Well, I noticed a little of the poor reception on some other channels, but it's the worst on the CBS HD feed. This is my second day with Comcast HD...is lag/pixelation a pretty regular thing?

Wow, so my "lag" or whatever has been horrendous since I got the service on Friday. Some shows are completely unwatchable. Sometimes everything's fine. We tried to watch Arrested Development last night, and it was very jerky, not to mention a show on our DVR was trashed (audio was missing on half, video was missing on half).

Comcast is sending a tech on Saturday to check things out. Is there really anything this guy can do?

They have boosters that they give to some people to help the signal if they can't fix the problem. I had that problem before and the guy said I was connected to too many people from the street. I don't think that was it because it randomly started happening but whatever he did fixed it. They may have to give you a booster. Ask for it.

Is there a comparison chart on the Comcast Motorola 6412 phase III and the Motorola 3412? Comcast is telling me that the 3412 is the "latest and greatest" over the 6412III but the model numbers would suggest otherwise.

The 3412 is an all-digital receiver, while the 6412iii has both analog and digital tuners. In spite of the lower model number, the 3412 is considered the "latest and greatest."

I asked for a swap-out this week for my defective 6412ii. I specifically asked for a 3412 with working HDMI and firewire. I received a 6412iii, but I'm happy.

For what it's worth, the nice lady on the phone asked me if I wanted a box with HDMI before I had the chance to mention it. Thank you, anonymous savvy employee!

Sorry for two posts in a row (and this one's a doozy), but I'm slightly frustrated with HDMI on the 6412iii. Like all 6412iii with HDMI-switching a/v receivers, my Moto box refuses to handshake with the tv through the a/v receiver.

I politely requested that my comments be forwarded to the engineering department in the following email/comment form on their website.

----------------------------------
Name: John Roberts
Category: Comcast Cable Television
Sub-Category: Service
Account Number:
Comments:

To the Engineering Department:

Could you please investigate the HDMI/HDCP handshake issue when using an HDMI repeater with the DCT-6412III? Both my tv (Mitsubishi WD-52628) and a/v receiver (Denon AVR-3806) are HDCP-compliant and have no problem passing video and audio from other HDCP-compliant devices.

The Motorola DCT-6412III refuses to negotiate a successful handshake. I receive video for roughly 10 seconds, the audio remains, but the video blacks out. I have tried different power-on combinations, all to the same effect.
Could this be a matter of turning on HDCP via a firmware upgrade? When routed through my a/v receiver, the service settings (power -> select -> d11) tell me a DVI device is connected and transmitting, but the "HDCP Enabled" and "Repeater" status both say "NO."

Please, please, please investigate the handshake issue. I will volunteer my equipment if needed for bench tests.

Best regards,
John N Roberts
---------------------

To which I received the following reply:

---------------------
Dear John Roberts,

Thank you for contacting Comcast regarding this issue.

Currently, we do not support this feature, therefore is not active. This option may be available at a later time when the firmware is updated. No current dates are available on any possible upgrade.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any more questions. You may respond directly to this email.


Thank you for choosing Comcast.

Sincerely,

Marcos
Comcast Customer Care Specialist

-------------------------

Slightly annoyed with a canned response about the HDMI port not being active, I bit my tongue and attempted to follow up with a nice, yet strong note:

-------------------------

Ecare,

Thank you for your reply, however the HDMI port is indeed active on the Motorola DCT-6412/p3. Moreover, in scheduling the replacement of a defective cable box this week, Comcast's own customer service asked me if I wanted one with HDMI.

I understand a canned response is necessary, but please pass this information along to one of the engineers or please provide me with a way to contact the engineering department.

Best regards,
John N Roberts
---------------------

I hope poor Marcos doesn't feeling I'm attacking him personally or the company. I know this is a lost cause unless 80% of Comcast customers have an HDMI-switching a/v receiver, but this is the only toy that doesn't play nicely with my other toys.

I tried taking the same line of questions to Motorola to no avail. Actually, I don't even remember receiving a reply.

They have boosters that they give to some people to help the signal if they can't fix the problem. I had that problem before and the guy said I was connected to too many people from the street. I don't think that was it because it randomly started happening but whatever he did fixed it. They may have to give you a booster. Ask for it.

Man, I sure hope they can fix it, because this is pretty ridiculous. Seems like any show we try to watch, it ends up breaking up in the middle, or we get annoying pauses every few seconds.

Can anyone from the Atlanta area post and state whether they are all-digital? I am from Savannah and we have not started yet and wondering about the progress of the other Georgia markets. I'm getting a little pissed with the Savannah system since we have not started.

Can anyone from the Atlanta area post and state whether they are all-digital?

The North Fulton headend is not yet digital. Posts in this thread say no Atlanta metro area is digital. And I spoke with a person at the regional office who says there is no set time table for upgrading.

Do you at least have 1 DS channel?

I am still all digital here in North Sandy Springs on the Stone Mountian headend. I recently had a tech come to my house as I had some issues with the HD channels (that ended up going away on their own). He wouldn't believe me when I said that all my channels are digital and he said the changes will likely occur sometime in January. I am positive all of my channels are digital, because aside from the different look, the diagnostics menu shows all channels as 256 QAM, which means they are being sent digitally.

Can anyone from the Atlanta area post and state whether they are all-digital? I am from Savannah and we have not started yet and wondering about the progress of the other Georgia markets. I'm getting a little pissed with the Savannah system since we have not started.

I spot checked 10 channels and they were all analog.

I'm not sure which head-end we are on.

I am still all digital here in North Sandy Springs on the Stone Mountian headend.Ugh. So close. Yet so far away. :)

I'm at a new townhome development where the Glenridge Connector dead ends into Peachtree Dunwoody (somewhere south of North Sandy Springs, it would appear!), and for a new development with new wiring throughout, the signal is attrocius...I've never gotten better than fair on any digital channel...and Comcast apparently could care less. Analog sucks eggs, and HD breakups are all too common. And we haven't been able to use VOD in weeks due to signal issues. The "box" for our street (whatever you call where they wire everyone from) has had the protective cover sitting *next* to it for months now and all the RG6 connections appear rusted from water damage. Oh, and the "box" appears to have been run over by a car, as it's practically sideways. Comcast is on site nearly every day hooking more people up, yet the techs don't care one wit about the state of the box (why should they...they just run cable over the grass to each unit, the run to my unit is over 100', crossing dirt, grass and pinestraw...lovely!). I'm renting, and the owner said no go on a satellite dish, so I'm at the mercy of cable. Ugh.

Thanks, I needed to get that off my chest. I freakin *hate* Comcast.

amillians, the tech that came out said eveyone should be digital by early January so not much longer. The only warning about digital is if your wiring has problems, it will cause the channels to tile. And yes, Comcast doesn't seem to care about fixing wiring in anything except homes. They won't touch the wiring in my condo unit.

Does anyone have a current list of Comcast Atlanta's QAM digital channel equivalents? I had one from a couple of months ago, but it no longer seems to be valid; the lineup seems to have shifted radically, and I'm not even finding QAM equivalents for WXIA-HD, WSB-HD, etc.

and Comcast apparently could care less.

I knew someone who had a similar situation-- where the box on the street for a few hookups needed refurbishing. They accelerated the cable company's response by something they did out there in the middle of the night, if you know what I mean. No, I don't condone this.

The Motorola DCT-6412III refuses to negotiate a successful handshake. I receive video for roughly 10 seconds, the audio remains, but the video blacks out. I have tried different power-on combinations, all to the same effect.


I've got a similar problem.

I've got a Sharp (32") AQUOS LCD TV. It's got an HDMI connector. The cable box (Motorola 3412 I) has HDMI out. It works (is on). Here's the deal, though:

If I change my inputs (on my TV) to HDMI when the cable box is on and HDTV channel then all is well - the picture looks great, no problem.

If I change my cable box from HDTV to a non-HDTV channel it works. If I change it back from a non-HDTV channel to a HDTV channel then I get some kind of 'negotiating protocol' (that's not the exact wording) message on my TV (from my TV - you can tell by the font) and then, after it has negotiated it like it's out of synch with the cable box (the picture is skewed, every other line is showing, and the picture is half on the screen and half off). If I then (on my TV) change the input to something else and then come back to the HDMI input, it's all fine again.

Very weird.

Any suggestions (I've been searching for some kind of answer and no luck)?

I also have a 26" version of this same TV and it does the exact same thing.

Using the component inputs it works fine (does exactly what I want it to do). I'd like to use HDMI and then reserve the component inputs for video games and a DVD player.

Thanks,

Brad

Can someone tell me the cheapest it will cost for a cablecard and basic cable? I tried the Comcast website but it is a bit confusing. Thanks!!!

Does anyone have a current list of Comcast Atlanta's QAM digital channel equivalents? I had one from a couple of months ago, but it no longer seems to be valid; the lineup seems to have shifted radically, and I'm not even finding QAM equivalents for WXIA-HD, WSB-HD, etc.


I know all the digital channels (just about)
They start at 92-1

92-1 is Fox-HD
98-1 is ABC-HD
108-1 is CBS-HD
108-2 is NBC-HD

I don't remember the channels for WB-HD and TBS-HD but they are between 92-1 and 112-1.

Odd--that's where I used to find the big four, but when I picked up a Sony 40" LCD with a QAM tuner and ran it through its numbers, I discovered that there is nothing there any longer. I went downstairs and checked out the television that used top pick up channels at those frequencies and it, too, no longer has any signal on those channels.

If I change my cable box from HDTV to a non-HDTV channel it works. If I change it back from a non-HDTV channel to a HDTV channel then I get some kind of 'negotiating protocol' (that's not the exact wording) message on my TV (from my TV - you can tell by the font) and then, after it has negotiated it like it's out of synch with the cable box (the picture is skewed, every other line is showing, and the picture is half on the screen and half off). If I then (on my TV) change the input to something else and then come back to the HDMI input, it's all fine again.


I found my problem (hopefully me posting this will help someone else out later):

The Motorola 3412 (and I assume the 6412) have the menu screen (power off, push menu button) and if you set the 4:3 override to 'off' then it won't change resolutions on you between regular channels and HD channels and it won't have to renegotiate (and fail).

Merry Christmas,

Brad

I have an LST-4200A digital OTA/QAM tuner that I use with a UHF antenna. I have heard people talk about "clear QAM" cable channels that I would be able to tune with that tuner.

My neighbor just got Comcast cable, but they have not yet buried his cable. He let me unscrew the cable from the side of his house and drag it to my house, where I hooked it directly into my LST-4200A. I did a channel scan and got like 170 channels. Does that mean that those were in clear QAM?

I wanted to see if my LST-4200A would be able to decode any HD channels, but there were too many channels to sort through. What are the Comcast channel numbers that would have HD content?

i haven't a clue.
sorry.
your question was emailed to me, so i didn't wanna just ignore your inquiry--but no clue

Just got Comcast to deliver 2 3412 receivers. I live in Acworth and am on the Vinings headend. Tech had only been working for Comcast (and in the US) for just 6 months; reading this group trained me better regarding Comcast cable than he was. He seemed mesmerized by how I could access the menus from the remote (he fumbled to do it from receiver). Love the 3412. No problems. InDemand much quicker than 6412, HD channels seem improved, SD channels (most of them at least) also seem very improved. I can actually watch SD channels in "wide zoom" with minimal pain.

cool.
now i'm wondering about my 2 6412s . . . .
but with the kinks involved in installation (the guys showing up when scheduled, their knowing what their doing, etc), i can't rationalize the aggravation yet.
i'm in the process of getting another computer that will have a tv tuner and a dvd burner, so i'll be able, finally, to burn dvds of what i record without trung to hook up to the firewire port of the 6412.
yay'
happy holidays

I have an LST-4200A digital OTA/QAM tuner that I use with a UHF antenna. I have heard people talk about "clear QAM" cable channels that I would be able to tune with that tuner.

