i've always had the VOD service. I don't think it added it.

Rollerfink,
thanks for the reply, at your suggestion I checked the guide setup, it was already set up for messages off. Hmm. I cleared my messages and set it to "on". just to see the difference. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Originally posted by RelDudeGOP
i've always had the VOD service. I don't think it added it.

Well, they just added it in my area anyway, or so I'm told. When I try to access it, it says I have a "Communications Failure" and to try again:rolleyes:.

Originally posted by Ole Anderson
Rollerfink,
thanks for the reply, at your suggestion I checked the guide setup, it was already set up for messages off. Hmm. I cleared my messages and set it to "on". just to see the difference. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Hmm, if it was already set to off then maybe it doesn't work. I've had mine set to receive messages "on" but I figured if you turned it off it would stop them.

I changed mine to "off" on one of my TVs and left it "on" on the other. I'll see what happens.

Originally posted by miatasm
but it shouldn't be too much longer before DVI is active, and the 6200's will start being beta tested, somewhere(I hope!).
Comcast claims they're beta testing HD PVRs on the East Coast. Does anyone know if this is the 6208 or a 5200 series PVR?

I turned mine off months ago but continued to receive messages...

Originally posted by nw_avphile
Comcast claims they're beta testing HD PVRs on the East Coast. Does anyone know if this is the 6208 or a 5200 series PVR?

It will be the 6208.....

Dave, Make sure you don't have anything blocking the return path of your DCT5100. For example, Surge Protector, VCR, TV loop thru, ect cannot be placed before the 5100. This will cause a communications error. But if your cable is OK then, its possible since your area just launched VOD, it may just be teething problems, my 5100's VOD didn't work for at least a month or so after VOD was launched in our area. Be patient, but I would call the local office and have them send a signal to your box, they should get a response back if everthing is working properly in the cable system.

so wait...what did 2.52 do?

No word yet....but it apparently wasn't anything major....

Originally posted by miatasm
It will be the 6208.....


That will be sweet.

Does anyone know what Comcast's equipment upgrade policy typically is? Once the PVR becomes available do you think those of us with the 5100 can call up and just request an updated box (i.e. PVR) or will Comcast likely only want the PVRs for new installed and we;ll need to kick and scream and raise all sorts of fuss to get one?

There will be an extra monthly charge for PVR capability....

Does anyone know if the Motorola 6208 has a DVI output, and assuming so, do you think it will be active day 1?

Originally posted by lovingdvd
That will be sweet.

Does anyone know what Comcast's equipment upgrade policy typically is? Once the PVR becomes available do you think those of us with the 5100 can call up and just request an updated box (i.e. PVR) or will Comcast likely only want the PVRs for new installed and we;ll need to kick and scream and raise all sorts of fuss to get one?

You can pay the small additional fee to get the PVR box, when they are available. There will be an additional fee for DVR access.

I'm about to Comcast HD in Chicago and thus the Moto5100.

I've read on this forum that it outputs Svideo and Component video at the same time. Here are my thoughts of what to do in the meantime while waiting for the 6208.

In order to use my Tivo (which doesn't have component outputs), I'll need to run one Svideo from Moto into Tivo and then out via SVideo to TV. At the same time, run component out to the TV. Meaning my only viable option would be to watch TV with Tivo in the Svideo mode, than switch over to component input on the TV when I'm going to be watching one program (ie not flipping) so that it has better PQ. Also, I'll need to switch over to component whenver I want to watch HD materials.

Is this correct, or is there an easier way? Sorry if it's a newby question, but a search didn't answer my questions. Thanks.

Regarding the 6208!

I'm in discussion with Comcast to try to become one of their Beta testers for the 6208. If they agree I'll let you guys know.

Nick: Yes, that's one way to do it. Or, you can split the cable feed, give the Tivo one and the Moto the other -- this has advantages and disadvantages.

Advantage -- you can use the Tivo's built-in tuner to tune to channels 1-99, because they are still analog. And use Moto box for all channels -- this means you can watch one channel live and Tivo the other. You don't mess with your Tivo setup, and you don't try to have Tivo IR-blast the Moto box. Great, simple...as long as you don't mind...

Disadvantage -- with this setup, you can't Tivo-record any digital channel (100+), because you need the Moto box to decode those. All depends on what your Tivo habits are/will be, now that you have all those other channels. Yes, it's my understanding that Tivo will do an OK job of recording the down-rezzed S-video feed of an HD program....but clearly with my setup I haven't tried it myself.

(In either scenario, you can still replay one Tivo recording while it records something else.)

Otherwise, my setup is as you describe -- S-video from Tivo> receiver> plasma, and component for Moto and DVD.

I'm only slightly less newbie, so if the greater minds on this forum tell me I'm wrong and there is a way to have my cake and eat it too, I'll be delighted to be corrected!

stew

Thanks very much Stew.

Anyone have any alternatives, or are these the only real options?

I have the same issue with a 5100 and a ReplayTV (though the Replay (5040) has 480p component outputs).

I can either direct-connect to the cable for ch 1-99 and use IR-blaster + svideo for digital channels, or I can get all channels via IR blaster + svideo. In either case, for HD content (in HD) I have to switch to the 5100 component outputs. Currently for simplicity I have it set up with 5100->svideo->Replay->svideo->TV for all channels, but I'll probably split the RF cable and do the dual-input thing. That will stop confusing my in-laws when the 5100 switches channels automatically on them.... :-) When my wife and I are watching via Replay, it will also speed channel changes.

If you use the RF input plus svideo from a cable box, Replay puts the cable box channels at ch 1001-1xxx, and then you go in and delete ch 1001-1099.

I'm not using the 480p component outputs from the Replay because my TV is out of component inputs - one for 5100, one for DVD and one (actually using the RGB port) from the OTA HD receiver (for CBS and Fox, darn Comcast). (Pioneer Elite 53" HDTV).

Also, using Replay or Tivo to record a downconverted HD channel at high quality looks very nice compared to the same channel in analog.

Originally posted by willwhdtv
Regarding the 6208!

I'm in discussion with Comcast to try to become one of their Beta testers for the 6208. If they agree I'll let you guys know.



Keep us informed... very interested!

Hi, sorry if this is a redundant question, but forum searches turned up nothing, and I haven't read through all 76 pages yet =)

I just got a 5100 installed today by Comcast here in Boston. I have a 4:3 34" RCA TV, and the two are connected via component cables.

Things are working very well, MUCH better than the 2000 I had before.

I've noticed, though, that setting mode to 1080i seems to make the 16:9, 4:3 letterbox, and 4:3 pan-scan modes useless. Regardless of how the second option is set, if I'm set to 1080i, it seems to display in a widescreen anamorphic mode, which then gets "squished" by my 4:3 TV. Even shows that are 4:3 to start (but are being upconverted and broadcast in HD) have the black bars on the side, which are horizontally compressed like the rest of the image. I think essentially "TV type" seems to not work and defaults to 16:9.

Of course, this doesn't happen with non-HD channels, and setting the mode to 480p or 480i makes the TV type setting function as I would expect. My TV doesn't support 720p and has no built-in stretching feature. Has anyone else run into this, or is it just me? Might be a good one for the FAQ?

Thanks,
Rip

Now that I turned my "Messages" selection in the menu to ON, I have stopped getting messages. Interesting. Recently I have been getting at least one spam from Comcast per day.

Thanks in advance for any information. Apologies in advance if this isn't the right place for this post.

Yesterday, Comcast-Hershey installed a DCT5100. My wife said they had a lot of problems, tried a couple a boxes, and sent different techs. Ultimately, they said everything was OK. I don't get any premium stations and waited until a network station broadcast a sitcom that was supposed to be in HD. Except it wasn't.

I read through the DCT 5100 Configuration Screen provided on the Motorola DCT5100 FAQ and noticed a couple of discrepancies. I'm wondering if these are due to the fact that my service is Hershey and the service of the author of the FAQ is Philly or if they are a problem.

The most notable are the fact that my Firmware Version is 00, not 04 or later, and my "remod Channel" is 3, not 4.

Thanks very much.

Originally posted by Ripcord
I've noticed, though, that setting mode to 1080i seems to make the 16:9, 4:3 letterbox, and 4:3 pan-scan modes useless. Regardless of how the second option is set, if I'm set to 1080i, it seems to display in a widescreen anamorphic mode, which then gets "squished" by my 4:3 TV. Even shows that are 4:3 to start (but are being upconverted and broadcast in HD) have the black bars on the side, which are horizontally compressed like the rest of the image. I think essentially "TV type" seems to not work and defaults to 16:9.

Of course, this doesn't happen with non-HD channels, and setting the mode to 480p or 480i makes the TV type setting function as I would expect. My TV doesn't support 720p and has no built-in stretching feature. Has anyone else run into this, or is it just me? Might be a good one for the FAQ?


