I hear from previous post's that v7.10 also updated the firewire on the 6200's to help with XP seeing the box, fixed some audio issues and the HDCP. Im sure there are other things but I dont know of them...

Dug around this thread but couldn't find anything certain and also somewhat implicity asked this question in another thread (so far without response), so forgive me for asking something that likely has been hashed over already...

After my install, by box had the following:
TV TYPE: 16:9
DVI/YPbPr OUTPUT: 1080i
4:3 OVERRIDE: 480i

I noticed that when I'd switch channels from an HD station (pushed as 1080i) to an SD station (pushed as 480i) or vice versa, this would cause my tv to stutter momentarily. Basically it would black out, display a few random colored pixels, then reset to the new input level. A behavior I found to be annoying.

So I poked around and based on the manual, decided what seemed to make sense was to turn the 4:3 override OFF thus forcing all output from the Moto box to be 1080i.

What I noticed tho after doing this is that the Moto box started adding the black bars along the sides of a SD channel 4:3 images to fill them out to the 16:9 screen. This I find annoying as well, because I actually prefer to watch the 4:3 material stretched to my full screen.

What I'd like is for the Moto to give me a steady output level (1080i or 720p) with the picture always stretched to the full 16:9... I could do this on my HD200 (for D*) but can't tell if the Moto has such capability?

Anyone have any ideas or know any tricks to get my desired behavior?

Originally posted by haddock
Anyone have any ideas or know any tricks to get my desired behavior?

haddock,
There aren't any stretch modes with the motorola box. My Mits rptv works exactly the same when I switch between scan rates. It is a little annoying.

is there any firmware or firmware coming that enables hdcp on the 5100?

My 6200 just got the firmware upgrade from 7.07 to 7.10. The data screen says that HDCP and 5C are now active. DVI was and remains active, BUT every time my HDCP-compliant plasma screen (Fujitsu P50) is powered down and then up again, the display is blank. Changing channels, powering the 6200 on and off, powering the plasma on and off all has NO effect. Rebooting the 6200 by unplugging it and plugging it in again DOES restore the picture, but of course the on screen guide is lost and On Demand has to reload.

Any ideas?

CKarras

My 5100 does the same thing since it got 7.10. I have a DVI switcher and by cycling it to another input then back to the cablebox restores the picture. I suggest you try unplugging your DVI cable then plugging it back in. I have a Harmony remote and I added a command that cycles the DVI switcher after the system is on. Hope this helps.

Jaykelly

jaykelly,

That's really obnoxious! The DVI cable is NOT very accessible, and it's screwed in. I can always go back to component cables, but I'm annoyed. I wonder if the 6208s suffer from this problem....

I agree. I'm hoping that it's a glitch in the new firmware and that there will be a fixed version coming soon.

Jaykelly

Has anyone tried turning on their TV first, then turning on the 6200? That was a suggestion from a friend and seems to work.

That does not work for me. In fact, turning the 6200 on in any order does not show the channel--I have to change the channel to see what number it is set to.

Originally posted by haddock
...

After my install, by box had the following:
TV TYPE: 16:9
DVI/YPbPr OUTPUT: 1080i
4:3 OVERRIDE: 480i

I noticed that when I'd switch channels from an HD station (pushed as 1080i) to an SD station (pushed as 480i) or vice versa, this would cause my tv to stutter momentarily. ...

So I poked around and based on the manual, decided what seemed to make sense was to turn the 4:3 override OFF thus forcing all output from the Moto box to be 1080i.

What I noticed tho after doing this is that the Moto box started adding the black bars along the sides of a SD channel 4:3 images to fill them out to the 16:9 screen. This I find annoying as well, because I actually prefer to watch the 4:3 material stretched to my full screen. ...

Anyone have any ideas or know any tricks to get my desired behavior?
If you switch the override to 480p, you will not force 16:9 screens for SD content and you can stretch/zoom if you choose. I believe you will be able to see all menu options thru component as well. You might not be able to completely avoid the "stutter" however.

YMMV

Is there any trick to getting the DVI output to work on the 6200? I recently swapped my DVI-less 5100 for a 6200 (7.10 firmware) and I had a heck of a time getting the DVI out to work. I finally did, but after a week of use it has stopped again.

I'm starting to wonder if my STB is busted or my TV.

7.10 requires a HDCP-compliant display for a DVI connection, but at least with some HDCP-compliant displays a bug in 7.10 prevents the picture from appearing. The current workarounds of which I am aware are to unplug and replug the DVI cable each time the display is powered up or to switch to component cables.

I'm calling Comcast to request a fix, but it seems unlikely that the CSR will be able to communicate the issue up the chain (although she is really trying to be helpful!).

This is my understanding of whats happening.

7.10 activated HDCP for DVI & 1394 interfaces.....So your problem is that when you tune the TV off of its DVI input or turn the TV off before you turn the STB off it will not sense the HDCP "handshake" from the TV & default to sending an unauthenticated message to the TV, this default is for aprox. 30sec before it will reacquire the "handshake".

The Fix would be to turn the STB off BEFORE you change inputs or turn the TV off....Hope this helps

It seems like all you would need to do is reprogramm the macros on your remotes.....

Give Miatasm a tank of gas for that Miata!

Once the display is working (unplug and replug the DVI cable), to turn on, turn the display on first and then the cable box; to turn off, turn off the cable box first and then the display.

Maybe my box has a problem with the handshake though, because waiting 30 seconds or 10 minutes does not produce a picture.

I'll have to program macros for all this.

Communicating this to subscribers generally will be quite an issue!

The post here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3801728#post3801728) has a possible answer to the failed HDCP handshake issue. Hope Comcast can get this fix soon.

Originally posted by miatasm
This is my understanding of whats happening.

7.10 activated HDCP for DVI & 1394 interfaces.....So your problem is that when you tune the TV off of its DVI input or turn the TV off before you turn the STB off it will not sense the HDCP "handshake" from the TV & default to sending an unauthenticated message to the TV, this default is for aprox. 30sec before it will reacquire the "handshake".

The Fix would be to turn the STB off BEFORE you change inputs or turn the TV off....Hope this helps

It seems like all you would need to do is reprogramm the macros on your remotes.....

This "fix" is is not usable for those of with FP, which generally take a minute or two to cool down after powering off.

The real fix is for Comcast/Motorola to change the firmware to allow more handshake time. Any guesses of how long that will take?

I gave a detailed description of the issue to a Comcast CSR today. She was quite pleasant, but her only avenue of communication with people at Comcast in a position to do something is to report to her "team leader," which she did (answer: "Comcast just upgraded the system. We'll let you know when they do so again.") or in a periodic conference/training call. I don't think Comcast looks for much help from its customers through its CSRs. So, anyone following this issue with a USEFUL contact at Comcast?

(I also sent a detailed message via www.comcast.com. Fat chance THAT will be useful.)

That explains it. I'll have to set up my remote and give it a go. Hopefully, they can fix this soon (*cough cough) though.

It has completely fixed my problem AFAIC. Prior to the suggestion I was re-connecting my dvi cable (@ the 5100) each time I turned on the set or watched another input on my display. Even my wife can do it effortlessly.

Yes the 'most elegant' solution would be to fix the firmware but what a tremendously convenient 'work around'!

So, anyone following this issue with a USEFUL contact at Comcast?They are aware of the problem.

This is Motorola's baby.

I comfirm DaveFi's statement.

Originally posted by dozens
This "fix" is is not usable for those of with FP, which generally take a minute or two to cool down after powering off.

I should have never said that it was a "fix" this is more of a "band-aid" but its simple and it works for most users. So if you have a FP you'll have to wait for a permanent fix for this via firmware.

I'd like to update my macros until the "handshake" problem is fixed, and I'm wondering if anyone has discrete on and off codes for the 5100. Thanks in advance.

Originally posted by tmila
discrete on and off codes for the 5100.

No such beast for any of the motorola cable boxes. Sorry. :(

I will have COX install the STB 6200 this sturday, I want to avoid burn in. Some members said "set your 480 override to 480i or 480p, to eliminate bars altogether for non-hd channels ". How good the picture is compare with the build in stretch mode from the Toshiba set ?

I will have COX install the STB 6200 this saturday, I want to avoid burn in. Some members said "set your 480 override to 480i or 480p, to eliminate bars altogether for non-hd channels ". How good the picture is compare with the build in stretch mode from the Toshiba set ?

I will have COX install the STB 6200 this saturday, I want to avoid burn in. Some members said "set your 480 override to 480i or 480p, to eliminate bars altogether for non-hd channels ". How good the picture is compare with the build in stretch mode from the Toshiba set ?

Regarding the DVI problem and turning the tv off etc... I had Comcast come to my house last week and they were baffled. This seems like a real problem and a firmware fix needs to come sooner than later. Somehow I am thinking this won't happen.

Signed,
Waiting for 7.20

I updated the DCT Info Pages for this issue it is located under "firmware".

qpham,

The 6200 doesn't actually do any of the stetching. Setting the 480 override to 480i or p will allow your TV to stretch the picture. Some TVs will even allow stretching on the HD stuff, and I believe the newer Toshs' can do this......Click below DCT FAQ - Info pages for more info....

This new 7.10 firmware is a nightmare...

I have my 6200 connected to a WinXP Media Center PC via S-Video for most of my viewing... When I want to watch an HD show I switch my TV over to the DVI input...

Of course now this is totally broken... As soon as I move off DVI the "Content Protection" message comes up and I cannot watch the show... Only solution right now is to unplug the DVI cable and go back to Component (which ties up my last component input that the xbox was going to go into)...

Only just switched to Comcast when we moved house (used to have Direct TV) - Had a great 2 weeks on the old firmware and now... bleh!!!

Pdamiper,
An option is to buy a component switching box. Or wait until the next firmware. One cost's money the other cost's aggravation. I have the older moto box and the new firmware is working pretty good on that. I just hope when the 6208 DVR series comes to Mass they are not plagued with the problems that the 6200 has.

I have a 6200 HD Comcast box. I thought I would see if SD looked better on my plasma using the DVI cable. However, channels 2-99 show up as a blue screen with 'no signal detected' message. I have 7.07 firmware.

What am I doing wrong?

I just received a new 5100 that has DVI. Is the improvement in picture quality worth buying a cable and connecting with DVI? I know that DVI sends a direct digital signal to the TV but I've been pretty satisfied with PQ using component cables. From what I've been able to gather in reading other posts, is that DVI comes with it's own set of problems that at this time I might not want to deal with. I have a Tosh 57HDX82 that has a DVI connection and is HDCP (or is it HDMI) compliant.

Hi,

I just received a call from the FCC in response to my compalint about Comcast refusing to honor my request for a firewire enabled HD STB in the teh SF Bay Area. They said they are going to contact Comcast on my behalf. I'll post updates as they happen.

dartinbout,

You may be wasting your time. I went in to my local Comcast office and exchanged my 5100 for a 6200, as have many others in the Bay Area. It took some persistence and "persuasion"-- assertiveness definitely helps-- but it was done.

Originally posted by cvillacci
I have a 6200 HD Comcast box. I thought I would see if SD looked better on my plasma using the DVI cable. However, channels 2-99 show up as a blue screen with 'no signal detected' message. I have 7.07 firmware.

What am I doing wrong?

Do your SD digital channels work? (2-99 are analog channels). If not, then it could be that your TV does not accept the 480 format over DVI. Try turning the "480 Override" feature off so the 6200 will output HD format for all channels. To do this, turn the 6200 off, then press menu. Change "480 Override" to Off.

cvillacci

DVi spec does not do 480i. Set the 4:3 override to 480p and the analog channels should come through. Get to the menu to toggle the 4:3 override by hitting the menu button on the 5100 with the unit powered off.

There is a networking problem with the 6200/7.10 firmware.

7.10 doesn't like any non-compliant DTCP devices on the chain- it will turn off the video. If you have your PC (or other firewire device) plugged into the network unplug it and you should get your video back (I did).

Originally posted by salvador_dali
cvillacci

DVi spec does not do 480i. Set the 4:3 override to 480p and the analog channels should come through. Get to the menu to toggle the 4:3 override by hitting the menu button on the 5100 with the unit powered off.

?? I have DVI and 480i in the 4:3 ovverride setting. It works just fine.

So do I. I have been informed that 480i is indeed in the specs, just not utilized.

The 480i through DVI only works correctly on the digital channels on my Comcast system, not on the analog channels. They actually show a picture, but it's shifted to the left with still video from the previous channel showing on the right side:rolleyes:

480i does not work in the PDPs at least but 480p does.

I can't find a successful workaround to the 7.10 firmware DVI problem using the 6200 and my Z2. It was working great with the previous firmware.

I've done the turn on the Z2 first thing, the unplug the DVI thing, and the reboot the 6200 thing. Each time, I get that damn blue box with the death message, then lose the picture.

Has anyone successfully gotten a Z2 to work with DVI using firmware 7.10?

Originally posted by jplumey
I don't know why I even waste my time with Comcast. I called them today to try to get some general information about potential new channels and time frames for DVR and OnDemand and the woman was completely arrogant!