My neighbor just got Comcast cable, but they have not yet buried his cable. He let me unscrew the cable from the side of his house and drag it to my house, where I hooked it directly into my LST-4200A. I did a channel scan and got like 170 channels. Does that mean that those were in clear QAM?

I wanted to see if my LST-4200A would be able to decode any HD channels, but there were too many channels to sort through. What are the Comcast channel numbers that would have HD content?

I've had same experience. 95% have nothing, but you'll find about 15-20 nuggets in there. SD & HD digital versions of 6 OTA channels.
There is a GREAT MAP of all the free & clear digital stations & digital package stations earlier in THIS Comcast thread- about 8/13/05; page 45

Does anyone know if Comcast will be adding any channels to their lineup anytime soon? I really want to watch HD Veronica Mars, and HD PBS would be nice, too.

Sometimes, or maybe all the time, I'm seeing encore drama (movies) on 105-111 on basic. encore tv has a nice website with nonstop movie schedule. It's nice digital, but I think 480i/ SD.

Is there any way to pick up standard (I guess free somehow) HD channels on normal comcast? I used to be able to get NBC on channel 108 a while back in Homepark (near GT campus), and I've heard rumors of other folks getting the channels too, however it appears these have disapperaed. I checked the QAM listings and have tried those channels with my TV (Samsung 30" with built in HD Tuner) with the 3 different settings (HRC, STD, IRC) and with Adapt for QAM on and off to no avail. Could it be a filtering issue or a line length issue? Thanks!

Ok so I've been having awful tiling issues ever since I got Comcast about three weeks ago. One tech already came out and replaced my box -- no improvement.

So a second tech came out yesterday and told my wife (I was at work) that my problem is that I'm actually getting TOO MUCH signal. Something about how we were getting a 28 in signal strength or something like that. Tech said that the problem would be corrected within the next few days.

Does this sound at all plausible?

Last night, the cable channels which are normally analog (numbers less than 100) appeared to be poor digital channels with lots of tiling problems, obvious compression artifacts and very slow changing of the channels. The picture quality on some of the channels was nearly unwatchable. However, the normal digital channels were fine, no different than normal.

On my two TVs which are connected directly to the cable with no cable box, the analog channels were fine, no problems at all.

Does anybody know what was going on with Comcast? I live in Duluth, and have a couple of the HDTV DVR cable boxes. (Motorola 64xx)

Last night, the cable channels which are normally analog (numbers less than 100) appeared to be poor digital channels with lots of tiling problems, obvious compression artifacts and very slow changing of the channels. The picture quality on some of the channels was nearly unwatchable. However, the normal digital channels were fine, no different than normal.

On my two TVs which are connected directly to the cable with no cable box, the analog channels were fine, no problems at all.

Does anybody know what was going on with Comcast? I live in Duluth, and have a couple of the HDTV DVR cable boxes. (Motorola 64xx)

I would guess that they are digital simulcasting in your area(I'm from Savannah and read this forum and someone said that Atlanta may complete this month). When you have the box you receive channel below 100 in digital . They may eventually start tweaking those channels to improve theirr quality. One question, are "all" of your channels below 100 like this?

One question, are "all" of your channels below 100 like this?

I didn't check every channel, but all the ones I checked were that way. They seem back to normal tonight.

Hi guys,

I'm trying to figure out if there exists a Motorola DCT 3400 HD-only box, without DVR like the 3412 or 3416.

I'm pretty sure someone in this forum mentioned they had one, but can't find the post, and Comcast was not helpful.

Thanks.

I've had problems similar to ChadD. I'm a mile south of B Lake between 141 and P Ind. with a Duluth mailing address.

Sometime in the middle of Nov. my wife started bitching about the recording quality of Oprah and Dr. Phil, God help us all a women without Oprah to watch ;)

I don't know what box I had then but it was a single tuner DVR. On Nov. 19 a tech gave us a 3412 I and Oprah was fine. Soon after we started having problems with ranges of analog channels. Tiling, pixilating ...

I've had four different techs come out. They all said something different as far as what the problem is. Nobody ever fixed anything. Gawd it's a pain in the ass to talk to their phone support explaining the same problem over and over again.

E-mail messages, phone messages on and on and on for six weeks now.

I have Comcast broadband and it is amazing and I don't give a rat's ass about Oprah or analog reception on my HDTV so I didn't give Comcast the heave ho.

I finally started looking on this forum and read about people dropping their signal strength with splitters and decided to give it a try. The last yahoo tech replaced my splitter with one labeled -7db I split it again with a -3db. Everything is great now.

-10db with the DCT 3412 I

Four diff techs over six weeks couldn't do anything, one tried to amp the signal and even the HD channels went to hell. 15 mins on avsforum fixed my problems.

For one, it'll be nice if you nderstand that you receive no analog quality channels through a 3412 box. It is a DVR made for all-digital platforms. Your area must be all digital simulcast.

For one, it'll be nice if you nderstand that you receive no analog quality channels through a 3412 box. It is a DVR made for all-digital platforms. Your area must be all digital simulcast.

Yep, you're right.I'm learning things now as I go. BUT, for goodness sakes, you would think that COMCAST wouldn't leave their customers to sink or swim. Their techs coming to my house had no clue.

I'm hoping someone can help me out. I'll be getting the Motorola 6412 Phase III box in about a week from Comcast and I'm trying to figure out the best way to connect to my TV. I have two sets of components (one is being used by my DVD) and a DVI input. Which is better component or DVI with RCA jacks for audio? If the answer is component, will the tech bring out the cords and if so, is the quality any good? If I should go the DVI route, should I use a HDMI DVI cable to hook the STB to the TV or DVI to DVI? I've heard that they won't bring out cables for DVI...is this still true? Thanks in advance.

They definitely bring component cables with them, I can't say about DVI

The Motorola 6412 Phase III and newest model, the 3412 both have an HDMI connection instead of DVI. HDMI is a different type of cable and it supports both sound and video. The Comcast installer will bring component cables and if you even so much as ask about HDMI (or DVI) he or she will tell you it is not supported. The outlet is active, so if you wish to use HDMI instead of component, you can purchase your own cable and do so. I would recommend shopping around on the web. I found a good HDMI cable for around $15 from Monstronix. The kind stores like Best Buy and Circuit City carry are expensive (if I recall, somewhere in the neighborhood of $75-$100).

I know all the digital channels (just about)
They start at 92-1

92-1 is Fox-HD
98-1 is ABC-HD
108-1 is CBS-HD
108-2 is NBC-HD

I don't remember the channels for WB-HD and TBS-HD but they are between 92-1 and 112-1.

Actually, those are all the Digital HD channels. The digital SD channels can be had down in the 80ish area. I will edit this post with my list tonight!

I've been reading a lot of these posts. I am in Dunwoody... Northridge area. I just hooked an mdp-130 to my 37" LCD. Scanned QAM and have had absolutely no problem with any of the digital broadcasts on Comcast. My mdp-130 shows about 69% signal on all channels (that is through two splitters and a distribution amp....

Okay, here is the edit: (HD is a Hi Def channel, SD is 480i)

108-4 NBC WXIA HD
108-3 CBS WGCL HD
105-12 Encore Drama SD
104-11 GAC SD (a country music channel)
104-6 Discovery Health SD
101-2 WB WATL HD
98-3 TBS HD
98-1 ABC WSB HD
96-1 A spanish channel SD
93-1 Comcast Weather
92-3 FOX HD
83-1 Comcast Weather
80-12 PBA 30 SD
80-11 A spanish channel SD
80-7 UPN SD
80-6 CBS WGCL SD
80-5 GPB SD
80-4 TBS SD
80-3 NBC WXIA SD
80-2 FOX SD
80-1 ABC WSB SD



There are a few other religious channels, spanish channels and comcast weather channels not in this list, as well as the shopping channels.

P.S. This looks very much like the August lineup listed in this thread. Somethings have moved, but some have remained in the same spots.

Looking forward to see what your scan reveals. A recent scan with my mdp-130 picked up FOX, ABC, UPN and a couple of others. No sign of CBS or NBC though with 108-1,2,3 & 4 showing no signal.

I'm also in Dunwoody just north of Chamblee.

i'm on the stone mountain headend in north decatur/tucker, and i just noticed that all of my analog channels turned digital today. they look pretty good overall, and my problemed channels (comedy central, headline news) look MUCH improved. basically how i remember satellite looking. the sound is improved as well.

Do you have Comcast digital? Well, judging by this, Comcast-Savannah will be the last market in Ga to even "start" the DS project. Boy, do I feel left out.

Is it just me or are any of you getting major audio dropouts too? I work nights so I have to record on my HTPC and my signal strength is usually 65-70%. The last 2 Wednesdays Lost and Invasion have audio dropouts every 2-3 seconds. Just curious.

savman -

what HD channels do you get in savannah?

i lived there from 95 to 99. love it down there. we'll probably move back someday. we went to SCAD....

oleus

Is it just me or are any of you getting major audio dropouts too? I work nights so I have to record on my HTPC and my signal strength is usually 65-70%. The last 2 Wednesdays Lost and Invasion have audio dropouts every 2-3 seconds. Just curious.


I recorded (mdp-130) both lost and invasion.... no dropouts whatsoever

I recorded (mdp-130) both lost and invasion.... no dropouts whatsoever

Something isn't right then for me, i'm using the 130 also. I have a feeling my little AMD is not gonna be enough for the TS recordings.

Something isn't right then for me, i'm using the 130 also. I have a feeling my little AMD is not gonna be enough for the TS recordings.

The MDP-130 is doing hardware encode/decode. Your AMD only needs to shovel information to/from disk... only a few percent of CPU on my system. In the mdp-130 note, people are using cpus as lowly as PIII to do it. So unless you are running something less capable than a 1Ghz cpu, I would look closer at disk drives/DMA/Their position on the ide channel, etc. I capture to 160GB firewire drives and they work fine.

Also, if you are capturing the whole transport stream, try capturing just the subchannel. It will make file sizes smaller and decrease the work your system has to do.

The MDP-130 is doing hardware encode/decode. Your AMD only needs to shovel information to/from disk... only a few percent of CPU on my system. In the mdp-130 note, people are using cpus as lowly as PIII to do it. So unless you are running something less capable than a 1Ghz cpu, I would look closer at disk drives/DMA/Their position on the ide channel, etc. I capture to 160GB firewire drives and they work fine.

Also, if you are capturing the whole transport stream, try capturing just the subchannel. It will make file sizes smaller and decrease the work your system has to do.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm recording to a 120GB WD drive now and DMA is enabled. CPU is good enough, 2500+ at 1.8ghz. One thing is I haven't messed around with the MDP enough yet. I don't have the record sub channel only ticked in the options so I'll try that. Watching live is flawless.

i'm on the stone mountain headend in north decatur/tucker, and i just noticed that all of my analog channels turned digital today. they look pretty good overall, and my problemed channels (comedy central, headline news) look MUCH improved. basically how i remember satellite looking. the sound is improved as well.


I have a 14-16 month old Motorola DCT 5100 that gets me digital cable/HDTV. Should I be seeing my analog channels turn digital, or must I have a more recent cable box (ie, the 6412)?

I am in Chamblee, and I'm very sure that I'm on the STM head end.

-STS

Does anyone else have a problem with WB - 813 reception on actual HD shows?

I get audio and video dropouts and "blocking" - it is actually unwatchable - have to watch the non-hd channel.

Thisis with a cable card.

All other channels (HD simulcasts) are fine.

Interested to know if this is a network feed issue.

I am in East Cobb (Stone Mtn feed.

Interested in both cablecard and settop box users.)

i'm in the stone mountain headend and started receiving all my analog channels in digital earlier last week.

well, tonight it appears they have not only all gone back to analog, they look even worse than they did before.

anyone else get the rug pulled out from under them?