720p and 1080i HD signals are inherently 16:9. Any 4:3 content broadcast on an HD channel must be pillarboxed into the center of the 16:9 frame with bars on the sides.

If your television is "HD-ready", it must by design include a 16:9 anamorphic mode. This is a requirement of the HDTV spec. You should be able to turn on a "Widescreen" setting on your television (I have no idea what the mode is actually labelled on your specific set), which will compress and letterbox the HD signal on your 4:3 screen. You can also use this setting for watching anamorphic DVDs if your DVD player is set for 16:9 mode. You want to do this on the television end of things, not the cable box/DVD player end.

Unfortunately, this means that 4:3 content broadcast on HD channels will be windowboxed into a small square in the center of your set. This is one of the downsides to buying a 4:3 HD television.

Originally posted by Josh Z
720p and 1080i HD signals are inherently 16:9. Any 4:3 content broadcast on an HD channel must be pillarboxed into the center of the 16:9 frame with bars on the sides.

If you have a TV which can stretch 4:3 to 16:9 you can stretch HD Channels with non-HD content. For example, I have a Toshiba 42HDX82. Rather than deal with the poor PQ on the analog channels, I watch the HD channels (I have Comcast so only ABC or NBC) in Theater Mode 1 (Toshiba specific mode -- other brands will have different names -- if they have this feature at all). This eliminates the pillar bars and gives me better PQ. If the content changes to HD, I switch the mode to Natural.


Andy

Originally posted by opchiasm
Thanks in advance for any information. Apologies in advance if this isn't the right place for this post.

Yesterday, Comcast-Hershey installed a DCT5100. My wife said they had a lot of problems, tried a couple a boxes, and sent different techs. Ultimately, they said everything was OK. I don't get any premium stations and waited until a network station broadcast a sitcom that was supposed to be in HD. Except it wasn't.

I read through the DCT 5100 Configuration Screen provided on the Motorola DCT5100 FAQ and noticed a couple of discrepancies. I'm wondering if these are due to the fact that my service is Hershey and the service of the author of the FAQ is Philly or if they are a problem.

The most notable are the fact that my Firmware Version is 00, not 04 or later, and my "remod Channel" is 3, not 4.

Thanks very much.

Do you get channel 190 WITF-DT in HD?

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
Do you get channel 190 WITF-DT in HD?

...and (pardon the obvious questions) you were watching the HD channel, not the SD channel (1-99), AND you have the 5100 connected via component? And you told the 5100 you have a 16:9 display?

My first guess is its not about the firmware. Tell us more!


Stew

I am very, very sorry to have wasted your time. Unfortunately, I am as stupid as I look.

I made absolutely sure all the cabling is correct, all the settings on the box and the TV are correct, etc.

What I didn't realize was that the channel numbers are different.

I'm really sorry.

No problem! Really, I'm glad you got it figured out...and it's not so obvious, there's a lot of "if a 480p tree falls in a 1080i forest, do I get digital sound?" stuff going on here. So welcome to the Forum, and hope you enjoy HDTV as much as the rest of us do.

The "TV Type" setting only affects the Picture size when the YPbPr is set to 480p or 480i and you are tuned to an HD channel. I've been meaning to go through the FAQ and update some info, looks like I was caught before I could change it.

Originally posted by opchiasm
What I didn't realize was that the channel numbers are different.


I had the exact same problem at first - It took me a while to realize the channels were in the 800-range, and not the regular channel #s. Of course, it didn't help that the installer had no clue (I was told that my "Encore" channels were probably HD and skedadled out of here as fast as he could...)

What's the horizontal res on 480p? 640? 720?

Originally posted by Josh Z
720p and 1080i HD signals are inherently 16:9. Any 4:3 content broadcast on an HD channel must be pillarboxed into the center of the 16:9 frame with bars on the sides.

I don't doubt this, but it's strange that the 1080i mode still offers 16:9, 4:3 letterbox, and 4:3 pan-scan modes. When I set the box to 16:9 in 480p mode, I get a compressed 16:9 picture (the 1080i signal I'm getting from NBC is being downconverted to 480p and converted to a 16:9 that will fit on my TV, right), and 4:3 modes work as expected, but these options do NOTHING in 1080i mode. I'd expect that the box should be doing some conversion depending on how I have this, otherwise why would it be enabled??

I'm suspecting strongly that this option is SUPPOSED to work, but doesn't (again, I'm sure 1080i is 16:9, but the intention of the "TV TYPE" option is to convert the picture from one type to another, right?). I'm guessing this is either a bug, a limitation that can be fixed with a firmware upgrade (I'm running 1.48), or perhaps something screwy with my setup (my box is bad, possibly)? Has anyone else tried this option on a 4:3 TV and had a different experience?


If your television is "HD-ready", it must by design include a 16:9 anamorphic mode. This is a requirement of the HDTV spec.

Someone should tell that to RCA. I have a MM32110 and while it has features galore, it has no settings for adjusting the HD picture (no stretch, line doubling, 16:9 options, etc).

My Philips has two Component input sections, AV4 and AV5. Neither can do any of my stretch modes that work in AV1 - AV3. I have HD going into AV5 and it's always full 16x9 except when they broadcast SD. AV4 is my progressive scan DVD player, it plays whatever format the DVD is.

Originally posted by Ripcord
What's the horizontal res on 480p? 640? 720?

Its approximately 852.

Originally posted by Ripcord
I don't doubt this, but it's strange that the 1080i mode still offers 16:9, 4:3 letterbox, and 4:3 pan-scan modes. When I set the box to 16:9 in 480p mode, I get a compressed 16:9 picture (the 1080i signal I'm getting from NBC is being downconverted to 480p and converted to a 16:9 that will fit on my TV, right), and 4:3 modes work as expected, but these options do NOTHING in 1080i mode. I'd expect that the box should be doing some conversion depending on how I have this, otherwise why would it be enabled??

I'm suspecting strongly that this option is SUPPOSED to work, but doesn't (again, I'm sure 1080i is 16:9, but the intention of the "TV TYPE" option is to convert the picture from one type to another, right?). I'm guessing this is either a bug, a limitation that can be fixed with a firmware upgrade (I'm running 1.48), or perhaps something screwy with my setup (my box is bad, possibly)? Has anyone else tried this option on a 4:3 TV and had a different experience?



Someone should tell that to RCA. I have a MM32110 and while it has features galore, it has no settings for adjusting the HD picture (no stretch, line doubling, 16:9 options, etc).

I have an RCA as well - MM36100 4*3 direct view. The letterbox and pan/scan 4*3 modes actually are functional with 1080i material but not on the component output. I switch to the s-video output for viewing SD material full screen on a 1080i channel and you can see the effect of changing the 1080i setup between pan and scan and letterbox on the svideo (However, it is 480i - If I really want to see high resolution upconverted 4*3 material on my set I will watch it in a zoom mode of MyHD card).

Sounds like a bug to me... And something that should go on the FAQ!

Why bother switching, though? Why not just watch it in 480P mode all the time? Or do you like the "compressed" 1080i sometimes?

Originally posted by Ripcord
Sounds like a bug to me... And something that should go on the FAQ!

Why bother switching, though? Why not just watch it in 480P mode all the time? Or do you like the "compressed" 1080i sometimes?

Long-winded answer:

I don't know what "compressed" 1080i is unless that is what you are referring to recievinb when the Motorola 5100 is set to 1080i with a 4*3 versus 16*9 mode TV selected.

Actually I do sometimes watch in 480p when I want to see a letter-boxed HD show - and also you are correct in that it does present 1080i upconverted material somewhat enhanced over 480i on the s-video. But at 1080i I do get all the pixels of a 4*3 upconvert on-screen in a slightly distorted window.

Real reason is that I normally do not switch out of 1080i on the Motorola 5100 for HD channels (normal setup is 1080i - 4*3 letter-boxed; with 480p bypass enabled). 480p bypass mode provides the best viewing for the channels other than HD digital as my TV has no line doubler. For HD the 1080i is somewhat distorted and cut off horizontally - for example watching a 4*3 upconvert in HD I get a very small black band on the left and a 4" band on the right. - however I do get more resolution out of the 5100 with this mode. With an HD card the TV will do "HD resolution" in zoom mode (1440*1080i- 770600 pixels) - cutting off the edges but essentially providing full screen 4*3 1080i viewing. The Motorola 480p looks more like my SVGA mode 800*600 - 480000 pixels). Even watching HD material in 480p letterboxed there is some of the edges that aren't displayed. The Motorola 1080i does have some cutoff on the edges but I visually sense I am getting all the pixels my TV is capable of displaying in a somewhat distorted 4*3 window (I get full screen with some of the edges cut off but there is some material that would be cut off in a true zoom mode - making the people slightly "tall and thin" but not as bad as if the entire 1920*1080i broadcast was on-screen; as it is for example if I choose the 16*9 choice for a TV.

