anyone else having a problem with StarzHD and WATL-HD?

both are having bad breakups on both of my receivers....stone mountain headend.

i am getting really fed up with comcast.

I had the same problems with Comcast HSI in Midtown Atlanta. I actually unplugged my cable modem and router for 5 days when I was out of town and received a new IP address (69.180.x.x vs. my older 24.153.x.x address).

The interesting thing is that my performance (8Mbps/768Kbps) has degraded pretty significantly. It might be due to a more "congested" segment (IP) but that wouldn't make sense.

In any case, if I can't stop the dropping issues and lower speed I may also go to DSL.

anyone else having a problem with StarzHD and WATL-HD?

both are having bad breakups on both of my receivers....stone mountain headend.

i am getting really fed up with comcast.


Can't comment on StarzHD, but I do get breakup (pausing and pixelation) on WATL-HD. It comes and goes. Was OK about 2 hours ago. I am, not sure how the headends are split around the area. I am on the Southside of the city and believe we are served out of Jonesboro.

For the last year or so, I have had a similar problem on and off.

Sometimes but always together, ABC-HD, TBS-HD, TNT-HD, and, strangely, 306 (HBOZN) become unavailable. One technician finally ran new wire under my house which fixed the problem until the last few weeks when the problem has returned sporadically.

I live in Tucker, so I guess I'm at the Stone Mountain headend. Any insights out there?

For the last year or so, I have had a similar problem on and off.

Sometimes but always together, ABC-HD, TBS-HD, TNT-HD, and, strangely, 306 (HBOZN) become unavailable. One technician finally ran new wire under my house which fixed the problem until the last few weeks when the problem has returned sporadically.

I live in Tucker, so I guess I'm at the Stone Mountain headend. Any insights out there?

i'm in tucker also. WATL-HD and Starz-HD are stil all screwed up.

and get this - last night when i called to report the problem and try and set up a service call, the CSR argued with me about Starz-HD even being available on comcast!!

she kept saying "sir starz-HD is not even an option from us we do not carry it!" when i tried explaining that I had it for 2 years she kept yelling "sir i KNOW what i am talking about!"

it was insane.

i'm getting really tired of Comcast....

oleus

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??


I don't know how, but it is fixed now.

MHD is on 850, and INHD2 is gone. No signs of UHD.

So I lost INHD2, a channel that I watched probably once every 2 or 3 weeks, to MHD, a channel I will never watch. Same thing will happen when WB becomes myATL and CW HD is nowhere to be found.

So far, I'm totally loving MHD. InHD 1/2 has been regurgetating virtually the identical lineup for going on three years, so losing one channel to get another really doesn't bother me. Plus, MHD seems to be totally dedicated to music (save the simulcast of the VMAs tonight and I'm sure through the weekend), commercials are minimal at this point (since the network is less than a year old), and the picture quality is really nice. So far so good :D

I agree. I was skeptical at first too, but they've had a lot of good stuff on there the last day and I have about 8 or so shows set to record this weekend.

So far, I'm totally loving MHD. InHD 1/2 has been regurgetating virtually the identical lineup for going on three years, so losing one channel to get another really doesn't bother me. Plus, MHD seems to be totally dedicated to music (save the simulcast of the VMAs tonight and I'm sure through the weekend), commercials are minimal at this point (since the network is less than a year old), and the picture quality is really nice. So far so good :D

Hopefully Comcast will add WUPA's HD channel when they switch to the CW. It would also be good if they kept WATL as My Network TV is going to have some HD programming. If WUPA were to be added it would be on channel 810. WATL HD could stay put on 813 and we would gain an HD channel.

Has anyone heard anything about WGTV (GPB-PBS Channel 8) ever going HD? I thought I remember hearing either here or on another board that they are looking to install a DTV transmitter in the vicinity of Stone Mountian in the near future.

Also, it looks like WSB might be offering an HD newscast soon. A new news set is being built and the company that owns them (Cox) has started HD news on their Orlando station.

Is anyone in the Atlanta area successfully doing a firewire recording from a 3412 STB to a PC on channels 803 (WSBHD) and 806 (WXIAHD)? I can record all the other local HD channels but not those two.

Is anyone in the Atlanta area successfully doing a firewire recording from a 3412 STB to a PC on channels 803 (WSBHD) and 806 (WXIAHD)? I can record all the other local HD channels but not those two.


km are channels like ESPN-HD and TNT-HD blocked from firewire recording?

km are channels like ESPN-HD and TNT-HD blocked from firewire recording?

No they are not blocked.. In fact even the premiums are set to "copy freely" assuming you subscribe to them. It's just WSBHD and WXIAHD which are set to "copy once" which blocks copying to a PC over firewire.

I'm posting because I wondering if its just my headend (stonemountain) or my class of STB (3412P1).

Someone asked this above, and I'll ask again. Is anyone else watching WATL in the clear (101-2) and seeing breakup come and go, whether or not the program is in SD or HD? Sometimes it's fine, sometimes it isn't. When it does, my Sony HDTV shows considerable bit errors. Anyone else in the Atlanta area seeing this happen?

If so, any creative ideas on how to short-circuit the idiots at customer no-service, and get this fixed?

when they fixed Starz-HD on the stone mountain headend a couple weeks ago, I checked WATL and it seemed to be cleared up too. But i never watch that channel, so i will have to wait until i am back home to check on WATL-HD for you....

that being said, it took about 2 weeks for me to convince them the Starz-HD outtage was on their end when the problems were happening. A tech then called me and left a message saying they had fixed the problem on the headend, i cancelled the service appt they made to get the ticket for the headend going, and a tech still came out and fiddled around outside my house...strange

Hopefully Comcast will add WUPA's HD channel when they switch to the CW. It would also be good if they kept WATL as My Network TV is going to have some HD programming. If WUPA were to be added it would be on channel 810. WATL HD could stay put on 813 and we would gain an HD channel.

Has anyone heard anything about WGTV (GPB-PBS Channel 8) ever going HD? I thought I remember hearing either here or on another board that they are looking to install a DTV transmitter in the vicinity of Stone Mountian in the near future.

Also, it looks like WSB might be offering an HD newscast soon. A new news set is being built and the company that owns them (Cox) has started HD news on their Orlando station.

yeah, any news on the CW-HD coming to comcast atlanta? or U-HD?

Long time reader.....great forum and great guys....!!!

Question : I recently moved from the Chastain Park area to Roswell and need to have my Dish reinstalled. D* wants to charge $125 to put my dish back up...
Can anyone recommend a reputable company in the Roswell/Alpharetta area ??
It is insanity that D* would charge that much so I can continue to get the service I am billed for every month.....Piracy !!

Also, does anyone have good or bad experience with Comcast HD in the Roswell area ?? Thinking about testing them for HD ....

Thanks.

rscarb99 , if you live in the city limits of Roswell, your cable provider would be Charter. They do offer HD, but I am not sure how their service is. I live in North Sandy Springs and have Comcast. I am actually on their Roswell system which serves the areas surrounding the Roswell city limits. I am pleased with Comcast's HD service overall, but like most on this board would like a few new channels.

rscarb99 , if you live in the city limits of Roswell, your cable provider would be Charter. They do offer HD, but I am not sure how their service is. I live in North Sandy Springs and have Comcast. I am actually on their Roswell system which serves the areas surrounding the Roswell city limits. I am pleased with Comcast's HD service overall, but like most on this board would like a few new channels.

We had Charter when we lived in Smyrna about 2 years ago and also had it when we lived in Greenville, SC last year (they're headquartered there, incidentally). I don't know about their HD offerings, as I didn't have an HD set while I was up there, but in all other respects I would take them in a heartbeat over Comcast. Customer service was excellent, never had a problem with picture quality, great on demand offerings, fast and reliable cable Internet, and much more stable boxes than I've gotten from Comcast. Great deals, too. When we moved to Greenville we got a sign up deal where we got all the pay cable suites (HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc.) for free for 12 months, plus half off cable internet for 6 months. I miss them. :(

Two Questions:

1) Is INHD broadcasting their "Tune UP" on Sat/Sun mornings? They used to a few months ago.

2) Anyone else notice that NBC HD football looks much grainier than ABC/ESPN/CBS broadcasts
of same? I have a 50" Panny plasma and a 62" Toshiba DLP, both 720P. Even CBS in 1080i looks good on both, but not NBC.

Any thoughts?

I agree about NBC not being up to par with ABC/ESPN and CBS. I am not sure if this is an issue with WXIA or if its a national issue. CBS looks great in HD followed closely by ABC. Fox tends to not look as good. Again, I am not sure if its a local station issue or a national issue.

this afternoon i noticed my receivers were disabled with the "DL" indicator.....a little while later it turned back on, at first i didn't see any difference but there is now an HD ON DEMAND category on the main OnDemand page. We now have Starz and Encore on Demand, Music ONDemand, also (non HD) we have "Network Shows" (just cbs, which had last night's Survivor...)

the Starz HD movies like Chronicles of Narnia / Armageddon are cropped, of course.

The starz free preview weekend including HD on demand is not working on either box i have (hd dvr and standard). I posted in main form and comcast customers confirmed it working in other states. Can anyone who doesnt normaly subscribe to starz confirm if you are getting this preview?

The starz free preview weekend including HD on demand is not working on either box i have (hd dvr and standard). I posted in main form and comcast customers confirmed it working in other states. Can anyone who doesnt normaly subscribe to starz confirm if you are getting this preview?


I don't subscribe to Starz.
I am -not- receiving the free preview on HD-DVR and CableCARD.
But I am also not surprised. Comcast never disappoints...

Does anyone have a Clear QAM channel list for Woodstock / Marietta system?

:(
I have standard analog service. I own an LST-4200A digital tuner that support clear QAM.
I have been enjoying Discovery HD Theatre on 114-10 for months. As of the other day, its scrambled! What a shame. Maybe its temporary.

:(
I have standard analog service. I own an LST-4200A digital tuner that support clear QAM.
I have been enjoying Discovery HD Theatre on 114-10 for months. As of the other day, its scrambled! What a shame. Maybe its temporary.

do you perchance have a listing of the clear channels you're getting?

do you perchance have a listing of the clear channels you're getting?

Since I like the word "perchance" I shall do a fresh scan and try to compile a list tonight.
What QAM tuner are you using?

Built in QAM tuner in my 61" JVC at the moment. I have an MD-130 board on order for recording...

I can give you a quick and dirty HD QAM breakdown.
92-1 FOX HD
98-1 ABC HD
98-2 My ATL (used to be WB HD)
101-1 TBS HD
108-1 CBS HD
108-2 NBC HD
111-1 Braves HD

Channels 80-1 through 80-12 are your local channels in digital version but they are 480p or less. I have a Sanyo QAM tuner and also a Fusion HDTV QAM card on my PC. The Fusion has slightly different channel numbers but they are essentially the same (CBS 108-1 on TV and 108-0 on PC card).

cool. So, when my "myhd" card gets here I can fire it up and record the TS from 108 and get both CBS and NBC HD streams at the same time! What about UPN >now EW?

I made the list on paper but have not yet entered it into a spreadsheet or anything. I did a fresh channel scan and started noting them. I noticed that when I flipped channels, there were a couple that it would stop on for less than a second then automatically move on to the next channel. Sometimes I was able to land on a channel later, but only when going down through the channels instead of up.

I did lost DiscoHD, and it appears that I lost FOX5 HD!!!! When I go to 92-1 manually, it says "Scrambled". I am going to do yet another scan to verify things. I hope Comcast is in a state of transistion still. I should be able to post it this weekend.

Interesting note: My neighbor two houses down got Comcast hooked up right around the time this all started. He got the Digital Silver pack with HD DVR. I wonder him getting hooked up could have impacted me.

Hmm. I'd heard from others that discoveryHD was encrypted. Fox5HD had better not be - that's an OTA... They better get that straight before 24 starts!

WAGA is 92-3, not 92-1 ... that's probably why you're getting scrambled.

92-1 is something encrypted on PIDs 0x11/0x12 (which I think is InHD)

- litz

hmm. my scan shows CBS and NBC reversed from those listed...

I rescanned and picked up FOX HD again. Whew!

Here's my HD list:

92-21 FOX
98-3 ABC
98-10 TBS
101-2 myATLtv (WB)
108-10 CBS
108-30 NBC

I think I also get the Braves HD channel. And of course I have several dozen other SD digital channels.

BTW - here we are, CW is premiering and Comcast is asleep at the wheel with no carriage ...

anyone know anything?

- litz

from what i have heard/read, Comcast is not planning on carrying CW.

on a positive note, in the network shows section of OnDemand, the CBS section has the HD version of the csi premiere from the other night. it looks great and is in true dd 5.1. this bodes well for future network HD shows being turned around with On Demand.

I checked out the on-demand CSI ...