My Woodstock area DVR went digital for channels 2 - 81 on about Jan. 11th, still digital today. I noticed a change in the menu structure yesterday. Setup moved to the first page of the menu, but the version numbers reported in Setup did not change.

I am still waiting for firmware 12.24 or above that fixes a problem where Dolby Digital 5.1 will not get through to your reciever every time when using HDMI to attach to your display.

Comcast csr's don't even seem to know about digital simulcasting so they have been no help. I wonder why mine went digital and then back to analog? No one I know here lost their digitals like I did.

my analog channels are still stuck in analog. they looked great for the 4 or 5 days i had them all in digital, but now they look worse than before the switch.

comcast is being no help. they don't even know anything about the analogs being simulcast in digital!! i have tried some emails where i request they pass it along to the engineering department.

this is in the stone mountain headend near decatur/tucker.

my analog channels are still stuck in analog. they looked great for the 4 or 5 days i had them all in digital, but now they look worse than before the switch.

comcast is being no help. they don't even know anything about the analogs being simulcast in digital!! i have tried some emails where i request they pass it along to the engineering department.

this is in the stone mountain headend near decatur/tucker.

I'm in the Decatur area served by the Stone Mountain headend. Some time last December I got fed up with the analog. I knew they were doing digital simulcast, and a borrowed qam tuner showed me that it was coming over the wire. I got the usual nonsense from the CSR, but decided to push it to a supervisor. The supervisor gave me similar nonsense, and I asked to talk to engineering. I pushed hard enough until she agreed she would request that engineering call me.

A week went by, and no call. I called back the supervisor, and she said she would request again that engineering call me. This time I did get a call. The engineer said my area should be getting it. He looked at my account parameters, and said it wasn't enabled. He didn't know why it wasn't and said he would enable it. Since then, I have digital simulcast and it does make a world of difference.

The engineering department is reasonlaby competent. The trick is getting to them. I think I was lucky to get through.

Good Luck!

i guess i'll try and make some phone calls tomorrow. should be fun.

One less HD channel might be on the horizion :(

The WB and UPN are merging to form the new CW network. WUPA will be getting the new network and WATL will be going independent. Not sure if WATL will air anything in HD (doesn't seem likely withouth network programming). Hopefully Comcast will add WUPA's HD channel.

I'm on the Stone Mountain Head end too, in Tucker, how can I tell if my 2 boxes, an HD w/ DVR and an HD w/o DVR are getting the digital simulcast channels?

Ernie, the easiest way to check is to see if the Dolby Digital symbol shows up in the banner when you press Info...if you have a Dolby Digital symbol, it's a digital channel.

==========

Just to btich and moan, but crikey...my analogs seem to have gotten worse in the past month. Bravo has now joined Comedy Central as 24x7 unwatchable through a Phase II 6412. Here's hoping digital simulcast rolls out ASAP for the rest of Sandy Springs!!!

Try both tuners when you look for the Dolby Digital symbol. On my box, the symbol only appears on the first tuner. Before posting this, I looked for the symbol and didn't see it on EITHER tuner. Turning the box off/on brought the symbols back.

(Vinings headend, f/w 9.19)

OK, thanks to Joe and a millans for the replies. On both boxes I'm getting the DD symbol. Execp for channel 97 which is a duplicate of cahnnel 8. One thing Joe, when you say switch between tuners, do you mean the 2 built in tuners in the 6412? How is this done?

I have also been getting a duplicate of PBS on channel 97. The version of 97 is in analog. I was transitioned to all digital last month and 8 was a problem channel at first (lots of tiling), but it bugs appear to have been worked out. My guess is that the analog version is available as a back up in case there are problems with the digital version.

Another way you can tell if you are getting a digital signal is there is a few second delay from the analog channels. If you have a second TV connected to analog tuned to the same channel as a TV with a digital box you can see what I mean.

Erniegiro - yes I mean the two built-in tuners in the 6412.

My silver Comcast remote didn't have a SWAP button, so I added that function to an un-used button (I used the "Lock" button).

If your remote does not already have a SWAP button, try this:

To Program Remote SWAP (00236):
1) Press "Cable" button at the top of the remote.
2) Press and hold "Setup" button until "Cable" button blinks twice.
3) Enter 994. The "Cable" button blinks twice
4) Press (don't hold) the "Setup" button
5) Enter 00236 (Swap);
6) Press whatever button you want to map the SWAP function to.


Other codes are listed on this site:
http://www.cjhengineering.com/hdtv/cablehdtv/dct6412remoteAC.htm


Hope this helps.

Joe

I just hooked up cable to my Sony. I don't get ABC in HD. Fox, NBC and CBS are good. Anyone else having problems with ABC? I am in Mableton.

update

got a phone call from comcast that i should have my digitals back, and i am happy to report all of the channels are now back in digital and looking really good.

Okay, seems like Comcast in Marietta is now encrypting QAM.

WGCL, WXIA, and WAGA are gone.

This is blatantly against the law - FCC rulings clearly state that ALL "Must Carry" digital channels must be fully In The Clear, allowing a cable-ready QAM capable TV to receive said channels.

What gives?

- litz

Nevermind - found 'em.

Comcast's rearranged things a bit ...

Current HD lineup, as scanned tonight on the Vinings Head end :

92-3 WAGA
98-1 WSB
98-3 WTBS
101-2 WATL
108-3 WGCL
108-4 WXIA

- litz

Joe, thanks for the info on the 2 tuners, I'll try tonight when I get home.

One extra question to litz. The channel numbers look wierd, is this because you have QAM capable OTA tuner hooked up to your cable? I have an Accurian OTA tuner, but it only picks up 8VSB cable signals, and when I hook up my cablr to it, I get no stations on scan. I only get reception from my CM 4228 antenna.

have a good day, guys!

Nevermind - found 'em.

Comcast's rearranged things a bit ...

Current HD lineup, as scanned tonight on the Vinings Head end :

92-3 WAGA
98-1 WSB
98-3 WTBS
101-2 WATL
108-3 WGCL
108-4 WXIA

- litz

That is the same lineup they are running in North Fulton... same as I posted on 1/17/2006

This is slightly off topic, but does anyone know where to buy a YPbPr - RGB transcoder in Atlanta for my Comcast 6412? I know of plenty for order, just thought I'd see if anyone has them in Atlanta.

Thanks,
Brian

This is slightly off topic, but does anyone know where to buy a YPbPr - RGB transcoder in Atlanta for my Comcast 6412? I know of plenty for order, just thought I'd see if anyone has them in Atlanta.

Thanks,
Brian

I have one that I'm not using. It's one of the Audio Authority models (I'll have to check the model number this evening). I sold my projectors last year, so it's just sitting useless in a closet. Do you want a used one?

Nathan, I sent you a PM.

Thanks,
Brian

Thinking about the future, I called Comcast and asked what they charge for cablecards. The CSR told me their was no monthly fee (as many as you needed) and no install fee since you could pick them up at their cable stores. The CSR seemed to know what she was talking about, since she correctly explained that they were cablecard 1.0 which are one way and don't allow PPV or OnDemand.

Free seems too good to be true. Is it?

What brought it to mind is the announcement of the Tivo Series III at CES, which requires 2 cablecards for its two tuners. I was thinking that having to pay Comcast two cablecard rental fees on top of paying Tivo their monthly (or lifetime) would be exorbitant.

Yeah, I had not one, not two, but three CSRs at Comcast assure me that I could drive right down to the office and pick up a cablecard. I walked right in, waiting in line, and was informed by a surly, disinterested Comcast clerk that they never let people pick up cablecards any more because too many of them were damaged due to faulty installations (I guess it's tough to slide a card into a PCMCIA slot). Called the corporate office and filed a complaint with my county cable authority, but I still had to wait for Comcast to come out and install the cablecard. (For what it's worth, there was one advantage to having them come out: the first two cablecards they tried were defective and nonfunctional. It took three tries to find one that actually worked. The installer said that they've had a lot of problems with bad cards...)

And while the first card is free, I believe there's a charge for subsequent cards. That's what I was told by the folks in the corporate office, anyway.

cliff biggers

WSB-DT OTA channel 2-2 has been carried on Comcast on channel 100-801 (as monitored from my Buckhead location).

Well, after we got another 12/31/1989 recording of death last night, we rebooted this morning, and voila, all the until-seconds-ago analog channels reappeared as digital simulcast ones. Woohoo. I think. Fox and Comedy Central are breaking up like mad. Ugh...I guess we traded digitized snow and ghosts for pixel explosions.

Sandy Springs, right next to Northside Hospital. No idea what headend we're on.

Has there been any sign of Universal-HD on either of the ATL comcast head-ends?

It's supposed to be picked up country-wide for the Olympics either on its own channel, or replacing InHD2 for the duration of the Games ...

Possibly even sticking around afterwards, although nobody seems to know if this is temporary or if a real carriage contract has been signed ...

Several other systems around the country already have it.

- litz

Has there been any sign of Universal-HD on either of the ATL comcast head-ends?

It's supposed to be picked up country-wide for the Olympics either on its own channel, or replacing InHD2 for the duration of the Games ...

Possibly even sticking around afterwards, although nobody seems to know if this is temporary or if a real carriage contract has been signed ...

Several other systems around the country already have it.

- litz
Just looked on my 6412 and found the new HD channel 805, Universal HD.

Guide information is now present and currently watching "The Border" with Jack Nicholson.

Billo

That's great news, Billo.

It doesn't show up yet for me. I'm on the Vinings headend.

Joe

edit: the channel shows up now, but no sound/picture.

That's great news, Billo.

It doesn't show up yet for me. I'm on the Vinings headend.

Joe

It shows up for me with Guide info showing 'To be announced' but the channel is active. I am on the Stone Mountain headend. :)

I'm in Marietta. Channel shows up with menu showing the border, Quantum Leap at 6:00 and then Knight Rider. Knight Rider HD?? Fantastic. Unfortunately, the picture froze up after about 2 seconds, but it's there.

Does anyone in the Monroe/Grayson area have experience with Comcast, specifically HDTV?

I've gone back and read about 10 pages and done searches on this thread. We are experiencing intermittent stuttering on various HD channels. Sometimes its so bad the show is almost un-watchable. It was happening several months ago, then it went away until recently.

We have a 6412iii.

I, too, have the new UHD 805 channel but the menu seems to be incorrect (wrong shows). Anyone know if we are keeping the channel? I would trade this one for ESPN2HD.....

Gus

Has there been any sign of Universal-HD on either of the ATL comcast head-ends?

It's supposed to be picked up country-wide for the Olympics either on its own channel, or replacing InHD2 for the duration of the Games ...

Possibly even sticking around afterwards, although nobody seems to know if this is temporary or if a real carriage contract has been signed ...

Several other systems around the country already have it.

- litz

I have it on 805, too.

Briarcliff Road between Ponce and North Decatur here. Stone Mountain headend.

I, too, have the new UHD 805 channel but the menu seems to be incorrect (wrong shows). Anyone know if we are keeping the channel? I would trade this one for ESPN2HD.....

Gus

There are indications that this will go away after the Olympics, hopefully to be replaced by ESPN2HD.

I doubt UHD is permanent. I think the way Comcast has things set up is all of the "free" HD channels are on the lower end of the 800s and the premium HD channels are the higher end. You need to have digital cable to get anything higher than 813 on the HD line-up, where you can have any cable service to get 803-813 for an extra $5 fee. Also, the HD channels are set up so that you just add an 8 in front of the standard version's channel number. Since UHD is an HD only channel, it would be grouped with INHD in the 870s.

Good news for Olympics fans,

Comcast has two HD channels with Olymipic coverage NBC HD and Universal HD, and three SD channels with Olympic coverage USA, CNBC and MSNBC.

They have also added an Olympics menu to my 6412 DVR. I hit the menu button twice and then page down to get it. The Olympics menu just shows the Olympic coverage on those stations and the Japanese channel. Makes it pretty easy to figure out when and where your favorites will be shown.