So I watch it this way as a compromise to get the most pixels available in a slightly distorted picture. However anytime I want to see what it looks like in correct aspect ratio (or watch it that way)- all I have to do is switch to the s-video.

Originally posted by rollerfink
I have Comcast, and you can turn off the messages function...

Try going into "menu," "setup," "guide" and then select the "off" option for "messages."

This is officially bad advice. Sorry, I had seen that option in the setup menu and just figured it would work.

But I tested it by turning the option "off" on one TV's box and " on" on the other. And today I got messages on both boxes.

Oh well.

According to Comcast support in the Detroit area, the "messages" flag only affects the ONSCREEN visual notifications - it doesn't disable the messages themselves, or affect the red LED notification on the front of the unit.

Not terribly exciting news - it's really almost not worth having that feature in the setup...

I turned the messages option in the menu off, and haven't had the red led light up since (about 6 months ago).

Originally posted by Ripcord
What's the horizontal res on 480p? 640? 720?

Originally posted by miatasm
Its approximately 852.

Actually, it's about 858, but that includes the blanking too. The active video pixels are ~720, and ~138 are during the horizontal blanking time. The same goes for the vertical resolution too. There are 525 samples in the vertical domain, of which only ~480-485 are active video info and the rest are during the vertical blanking time.

DVD is slightly different from what I recall. I think they trimmed it to 704 for some reason that I don't quite remember.

Look here for more info:
http://dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.4
or
http://www.iki.fi/znark/video/conversion/

I have learned quite a bit from reading this forum already, basically that I am scr***d unless I want to get a new TV. I currently have the Sony WEGA KV-36XBR450 4*3 HDTV. All the HDTV channels display the picture in the middle of the screen, surrounded by black bars. The other channels look worse than bad broadcast. Changing to 480P produces a great picture, but cuts off on the sides a bit. Lower channels still look pretty bad. I tried S-Video and analog outputs and the picture quality does improve on the non-HD channels. Any other suggestions/settings I am missing? Thanks in advance for any help. Sony customer service was... less than helpful to put it mildly.

Laidofftechworks,

Not sure what you are trying to do. The 16x9 HD channels show up on the sony with black bars as it does a vertical compression so you do get the full resolution, I believe, despite the "squish" . What's tricky is trying to make sure all the modes are correct between the sony (see the setup menu, 16x9, try auto if not already done) and the moto box.

I have the same TV. I have a few web links for trying to optimize the Sony (including entering the service menu) depending on what you are trying to do. Shoot me a note if you want that info. FWIW, I love the my XBR (even if it is a 4x3 format :) ).

See ya.

Originally posted by adamf
Laidofftechworks,

Not sure what you are trying to do. The 16x9 HD channels show up on the sony with black bars as it does a vertical compression so you do get the full resolution, I believe, despite the "squish" . What's tricky is trying to make sure all the modes are correct between the sony (see the setup menu, 16x9, try auto if not already done) and the moto box.

I have the same TV. I have a few web links for trying to optimize the Sony (including entering the service menu) depending on what you are trying to do. Shoot me a note if you want that info. FWIW, I love the my XBR (even if it is a 4x3 format :) ).

See ya.

Thanks for the help! What's the URL and I'll give it a shot. The "squished" picture looks great, but of course I didn't buy the big TV for a small picture.

I have a native 720p display. The HDTV picture quality is noticeably better when watching ABC HDTV if I set the Moto 5100 to 720p instead of 1080i.

Now that Comcast has added ESPN HD which also uses 720p, this same thing holds true. Problem is, I do quite a lot of flipping back and forth.

Its great that the 5100 allows you to switch between 720p and 1080i. However it would be much better if this could be done without having to power off the unit.

Motorola if you are listening, please consider adding a very convenient way to switch back and forth between 720p and 1080i. Thank you!

The black bars on the sides and top and bottom are normal. There is nothing wrong with your set. Only some of the programming on ABC etc is broadcast in HD and Widescreen. I saw some sitcom which was broadcast HD and widescreen and it looked great. If the show is shot in 4x3, you get the black square. If it is shot in widescreen, you get black bars on top and bottom. Make sure you always set your TV to wide to get max resolution and the proper aspect ratio. The only way to get rid of the "letterbox" bars is to buy a 16x9 set. Of course, normal TV and HDTV shot in 4x3 will have black bars on the sides.

lovingdvd
I'm unclear as to why you would be switching back and forth between 720p and 1080i. If your display is native 720p, why not leave the moto in 720p?

As Skinnyone notes (and I tried to imply), the "squished" mode is normal operation if you want the true full resolution and aspect ratio of the material. You can start playing with conversion back to 4:3 but people may look "funny". My comment was only to make sure your getting the full resolution as some other TV's can make it letterboxed but throw out info in doing so.

The moto can be set to convert to 4:3 if you want the picture in the 4:3 ratio (as you've already noted).

Last off-topic note: One site that has alot of the nitty-gritty service mode settings on the XBR (and actually lots of other useful info if you go up a level) can be found at:
http://209.145.176.7/~090/awh/sonyadj.html

http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/brandspecific/sony/sony_tips.html
All the usual caveats about messing up your picture beyond repair apply so be forewarned... :cool:

Originally posted by jaykelly
lovingdvd
I'm unclear as to why you would be switching back and forth between 720p and 1080i. If your display is native 720p, why not leave the moto in 720p?

My display device has an excellent scaler and deinterlacer which does a much better job than the 5100.

If I leave the 5100 set for 720p, then the 5100 will convert all HDTV content that arrives in 1080i (which of course is everything at this time except ABC and ESPNHD) to 720p. It then delivers 720p to my device which displays it.

On the other hand, if I leave the 5100 on 1080i, then the 5100 does not perform any scaling or deinterlacing on the image. Instead it passes it to my display which then uses its own processing to convert it to 720p. The result is a more detailed and much sharper image.

Now when HD is sent in 720p such as when watching ESPN HD, I need to tell the 5100 to just keep it at 720p. Otherwise it will upconvert it to 1080i making the image soft and losing some detail, only to then have my display device convert it back to 720p which it then is processing a lower quality signal.

So in summary, for me and any one else that has a display device with a native 720p panel, the best picture quality is obtained by setting the 5100 to 1080i for 1080i material, and 720p for 720p material - instead of just leaving it at one setting or another.

As ABC and ESPN HD continue to offer more and more programming, that'll mean I need to keep switching the 5100 between 720p and 1080i as I change channels.

Hey, I just thought of an improvement to my feature request - will post it now.

Ok, earlier today I posted a feature request for me to be able to more easily switch the 5100 between 720p and 1080i without having to enter the service menu and turn the unit off.

I just thought of an improvement to this idea so I wanted to post it - just in case anyone from Motorola is listening...

I'd really like to see an "automatic" resolution output setting. So you'd have 720p, 1080i, or Automatic/Passthrough. If set to 720p or 1080i the 5100 would always output 720p or 1080i respectively.

But if set to Automatic/Passthrough, then the 5100 would simply pass the signal through in the same format it received without any processing. This way a signal received in 1080i would be passed to my display automatically at 1080i, and 720p passed automatically at 720p, without me having to switch it at all!

Now that would make for a very smart feature designed with the home theater guys in mind - and considering most HDTV viewers at this time fall into that category that would be a great match!

Originally posted by lovingdvd

I'd really like to see an "automatic" resolution output setting. So you'd have 720p, 1080i, or Automatic/Passthrough. If set to 720p or 1080i the 5100 would always output 720p or 1080i respectively.

But if set to Automatic/Passthrough, then the 5100 would simply pass the signal through in the same format it received without any processing. This way a signal received in 1080i would be passed to my display automatically at 1080i, and 720p passed automatically at 720p, without me having to switch it at all!


This seems like such a no-brainer to me, I wonder what the guys at Moto were smoking when they decided to force everything to one format. Did they not get the memo about the ATSC standards allowing for multiple resolutions?

Yes, I think they did, and thats why they offer settings for both 1080, 720, & 480p, but I do believe they dropped the ball when it came to a Native Mode. I would even be happy if they made it easier to switch resolutions (one button maybe). The HDD200 Sidecar had a Native Mode, why not the 5100?? It has been requested that Motorola put in a Native mode into their boxes, but I'm assuming that there must be alot involved in the firmware / software integration in order to get it to work right now. It has been disscussed here before, and it does make alot of sense for it to have it. Maybe they will do it in the 6280 since it has a whole new Guide & Menu. Lets just hope!!!

Originally posted by miatasm
Yes, I think they did, and thats why they offer settings for both 1080, 720, & 480p, but I do believe they dropped the ball when it came to a Native Mode. I would even be happy if they made it easier to switch resolutions (one button maybe). The HDD200 Sidecar had a Native Mode, why not the 5100?? It has been requested that Motorola put in a Native mode into their boxes, but I'm assuming that there must be alot involved in the firmware / software integration in order to get it to work right now. It has been disscussed here before, and it does make alot of sense for it to have it. Maybe they will do it in the 6280 since it has a whole new Guide & Menu. Lets just hope!!!