She said she knew the information but was not allowed to tell the customers. According to her supervisors, she "could get in a lot of trouble" if she were to even hint at the new channel lineup. When I asked who could give out that information, she said it was a different department. Upon asking to be transferred to that department, she said they are not allowed to speak to customers! What the hell kind of business doesn't allow their employees to speak to customers?

This is just another example of the poor customer service Comcast provides. I hope someone from Comcast is watching this thread. Even a cursory look through this thread will show the general disatisfaction and animosity towards Comcast.

Sorry to rant, but I had to get that off my chest. Cheers.

JP check your PM and get back to me.

THANKS!

David

i had the same experience trying to get info from a comcast csr. its not even worth calling them anymore, i just get aggravated. i find the answers to my questions reading these forums.;)

A few dumb questions that have been answered before, but I'm too lazy to look thru the 150+ replys. I'm getting my 6200 this week, the cable co. tells me the dvi is active, it is my understandind that if the dvi is active so is the firewire, correct? I have a Mits 55613 with Dvi hdcp and 1394, and a jvc 30000. 2nd question, the firewire may or may not pass the guide info depending on the software version? 3rd question, does the dvi pass the guide info?(all of my component inputs are full and if the firewire does not pass the guide info I'll use dvi for veiwing and firewire for recording)

No IPG on Firewire...IPG on DVI

Hello,

Does anyone know when 7.10 will be pushed to the 6208 boxes in the Harrisburg, PA, area? I would like to be able to record glitch-free 5C=0 (in the clear) channels to my Mac in order to save room for the 5C=1 (copy once) channels on the DVR's small 80 GB HDD.

Does anyone know when the external expansion HDD (hard disk drive) will be available? Does anyone know if they will be available for purchase or for lease?

Right now, my 6208 has f/w 7.07.

Also, I get on some channels random white squares that show up even on playback. These squares appear to be different from the tiling I am used to seeing. I will be talking to a service tech about this tomorrow but was curious to see if anyone on the board had any ideas about this.

Thanks in advance.

Do anyone have any news on the firmware 7.10 problem?

When & if it is fixed, do anyone of you believe I might still have a problem with my Sony KD34XBR2 and the DCT6200?

In another thread here @ "Comcast & Firewire" I wrote about my issue. It seems to me that my TV might not be even sending the 5C "handshake" that is needed.

Any comments, ideas or solutions?

Will we "always" have component inputs available in HD to receive HD signals. All my TV has is FireWire or component....no DVI.

Thanks.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
Hello,

Does anyone know when 7.10 will be pushed to the 6208 boxes in the Harrisburg, PA, area? I would like to be able to record glitch-free 5C=0 (in the clear) channels to my Mac in order to save room for the 5C=1 (copy once) channels on the DVR's small 80 GB HDD.

Thanks in advance.

I heard there was tiling problems for 30+ seconds when changing HD channels with 6208 & 7.10 that is why you are probably still on 7.07.

Originally posted by dozens
I heard there was tiling problems for 30+ seconds when changing HD channels with 6208 & 7.10 that is why you are probably still on 7.07.

I get tiling on 7.07 when changing channels fo 10 to 30 seconds when it happens.

DaveFi and others following the HDCP handshake problem with firmware 7.10:

Any indication as to when Motorola will have a new firmware release that will handshake better?

BTW, in today's conversation with a Comcast CSR (I try to call weekly, just for fun) the word was that Philadelphia will not get the DVRs until the Fall. The Main Line suburbs and Bucks County have them, even Lancaster has them! But not Philadelphia.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
Hello,

Does anyone know when 7.10 will be pushed to the 6208 boxes in the Harrisburg, PA, area?

Be glad you are on 7.07. I have 7.10 and wish is could revert to the earlier firmware. I can't believe this pos version was released without any qc work.

Originally posted by markhs
Be glad you are on 7.07. I have 7.10 and wish is could revert to the earlier firmware. I can't believe this pos version was released without any qc work.

I guess both f/w's are bad. With 7.07, a transfer to DVHS can be done without glitches on a 6208. With 7.10, the DVI handshake is messed up for some HDTVs.

I had a DCT6208 installed yesterday by Comcast and I am having problems with video dropouts using component cables through my prepro (Rotel 1068) and problems with noise (bright green 1 pixel sparklies) with DVI connected direct (but no dropouts). My cables are 30' long but I haven't had problems in the past using the component cables with my Denon 2900 DVD player or with the DVI cables with my Mac HTPC. I connected the 6208 directly to the plasma (Panasonic TH-50PHD6UY) via component cables rather than through the Rotel prepro and the incidence of dropouts decreasedbut they are still there. There is also some macroblocking. There are audio dropouts as well that seem to correspond to the video dropouts. The audio is connected by a Toslink cable. Firmware version is 7.10. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

If you record during the dropouts does the recording Playback show the dropouts?

Do the bright green sparklies look sort of like "The Matrix"?

If they do, its possible a bad cable. Did you have this cable previous to having the 6208?

Originally posted by CKarras
DaveFi and others following the HDCP handshake problem with firmware 7.10:

Any indication as to when Motorola will have a new firmware release that will handshake better?

BTW, in today's conversation with a Comcast CSR (I try to call weekly, just for fun) the word was that Philadelphia will not get the DVRs until the Fall. The Main Line suburbs and Bucks County have them, even Lancaster has them! But not Philadelphia.

I'm Montgomery county (king of Prussia) and we don't have DVR either. They say the fall last I heard.

"If you record during the dropouts does the recording Playback show the dropouts?"

I'll check tonight.

"Do the bright green sparklies look sort of like "The Matrix"?"

I'm not sure. I'll have to pop in the Matrix to check. They are scattered throughout the screen in a random pattern and just flash momentarily. They are small (1 pixel) and bright lime green. ...very irritating.

"If they do, its possible a bad cable. Did you have this cable previous to having the 6208?"

It might be a bad cable (Gefen DVI-D 30' @ $199.) but it works OK with my Mac HTPC. The sparklies are only there with the 6208.

Originally posted by CKarras
BTW, in today's conversation with a Comcast CSR (I try to call weekly, just for fun) the word was that Philadelphia will not get the DVRs until the Fall. The Main Line suburbs and Bucks County have them, even Lancaster has them! But not Philadelphia.

Can anyone confirm that the Mainline has them. I call weekly as well -- for fun :) . I am located in Lower Merion. I have been repeatedly told that the boxes are not available in my area.

Andrew

Originally posted by HT-Obsession
I'm Montgomery county (king of Prussia) and we don't have DVR either. They say the fall last I heard.

check your pm.

thanks!

David

Originally posted by asutor
Can anyone confirm that the Mainline has them. I call weekly as well -- for fun :) . I am located in Lower Merion. I have been repeatedly told that the boxes are not available in my area.

Andrew

Lower Merion is handled by Philly - it doesn't seem as if they are in Philly (or the areas handles out of Philly).

David

Anyone know when DVR is slated for the metro west area of Boston. I talked to a CSR a few weeks ago and he said he was being trained on them and thought they would come out in a week or so. Since then the CSR's have no idea when its comming out..

Had a no-hassle exchange of my 5100 for a 6200 today here in SF Bay Area community of Danville, CA at the local Comcast office. Told the lady at the desk I bought a recorder that uses Firewire, and she said I need a 6200, just bring in the 5100 for an exchange. I did, no problem.

Also, I asked her about the PVR, and she said they had received them but they were returned since they were single-tuner, and they are waiting for the dual tuner model. she didn't think it would be too long. Don't really know how well-informed she is, but that is consistent with the stories about the West waiting for dual tuner series.

Bill

I called and requested a firewire model "upgrade". They recharged me for the service call to come out and exchange the 5100 for 620X. They would not allow this to be a customer pickup item even though we already knew signal strength was ok, setup menu was known, tv compatible with HD, etc. They did provide me with a warning that copy-protection was active and "would this present a problem?" for me.

I requested 6208 but was told this wasn't available so I asked to upgrade 5100 and a digital plus box to the 6200.

On the tech's arrival (which turned out he had gotten the wrong info as he was not the originally scheduled tech), he hadn't brought the right boxes, I took a chance and asked him if/when the 6208 would be out as that was what I really wanted.

He said they were not advertising them here in the Reading, PA area but they were available as of last week. He drove out and back (warehouse?) and picked me up 2 6208 boxes (and one for himself I think :) ). Comcast won't be promoting DVR he thought until Dec when they plan to roll out the 6408 at that time. He did this with a smile and seemed fairly aware of the issues though he admitted most of it was new to him and he hadn't a chance to play with the DVR boxes much. He said Comcast didn't even have a brochure yet to give me on the DVR functions.

Overall, he was really trying to be helpful (and was) even though CSR had no idea, nor did they admit to the 6208 when asked/requested point-blank about getting one (a difference between "not-promoting" and not knowing).

It's too bad that the CSR's are kept in the dark so much. I pay a premium for service and a little information as to when new services and channels could be expected isn't asking too much. I don't need to know the exact date and time but a little more then I have no idea is expected. It makes me want to change over to voom more and more. Why is it that the tech can go back to the warehouse and grab boxes that the CSR's are so steadfast that they are not in service in that area? I don't blame the CSR but rather management for dropping the ball when it comes to customer service. They are not on the front line of angry customers and im sure very few complaints reach their ears. A little better organization and more information sharing would be better for customers and the CSR.

Thanks... Had to get that off my chest..

Tsunamii

I have been looking all over for this information Original I was told that the 6208 from comcast has no commerical skip, but upon furter reading forums and such I have heard that there supossidly the function is there in the Motorola 6208's but Comcast has the option to turn off the feature. Is there a set of Discrete codes for the remote that anyone knows of? As the original remote might have that feature built in and we could program it into our learning remotes? Also Im in Pottstown, PA area and the 6208 is a nice box for starters had no problems recording or quality of recordings though the Commerical SKIP and lack of Dual Channel capability are missed very much so, the 6408 are going to be comming out for beta tests etc also in summer I heard so Im going to try and get on that wagon.


Glennbo

Originally posted by glennbo
Also Im in Pottstown, PA area and the 6208 is a nice box for starters had no problems recording or quality of recordings though the Commerical SKIP and lack of Dual Channel capability are missed very much so, the 6408 are going to be comming out for beta tests etc also in summer I heard so Im going to try and get on that wagon.


Glennbo

Glennbo.

FYI - it's not the 6408 - it's the 6412 (120GB HDD, rather than 80GB HDD).

ENJOY!

David

As a change of pace, I e-mailed Comcast today instead of calling the CSRs to inquire when Philadelphia would get the DVR that the surrounding suburbs have had for about a month. Set forth below is the e-mail exchange that, for a moment, reflected substantive engagement before ending with a form message. I thought it might amuse.....

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for contacting us through our website.

Please go to the below link and fill in the requested information to be
informed of when DVR is available in your area.

<https://secure.m0.net/m/p/com/lea/p3.asp>

Thank you for your patronage.

Sincerely,
Quinton
Comcast Customer Care Specialist

**************************************************
The response contained in this message is intended for the addressee
only and may vary from other responses depending on geography,
promotional campaigns or other factors. If you are not the intended
recipient of this response, please delete this message. Any unauthorized
use or dissemination of the information contained in this message is
prohibited.
**************************************************

Original Message Follows:
------------------------
Dear Quinton,

Thanks for the further word. Given that my area supports the 6200 with
the
current firmware 7.10, I believe the hardware and wiring in my area
supports
the 6208. The two units are identical but for the DVR functionality.

I also believe that marketing and the availability of the 6208 (which is
in
short supply to Comcast) are the reasons Philadelphia does not have this
product. As such, I would appreciate hearing when DVRs are scheduled to
be
made available in Philadelphia.