Have fun

Speaking of NBC HD Olympics, the opening ceremonies were awesome in HD. :D

I did have a problem though with audio. The announcers sounded very faint and you could hear an echo. When I listened/watched to non-HD on satellite, audio was normal.

Did anyone else with Comcast have this problem? I am in Mableton.

I'm in Savannah(I have comcast) and noticed the same audio problem. It may have been a national Comcast issue. I'm not sure.

I'm in Savannah(I have comcast) and noticed the same audio problem. It may have been a national Comcast issue. I'm not sure.

This was a HD issue in general, not Comcast .... comcast just passes WXIA's OTA signal intact, with no changes. So whatever goes out OTA on 10-DT goes out on comcast's 806.

NBC has had HD issues galore so far this olympics ... far as I've been able to tell, the only thing working splendidly is the hockey on UHD.

- litz

Is anyone in the area able to get WXIA through the firewire port on a Motorola 3412 (phase 1) STB?
I can get all the other over the air channels on firewire, just not 609.

Going to the d6 diag screen on the 3412, I see CCI=2 and RC=1, while they are both 0 on the other over the air channels.

I didn't have this issue with a 6412 stb, but had to have that replaced when it failed, and my 3412s have this issue (I have 2 of them).

I presume CCI and/or RC have something to do with the broadcast flag, and for some reason Comcast is flagging WXIA. It's not an olympics issue, it shows up on their local broadcasts as well.

Does anyone have any information on Comcast adding more channels in HD to their lineup? I see that universal HD was recently added and Knight Rider kicks ass in HD. I used to love this show as a kid. I appreciate any and all responses to my question of the coming of future channels.

Does anyone have any information on Comcast adding more channels in HD to their lineup? I see that universal HD was recently added and Knight Rider kicks ass in HD. I used to love this show as a kid. I appreciate any and all responses to my question of the coming of future channels.

Does anyone have any information on Comcast adding more channels in HD to their lineup? I see that universal HD was recently added and Knight Rider kicks ass in HD. I used to love this show as a kid. I appreciate any and all responses to my question of the coming of future channels.

The general concensus elsewhere in the programming forum is that Comcast has added UHD only for the Olympics. I have read that ESPN2HD may be the next channel, possibly in March but Comcast does rollouts of HD channels by local area so no good estimate of the date has been heard locally.

I think behind that may be MTVHD (big whoop) but that's about all I have heard recently. I would like to see National Geographic HD but no news yet on a Comcast agreement to carry that. :(

i thought Universal HD was only temporary on systems where they had replace one of the existing INHD channels with it?

i hope they don't take it off here in atlanta - i was neutral on the channel until they showed SCARFACE this weekend, OAR!!!!

oleus

PS - i will check on the WXIA/firewire issue in the morning.

I tried to get an answer about UHD through Comcast's email support last week, and they didn't know. I wrote again today and got:
---
Thank you for contacting Comcast.

The Universal HD channel is only available for the Olympics. This channel will no longer be available after all the games are over.

If you have any more questions feel free to reply to this e-mail.

Thank you for choosing Comcast.

Sincerely,

Tiffany
Comcast Customer Care Specialist
vidsupport_atl@cable.comcast.com
-----


I'm disappointed. I was hoping for the HD Galactica's and Monks.

that sucks.

I'm confused about the capabilities of my Panasonic 50PX50U's QAM tuner. I am a Comcast subscriber, and I've hooked up my coax to the input on my tv. I've scanned the channels and have gotten a lot of channels to come up, but there are no HD channels that I can find. Can I only get HD channels with an OTA antenna, or should I be picking something up through my QAM tuner?

Thanks.

I have both INHD and INHD2 as well as UHD

I have two HD tuners from Comcast, 1 DVR 1 Tuner only. The tuner only model is connected via DVI to a Samsung DSP pedestal TV. My problem is that on "regular" (not HD) channels from time to time the signal seems to drop and goes to complete static. If I use the remote and select a HD channel the signal will come back and the HD channel will show. I can then select a non-HD channel and it will reappear. When the signal is dropped the menu will not appear and any other channel (other than HD) just shows static.

Any ideas?
Thanks

I think you're in the wrong forum for this type of inquiry, but since you're here and so am I, I'll try and help out. I think your scaler is not reacting quickly enough to the change of resolution from HD to SD and or vice-versa. You may want to change the resolution of the boxes' output from 720P to 1080i, or from 1080i to 720P and see if one setting or another clears it up. You may want to repost the question in one of the display forums and see if someone who reads those forums can offer other advice. Good Luck!

Anyone with a Comcast STB know what digital channels are being transmitted on channel 81? As of March 1st the analog channel (SpikeTV I believe?) has been substituted with a scrambled digital QAM channel on 81. My location is Buckhead (Atlanta - Fulton County).

Anyone with a Comcast STB know what digital channels are being transmitted on channel 81? As of March 1st the analog channel (SpikeTV I believe?) has been substituted with a scrambled digital QAM channel on 81. My location is Buckhead (Atlanta - Fulton County).

Just tried it in Decatur (Stone Mountain Head End). Nothing on 81 digital or analog.


Their webpage lineup still shows Spike on 81.

http://www.cbs46.com/Global/story.asp?S=3063998

CBS will once again multicast multiple games of the NCAA first and second round tournament through Comcast , Charter, and OTA. Last year they had 3 channels instead of 4, meaning only 1 multicast channel (analog its own unique channel, then 46.1 and 46.2). This year they appear to have added a 46.3. I know this will degrade the HD quality significantly and there are many who don't want to see that but I applaud this as being one of the few times multicasting actually benefits the consumer. Although I must say I wish they would do just 3 channels like last year in order to minimize the HD bandwidth struggle. Especially since the games will be streaming for free on ncaasports.com Regardless, here's to a good tourney!

-Chris

Digital QAM channels 81-2 and 81-7 have definetly replaced analog channel 81 (Spike TV) on Comcast Atlanta (Fulton Co.) system. 81-2 and 81-7 are both scrambled. I don't know what Comcast has put on those channels or how they have they channel mapped it on their STBs.

It appears that Spike TV has moved to channel 76 for my analog tuners.

Is everyone in Atlanta still sitting on the 12.18 firmware for the 6412v3 or have some of the headends started sending out updated software? This whole HDMI repeater incompability and lack of 5.1 audio on DVR programs is really getting old.

Spike TV was moved a while ago. OLN was moved to its old channed

Buffer Size Increase?
Has anyone else noticed that the buffer size has increased to 2 hours? I was able to rewind to
programs that I watched 2 hours ago. There are black bars that indicated 30 minute blocks.

I have a 6412 Phase 1 box (one of the original units).
SW Ver: 71.44-1203
Firmware: 09.19

Billo

Comcast Atlanta Digital QAM Channels List

I went through all of the digital QAM channels that are broadcast on the Comcast system in Atlanta (Fulton County) and compiled a list of what is being broadcast. The channel list is very long and does not format very well in this forum, so I saved it as a text file here:

http://homepage.mac.com/comcast.atlanta/channels.txt

Can you help in filling out the channel descriptions??? Please reply to this forum and I will update the list with additions or corrections.

Currently there are 39 digital QAM channels being broadcast on the Comcast system each using 256-QAM modulation at 37Mb/s. Each of these channels are divided into various number of sub-channels carrying either HD channels, SD channels, or a combination of the two to fill up the 37Mb/s bit rate.

Thanks!

hdtv_atl

Has anyone heard any updates on the ETA of the Comcast HD Tivo unit?

Pete

>Has anyone heard any updates on the ETA of the Comcast HD Tivo unit?
There is no update. Their last announcement was mid to late 2006.
Speculation says with no announcement at the recent Consumer Electronics Show that late 2006 is more likely.

I've gone back and read about 10 pages and done searches on this thread. We are experiencing intermittent stuttering on various HD channels. Sometimes its so bad the show is almost un-watchable. It was happening several months ago, then it went away until recently.

We have a 6412iii.
I am noticing very slight video stuttering on various HD channels also. Was very noticeable on The Sopranos and the NCAA final tonight. Anyone else seeing this or experienced this issue? If so is it limited to HD channels only for you? Seems that way for me. Just trying to get a grasp on this. I've seen some posts in the Boston forum specifically addressing this issue.

i have two phase 1 6412's and have seen no stuttering lately, although one of those boxes has been acting up a lot lately, not seeing certain channels (in the 20's and 30's, channels like FX sometimes come up as "channel available shortly", same with Showtime-HD). only happening on one of my boxes, and someone else in the main 6412 thread started having the same problem around the same time.

I noticed the stuttering last night on my 6412v3. I called Comcast and they're coming out to swap boxes (for other reasons) on Saturday. All the same, you weren't alone in noticing the dropped frames.

Does anyone know what HD-DVR boxes are currently in use on the Vinings head-end? I have a 6412 phase 2 that is having an issue with overheating causing the fan to kick on often. I don't recall my unit doing that in the past and was considering getting it replaced.

Does the phase 3 or 3412 run cooler than the phase 2?

Thanks.

Bryansj:
I have two 3412's from Vinings head end. I don't have any overheating problems that I know of, but then again, I never had any 6412 probs either. I went with the 3412 to get the all-digital signal.

Richard

You would have gotten an all-digital "signal" regardless of whether you had a 6412 or 3412. The only difference is the fact that the 3412 only has a digital tuner. If you live in an all digital simulcast area with a 6412, you would simply jave an 6412 in which the analog tuner isn't being used.

The Fox purchase of Turner South closes on Monday May 1, and they have announced that TSO will switch to the Fox broadcast team and crew. Does anyone know if Comcast will still be playing the home TSO games in HD on Bravevision/755?

30 minutes until we find out whether we are still going to get "turner south" home games in HD on channel 755....i have a sinking feeling!

30 minutes until we find out whether we are still going to get "turner south" home games in HD on channel 755....i have a sinking feeling!

Well it was on 755 in HD. Now I wonder if they will do the same for the next FSN home game.

yeah that will be great if we get the friday Fox games in HD too...that would mean ALL home games in HD. Unfortunately the fine TBS announcing crew are only going to be doing about 1/3 of the games now, if that.

i wonder if we'll ever get away games in HD?

Here's my situation -- I have standard cable (not digital) -- and I just got an HDTV with an internal tuner. Anyway, with the cable line directly into the TV, it picks up a number of HD channels (FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, TBS, DiscHD, UPN).

I would like to have TNT, INHD/2, ESPN and Bravesvision as well. However, after researching the Comcast site, it appears that I will have 2 price bumps in order to get these -- the $11/month or so to bump from standard to digital, and the $11/month HD charge. Has anyone in a similar situation had any luck negotiating with Comcast? I can understand one price bump, but two for just a few channels doesn't seem worth it.

I want these 4 or 5 additional HD channels, but I'm not real excited about an extra $22/month.

Just receive my Comcast HD/DVR box..DCT3412 I ..I read on this thread that this unit only receives the digital signal...my non HD channels are much worse than the analog signal I was receiving yesterday......HD is good not great..the tech rep checked the signal strength at the HD/DVR input and it was I believe pretty strong ranging from 2.5 to 6.5 across the range..they are coming back tomorrow ...any advice...I am in Sandy Springs

Here's my situation -- I have standard cable (not digital) -- and I just got an HDTV with an internal tuner. Anyway, with the cable line directly into the TV, it picks up a number of HD channels (FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, TBS, DiscHD, UPN).

I would like to have TNT, INHD/2, ESPN and Bravesvision as well. However, after researching the Comcast site, it appears that I will have 2 price bumps in order to get these -- the $11/month or so to bump from standard to digital, and the $11/month HD charge. Has anyone in a similar situation had any luck negotiating with Comcast? I can understand one price bump, but two for just a few channels doesn't seem worth it.