Yes, that would be great. Are the 6280's in beta yet? Any word on how soon they may be available in select areas? Will the 6280s (it thought it was 6208 BTW?) have DVI enabled from day one?

Heard anything on the DVI port activation on the 5100? At this point do you think they won't bother activating it on the 5100 and just have it on the 6280 instead?

lovingdvd

I posted your observation in the

My Unofficial Guide to Samsung HLN Series DLP Sets - in the Rear Projection Units forum of AVS Forum.

Nice catch! Thanks!






Originally posted by dwk
Makes sense to me.. does anyone with HLN series subscrbe to this also?

If so is it worthy of noting in your guide Arun?

From moto5100 thread:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by jaykelly
lovingdvd
I'm unclear as to why you would be switching back and forth between 720p and 1080i. If your display is native 720p, why not leave the moto in 720p?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My display device has an excellent scaler and deinterlacer which does a much better job than the 5100.

If I leave the 5100 set for 720p, then the 5100 will convert all HDTV content that arrives in 1080i (which of course is everything at this time except ABC and ESPNHD) to 720p. It then delivers 720p to my device which displays it.

On the other hand, if I leave the 5100 on 1080i, then the 5100 does not perform any scaling or deinterlacing on the image. Instead it passes it to my display which then uses its own processing to convert it to 720p. The result is a more detailed and much sharper image.

Now when HD is sent in 720p such as when watching ESPN HD, I need to tell the 5100 to just keep it at 720p. Otherwise it will upconvert it to 1080i making the image soft and losing some detail, only to then have my display device convert it back to 720p which it then is processing a lower quality signal.

So in summary, for me and any one else that has a display device with a native 720p panel, the best picture quality is obtained by setting the 5100 to 1080i for 1080i material, and 720p for 720p material - instead of just leaving it at one setting or another.

As ABC and ESPN HD continue to offer more and more programming, that'll mean I need to keep switching the 5100 between 720p and 1080i as I change channels.
lovingdvd
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This is an excellent observation. I shall expand the section in the guide on how to connect to get the best PQ - and include lovingdvd's experience in it.


__________________
Arun Gupta
My unofficial guide to Samsung HLN series: Thread Document
DVI - A Practical Guide: Thread Document
Testing PQ on Digital Displays: DVI, VGA, Component, 1x1 mapping: Thread Document
Networked Media players comparison: Document

I have to try this, I just set the Moto at 720p and never touched it again. It seems likely that my Sammy has a better scaler than the cablebox. Thanks for the tip lovingdvd.

Originally posted by lovingdvd
Yes, that would be great. Are the 6280's in beta yet? Any word on how soon they may be available in select areas? Will the 6280s (it thought it was 6208 BTW?) have DVI enabled from day one?

Heard anything on the DVI port activation on the 5100? At this point do you think they won't bother activating it on the 5100 and just have it on the 6280 instead?

Yes they will be the 6208's. Locally they are not in Beta but they may be elsewhere. The 5100 WILL have the DVI activated. The 6208 is NOT a replacement for the 5100, it IS an upgrade. The 5100 isn't going anywhere, yet....

My firmware is 2.50 , we demand a change log! :)

Originally posted by miatasm
The 5100 WILL have the DVI activated.

Glad to hear it. I have been looking forward to that for a long time.

Any guess as to when? Last I think you mentioned it, it was slated for summer. Just curious if there is an update on the timeframe now that its closer. Thanks.

Attn: Motorola engineers...

When implementing DVI on the 5100 and/or 6xxx series please keep in mind that we need a way to set the black level (brightness) such as choosing Darker or Lighter as with DVD players. Or even better yet, please provide a way to adjust brightness and contrast using the STB.

Why is this important? Almost all of the devices on the market today that have DVI inputs do not provide any adjustments for brightness and contrast when the DVI input is used (adjustments normally available such as with component inputs become grayed out).

This means that without a brightness control in particular there is no way to adjust the image to the proper black level, which will result in crushed blacks or a washed out picture depending on the display. Certainly not what those of us with HDTVs are looking for.

Recently a few DVI based DVD players came to market without any control of brightness and they are now receiving numerous complaints due to this issue. As I understand it they are looking at ways to fix it. I hope that with the Motorola STB this can be addressed from the start. Thanks for your time and consideration.

Very Good Point, lovingdvd.

Originally posted by miatasm
Yes they will be the 6208's. Locally they are not in Beta but they may be elsewhere. The 5100 WILL have the DVI activated. The 6208 is NOT a replacement for the 5100, it IS an upgrade. The 5100 isn't going anywhere, yet....

This month's CED Magazine has an STB summary.

http://www.cedmagazine.com/ced/2003/0803/ID1_08.pdf

The table does say that the 5100 is being replaced by the 6200 in 2H'03. The 6208 looks like the box to get.

I noticed that my 5100 now "remembers" the last channel watched when turned off, and doesn't automatically go to CN8.

Checking on the setup menu, I see that I'm now S/W version 51.22-2002 firmware 02.

Anyone know what else this version was supposed to fix?

Originally posted by jalessi143
I noticed that my 5100 now "remembers" the last channel watched when turned off, and doesn't automatically go to CN8.

Checking on the setup menu, I see that I'm now S/W version 51.22-2002 firmware 02.

Anyone know what else this version was supposed to fix?

well it wasn't remembering the station because mine has been that way since the beginning - or at least an upgrade ago (SW ver 50-1078; firmware 00 from setup; bootloader 2.15 and firmware 2.50 from diagnostics)

Anyone know answers to the following about the Motorola 6208. I am curious how it compares to TiVo's functionality:

- Can it record two different program simultaneously?

- Can you watch one channel while it records another?

- Any guess on the GB capacity of the disk? They start at 80GB according to the specs.. How many hours of HDTV do you think that is? 30?

- Do you think it will be possible to use the firewire to add additional GB on our own if the supplied GB is not enough?

- Will it have an enabled DVI port from the start?

- Any guesses other than 2H 03 as to when Comcast may start rolling these out?

Thanks!

Last I heard was 11/03 in the Philadelphia market.

I haven't checked to see if I have a new firmware version yet, but right now I'm currently getting flawless digital audio from the Moto 5100 through my Sonicblue HTIB setup.

As recently as a week or so ago, I know this wasn't working, so it may be that Moto has solved the problem.

If so, thanks to them, as it's going to be wonderful to actually get surround sound from my HD channels.

I'll continue to check over the next few days to ensure that it's still working, as well as checking on which firmware version I have.

For what it's worth, I'm in the Comcast Boston area.

UPDATE I postponed my morning run to go grab the remote (I've got a Tivo so I hide the cable box remote). As far as I can tell, I've gotten no firmware upgrade. It's still at 50.00.

So, for any of the knowledgeable folks out there - could this be a byproduct of the addition of ESPNHD to the system? I'm not terribly familiar with how cable works, but what I'm thinking is that there is a limited about of bandwidth, and with the addition of ESPNHD, the other signals have become slightly attenuated, which resolves the "too hot" digital audio signal.

Or maybe it's just a random weather result and I'll lose digital audio tomorrow morning. That would be unfortunate.

Can the IR port from a Tivo be connected to the IR port on the 5100 for channel changing? If so, is the cable stereo or mono?

Thanks.

Originally posted by CrapMonkey

If so, thanks to them, as it's going to be wonderful to actually get surround sound from my HD channels.

As far as I can tell, I've gotten no firmware upgrade. It's still at 50.00.

So, for any of the knowledgeable folks out there - could this be a byproduct of the addition of ESPNHD to the system? I'm not terribly familiar with how cable works, but what I'm thinking is that there is a limited about of bandwidth, and with the addition of ESPNHD, the other signals have become slightly attenuated, which resolves the "too hot" digital audio signal.



I think it may be related to your local system. I have been getting flawless DD 5.1 for months - and at 2.15/2.50 bootloader/firmware. Its not just on the HD channels - a lot of the movie channels that aren't HD have DD5.1 as well

No change with the digital audio problem on my old denon.
Brian

Originally posted by opchiasm
Can the IR port from a Tivo be connected to the IR port on the 5100 for channel changing? If so, is the cable stereo or mono?

Thanks.

The IR port is not enabled, yet.

Originally posted by miatasm
The IR port is not enabled, yet.

Thanks.

When it is enabled, will it be in such a way that one can connect a cable from a Tivo for channel changing? Is that the intended purpose?

Thanks again.

Originally posted by opchiasm
Thanks.

When it is enabled, will it be in such a way that one can connect a cable from a Tivo for channel changing? Is that the intended purpose?

Thanks again.

Yes

As recently as a week or so ago, I know this wasn't working, so it may be that Moto has solved the problem.