It is 5.1, and runs about 13.85mb/s avg. bitrate ... interestingly enough, it seems to be CBR, not VBR.

So, less bitrate than the OTA broadcast, but still not bad at all. And it has full credits.

Also, if you have a QAM tuner card in your PC, and you can find the program after selecting it via the On Demand, it's broadcast in-the-clear ... :-)

Firewire output is 5C for On Demand materials, though.

- litz

from what i have heard/read, Comcast is not planning on carrying CW.

sigh...so why are they even transmitting the worthless crap of mynetwork in HD? I'd rather have CW or even UHD rather than those soaps.

So there is no Chan69 / wupa HD broadcast on Comcast clear QAM for woodstock/atlanta?? That means no SMALLVILLE! OWW.

So there is no Chan69 / wupa HD broadcast on Comcast clear QAM for woodstock/atlanta?? That means no SMALLVILLE! OWW.


Yea, it's there in the clear, but not HD, just the SD feed on the digital tier.

from what i have heard/read, Comcast is not planning on carrying CW.
Have you heard why not?

Just out of curiosity, how many of you have the DCT-3416 box? I just had a 6412 p2 swapped out today and we got a 3416 as a replacement. I wasn't aware they were using these in Atlanta.

So far, I'm kind of amazed with its performance...but after the 6412 p2, it wouldn't take much to impress me. ;)

Just out of curiosity, how many of you have the DCT-3416 box? I just had a 6412 p2 swapped out today and we got a 3416 as a replacement. I wasn't aware they were using these in Atlanta.

So far, I'm kind of amazed with its performance...but after the 6412 p2, it wouldn't take much to impress me. ;)


Ours is the 3412 (120GB hard drive). Had it since June. Works ok. Sometime responds a little slow to the remote. And one night we came home and it was dead. For some reason it lost its programming. Once we got someone at Comcrap who knew what they were doing, they downloaded the software to the box and it was back up in 20 minutes. But it isn't a TiVo...at least until Comcrap releases that later this year or early 2007. The the questions will be how much extra for it, and what has Comcrap done to the great TiVo interface and taken away from the experience...they're known to do that.

Are you guys getting NBC HD (108-30)? I used to get it a while back, but I tried today and it isn't picking up that channel. All the others work fine.

Thanks.

Are you guys getting NBC HD (108-30)? I used to get it a while back, but I tried today and it isn't picking up that channel. All the others work fine.

Thanks.

I noticed it was down earlier this morning, but it was again working this evening.

This was posted over in the Atlanta OTA thread, but in case you missed it, WSB news went HD as of the 6:00 news this evening. They're still working out the kinks, but overall looks very nice. They have a new HD weather radar that is SWEET.

This was posted over in the Atlanta OTA thread, but in case you missed it, WSB news went HD as of the 6:00 news this evening. They're still working out the kinks, but overall looks very nice. They have a new HD weather radar that is SWEET.

Yea, but they need a couple of anchors who don't look like they just woke up from the dead ;)

Unfortunately someone was asleep at the switch. They really blew it going into their first 11pm HD newscast. No audio, and video was SD for a bit. Once things got going, though, the picture quality was pretty good. Looks like they are up-converting a lot of their field stuff, while Channel 11 looks like they are producing it in 16x9.

Good to see more HD programming available now, seems like more and more almost every day.

Yea, it's there in the clear, but not HD, just the SD feed on the digital tier.

What channel number?

What channel number?

WUPA (The CW Network) - QAM Channel 80.207

Please reply back and let us know if that worked for you too.

Thanks.

anybody ever check their bit stream when watching the
Comcast hd channels.

now that i am using the Cable Card with my Sony HDTV (HBO access) i see a fixed # for bitstream in the diag menu

2048 kbps an all channels.

anybody else have an idea of what kinda bitstream you are getting and please state whether you are using a CC or not.

funny thing is before i installed the CC i never checked the to see what kind of signal strenght/bitrate i was recieving.

WUPA (The CW Network) - QAM Channel 80.207

Please reply back and let us know if that worked for you too.

Thanks.

Using my MyHD 130 card it shows as 80.7. Thanks. But that's the analog, right? No digital yet?

anybody ever check their bit stream when watching the
Comcast hd channels.

now that i am using the Cable Card with my Sony HDTV (HBO access) i see a fixed # for bitstream in the diag menu

2048 kbps an all channels.

anybody else have an idea of what kinda bitstream you are getting and please state whether you are using a CC or not.

funny thing is before i installed the CC i never checked the to see what kind of signal strenght/bitrate i was recieving.


I'm not sure this is the bitstream of the channel. On my Sony LCD without CableCARD, the bitstream data throughput is definitely different on different Comcast HD channels (local channels). Now I am curious what you are seeing. Doesn't make sense it would be the exact same on every channel.

Using my MyHD 130 card it shows as 80.7. Thanks. But that's the analog, right? No digital yet?


That's the WUPA analog transmission, on the Comcast digital tier. It's not the WUPA DTV signal. I wonder how Comcast is getting away with this. I thought they had to carry all the local DTV signals now, and they are missing WUPA. I also have an OTA antenna and I get the DTV OTA here, so I know it's available.

I'm not sure this is the bitstream of the channel. On my Sony LCD without CableCARD, the bitstream data throughput is definitely different on different Comcast HD channels (local channels). Now I am curious what you are seeing. Doesn't make sense it would be the exact same on every channel.


on my tv (KDP57WS655) go to

"menu"
"applications"
"diagnostics"
on ESPN HD Eagles/Green Bay game

In Band (FAT)

phy ch= 0
freq (khz) = 633000
modulation = QAM256
status = lock
errors = 0
snr (dB) = 31
agc (%) = 24

Out of Band (FDC)
frequency (khz) = 75250
symbol rate = 1024
bit rate (kbps) 2048
status = lock
snr(dB) = 23

Cable Card = Inserted

Anybody else seeing a lousy picture on The Weather Channel (32) this weekend? Is there any QA at Comcast? Do any of their employees even watch it?

The first 20 minutes or so of 60 Minutes last night was colorbars and tone!
Colorbars said "CBS New York" or something similar.





Anyone else see this????

The first 20 minutes or so of 60 Minutes last night was colorbars and tone! Colorbars said "CBS New York" or something similar.

Anyone else see this????

Yes, on WGCL-DT, bars & tone for a bit Sundsay night instead of 60 Minutes. Looked OK, though, on the analog feed. Bars font said NOC (Network Operations Center). Betcha a tall coca cola that the master control operator didn't retune an HD satellite receiver to the correct transponder or they selected the wrong source on the HD master control switcher for the 60 Minutes feed, at least that's what it looked like here.

Does anyone have the Motorola 3416 box? I have the 6412 phase III and I have been pleased with it until recently when it has started to be very slow to respond when changing channels, navigating menus, etc. I was wondering if anyone has noticed if the 3416 performs better than the previous models.

Does anyone have the Motorola 3416 box? I have the 6412 phase III and I have been pleased with it until recently when it has started to be very slow to respond when changing channels, navigating menus, etc. I was wondering if anyone has noticed if the 3416 performs better than the previous models.

I replaced a 6412 Phase II with a 3416 two weeks ago and it's been a night and day improvement. The majority (but not all) of the folks on these forums seem to be having better luck with this box. We'll see how long it lasts. :rolleyes:

Are you guys getting NBC HD (108-30)? I used to get it a while back, but I tried today and it isn't picking up that channel. All the others work fine.

Thanks.

Same here, as of Oct 10, I still am not able to pick up NBC HD 108.30, have they move or is it just me?

Is MTV-HD ever going to show something new??

Is MTV-HD ever going to show something new??

Amen. I was excited about it at first, but the programming is terrible. Same live crap over and over and over...Almost worse than INHD. Makes me appreciate Discovery HD all that much more. I swear you can turn that channel on 24/7 and find something good.

I would kill for National Geographic HD, HGTV HD, or Food Network HD right now.

I have comcast standard cable-no box. I just bought a lcd tv with an atsc qam tuner- will I be able to get locally broadcast HD programing in HD?

I have comcast standard cable-no box. I just bought a lcd tv with an atsc qam tuner- will I be able to get locally broadcast HD programing in HD?

Yes, you should be able to. The channel numbers will be weird, but you'll get all the DTV local stations, and when they're broadcasting HD, you should see that too.

I replaced a 6412 Phase II with a 3416 two weeks ago and it's been a night and day improvement. The majority (but not all) of the folks on these forums seem to be having better luck with this box. We'll see how long it lasts. :rolleyes:

I think ours is a 3412 (120GB hard drive). We've had it since June. Zero trouble with it.

Same here, as of Oct 10, I still am not able to pick up NBC HD 108.30, have they move or is it just me?


Hmmm, get it fine here (Southside of Atlanta). WXIA on 108.30.

Hmmm, get it fine here (Southside of Atlanta). WXIA on 108.30.

OK, I did rescan and found out that in North part of Atlanta, WXIA NBC is now 108.806

Ok I just got my mdp130 after doing a scan with qam,multi-mode & virtual checked.. I am only getting about 5 local channels in the clear in the Rome,Ga. area.
We feed off the Stn Mtn. headend (I work for Comcast so thats why I know :)

I notice that my panny plasma pulls in different sub channels like 107-2 and -3 & etc.
But the mdp is only getting channels with the -1 after them (108-1) no subchannels like -2 -3 -4... was wondering if I am missing a step here, or the drivers I am using can make a difference... I downloaded the drivers from digitalconnection.com V1.66E.

Is their a new version somewhere? I am missing?

Thanks

OK, I did rescan and found out that in North part of Atlanta, WXIA NBC is now 108.806

Just got a TV yesterday (10/19) and did a scan and cant find NBC. I am in Alpharetta (Comcast territory). I dont even have a 108 subchannel higher than 108-3. And 108-2 is CBS for me unlike what the other poster mentioned. Anyone have any ideas?

Just got a TV yesterday (10/19) and did a scan and cant find NBC. I am in Alpharetta (Comcast territory). I dont even have a 108 subchannel higher than 108-3. And 108-2 is CBS for me unlike what the other poster mentioned. Anyone have any ideas?

Feel like an idiot answering my own question, but apparently, NBC isnt working here unless they are actually broadcasting in HD. I expected a digital signal the rest of the time, but that doesnt appear to be the case. In fact, 108-4 (which wasnt there before) is the station its on.

Ok I just got my mdp130 after doing a scan with qam,multi-mode & virtual checked.. I am only getting about 5 local channels in the clear in the Rome,Ga. area.
We feed off the Stn Mtn. headend (I work for Comcast so thats why I know :)

I notice that my panny plasma pulls in different sub channels like 107-2 and -3 & etc.
But the mdp is only getting channels with the -1 after them (108-1) no subchannels like -2 -3 -4... was wondering if I am missing a step here, or the drivers I am using can make a difference... I downloaded the drivers from digitalconnection.com V1.66E.

Is their a new version somewhere? I am missing?

Thanks
make sure you have selected "show virtual channels"

I found out recently that the CW station in the Tampa Bay area, WTOG is now availabile in HD on cable there. WUPA here is owned by the same company and hopefully if negotiations were successful there, they will be here. If WUPA HD is added, it would be on cable channel 810.

I found out recently that the CW station in the Tampa Bay area, WTOG is now availabile in HD on cable there. WUPA here is owned by the same company and hopefully if negotiations were successful there, they will be here. If WUPA HD is added, it would be on cable channel 810.

I can only hope. I tried an amplified indoor antanna and no luck getting WUPA. Too lazy to install an antenna in the attic. Is Tampa's cable Comcast?

Tampa Bay is pimarily served by Bright House (part of Time Warner), but the Sarasota area is served by Comcast. I believe both cable companies received the right to carry WTOG HD at the same time.

I can't see why Comcast wouldn't carry WUPA if an agreement is made. I can completely understand if WUPA is trying to charge Comcast for its HD signal whey they would not carry it. I think it's rediculous for stations that broadcast a free signal to want money in return from cable companies. All the cable companies are doing is making it easier for their viewers to see these stations..making it harder to see them only results in less viewers for the station.

Feel like an idiot answering my own question, but apparently, NBC isnt working here unless they are actually broadcasting in HD. I expected a digital signal the rest of the time, but that doesnt appear to be the case. In fact, 108-4 (which wasnt there before) is the station its on.

Now that is weird. WXIA OTA feeds their SD shows over their Channel 10 DTV transmitter. And here on the southside, Comcast shows WXIA-DT on "Cable" Channel 806, and has both SD and HD programming.

On my other HDTV, watching WXIA on its actual QAM channel (108.3), I still see both SD and HD programming. I wonder what Comcast is up to in your area.

I just did a rescan with my MyHD 130, and still no "digital" wupa... just the SD station on digital remap to 80.7

Has anyone been able to get an answer from Comcast why we do not get Universal HD? I have sent a few emails, but I just get the canned response back.