I want these 4 or 5 additional HD channels, but I'm not real excited about an extra $22/month.

funny when i did the same with my Sony HDTV i was able to get FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC, WB, UPN, over the air/ATSC

on the cable/QAM side i received FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC, WB, DISCHD, but no UPN.

92.21 fox
98.10 tbs
98.3 abc
101.2 wb
108.10 cbs
108.30 nbc
114.10 dischd

Anyone else with a 6412 get a firmware update last night? We did. There are a few changes to the user interface.


DVI ouput is broken now. I'll try a reset tonight. If that doesn't work, I'll be calling Comcast.

What's the new version?

Hi all. I just purchased the new Toshiba 50" DLP, 50HM66, and I'm having trouble accessing the local, unencrypted digital channels via the QAM tuner. Since I'm new to this, I'd like to be sure that I understand how the QAM tuner works. Basically, I just have the standard cable box from Comcast, so I have my coax running through this box to the TV. With the TV's autoprogram, it doesn't find any digital channels. If I manually try to enter one of the digital channels (e.g., 108-30 for NBC), it tries to access the channel, but then displays a message of "low signal." Can I access the local digital channels via my cable box? Or should I have the TV connected directly to the coax jack (i.e., before the cable box) in order to get the local digital channels? If this is the case, I suppose I would have to install a splitter there so that I could still get the movie channels from my cable box like HBO, Starz, etc.

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

What's the new version?


9.19 :confused: But that was after I power cycled the box.

Something odd happend. After the power cycle, the UI went back the way it was and DVI works again

Hi all. I just purchased the new Toshiba 50" DLP, 50HM66, and I'm having trouble accessing the local, unencrypted digital channels via the QAM tuner. ...
Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

It won't work the way you have it connected. You could put a splitter before the cable box but you may have signal strength issues.


I'd only use the QAM tuner if you are trying to get by without a cable box. THen you would connect directly from the wall to the cable jack on your TV.

If you have a digital cable box you should use that to get the digital channels. You don't have to use the QAM tuner at all. You may have to upgrade from basic to Enhanced (digital) cable to get a digital box. The monthly cost is $2 a month more.


EDIT -- oh you have HBO. If you don't already have it, you should upgrade to Digital Silver with HBO. Gonna cost you $73.99 a month.

I'd go for the DVR/HDTV combo for the extra $16 a month.

Connect the coax from the wall to the digital cable box. Connect a set of component video cables from the cable box to your Toshiba.

EDIT -- oh you have HBO. If you don't already have it, you should upgrade to Digital Silver with HBO. Gonna cost you $73.99 a month.

I'd go for the DVR/HDTV combo for the extra $16 a month.

Connect the coax from the wall to the digital cable box. Connect a set of component video cables from the cable box to your Toshiba.
Yeah, actually this is the package that I have...Digital Silver with HBO. So, with this package, I wouldn't be able to use the QAM tuner to get the local HD channels through this existing cable box (unless I split the signal at the wall, which I really don't want to do)? Am I better off just getting an OTA antenna to use with the ANT2 input for locals (assuming that I don't get the HD service from Comcast)?

Thanks for your input!

Antenna vs. Cable depends on location and budget. I've got an antenna in the attic. We mostly use it when the cable is down. I can get Fox 5, CBS, PBS and sometimes NBC without turning the antenna. If

If you have enough signal you can split the cable before the box. Comcast is supposed to provide enough signal for 4 drops. It won't cost much to try.



The newer DVRs from Comcast have an HDMI port. So does your new Toshiba. If you get a DVR be sure to ask for one with HDMI.

I recently got an HDTV and next week Comcast is supposed to be coming by to setup an HD box. I did not want the HD/DVR combo because we already have a Comcast DVR in another room plus a TiVo upstairs and we don't need another DVR just for the bedroom. If/when the Comcast TiVo box comes along, then I'll reconsider. :)

My TV has HDMI. Does anyone know if the cable box has DVI or HDMI? I thought I had read it was DVI.

Another question since I'm new in the area - does Comcast not have locations where you can just pick up equipment? I had Cox Middle GA and had that option for years. It just seems silly to have to schedule somebody to come by just to get a stupid box.

Comcast will let you drop off at the Chamblee location. I've heard both yes and no for self install. Let us know what they tell you.

Another question since I'm new in the area - does Comcast not have locations where you can just pick up equipment? I had Cox Middle GA and had that option for years. It just seems silly to have to schedule somebody to come by just to get a stupid box.

I believe that you will have to schedule an install in the Atlanta area. Gives them a chance to bill you for the installation charge. Doesn't matter if you know more than the techs unfortunately, but good luck. :)

Doesn't matter if you know more than the techs unfortunately,


The most recent one disconnected our ground block and replaced it with an ungrounded four way splitter. That left us with no reception at all. The tech had no idea that a splitter reduces signal. He was going to come back. I undid the damage then told Comcast it fixed itself.

Hi all. I just purchased the new Toshiba 50" DLP, 50HM66, and I'm having trouble accessing the local, unencrypted digital channels via the QAM tuner. Since I'm new to this, I'd like to be sure that I understand how the QAM tuner works. Basically, I just have the standard cable box from Comcast, so I have my coax running through this box to the TV. With the TV's autoprogram, it doesn't find any digital channels. If I manually try to enter one of the digital channels (e.g., 108-30 for NBC), it tries to access the channel, but then displays a message of "low signal." Can I access the local digital channels via my cable box? Or should I have the TV connected directly to the coax jack (i.e., before the cable box) in order to get the local digital channels? If this is the case, I suppose I would have to install a splitter there so that I could still get the movie channels from my cable box like HBO, Starz, etc.

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

i will try to give a little help. a few assumtions first. you tv has an ATSC/QAM tnuer, and it has to coax inputs.

if you have digital silver this is what you should do.

2 coax inputs.

you can get un-encrypted channels via and indoor antenna on the UHF/VHF coax input.

the second input (catv) is what you should connect directly to the cable wall outlet. once you have done this you should do a channel scan and the un-encrypted digital channels should show up. the ones you are concearned about are the HD group, all broadcast HD stations are available except UPN. if you are lucky discovery HD will come in as a bonus. dont worry about UPN, that is why you have the OTA antenna hooked up your ATSC tuner equpped hdtv. tune to channel 43.1 and voiala UPN-HD

one problem still exists you will not get all the channels that are avialable with your subscrition. the most important part about that is ESPN-HD, INHD1, INHD2, HBO-HD. to get these channels you will need a Cable Card. why do this? its free, especially since you already have a subscription to digital silver. this allows you to put the digital cable box on another tv in your house. call comcast and tell them you want a CC for you hdtv and let them install and set it up. the comcast people will try to tell you that you still have to pay another $5-$10 access the HD channels but dont believe them.

i have a 57in sony hdtv that has 2 coax inputs, in my living room, my exact set up is this

uhf/vhf antenna into uhf/vhf input on my tv
cable from wall outlet directly to tv on the catv input. cable card inserted channel scan completed. on this tv i can see all channels allowed on my subscription level (digi starter w/ promo HBO) plus the un-encrypted HD broadcast channels as well as INHD1,2 ESPEN-HD, HBO-HD, DISC-HD. however, since the CC is a 1 way device (currently) you cannot order PPV/in-demand via your tv remote. however you can call it in and watch it in the living room. (i think)

hope that helped

digital cable box is in the bedroom and as such i have the same channels as in the living room plus in-demand. no HD stuff.

KLLRSPD@YAHOO if ya wanna shoot me an email.

I am in the process of updating to an HDTV system and would like to get a receiver with a HDMI switch. I would hate to spend the extra money for this feature and find out it doesn't work with my cable TV. I've read elsewhere on the AVS Forum about problems with some cable systems. What is the experience with Comcast in Atlanta?

I am in the process of updating to an HDTV system and would like to get a receiver with a HDMI switch.


Avoid the Sony STR-DG800. It is terrible.

Avoid the Sony STR-DG800. It is terrible.

I am looking at the Harman Kardon AVR445. It is not out yet but expected anytime.

call comcast and tell them you want a CC for you hdtv and let them install and set it up. the comcast people will try to tell you that you still have to pay another $5-$10 access the HD channels but dont believe them.
Thanks for the input! I may go this route. I assume when you refer to pay per view that you're also referring to the On Demand features of the cable box? That's really what we use the most to watch movies or episodes of Sopranos if we miss them when orignally broadcast. I suppose I could just move the cable box to another tv to use the On Demand feature. I didn't realize that there was no charge for the cable card. Thanks again for your help!

I am in the process of updating to an HDTV system and would like to get a receiver with a HDMI switch. I would hate to spend the extra money for this feature and find out it doesn't work with my cable TV. I've read elsewhere on the AVS Forum about problems with some cable systems. What is the experience with Comcast in Atlanta?

No current a/v receiver with HDMI switching will work with the Comcast units. The Motorola boxes refuse to handshake through repeaters. I've gotten around this by using a standalone 4-port HDMI switch from Monoprice to do my video switching.

No current a/v receiver with HDMI switching will work with the Comcast units. The Motorola boxes refuse to handshake through repeaters. I've gotten around this by using a standalone 4-port HDMI switch from Monoprice to do my video switching.

What about receivers that do HDMI passthrough? I was looking at the Sony HT 7000DH HTIB for the bedroom. It has two HDMI passthroughs. If you're saying that it won't work with Comcast's boxes, you may have just saved me some $$$. :) I guess it's a good thing my new tv comes with 2 HDMIs.

No current a/v receiver with HDMI switching will work with the Comcast units. The Motorola boxes refuse to handshake through repeaters. I've gotten around this by using a standalone 4-port HDMI switch from Monoprice to do my video switching.

Nathan, thanks for the feedback. It sounds like I can save some money and buy a cheaper receiver and if I truly want HDMI swithing buy a seperate box down the road. It is strange the standalone box works while the same function in a receiver does not. Audio Visual is not simple these days.

anyone else been having problems with bravesvision HD channel 755? they were games on there monday and tuesday night, both with horrible breakups. when i called the automated service message said they were having problems with 755, but in repsonse to an email I was told that they have determined the problem "is not on their end"!!?!??

anyone else been having problems with bravesvision HD channel 755? they were games on there monday and tuesday night, both with horrible breakups. when i called the automated service message said they were having problems with 755, but in repsonse to an email I was told that they have determined the problem "is not on their end"!!?!??

I'm on the Vinings head and had the same problem both Monday and Tuesday nights. Finally contacted Comcast and a very helpful customer service rep verified the problem existed on a TV they use for troubleshooting and sent alert to technical support. I noted that channel 755 went off the air shortlly thereafter and eventually returned later in the evening with clear reception.

Has anyone in the Atl area had their 6412 III or 3412 firmware updated to 12.31 and has anyone yet gotten the Iguide update for May that is described here?

www.comcast.com/guideupdates

Though not mentioned on that page, it also supposedly has fixes for
-DVR Mute Bug fix- Press any key (except mute) to unmute an unattended DVR Recording

-DVR Black Screen on Power Up fix

-Series Priority list becomes corrupted bug fix

are the older phase 1 and 2 6412's (with DVI) going to get these firmware upgrades in atlanta?

i think i am still stuck on a very old firmware (9.12?)

oleus

For some time I've noticed that all the HD channels are transmitted with the 5C copy protection set to 0 (copy always) except ABC (803) and NBC (806) which are set to 2 (copy once). You can read the setting in the diagnostic menu D6, its the CCI value.

The result is that firewire recordings with a PC fail on ABC and NBC, but succeed on all the other HD channels (even the premium channels).

This is on a 3412 (12.22 firmware) served out of the Stone Mountain headend. A long time ago I had an older 6412 P2 (the one with DVI) running that 9.x firmware that didn't have this problem. It could be the 9.X firmware implements 5C differently, or Comcast has changed the setting over time.

Can anyone else confirm any of this? In particular it would be interesting to know if the other Atlanta headends are transmitting a different CCI value on ABC and NBC.