Chris Karras

----- Original Message -----
From: "Comcast ECARE-NewCastle" <ecare-NewCastle@comcast.com>
To: "Christopher G. Karras" <cgkarras@nazg.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 26 2004 4:47 PM
Subject: Re: Re: Service - Comcast Cable Television


> Dear Christopher,
>
> The further testing is not with the hardware as it is known to work,
> hence why it is available in certain areas. The testing is against
our
> hardware and wiring in your area to verify it can be used without much
> backlash or problems in your area.
>
> Unfortunately, we are through with beta testing the service and are
now
> simply upgrading our network hardware to complete compatibility with
the
> digital equipment.
>
> Although, this is one of the reason that is delaying the DVR service
in
> your area, it is not the only reason. Marketing, availability of
> equipment and other things can be delaying the release in your area.
>
> I hope this resolves this issue to your satisfaction. If there is
> anything else we can help you with, please do not hesitate to contact
us
> at.
>
> Sincerely,
> Quinton
> Comcast Customer Care Specialist
>
> **************************************************
> The response contained in this message is intended for the addressee
> only and may vary from other responses depending on geography,
> promotional campaigns or other factors. If you are not the intended
> recipient of this response, please delete this message. Any
unauthorized
> use or dissemination of the information contained in this message is
> prohibited.
> **************************************************
>
> Original Message Follows:
> ------------------------
> Dear David,
>
> When you write "In your area, further testing of this product is
> required
> before we can make it available to our customers." it does not ring
> true.
> My 6200 already has firmware 7.10, which is one spin more than the
7.07
> needed for DVRs and the same firmware as is present in the Bucks
County
> and
> Main Line areas around Philadelphia that have the 6208 now. What
testing
> is
> required? I'd be happy to help test.....
>
> Chris Karras
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Comcast ECARE-NewCastle" <ecare-NewCastle@comcast.com>
> To: "Christopher Karras" <cgkarras@nazg.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 26 2004 3:59 PM
> Subject: Re: Service - Comcast Cable Television
>
>
> > Dear Christopher,
> >
> > Thank you for contacting Comcast in regards to DVR services and
> > availability.
> >
> > DVR is currently available in limited service areas but will soon be
> > available to many Comcast customers. In your area, further testing
of
> > this product is required before we can make it available to our
> > customers.
> >
> > As soon as DVR is available, Comcast will make an announcement to
our
> > Subscribers.
> >
> > Thank you again for your interest in DVR service from Comcast.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > David
> > Comcast Customer Care Specialist
> >
> > **************************************************
> > The response contained in this message is intended for the addressee
> > only and may vary from other responses depending on geography,
> > promotional campaigns or other factors. If you are not the intended
> > recipient of this response, please delete this message. Any
> unauthorized
> > use or dissemination of the information contained in this message is
> > prohibited.
> > **************************************************
> >
> > Original Message Follows:
> > ------------------------
> >
> > Name: Christopher Karras
> > Address: [omitted]
> > Address: Philadelphia, PA 19118
> >
> > Evening Phone: [omitted]
> > E-mail: [omitted]
> >
> > Category: Comcast Cable Television
> > Sub-Category: Service
> >
> > Account Number:
> >
> > Comments:
> >
> > Why is the 6208 DVR available now in the Main Line suburbs and
> > Bucks County, but not Philadelphia? Even Lancaster and Reading have
> it!
> >
> > ------------
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>

Chris,
Sounds like the response I get here in Mass... Does anyone know what Voom cost to setup? Even with the average service of Comcast, if they cant come through with the simple things, like when to expect something, then how can I expect them to come through on the big things.
I talked to a CSR last night and he didn't even know what Firmware was.. he asked if that was the name of the cable box I had,.. Aughhhhh. I know people are looking for work so how come the talent pool is so thin in this area?
An answer to customers questions cost you nothing and pays big dividends.

The only reasons I keep Comcast is the HD-DVR, and High Speed Internet. If not for those two products I would be Direct TV or Voom.

I read somewhere that the Voom DVR is going to be pretty cool. My wife watched a Voom infomercial with me over the weekend I think she is into it so long as she has a DVR or can keep our Tivo.

My thinking is to keep Comcast for basic or extended basic cable to keep the Tivo going, maintain the discount on High Speed Internet and, as a second source for PIP. Then go to Voom (once they have a HD-DVR) for HD service.

Dawgdaes, I may do the same. I too have high speed acces via Comcast but the discount for the bundle is starting to be out weighed by the lack of communication and horrible GUI for the guide.

Is there a set of Discrete codes for the remote that anyone knows of? As the original remote might have that feature built in and we could program it into our learning remotes?

glennbo,
What area are you in? I am curious about this because I have a 6208 STB with an Atlas remote and some other buttons don't work correctly. For example, the replay button which skips back about 15 seconds is inactive but when I hit "page down" i get the replay function. (Sorry, "page up" button doesn't skip ahead.):(

My 5100 in the Sacramento area got the 7.10 update sometime in the last couple of days. No DVI handshake problems (yet), but the box keeps turning off, and yesterday it locked up. Unplugged the power cable for a few seconds and all was okay.

I hope this isn't OT but do any of you Moto 6208 DVR people use a Harmony 659 remote with this thing? I have never been able to get the channels to respond correctly with my 6200 STB...I am getting the 6208 today and was wondering if I will experience the same thing. I have tried all the recommendations on remotecentral.com and harmony cust. service to no avail.

Linda,

I have the 659 with a 6200 and it works fine. I programmed it when I had the 5100 and never changed it when I got the new box. You might want to try that.

I have at 6208 and 659. It took some tweaking but I was able to get it to work pretty good.

The only glitch I have it the replay button goes to live TV if I'm in the process of recording something. If I'm not recording it works fine. And If the show has been fully recorded it works fine.

I will play with it more over the weekend. I wish there was a 30 second skip button. My 6208 is slow to fast forward even at 4x.

Originally posted by LindaLuv
I hope this isn't OT but do any of you Moto 6208 DVR people use a Harmony 659 remote with this thing? I have never been able to get the channels to respond correctly with my 6200 STB...I am getting the 6208 today and was wondering if I will experience the same thing. I have tried all the recommendations on remotecentral.com and harmony cust. service to no avail.

I've been using a 659 with the 6200 and I haven't had any problems.

Originally posted by rumn8r
I had a DCT6208 installed yesterday by Comcast and I am having problems with video dropouts using component cables through my prepro (Rotel 1068) and problems with noise (bright green 1 pixel sparklies) with DVI connected direct (but no dropouts). My cables are 30' long but I haven't had problems in the past using the component cables with my Denon 2900 DVD player or with the DVI cables with my Mac HTPC. I connected the 6208 directly to the plasma (Panasonic TH-50PHD6UY) via component cables rather than through the Rotel prepro and the incidence of dropouts decreasedbut they are still there. There is also some macroblocking. There are audio dropouts as well that seem to correspond to the video dropouts. The audio is connected by a Toslink cable. Firmware version is 7.10. Any help will be greatly appreciated.


I called Gefen and they said it was a bad DVI cable and gave me an RMA to return for exchange. However, I still have a problem with video and audio dropouts when watching HD channels with the 6208 using component cables. SD channels are fine and HBOE and ESPN seems to be better than INHD or INHD2. Some times it is so irritating that it is unwatchable, other times they are no dropouts or macroblocking for fairly long stretches. Is anyone using long component cables with the 6208?

I hope I didn't miss a post asking about this but I couldn't find anything on this problem through the 52 pages (60 posts a page) of posts.

I have a Samsung DLP HLN437 with a Comcast HD box (I believe it is a 5100 as I am in the Boston area). My cable box settings are as follows

TV TYPE: 16:9
DVI/YPbPr OUTPUT: 1080i
4:3 OVERRIDE: 480p

This allows me to see all stations using my DVI input. However, the problem I am having is that I receive NO audio at all when watching non-HD or non-digital movie channels. I am running an optical cable from my cable box to my receiver (Sony) and it decodes all HD and digital channels with no problem. When I switch to a local station like ABC or even MTV, I get no sound thorugh my receiver or TV (I also have analog audio cables going into my TV).

I can fix the problem by switching my TV to antenna mode. This is fine for my non-HD channels but it is somewhat annoying that I have to do this. Plus, I lose the guide option while in this mode. Also, when in antenna mode, I still get no sound out of my receiver for these stations (but the HD channels and digital channels work in this mode) Weird!

The Comcast installer called this in when I received the box and Comcast told him that this was a problem with the Sammy TV's. I've discussed this with other Sammy owners and they don't have this problem. I tried everything they suggested with no luck Since I was aksed to post this question here rather than in the Rear Projection forum, I am hoping someone can help me out.

I will gladly furnish additional information upon request. For now, here is what was suggested but did not work:

--Adjust the audio setting in the setup menu of the cable box

--Manually change my receiver from auto format decode to PCM

--Remove the analog audio cables and just use the optical cable

--switch to a coaxial to see if it works


Thanks in advance for any help.

Matt

Why would you having no audio through your DD reciever on analog channels from the box have anything to do with the TV?

You should get all of the channels audio through both the digital outputs, there is nothing you have to do to make this work. My suggestion was going to be to check the audio settings on your Reciever, but it seems like you did that already.

The fact that you have audio on Digitals tells you that the toslink port is working, the only problem could be in the DCT or the reciever. My guess would be the reciever not liking the Digital PCM audio being sent by the DCT. The only way to test would be to test another reciever, & / or swap the box.

miatasm--

Thanks for the response. The TV comment was from Comcast support telling me that I will need to switch between DVI input and antenna input because I have a Sammy DLP. According to them, Sammy's have this audio problem. No one else has heard of it so that is why I am here

I have another DD receiver that I use in my non-HD surround TV room and it works great with every channel. I will hook that up and give it a try. Looks like another trip to Cambridge Soundworks if my receiver is to blame! If not, another day off from work waiting for the Comcast guy.

Thanks again!

Matt

I understood that the TV problem comment came from Comcast support........but you do understand how that makes no sense, right?

Try your other reciever, (hope its not a Sony), and that should tell you where the problem lies.

Good Luck

LOL...yes...but I am shocked to learn that the Comcast doesn't know that!

Thanks again!

Where are you located?

East Bridgewater, MA which is about 15-20 miles South of Boston. The guy who did the install was a contractor for Comcast and admiited he hated setting up the HD boxes because he always had problems.

mpkelley20, I live in Mass also and Comcast does have the 6200 boxes here. If you find that is where your problem is you should push for it.

Tsunamii

Tsunamii,

Thanks for the update. I called Comcast and they told me that they could send out someone to upgrade me and waive the installation fee. But before they do that, they are willing to try and help with my existing box to see if they can help me once more over the phone. The woman I spoke to was much more knowledgeable than the previous people I've talked to so hopefully this will work until I get the new box.

Thanks again for letting me know about this!
Matt

Matt, Anytime.. My self I am going to wait for the DVR to chagne out my 5100. Im not having issues with it so im not going to mess around with that until its worth it..

Robb

So I reported earlier 7.10 on my 5100 was working okay - I lied. I use macros on my Pronto Neo remote and leave the cable box on all the time. when I turn the tv on and switch to the DVI input, I get nothing - no picture, no menu, no error message, no OSD from the TV showing the input name. Unplugging the cable box for a few seconds fixes it.

Originally posted by Dawgdaes
I have at 6208 and 659. It took some tweaking but I was able to get it to work pretty good.

The only glitch I have it the replay button goes to live TV if I'm in the process of recording something. If I'm not recording it works fine. And If the show has been fully recorded it works fine.

I will play with it more over the weekend. I wish there was a 30 second skip button. My 6208 is slow to fast forward even at 4x.
Let me know if you get it working by playing with it this weekend ;-) Well, for whatever reason, I cycled through the setup screens for the gazillioneth time for the 6200 STB on the Harmony website and viola', it works. However, it does seem to have a weak IR signal...weaker than the moto remote for channel changing.

Just an update to my problem with audio. After an hour on the phone with Comcast, they finally agreed to send someone out to check my box. They told me if it was a problem with the box, I would not be charged the 16.99 for the service call. After anoterh 10 minutes of explaining that the original tech had left me haging as far as installation, they agreed to do it for free no matter the outcome.

10 minutes of tinkering with the box, the service guy decided to try a different one. After the 15 minute wait time for downloading, evrything worked as it was supposed to. So in the end, it was the box afterall.

I only wish Comcast would have installed it properly the first time and had stuck around to make sure it worked. Oh well...at least it is working for me now.

And I was told the the 6200 with DVR will be available in MA in about a month or so. Looking forward to that!!

Thanks for everyone's advice!

Matt

Comcast will install the 6208 DVI for me next Friday. I am in Summit New Jersey. I have had the 5200 for about a year and it was upgraded to a DVI output about two months ago. Worked fine. The CSR's are clueless, believe me. They did not know if DVI was activated on the 6208, did not know what the RF configuration is, did not know whether HDTV channels can be recorded, in general they know nothing. I am prepared for a long, long learning curve. I ask the CSR if it came with a manual. Said no, its just like the other box.
I only use the 5200 box for HDTV via a Sony HS10 projector. I have three Comcast feeds off the pole. Quality of each is all over the place. I use one for Internet, another for regular TV since I am hook on the PIP feature. Hope the 6408 comes along soon so I can buy a HDTV with PIP.
Let you all know what happens.

Originally posted by TheViewer
Comcast will install the 6208 DVI for me next Friday. I am in Summit New Jersey. I have had the 5200 for about a year and it was upgraded to a DVI output about two months ago. Worked fine. The CSR's are clueless, believe me. They did not know if DVI was activated on the 6208, did not know what the RF configuration is, did not know whether HDTV channels can be recorded, in general they know nothing. I am prepared for a long, long learning curve. I ask the CSR if it came with a manual. Said no, its just like the other box.
I only use the 5200 box for HDTV via a Sony HS10 projector. I have three Comcast feeds off the pole. Quality of each is all over the place. I use one for Internet, another for regular TV since I am hook on the PIP feature. Hope the 6408 comes along soon so I can buy a HDTV with PIP.
Let you all know what happens.

You seem a little confused on what you are getting also.

Comcast in NJ never had a Motorola 5200, it is a 5100.

Did you mean to say that they were coming to give you a 6208 DVR, not DVI.