A lot of major metro areas with Comcast seem to now have it. Some (specifically Boston) never lost it after the Olympics were over.

I wonder if we are being penalized for having TBS and BravesVision in HD. I would assume that Universal would appeal to a much wider audience than those 2 channels combined. If the spectrum is a problem how about Universal HD that is pre-empted for Braves games?

I guess we are lucky since we have an upgraded system and aren't missing channels like ESPN2 or MHD like other areas of the country. However, I prefer to have a wide variety of HD programming. I hate having to look at the standard digital channels for something to watch.

If we're being penalized for having those channels then get rid of the TBS feed and put the TBS Braves games on Bravesvision. There are a few shows on UHD I'd like to see.

I'm in Newton County and have version II of the box. Has anyone in this area received firmware version 16?

Can anyone tell me where another Atlanta Metro Comcast storefront is? I went to pick up a HD/DVR box in Marietta today (Cobb Parkway) and they were out of inventory and will not have them back in before Wednesday 11/22.

New TV is being delivered on 11/20.

Thanks for any information that you can share.

Can anyone tell me where another Atlanta Metro Comcast storefront is? I went to pick up a HD/DVR box in Marietta today (Cobb Parkway) and they were out of inventory and will not have them back in before Wednesday 11/22.

New TV is being delivered on 11/20.

Thanks for any information that you can share.

Yes, but you won't like the answer. There is a store location in Grayson on Hwy 20, just east of Lawrenceville, quite a ride from your area. Also, I am surprised that they would allow you to pick up a HD/DVR box at all, as Comcast generally likes to hit you with a $15.00 service charge to deliver/install their box. In the past, they also insisted on this because they said that they wanted to insure that the HD boxes are being used with HD sets.

Good luck, there is probably another location nearer to you than Gwinnett county.

Any news on National Geographic HD and A&E HD in Atlanta? I saw Ken's sticky in the HDTV Programming section about them being added this month.

Can anyone tell me where another Atlanta Metro Comcast storefront is? I went to pick up a HD/DVR box in Marietta today (Cobb Parkway) and they were out of inventory and will not have them back in before Wednesday 11/22.

New TV is being delivered on 11/20.

Thanks for any information that you can share.

There is one in Chamblee, Its just off Peachtree Industrial on Malone Drive, a small street 2 blocks north of Clarimont Road.

The party line from Comcast is that they don't give out digital boxes from any of the storefronts in the Atlanta area. If you do manage to get one from a storefront, please post the details.

Any news on National Geographic HD and A&E HD in Atlanta? I saw Ken's sticky in the HDTV Programming section about them being added this month.

They could repace MTV-HD. How many more repeats there, and also on INHD, do we have to live through? ;)

km,
I am a current Comcast digital subscriber and my new KDS-60A2000 is being delivered on Monday, Nov. 20th.
I called Comcast yesterday (Saturday, Nov. 18th) after I bought the new TV and they said that everything was set up and that I could pick up the HD/DVR box at their store in Marietta near the Sam's Club and Wal-Mart on Cobb Parkway.
After waiting in line with about 20 other people that were either paying their cable bill or turning in or picking up equipment, we were told that they were out of boxes and would not have anymore in for a few days.

Beware of the Chamblee location! I upgraded my cable box from standard HD to DVR capable HD last year and they refused to give me one in the store and I had to set up an appointment to have a tech come out and install it. This is not the first case where I have heard the Marietta store allowing customers to pick up digital boxes. I have no idea why they do when the other locations don't.

for some reason my abc-hd and tnt-hd are no longer available, but all other hd channels are still there. on saturday night i noticed the abc-hd feed freezing and had to switch to sd to watch the game. now it is no longer there. i was watching on channel 98-3 in atlanta. anyone else experiencing this, or any suggestions? thanks. i am watching qam through a tuner.

for some reason my abc-hd and tnt-hd are no longer available, but all other hd channels are still there. on saturday night i noticed the abc-hd feed freezing and had to switch to sd to watch the game. now it is no longer there. i was watching on channel 98-3 in atlanta. anyone else experiencing this, or any suggestions? thanks. i am watching qam through a tuner.

I was getting WSB 98.3 last night just fine through a QAM tuner.

Can anyone tell me where another Atlanta Metro Comcast storefront is? I went to pick up a HD/DVR box in Marietta today (Cobb Parkway) and they were out of inventory and will not have them back in before Wednesday 11/22.

New TV is being delivered on 11/20.

Thanks for any information that you can share.

Did you manage to get the box at the Marietta storefront, or did you have to end up with a service call?

I'm curious about which boxes they have, and if they charge the service fee anyway.

km
I picked up a DCT6412 box in Marietta on Wednesday. It is a combo HD/DVR unit. They do not give out only HD units.

Hooked everything up...only non-digital (channel 30 and below) and some of the HD channels work. On Demand does not work. I called Comcast and they are sending a tech out to my house today.

I had my son bring out his HD/DVR Comcast box to try it yesterday and everything worked great. His box is the 80GB DVR unit and my (defective?) box is a 120GB unit.

I'll let you know what the tech has to say.

I just purchased an HDTV and have standard digital in Dunwoody. I can receive a few digital channels and some are in HD such as CBS, just by hooking up directly to the cable. I looked at the HD channel lineup and it looks like there aren't many HD channels available ( I don't subscribe to the premium channels). About 13 w/o the premium channels or am I missing something? Also, do the cable boxes have the HDMI connections? Do the standard digital channels look better? I was going to call to upgrade to HD, but it sure looks like there isn't much programming.

Update (11/25/06): Comcast Tech came out to house. HD/DVR box was set up in system in wrong "area". Called in to have box reset to proper area. Everything is fine now.

Dunwoody Daddy: HD channels look really great. Standard expanded basic digital channels look about the same as on a standard digital box and better than through the TV tuner.

Yes, the boxes have a HDMI connection, however, make sure to request HDMI as some of the Comcast boxes only have component connections.

Update (11/25/06): Comcast Tech came out to house. HD/DVR box was set up in system in wrong "area". Called in to have box reset to proper area. Everything is fine now.
.

The normal price for installation is $29.50. I've been wondering if they would charge that if you managed to get one over the counter. Please post when you see the bill.

Since they ended up doing a house visit anyway, I guess this is not a real clear case.

I already subscribe for hd and have a combo dvr/hd stb for my home theater set-up.

I just hooked up a Toshiba 32" lcd that was cable-ready to basic cable. I get some HD channels on the Toshiba, but they seem to change from day to day! Sometimes when I tune in they appear to be in fast forward mode. Very strange. Should I just cave in and get an STB for the Toshiba? Does anyone have the HD channels mapped for comcast in the Atlanta area? Trying to figure out what HD channel corresponds to the digital number on the Toshiba is a pain in the arse!

I already subscribe for hd and have a combo dvr/hd stb for my home theater set-up.

I just hooked up a Toshiba 32" lcd that was cable-ready to basic cable. I get some HD channels on the Toshiba, but they seem to change from day to day! Sometimes when I tune in they appear to be in fast forward mode. Very strange. Should I just cave in and get an STB for the Toshiba? Does anyone have the HD channels mapped for comcast in the Atlanta area? Trying to figure out what HD channel corresponds to the digital number on the Toshiba is a pain in the arse!

98.xxx are some "network" digital remaps.

someone else responded to ME in this thread with the actual channels for the atlanta digital/hd shows that you'll tune with your clear QAM tuner.

The "fast forward" means you've landed on someone's pay-per view. Same for the random channels...

John

Here on the southside on Comcast we get the following QAM channels "in the clear":

WSB (DTV)
WAGA (DTV)
WTBS (DTV)
WXIA (DTV)
WUPA (not DTV, therefore never HD on our cable, odd because OTA there are some HD shows here)
WATL (DTV)
WGTV
WPBA
HGTV
TV Guide
Weather (just the local repeating forecast)
OnDemand (40 channels)

In almost 5 months we have not seen any of these channels move around. The OnDemand channels may appear to be as the selection is made and then broadcast over a different channel most of the time. As far as the locals, they've remained on their QAM channel. It's a little disconcerting not seeing them as we've become accustomed to, but most new TV's allow you to add labels to the channels. We've done that using their call letters. Note that even in the case of the local digitals signals over-the-air, they are -not- on what we were accustomed to analog. For example, Channel 11 (analog) is Channel 10 (digital). I forget some of the others, but the rest of the digital locals are in the UHF band (OTA).

Any news on National Geographic HD and A&E HD in Atlanta? I saw Ken's sticky in the HDTV Programming section about them being added this month.

Id be shocked if we get either of these channels in the near future. Im starting to believe we are out of free spectrum for new channels. Many major metro areas with better plants never lost UHD, others have had Fox Sports Net HD of some fashion for some time, and yet others still have inHD2 (although its about to be dropped). I would assume those areas are 850Mhz systems unlike the 750Mhz squeeze that we have here. Unfortunately, we are paying the same as them for the fewer stations.

I have a bad feeling that we are being penalized for TBS HD and BravesVision instead of having the better national networks with more of a variety of programming.

I have a Comcast/Motorola DVR and am on the north Fulton headend. Does anyone in the same situation have Dolby/5.1 on any channels, including HD ones? I had them for a while, but not now and am wondering if it's just my setup (maybe a cable gone bad) or if it's Comcast.

I have a friend that only gets the $15/month basic cable from Comcast. He's getting an HD TV and wants to know if he will get the over the air HD stations on this subscription. I know they block most of the analog cable channels that are not over the air channels. Do they also block the digital HD versions of the over the air channels? (I know they don't encrypt them).

Assuming they don't block it, his options would be:

1) Buy an HDTV with a built in QAM tuner for unencrypted QAM. Unfortunately, most HDTV's only have ATSC tuners.

2) Buy an external HD QAM tuner for unencrypted QAM with component outputs. Does anyone know of an economical current model?

3) Rent an HD STB or HD DVR from Comcast. Will they do this on a basic cable subscription?

Assuming they don't block it, his options would be:

1) Buy an HDTV with a built in QAM tuner for unencrypted QAM. Unfortunately, most HDTV's only have ATSC tuners.

YES. This is my current setup.

2) Buy an external HD QAM tuner for unencrypted QAM with component outputs. Does anyone know of an economical current model?

Yes but I don't know of any that are under $100+ dollars.

3) Rent an HD STB or HD DVR from Comcast. Will they do this on a basic cable subscription?

No. They won't give you a STB for basic cable b/c you don't need the box for it. You must get digital cable to get a STB.



.....

There is one in Chamblee, Its just off Peachtree Industrial on Malone Drive, a small street 2 blocks north of Clarimont Road.

The party line from Comcast is that they don't give out digital boxes from any of the storefronts in the Atlanta area. If you do manage to get one from a storefront, please post the details.

I just went to the chamblee store and picked up my HD/DVR box no problem. :) They must have changed their policies.

The normal price for installation is $29.50. I've been wondering if they would charge that if you managed to get one over the counter. Please post when you see the bill.

Since they ended up doing a house visit anyway, I guess this is not a real clear case.

They told me on the phone that they would not charge the $29.50 if I picked it up, which I did. So it better not show up on my bill :mad:

I have a Comcast/Motorola DVR and am on the north Fulton headend. Does anyone in the same situation have Dolby/5.1 on any channels, including HD ones? I had them for a while, but not now and am wondering if it's just my setup (maybe a cable gone bad) or if it's Comcast.

Main Menu -> Setup -> Audio Setup

I think the settings that matter are:
Audio Output set to Advanced
Stereo Output to Matrix (although stereo appears to work for me too)

Compression is if you want to squish the dynamic range of the audio similar to midnight mode on many receivers. I let my receiver do that and set it to none.

Hope this helps.

They told me on the phone that they would not charge the $29.50 if I picked it up, which I did. So it better not show up on my bill :mad:

Did you actually call the Chamblee office, or was that from the generic customer service number? I'm asking in case you can pass on the phone number of the Chanblee office. I would like to be able to call them to check if they have a box before I take a ride over there.

Just picked up a box at the Marietta office. They forgot the remote and I had to go back to get one - no argument, though.

UPDATE: I hooked everything up and called Comcast to turn on the HD, etc. She couldn't "see" my DVR. Tech comes tomorrow.

UPDATE-2: Tech came. My box was the wrong "area." Sticker on the back was "Vinings", but Marietta, the Tech says, is served by the Stone Mountain head. He installed the correct box and the lower 31 channels worked fine. To get the rest of the channels the Tech called for a download from DPET. DPET was down. He said DPET would be back up at 5:30 PM and would automatically download. DPET wasn't and didn't. At 7:00 PM the Comcast CS rep confirmed DPET was down and couldn't find out when it would be up.