It's gotta be the phases of the moon. Worked great this morning, can't get it to work now.

Someday I'll get this to work ...

Hello all,
I am considering getting Comcast Digital Cable for my Sony KV-32HS510, but I have 2 questions first.

1> Is HDTV worth $15 a month with 4:3 screen?

2> I have a Playstation 2 and Xbox hooked to my TV in the only 2 Component inputs on my TV. So, does the 5100 take up a Component input and if so, does the 5100 have a Component input on the unit itself to make up the one it is using?

Originally posted by miatasm
Yes

Sorry to be dense about this. I saw in the 5100 User Guide, it says the following about the IR port on the back:

This connector enables the DCT5100 to control a VCR while recording a selected program.

What I'd like to do is have the Tivo send a channel change signal into the 5100 without using those emitter things. From the line above, it sounds like the 5100 sends something out of that port, not accept a signal into it. Is it a bidirectional signal?

Also, is enabling that port a function of firmware or do you have to exchange the box?

Thanks very much again.

Originally posted by Gunstar77
2> I have a Playstation 2 and Xbox hooked to my TV in the only 2 Component inputs on my TV. So, does the 5100 take up a Component input and if so, does the 5100 have a Component input on the unit itself to make up the one it is using?

The HD signal must be transmitted by component.

No, the 5100 does not have a component input, just an output. You can purchase a switcher box that will allow you to use more component inputs.

I just got my 5100 from COMCAST in Jacksonville, FL.

Unfortunately it appears I do not have the upgrades that fix some of the PQ issues for non-HD content, and it is KILLING my NASCAR InCar!

COMCAST JAX is CLUELESS when I asked them what was the latest level of firmware/software they were supporting. All they know is that the "warehouse" which has no phone is responsible for platform upgrades.

My box has:

Bootloader 2.16
Firmware 2.50
S/W 50.00-1078

Anyone else out there from Jax have anything more recent?

It seems based on my reading of this thread that we are over 6 months behind the rest of the COMCAST world here in JAX.

Mike

Originally posted by Gunstar77

1> Is HDTV worth $15 a month with 4:3 screen?

Depends on your TV (type and size) and your willingness (or the Significant other?) to put up with a 16:9 picture inside a 4:3 frame.

a 32" or so might not be worth it. If you have a larger picture, especially one that will also give the full resolution (like the Sony, for example), than it may be.

The option might be to try it and see?

Good luck.

I apologize in advance if this question has been answered previously, but the forum search feature will not let me do a search using the term "RF".

Does the RF output on the 5100 pass the cable signal or does it supply the tuner output modulated to channel 3 (or 4)? I was hoping to use this connection to pass the analog cable signal to my VCR instead of adding a splitter. Does this work?

Regards,
Steve

I am connecting my 5100 to my receiver via optical cable. What audio settings should I set the DCT5100 to? I am using an Onkyo TX-SR601. Are there settings that need to be changed that also?

Thanks, sorry if that has been posted in this thread, I looked a while, but it is a bit too long.

I'm not sure if this is a problem of the box or my TV. I have the Motorola 5100 box and a Sony 53" 16:9 TV.

I had the box set to 1080i. The other night I tried to watch the Phillies on Comcast HD and noticed that the name on the back of the pitcher's jersey was really blurry. I just figured it was a problem for the night. We just got ESPN HD this weekend so I watched the Sunday Night game last night. I noticed the same thing and also that the score box in the corner was shadowed, which when looking carefully was the same thing that was going on with the pitcher's name. The rest of the picture looks fine and besides those instances there was no problem. I figured now that it was a box issue so I switched it to 720p. The problem was gone. But I still think that 1080i should work fine.

Is it possible that my TV needs an adjustment or do I just need to leave it at 720p?

I've found no problem with 1080i output from the box. 720p looks a litle worse on my set since the Hit 51s500 has to upconvert. I think the upconversion by the Motorola is better.

Originally posted by rishid
I am connecting my 5100 to my receiver via optical cable. What audio settings should I set the DCT5100 to? I am using an Onkyo TX-SR601. Are there settings that need to be changed that also?

Thanks, sorry if that has been posted in this thread, I looked a while, but it is a bit too long.

Read this:

http://www.cjhengineering.com/5100faq.htm#What%20do%20the%20Audio%20Compression%20/%20Matrix%20Stereo%20settings%20mean,%20in%20the%20Audio%20p ortion%20of%20the%20Main%20Menu%20of%20the%205100?

I'm new to this forum and may not be posting properly. For this I apologize in advance.

To my question:

I have just started receiving ESPN HD on August 2nd here in Southern New Hampshire via Comcast. Unlike our other 800 series channels that have non-HD programming (ABC & NBC), ESPN HD is not Pillarboxing their non-HD programming. Instead it is anamorphically stretched to fill my screen and is disconcerting to view - for us radicals who insist on viewing au naturel.

Is this unusual? I have tried both 720 and 1080 inputs through the 5100 (like this should change things). Since this is an HD feed through my component inputs, I can't change the input picture on my Toshiba 34HDX82.

Any ideas?

On Comcast the ESPNHD channel is always streched to full screen, to see 4:3 ESPN go back to the old channel 49. But whenever HD content is on turn to the espnHD channel.

Thanks for response.

So I'm stuck watching low resolution ESPN unless an HD program is on or otherwise accept a distorted picture on my 16x9 screen at high resolution.

Oh well...

I posted this on another forum before about ESPN-HD just being stretched to fill the screen. Someone responded that it is the same was on DirectTV so I guess its ESPN's signal and has nothing to do with Comcast.

Yes, that is true. ESPN is the one doing the stretching at their head end. I think that's a pretty bad decision on their part. They should send whatever signal they have along natively and let ME decide what I want to do with it:rolleyes:!!! I can't stand image distortion, it drives me crazy:mad:

Same here with Cox in SoCal....it's all ESPN's doing.....looks like crap too. I watch all non-HD stretched also.....my TV does a great job of it. But ESPN's is quite scary looking....first time I saw it was Womens Tennis at Wimbleton! :D

Originally posted by DHarp193
Yes, that is true. ESPN is the one doing the stretching at their head end. I think that's a pretty bad decision on their part. They should send whatever signal they have along natively and let ME decide what I want to do with it:rolleyes:!!! I can't stand image distortion, it drives me crazy:mad:

I agree 100%, add to that, the confusion it creates for newbies in HDTV, thinking that because it fills the screen that it is HD, and thinking something is wrong with their equipment, because the picture looks so bad.

Originally posted by miatasm
I agree 100%, add to that, the confusion it creates for newbies in HDTV, thinking that because it fills the screen that it is HD, and thinking something is wrong with their equipment, because the picture looks so bad.

Off subject,
miatasm

I LOVE your DCT5100 FAQ guide. Anyway you could get ahold of a DCT62xx and build a FAQ for those?

Hi,
I got my Comcast HD cable / 5100 a couple of days ago, and have a few questions about the whole letterbox/pillarbox issue.

I have a 4:3 set with anamorphic squeeze mode, and on the 5100 I've set TV type to 16:9, output to 1080i - which is fine for proper HD broadcasts. For 4:3 shows (on HD channels), the only way I can eliminate the pillarbox+letterbox is to set TV type to 4:3 pan&scan and output to 480p or 480i - which is a pain but I guess once I've set up a Pronto macro to switch types, I'll live with it.

Now here's the thing that bugs me at the moment: some shows come out in pillarbox+letterbox format when I'm in 1080i mode even though the picture is in a 16:9 aspect ratio. So presumably they are broadcasting a letterboxed 4:3 picture. However, switching to 4:3 pan&scan and 480p then gives me an image that completely fills the 4:3 screen, with NO letterbox. So, I can choose to either LOSE the sides of the 16:9 picture, or watch the whole thing in pillarbox+letterbox.

Is this a problem with the 5100, or the broadcaster? Or both?
Is this even normal, i.e. does anyone else get this?


Thanks in advance for any help.

Originally posted by dwk
Off subject,
miatasm

I LOVE your DCT5100 FAQ guide. Anyway you could get ahold of a DCT62xx and build a FAQ for those?

In short, yes. But be patient....

Originally posted by Gozza
Hi,
I got my Comcast HD cable / 5100 a couple of days ago, and have a few questions about the whole letterbox/pillarbox issue.

I have a 4:3 set with anamorphic squeeze mode, and on the 5100 I've set TV type to 16:9, output to 1080i - which is fine for proper HD broadcasts. For 4:3 shows (on HD channels), the only way I can eliminate the pillarbox+letterbox is to set TV type to 4:3 pan&scan and output to 480p or 480i - which is a pain but I guess once I've set up a Pronto macro to switch types, I'll live with it.