If your current 5100 has a DVI output then the 6208 will have DVI active, also.

You most likely DO NOT have three seperate feeds from the pole to your house. You could possible have 2, rare, but you could. Three is just not realistic. You probably have one to your house and it is split 3 ways at your home.

What good would a PIP HDTV do you if you had a 6408 (6412, most likely anyway)?. The Dual tuner in this unit is for DVR purposes only, it does not have 2 seperate outputs for each tuner.

One point I agree with you is that the CSRs can be clueless sometimes, but that seemed to be your only agenda & reason for posting.

I see you started a new thread in HD recorders forum, but didn't take the time to look at the hundreds of other posts about the DCT6208 & the SA8000 in those forums. Please try to use the search function for you answers. If you need a manual check the 6208 threads and they can help you more there than here. Or better yet check VOD under "help & services" they should have more info on Comcast DVR's there.

The 6208 can record HD, but again please post in the 6208 threads for more info on this....

I'm still a little confused on why you posted here, anyway?!?!?

Hi,
Ok I am confused. I really did look at the posts but still no luck.

I have a Flat Panel LCD with DVI .

How do I get rid of the blue message and then of course the signal dies.

I have called Comcast....

Is it box first tv second? disconnect cable at box or tv? I have seen all the possibilities here.
I just want to watch tv. LOL any help would be appreciated.

I had my 6200 replaced with a 6208 today. I am getting black bars on the sides on CBS and NBC HD. I set my screen to 16:9 and 480p override. Is there a way to fix this so I don't get burn in. I have a Toshiba 50H82 RPTV.

It seems like the analog and digital channels are more pixelated and noisy then the 6200 was. I have 7.07 firmware.

The guide / info is a little better, I like that is scrolls to the next program instead of the next half hour when you are browsing the programs while watching TV. You can actually see an hour on the guide now, but the screen is just split, so you can't read much of the title there are a lot of ...'s, so it doesn't help much. I would like to see a higher resolution screen, this box is suppossed to be so advanced, but the guide is 320 x 200. It would help a little if they got rid of the stupid ad's. The CSR rep said the dual tuner box would be out in the fall and the they are adding Discover and ABC soon in Atlanta.

Also, is there an easier way to control HDTV CC instead of turning the off the box and hitting menu? Why doesn't it work with my TV's CC options on the HD channels? The regular channels work fine.


Originally posted by MrMike6by9
If you switch the override to 480p, you will not force 16:9 screens for SD content and you can stretch/zoom if you choose. I believe you will be able to see all menu options thru component as well. You might not be able to completely avoid the "stutter" however.

YMMV

Originally posted by ken987
Hi,
Ok I am confused. I really did look at the posts but still no luck.

I have a Flat Panel LCD with DVI .

How do I get rid of the blue message and then of course the signal dies.

I have called Comcast....

Is it box first tv second? disconnect cable at box or tv? I have seen all the possibilities here.
I just want to watch tv. LOL any help would be appreciated. Does your flat panel LCD support HDCP encryption over DVI? If not, you're SOL.

It does not. But there are many posts here with workarounds since Comcast states it was an accident. I thought maybe someone would have a concise procedure to help it would be great.
Ken

The HDCP implementation was not an accident. The overall effect of the implementation, however, was an accident. The addition of HDCP should have been seemless to anyone with a DVI HDCP compatible set, but as we all know here, there has been some issues with that. The workarounds people have been talking about are workarounds to get the message to go away on HDCP compliant devices. Non-HDCP compliant devices will never get that message to go away as they can't do the HDCP handshake.

I have Charter and a 6200 box. My question is this..

When I am watching the French open in HD the picture quality is not as good as HDNET. I also have black bars on the sides. What can be done to improve this. The only mode I can get on this channel is Full.

Here are my settings:
16x9
1080i
480p

If you have Black Bars then it is not HD......HD is 16:9 only....

That's what I thought. Charter has sold me on NBC in HD. Does this mean that the French open is not in HD or is it NBC that is not hd. This channel is in the line up of my HD channels.

Thank you for your responce. I just got the TV+6200 Friday and I am very excited.

I got a call from Comcast district manager (SF Bay Area) on Friday, who asked when would be a good time to drop off a 6200. I'd filed a complaint with the FCC a few weeks ago and was contacted by them for clarification as to my difficulties in obtaining a firewire STB. They dropped it off at the appointed time and I elected to keep my 5100 and will turn in my DCT2000.
The rep said that after I hooked it up it would an hour otr two to DL the firmware. No such event happened and after looking at the basic setup screen noticed it was already FW 7.1 and SW 51.42, which I believe is the most up to date revision.

I hooked it up on Saturday and A\B'd the SD and HD picture and sound between the 6200 and the 5100. I saw\heard no difference between the 2 on HS10\Onkyo amp. I then hooked up the DVI cable to the 6200. Blank screen. No splash screen saying you must hook up an HDCP compliant device. In the 6200's basic setup. I see no mention of DVI. In the diagnostic menu, I see, "o device connected" (not "not inst". The HS10 is a HDCP compliant device. I've tried various power cycles between the the two. What am I doing wrong (if anything)?

Originally posted by hickory
That's what I thought. Charter has sold me on NBC in HD. Does this mean that the French open is not in HD or is it NBC that is not hd. This channel is in the line up of my HD channels.

Thank you for your responce. I just got the TV+6200 Friday and I am very excited.

Yes most of the time on any of your Digital local channels that are in that part of your line-up, they will primarily be in SD (Digital, not HD), But most of the Primetime programming is in HD.

Rule of thumb is that if the picture fills a 16:9 screen in the HD part of your line-up then it is in HD (sans ESPN, CSN & FOX) if there are bars then not in HD.....

Originally posted by dartinbout
I
... What am I doing wrong (if anything)?

Subscribing to Comcast!!!:D

Of course I'm just kidding, I have Comcast too. But it's frustrating that you have to rent their boxes and they do not provide any assistance. Their CS is 20 years behind. It works for the old lady who calls because her screen is blank and they suggest to turn the box on! For any tech assistance beyond that point... you're on your own.

Or you come here.....and get the cream of the crop in Technical assistance....& sometimes even by Comcast themself.....;)

thanks miatasm

I was watching CBS's coverage of FedEx's PGA tournament and it was in widescreen. The PQ was pretty poor. Is it possiable that CBS's coverage was not all in HD. Maybe only a few cameras were HD and others were not.
Any coments?

Wasn't watching it so I'm not really sure what they were broadcasting there.....

Originally posted by hickory
thanks miatasm

I was watching CBS's coverage of FedEx's PGA tournament and it was in widescreen. The PQ was pretty poor. Is it possiable that CBS's coverage was not all in HD. Maybe only a few cameras were HD and others were not.
Any coments? Yes, CBS seems to have only 1-2 HD cameras for covering golf events. The rest of the cameras are SD. PQ varies enormously depending on which camera they're showing.

Originally posted by ken987
It does not. But there are many posts here with workarounds since Comcast states it was an accident. I thought maybe someone would have a concise procedure to help it would be great.
Ken Enabling HDCP was not an accident. They do have some serious bugs in their implementation, like the 6200 not recovering properly if the TV is turned off. But clearly Comcast has no intention of letting un-encrypted data go out their DVI port any longer. If your display doesn't support HDCP, you WILL NOT be able to use the DVI port, period.

Originally posted by hickory
That's what I thought. Charter has sold me on NBC in HD. Does this mean that the French open is not in HD or is it NBC that is not hd. This channel is in the line up of my HD channels.

Thank you for your responce. I just got the TV+6200 Friday and I am very excited. Why don't you check one of the many online TV guides to see if a show is actually in HD, before complaining that it's not? A quick check of Titan TV HDTV Listings (http://www.titantv.com/ttv/home/HDTVUpdate.aspx), for example, will quickly show you that the French Open is NOT one of only two shows that NBC is showing in HD today.

Jimre,

Thanks for the web site. As I am a newbe I am generaiting questions all the time. I have done a lot of reading here, but there is just soo much I never even thought about.

Since the DVI handshake screwup, when I do get the DVI to work the picture looks like crapola. I get all kinds of noise across the picture. It's possible it's because I have the cable loose because I'm constantly attaching/reattaching it to make the DVI work. Anyone else having a problem like this? My display is a Z2 and I have a 6200 with 7.10.

I'm in the Seattle/Auburn area and have Comcast. We were at Best Buy today to buy a component video switch so that video games can be played in HD. Not enough component switches. The sales guy insisted that it would be easier and cheaper to buy a DVI cable for our Comcast box. Our TV and accessories are not in an easy to move spot. We have to disconnect everything just to check the back of the box.

I'll take any info/advice that you may have. Was the DVI a waste of time? Should we just return it? Once we hook it up, if it works, will there be menu things we have to do? Will the standard channels look worse/work at all? I'm not very technical and am starting to think after reading a few posts here that a component switch would have been a better deal. The guy at Best Buy made it sound like it was no big deal. Reading this post makes me think otherwise.

Originally posted by Kevin Golding
So I reported earlier 7.10 on my 5100 was working okay - I lied. I use macros on my Pronto Neo remote and leave the cable box on all the time. when I turn the tv on and switch to the DVI input, I get nothing - no picture, no menu, no error message, no OSD from the TV showing the input name. Unplugging the cable box for a few seconds fixes it.

So is there anything that we can do to get Comcast to get Motorola to fix this issue any time soon? It doesn't sound like calling the Comcast CSRs will do any good...doesn't sound like they'd even know what we meant by "firmware".

Originally posted by jsmbluecar
Since the DVI handshake screwup, when I do get the DVI to work the picture looks like crapola. I get all kinds of noise across the picture. It's possible it's because I have the cable loose because I'm constantly attaching/reattaching it to make the DVI work. Anyone else having a problem like this? My display is a Z2 and I have a 6200 with 7.10. I'm also noticing a few more "sparklies" on the DVI picture. Panny TH-50PHD6UY connected to 6200 w/ 7.10. But I couldn't tell you for sure whether this was happening prior to 7.10 or not. It's just that since 7.10, I've spent a lot more time up close to the screen, trying to work around the HDCP implementation bugs.

steen995,
If you don't have any problems with the DVI then I guess you are all set by now. If you do have issues and want to go back to your component cables you have a few choices.
You could buy a component switch box that would give you more component outs then you have now.
You could buy a new receiver that also would perform the same function as the component switch box for a few more $.
You could run it the way you have it now, provided it is working.
My self I am waiting for a receiver that is not a flagship that has DVI out with component up-switching and then just run the DVI cable to my set via the receiver.

Post Script: Xbox Rocks in HD!!!! Spend the extra few bucks on a wireless bridge if you don't have internet access near you setup.

Tsunamii

I've searched through this thread and found a lot of people, especially in Montgomery Co. MD, having problems with their DCT5100 boxes shutting down and resetting at specific times. My problem is a little different. I'm in Dekalb County GA, and my box seems to shutdown and reset sporadically after I select the Page Up, Page Down, or Last button on the remote. I can't seem to repeat the action consistently, but the box reset 4 times last night immediately after pressing one of those three buttons. At first I thought it was my Pronto, and that I had a dirty code or something, but then it happened two more times with the Motorola remote. Has anyone else had this kind of trouble? I'll go home and check the firmware version because I haven't done that yet. But is this a hardware problem with the box, or some sort of signal/firmware issue. We did just receive VOD about two weeks ago, and I'm wondering if that may have something to do with this new issue.

Thanks

For the DVI and firmware 7.10 Blue Warning problem.

My local Comcast Tech shared this with me. It's more of a handshake problem with Sammy's than most other brands.

Disconnecting and reconnecting the DVI cable works. To keep from having to do this all the time, when done for the day turn the 5100/62xx off first, then the TV. When turing on, the TV first (set to DVI) then the MOTO box.

Works for me.

Anyone have any info on how to program the universal remote that comes with the 6200? I haven't been able to find anything.

there are links in my pages below

OK, I had missed the part where it says the instructions are the same for the silver remote, just add 0. Thanks for the help.

Originally posted by Jeremy Tebo
Anyone have any info on how to program the universal remote that comes with the 6200? I haven't been able to find anything.

Which remote do you have? Check my gallery for a remote spotters' guide.

i also am having the DVI "problems"

i am noticing a blurred white vertical line that scrolls horizontal while watching HD channels (only notice when the picture is dark or you tune to a HD channel that is not authorized) with the supplied component cables

i hook up my DVD player with DVI, so i used used the DVI on the 5100 (no blurred line)

will "better" more "shielding" component cables make a difference?

I have the silver remote, I got everything set now. There is one thing that kind of sucks though - when you enter the "volume lock" code (to make the volume button change the aux volume instead of the tv), it also changes the functions of the number buttons to aux instead of the cable box. In other words, I can't use the number buttons to change the channel with that feature enabled. I guess I'll forever use 2 remotes. Anyone else run into this?