UPDATE-3: DPET never came up Wednesday. It was up Thursday AM but couldn't download to my box. Tech scheduled 2-5 PM. CSR called at 4 PM saying tech would be here 5-8 PM. It is now Day 3 of this saga.

UPDATE-4: End of story. The tech in UPDATE-2 actually reinstalled the Vinings box and took the correct box back to the shop. A twenty-minute Mexican standoff occured because the Comcast system said I had a box with a Stone Mountain serial number and I had a box with a Vinings serial number and the tech was afraid he would get in trouble if he swapped out a box the system said I no longer had. Numerous phone calls with the supervisor and previous tech finally convinced the guy to make the swap. The new box downloaded and booted up fine. Everything works. Now maybe my daughter will quit screaming that I should have switched to Dish.

Did you actually call the Chamblee office, or was that from the generic customer service number? I'm asking in case you can pass on the phone number of the Chanblee office. I would like to be able to call them to check if they have a box before I take a ride over there.

No, I called the customer service number. They were wheeling in carts of boxes while I was there, so they should have what you need.

Main Menu -> Setup -> Audio Setup

I think the settings that matter are:
Audio Output set to Advanced
Stereo Output to Matrix (although stereo appears to work for me too)


Thanks. I first checked my cables. They were fine.
I tried your settings. It didn't change the Dolby status.
I turned off my box and checked the in-box settings. It didn't tell me anything.
I turned the box back on and had Dolby/5.1! So I guess the solution was to turn the box off and back on.

My parents (in their 70s and not tech savvy) just got an HDTV, and I'm helping them get things set up. I'm not much of a TV watcher, so I've never paid much attention to the various cable offerings. I've got a few really basic questions about how Comcast HDTV and digital cable work.

1. They currently have Comcast Enhanced Cable (not digital). It appears that they could pay the $11/month for the HDTV box, and that would enable them to tune a handful of local channels in HD (but no EspnHD, DiscoveryHD, etc.). Aside from getting the HD channels, is there any advantage to doing this? Would they tune all their cable channels through the box instead of through the TV's tuner?

2. They could apparently get the Digital Classic package (so they'd get a digital cable box; the package includes EspnHD and other HD cable channels), but apparently they'd still have to pay the $11/month for HDTV on top of that, correct? Does that $11/month just get them a different box (with HD capabilities), or would they end up with two boxes on the one TV (one for digital cable, one for HDTV)?

3. If they got the Digital Classic package, would they still be able to get the basic cable channels (without the digital features like program guides and stuff) on their other TVs without adding any more hardware to those TVs?

Sorry for asking these really dumb questions, but I'm about 10 years behind the times on cable TV, and the Comcast site isn't really all that informative when it comes to the nitty gritty specifics.

JRjr

vapspwi, if the tv has a QAM tuner all you would need to do to get the local channels is connect the cable directly to the tv. If they have a box for the enhanced cable this would require a splitter.

You could also just go to digital service, and request an hd box. With digital basic you still get HD channels with the exception of the movie channesl. It should be just $11, including the HD box.

vapspwi, if the tv has a QAM tuner all you would need to do to get the local channels is connect the cable directly to the tv. If they have a box for the enhanced cable this would require a splitter.

You could also just go to digital service, and request an hd box. With digital basic you still get HD channels with the exception of the movie channesl. It should be just $11, including the HD box.

It appears that their TV (a Vizio P50HDTV) does have a QAM tuner. They've currently just got the analog coax cable connected directly to the TV; I'll have to check and see if they're getting the local HD channels already. That would be nice.

The price bump up to "Digital Classic" with an HDTV DVR isn't that much over what they're paying for analog cable rignt now, so that's looking like a good option to get them ESPN and a few other HD channels.

Thanks for the info!

JRjr

The QAM channels will be mapped differently than the regular Comcast channel listing. On my TV I get FOX on 92-21, CBS on 108-10 and NBC on 108-30.

When I went from expanded (not enhanced) basic to digital basic plus HDDVR, the difference was around $21. I use the dvr a lot, which is how I justify it, but hardly ever watch any of the SD digital channels.

The QAM channels will be mapped differently than the regular Comcast channel listing. On my TV I get FOX on 92-21, CBS on 108-10 and NBC on 108-30.

I was just about to ask about this - the HD channels are listed as 803, 806, etc. in the Comcast listings. I talked to my mom on the phone, and she couldn't seem to get the TV tuned to those channels - could be user error, could be that the channels aren't there.

Forgive my ignorance, but I'm not familiar with the "92-21" style of channel numbering - how do you typically access those? I assume it varies from TV to TV.

JRjr

Has anyone noticed that the program guide has changed slightly? I received an updated program guide today. It only looks slightly different, but the channels change faster than before...

Has anyone noticed that the program guide has changed slightly? I received an updated program guide today. It only looks slightly different, but the channels change faster than before...

That and the MyDVR function no longer goes directly to your recorded shows.

Is there a QAM for TNT HD?

My parents (in their 70s and not tech savvy) just got an HDTV, and I'm helping them get things set up. I'm not much of a TV watcher, so I've never paid much attention to the various cable offerings. I've got a few really basic questions about how Comcast HDTV and digital cable work.

1. They currently have Comcast Enhanced Cable (not digital). It appears that they could pay the $11/month for the HDTV box, and that would enable them to tune a handful of local channels in HD (but no EspnHD, DiscoveryHD, etc.). Aside from getting the HD channels, is there any advantage to doing this? Would they tune all their cable channels through the box instead of through the TV's tuner?

2. They could apparently get the Digital Classic package (so they'd get a digital cable box; the package includes EspnHD and other HD cable channels), but apparently they'd still have to pay the $11/month for HDTV on top of that, correct? Does that $11/month just get them a different box (with HD capabilities), or would they end up with two boxes on the one TV (one for digital cable, one for HDTV)?

3. If they got the Digital Classic package, would they still be able to get the basic cable channels (without the digital features like program guides and stuff) on their other TVs without adding any more hardware to those TVs?

Sorry for asking these really dumb questions, but I'm about 10 years behind the times on cable TV, and the Comcast site isn't really all that informative when it comes to the nitty gritty specifics.

JRjr
from comcast website
Standard cable 47.75 analog
Enhanced cable 49.99 digital
Basic cable 15.95 analog
CC = cable card

if it is the same "Enhanced" package that i had then your folks have some sort of STB. if they dont and are being billed for it make sure you take the appropriate steps so they get the services they are paying for.

the "Enhanced" packaged is merely Comcast's Standard Cable (analog) being sent in digital format. same service but you have access to PPV and On Demand. and some of the digital tier channels.

with this package all they need to do is hook the cable directly to their new HDTV (assuming it has ATSC/QAM tuners) and it should be able to tune into the HD network stations and various other unencryted stations. bear in mind that they can hook the STB to one of the other TV's

now if they want access to discovery hd, espn 1&2 hd, inhd, mtv hd they will have to subscribe to the "digital classic" package and have a CC installed to watch those channels. do they watch PPV or on demand?

find out from your folks what they like to watch and then subscribe accordingly.

if your goal is to get them HD the cheapest way possible tell comcast that you only want the "Basic" ($16) cable package. they will then send a hit to your cable box and CC if installed and then you will only have access to those first 25 channels. however if you remove the cable box and CC from the loop and hook the cable directly to the TV (TV's) well.......
you get channels 1-78 standard def analog and HD CBS, NBS, FOX, ABC, TBS (still waiting for UPN) all for $15.95

remember the signal is always on the line, you just have to be able to decode it. the analog cable ready TV will tune channels 1-78 and the new HDTV wil decode the analog and unencrypted DTV signals.

as long as you keep the STB and pay the $15.95/mo. it is unlikely that they will send a technician out to install an analog filter on the side of your house to limit you to the first 25 channels.

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

that is where you will find the HD channels without a STB or CC installed. i have heard that Disc-HD is now encrypted. WB is now MY-ATL

Forgive my ignorance, but I'm not familiar with the "92-21" style of channel numbering - how do you typically access those? I assume it varies from TV to TV.

On my tv, there is a "-" button. I hit the first 2 numbers, the - and the last 2. I would assume the other tv's are similar, but don't know for sure.

DVR updated

Yesterday I noticed that my DCT6412 III DVR was upgraded to Firmware level 16.20.

The menu font seems less sharp.

The MyDVR button has changed to bring up the DVR menu instead of going directly to previous recordings.

The Favorites function is quite different. With the ability to set up multiple Favorites lists... But no way to order the lists. The Favorites button acts differently with the guide up. Instead of jumping through the guide, it now brings up just the Favorites list. More clicks of the Favorites button will cycle through the multiple Favorites lists and the full guide.

The potential now exists to usually not see all of those channels you have no interest in. Program a single favorites list with all of the channels you usually watch. Then when you bring up the guide, hit Favorites to see only your channels. Folks with programmable remotes (not the Comcast remote) may be able to set the Guide key to also send the Favorites code.

My settings for display rates, HDMI and audio options in the Off->Menu changed with the upgrade. Turn your DVR off, then hit Menu within a few seconds to check your settings.

I have seen at least one problem with the new firmware, when the guide is up, the current channel is no longer scaled into the window at the upper right, it just keeps going behind the guide.

I think that the previous firmware for my DVR was 12.31. I wonder what the switch to the 16. series means.

Take care

the 16.20 update killed one of my 6412, of course it was the one with all the Star Wars movies recorded in HD :-(

it's stuck in DL mode for over a day now and unplugging isn't helping.....

doh!

The one major enhancement to me is that now the menu has a useful HD search button. Now the HD menu shows only programs that are actually HD and not just a list of all the shows on the HD channels.

So now no more wondering if the movie on HBO HD or TNT HD is worth recording or not.

I also shows the absolute waste that TBS HD is. Not a single show in HD on the listing.

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

that is where you will find the HD channels without a STB or CC installed. i have heard that Disc-HD is now encrypted. WB is now MY-ATL


Here is what I've found for QAM, this is for the Stone Mountain Headend

108-4 NBC WXIA HD
108-3 CBS WGCL HD
104-11 C-Span2 SD
101-2 WB WATL HD
98-3 ABC WSB HD
98-1 TBS HD
96-1 A spanish channel SD
93-1 Comcast Weather
92-2 FOX HD
80-12 TBS SD
80-11 PBS SD
80-7 UPN SD
80-6 CBS WGCL SD
80-5 CBS SD
80-4 PBS SD
80-3 NBC WXIA SD
80-2 FOX SD
80-1 ABC WSB SD

Got the 16.20 update on my 3416. Not impressed with it so far. Menus are lower res and the box is a little bit slower to respond (was smooth as silk with 12.31).

At least 16.20 appears to correct the HDCP Repeater problem when running the box through an HDMI-switching receiver.

Here is what I've found for QAM, this is for the Stone Mountain Headend

108-4 NBC WXIA HD
108-3 CBS WGCL HD
104-11 C-Span2 SD
101-2 WB WATL HD
98-3 ABC WSB HD
98-1 TBS HD
96-1 A spanish channel SD
93-1 Comcast Weather
92-2 FOX HD
80-12 TBS SD
80-11 PBS SD
80-7 UPN SD
80-6 CBS WGCL SD
80-5 CBS SD
80-4 PBS SD
80-3 NBC WXIA SD
80-2 FOX SD
80-1 ABC WSB SD


the additional channels that you found i didnt list cause they were not HD, but you are right they are available unencrypted.

the 16.20 update killed one of my 6412, of course it was the one with all the Star Wars movies recorded in HD :-(

it's stuck in DL mode for over a day now and unplugging isn't helping.....

doh!

I have an older 6412 with only a DVI. On Wednesday night the DVI to my HDMI input doesn't work. Is anyone else seeing this?

I had a tech out on Thursday and he said that the box was fine and it was probably my TV. I don't believe this since I have two HDMI inputs and it happens on both, and I replaced the cable.

I did some research today and saw that FW 16.20 is known to cause this problem.

I'm going to buy an upscaling DVD tomorrow to prove to COMCAST that the HDMI inputs on my TV are fine. I'll keep you posted but wanted to see if this happened to anyone else.

Mike -

comcast service is great isn't it ....

this worries me because the 16.20 firmware update killed one of my phase 1 6412's, the one i use with the DVI input of my projector. Assuming when they swap the box out they'll be bringing me one of the newer HDMI receivers, I wonder now if i will have problems since i will be going from hdmi to dvi.

I have an older 6412 with only a DVI. On Wednesday night the DVI to my HDMI input doesn't work. Is anyone else seeing this?

I had a tech out on Thursday and he said that the box was fine and it was probably my TV. I don't believe this since I have two HDMI inputs and it happens on both, and I replaced the cable.

I did some research today and saw that FW 16.20 is known to cause this problem.
.

