(PS, I'm using component, so it's not a DVI issue.)

Yes, but Comcast had worse issues with WGCL than just freezing. We chose to watch the HD broadcast OTA.

WGCL never came in at all over Comcast for me. OTA was fine. As soon as the game was over, WGCL came in fine over Comcast. The same thing happened about a week ago, although I can't remember which HD program. I'm in downtown Atlanta. And I think I'm served by the Vinings headend (based on the sticker on back of my cable boxes?).

Hi all,

I don't know if anyone else has noticed or mentioned this yet, but I
noticed today (Sunday 11/07 around 1PM) that Comcast has added
an "HDTV on Demand" category to their VOD offerings. It seems to be
the same kind of content that I have read is being tested in other Comcast cities.

As I said, nobody get TOO excited yet, because the content is just
some old 40-minute IMAX documentaries--six of them (on my Vinings
headend 6208 DVR) at $3.99 each. They seem to like to test with
this older content, so that they can work out any technical kinks
without their system being overloaded with too many purchases.

Also, I noticed a couple of weeks ago, there is a menu of what seems
to be Comcast employee training information--which isn't accessible
to the public--but is on the public menu. Just thought that was
sorta interesting that they would be using VOD for employeee
training.

Thomas

Does anyone know when the IGuide is being rolled out to the Atlanta area? I use the Stone Mtn Head End.

Thx.

i'd like to know this as well - also in the stone mountain headend.

although the 6412 guide i have now is 10 times better than the old 6208.

If you have the 6412, you already have the new guide, but supposedly it was going to be rolled out to everyone else in mid-December.

Thomas

I'm about to order HDTV from Comcast and would like to know what items I should insist upon. For example, I guess I want the 6412 STB. Does this box have a DVI and do I need to make sure it's activated?

Any and all suggestions welcomed.

TIA

It's my understanding that they are no longer issuing the single tuner...if you are getting a DVR it will be a dual tuner. They have had a shortage of remotes over the last month...but that should be resolved by now.

The DVI port is automatically activated and really improve pq. I use mine with a dvi > hdmi cable and it works great.

New HD Channel

TBS HD is on 807. Anybody know what shows are in HD?

Originally posted by kwtriplett
New HD Channel

TBS HD is on 807. Anybody know what shows are in HD?

The only HD that TBS has shown to my knowledge is some Braves home games. Maybe we will be surprised. Hard to understand why they added this to the HD channel range otherwise.

even the SD material on the TBS Digital channel looks really good, about a thousand times better than analog.

while i would prefer them adding some real HD stations, i have nothing against them adding TBS-Digital to their hd tier.

I know that I got the new guide on the 6412, but I had read that other areas of the country that the new iguide lets you search for more than title. You could search for words within the description or such. I haven't found a way to do a search on the 6412 except by title (which does limit finding things).

So will we be able to do a more sophisticated search when the new iguide is rolled out?

Thanks.

I am wondering if they are just using TBS as a placeholder until they get a feed from TNT HD maybe?

Wouldn't they have put it on 841 instead of 807?

Does anyone know why there is a time delay between HD and regular broadcast with comcast. It is really anoying to have that several second lapse. Also when will we get ABC in HD?

It's not a comcast thing. Even OTA digital is behind the NTSC broadcast.

Thanks for the reply, I did not know that. I e-mailed Comcast about recieving ABC in HD and this is what they responded:

"Thank you for contacting Comcast Cable regarding the addition of the ABC High Definition channel to the Comcast line-up. Currently, that channel is unavailable in your area.

Our goal is to provide a wide choice of quality cable networks and local broadcast channels reflecting the diverse programming interests of our customers. In addition to requests from customers, the following factors play a part in our decision making process:

* FCC regulations, such as requirements to carry all local broadcast
channels
* Requirement by local broadcasters to carry their affiliated cable
networks
* The number of access channels required by local government
* Customer satisfaction with networks carried in other systems
* Customer satisfaction with similar networks
* Importance of the network to our diverse community
* Level of interest across a percentage of our customer base
* Per-subscriber programming fees charged by the network versus the
value added to the line-up

As you may know, we have been investing millions of dollars in new technology to increase the channel capacity of the system through digital technology. So an additional factor in launching new channels is whether or not a particular network is available in the digital format.

Note: There is a channel realignment scheduled for your area. I have attached the channel line up using Excel for your review. Channel 807 HD TBS is a new channel that have been added.

I have forwarded your information to the marketing and development team for further review. We take all requests for new networks very seriously, and that we carefully consider the overall impact of adding each network. While we cannot honor every request, we do take each request into consideration in planning future changes to the line-up.

Thank you for choosing Comcast.

Sincerely,

Comcast Customer E-Care Specialist"

I hope they eventually start to broadcast ABC in HD. The attached channel line up was nice though. Has anyone else spoken to Comcast about this?

Originally posted by James2538
I have forwarded your information to the marketing and development team for further review. We take all requests for new networks very seriously, and that we carefully consider the overall impact of adding each network. While we cannot honor every request, we do take each request into consideration in planning future changes to the line-up.

Sounds like we should organize an Email campaign! (Although admittedly, probably an exercise in futility, given the Cox/Comcast situation.)

I'm having my 6208 swapped out for a 6412 this Friday. Anything wacky I need to be mindful of?

Originally posted by brol
I'm having my 6208 swapped out for a 6412 this Friday. Anything wacky I need to be mindful of?

I'm having the same thing done Thursday. Here's something wacky. First they tell me it's just a $15.99 charge to come out. Then they call me back to tell me there's a $29.50 "installation fee."