Originally posted by dartinbout
I then hooked up the DVI cable to the 6200. Blank screen. No splash screen saying you must hook up an HDCP compliant device. In the 6200's basic setup. I see no mention of DVI. In the diagnostic menu, I see, "o device connected" (not "not inst". The HS10 is a HDCP compliant device. I've tried various power cycles between the the two. What am I doing wrong (if anything)?

I didn't see an answer given to this problem, but I might have missed that reply. The 6200 with 7.1 has a problem with recognizing HDCP complaint devices via DVI. If you unplug and replug in the DVI cable while the display is on and set to the DVI output, it should work. Turn the 6200 off before turning off the display and turn the display on before turning on the 6200 and it should continue to work. At least that's how mine works. Should be fixed in a subsequent firmware release. Your versions are current.

Bill

I have a 6208, and the TV/VCR function on the remote doesn't do anything.

According to the Comcast brochure, "In the cable mode, press to bypass the digital cable converter."

I wish. I want to use this feature to send an RF signal to my TV for Picture-in-Picture, or to record one channel on the DVR, while watching another on the TV.

The 6200 had RF bypass selectable in the menu, under "Cable Box". On the 6208 it's set to "off" and I can't change it. Any ideas? (Other than a splitter before the cable box?)

I have Firmware 07.07, if it matters.

Originally posted by MadDogMike
I have a 6208, and the TV/VCR function on the remote doesn't do anything.

According to the Comcast brochure, "In the cable mode, press to bypass the digital cable converter."

I wish. I want to use this feature to send an RF signal to my TV for Picture-in-Picture, or to record one channel on the DVR, while watching another on the TV.

The 6200 had RF bypass selectable in the menu, under "Cable Box". On the 6208 it's set to "off" and I can't change it. Any ideas? (Other than a splitter before the cable box?)

I have Firmware 07.07, if it matters.


The RF bypass is not activiated on any 5100/6200/6208. All that works is if you have a coax going from the cable box to a VCR or TV, the VCR or TV needs to be tuned to channel 3. The device now sees whatever channel the box is tuned to. The only application of this that I can think of is if someone has an older VCR or TV that only has a coax input.


tim

Originally posted by jsmbluecar
Since the DVI handshake screwup, when I do get the DVI to work the picture looks like crapola. I get all kinds of noise across the picture. It's possible it's because I have the cable loose because I'm constantly attaching/reattaching it to make the DVI work. Anyone else having a problem like this? My display is a Z2 and I have a 6200 with 7.10.
I'm also having PQ problems since 7.10. Check out this thread
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3873519#post3873519
which has a picture to look at. How about posting a picture of your issues there too...

The DVI on my 6200 is crushing blacks badly but otherwise looks fine. I fiddled with displays contrast and gamma to reduce the crushing.

Bill

I currently have analog cable thru Comcast. I am upgrading to the Digital Plus with the 6208; A lot has been mentioned that you cannot watch and record a different channel. I currently split my input so that separate leads go to Ant 1 and Ant 2 and VCR. Can't I still do this before a separate lead goes into the 6208. The 6208 would then connect via Component to the HDTV. I could then record the digital signal and watch any channel that passes to the Ant A or Ant b Input. I realize these would be the analog channels 2-100. Is this correct?

That is how I have mine set up. We have two lines that come into the house "A" for premium channels and cable modem. "B" for basic cable. I have the "B" line split three ways (TV, VCR, Cable Box). The "A" line goes two ways (cable box, and cable modem).

Originally posted by sgtjim
I currently have analog cable thru Comcast. I am upgrading to the Digital Plus with the 6208; A lot has been mentioned that you cannot watch and record a different channel. I currently split my input so that separate leads go to Ant 1 and Ant 2 and VCR. Can't I still do this before a separate lead goes into the 6208. The 6208 would then connect via Component to the HDTV. I could then record the digital signal and watch any channel that passes to the Ant A or Ant b Input. I realize these would be the analog channels 2-100. Is this correct?

You are correct - but the situation is not as dire as you would imagine for HD anyway because you can watch any of your recorded shows simulatneous with recording a new one on the 6208.

Switch back and forth flawlessly - works great for me

I have comcast and I just got upgraded from 6208 from 6200 and I've noticed some PQ loss also. Also when I watch Jay Leno it has black bars on the side where as 6200 did not have it.

Originally posted by SonyHome
I have comcast and I just got upgraded from 6208 from 6200 and I've noticed some PQ loss also. Also when I watch Jay Leno it has black bars on the side where as 6200 did not have it.

Have you verified that the 6208 is outputting 720p or 1080i? Jay Leno in HD should not have black bars.

Originally posted by Mayor McCheese
Have you verified that the 6208 is outputting 720p or 1080i? Jay Leno in HD should not have black bars.

At least one of the shows this week were reruns from Vegas which were not HD.

David

Ok, I did a search and can't find a specific answer for this. What do I need to record HDTV from a DCT6200? I have Firmware version 7.10. I have both a PC and a Mac that I can use. Thanks.

Mike

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=353608
For WinXp, see this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3894576#post3894576

For Mac, see this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=386740

Go to the HDTV recording thread. There are many more topics. The biggest issue though is 7.1 activated 5C so many channels are no longer recordable and people are having varying success depending on your area.

Adam

Thanks. I guess I should have done a search for recording instead.

Mike

Originally posted by faceoff
At least one of the shows this week were reruns from Vegas which were not HD.

David

Oh, maybe that's what I saw. I take a look Monday. Thanks for the information.

Originally posted by talon73
I had my 6200 replaced with a 6208 today. I am getting black bars on the sides on CBS and NBC HD. I set my screen to 16:9 and 480p override. Is there a way to fix this so I don't get burn in. I have a Toshiba 50H82 RPTV.



The black bars on the sides of the screen is normal for non HD shows on HD channels. If you want full-screen, you'll have to go to the SD verison of the channel if you are worried about burn-in. I.e., you could be watching Law & Order in HD, but the commercials during the show aren't widescreen, so they appear in the middle of the screen with black bars on the side.

HTH

Low SNR?

Does a low SNR mean picture quality is poor? I just discovered the hidden menu, and noticed that SNR on regular boradcast run between 18-21. I've read where people get up to 30. Should I contact my cable provider? Is there any way they can boost the signal?

Is there a way to get 16:9 images through the S-video out on the 6200 (7.07)?
I'm trying to record (via s-vid) on my DVD recorder and all HD content is 4:3 letterboxed. I know this has nothing to do with the 4:3 overide because that is for component and dvi out. I also know this can work because I used to record 16:9 images from my sir-ts160. It wasn't HD, but it was 16:9 and it looked pretty good.

Any help would be appreciated

RJ

I recently sent an email to Motorola to inquire when they might have a fix for the 7.1 DVI problem...here's what I got back...

X-EM-Version: 5, 0, 0, 21
X-EM-Registration: #00D0530610D11A001B00
From: "Motorola Broadband" <motorolabroadband@telamon-corp.com>
To: "bobb@bellatlantic.net" <bobb@bellatlantic.net>
Subject: RE: Email Support for DCT5100
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 09:12:06 -0500
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 11 Jun 2004 14:15:16.0952 (UTC) FILETIME=[8526F580:01C44FBE]


Thank you for your inquiry,


The cable copmany has the ability to revert your unit to the previous
firmware, as they control what firmware is on your unit. This is not a
known issue as you inferred in your email. I will forward the information
on to our engineers, please provide us with additional information on what
type of telivision you have, wha type of connection are you using and any
additional information that may be usefull.

The email I sent described the problem I was having with the DVI interface, and that unplugging/plugging the DVI cable or powercycling the STB with the display turned on solved the problem. But from their reply, they're acting like they've never heard of this issue...

But from their reply, they're acting like they've never heard of this issue...

That's interesting, everyone I have spoken to at Comcast said that Motorola is aware of it and is working on a fix. Either the Comcast people don't know what they're talking about or the Motorola rep didn't have the info....

Does anyone elses box randomly shut off for no apparent reason?

I've never had it shut off for no reason, but my box is hot to the touch all the time. I wake up in the morning and check it, and it's almost as hot as it is when I'm watching TV. Hotter more toward the left side, where the power supply is. My previous 2 6200 boxes did this as well, where my normal digital box in my bedroom doesn't get hot at all.

Note I have my 6200 in a cabinet, with maybe 1/2 inch room on either side, 2-3" room above it, and plenty of room behind it - nothing in front to cover it. Still, it seems weird that it's drawing that much power and staying that hot even when it's off all night or all day.

Originally posted by jimeez
That's interesting, everyone I have spoken to at Comcast said that Motorola is aware of it and is working on a fix. Either the Comcast people don't know what they're talking about or the Motorola rep didn't have the info....

Does anyone elses box randomly shut off for no apparent reason? One of my 6200's would shut off for no apparent reason. Had to be power-cycled in order to turn it back on; it no longer responded to IR or front-panel buttons when in this state. I had Comcast replace it - no more problem.

I've been through three boxes so far and the problem won't go away.......

Originally posted by jimre
One of my 6200's would shut off for no apparent reason. Had to be power-cycled in order to turn it back on; it no longer responded to IR or front-panel buttons when in this state. I had Comcast replace it - no more problem. I went through three 6200 boxes that would freeze up a minute or two after I turned them on in the morning. I would power cycle them to get them unfrozen. Finally got a 6208 and it was fine for 2 weeks, now it does the same thing. I am going to limp along until HD-TiVo becomes more readily available then it is good-bye Comcast.

Originally posted by golfster84
Low SNR?

Does a low SNR mean picture quality is poor? I just discovered the hidden menu, and noticed that SNR on regular boradcast run between 18-21. I've read where people get up to 30. Should I contact my cable provider? Is there any way they can boost the signal?

Sounds like you're looking at the OOB (Out Of Band) Status screen. For Out Of Band, 18-21 is normal.

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

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

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

I've got a problem with video dropouts on HDTV channels from Comcast using a Motorola 6208 STB. The video goes to black for a second or two (sometimes much longer) with no loss of audio. Sometimes it is infrequent but other times it is unwatchable. It is on recorded HDTV shows on all HDTV channels that I have (ESPN, HBO, INHD, INHD2). I can rewind and it happens in the same places on recored shows. It happens when the STB is set to 1080i or 720p but is completely eliminated when I switch it to 480p. It was OK for the first week after it was installed but then the dropouts started. Firmware version has been 7.1 throughout. Any comments/suggestions?






POST #52 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Originally posted by rumn8r
[B]I've got a problem with video dropouts on HDTV channels from Comcast using a Motorola 6208 STB. ...

I have been getting these dropouts on all the digital channels, a bit shorter dropouts on SDTV channels. But I think that there is something wrong with COMCAST network. I have been watching some of the shows in split screen, with left side in HD and right side in analog, and the analog side never got those hiccups.

These dropouts has the same effect as using RealAudio or Quicktime on a dial-up line.

The sooner this 7.10 firmware is replaced the better.

I have a 6208 with Comcast in MN and I recently hooked it up with a DVI cable and I have noticed that once in a while, at seemingly random times I get 2-3 seconds of snow in the picture. The screen just looks like static for a few seconds. What could be causing this? The rest of the time the picture quality is great, on all channels. Oh, and the snow shows up on all channels too, digital, analog and HD. Also shows up when replaying recorded shows that were recorded previous to the dvi cable hookup, so I do not think it is a signal problem from the cable line.

Any thoughts?

It is a samsung tv.

Sounds like a DVI cable issue to me. that's what you get when you exceed the bandwidth/length capabilities of a DVI cable. What brand/type of DVI cable are you using???

Really? That is what I thought it was, then I asked my friend and he said, "Oh no, it must be something else."
It is a 6 foot cable from QVS. It is a "computer" cable. I guess I will have to get a new one at some point.

Yes, it definitley could be the cable. Try to get a "better cable" (no pun intended:)!!!). I hear Analysis Plus makes a great DVI cable for a reasonable price. I heard a report that one of those worked in an environment where an overpriced "high end" Monster Cable did not.

I've got a problem with video dropouts on HDTV channels from Comcast using a Motorola 6208 STB. The video goes to black for a second or two (sometimes much longer) with no loss of audio. Sometimes it is infrequent but other times it is unwatchable. It is on recorded HDTV shows on all HDTV channels that I have (ESPN, HBO, INHD, INHD2). I can rewind and it happens in the same places on recored shows. It happens when the STB is set to 1080i or 720p but is completely eliminated when I switch it to 480p. It was OK for the first week after it was installed but then the dropouts started. Firmware version has been 7.1 throughout. Any comments/suggestions?

I get a very similar thing with audio drop-out that seems to happen more at the end of programs. At the fade to black to roll credits for example. I am on FW 7.07 using component video cables to my Panny CRT-RPTV. Is there an easy way to check my signal strength without a service call to Comcast?

Originally posted by Chuck Mullen
I get a very similar thing with audio drop-out that seems to happen more at the end of programs. At the fade to black to roll credits for example. I am on FW 7.07 using component video cables to my Panny CRT-RPTV. Is there an easy way to check my signal strength without a service call to Comcast?