I'm in the opposite situation. My TV is DVI and I have a 3412 with HDMI. I use a HDMI->DVI cable. The 16.20 upgrade broke the compatibility. The work around for me is to shut off the 3412, turn on the TV, and then turn on the 3412. I'm talking about the soft power/standby on the 3412, not the power plug.

You might try this, though your issue is in the other dvi<>hdmi direction.

At any rate its not a very good workaround. I can only turn off the 3412 when nothing is recording, which is pretty limiting.

argh - this is why i liked my phase 1 so much, i was able to keep everything in DVI.

i guess i can take my other phase 1 into my main theater setup, and take whatever new receiver they give me to the other room which will only be set up with component cables.

i am still steamed that the firmware update killed the box that i had 5 of my favorite movies stored on permanently.... one of my 6412's updated fine, but the one I use most was stuck in "DL" mode for over a day and still won't power on other than to keep indicating a DL is in progress.

Well, I have been pretty happy with Comcast as a whole. I do the whole deal with them, cable, internet, phone. I'm a bit relieved that more than likely it's not my TV.

The trick will be seeing if Comcast will do anything about this.

Those of you who do end up having problems with 16.20 (especially the HDMI thing), I've heard people in other markets have had success rolling the firmware back to 12.31 (or whatever version was working for you) if you call and request it.

Is anyone else having a problem with series recordings not recording? We had this problem as well as the DVR deleting shows for no reason on the 3412. A tech came out yesterday and replaced it with a 3416. My wife scheduled Days of Our Lives to record as a series and it failed to record it yet again. Is it something to do with the new updates as it has affected both boxes?

I just upgraded to HD and I noticed that some of the HD channels display in 4:3 format even though I put in 16:9, 1080i and 4:3 stretch mode in the settings. The SD channels all seem to display in 16:9. Is there any way to get the HD channels to always display in 16:9?

I just upgraded to HD and I noticed that some of the HD channels display in 4:3 format even though I put in 16:9, 1080i and 4:3 stretch mode in the settings. The SD channels all seem to display in 16:9. Is there any way to get the HD channels to always display in 16:9?

No, unless your TV is able to stretch content that is broadcast higher than 480p. Those 4:3 HD shows are more than likely just rebroadcast SD shows so you are stuck with the bars. The other option is to switch back to the SD version of the channel if you don't like the bars.

I'm in Marietta,Ga,have a LCD TV with a QAM tuner. I have Comcast analog and I'm pretty satisfied except for Brovo and the Comedy channel. Does anybody else in the area get these?

I'm in Marietta,Ga,have a LCD TV with a QAM tuner. I have Comcast analog and I'm pretty satisfied except for Brovo and the Comedy channel. Does anybody else in the area get these?

Out of stone mountain they are encrypting all the digital simulcast channels above 31 (cspan2) on qam. Are you actually getting the other above 31 channels (besides bravo and comedy) over qam without a cablecard?

Hi all -

Currently, I've got Comcast "Standard" cable (47.75). My TV has a QAM tuner ,so I can tune into the local networks HD.

I want to get the Comcast DVR so that I can pause/rew/ff thru HD content.

Best I can tell from the website, I'll need to upgrade to the cheapest digital package (Digital Classic 58.25 [+10.50]), plus the DVR/HDTV combo (15.94) for a total bill increase of 26.44/month. Seeing as I don't really care about inDemand or the 'extra' channels I get by upgrading to digital, this seems kind of steep to get a DVR just so I can ff thru commercials and still watch in HD (I've currently got a series 1 TiVo). Am I missing something? Is there a cheaper way to do this?

Also, if I -do- decide to get the HD/PVR, is there a specific model box that I want to get (my TV has both component and HDMI). I live in Alpharetta.

Thanks in advance,
Greg

I'm in the opposite situation. My TV is DVI and I have a 3412 with HDMI. I use a HDMI->DVI cable. The 16.20 upgrade broke the compatibility. The work around for me is to shut off the 3412, turn on the TV, and then turn on the 3412. I'm talking about the soft power/standby on the 3412, not the power plug.

You might try this, though your issue is in the other dvi<>hdmi direction.

At any rate its not a very good workaround. I can only turn off the 3412 when nothing is recording, which is pretty limiting.

I too am experiencing the HDMI bug. I have a Panny 42PX50U using a 3416 via HDMI. I am getting random signal disconnects. I still have audio but no picture. I can get the picture back by either power cycling the TV or the cable box. The tech wanted to move my entire entertainment system to change the connector in the wall. I called Panasonic and they are sending out a tech as well. But now I am convinced this bug is a result of the new firmware update.

Hi all -

Currently, I've got Comcast "Standard" cable (47.75). My TV has a QAM tuner ,so I can tune into the local networks HD.

I want to get the Comcast DVR so that I can pause/rew/ff thru HD content.

Best I can tell from the website, I'll need to upgrade to the cheapest digital package (Digital Classic 58.25 [+10.50]), plus the DVR/HDTV combo (15.94) for a total bill increase of 26.44/month. Seeing as I don't really care about inDemand or the 'extra' channels I get by upgrading to digital, this seems kind of steep to get a DVR just so I can ff thru commercials and still watch in HD (I've currently got a series 1 TiVo). Am I missing something? Is there a cheaper way to do this?

Also, if I -do- decide to get the HD/PVR, is there a specific model box that I want to get (my TV has both component and HDMI). I live in Alpharetta.

Thanks in advance,
Greg

Talk to the service rep about the cost on the phone. Their website is absolute crap and you cant tell anything by it. I only had to pay 10 a month more for DVR service because I already had a package. Now I don't know if thats because I have the silver package with HBO or if digital classic counts as that too. My guess would be that it does count and they are giving you a 5 dollar break because its your only set top box for service.

Don't be so quick to disregard onDemand. Its one of the main reasons I haven't considered going back to Dish Network. There is quite a bit of HD shows on onDemand these days. Always good for showing off your setup to a friend.

If you do like I did and tell the customer service rep when you call and order that you want the box with HDMI (specifically say you want it in the installer notes), they should bring you the right one. That box was the 3416 series 2 in my case. The second set of numbers on the model number (ie 16) determines the HD size. I believe there are 12s, 16s, and 20s. The HD size is the number x10 in gigs. The best you are likely to get here in Alpharetta is the 3416, I don't think they have 20s.

The HD DVRs are very quirky. I would suggest reading this website thoroughly, especially the bugs section before you ever get it to know what not to do to aggravate it.

Motorola DCT Wiki (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR)

Hi all -

Currently, I've got Comcast "Standard" cable (47.75). My TV has a QAM tuner ,so I can tune into the local networks HD.

I want to get the Comcast DVR so that I can pause/rew/ff thru HD content.

Best I can tell from the website, I'll need to upgrade to the cheapest digital package (Digital Classic 58.25 [+10.50]), plus the DVR/HDTV combo (15.94) for a total bill increase of 26.44/month. Seeing as I don't really care about inDemand or the 'extra' channels I get by upgrading to digital, this seems kind of steep to get a DVR just so I can ff thru commercials and still watch in HD (I've currently got a series 1 TiVo). Am I missing something? Is there a cheaper way to do this?

Also, if I -do- decide to get the HD/PVR, is there a specific model box that I want to get (my TV has both component and HDMI). I live in Alpharetta.

Thanks in advance,
Greg
I am using the Sony DHG-HD250 with basic cable. I get all the local digital channels this way. If that is all you need, then this is a good box. There is a thread here on these units and they are hard to find, but I really like them.
Michael

Based on my current bill, Comcast is removing the west coast feeds of a lot of the premium channels. I hope that this is to make space for new HD channels that other areas of the country are already getting.

However, I would have preferred we lose some of the analog channels to the digital instead, I just want more HD ASAP.

Detroit (another former MediaOne area) has A&E, Universal, National Geographic, and FSN HD in addition to what we have here.

Of course even with that lineup they are behind Dish still which also adds Food, HGTV, NFL Network, and the HDNet channels. Not to mention all the Voom stuff (which dont look terribly exciting, but at least its something else in HD).

Why do we have 2 NFL network channels?

I'd be happy to get rid of all the music channels myself.

Speaking of which...
Why do we have to have so many shopping channels?
Why do we have to have so many weather channels?
...etc...

As far as 2 NFL Networks, I would assume its really just 1 that shows up at 2 spots in the guide. Digital plus gets it or you can get it with basic digital and the added on sports package. I think they have it in both spots so that it is grouped with standard sports channels (ESPNNews) as well as pay (FCSA).

I have been told the music channels do not take up much space at all. This seems to make sense since its just still images and compressed audio.

We have so many shopping channels because Comcast gets paid to carry them. Thats right, unlike other channels Comcast pays for, they get paid to carry the shopping networks. Its essentially a 24 hour infomercial.

As far as weather channels, who knows?!?

anyone else notice that on comcast last night, INHD was converted to FSN-HD for the local Hawks game? looked amazing, but they didn't make any sort of announcement about this.

any chance we can get THRASHERS FSN-hd games after this? that would be even better.....

strange they didn't just put it on 755 since the Braves aren't on, but i woulnd't be missing much on INHD these days.....

any chance we can get THRASHERS FSN-hd games after this? that would be even better.....



All Thrashers games are on SportSouth (Fox owned, I know) - but I don't think FSN-HD would apply for these games unless they put the games on channel 755 or something similar.

I didn't notice the Hawks game on INHD last night - I wish these things would show up in the guide. This could be a good sign - maybe FSN South-HD will be added in 2007.

yeah it was weird, at first i thought INHD was showing the game and comcast forgot to black it out but it was soon apparent that it was the FSN-HD feed complete with FSN commercials in SD. Even stranger, there were bars and tone for hours after the game, I have no idea why they didn't switch back to INHD. it's almost like comcast atlanta had completely replaced INHD with FSN-HD and just didn't bother to tell anyone.

Don't really care about FSN HD (I only care about the Thrashers....The Hawks always look bad, regardless of the resolution). I guess I should since so many Braves games will be on FSN now...But still...meh.

I'm still carrying the torch for HGTV HD, Food HD, National Geographic HD, Universal, and A&E. Any of these would be great. Please, Comcast...PLEASE?

yeah it's kind of pathetic how little HD we have compared to some other big markets. they tease us with Universal HD, then take it away. that's the one I really want, along with NatGEoHD and HDNet.

it's almost like comcast atlanta had completely replaced INHD with FSN-HD and just didn't bother to tell anyone.

I doubt this is the case. That would be great though, in my opinion. INHD is good for HD picture quality, but the programming is severly limited.

I doubt this is the case. That would be great though, in my opinion. INHD is good for HD picture quality, but the programming is severly limited.

If they are going to replace something based on programming, I would like to think that TBS (which shows NOTHING in HD) or MHD would be the top of the list. Id throw Bravesvision in there too, but Im sure a lot of people here might watch that during the year.

InHD is much better than all of those in my opinion.

If they are going to replace something based on programming, I would like to think that TBS (which shows NOTHING in HD) or MHD would be the top of the list. Id throw Bravesvision in there too, but Im sure a lot of people here might watch that during the year.

InHD is much better than all of those in my opinion.

I agree on MHD, it should probably go.

TBS, since they are adding national baseball broadcasts (non-braves games), I suspect will begin to roll out a nationwide TBS-HD. Right now it is only available in Atlanta. Do they show anything other than Braves homes games in HD now?

My parents decided to go with Digital Classic/Starter (the name seems to vary but the package is the same) with an HD, non-DVR box. I requested HDMI output on the box and the guy on the phone said no problem.

So now the Comcast guy is at their house, and it's a fiasco. Apparently the box doesn't have HDMI output - he claims that in order to get HDMI output (he calls it "HDDMI"), you have to have the DVR. Can anybody refute this claim? I'd like to know for sure that there IS an HD, non-DVR box with an HDMI output before I start raising hell with Comcast.

[Edit: I just did a "live chat" with Comcast, and asked if Comcast offers a non-DVR HD box with HDMI output, and the guy said no, only the HD-DVR box has HDMI. So, fair enough on that point, I guess.]

I had to (try to) explain to him that composite video and S-Video won't pass HD signals, that he had to use component video, DVI, or HDMI. He tried to list the outputs that were available - at first he said DVI was, but then apparently said it wasn't, and then he got distracted by optical audio and other stuff that's basically irrelevant. I finally said "just hook it up and I'll figure it out later."

God only knows what's hooked up. My mom says it looks worse/less clear than it did when it was just analog cable straight to the RF input. (Maybe it's her imagination, maybe it's an upconversion issue, or maybe he hooked it up wrong or with a bad cable.) Apparently the aspect ratio is fixed at 4:3 as well. Nobody could tell me what they were watching - I seem to recall that HD channels might force a preferred aspect ratio - so I'm not sure what the deal is with that.