Now here's the thing that bugs me at the moment: some shows come out in pillarbox+letterbox format when I'm in 1080i mode even though the picture is in a 16:9 aspect ratio. So presumably they are broadcasting a letterboxed 4:3 picture. However, switching to 4:3 pan&scan and 480p then gives me an image that completely fills the 4:3 screen, with NO letterbox. So, I can choose to either LOSE the sides of the 16:9 picture, or watch the whole thing in pillarbox+letterbox.

Is this a problem with the 5100, or the broadcaster? Or both?
Is this even normal, i.e. does anyone else get this?


Thanks in advance for any help.

The "TV Type" settings do not have ANY effect on HD channels when 720p or 1080i is selected in the "YPbPr" settings.

How can a 16:9 picture be pillarboxed, as you say? Being 16:9 means that it isn't pillarbox. When you have the box output set to 1080i & have a 4:3 TV the picture on channels not showing HD will always be postage-stamped (pillar & letter boxed) except for ESPN which stretches non-hd material. The cable box only displays what it is being sent from the broadcasters. So although I don't exactly understand what problem you are having (it seems correct to me) the answer to your question still probably is - the broadcasters.

The "TV Type" settings do not have ANY effect on HD channels when 720p or 1080i is selected in the "YPbPr" settings.
Yes, I am trying to fix this by switching to 480p and 4:3 pan/scan when non-HD material is showing.

How can a 16:9 picture be pillarboxed, as you say? Being 16:9 means that it isn't pillarbox.

There are borders at the side (pillarbox) and BIG borders at top and bottom (letterbox), the "postage stamp" image is in a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The problem is that there is no combination of options that will show the image using the full width of the screen, with borders at the top and bottom. I get either a 16:9 postage stamp, or a full 4:3 picture (losing whatever was at the sides).

It's my suspicion that the 5100 is zooming in too much in pan/scan, but at the end of the day I guess I have to blame the broadcasters for transmitting non-HD in the first place :/

I have a normal CRT TV with SVideo and a surround sound system with optical out. Would I be able to configure the box to output thru S-video 4:3 standard definition video of all the channels?

Gozza,

What 4:3 TV do you have? Does it have a format button on the remote to change the TV from 4:3 to 16:9, regardless of the resolution being received? My 4:3 TV (http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/0,2588,PI700082,00.html?) does.

If your TV doesn't have this, then its "auto 16:9 anamorphic mode" is a "feature" and there's no easy way to get around the formatting problems you're having when viewing 720p or 1080i broadcasts.

Originally posted by cjc84
I have a normal CRT TV with SVideo and a surround sound system with optical out. Would I be able to configure the box to output thru S-video 4:3 standard definition video of all the channels?

I think it does this without even needing any setup - I haven't tried S-video, but I do have composite output going to my VCR, and it will show and record to 480i while the cable box is sending the same program in 1080i to the TV through component.

Originally posted by arxaw
Gozza,

What 4:3 TV do you have? Does it have a format button on the remote to change the TV from 4:3 to 16:9, regardless of the resolution being received? My 4:3 TV does.

If your TV doesn't have this, then its "auto 16:9 anamorphic mode" is a "feature" and there's no easy way to get around the formatting problems you're having when viewing 720p or 1080i broadcasts.

It's a Sony KP53-HS30 (the board won't let me post a link). The 16:9 mode is only fixed on for 1080i and 720p, I can switch it on or off for 480i and 480p. It doesn't ever zoom - only squashes down vertically or not at all.

I guess it would help if I knew exactly what format these "non-HD" programs are broadcast in - does anyone know? Also, do 16:9 TV owners have to zoom in on these like they would for a widescreen movie broadcast on an analog channel?

If you can't fill your 4:3 screen top to bottom, they are either 720p or 1080i.

16:9 TV owners see 4:3 720p & 1080i upconverts as 4:3 + sidebars to fill the 16:9 frame (unless the station stretches 4:3, like ESPN does). Most 16:9 TVs don't allow zooming of 720p or 1080i. It "locks", just like your TV does.

, do 16:9 TV owners have to zoom in on these like they would for a widescreen movie broadcast on an analog channel?

To clairfy: I mean non-HD 16:9.

Originally posted by Gozza
To clairfy: I mean non-HD 16:9.

I thought that's what you meant - and I didn't reply because its a fairly rare situation to have an HD channel broadcast 16*9 non-hd( Maybe West Wing) (I also have a 4*3 and use 480p bypass as well) But I have been looking for shows like this and will report back what I get if/when something is broadcast that way. On my set 4*3 material @ 1080i is all on-screen but full height (pillar boxed) - so I'm pretty sure all I would get is letter box and pillar box as well; but this would just be what is being broadcast. My TV has no modes to transform what is displayed; unlike yours apparently.

Two quick questions. Will the S-Video out display the on screen guide and all the channels (HDTV too, but not in their native resolution, of course)? And will the SP/DIF Optical out play audio from ALL the channels (1 to 90 too, not in DD5.1, of course). If so, then id get the DCT5100 (try and talk to the CSR lol) which would be easier to find then the 2100 with optical/svideo. As I still have an older Mits CRT TV 4:3 (standard def of course) which has svideo in, with a nice home theater (If your unable to tell, immore of an audio guy than video :D ). But, of course, the 5100 cable box would be more motivation for the family to spring for a HDTV (drooling over the Tosh LCoS 57 incher and the new 61 incher).

Two quick questions. Will the S-Video out display the on screen guide and all the channels (HDTV too, but not in their native resolution, of course)?
Yes, you just have to set the YPbPr output to 480i (even though you aren't using component), to get the on screen guide to show up.

And will the SP/DIF Optical out play audio from ALL the channels (1 to 90 too, not in DD5.1, of course).
Yes. Also you will get DD5.1 on digital non-HD channels, where it's being used.

Originally posted by Gozza
Yes, you just have to set the YPbPr output to 480i (even though you aren't using component), to get the on screen guide to show up.

How would i access the setup menu in the first place? Does the composite cables work for that?

will the latest firmware upgrade enable
4:3 letterboxing at 1080i to be properly
displayed on 4:3 tv?

Ripcord,

I just get connected with comcast over the weekend, and have been
fustrated trying to get 1080i display work on my toshiba tp61h95 4:3.
Finally read someone who is in the same boat.

This is exactly what I am currently experiencing. This toshiba does not have vertical squeeze mode, similar to your rca.
I see the same problem with dct5100 I just subscribed with comcast.
I thought setting tv type should take care of it in 1080i output, otherwise, why
the option is shown. (with that, I've been pressing on/off/menu
a hundred times thinking it can work.)

I hope there is fw upgrade that will do it. If it works, it is actually
downconverting 1080i to 810i information, so you will get correct
aspect ratio but losing some resolution. Better than not working.

For this toshiba set, there is a hidden menu tweak(a 6-hrs procedure)
to do vertical
squeeze that preserve 1080i information. So i guess it is
doing optical squeeze rather than line squeeze.
You might want to explore if your rca has service mode that allows
doing that.

-Frank

Originally posted by Ripcord
I don't doubt this, but it's strange that the 1080i mode still offers 16:9, 4:3 letterbox, and 4:3 pan-scan modes. When I set the box to 16:9 in 480p mode, I get a compressed 16:9 picture (the 1080i signal I'm getting from NBC is being downconverted to 480p and converted to a 16:9 that will fit on my TV, right), and 4:3 modes work as expected, but these options do NOTHING in 1080i mode. I'd expect that the box should be doing some conversion depending on how I have this, otherwise why would it be enabled??

I'm suspecting strongly that this option is SUPPOSED to work, but doesn't (again, I'm sure 1080i is 16:9, but the intention of the "TV TYPE" option is to convert the picture from one type to another, right?). I'm guessing this is either a bug, a limitation that can be fixed with a firmware upgrade (I'm running 1.48), or perhaps something screwy with my setup (my box is bad, possibly)? Has anyone else tried this option on a 4:3 TV and had a different experience?

Two stupid questions:

1. HOw can I see that the Motorola we have is the 5100?

2. What are the improvements in version. We have 50.00 - 1078 Firmware 0.00. Had it installed this past weekend.

What are we missing if this is not the most recent. Everything seems to be working great.

Thanks,

LB & cjc84,

Look below, the FAQ is your friend :)

Originally posted by arxaw
If you can't fill your 4:3 screen top to bottom, they are either 720p or 1080i.

16:9 TV owners see 4:3 720p & 1080i upconverts as 4:3 + sidebars to fill the 16:9 frame (unless the station stretches 4:3, like ESPN does). Most 16:9 TVs don't allow zooming of 720p or 1080i. It "locks", just like your TV does.

I have the Sony 36XBR450 and have the same issue. When I watch the HD channels and non-HD programming is received, the picture is letter & pillar boxed. When HD programming is on, it displays it in the 1080i aspect ratio of 16:9 and I get letterbox. If I switch down to 480P, the picture is still displayed in 16:9 but it fills the screen and I lose a little of the viewing areas on the sides. My Sony model doesn't have any "stretch" features to compensate for this. I guess that's why it was clearance priced??