I get the same thing sometimes. (I also have FW 7.07) You can check your signal strength on the diagnostics page. Tune to the HD channel in question. Turn the STB off, then quickly hit the "OK/Select" button. Scroll to "Inband Status". It shows your SNR, AGC and errors. It was no help to me, as all my indications are good, yet I still have the problems. Mostly, I get the breakups & blocking when watching "In Theaters" on INHD or INHD2, for some reason. Most other programs & channels are fine.

Hi All,

I've pretty much read this thread from top to bottom (all 150 + pg's) mainly looking for information on the DVI/HDCP 7.1 firmware issue. My local comcast CSR's/Tech's had no clue about this issue. I went through three boxes (which I'm told, after three calls for the same issue.. the issue gets reverted to a 'Field Tech Supervisor')..so we may be in the right direction with getting a new firmware. :rolleyes:

There is one Comcast man I spoke to by the name of John Emond- Field Technician Supervisor- (he supposedly can be reached at 1-978-692-1906) he was the first person I got through to at Comcast that ACTUALLY is "fully aware" of the firmware/DVI issue with the 5100/6200 boxes. He said that they expect a fix/patch in the next 2-3 weeks... however, given Comcast's reputation, I wouldn't be surprised if the 2-3 weeks turns into months... :confused:

My field technician told me to adivse anyone having this issue to call Comcast CSR or this man directly... they still believe it is somewhat of an isolated issue... which, clearly, it is not.

I figured I would let everyone know. If anyone out there has had any success, ideas, or questions, related to the DVI issue, please get back to me!

I'm currently using the DCT6200 with the dreaded 7.10 firmware and a Mits 48613 which if fully HDCP compliant...

Just Left John Emond a vm with word that I have the HDCP handshake issue with my Fujitsu plasma and the 6200 box on 7.10. You can indeed reach him at 978/692-1906 x2030.

This isn't a Comcast problem. This is an issue in the 7.10 firmware that is a known bug by Motorola, who maintains and releases firmware to all cable companies. So don't expect Comcast to be able to fix this problem until Motorola has released a new firmware and Comcast has tested it to make sure it doesn't totally kill customer boxes.

Agreed, Moto needs to fix 7.10 for the HDCP handshake issue, but it will be priority for Moto to do so only if it's customer applies pressure, and Comcast is Moto's customer. That's why we should help Comcast to understand that this is an issue for us. In a nice way, of course. The CSR I spoke with weeks ago on this topic was quite bright and really wanted to help, but she had no effective means of communicating with the tech people at Comcast even to tell them there was an issue.....

I entirely agree... this problem leaves us customers with the issue stuck between two giant companies... Comcast and Motorola...

I contacted Motorola, they denied the issue repeatedly saying this is the first they have heard of it and that if in fact there is an issue to call Comcast, as they own the boxes..

When calling Comcast, after many weeks of getting them to ACCEPT the fact that there is an issue, they said, "It is a motorola issue"...

so where does this leave us? The consumer?

I suggest we continue to call Comcast and John Emond (as so far he is the only Comcast employee to a) admit the issue exists and b )knows somewhat of the issue and what he is talking about.

He can be reached at 978/692-1906 x2030 (thanks CKarras for the Xtn)

Any other thoughts? I am curious as to how many people are having this issue?

J-

Comcast called last Friday 'in reply to an online email asking about DVR' then came out this past Monday to install my 6208. However after a few days I still have 7.07 as the firmware.

This just as an fyi. I'm in Newton...just next to Boston.

Believe me when I say Comcast in NE is well aware of this issue. I've spoken with several of the engineers responsible for handling the digital platform, they have assured me a fix is in the works by Motorola. However, they cannot offer an ETA as they need to wait for Motorola to release it and then Comcast to run it through some quick testing to make sure there are no show stoppers. Calling that tech supervisor isn't going to help speed things along any... you'll just be frustrating yourselves. Oh... and in talking with some of these engineers, they do monitor these boards on a daily basis and are aware of any issues we bring up.

Originally posted by ScoopsHD
Oh... and in talking with some of these engineers, they do monitor these boards on a daily basis and are aware of any issues we bring up.

Here's something the engineers SHOULD worry about:

Why is there a communications line thinner than a human hair between the engineers/technical staff and customer support at Comcast? Customer service reps at Comcast make the stapler loving fool in "Office Space"...and the manager...look like freakin' Einstein. It takes about 5 phone calls in my experience to finally get a final PRELIMINARY answer on any topic like say active firewire ports, because you can AVERAGE the answers...and then I have to come on here to see if they were right.

If you don't believe me oh mighty technical guys/gals at Comcast....look at my calling record. CSRs do not...EVER...get it right the first....or second...third...fourth....or fifth time in my experience. Maybe its the unions here in Chicago...but if so I highly recommend firing everybody and employing gerbils. They would be more useful. Not too hard to figure out my last name from my name on this forum....

Originally posted by ivsimler
Why is there a communications line thinner than a human hair between the engineers/technical staff and customer support at Comcast?

All hyperbole aside, based on the conversations I have had with Comcast CSRs there is NO communication between them and the tech staff or executives. It makes this Forum all the more important!

i gave up on the regular csr's a while back. always talk to an HD/DVR rep, they're mote likely to know their stuff. as far as the firmware, i hope (7.14) or whatever they'll call it, takes care of the pixelation issues with the HDD when changing through HD channels. would hate to have to wait for another release. though they'll no doubt have to get that fixed before any hard launch in the coming months.

DVI Cable Question: I just got a 6200 and have no idea what kind of DVI cable I need to buy - I went into a store and they said they had a number of DVI cable types, so I went away empty handed.

Or better still if someone has a specific cable manufacturer (plus link!!) that would be awesome!

-Stevo

I hope Moto fixes the HDCP problem before they fix the tiling problem. I would love to see both fix in the next firmware release.

Originally posted by StevoDevo
DVI Cable Question: I just got a 6200 and have no idea what kind of DVI cable I need to buy - I went into a store and they said they had a number of DVI cable types, so I went away empty handed.

Or better still if someone has a specific cable manufacturer (plus link!!) that would be awesome!

-Stevo

It also depends on what kind of DVI socket you have on your TV. Usually you would need a DVI-D male/male cable. You can check pacificcables.com, they have good products, good prices, and a full explanation with pictures of all types of DVI cable/plug.
Hope this helps

Originally posted by dozens
I hope Moto fixes the HDCP problem before they fix the tiling problem. I would love to see both fix in the next firmware release.

Seems like most people assume that the cable box is the problem...just devil's advocate, but isn't it possible the TV's having problems not have implemented HDCP correctly???

Hi, I am new to HD. I just had Comacast become available in my area. I have a Moto 6200 box. The HD channels look GREAT! The problem is that the regular and digital cable channels don't look so hot :(
The picture looks better when I bypass the box and run the cable into the TV, so I am thinking the box is some how messing up my picture quality. I am reading the posts here about firmware, how do I check to see which version I have? I also assume there is some sort of hidden user menu? How do I get into and then back out of that?
Thanks for any help!
P.S. I have a Mitsu ws55411

Originally posted by BullittMustang
The HD channels look GREAT! The problem is that the regular and digital cable channels don't look so hot :(
The picture looks better when I bypass the box and run the cable into the TV, so I am thinking the box is some how messing up my picture quality.
Absolutely, you are correct. I've had the same hookup for quite some time. I use the box for hd only. The only other option is to use svideo out of the box for non-hd material, that way you can get all of your digital channels higher than 99.

If you start paging backwards through these posts you'll find a link to a motorola 5100 faq. It also contains new motorola hd box info.

Originally posted by dbrouda
Seems like most people assume that the cable box is the problem...just devil's advocate, but isn't it possible the TV's having problems not have implemented HDCP correctly???
Certainly possible with different setups. But several people/sources (including motorola and comcast) have confirmed that the motorola firmware has a handshake problem.

OK, What is the "handshake" problem? I did check the config menu and I have firmware 7.07

a "handshake" occurs when a DVI/HDMI STB and an appropriate device, communicate with each other, exchange info (including a "key") that then allows a digital HD signal to be communicated (which is encrypted to prevent thieft). This is the "simplified" version. More details can be had if you are interested...

The problem occurs if one of the 2 devices loses the signal. They then have to "re-talk" with each other causing momentary drop-out of the signal (if they find each other at all).

i'm getting an update to my firmware even as i type. any idea what this ones for?

Originally posted by vincatzero
i'm getting an update to my firmware even as i type. any idea what this ones for?


What firmware version do you have now, and if it's higher than 7.10 where are you?

If it's not higher than 7.10 you can check the FAQ's for info.

Thank you.

I am assuming that Comcast pushed out some update in the last week or so because my 5100 is no longer defaulting to 008 on power up and is returning to the station that I was last on...great...however, ever since I have noticed a considerable reduction in quality, pixelation, video-noise specifically on all of the HD channels. I am in the South Jersey region and was wondering if anyone else had noticed and changes. I am going to call to see if I can swap out the 5100 for another or possibly a 6208 if they ever become available in my area.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Absolutely, you are correct. I've had the same hookup for quite some time. I use the box for hd only. The only other option is to use svideo out of the box for non-hd material, that way you can get all of your digital channels higher than 99.

Why S-video? Does that do better on SD material than component for some reason?

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Absolutely, you are correct. I've had the same hookup for quite some time. I use the box for hd only. The only other option is to use svideo out of the box for non-hd material, that way you can get all of your digital channels higher than 99.


What TV are you using? I notice a considerable improvement between going from antenna to S-Video to DVI on my Samsung 43" DLP -- I watch all of my TV through DVI. We watch ABC/NBC/CBS on the HD channels anyway, and there aren't many regular statitons (non-HD, non-Digital) that we watch at all.

Although, before I realized I needed to turn on 4:3 override to 480p or off, it was on default at 480i, and looked very bad through DVI (DVI doesn't do 480i well at all). So I used to switch to DVI for HD channels, and use S-Video (still better than antenna) for other channels. But once I switched 4:3 override, I watch all channels on DVI and leave my S-Video for PIP purposes.

Originally posted by MadDogMike
Why S-video? Does that do better on SD material than component for some reason?

Yes, its a component thing. Through components, the hd channels look great, the digital channels look so so at best and the analogs (2-99) are terrible.

Originally posted by cyberbri
What TV are you using? I notice a considerable improvement between going from antenna to S-Video to DVI on my Samsung 43" DLP -- I watch all of my TV through DVI. We watch ABC/NBC/CBS on the HD channels anyway, and there aren't many regular statitons (non-HD, non-Digital) that we watch at all.

Although, before I realized I needed to turn on 4:3 override to 480p or off, it was on default at 480i, and looked very bad through DVI (DVI doesn't do 480i well at all). So I used to switch to DVI for HD channels, and use S-Video (still better than antenna) for other channels. But once I switched 4:3 override, I watch all channels on DVI and leave my S-Video for PIP purposes.

A mits 65869. It is strictly a "component" problem on widescreen tvs. The quality problem stands out more and more the wider your screen is. On a 65" it is unbearable.

The reason I use antenna instead of svideo is strictly a convenience thing.

Ahh. They look okay on my 43" DLP, although we don't watch locals much, except on their HD versions. Sometimes Bravo or some of the news networks, but they look pretty decent through DVI on our set. I can imagine, though, blowing it up that much more (22" more diagonally than ours...)

cyberbri, How do you change the 4:3 over ride setting? I have a 6200 box.
It is hooked up with compoment cables to a 55" Mits widescreen. Will that box pass regular analog channels 2-99 in 480p? If it is defaulted to 480i will the picture look better if I change it? Can you tell me how to get into and out of the menus to check and maybe change my settings?
Thanks for any help!

Originally posted by BullittMustang
cyberbri, How do you change the 4:3 over ride setting? I have a 6200 box.
It is hooked up with compoment cables to a 55" Mits widescreen. Will that box pass regular analog channels 2-99 in 480p? If it is defaulted to 480i will the picture look better if I change it? Can you tell me how to get into and out of the menus to check and maybe change my settings?
Thanks for any help!

Turn off the box, then hit Menu on the remote. In this settings menu, you can turn closed caption on/off, and set your display type:

4:3 Pan/Scan, 4:3 Letterbox, 16:9
YCrCb output as: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i
4:3 override as: off, 480i, 480p

If you set the override to 480i, they will go straight through as 480i signals, no conversion till the TV (this isn't an option for me, because 480i doesn't work over DVI). If you set override to 480p, the 6200 will de-interlace the signal and change it to 480p to send to the TV. On my TV, channels default to WideTV aspect ratio, but I can change that as well (again, this is on my DVI input on my TV).

I can't comment whether it will look better or not, as I use DVI, not component cables, and have a 43" DLP, not a 55" Mitsubishi whatever. Pick a couple of channels you watch the most (or better yet, programs you watch the most), and try different override and display/stretch setting combinations to see what works best.

HTH

If you have questions about your Moto STB first visit:MOTOROLA DCT High Definition INFORMATION PAGES (http://cjhengineering.com/DCTHDFAQ.htm) You'll find most of your questions answered in detail.