I guess I have a lot of figuring out and potentially arguing with Comcast in my future.

JRjr

My parents decided to go with Digital Classic/Starter (the name seems to vary but the package is the same) with an HD, non-DVR box. I requested HDMI output on the box and the guy on the phone said no problem.

So now the Comcast guy is at their house, and it's a fiasco. Apparently the box doesn't have HDMI output - he claims that in order to get HDMI output (he calls it "HDDMI"), you have to have the DVR. Can anybody refute this claim? I'd like to know for sure that there IS an HD, non-DVR box with an HDMI output before I start raising hell with Comcast.

[Edit: I just did a "live chat" with Comcast, and asked if Comcast offers a non-DVR HD box with HDMI output, and the guy said no, only the HD-DVR box has HDMI. So, fair enough on that point, I guess.]

I had to (try to) explain to him that composite video and S-Video won't pass HD signals, that he had to use component video, DVI, or HDMI. He tried to list the outputs that were available - at first he said DVI was, but then apparently said it wasn't, and then he got distracted by optical audio and other stuff that's basically irrelevant. I finally said "just hook it up and I'll figure it out later."

God only knows what's hooked up. My mom says it looks worse/less clear than it did when it was just analog cable straight to the RF input. (Maybe it's her imagination, maybe it's an upconversion issue, or maybe he hooked it up wrong or with a bad cable.) Apparently the aspect ratio is fixed at 4:3 as well. Nobody could tell me what they were watching - I seem to recall that HD channels might force a preferred aspect ratio - so I'm not sure what the deal is with that.

I guess I have a lot of figuring out and potentially arguing with Comcast in my future.

JRjr

#1 Non DVR HD boxes do NOT have HDMI only component and DVI
#2 To change SD aspect ratio as well as HD output hit the power button and then Menu

I'm new here, so please be patient with my newbie question.

I've had a Samsung HL-R6768W (HD DLP) with QAM tuner for almost a year. I feed it directly with Atlanta Comcast (Brookhaven area, no CableCARD or STB). A year ago, I could pick up the following clear digital SD/HD channels:

80.201 (480) ABC/WSB
80.202 (480) FOX/WAGA
80.203 (480) NBC/WXIA
80.204 (480) WTBS
80.205 (480) PBS/GPB
80.206 (480) CBS/WGCL
80.207 (480) UPN/WUPA
80.210 (480) WB/WATL
80.212 (480) PBS/WPBA
92.21 (720) FOX/WAGA
98.10 (1080) WTBS
98.3 (720) ABC/WSB
101.2 (1080) WB/WATL
108.10 (1080) CBS/WGCL
108.30 (1080) NBC/WXIA

The 480/720/1080 tags are reported by the TV.

Since then, we've seen the WB/UPN/CW realignment.

A few weeks ago, however, I lost most of the stations in the list above. As of today, I can only tune:

98.3 (720) ABC/WSB
98.10 (1080) WTBS
108.10 (1080) CBS/WGCL (very rarely)

For a few hours yesterday, I also got 108.806 NBC/WXIA. Now it's gone, too.

It doesn't seem to make much difference whether I scan STD, HRC, or IRC.

So... it's a rare day when I see any HD on my TV. Has Comcast encrypted the rest? If I stay with Comcast, are my only choices CableCARD or STB? Frankly, I'm seriously considering OTA. Any help would be appreciated.

Hmmm... I am still seeing all those on my QAM tuner Sony up here in Woodstock. Is there a seperate Digital Channel scan in your TV's menus? Mine has two seperate scans.

I'm new here, so please be patient with my newbie question.

I've had a Samsung HL-R6768W (HD DLP) with QAM tuner for almost a year. I feed it directly with Atlanta Comcast (Brookhaven area, no CableCARD or STB). A year ago, I could pick up the following clear digital SD/HD channels:

80.201 (480) ABC/WSB
80.202 (480) FOX/WAGA
80.203 (480) NBC/WXIA
80.204 (480) WTBS
80.205 (480) PBS/GPB
80.206 (480) CBS/WGCL
80.207 (480) UPN/WUPA
80.210 (480) WB/WATL
80.212 (480) PBS/WPBA
92.21 (720) FOX/WAGA
98.10 (1080) WTBS
98.3 (720) ABC/WSB
101.2 (1080) WB/WATL
108.10 (1080) CBS/WGCL
108.30 (1080) NBC/WXIA

The 480/720/1080 tags are reported by the TV.

Since then, we've seen the WB/UPN/CW realignment.

A few weeks ago, however, I lost most of the stations in the list above. As of today, I can only tune:

98.3 (720) ABC/WSB
98.10 (1080) WTBS
108.10 (1080) CBS/WGCL (very rarely)

For a few hours yesterday, I also got 108.806 NBC/WXIA. Now it's gone, too.

It doesn't seem to make much difference whether I scan STD, HRC, or IRC.

So... it's a rare day when I see any HD on my TV. Has Comcast encrypted the rest? If I stay with Comcast, are my only choices CableCARD or STB? Frankly, I'm seriously considering OTA. Any help would be appreciated.

Based on previous posts, I know that have moved around the channels before. You may need to rescan and look for possible new channel locations.

anyone else notice that on comcast last night, INHD was converted to FSN-HD for the local Hawks game? looked amazing, but they didn't make any sort of announcement about this.

any chance we can get THRASHERS FSN-hd games after this? that would be even better.....

strange they didn't just put it on 755 since the Braves aren't on, but i woulnd't be missing much on INHD these days.....

that's great news! i totally missed it because i was watching the crappy feed on the analog FSN. hopefully tomorrow night's game against the bulls will also be available on INHD. i checked fsn's website and it does appear that there are some hawks games (all homes games) slated for "FSN HD." hopefully these games will also appear on INHD:
http://msn.foxsports.com/name/HD

Looks like inHD is pre-empted again tonight for games from Versus. In fact the Guide shows the channel as ATBLD instead of inHD.

Neither it (ATBLD) or inHD show up in the HD search in the menu anymore. Who knows what this means long term.

Looks like inHD is pre-empted again tonight for games from Versus. In fact the Guide shows the channel as ATBLD instead of inHD.

Neither it (ATBLD) or inHD show up in the HD search in the menu anymore. Who knows what this means long term.

what is ATBLD?

what is ATBLD?

That was the call letters that showed in the guide when they had inHD pre-empted with first a game from versus HD and then a game from NBA TV HD.

I dont know what the call letters are for.

what is ATBLD?

Saw some INHD programming on it tonite (Ch 876). Mojo. Wonder if it's a rename, or just what the heck is going on.

Saw some INHD programming on it tonite (Ch 876). Mojo. Wonder if it's a rename, or just what the heck is going on.

So far it appears to be inHD most all of the day. However, the HD games that versus has and/or the HD games from NBA TV are preemting the inHD lineup of shows. I know I have seen in the nationwide Comcast thread mention of this in other markets. However, it typically took place on inHD2 or their HD Special Interest channel. Of course we dont have the bandwidth for that :(

I hope that with the removal of all West coast movie channel feed on Jan 15th that we see Universal, A&E, and National Geographic. Of course all the customer service people do is spew the same canned response every time you ask.

I hope that with the removal of all West coast movie channel feed on Jan 15th that we see Universal, A&E, and National Geographic. Of course all the customer service people do is spew the same canned response every time you ask.

I got a letter about the removal of my HBO west ch. I hope they at least add some more HD channles. I only subscribe to HBO for Sopranos and boxing.

why are they removing west coast movie feeds?

Anyone catche the NFL HD feed on INHD last night?

I'm adding another converter box to my home. Currently have a 3412 model. Is there anything newer out that Comcast is providing? Thanks for any news.

I'm adding another converter box to my home. Currently have a 3412 model. Is there anything newer out that Comcast is providing? Thanks for any news.

You will probably get a 3416. It has a 160 gig HD instead of the 120 that is in the 3412. I think that is the only difference in the two models.

Anyone notice that the History Ch. in the description says, HD. Is that channel supposed to be HD?

Anyone notice that the History Ch. in the description says, HD. Is that channel supposed to be HD?

The History Channel HD is supposed to be coming soon. I assume all the programs on it that list HD in the description are the shows that will be on the channel in HD when it starts airing. Based on a quick google search it appears that they are already in the testing phase. It is owned by the same company that A&E is owned by. Hopefully since Comcast already has a contract with A&E it will be easy to add the History Channel as well. Id expect it to be a LONG time before we get it here since we are already behind the times when it comes to HD lineup for Comcast systems. (including A&E HD). :(

The next channel we'll probably get is the Versus/Golf one. Which sucks, since it'll be the third one in a row that's useless to me (I despise them wasting bandwidth on MHD and ESPN2, though that may get some viewing time if the American Rally series they're going to show is in HD).

I'd like to know who to contact to request UHD (the one channel that I really want). The monkeys at customer service just reply to emails with the same canned response.

espn2hd is awesome. there was so much HD college football on this season that it was a must have. if you don't like HD sports then you are in a very very small minority. sports is probably the #1 reason many people are buying HDTVs.

universal HD?? don't they basically show nbc reruns and bad movies? even the battlestar galactica episodes they show are a year behind so most fans of the show have already seen them on dvd or scifi.

espn2hd is awesome. there was so much HD college football on this season that it was a must have. if you don't like HD sports then you are in a very very small minority. sports is probably the #1 reason many people are buying HDTVs.
Sports is interesting, but the only one that I like is baseball. And I don't revolve my life around it. I do like to watch shows like 24, ER, Heros, etc. in HD.

universal HD?? don't they basically show nbc reruns and bad movies? even the battlestar galactica episodes they show are a year behind so most fans of the show have already seen them on dvd or scifi.
Now, that would be one to see in HD... Battlestar! Rock it!

I see that ATBLD is renamed back to INHD.

The next channel we'll probably get is the Versus/Golf one.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. It appears that they are preempting inHD whenever there is a versus game in HD. If they continue that practice (which they are doing in many other markets) we may get a legitimate new channel addition.

I just hope they don't make the mistake of using all the room from the premium west coast feeds to add in more standard channels. I really don't want to make the jump back to satellite. However, multiple channels of HD Lite, is starting to look better than a handful of unaltered ones.

Sports is interesting, but the only one that I like is baseball. And I don't revolve my life around it. I do like to watch shows like 24, ER, Heros, etc. in HD.



I'm the same way. Don't really watch sports much at all. The only thing I always watch is NHRA. They air qualifying on Sat and Sun 3 hrs of racing. It's awesome in HD.

espn2hd is awesome. there was so much HD college football on this season that it was a must have. if you don't like HD sports then you are in a very very small minority. sports is probably the #1 reason many people are buying HDTVs.

universal HD?? don't they basically show nbc reruns and bad movies? even the battlestar galactica episodes they show are a year behind so most fans of the show have already seen them on dvd or scifi.

Except for the World Cup games, all the other games I've been interested in have been in ABC, CBS, FOX or ESPN, so it has been a waste for me.

As for Universal HD, they have had 2 series that haven't been shown in HD in the states otherwise (Battlestar, Firefly) and will have one soon: Stargate Atlantis.

My post was only stating MY opinion that the last 2 channels have been worthless for my tastes, though I realize it's not the case for everyone else.

Tournament of Roses Parade in HD in Atlanta area on ABC (Comcast 803) and DiscoveryHD (Comcast 844).

I see that comcast is getting ready to add what looks like Golf HD channel 849. It seems as if they found a channel worse than MHD to add to the lineup. I'm beginning to think that INHD2 was pretty good compared to what has replaced it.

Just saw that. And I also liked having INHD2. At least the Twilight Zone was something I watched once in a while. I guess I need to consider switching to Dish if I want to watch Battlestar Galactica in HD.

Id assume this is the Comcast Sports Channel that has been mentioned for other cities. It will carry programming from the Golf Channel as well as any games Versus does that are in High Def. My hope is that they would also combine it with BravesVision so that we can get another channel with programming besides all the secondary sports taking up tons of channels when they dont air stuff 80% of the time.

Unfortunately it's just Gold and Versus stuff, and they just show SD programming when not in HD.

I agree that they need to do something with BravesVision, at least put the TBS games there to free up bandwidth, or put Hawks, Thrashers or other local sports teams there.

I wonder when we'll get another channel. Looking at the line-ups for NJ, Boston, Baltimore, etc is making me jealous.

Unfortunately it's just Gold and Versus stuff, and they just show SD programming when not in HD.

I agree that they need to do something with BravesVision, at least put the TBS games there to free up bandwidth, or put Hawks, Thrashers or other local sports teams there.

I wonder when we'll get another channel. Looking at the line-ups for NJ, Boston, Baltimore, etc is making me jealous.

Agreed. Other people are getting National Geographic HD and we get.....SD golf. I think I'm going to be sick.