I have the same box, firmware, and headend and I see 5c=0 on everything (except ppv), including WSB and WXIA.

I have the same box, firmware, and headend and I see 5c=0 on everything (except ppv), including WSB and WXIA.

Thats odd. I have two 3412's and they both have 5c=2 on 803 and 806.

Are you checking 5C via the CCI flag on D6? My guess is that you are checking it a different way since I know of no way to check PPV via the diagnostic menu (D6 only checks the current channel which is never PPV as I recall).

Has anyone in the Atl area had their 6412 III or 3412 firmware updated to 12.31 and has anyone yet gotten the Iguide update for May that is described here?

www.comcast.com/guideupdates

Though not mentioned on that page, it also supposedly has fixes for
-DVR Mute Bug fix- Press any key (except mute) to unmute an unattended DVR Recording

-DVR Black Screen on Power Up fix

-Series Priority list becomes corrupted bug fix

I think that that i-guide upgrade is exclusively for the Denver area at the time.

Thats odd. I have two 3412's and they both have 5c=2 on 803 and 806.

Are you checking 5C via the CCI flag on D6? My guess is that you are checking it a different way since I know of no way to check PPV via the diagnostic menu (D6 only checks the current channel which is never PPV as I recall).

D11 shows the primary 5c implementation. All the same, the CCI flag on D06 is 0x00 for both stations in question.

I'm still recording and dumping WSB (and a WXIA broadcast just to be sure) to d-vhs from the harddrive. If 5c were enabled, I could not do so.

Ok...first, allow me to apologize for not searching on this topic, as it may have been covered before. I just figured the response from someone would actually be quicker than going through the many different posts in this thread. My question is simply this...why does Comcast not allow consumers to pick up and install (if you want to call it that) a CableCARD?? I just think it's silly. $16 for someone to come to my house just to slide a card in a slot. That's like paying $16 for someone to put your keys in the ignition of your car. Obviously, it's just another way for them to make a little money off of those that don't won't the STB.

Anyway...sorry for the venting. Sure I just spent relatively much more money to purchase an HDTV, but I just don't like paying for services that I can easily provide myself. I'm sure I'll go ahead and pay the fee for them to install the card, but I was just curious if anyone was actually able to pick one up from Comcast at one of their locations? If so, which location?

Thanks!

I think that that i-guide upgrade is exclusively for the Denver area at the time.

Oddly, we had it something like that for one day. The box had reverted back to the old version before I got a chance to check the version number.

847 ESPN 2 has appeared on the guide today

Sportsfans rejoice! Now, let's hope for getting back Universal HD...

We have been missing several digital channels for nearly a week. CNN 34 and HNN 35 as well as several other channels are not working. I called Comcast yesterday and they said this was a known problem and 'they are working on it now'.

We are on the Stone Mountain headend. Anyone else having this problem?

Getting ESPN2 on Comcast in Atlanta in time for college football rocks! Can't wait to get back from vacation to check it out!

Richard

I hope ESPN2 stays. I've been wanting to see NHRA in HD for a while and it will happen tonight

Is anyone now getting ESPN2 HD (Channel 847) without heavy pixelization and/or channel dropout problems? I'm on the Vinings headend and noticed the availibility on Thursday night but so far no clear reception.

in tucker (Stone mountain headend) it's coming in perfectly for me, but my friend in Kirkwood just east of downtown says it's been unwatchable.

in tucker (Stone mountain headend) it's coming in perfectly for me, but my friend in Kirkwood just east of downtown says it's been unwatchable.

No problems in Lawrenceville, Stone Mountain headend.

it's clear up herein Woodstock

Wow...Looks like I picked the right week to get a HDTV. They just added ESPN2? Loving the World Cup and agreed on college football season. Between ESPN, ESPN2 (which is coming in loud and clear in Decatur, fwiw), and CBS, there should be quite a few chances to catch UGA (me) and GT (wife) in HD.

New as I am to HD, I didn't know that these channels were accessible to me from Comcast by simply hooking up a HD-capable TV. I thought I had to pay extra to get HD via cable. Am I getting away with something? I have the DVR box (the DVR functions of which have never actually worked, btw), so maybe that has something to do with it. Anyway, a few questions:

- TBS has a HDTV channel. Do they ever actually broadcast anything in widescreen?
- What HD channels (besides premium cable like HBO, Showtime, etc.) exist that Comcast omits? Do they add and drop channels often?
- Anything else a newbie should know?

Has anyone in the Atl area had their 6412 III or 3412 firmware updated to 12.31 and has anyone yet gotten the Iguide update for May that is described here?

www.comcast.com/guideupdates

Though not mentioned on that page, it also supposedly has fixes for
-DVR Mute Bug fix- Press any key (except mute) to unmute an unattended DVR Recording

-DVR Black Screen on Power Up fix

-Series Priority list becomes corrupted bug fix


I just checked a few nights ago and my phase 3 box FINALLY had the updated firmware(12.31), but my Iguide still looks the behaves the same.

some comcast systems are getting MTV-HD (MHD) added this week. hope we see it. apparently there are some good HD concerts being shown....

Been watching for it. Hasn't shown up yet. Did see that INHD2 will be showing Wilco's "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" this month, which I can't wait to see in HD.

Does TCM have a HD channel? That would probably be #1 most-wanted for me. I've seen elsewhere on the site that HGTV has an HD version. Wish Comcast would add that.

Is anyone in ATL getting the Braves HD broadcast on channel 755 tonight? I'm not getting anything.

Maybe someone forgot to flip the switch?

i onlystarted watching around the 7th inning but i was seeing it in HD on 755.

the braves are hard to watch this year - looks like the streak is over

i onlystarted watching around the 7th inning but i was seeing it in HD on 755.

the braves are hard to watch this year - looks like the streak is over

Yes, but betting against them makes it fun! ;)

Tybe: See below...

- TBS has a HDTV channel. Do they ever actually broadcast anything in widescreen?
I have only seen the baseball games in HD...no other content has been broadcast in HD that I am aware of.

- What HD channels (besides premium cable like HBO, Showtime, etc.) exist that Comcast omits? Do they add and drop channels often? Many....PBS, MTV, HG, etc...they probably add one or two channels every 8-12 months (i.e., ESPN2). I have only seen one channel dropped in the two years I have been using Comcast - UHD (only came on during the Winter Olympics).
- Anything else a newbie should know? Read the forums......best place for information about your box, TV, and content.

Gus

Tybe: See below...

- TBS has a HDTV channel. Do they ever actually broadcast anything in widescreen?
I have only seen the baseball games in HD...no other content has been broadcast in HD that I am aware of.

- What HD channels (besides premium cable like HBO, Showtime, etc.) exist that Comcast omits? Do they add and drop channels often? Many....PBS, MTV, HG, etc...they probably add one or two channels every 8-12 months (i.e., ESPN2). I have only seen one channel dropped in the two years I have been using Comcast - UHD (only came on during the Winter Olympics).
- Anything else a newbie should know? Read the forums......best place for information about your box, TV, and content.

Gus

Thanks Gus. I have already learned a lot.

Not having PBS in HD hurts, as it's one of the channels I watch most. I can kind of pick up WPBA 30 via antenna, but it's sketchy. I probably need to invest in a better antenna than the $15 RCA they sold me with the tv. ;) When I do get it, the quality is good (much better than the SD stuff on the box), but I haven't seen anything in HD yet. When the shows in HD (American Masters, Nova, etc.) come on, are they presented in true 16:9 HD?

HGTV is another channel we watch a lot. Having it in HD would be nice, but it's not really the same thing because they don't have the HGTV staples like House Hunters.

No problem......Not certain about the PBS shows since I do not have a OTA antenna.....

Gus

Any news on wether we'll get UHD back? I saw on another thread that Comcast had reached an agreement with them. I really want Battlestar in HD again.

Thanks Gus. I have already learned a lot.

Not having PBS in HD hurts, as it's one of the channels I watch most. I can kind of pick up WPBA 30 via antenna, but it's sketchy. I probably need to invest in a better antenna than the $15 RCA they sold me with the tv. ;) When I do get it, the quality is good (much better than the SD stuff on the box), but I haven't seen anything in HD yet. When the shows in HD (American Masters, Nova, etc.) come on, are they presented in true 16:9 HD?
.

Currently, the Atlanta PBS Stations are not transmitting HD content. When the national PBS authority(network, whatever) passes it on when it would not require time shifting, they do pass it on, but this is rare. The locals have stated on the Atlanta HD TV Yahoo group that the reason is the extra fees required to record and show the HD content. There was some talk that they may be broadcasting HD shows in the fall.

The AHDTV group is located at: http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/ahdtv/
Here is a line to the information offered by the GPB Program Manager:http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/ahdtv/message/18148

Since ESPN2-HD isn't in the Guide, I'm guessing it will disappear with the end of the World Cup, just like UHD did with the end of the Olympics.
Can anyone prove me right or wrong?

Since ESPN2-HD isn't in the Guide, I'm guessing it will disappear with the end of the World Cup, just like UHD did with the end of the Olympics.
Can anyone prove me right or wrong?

It is listed in the channel lineups for Atlanta on www.comcast.com. I don't think it would be there if it was temporary.

It seems that ESPN2-HD is permanent, and we haven't lost INHD2 yet (surprisingly).

I would love, however, UHD to return in ESPN2-HD's place after the World Cup.

while i would prefer (slightly) espn2-HD to UHD, there really is no reason we couldn't have both. i was really disappointed when they removed UHD after the olympics.

many comcast systems have also added MTV-hd (MHD), another channel we should be getting but aren't.

Agreed-- there's no reason why we shouldn't have both (and more). I love Comcast for firewire and days where rain fade would kill satellite, but I hate Comcast for everything else.

yeah, i love comcast for the HD picture quality (especially after seeing a friend's HD bigscreen setup running DirecTV in HD - yuch!), and the firewire output is invaluable, but other than that i hate their prices, customer service, technicians....

Since ESPN2-HD isn't in the Guide, I'm guessing it will disappear with the end of the World Cup, just like UHD did with the end of the Olympics.
Can anyone prove me right or wrong?

Unless it was taken out of the guide this morning. It was in my guide as of last night.

I did a simple search of this thread but could not find what I was looking for. What is the bandwith of the ATL Comcast system, 750mhz or 1.0ghz?

Is anybody getting breakup on CBS and NBC (HD)? I am in Dunwoody, and have been getting HORRIBLE digital signal for the last couple of weeks. Actually, things were "smearing" for a while, got better... and then yesterday got much worse.

I have no problems at all on other HD or digital channels. I am using an MDP-130 accessing the unencrypted channels.

Not sure if this would be the best forum for this, but I just noticed that both HD Sports Guide and the FSN HD page show the Braves being broadcast in HD tonight on FSN South. I've never seen any Atlanta team on this list before, and I was wondering if anyone else has any info on this... I've hoped that since Fox bought Turner South they'd just use the same equipment and channel on Comcast that they do for TS home games, is that happening now? I sent FSN an email but haven't heard back yet.

I've also noticed FSN's site shows FSN South broadcasting some HD programs and games, but I have yet to find evidence of an HD outlet for any of that coverage.

Just if you live in the Atlanta area?????

If it's FSN South, I'd assume it would be a new offering. I know some markets around Atlanta get an HD channel specifically for the Braves, but this sounds like something different. Here's hoping...

If you live in the Atlanta area you should be able to see these games on Directv (if you have the proper dish and receiver). I don't know if any of the local cable co's will be showing them, but I assume that they would.

If you live in the Atlanta area you should be able to see these games on Directv (if you have the proper dish and receiver). I don't know if any of the local cable co's will be showing them, but I assume that they would.
Or if your RSN is Fox Sports South. http://msn.foxsports.com/name/HD

I'll be sure to check it out tonight. Hopefully on channel 95.