I don't have anything to add right now, I just wanted to get Email responses for when this thread is posted in. Sorry guys.

In the future you can simply click on "subscribe to this thread" at the bottom of the page.

Thanks I did not know that.

Does anyone know when or if Comcast will start testing some of the HD PVR boxes in the Detroit area?

I tried to call Comcast, but they are clueless. She started explaining Video on Demand to me, and said it would be ready in a couple of months, but I was asking about their HD PVRs. :rolleyes:

Originally posted by dfedders
Does anyone know when or if Comcast will start testing some of the HD PVR boxes in the Detroit area?

I tried to call Comcast, but they are clueless. She started explaining Video on Demand to me, and said it would be ready in a couple of months, but I was asking about their HD PVRs. :rolleyes:

I live in the Boston area and had Comcast HD installed about 10 days ago. I asked the installer about the availability of the 6280. He seemed confident in the fact that the boxes were currently being tested in the Philadelphia area and could be available in other areas of the country later this year.

Can anyone in the Philadelphia area confirm/Deny?

Well, I've been talking within Inside Sales office in Philadelphia
for the past couple weeks about the 6200 series, and they
have been clueless.

I even sent the press release to them that announces the
comcast/motorola 6200 deal, but haven't heard back
from them yet. I even email the comcast PR contact listed
in the email. Haven't heard from her either. Big surprise.

I've had Comcast for about a week, coming from UltimateTV.
So far its been mixed. They gave me the composite only box
first(2100?). I complained, because even though I don't have
an HDTV set, I do have a hometheater/s-video setup that could
benefiet from the 5100, so they agreed to upgrade me to
the HDTV box.

The first 2100 box I got died within 1 hour. Fortunately, the tech
left his $500 signal meter, so I got a replacement that day when he
returned to pick it up. The second 2100 box worked,
but on-demand didn't. SO then I get the 5100 box, and everything
seemed to be working after some hookup adjustments ouside the
house. But then the 5100 starts power-cycling at random. So
I call today to get the 5100 replaced, but their computer systems
are down.

Not a great start, but the $400 discount and the PVR were what
enticed me to give it a try. So we'll see.

Good luck, odye!

I had my first 5100 replaced after about 5 weeks because of occasional power cycling, and also because of a magenta line it would display in the lower right corner of the screen.

After a week with the new one, I realized it wasn't taking the IR blaster signals from my replayTV, and that the magenta line was now replaced with a green one. It was also showing alot of pixelation on the HD channels (especially Leno on NBC).

Now I've had the 3rd one for about a week. I noticed yesterday some pixelation on a Digital (non-HD) movie channel.... ughhh, here we go again....

<snip>


The first 2100 box I got died within 1 hour. Fortunately, the tech
left his $500 signal meter, so I got a replacement that day when he
returned to pick it up. The second 2100 box worked,
but on-demand didn't. SO then I get the 5100 box, and everything
seemed to be working after some hookup adjustments ouside the
house. But then the 5100 starts power-cycling at random. So
I call today to get the 5100 replaced, but their computer systems
are down.

<snip>

I've had a 5100 for awhile, or should I say 2 or 3 of them over time. Reason? Power recycling. Not data updates, I saw that happen once and it's obvious (and welcome). This box just shuts down (reboots?) at random, "click" then comes back on. Frequency? No way to tell this, sometimes it can happen 6 times in an hour; sometimes it happens once in 2 weeks. Comcast of Rockville, Maryland, has replaced it once. No change. Second request for replacement, tech says "it probably won't do any good to replace it again." I asked if there was someone he could report this to in terms of analysis and fix, perhaps consult Motorola or the head end, etc. Nope. I'm moving soon, hopefully (still Comcast, but several miles away) there will be a magic cure in a different node. It reboots fairly quickly, but usually in a crucial part of the program I'm watching. Could it be Comcast sending out these ersatz "nuke" signals??? Their alleged tech support says they don't like sending out reset signals as it increases the chance of harm to the cable box. I could get a new story every day if I had the patience to call, but I just want the "restarts" to stop... thanks for any news/advice. - Bill Halvorsen

FWIW I've had my 5100 for 5 months, works flawlessly.





I want my 6200!

Many of us have reported here the frequent reboots. There are times when I have multiple reboots within an hour, and other times I go weeks without one. I think the consensus here is that it is not a hardware problem with the box but rather perhaps an issue with the firmware and/or signals being sent.

Same situation here. I reported reboots and had the box replaced with what I think is a newer one (the first didn't have DVI port, this one does, although not enabled as we all know). Reboots are less frequent, but still there. The reboot time is less than a second, so I can't really complain about missing a show. What's annoying for me is that it takes at least 20 minutes each time to acquire the guide...
Let's hope the new boxes will resolve this (if we ever get them).

Originally posted by lovingdvd
Many of us have reported here the frequent reboots. There are times when I have multiple reboots within an hour, and other times I go weeks without one. I think the consensus here is that it is not a hardware problem with the box but rather perhaps an issue with the firmware and/or signals being sent.


Is it tied to location?

I've had a 5100 for 2-3 months now. Not a single reboot that I remember seeing. Comcast in Malvern PA.

i have the dct5100. i unplugged it for a few minutes to switch some cables and now all of the programming information is gone. every channel says to be announced. how does does it take for eveything to load back again.

Usually info will start coming back by the time you read this message.....It usually takes maybe an hour or so for your full 3+ days to load....

I have a sony kv-32hs510 along with the DCT5100. My settings are as follows:

TV type: 4:3 Letterbox
Y Pb Pr Output: 1080i
4: 3 Overide: 480p

Does this sound like the right options for my TV?

Also my S/W version is 50.00 - 1078 and firmware is 08. Does this sound right for Chicago. I just had it installed last week, I my non-HD channels dont look so hot.

Yes those settings are OK.

I've seen a ton of HD Sony's and I have yet to see one that looks good on the Analog channels, not saying that the 5100 sends a perfect down-converted analog picture out of its component jacks, but the Sony's I've seen are notoriously bad.

thanks for your help. is there anyway i can make the analog channels better, perhaps tweaking the TV setiings. will a monster compnent cable help? what about monster coax?

You must use 16x9 mode on your 4:3 sony, otherwise
all HD channels will look vertically stretched,
regardless if tv type is set to 4:3 LB or not.
The box tv type setting seems to have no effect if outputing 1080i.

My tv does not have 16x9 mode, so I am partially screwed right now :-(.

Originally posted by joshua_msu
I have a sony kv-32hs510 along with the DCT5100. My settings are as follows:

TV type: 4:3 Letterbox
Y Pb Pr Output: 1080i
4: 3 Overide: 480p

Does this sound like the right options for my TV?

Also my S/W version is 50.00 - 1078 and firmware is 08. Does this sound right for Chicago. I just had it installed last week, I my non-HD channels dont look so hot.

Nothing "Monster" will help, except if a monster smashes your Sony & buys you another non-sony TV. :) (I know it was a weak attempt at humor)

Seriously, Monster Cable Makes "Good" cables, I stress just "good" cables that cost twice as much as a comparable non-MC brand. The cables are the last thing that would help your situation. Tweaking the TV's video setting will help a little, and that would definately be the first thing to do. Try turning the sharpness down, and moving around the Contrast & Brightness settings to see if you can get the PQ a little better. If you can borrow or find a calibration DVD (AVIA, Video Essentials) this will help you understand what Contrast & Brightness settings mean & how they work.

You could also use the RF output of the box (ch 4) to view the analogs (this makes the analogs look a little better) and switch to your Video 6 when you want to watch HD.

Good Luck

I've had my Motorola 5100 through Comcast for a couple of months now. I had never experienced the re-boots (at least that I noticed) until the last few days. Since then I have had it happen several times with varying frequency.

I hope they get this issue taken care of -- or else that it magically disappears the same way it appeared.

So here is a quick update of what has happened with
my rebooting box problem.

The first day the tech came to fix it, it wasn't happening at the
time he was there. So he told me he couldn't do anything until
he see the problem. He stood around for 5 minutes, and then
left. He said if the problem did occurr, I could take the box
to the Comcast service center and get it replaced. Crazy Logic,
I know. We got into a big discussion about how Comcast keeps
track of these problems and their solutions, because
I told him about others on the Internet reporting the same problem.
He said they have meetings where all the service men get together
and share their discoveries/problems in the field.

So after he left, it reboot about 10 minutes later. Of course.
So I set up a video camera and taped the damn thing rebooting.
And then taped all of the diagnostics/serial numbers/setup in
my house. I was thinking 'Aha, not only do I have proof, but this
is something they can take with them, and maybe get some of
their engineers to start working on it(because if Comcast's are like
most engineers, until the see the problem, they tend to believe
it isn't really a problem. Too be fair, a problem you can't see can
be hard to fix too)

So a tech comes back the next day, different guy, I show him
the videotape, and he says he's seen this problem, and just
switches the box. No interest in the tape, other occurrences, etc.
Of course, he did'nt actually HAVE a HDTV box on hand to replace
mine, apparently the work order didn't say anything about that.
So I'll have to wait until the next day.