I predict that the next HD channel that we will get will be Home Shopping Network HD. Maybe they will remove DiscoveryHD or one of the network HD feeds to make room for it.

A Comcast tech had to come out today and replace my cable box. He told me that a new and improved box is on the way to replace the Motorola boxes. Does anyone know any of the details?

is that the Golf ch in the HD lineup?

Yuuuchhh!

And not even in proper HD but mini-D.

Does anyone have a complete / current "clear qam" guide list?

anybody ever check their bit stream when watching the
Comcast hd channels.

1394 out from my DCT3412 in Alpharetta.


Stream: 803.ts
Bit Rate: 13.91 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1280 × 720, 16:9, 59.94 fps

Stream: 804.ts
Bit Rate: 14.54 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1280 × 720, 16:9, 59.94 fps

Stream: 806.ts
Bit Rate: 14.86 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1920 × 1080, 16:9, 29.97 fps

Stream: 807.ts
Bit Rate: 17.29 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1920 × 1080, 16:9, 29.97 fps

Stream: 809.ts
Bit Rate: 16.16 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1920 × 1080, 16:9, 29.97 fps

Stream: 813.ts
Bit Rate: 11.43 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1280 × 720, 16:9, 59.94 fps

Stream: 841.ts
Bit Rate: 15.54 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1920 × 1080, 16:9, 29.97 fps

Stream: 844.ts
Bit Rate: 13.93 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1920 × 1080, 16:9, 29.97 fps

Stream: 846.ts
Bit Rate: 17.02 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1280 × 720, 16:9, 59.94 fps

Stream: 847.ts
Bit Rate: 17.52 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1280 × 720, 16:9, 59.94 fps

Stream: 849.ts
Bit Rate: 15.12 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1920 × 1080, 16:9, 23.976 fps

Stream: 850.ts
Bit Rate: 12.50 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1920 × 1080, 16:9, 23.976 fps

Stream: 876.ts
Bit Rate: 14.20 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1920 × 1080, 16:9, 29.97 fps

Stream: 880.ts
Bit Rate: 11.20 Mbps
Video Tracks: MPEG-2, 1920 × 1080, 16:9, 23.976 fps

1394 out from my DCT3412 in Alpharetta....


Thanks SPiFF-HD. Those are actually pretty respectable data rates. It will be interesting to see what happens to these if/when more HD channels are added.

I tried a search but didn't see my problem. Early this morning my Comcast Motorola HD DVR reset itself, apparently. All recordings and recording instructions were wiped out. Has anyone noticed similar postings on this site?

I tried a search but didn't see my problem. Early this morning my Comcast Motorola HD DVR reset itself, apparently. All recordings and recording instructions were wiped out. Has anyone noticed similar postings on this site?

I can confirm that mine reset at 3am this morning. However, it came back normally after that.

I know they periodically transmit a late night reset to all boxes, it sounds like your reset just went awry for some reason.

3 AM is when it happened. My daughter was watching. This afternoon, though, she showed me that it had been wiped clean. She has reloaded her recording instructions. I'll have her check it out tomorrow. Unless she is up late again tonight and wakes me up screaming at 3 AM.

Hi all -

If I have a COMCAST cable box with component or HDMI and an HDTV, will I get the broadcast network's HD feeds thru the box if I have analog cable? Currently, I use the QAM tuner in my TV to get the local networks, but I would like to get a DVR box to be able to record in HD (but I do not want to upgrade from enhanced basic to digital). I won't mind paying 1 price increase to rent their set-top box, but I really don't want to have to pay 2 price increases (1 to go to digital cable, 1 to get the box).

Thanks in advance,
Greg

Things got pretty confused when I went through this last month (two service calls), but I think I had to pay three price increases. Digital cable, HD, and the HD/DVR box. My first bill had so many credits and prorata charges that it exceeded my accounting skills.

In my area you had to subscribe to a digital package in order to be able to rent a dvr.

Hi all -

If I have a COMCAST cable box with component or HDMI and an HDTV, will I get the broadcast network's HD feeds thru the box if I have analog cable? Currently, I use the QAM tuner in my TV to get the local networks, but I would like to get a DVR box to be able to record in HD (but I do not want to upgrade from enhanced basic to digital). I won't mind paying 1 price increase to rent their set-top box, but I really don't want to have to pay 2 price increases (1 to go to digital cable, 1 to get the box).

Thanks in advance,
Greg
If you can find one on E-Bay, the Sony DHG-HDD dvr will work without the cable box and on the analog cable, just like your tv. It is a hi-def recorder. Check out the Sony DHG-HDD250-500 AVS forum. That should help you out.
Michael

Comcast (in-town serving the Buckhead community) has been doing some changing of their digital channels during the last several days. This may apply to other Comcast systems around town. I've noticed the following changes on QAM channels that are not encrypted (in the clear):

BET Jazz has moved from 112-275 to 83-275
The Weather Channel now is available at 93-32
WXIA Weather Plus now is available at 108-4


- Harry

I noticed that now we have the wonderful feature of ads at the bottom of the guide screen. What a nice addition to my service. Thanks Comcast.

A quick question...My sister just picked up a 42" LG HDTV. Are the follow HD channels received over basic Comcast cable?

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

I noticed this yesterday. I wondered why everyone was bitch!ng about it then I see it takes a line of programming, plus can click it by mistake and then it takes you to a stupid message. This crap is annoying.

A quick question...My sister just picked up a 42" LG HDTV. Are the follow HD channels received over basic Comcast cable?...

Discovery HD Theater is scrambled in my area (requires digital classic or better) but the others can be received via a QAM tuner over basic cable.

I noticed this yesterday. I wondered why everyone was bitch!ng about it then I see it takes a line of programming, plus can click it by mistake and then it takes you to a stupid message. This crap is annoying.

Tell me about it. And the stupid thing is, if they had done it at the same time as adding an HD channel or two, I probably would have shrugged and said, "Oh well. You take the bitter with the sweet." But as it is, it's just one more annoyance with no concession to lessen the blow. *seethe*

Of course, they tried this for a few days last year and then quickly removed the ads again, no doubt after being flooded with complaints. So maybe that will happen again.

Unfortunately it's just Gold and Versus stuff, and they just show SD programming when not in HD.

I agree that they need to do something with BravesVision, at least put the TBS games there to free up bandwidth, or put Hawks, Thrashers or other local sports teams there.

I wonder when we'll get another channel. Looking at the line-ups for NJ, Boston, Baltimore, etc is making me jealous.


i agree, the Hawks, Braves, Falcons, Thrashers should all get time in HD on channel 755. currently there is nothing being shown on either channel. (braves vision/falcon tv)

this golf channel is a real waste.

I noticed this yesterday. I wondered why everyone was bitch!ng about it then I see it takes a line of programming, plus can click it by mistake and then it takes you to a stupid message. This crap is annoying.

Yes, but they also give you an option to get that line back. How to do that's in the stupid message.

Also, they now allow you to only display HD content by time, for all channels. No more SD. That's also in the stupid message.

Are you sure there is advertising in the stupid message ? I haven't seen any so far, but if there is none, I'll bet that's where the're going.

Not defending Comcast, but this could be just a software improvement, and they're showing us how to use it. But, I wouldn't bet on it for the long run.

Yes, but they also give you an option to get that line back. How to do that's in the stupid message.

Also, they now allow you to only display HD content by time, for all channels. No more SD. That's also in the stupid message.

Are you sure there is advertising in the stupid message ? I haven't seen any so far, but if there is none, I'll bet that's where the're going.

Not defending Comcast, but this could be just a software improvement, and they're showing us how to use it. But, I wouldn't bet on it for the long run.

Please explain how to get the line back... I read the message and all it does is tell you how to go into the setup menu, view additional air times, and two different advertisements for future shows airing. I see no option to remove the ad line in the setup menu.

Also, I do consider the "stupid message" telling me about other shows to watch an ad. Maybe you aren't seeing the same thing that we are in the recent update this week. After clicking Guide the bottom line is the ad where we used to have an additional channel listed.

Oh, and the HD sorting has been around since the last update a couple months ago.

I have never been able to get more than 5 lines of programming at a time, even before the stupid messages started. Recently, I started getting 4 lines and the stupid message, but one of the stupid messages described how to get the 5th line back.

Now I have 5 lines and the stupid messages.

I don't recall exactly how I did this, but it involved changing a setting to make each line narrower.

Go to the "Settings" menu and change the "Grid Height" to single and you'll get back to the five line guide plus the stupid ad.

Did that and got the 5th line back. Thanks for the info.

A quick question...My sister just picked up a 42" LG HDTV. Are the follow HD channels received over basic Comcast cable?

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

I'm not able to tune these in (low signal, blank screen) in Woodstock on parents
toshiba 50HP16 with QAM. (ant set to 'CABLE').

They have Standard (analog) cable (~$47) with no STB. ~78 channels.
Cable straight from wall to TV. They get all the analog ch. no problem.

using remote (9-2-100-2-1), tv reads 092-021

Do these HD channels transmit SD when not sending HD ???

And can Comcast transmit analog without sending digital signal?

Any sugestions?

Thanks,
Rey

I'm not able to tune these in (low signal, blank screen) in Woodstock on parents
toshiba 50HP16 with QAM. (ant set to 'CABLE').

They have Standard (analog) cable (~$47) with no STB. ~78 channels.
Cable straight from wall to TV. They get all the analog ch. no problem.

using remote (9-2-100-2-1), tv reads 092-021

Do these HD channels transmit SD when not sending HD ???

And can Comcast transmit analog without sending digital signal?

Any sugestions?

Thanks,
Rey
You should be able to pick up the digital cable stations. Some tvs require that you first do a complete scan for channels. If you have a good quality cable and connections you should get all of the local digital cable channels and then some. If not, your cable signal my be weak and need an amp for it. If you have an amp on it already, then it may be driving the digital signals to the point of cutoff. Only way to tell without a signal level analyzer, is trial and elimination. Or have the cable company out to check the signal quality both at the street and at the outlet were the tv is. My girlfriend in Woodstock is using Comcast and did have a problem with her Pioneer tuner in that the digital channels just dropped out. I used my Sencore Signal Level Analyzer and traced the problem to a bad splitter. Replaced and all working fine. Her system does have an amplified splitter. She has a very long cable run from the street, so her incoming feed is weak.
Michael

So brought my set home last week (I'm in east Roswell) and already had Comcast HD box. Do I benefit (more/better quality channels) from adding an attic antenna?

You'd get the CW in HD, which Comcast doesn't carry. PBS HD too, but I don't know if they're transmitting anything in HD.

You'd get the CW in HD, which Comcast doesn't carry. PBS HD too, but I don't know if they're transmitting anything in HD.

What's CW?

You'd get the CW in HD, which Comcast doesn't carry. PBS HD too, but I don't know if they're transmitting anything in HD.

Are you sure? I get CW HD on Comcast in Decatur, not that I'd ever watch it. :rolleyes:

There is no HD PBS station in Atlanta at the moment, much to everyone's chagrin. Word is either WPBA or GPTV will start passing though HD content again as early as this summer, but I'll believe it when I see it.

It's sad, because PBS could easily rival Discovery HD Theater if we could just see all the programming they produce in HD broadcast in HD.

There is no HD PBS station in Atlanta at the moment, much to everyone's chagrin.

I thought the same thing, but my friend who lives in a former Adelphia area in Forsyth county (recently gobbled by Comcast) gets PBS HD via clearQAM. I assumed it had to be a local PBS station. Maybe it is just upconverted SD, but his television showed it as 1080i signal.

Are you sure? I get CW HD on Comcast in Decatur, not that I'd ever watch it. :rolleyes:

I haven't seen it, either in clear QAM or via the box. I get the SD in channel 10, but if it were in HD it would be in 810. I only watch Smallville, and haven't considered it worth it to install an attic antenna just for it.

comfortable1, CW is the glued-together remains of WB and UPN.

I tuned to Atlanta PBS OTA just the other night, and it's still not HD. I recall that it was in HD in the past, but isn't now.

comfortable1, CW is the glued-together remains of WB and UPN.


Thank you... think I'll skip the antenna. Saved me a lot of crawling in my cold attic.

I haven't seen it, either in clear QAM or via the box. I get the SD in channel 10, but if it were in HD it would be in 810. I only watch Smallville, and haven't considered it worth it to install an attic antenna just for it.

comfortable1, CW is the glued-together remains of WB and UPN.
The CW channel on cable without the cable card is in the upper range of numbers. I think it is 80.201, but not exactly sure as I am not on cable but my girlfriend out in Woodstock is. She has basic cable, but gets all her local digital stations as well. I know 98.3 is wsb, 108.806 is nbc, 108.10 is cbs, 92.21 is fox. Do you not get these, or are you strictly through the cables stb?
Michael

Comcast has a digital simulcast of all their analog channels. That one is the digital SD CW feed. The locals that are carried in HD (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TBS, MYATL) have 3 versions, the analog, digital and HD feed.