Meanwhile, they told my friend (who's doing the same thing) that the $29.50 is only if they need some kind of "special wiring" for the installation, and if it's not needed, it won't be charged. What could that be, the component or DVI cables? Since I already have the component cables from the 6208, I figure I shouldn't get charged for that again.

I called back again, and they insist that this is just a standard "installation" fee. Does anyone know what the real story is supposed to be on the fees?

Originally posted by MadDogMike
I'm having the same thing done Thursday. Here's something wacky. First they tell me it's just a $15.99 charge to come out. Then they call me back to tell me there's a $29.50 "installation fee."

Meanwhile, they told my friend (who's doing the same thing) [...]

How are you folks in the Atlanta area getting hold of 6412's? I just called to sign up with Comcast and the rep -- who didn't sound very clued in, to be honest -- swore that the dual tuner is not available anywhere in the Atlanta area. (I live in Inman Park, in the city.)

I'd rather not sign up, get a 6208 and then be forced to pay again to get hold of the 6412, obviously. Any tips would be much appreciated -- I don't mind driving out to one of the brick'n'mortar stores to sign up, if that's the way to get hold of a dual-tuner dvr.

Also, is the "Ditch the Dish" promo still available? How do they verify that you have an account? I have the dish up on the roof but sold the receiver.

Thanks for any inputs.

Originally posted by vild
How are you folks in the Atlanta area getting hold of 6412's? I just called to sign up with Comcast and the rep -- who didn't sound very clued in, to be honest -- swore that the dual tuner is not available anywhere in the Atlanta area. (I live in Inman Park, in the city.)

I'd rather not sign up, get a 6208 and then be forced to pay again to get hold of the 6412, obviously. Any tips would be much appreciated -- I don't mind driving out to one of the brick'n'mortar stores to sign up, if that's the way to get hold of a dual-tuner dvr.

Also, is the "Ditch the Dish" promo still available? How do they verify that you have an account? I have the dish up on the roof but sold the receiver.

Thanks for any inputs.

My friend & I just called today, and neither one of were told of any problems with the availability of the dual-tuner DVRs. I live in the Midtown/Brookwood area, not too far from you. I'd just call back and try to get a different rep.

I just got Comcast in April of this year, and the "Ditch the Dish" promotion was availalble for me. I'm pretty sure it still is. I kept my last Dish bill in case they needed it, but I sold my receiver too. They did nothing to verify it.

Same result on the second try. Will try again tomorrow, but I'm beginning to suspect that the only way to get the 6412 is to call in as an existing customer. Has anyone here obtained the dual tuner DVR on sign up?

vild,
Find out where the local stores are located...I went by the one in Alpharetta and picked one up.

Gus

I just saw another one of those ditch the dish commercials from Comcast last weekend, so they should still be running the offer. In reply to the question about the $30 installation fee, Comcast told me that you used to be able to pick up the new reciever at one of thier downtown locations without the service fee but they stopped offering that when to many people called in unable to set up thier own box. I recieve my new DVR on saturday!

Originally posted by irgaac
I am wondering if they are just using TBS as a placeholder until they get a feed from TNT HD maybe?

When I mentioned the new 807 TBS channel to my 6412 installer Friday (they would not let me swap the single tuner HD box at the Grayson office) he mentioned TNT HD upcoming but didn't even know about 807 so take it for what it is worth.

The more I think about it, TBS is a local broadcast station here. Comcast would have to carry their digital signal eventually anyway. Maybe we will get lucky and at least get some movies in something other than 4:3 pillarbox.

Originally posted by James2538
In reply to the question about the $30 installation fee, Comcast told me that you used to be able to pick up the new reciever at one of thier downtown locations without the service fee but they stopped offering that when to many people called in unable to set up thier own box.

The fee for them to come out is $15.99. I don't have a problem with that. I have a problem with this extra fee of $29.50, which they told my friend was only if they needed "special wiring", but told me was a mandatory "installation fee."

Originally posted by MadDogMike
The fee for them to come out is $15.99. I don't have a problem with that. I have a problem with this extra fee of $29.50, which they told my friend was only if they needed "special wiring", but told me was a mandatory "installation fee."

From my understanding, the $15.99 fee is to come out and do work at your site (i.e. install additional cable outlets). The $29.50 installation fee is just for the cable boxes. Which means if you needed just a cable box, they would charge you $29.50, or if you needed an additional outlet, it would be $15.99. Since I am getting both when they come out, I am getting charged both.

(This is what Comcast told me.)

I miss the old AT&T days when you could pick up your box.

What's the big deal with $30 bucks. Pay the fee, have the guy bring the box and leave it at that.

That's what I did. I just simply told the guy to sit down and shut up unitl I had finished wiring. Then I would allow him to touch the box.

Originally posted by gsiokis
Find out where the local stores are located...I went by the one in Alpharetta and picked one up.

They don't allow pick-ups anymore. They stopped doing that since 12/7. Now, the only way to swap equipment is by way of a service order for a technician to come out to your house for installation, which is a $29 charge.

To me, that is highway robbery. Even if you order a CableCard, it requires $29 charge for a technician to come out to install it -- all 2 seconds of it.

They said they do this because so many people had problems with their own installation. I say that they should charge THOSE people $60 instead of assuming that everyone is an idiot.

Originally posted by Paul Hives
What's the big deal with $30 bucks. Pay the fee, have the guy bring the box and leave it at that.

Did you pay just the $30, or that PLUS the $15.99? They're telling me I have to pay both. It's not a big deal, except that they're not being consistent in what they tell or charge people.

anyone else in atlanta having problems with their analogs and On Demand? i'm seeing my digital channels and HD channels great on all my receivers, but OnDemand isn't functioning on any of them, and several of the basic analog channels are looking wretched. it's probably just my house but i thought i'd ask.