Comcast in Huntsville, AL caries Braves home games on Ch.172, Braves HD

Alvin

We've got Bravesvision on Comcast here in Atlanta for Turner South home games, will be interesting to see if FSN shows up there tonight...

The pre-game is on now on channel 96 on D*.

The pre-game is on now on channel 96 on D*.

Is the actual game on that channel? I have D* in Atlanta, and it tells me that channel is not available.

I didn't have it either.

Is the actual game on that channel? I have D* in Atlanta, and it tells me that channel is not available.

The game was on channel 96. You must have the H20 and 5LNB dish to get it. It is a spotbeam MPEG 4 signal from one of the spaceway KA sats.

So for whoever watched it, how was the PQ?

Has anyone ever experienced a code of dl on their receiver? Was watching tv and then signal was interrupted and the dl code is on front panel. I thought maybe this was for download but it has continued for an hour and still unable to watch. Thanks!

dl does stand for download. Maybe we are finally getting the software update.

Well I kind of thought that is what it stood for I was surprised that it happened at 5:30 pm and lasted over an hour but it did finally come back into service.

Well I kind of thought that is what it stood for I was surprised that it happened at 5:30 pm and lasted over an hour but it did finally come back into service.

That's not supposed to happen. Possibly someone in Customer Service hit a wrong button and sent the command to have your box reload the software.

Anyword if these FSN South games will be carried on Comcast's Bravesvision channel?

I doubt Bravesvision will be carrying any FSN games -- they haven't been up to this point. Though I did notice on www.hdsportsguide.com that the game at St. Louis on Wednesday is listed as being on in HD on FSN South. This is a change, as I haven't seen any FSN South HD listings in the past. I'm also not sure who is carrying FSN South HD -- not Comcast, as far as I know.

Any news on us getting the CW when it starts? UPN is the one getting it, so will Comcast change WB to CW or keep whatever replaces WB?

Also, did all of Atlanta lose INHD2 or just on my headend (Fayette)? Any word what channel we'll get (guessing MTV but I'd rather have UHD).

I haven't checked to see if my INHD2 was gone yet (vinings headend), but INHD2 was scheduled to go dark on Aug 1st anyway. Based on posting on other threads and/or forums, we should get MHD by Aug 1st, and may get other channels including Tube, NGHD, and UHD sometime this year.

It was out for 3 days for me but INHD2 was back yesterday. I thought they pulled the plug a few days early, but apparently not.

hey all,
What a great forum for feeding my hdtv obsession. The stories about hdnet's coverage of shuttle blastoff's and oar movies have made me interested in getting their programming, I just get ota now. I tried to go with e* but being in Decatur I have too many trees. Direct dosen't seem like an option due to their pq. So I'm considering for now just getting basic comcast for now(until they get hdnet)and wondering what channels I will get using the qam tuner on my LG LST-4200a?
thanks

hey all,
What a great forum for feeding my hdtv obsession. The stories about hdnet's coverage of shuttle blastoff's and oar movies have made me interested in getting their programming, I just get ota now. I tried to go with e* but being in Decatur I have too many trees. Direct dosen't seem like an option due to their pq. So I'm considering for now just getting basic comcast for now(until they get hdnet)and wondering what channels I will get using the qam tuner on my LG LST-4200a?
thanks

Someone else can answer your QAM question, but you probably should not hold your breath waiting on Comcast to add HDNET. They don't have a separate pricing tier for HD so far and are sloooowww to add HD channels anyway. Other areas have MHD but nothing so far here, will be interesting to see if they have the bandwidth in Atlanta. We had UHD during the Olympics without losing either INHD channel but they dropped it here like a hot potato once the Olympics were done, while other areas have kept it permanently.

PQ is good for HD via Comcast but the slow add rate for HD here is annoying.

You will get less than OTA since Comcast doesn't carry UPN. The HD channels you would get in QAM are ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TBS, WB. If you subscribe to a digital package then you'd also get TNT, ESPN 1 & 2, Discovery Theater, a Braves HD channel and INHD 1 & 2 (unless they remove 2 next week).

You will get less than OTA since Comcast doesn't carry UPN. The HD channels you would get in QAM are ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TBS, WB. If you subscribe to a digital package then you'd also get TNT, ESPN 1 & 2, Discovery Theater, a Braves HD channel and INHD 1 & 2 (unless they remove 2 next week).

I'm also a member of bbr forums, and there was a poster that got info. from a very high source saying(with confidence) that HDNET will be rolling out this year. I believe it said that the launch will begin sometime in October.

Comcast will let you drop off at the Chamblee location. I've heard both yes and no for self install. Let us know what they tell you.

I've been in contact with comcast of stone mountain for a week trying to get them to waive the instalation fee with no success. I mentioned that Ihave cable internet withthem and digital silver for two years. I'm extremely likely to switch to dish hd and get DSL to avoid the $57 internet cale fee.

I have posted this question on one other site before, with mixed reviews / advice.

I am a newbie to the site and am having a house remodeled here in Atlanta. I am finally getting close to the finish line (thank god)!

But my question is, I am about to take the leap and get HD programming for the first time. I have been a Direct TV customer for about 10 years but never with an HD package. I like the idea of Comcast so I can get Vonage phone service, with a cable modem, HD programming, on demand etc... but I worry that the picture quality won't be very good on the channels that are not HD. Anyone have any thoughts - or can tell me what to expect with Comcast's channels that aren't HD vs. DirectTV's channels that look great (to me anyway)?

Thanks!

jeffcat1,

I switched from DirecTV to Comcast in the Atlanta area about 2 months ago. Believe it or not, the SD channels are much, much better on Comcast. I was pleasantly surprised with how good they are. DirecTV has been stealing bits with an increasing rate the past few years and the picture quality on DirecTV has suffered. It happened gradually.

So you know, I compared the SD channels on Comcast to DirecTV on a 60" Sony SXRD HDTV. Comcast blew DirecTV away. And the SD channels look great on our SD TV's, much better than DirecTV did on those too.

While I did not have the DirecTV HD package, I've heard from others that it's OK, but not spectacular.

For HD, I have an OTA antenna, and I also get the Comcast HD package. You really don't get much for the extra $$$ on the Comcast HD package. The locals are on the cable and are in the clear, by FCC regulation (except for WUPA, don't know why) so you'll get them even if you don't subscribe to the Comcast HD package. I've compared the HD locals on Comcast to the OTA HD and there is some degradation on Comcast, but it's not bad. HBO and Showtime HD look great, as does DiscoveryHD. INHD is OK too.

The past few days Comcast has been having some problem with some of their HD channels (806, 809, 880). They are breaking up badly. It was fixed on Monday, but just noticed they were messed up again today. Don't know if it's weather related...I tend to doubt that. But the analog versions of those channels are still there, so I can suffer through that.

I am very pleased with OnDemand. Didn't realize that most of what if offers comes along with the package we subscribe to (Digital Silver). So most of OnDemand selections are available at no additional charge. Not a lot of it is in HD, though, perhaps just 5 or 6 movies (the free OnDemand).

We made the switch for several reasons, including, like you, using their Internet service. I plan to switch this month from DSL to Comcast internet. And we'll be dropping our home phone, instead using our cellphones exclisvely.

Overall I am pleased with Comcast. I changed from cable to DirecTV about 7 years ago because the cable quality was really bad. But they've rebuilt the system and their picture quality now exceed that of DirecTV.

BTW, we found that Comcast was price competitive with DirecTV, within $5 or so. And we're using the Comcast/Motorola DCT-3412 HD-DVR. It's not TiVo, and we miss our DirecTiVo. But for the extra monthly fee with Comcast, if it fails they will replace it. So far it's been reliable and we are really pleased with the quality from this HD-DVR (via HDMI).

Finally, I forgot how easy it was to distribute cable through the house. Even HD. We don't have a set-top box on our upstairs 2nd HDTV, but we essentially use it for the locals anyways and they are in the clear in HD via cable anyways. If we miss the other channels, maybe we'll pay the extra and get a set-top box for the 2nd TV, but right now we feel we don't need it.

Just my 2-cents.

I have posted this question on one other site before, with mixed reviews / advice.

I am a newbie to the site and am having a house remodeled here in Atlanta. I am finally getting close to the finish line (thank god)!

But my question is, I am about to take the leap and get HD programming for the first time. I have been a Direct TV customer for about 10 years but never with an HD package. I like the idea of Comcast so I can get Vonage phone service, with a cable modem, HD programming, on demand etc... but I worry that the picture quality won't be very good on the channels that are not HD. Anyone have any thoughts - or can tell me what to expect with Comcast's channels that aren't HD vs. DirectTV's channels that look great (to me anyway)?

Thanks!




Well, I'm not even from Atlanta, but I was recently their. I was at my uncle's house who subscribes to all of the services you listed. Atlanta's system, unlike mine, is all digital simulcast, so every channel is digital just as Directv. However, the channels are cleaner and a bit sharper than DTV. Their HD is also better. Comcast-Atlanta has very good infrastructure and has to have one of the only channel line-ups(via Comcast) that rivals that of a satellite company.

Also, if you are not into subscribing to a full digital package, there is a package called enhanced basic in which you get a digital receiver, all of your expanded basic channels in digital quality, On demand, Music Choice, and a few of the common digital tiered channels such as plex and some others. You'd have to call and ask if you can subscribe to Comcast HD to go along with this package, but it's a good deal. You get it for about two dollars more than expanded basic. That's a lot of extra features for two dollars more.


I only wish Savannah would catch up.


If you're bundling, you may want to consider the Triple Play offer.

Anyone in the Atlanta area on Comcast have severe digital breakup on these channels Saturday and today?
806 - WXIA-HD
809 - WGCL-HD
846 - DiscoveryHD
880 - HBO-HD (started today)
I am getting these bad signals on both a 3412 DVR and CableCard. On 806 and 809, I can see them "in the clear" on a 2nd TV and they are still breaking up.
Anyone see this too and/or know what's up?

Just wanted to say thanks to both you guys for answering my questions / giving me some valuable feedback. I look forward to testing Comcast now!

Just wanted to say thanks to both you guys for answering my questions / giving me some valuable feedback. I look forward to testing Comcast now!
Your more than welcome. Since Comcast doesn't really do anything in Savannah, Ga, I try to learn a lotabout their other Georgia systems, so if you have anymore questions(even about your area) about what's available/infrastructure, I can probably be a help to you. I just won't know much about reception problems.

If anyones interested I've been able to pickup the last couple of Braves HD games via QAM on 111-1 on my HDTVs tuner. It says Braves HD all day in black and white and then during game time the game comes on and there are no commercials you just get a silent view of the field or whatever the camera man is taping during normal commercial breaks but the channel is crystal clear and looks as good or better than FOX-DT and ABC-DT and very comparable to CBS-DT in Atlanta.

If anyones interested I've been able to pickup the last couple of Braves HD games via QAM on 111-1 on my HDTVs tuner. It says Braves HD all day in black and white and then during game time the game comes on and there are no commercials you just get a silent view of the field or whatever the camera man is taping during normal commercial breaks but the channel is crystal clear and looks as good or better than FOX-DT and ABC-DT and very comparable to CBS-DT in Atlanta.

Good to know. I don't have a QAM tuner, but this sounds identical to what you see when the games are shown on Comcast channel 755.

Hello all!

I need the advice of someone that works for a cable provider. I have a 40" Sony XBR LCD that has the cable card slot. I live about 35 miles south of Atlanta and have Comcast Digital Starter w/ HD. After many tech trips made by Comcast (long story), they finally got the cable card working last week (at least 98% working anyway). However, I came home today and every channel past channel 31 indicates not authorized. If I pull the card I can get all the standard def channels, but when I have the cable card in it even restricts the majority of those. Comcast is going to send out another tech, but I really don't know why. It is a waste of their time and mine. All they do is ask me questions and then call back into the home office. I can give the account reps @ the home office the info from the card, but whatever.

Can anyone help?

Thanks!