Comcast has a digital simulcast of all their analog channels. That one is the digital SD CW feed. The locals that are carried in HD (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TBS, MYATL) have 3 versions, the analog, digital and HD feed.
You know, I think that you are right about the cables digital CW feed. I have noticed that watching Smallville on the digital cable feed that I had the bars at the top and bottm of the screen, but not when I switch to the OTA feed. Why woulf the cable feed be different for that one station? Does not make any sense.
Michael

Comcast has a digital simulcast of all their analog channels. That one is the digital SD CW feed. The locals that are carried in HD (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TBS, MYATL) have 3 versions, the analog, digital and HD feed.

The local digital is the HD feed. Sometimes the stations broadcast SD over their DTV signal, sometime HD (still mostly SD, but its getting better).

The simulcast is there so that folks with the newer DVR's that only have digital tuners can get all the analog stations too. In the case of the locals, it's the local stations DTV signals (converted to QAM). In the case of the non-locals, it's the digital or analog feed of those non-locals, QAM.

Comcast and the local CW station don't have an agreement to carry the DTV signal (Comcast has agreements with the other locals). Therefore, the CW is not carried in digital, hence no HD. On the digital tier, it's the analog off-air signal via QAM.

Hello everyone. I just bought an DTB-H260F tuner for my screen. I've got comcast basic. Right now I don't get a channel guide and the channels are all over the place. Is there something I am doing wrong? I was hoping to not have to watch channels through my vcr.

Hello everyone. I just bought an DTB-H260F tuner for my screen. I've got comcast basic. Right now I don't get a channel guide and the channels are all over the place. Is there something I am doing wrong? I was hoping to not have to watch channels through my vcr.
Isn't that tuner only for OTA broadcast and not for cable at all?
Michael

The local digital is the HD feed. Sometimes the stations broadcast SD over their DTV signal, sometime HD (still mostly SD, but its getting better).

On my QAM tuner I get 3 channels of ABC, CBS, FOX,NBC and TBS. Although they're showing the same thing, they're off by a few seconds. But when the HD channel is showing something in HD, the digital non-HD channel is showing it in SD. I always thought the digital SD feed was just the analog SD feed from the station sent digital by Comcast.

On my QAM tuner I get 3 channels of ABC, CBS, FOX,NBC and TBS. Although they're showing the same thing, they're off by a few seconds. But when the HD channel is showing something in HD, the digital non-HD channel is showing it in SD. I always thought the digital SD feed was just the analog SD feed from the station sent digital by Comcast.
SD is the standard definition digital signal of 480i. It is the mandated minium standard digital signal that can be set. HD is, of course is High Definition that starts at 720p and goes up from there. It is not required to be broadcast, but the stations do so as marketing ploy. Analog is , well analog, no 1s or 0s. Even though the cable says it it digital, they still have to send out an analog signal as well, otherwise a lot of people would not be able to get a picture.
Michael

Isn't that tuner only for OTA broadcast and not for cable at all?
Michael

No it does QAM too.

On my QAM tuner I get 3 channels of ABC, CBS, FOX,NBC and TBS. Although they're showing the same thing, they're off by a few seconds. But when the HD channel is showing something in HD, the digital non-HD channel is showing it in SD. I always thought the digital SD feed was just the analog SD feed from the station sent digital by Comcast.

Yes, you are right. My mention of "local digital" in the previous post in the sentence you quoted was in reference to the OTA digital signal.

Anyone else having problems with Comcast HD-DVR yesterday and today? I upgraded from HD Box to HD-DVR box and nothing has worked ever since.

I've had Comcast HDTV for about 3 months. No problems at first but for last three or four weeks, music channels in the 900 range keep having digital dropouts. It comes and goes on both my DVR boxes. Had COMCAST out twice and naturally, it worked better while they were here. I don't think it's in my equipment. Sometimes have a similar problem with On Demand movies. Everything else works fine.

Anyone have any ideas?

No it does QAM too.
I got my information off Samsung web site and did not see any mention of qam.
Its funny that Samsung does not mention a Qam tuner in their spec sheet or anything else about cable, only just about receiving terrestrial broadcast. Did find a review that had a small blurb on the ability to use with cable though.
Michael

I noticed today that there was no longer a message at the bottom of the schedule, and there were 6 lines of programming.

I guess we can hope this is permanent.

Hi. Newbie to the world of Digital/HDTV here, and I have a few questions that someone on this board may be able to help with.

My current setup is a Motorola 3416 HD DVR hooked up to my new JVC TV (HD-56FN97). I actually already rented the box before I purchased the TV, as it was worth it to me just to have the DVR (so, now, the HD content is just a HUGE bonus to what I was already paying for). I'm reasonably pleased (i.e. not nearly as many problems as many, so I count myself lucky) with the DVR, and we use On Demand quite regularly, so I'm not planning to get rid of the STB. However, since my new TV does have a QAM tuner, I'm trying to make use of it, as well. The only reason I can ever see using the built in TV tuner is for PIP, or the rare case where both DVR tuners are recording and I want to watch something else live (it has occasionally happened, like when I want to watch the end of a BB game but two prime time shows are about to begin recording).

So, I have connected the cable directly to the TV and scanned the digital channels. Now, I have a bunch of digital channels on which the TV thought it found something, but when I tune to those channels, I get nothing but a black screen. Interspersed throughout these channels are the ones actually carrying in the clear signals, which I can see fine. Now, my TV doesn't let me assign a label to the digital channels in it's channel memory (I have no idea why, since you can label analog channels however you like) so between that and the fact that probably 80% (just a rough guess) of the channels picked up by the scan don't actually have any picture, my built in tuner is almost useless. As I see it, here are my options:

1) de-select the channels that have no picture (I'm guessing that they're encrypted, so the scan picks up a signal, but the TV can't display), and keep a list nearby of where the local channels that I would ever use are. From reading this forum, it seems like these channels can be re-located somewhat regularly, so I might find myself having to regularly go through this big manual effort.

2) get a CableCard. I called Comcast hoping that I could get a card with no additional monthly charge to my account, since it's not another "outlet"; it would be used on the same TV for which I'm currently using the DVR. The rep told me that the CableCard is considered "free", since there is a $5.95 rebate that can be applied to any device (STB or Card). But, since I'm already getting that $5.95 discount applied to the DVR, I would be charged an additional $5.95 / month for the card. Does this sound correct, or should I call again and try to get a different answer from another sales rep? For the rare cases where I would actually use the TV's tuner, it's definitely not worth an extra monthly charge to me.

Any thoughts or advice?

TIA,
JJ

P.S. I have found this forum to be a TREMENDOUS resource in my home theater research, and I hope I can help others in the future as I have been helped by the info here!

I noticed today that there was no longer a message at the bottom of the schedule, and there were 6 lines of programming.

I guess we can hope this is permanent.

Hmm, as of lunch time today, I still had the "ad" at the bottom of the guide. Has the version of the software and/or firmware changed?

HD: WUPA (CW), A&E; NBC Universal, National Geographic, VERSUS/Golf (which is already up, although I have yet to see an HD show on it)

Non-HD: SOAPnet and Fox Reality already are working

Being Deleted: AmericanLife TV, Ovation, FalconsVision, Lime, the Selecto Music channels, and the entire Digital Deluxe tier of service.

HD: WUPA (CW), A&E; NBC Universal, National Geographic, VERSUS/Golf (which is already up, although I have yet to see an HD show on it)

Non-HD: SOAPnet and Fox Reality already are working

Being Deleted: AmericanLife TV, Ovation, FalconsVision, Lime, the Selecto Music channels, and the entire Digital Deluxe tier of service.

VERSUS - Bull Riding is in HD, haha.

Prices are also going up. Too many to type. Still no TV for me. At least my I-net is working, it wasn't this morning.

I can't stand comcast, ugh.

I own a Sony 50" LCD Rear Projection HDTV(with built-in HD Tuner) but when I try to view the CBS HD channel(108.10), the picture signal isn't very stable. I am currently subscribed to Comcast Broadcast Basic which gives me the local channels only. Is there anyone out there who may know a fix or tweak to this issue?

I am hosting a Superbowl Party this Sunday and would really appreciate it if I can get this fixed before then.

Thank you!

HD:
NBC Universal,
.

Is this the network currently known as "Universal HD"

I'm not sure if this network is the "Universal HD". I am new to the world of HDTV.

Any help will be appreciated, thanks a lot!

I own a Sony 50" LCD Rear Projection HDTV(with built-in HD Tuner) but when I try to view the CBS HD channel(108.10), the picture signal isn't very stable. I am currently subscribed to Comcast Broadcast Basic which gives me the local channels only. Is there anyone out there who may know a fix or tweak to this issue?

I am hosting a Superbowl Party this Sunday and would really appreciate it if I can get this fixed before then.

Thank you!
Could be due to loss of signal. How are you connected? Splitters, multiple tvs and or other devices. Feed through another device?
What do you mean by not very stable? Pixellation? Dropouts? dropped audio?
What about NBC may be 108.30 or 108.806? Any other digital channels that are doing the same?
Michael

Does anyone else seem to have poor reception on HD channels when the weather is really cold, like tonight? Seems really odd, but every time it gets really cold, I seem to have "spotty" reception. Maybe it has nothing to do with the weather?!?

HD: WUPA (CW), A&E; NBC Universal, National Geographic, VERSUS/Golf (which is already up, although I have yet to see an HD show on it)

Non-HD: SOAPnet and Fox Reality already are working

Being Deleted: AmericanLife TV, Ovation, FalconsVision, Lime, the Selecto Music channels, and the entire Digital Deluxe tier of service.


Great news. Guess they finally came to a contract resolution regarding UPN/CW. Great to see it.

I got a call saying the Outage is fixed, but ...

My On Demand and Guide still don't work. I can't stand this company. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!

VERSUS/Golf (which is already up, although I have yet to see an HD show on it)

the first two rounds of the Buick were in HD Thursday and Friday

HD: WUPA (CW), A&E; NBC Universal, National Geographic, VERSUS/Golf (which is already up, although I have yet to see an HD show on it)

Non-HD: SOAPnet and Fox Reality already are working

Being Deleted: AmericanLife TV, Ovation, FalconsVision, Lime, the Selecto Music channels, and the entire Digital Deluxe tier of service.

Got this pamphlet too. This is great news, although I feel like I'm looking a gift horse in the mouth when I ask where are Food Network HD and HGTV HD? I was virtually certain we'd be getting National Geographic and probably A&E and will be glad to have them. CW = Meh.

Universal HD is the biggest surprise and a great one. There is a lot of content I'm excited about there, including Monk in HD and HD reruns of one my all-time favorite shows, Northern Exposure. Might even start watching Battlestar Galactica.

The only HD content I've seen on VERSUS/Golf (even in prime time) was one golf tournament (I hate golf) and the NHL All-Star game (which was simulcast on INHD, so pointless). Like MHD and INHD2 (R.I.P.), a complete waste of a channel.

The only HD content I've seen on VERSUS/Golf (even in prime time) was one golf tournament (I hate golf) and the NHL All-Star game (which was simulcast on INHD, so pointless). Like MHD and INHD2 (R.I.P.), a complete waste of a channel.
There was another NHL game on last night (Rangers and Bruins, I think) and it, too, was simulcast on INHD. Yep, total waste of a channel.

Has anyone found a universal remote that's a good substitute for the silver URC-106XXXXX remote supplied by Comcast? I have a new TV and new AVR, so I'm desperately in need of a decent universal remote that can turn everything on, switch TV and AVR inputs for DVD, etc. so the wife is able to watch TV without me. However, 95% of the time I'm watching TV, I have the Comcast remote in my hands and I've gotten quite used to the feel of it and don't need to look down to find the most common buttons (e.g. Guide, Info, pg up, pg down, My DVR, etc.). I'm skeptical whether I'll truly be able to get down to one remote, or if I'll always have the Comcast one around for regular DVR watching. Any recommendations?

TIA,
JJ

Has anyone found a universal remote that's a good substitute for the silver URC-106XXXXX remote supplied by Comcast? I have a new TV and new AVR, so I'm desperately in need of a decent universal remote that can turn everything on, switch TV and AVR inputs for DVD, etc. so the wife is able to watch TV without me. However, 95% of the time I'm watching TV, I have the Comcast remote in my hands and I've gotten quite used to the feel of it and don't need to look down to find the most common buttons (e.g. Guide, Info, pg up, pg down, My DVR, etc.). I'm skeptical whether I'll truly be able to get down to one remote, or if I'll always have the Comcast one around for regular DVR watching. Any recommendations?

TIA,
JJ

The Logitech Harmony 880 (or really any of the Harmony remotes) is what you want.