I have read the linked FAQs and still am wondering if there is a simple answer. Comcast cannot communicate with my 5100 in order to upgrade my service to add expanded and digital. Have unplugged twice while they tried to re-initialize. The cable is only split once (to my cable modem) and I am only 10 feet from the drop. They say that I need a tech visit as it is a signal strength issue.

Your thoughts?

bigdomer,
I recently had a problem with Comcast that might be similar to yours. After swapping my box for a newer 6200, I was only able to see analog (2-99) channels. CSR tried a bunch of times to send a fresh signal to the box without success. I had to wait half an hour every time and call them back. Finally, since they were sending out a tech (in 5 days?????), I asked if they weren't able to do a "hard reset" for the box (I knew it was possible), and although reluctant, the CSR agreed and it worked in 2 seconds!
You can also check the 5100 diagnostic menu (power off then OK) to see if the signal strenght is actually a problem, but I would guess it's not.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bigdomer
[B]I have read the linked FAQs and still am wondering if there is a simple answer. Comcast cannot communicate with my 5100 in order to upgrade my service to add expanded and digital.

This might be off the subject but when Comcast upgraded to In Demand here in Jacksonville, FL is was supposed to be "automatic". Did not happen that way. I had to call in got correct tech that asked me questions which I have since forgot. He then said hang up and in 30 minutes the download would start. Sure nuff, it started and you could see it on the Led display. "In demand" now works however I do not like it but that is just me.

Originally posted by renpar61
bigdomer,
I recently had a problem with Comcast that might be similar to yours. After swapping my box for a newer 6200, I was only able to see analog (2-99) channels. CSR tried a bunch of times to send a fresh signal to the box without success. I had to wait half an hour every time and call them back. Finally, since they were sending out a tech (in 5 days?????), I asked if they weren't able to do a "hard reset" for the box (I knew it was possible), and although reluctant, the CSR agreed and it worked in 2 seconds!
You can also check the 5100 diagnostic menu (power off then OK) to see if the signal strenght is actually a problem, but I would guess it's not.
I also have had similar problems and the hard reset worked. They won't automaticlly try it for some reason, so you should insist.

Mickey

I posted a while back about having some trouble with "snow" appearing momentaraly while useing the DVI out on my 6208. The thought at first was that it was a problem with the cable as it was a cheap cable for computer monitors. But now I have a big beefy DVI-D from Analysis Plus and I am still having the problem. Every once in a while the screen goes all snowy for just a second or two, and if I replay through the same spot it is not snowy. Could this be the handshake problem that everyone is talking about?

Thanks.

I have the same problem with a 6200 except that it doesn't last a second or two. I have to turn the box off and back on. In my case it happens only on non-HD channels when the box 4:3 override is set to 480p. I started a thread a couple of weeks ago about this but had no replies, and started thinking it's a problem with my box.

I was having problems with my 6200 not getting 195 and 196 (INHD and INHD2), even though I could still hear the audio on my little TV in my bedroom through the regular digital cable box.

So I took exchanged the 6200 for another one, and I got 195 and 196, but instead the same 1-2 second snowy picture on DVI 480p override started happening... You're not alone.

Originally posted by renpar61
I have the same problem with a 6200 except that it doesn't last a second or two. I have to turn the box off and back on. In my case it happens only on non-HD channels when the box 4:3 override is set to 480p. I started a thread a couple of weeks ago about this but had no replies, and started thinking it's a problem with my box.


I have the same exact issue. It happens randomly and you can't reproduce it. I thought it was the tv.

Another great feature of 7.10 !

Originally posted by heynow00


Another great feature of 7.10 !

That is exactly what I am thinking.

Originally posted by renpar61
I have the same problem with a 6200 except that it doesn't last a second or two. I have to turn the box off and back on. In my case it happens only on non-HD channels when the box 4:3 override is set to 480p. I started a thread a couple of weeks ago about this but had no replies, and started thinking it's a problem with my box.

BTW - for the snow issue (like the handshake issue), you shouldn't have to kill the power to the 6200 box. Just disconnect the DVI cable from the back of the 6200, then reconnect the cable, assuming you can get to it easily.

I am NEW to the world of HDTV and Comcast Cable using their DCT 6200 Receiver - I have been unpleasatly surprised to find out that my Local ABC and NBC and WGN are broadcasting in a non-FULL, like 4x3, on their HDTV stations. There are black bands on each side of the picture. I called Cmcast to inquire and was told that - that is the way they receive the signal and I need to call the Broadcasters about that. I have sent EMails - but N0 responses. I have a 46" Toshiba and it or the Broadcast or the 6200 will not allow me to "stretch" that picture - if I try it says "N0T AVAILABLE". I have tried changing the 4x3 settings in the 6200 Setup - but nothing seems to work. I noticed last night that when the actual program started on NBC the format then switched to 16x9 full screen.
Does anyone know of a work around on this?

TKS Michael:confused:

Are you connected to your 46" using a DVI connector or component?

Originally posted by cyberized
I am NEW to the world of HDTV and Comcast Cable using their DCT 6200 Receiver - I have been unpleasatly surprised to find out that my Local ABC and NBC and WGN are broadcasting in a non-FULL, like 4x3, on their HDTV stations. There are black bands on each side of the picture. I called Cmcast to inquire and was told that - that is the way they receive the signal and I need to call the Broadcasters about that.

Only true HD is broadcast in 16:9, as you have found out. Most of the rest is 4:3. Occassionally, some programming will be expanded by the broadcasters. Since the HD channels usually send a 1080i signal, even when broadcasting non-hd material, the tv thinks it is receiving HD. Many rptvs won't expand 1080i. Yours and mine included.

There is no work around that I know of.

To avoid burnin, I never watch an hd channel with non-hd programming (except commercials).

It's an RPTV - the 46HX83 model - I am using Cmponent cables.

TKS Michael

Originally posted by cyberized
I am NEW to the world of HDTV and Comcast Cable using their DCT 6200 Receiver - I have been unpleasatly surprised to find out that my Local ABC and NBC and WGN are broadcasting in a non-FULL, like 4x3, on their HDTV stations. There are black bands on each side of the picture. I called Cmcast to inquire and was told that - that is the way they receive the signal and I need to call the Broadcasters about that. I have sent EMails - but N0 responses. I have a 46" Toshiba and it or the Broadcast or the 6200 will not allow me to "stretch" that picture - if I try it says "N0T AVAILABLE". I have tried changing the 4x3 settings in the 6200 Setup - but nothing seems to work. I noticed last night that when the actual program started on NBC the format then switched to 16x9 full screen.
Does anyone know of a work around on this?

TKS Michael:confused:

And welcome to the world of Digital Television (not to be confused with Digital cable). Reading a couple of the HDTV FAQ's may help explain this "black bar" phenomenom.

You are not the only one that has this issue, & there is no easy work-around, other than changing the output of the HD channels on you 6200 to 480p rather than 1080 or 720......but that would reduce the resolution when an HD program is being broadcast so you would have to switch it back. Too much of a pain to even worry about.....

Originally posted by cyberized
Does anyone know of a work around on this? If black bars really bother you - then when they're showing a 4:3 program - just switch back to the SD channel instead of the HD one. It'll fill the screen, and you can stretch to you heart's content. Of course, I'd rather have real HD programming 24 x 7. Like THAT'S gonna happen....

I would MUCH rather have an SD program presented on an HD channel with the correct aspect ratio - black bars & all. The station/network should NOT attempt to stretch 4:3 content to 16:9 themselves, like ESPN-HD did till recently. ESPN-HD's new look for SD shows works pretty well: 4:3 program in the center, with the sides filled with a background logo (which appears to be slowly "crawling" to prevent burn-in). Might be the ideal solution for all stations that have to show SD content on their HD channel.

Too bad this forum wasn't around when color first hit TV's. It would be interesting to see what everyone was saying about that back then.

On the HDTV stations, only widescreen HD programs will fill up your screen. All non-HD programs, like the news and daytime shows, and commercials, will be in 4:3 with black bars on the sides of your screen.


Keep your settings to 16:9 and 1080i, with whatever you want for 480p override.

cyberized


Welcome to the world of HDTV "almost". The Big three only have limited "true HD" programming ( sports, law and order, Raymond etc). The rest of the time the send a 4x3 picture on a HD feed. Your box bands this picture and there is no work around. Live with it. This is a far better situation than scaling the picture to unreal proportions and poor PQ.

Niesman

Thanks, guess I will "have to learn to live with it". The PQ is excellent anyway - even IF it is not Full -screen - maybe because in Setup of te 6200 I changed the default for 4x3 override - from 480i to 480p?
I have written these broadcasters and asked them to PLEASE broadcast these in ALL FULL Screen 16x9, 1080i.
Sure looking forward to watching some NFL in HD this year - especially my SeaHawks - on the road to the SB!

TKS Michael;)

S-Video out on moto 6200

Is there a way to get 16:9 images through the S-video out on the 6200 (7.07)?
I'm trying to record (via s-vid) on my DVD recorder and all HD content is 4:3 letterboxed. I know this has nothing to do with the 4:3 overide because that is for component and dvi out. I also know this can work because I used to record 16:9 images from my sir-ts160. It wasn't HD, but it was 16:9 and it looked pretty good.

Any help would be appreciated

RJ

ANYBODY???

1080i (16:9) can be only outputted through component or DVI, not S-Vid. If you hook up your DVD recorder via S-Vid, you may be able to stretch/zoom SD (480i) material, but not HD.

Originally posted by Kracko
Too bad this forum wasn't around when color first hit TV's. It would be interesting to see what everyone was saying about that back then.

AVS Forum, 1965:
"I have downloaded the FAQ for adjusting the Silvertone Console, now when the missus wants to rearrange the parlor, we don't have to call the service man.

Rural CATV co-op just added the new CBS station our of Pixley, great since they recently split from the CBS/NBC shared station. I now get 5 stations and a weather scan. The non-network station has movies ALL NIGHT long on weekends, WOW."

Originally posted by lostglove
Is there a way to get 16:9 images through the S-video out on the 6200 (7.07)?
I'm trying to record (via s-vid) on my DVD recorder and all HD content is 4:3 letterboxed. I know this has nothing to do with the 4:3 overide because that is for component and dvi out. I also know this can work because I used to record 16:9 images from my sir-ts160. It wasn't HD, but it was 16:9 and it looked pretty good. Well, s-video (NTSC) is inherently 4:3. Not having an sir-ts160 myself, I can only guess this device somehow down-converts 16:9 HD content into 4:3 "anamorphic" format out the s-video port. You could then play back the resulting DVD recordings on a 16:9 format TV, much like any other anamorphic DVD.

If this is what your sir-ts160 does - neat! Unfortunately the Motorola boxes have no such feature.

Recently upgraded to Moto6208 up from 5100 on Mits 48413. I have noticed a strange issue occurring with HD signal, although I don't believe its the 6208 because issue started approx 2 weeks after some update had been pushed out to the 5100. PQ on HD appeared to display increased video noise and subtle 'dancing pixel' type of artifacting on background. Also increased subtle pixelation on transition and action shots. Most noticeable and clearly visible during soccer matches on INHD...wide shot of field displays a repeating pulsating effect of subtle noise and artifacting to sharp then repeating in a 3 second cycle. Grass appears focused then blurred...focused then blurred...I tested inputs and fine tuned TV. This is only occurring from STB via component. I've disabled all edge enhancements on my HDTV which often adds subtle video noise, also changed power strip to line conditioner, but neither has helped. I'm starting to lean toward Comcast signal as the issue, but signal was fine and PQ outstanding until morning that 5100 box powered up to a station in the HD range...anyone experience anything similar recently or have any suggestions?

Thanks.

Originally posted by progear
Recently upgraded to Moto6208 up from 5100 on Mits 48413. I have noticed a strange issue occurring with HD signal, although I don't believe its the 6208 because issue started approx 2 weeks after some update had been pushed out to the 5100. PQ on HD appeared to display increased video noise and subtle 'dancing pixel' type of artifacting on background. Also increased subtle pixelation on transition and action shots. Most noticeable and clearly visible during soccer matches on INHD...wide shot of field displays a repeating pulsating effect of subtle noise and artifacting to sharp then repeating in a 3 second cycle. Grass appears focused then blurred...focused then blurred...I tested inputs and fine tuned TV. This is only occurring from STB via component. I've disabled all edge enhancements on my HDTV which often adds subtle video noise, also changed power strip to line conditioner, but neither has helped. I'm starting to lean toward Comcast signal as the issue, but signal was fine and PQ outstanding until morning that 5100 box powered up to a station in the HD range...anyone experience anything similar recently or have any suggestions?

Thanks.
I've had decreased HD image quality since Comcast pushed 7.10 to my 6200 STB. I haven't been able to quantify it as you have, but instead have used the network 'bugs' as image references. Take a look at this post and see if it's like what you're seeing.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3878871#post3878871

Which firmware version do you have?