Hello all!

I need the advice of someone that works for a cable provider. I have a 40" Sony XBR LCD that has the cable card slot. I live about 35 miles south of Atlanta and have Comcast Digital Starter w/ HD. After many tech trips made by Comcast (long story), they finally got the cable card working last week (at least 98% working anyway). However, I came home today and every channel past channel 31 indicates not authorized. If I pull the card I can get all the standard def channels, but when I have the cable card in it even restricts the majority of those. Comcast is going to send out another tech, but I really don't know why. It is a waste of their time and mine. All they do is ask me questions and then call back into the home office. I can give the account reps @ the home office the info from the card, but whatever.

Can anyone help?

Thanks!

In Fayette County by any chance? I too have a CableCard problem with a Sony XBR. It took them five tries to get a tech here, with a card, that had even a clue about what to do. Then he left, the card here but not working. I called customer service and asked them to do a hit, and voila, it worked....mostly. I don't get Channels 120 and 136 and they are beginning to point their finger at Sony. Ridiculous since on Channel 120 I see their local commercial inserts, but not the actual MSNBC program. So we are going round and round on this one. Fortunately the town I live in has a pretty strict agreement with good access to Comcast higher-ups, although those folks have been less than spectacular in getting this fixed too.

Suggest you call customer service and ask them to re-hit your card. Also, confirm the card number and host ID with them. If they are wrong, then the card may not program correctly when they re-hit it. The numbers should be available in one of the menus on the TV.

Let us know how it all works out.

Anyone have any news on WUPN ?

CW starts broadcasting this fall, and comcast doesn't yet carry WUPN (and hence, doesn't carry CW either) ...

With the combination of the two networks, there will be more programming and people who'll want to watch ...

- litz

Anyone have any news on WUPN ?

CW starts broadcasting this fall, and comcast doesn't yet carry WUPN (and hence, doesn't carry CW either) ...

With the combination of the two networks, there will be more programming and people who'll want to watch ...

- litz


Hasn't Atlanta already established it's CW affiliate in place of UPN. I believe WB has become MYNetwork TV up there. I was up there last week.

Anyone have any news on WUPN ?

CW starts broadcasting this fall, and comcast doesn't yet carry WUPN (and hence, doesn't carry CW either) ...

With the combination of the two networks, there will be more programming and people who'll want to watch ...

- litz


Hasn't Atlanta already established it's CW affiliate in place of UPN? I believe WB has become MYNetwork TV up there. I was up there last week.

Established, yes ... WUPN is the CW affiliate, and WATL (who carried WB) is the MyNetwork affilliate.

WUPN is however NOT carried on comcast, at this point.

which means CW will not be carried on Comcast. Unless something changes real fast and they pick up the station.

Established, yes ... WUPN is the CW affiliate, and WATL (who carried WB) is the MyNetwork affilliate.

WUPN is however NOT carried on comcast, at this point.

which means CW will not be carried on Comcast. Unless something changes real fast and they pick up the station.

Do you mean that it will not be carried in "HD"? b/c Comcast does carry CW. I'm assumung you are talking about the HD signal. Keep in mind, CW(the official/national version) doesn't launch until sometime in September.

Anyone have any news on WUPN ?

CW starts broadcasting this fall, and comcast doesn't yet carry WUPN (and hence, doesn't carry CW either) ...

With the combination of the two networks, there will be more programming and people who'll want to watch ...

- litz

You might want to check out these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW_Television_Network

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Network_TV

for more information about start up dates.

You might want to check out these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW_Television_Network

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Network_TV

for more information about start up dates.

I didn't see any info on Comcast carrying WUPA (to be CW) in HD, and what would happen to the HD channel currently occupied by WATL (to be My Network).

I belive the company that owns WXIA (channel 11) purchased WATL. Rumors are they are moving into the WATL office and studio space.

Hey all...

I just had a 6412 installed a few days ago and I searched this thread but didn't find anything on this small problem.

MSNBC (Channel 120) is really really loud compared to every other channel. Any one else notice this??

Does anyone here record from their Comcast STB to PC via firewire?

If so are channels like ESPN-HD and TNT-HD copy protected (5C=1)?

INHD1 is now NFLHD channel as of this morning. I'm on the Vinings headend.

INHD1 is now NFLHD channel as of this morning. I'm on the Vinings headend.

yup i can confirm this but also add that it appears the programming is still the same (poker, stormchasers, etc) as INHD when there are no NFL games.

Yup, I noticed this today as well. The programming still shows INHD programming and I advanced the program guide two weeks and still the same type of programming. I called to see if there was going to be any change but they did not know anything further at the time. I hope we will get all NFL content in HD. Anyone else find out anything further or have any guesses on what type of programming we can look forward to?

Also interested in the NFL/INHD situation, but I wish they'd chosen INHD2 instead.

I was also changing channels and saw the new MyATL bug. It's worse than The CW's (and that in itself is hideous) and as bad as, if not worse than, INHD's. My guess is that we'll get stuck with this worthledd channel in HD instead of CW, which will have a few good shows. The bug can be seen at http://wb36.trb.com/ but that picture doesn't do justice to the actual size of the thing.

INHD1 is now NFLHD channel as of this morning. I'm on the Vinings headend.

Yea, good for those of you who like NFL, sucks for those of us who don't. And if they change INHD2 to UHD, then we may have lost another entertainment channel too. INHD, at least for me, showed way better stuff than INHD2. So they take away the main INHD channel. Why can't they drop a few shopping or other worthless channels and add some good entertainment. Oh wait, this is Comcast we're talking about. Never mind. :rolleyes:

New message today on the box, MHD (or whatever the music channel is) will replace INHD2 on 8/31. No word on UHD being added.

Yea, good for those of you who like NFL, sucks for those of us who don't. And if they change INHD2 to UHD, then we may have lost another entertainment channel too. INHD, at least for me, showed way better stuff than INHD2. So they take away the main INHD channel. Why can't they drop a few shopping or other worthless channels and add some good entertainment. Oh wait, this is Comcast we're talking about. Never mind. :rolleyes:

Given that INHD 1&2 seem to be undergoing changes nationwide, it's likely that they will eventually be combined into one channel anyway. They recently released a press statement basically saying as much.

Is anyone having trouble with OTA HD channels in the Dunwoody area? I have a HDTV with a built in tuner and was able to get all the HD channels with just basic cable, but as of today when trying to access them I'm getting a "Not Authorized" message? I hope I dont have to resort to getting digital cable to get them back.

Is anyone having trouble with OTA HD channels in the Dunwoody area? I have a HDTV with a built in tuner and was able to get all the HD channels with just basic cable, but as of today when trying to access them I'm getting a "Not Authorized" message? I hope I dont have to resort to getting digital cable to get them back.

I'm not having that issue, but I am having trouble picking up most of the HD channels from using a 6412 in Sandy Springs. ABC, FOX, TBS, WB, DTV, and INHD2 aren't coming in for me. Just a blank screen with a frozen image of whatever I was watching before switching to that channel. NBC, TNT, ESPN's, and HBO work fine.

All worked fine last night, and this morning (I think I watched TV this morning :) ). Maybe the problems are related?

Now NFLHD is back to INHD. What gives?

Got the message about MTV HD. If they show music videos, I may actually watch it.

Is anyone having trouble with OTA HD channels in the Dunwoody area? I have a HDTV with a built in tuner and was able to get all the HD channels with just basic cable, but as of today when trying to access them I'm getting a "Not Authorized" message? I hope I dont have to resort to getting digital cable to get them back.


Yes, several of my locals are missing. This really p***&& me off because it took me forever to weed out all the non-HD digital channels on my Sony and just retain the HD's in the "favorites." I'm rescanning right now (which takes 40+ minutes) to see if they moved. ABC and WB are definitely missing.

Will let you know what I find after the rescan.

-Cole Clark

[QUOTE=obeck]Actually, those are all the Digital HD channels. The digital SD channels can be had down in the 80ish area. I will edit this post with my list tonight!

I've been reading a lot of these posts. I am in Dunwoody... Northridge area. I just hooked an mdp-130 to my 37" LCD. Scanned QAM and have had absolutely no problem with any of the digital broadcasts on Comcast. My mdp-130 shows about 69% signal on all channels (that is through two splitters and a distribution amp....

Okay, here is the edit: (HD is a Hi Def channel, SD is 480i)

108-4 NBC WXIA HD
108-3 CBS WGCL HD
105-12 Encore Drama SD
104-11 GAC SD (a country music channel)
104-6 Discovery Health SD
101-2 WB WATL HD
98-3 TBS HD
98-1 ABC WSB HD
96-1 A spanish channel SD
93-1 Comcast Weather
92-3 FOX HD
83-1 Comcast Weather
80-12 PBA 30 SD
80-11 A spanish channel SD
80-7 UPN SD
80-6 CBS WGCL SD
80-5 GPB SD
80-4 TBS SD
80-3 NBC WXIA SD
80-2 FOX SD
80-1 ABC WSB SD



Can you verify this lineup is still as posted above? I can no longer tune WSB at 98.1 (get a "no signal" message) nor TBS at 98.3 (same message). Others are still working.

-Cole Clark

I'm not having that issue, but I am having trouble picking up most of the HD channels from using a 6412 in Sandy Springs. ABC, FOX, TBS, WB, DTV, and INHD2 aren't coming in for me. Just a blank screen with a frozen image of whatever I was watching before switching to that channel. NBC, TNT, ESPN's, and HBO work fine.

All worked fine last night, and this morning (I think I watched TV this morning :) ). Maybe the problems are related?

seems like comcast locally is having a LOT of issues lately. After 2 years of rock-solid high sped internet, about a month ago i started having so many dropouts it was unbearable, and it was the same with THREE friends at work who live all over the city so i doubt it was a coincedence. I actually switched to BellSouth DSL reluctantly when a service call provided no help to the situation (and billing support were massive pains about getting credits for the outtages.....their computers were always "updating" no matter when i called!)

and the HD has more dropouts these days, and channels disappearing/reappearing over the weekend (StarzHD was out a few weekends ago, CBS-HD was freezing all over the place with SD programming).

I know see why so many people vehemently hate Comcast because when problems arise they always want to schedule a tech to come to your house when they really should be sending techs to the headend headquarters more than 75% of the time.

seems like comcast locally is having a LOT of issues lately. After 2 years of rock-solid high sped internet, about a month ago i started having so many dropouts it was unbearable, and it was the same with THREE friends at work who live all over the city so i doubt it was a coincedence. I actually switched to BellSouth DSL reluctantly when a service call provided no help to the situation (and billing support were massive pains about getting credits for the outtages.....their computers were always "updating" no matter when i called!)

and the HD has more dropouts these days, and channels disappearing/reappearing over the weekend (StarzHD was out a few weekends ago, CBS-HD was freezing all over the place with SD programming).

I know see why so many people vehemently hate Comcast because when problems arise they always want to schedule a tech to come to your house when they really should be sending techs to the headend headquarters more than 75% of the time.

I have had the same issues with Comcast HSI over the past month or so. Bad news because I rely on a Vonage internet phone for several hours of calls per day. I had a tech come by who ran a new line from the street and changed some cable connections. My cable has been fine but I still cannot rely on the HSI, it may be slightly better but I am still getting 1 or 2 outages a day so I am seriously thinking about switching back to Bellsouth DSL which I had for years with almost no outages. My HD has mostly been solid though.

well DDisney, something is definitely going on but Comcast seems to be the last to realize it. Cancelling their service was much easier for me than trying to have them get to the bottom of it (by my tenth call in for help they were still trying to blame my router). I tried elevating the ticket to customer retention to explain that several people I know started having the same problem at the same exact time but they seemed unconcerned, and they were VERY willing to cancel my service without even the slightest attempt at keeping me as a customer.

Plus at the end of teh day they were only willing to credit me $1.75 for a month of almost daily outtages, that is pathetic.