I have noticed PQ decrease lately, I have a 6200 w/7.10 firmware (TV Sony GWII 50"). It is both on SD and HD channels. I couldn't say if it's related to the firmware as we went back and forth from 7.07 to 7.10 a few times. Definitely more noisy picture, progear description correspond very much to what I see. It appears as it could be increased MPEG compression from Comcast. If this is the case, they should really start to figure out how to free up some bandwidth, or they may start losing clients.

Thanks for the feedback guys...I am at 7.10 as well, and something else was pushed out by Comcast around 2:00am this morning as the 6208 powered off, came back on to a cursor for approximately 20 seconds, then returned to channel 8...no menu data was available for approx 20 minutes after. Problem as previously described still exists...I can't say for sure that it was firmware related or something to do with compression or bandwidth...the only reason I attributed it to the update was the timing. My PQ was fantastic, then a few weeks ago overnight all of these issues appeared.

I'm glad to hear that I am not the only one who observed these changes in PQ...please continue posting any additional observations and details as it hopefully will provide Comcast and/or motorola with constructive feedback and the issues can be addressed quickly.

Could it be just compressing signals more to make room for the new Discovery HD Theater channel, etc. (just added in our area on July 1, many other Comcast areas around same time) ?

Possibility, however DiscoveryHD isn't due in our area until July 15th. I would have to expect that Comcast isn't going to sacrifice the HD quality each time more HD Content is added. cyberbri, have you noticed any decreased quality in your region since the firmware update or since DiscoveryHD has been added?

Comcast folks have said on these threads several times that they do not compress HD signals. Whatever bits they get from the network, those are the bits they send us. I doubt that's changed.

The bandwidth for Disc HD & other new channels most likely comes from the extra PPV channels they recently deleted.

I haven't noticed any PQ changes since 7.10 - just the damn HDCP handshake problem...

Comcast doesn't compress- they send over exactly what they're getting.

I haven't noticed any changes. Then again, I only got Comcast and HDTV cable around mid-June, right before the firmware update went out, IIRC.

How do you see what firmware version you are running? I went into the setup menu when the system is powered off and the menu accessible from the menu button and could not find this.

Kracko, with the box on press-menu-setup-cable box-then see configuration.

I am having the same problem as progear, i only see it on INHD and INHD2 and slightly on CSN philly, the PQ on the other HD channels i have noticed is not quite as good as a few days ago, not much diffence but i notice it.

Another issue i have, the Picture on The SD channels is better though the composite connection, but for some reason i am getting no sound just picture, its not the cables, they worked fine with my other digital box

I've had probably 8 or 9 different 6200's in the past less-than-2-months, all for different problems and issues.

When I called to complain over the weekend (see a few posts back from me), at least the CS manager said they have new models/boxes coming around December...

I have had comcast 6208 HD-DVR for a few weeks now, but lately, it starts to stutter and freeze during playback of programs. Once in a while it just stops responding and I have to power off to get it to go again. Then sometimes even when I repower on it stutters and freezes. It's happened both on Fox's North Shore and on CSI recordings.

Problem with all 6208's from Comcast or bad box?

Jason

I have the 6208 as well and am also having the same problems as talked about here. Maybe a mass e-mail to Comcast would let them know how wide spread this problem is!!?? I also notice that in my area the HDTV signal for ABC has the dancing pixels using the DVI output. All other stations are fine. Multiple freezes on the HDTV stations.

i have a question, In the diagnostics menu under inband status there is part that says

SNR: 33.3 DB good
AGC: 79% poor


what does this mean exactly

http://www.cjhengineering.com/hdtv/cablehdtv/dctdiag.htm

Originally posted by shades
i have a question, In the diagnostics menu under inband status there is part that says

SNR: 33.3 DB good
AGC: 79% poor


what does this mean exactly

SNR is Signal to Noise Ratio. A measurement of signal level to the noise of the cable plant and set top. Noise refers to the electronic thermal noise of the amplifiers in the plant and the noise of the set top. In the analog world a layman calls noise "snow". I made some measurements on a DCT and found that a SNR of 32.8 equaled FAIR, a SNR of 33 equaled GOOD. So you are on the edge. The ranges are GOOD, FAIR, POOR.

AGC is Automatic Gain Control. The reading is an indirect measurement of RF signal strength. In my example, an AGC reading of 79 equaled an input signal level of -10.5 dBmV. My DCT would change to GOOD at 58, which equaled -8.1 dBmV. Since this is probably a 256 QAM channel, good engineering practices says that the level should be no less than -6 dBmV.

Incidentally, 0 dBmV equals 1000 microvolts or 1 millivolts of signal across 75 ohms.

The other readings on the page you referred to are 5 SECOND ERROR COUNTS. This is a measurement of Bit Error Rates (BER). UNCORRECTABLE are bit errors that cannot be corrected by the Forward Error Correction (FEC) schemes used with Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM). CORRECTABLE are bit errors that are corrected.

You should have no uncorrectable errors. If you do, then your pictures are probably tiling. You may have some correctable errors, though it would be preferable to have none.

Your numbers would indicate that the signal level into the set top is marginal. Whether you should get excited depends on your BER. If you have tiling and a high correctable error count, you may want to do something. If you do, than call your cable provider. Let them service your installation to bring the RF signal levels up to proper strength. If your service tech is less than helpful, print this out and hand it to him/her.

I hpoe this helps, Red

Originally posted by miatasm
I have a TXSR-600 and the code "135" works for my unit. The only problem with the Onkyo units is that there are 2 seperate discrete codes for on and off. So the Comcast remote will only turn the unit "on". It will control your volume though using the above code.

Press Audio --> Press & hold "setup" untill light flashes 2x --> type in 3 digit code "135" light will flash again.

This unit is fully programmable using the JP1 cable "link listed above" which I think costs $10 if you want to make it yourself.

I actually just bought a URC9910 OFA remote off of Ebay for less than $50 shipped and it comes with a IR/RF remote extender. This is replacing my very well used URC8800, which did everything I wanted it to plus some. The 9910 is supposed to be even better. I've really had good experience with the OFA products and you can't beat the prices.

This maybe another so-called "Easter Egg" you can search for codes manually by doing this:

Press the button of the equipment you need to program (Audio, TV, VCR) --> Press & Hold Setup til light flashes press 9-9-1 --> Press the equipment button again then press "power" --> Alternate back & forth between the Equipment button & "Power" until your unit shuts off --> then press "setup" to lock that code in (this searches all of the codes in the remotes database so it may take some time.

Also once you do get your remote the correct code and you do not want to have to search for it again do this:

Press Device Key (Audio, TV, VCR, ect.) --> press & hld "Setup" --> type 9-9-0 --> For the First Number of your code press the "1" & wait 3 seconds, the LED will flash the first number in your code press "2" for the second number & "3" for the third. IF your remote flashes once - then twice - then twice your code is "122"

Hope this helps

I found it easier to just program all of the Comcast remote's functions (I have the 6200 box) to the Onkyo remote (I have the Onkyo 701 -- but I'm pretty sure the Onkyo 600 is a learning remote).

So I can control everything (TV, Receiver, 6200 Cable box, DVD player, with the Onkyo remote).

I programmed a macro into the Onkyo remote to turn on the receiver, the TV and the cable box with the push of one button.

If you have a learning remote for your receiver, I think it makes sense to use that as the one and only (or main remote), since the receiver (not the cable box), is really the heart (or brain) of most Home Theater systems.

This was in response to a previous posters question.....I have a HTM MX600 remote for my setup....The Onkyo remote would only function parts of my 6208 DVR, and its quite HUGE & awkward to use.......

Originally posted by Red Rider
SNR is Signal to Noise Ratio. A measurement of signal level to the noise of the cable plant and set top. Noise refers to the electronic thermal noise of the amplifiers in the plant and the noise of the set top. In the analog world a layman calls noise "snow". I made some measurements on a DCT and found that a SNR of 32.8 equaled FAIR, a SNR of 33 equaled GOOD. So you are on the edge. The ranges are GOOD, FAIR, POOR.

AGC is Automatic Gain Control. The reading is an indirect measurement of RF signal strength. In my example, an AGC reading of 79 equaled an input signal level of -10.5 dBmV. My DCT would change to GOOD at 58, which equaled -8.1 dBmV. Since this is probably a 256 QAM channel, good engineering practices says that the level should be no less than -6 dBmV.

Incidentally, 0 dBmV equals 1000 microvolts or 1 millivolts of signal across 75 ohms.

The other readings on the page you referred to are 5 SECOND ERROR COUNTS. This is a measurement of Bit Error Rates (BER). UNCORRECTABLE are bit errors that cannot be corrected by the Forward Error Correction (FEC) schemes used with Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM). CORRECTABLE are bit errors that are corrected.

You should have no uncorrectable errors. If you do, then your pictures are probably tiling. You may have some correctable errors, though it would be preferable to have none.

Your numbers would indicate that the signal level into the set top is marginal. Whether you should get excited depends on your BER. If you have tiling and a high correctable error count, you may want to do something. If you do, than call your cable provider. Let them service your installation to bring the RF signal levels up to proper strength. If your service tech is less than helpful, print this out and hand it to him/her.

I hpoe this helps, Red

Yes thanks for the info , Well last time i checked The SNR is up to 34 and i have zero errors of any kind so i guess thats good. the picture quality seems to be not as good as week ago on some channels but maybe it is the those channels not me

Just got a call from The Technical Operations Supervisor for Comcast regarding a complaint I made regarding the fact that the SD channels appeared of poorer PQ via the 6200 than thru the 5100.

He confirmed it!!
Said that Comcast has contacted Motorola and "they're working on a fix....you're not the first person who's complained."

Any technical details about 7.15 Firmware? I noticed improved PQ on both SD and HD...also noticed slightly poorer PQ when moving from 5100 to 6208, but most recent push seems to have addressed it and looks really good tonight. Anybody else have any feedback?

When did your box get the 7.15 firmware? Do you notice anything different in the configuration menu?

Jim

I believe it came over last night (Comcast/South Jersey). The DCT clicked off and started a 10-15 minute download around midnight last night. I didn't take a good look at it until tonight when I checked the config and noticed the 7.15 FW and S/W Ver: 21.03-1226-44...also got DiscoveryHD Theater overnight as well. The main reason I checked the config was the improved PQ on both SD and HD. I have been reading about the hopes to improve SD handling, among other things, in future updates so I figured last nights DL must have been responsible for the increased PQ...also noticed that the 3-5 second delay and microblocking that has been occurring regularly when switching to INHD/INHD2 is gone...did experience a few audio dropouts on INHD, WHYYHD, and DiscoveryHD, but very minor and no freezing, which seemed to be occurring fairly regularly for the last few weeks...haven't messed with the DVR, but I will this weekend.

Chris

I checked my 6200 Stats and sure enough mine has been "upgraded" to 7.15 FW - - - BUT - - - what I am curious about, is I read that the DVI connection was ON\ACTIVE - IF - your FW was 7.10 or above. When I pull up the INFO on this unit and what is Installed etc. - when I get to DVI it says "NO", but USB, for example, says, INSTALLED. I was told a month ago when I got me 6200 that the DVI Connection was active and useable. Sure glad I did NOT invest in a DVI Cable. What IT IS?

TKS Michael;)

Can anyone in Montgomery County, MD or in the Washington DC area confirm the firmware upgrade?

Can anyone in Montgomery County, MD or in the Washington DC area confirm the firmware upgrade?
Still 7.07 as of about 10 PM last night in Montgomery County.

Originally posted by cyberized
I checked my 6200 Stats and sure enough mine has been "upgraded" to 7.15 FW - - - BUT - - - what I am curious about, is I read that the DVI connection was ON\ACTIVE - IF - your FW was 7.10 or above. When I pull up the INFO on this unit and what is Installed etc. - when I get to DVI it says "NO", but USB, for example, says, INSTALLED. I was told a month ago when I got me 6200 that the DVI Connection was active and useable. Sure glad I did NOT invest in a DVI Cable. What IT IS?

TKS Michael;)

I think that DVI won't show as "active" until a valid DVI connection is made (i.e., a cable installed to your DVI device while the box is off, and the box is then powered on).

Does anyone know if the 7.15 firmware actually fixes the DVI handshake problem?

The DVI connection will not read as active until you connect the set to the TV via a DVI cable. Also in Montgomery County the 5200 and 6200 boxes should be at 7.10 only the 6208 boxes are still at 7.07.

Originally posted by jerrice
Does anyone know if the 7.15 firmware actually fixes the DVI handshake problem?

I'm also quite curious about this (pulling out the DVI cable and plugging it back in is getting annoying).

Well for me the problem with INHD and the annoying pulsating thing are gone but My PQ is not all that great in my opinion, When things move not even that fast the picture gets blurry and breaks up a bit, what is the best way to check and see what my signal strengh is?

Originally posted by jerrice
Does anyone know if the 7.15 firmware actually fixes the DVI handshake problem? FIXED

Awesome! Thanks for letting us know avic... My STB isn't currently connected to an actual TV (using it for MCE only while my living room receives hardwood floors ;-)

Just checked. Still running 7.10 here in West LA.

Still running 7.10 in Santa Clara valley.

7.10 in Philadelphia