So on the next day after that, (today) I've got a new box. So far,
its working(2 hours). We'll give it some time, and if it seems fixed, I'm
going to try varying some different parameters , one-by-one,
to see if maybe they are causing the problem.

If the switch does work, maybe it is a bad batch of boxes. Not sure
how we can zero in on that, what information would provide
the manufacturing details?

In general, from what I can tell it doesn't seem like Comcast closes
the loop for problems/solutions to build up any kind of database.

So 3 days I had to stay home waiting for a cable guy, AND
I had to setup a video camera and demonstrate the problem.
That's just crazy bad. I happen to work at home and be a
techie, but what does the average workng joe do?

Otherwise, other misc comments are on-demand is nice, but a
PVR would be better. Combined, that would be killer. The
on-screen guide is terrible compared to UltimateTV and what
I've seen of Tivo. Dual-tuner would be great too. So hopefully,
the 6208 will come out and be as good as it looks.

I asked each of the tech's, they didn't know anything about the
new 6208. Have to check with inside sales again. But I'm starting
to get the impression that Comcast is not that well run of a company,
at least in some respects. <shrug>

I've wondered whether it could be various settings in the menu that can make the box more likely to reboot.

For example, it seems like the reboots became much more frequent since I switched the settings so that the box displays the current time instead of channel. That's a handy little feature. I haven't tried swithing that back off, but I wonder if something subtle like this could make a difference.

For you guys that are experiencing frequent reboots, do you have your box set up to display the time instead of channel number?

I have mine set to show the clock since the first day so I don't know why it would suddenly start occuring.

The only setup that I changed recently was...during Monday Night Football I switched the output from 1080i to 720p to see if it made a difference in PQ. I didn't really notice any difference so I changed it back. So my settings are still the same as the first day, but I did switch back and forth recently.

My re-boots are not bad -- maybe 1 or 2 a day.

Last week I purchased a Hitachi 51" F500 TV and got Comcast to bring out my Motorola 5100 for HD. I had been doing plenty of research and was prepared to see some fuzz on the analog channels. As mentioned in this forum I setup a splitter to use the direct Antenna input for viewing analog (and for PIP) and the picture quality is marginally better. However, I am disappointed by all of the pixelation I see on the digital channels and occasionally on HD (mainly Showtime which is the highest channel, not sure if that would make a difference). When the picture is still it sharp and clean, but when there is a lot of motion or bright colors I see lots of pixels. Music videos are the worst with all the the motion and colors and fades it looks really bad. Do I need to check the line and the splitters in the house (I think there are 2). Is this problem related to signal strength? Please let me know if there is an easy way to correct this problem myself or if there is anything that Comcast can do for me.

BTW, I have rarely noticed any audio dropouts, just a lot of pixelation on the digital channels.

Ive had my 5100 (comcast) for 3 weeks and no reboots at all as far as I know. I'm assuming I would know if it happened?

Although -- we only have comcast on at most a few hours at night, and many nights not at all - maybe I'm just missing it.

rollerfink,

Many display devices support 480p and 1080i, so switching to 720p on the STB would mean that the display device would then "upconvert" to 1080i anyway. This could show you which device has a better de-interlacer and line doubler, but I doubt you could see the difference. Check to see if your display device supports 720p, or if it converts it to 480p or 1080i.

tdejong01,

It sounds as if you have a problem. Check the FAQ page, you will find out in this thread, the author is Miatasm, there you will find some answers. Also, remove the splitter, see if this helps. There is a menu that lets you see some diagnostics. Tune to a HD channel, turn the 5100 off and hit the select button about 1 sec after hitting off. You should see a menu come up on screen. I believe the 6th item down you will find some info. Look for SNR and AGC numbers. SNR you want around 30 dB and AGC below 50. If these are bad call you cable company, but check the splitter first.

My SNR is around 22-24 and AGC is 19%. I have my cable coax going through a monster power surge protector. Is this ok?

Yes it can be as long as its been purchased within the last 6 months or so.....

Why does it matter if it was purchased within the past 6 months?

donjulio,

I checked the values for SNR and AGC and initially the SNR was fluctuating a little between 31-32 and the AGC was 54%. I removed the 3-way 1000mhz splitter where the line comes into the house and the 2-way 1000mhz splitter that i had in front of the cable box to hook the analog directly into the TV. The SNR changed to a constant 33.5 and the AGC dropped down to 49%, but it didn't really seem to make much difference on the picture. I still see some grainyness on the HD channels and the digital channels all have a lot of "blotches". Maybe I will go to Circuit City and pickup the Motorola signal booster and see if that makes a difference. I am getting a lot of Comcast services (2 TV's, Internet, and 2 phone lines) so maybe I need it...

Originally posted by donjulio
rollerfink,

Many display devices support 480p and 1080i, so switching to 720p on the STB would mean that the display device would then "upconvert" to 1080i anyway. This could show you which device has a better de-interlacer and line doubler, but I doubt you could see the difference. Check to see if your display device supports 720p, or if it converts it to 480p or 1080i.

Thanks donjulio, I have a Sony KP-57WS500 which upconverts 720p to 1080i. I was just curious which device would upconvert better. I'm very happy with the PQ either way and like you say, I couldn't tell the difference.

I'm still getting my 1-2 re-boots a day. Not sure why it happens now yet didn't happen for the first 6 weeks or so. I can live with it until they come up with a fix (or release the new STB).

*edited because I had a typo that said my tv did not support 1080i

Originally posted by pkurtis
Why does it matter if it was purchased within the past 6 months?

Because older units didn't pass the return signal back to the cable company, 6 months is just an estimate on how long ago MC & others allowed their Surge Protector to pass those signals.

miatasm,

Thanks for all of your helpful posts. I just got Comcast HD and I have a Motorola 5100. I have the cable going first into my Panamax 500 surge protector/line conditioner, and then into the Motorola 5100. Is this OK? What, if any, problems would this cause? Is it potentially compromising my signal strength?

pkurtis

All that it may do is block the signal back to the Cable Co. , which would cause VOD not to work and IPPV not to work. There is also probably some insertion loss through it but its probably very small like .5 - 1 db @ the most. In most cases they don't do much.

I have a question or regarding this box.

1. Where in the menu do you swith from 480 to 720 to 1080?
2. Is the DVI slot working I read a couple of psts back that it was not enabled.

I just hooked a froiends TV over the weekend and I am not famiiar with this box as I use D* as my provider

Thanks

Originally posted by steverobertson
I have a question or regarding this box.

1. Where in the menu do you swith from 480 to 720 to 1080?
2. Is the DVI slot working I read a couple of psts back that it was not enabled.

I just hooked a froiends TV over the weekend and I am not famiiar with this box as I use D* as my provider

Thanks

To get to the menu you need to turn your cable box off and then hit menu on your remote (or the box). Strange but true.

And as far as I know the DVI is still not enabled.

Thanks for the info that is very strange

It's probably because the original SW for the HD stuff was from the sidecar box for the DCT-2000, and they're mostly running the 5100's in DCT-2000 emulation mode (yes, really). That's one of the reasons the ethernet ports in the back aren't enabled, for example, and may be related to why the DVI port isn't enabled.

On the HD-200 sidecar, you had to use the power switch/etc to access the menus. The sidecar is also used by people with BUD's (TVRO dishes) with GI 4DTV receivers.

Randell,

Does that mean that if I have an HDD200 sidecar, which I do, that it should work in conjunction w/ a DCT-2000 with the HD serial cable attached for HD programming??? I tried it once before and it didn't work. I was thinking maybe it was the firmware in the sidecar box, which is the old one. Would that make a difference? I know I can send it in and they will upgrade the firmware, but is it worth it and do you think it will work for HD then?

HDD200's are in fact what's used with DCT-2000's for HD. As for SW versions: not sure. You probably have to have it (the 2000) set up by Comcast/etc to pass the signal to the HDD200, and/or have to have the "right" firmware in the DCT-2000 and/or HDD200.

Comcast allowed/allows people to buy HDD200's mean they should support you hooking one up.

After numerous phone calls to Comcast, I finally received a call from a customer service supervisor (Paul in Chelmsford, Mass.) that had a thorough understanding and up to date knowledge of Comcast HDTV and the Motorola 5100.

The DVI port is NOT enabled on ANY 5100 STBs, and probably won't be for at least several months. He didn't give the specific reason, but I sensed it was primarily related to licensing issues with Motorola (i.e. cost).

I suggested to Paul that he visit (and post on) this forum, since having an extremely knowledgable presence from Comcast would be very useful and appreciated by all of us. He seemed very interested in doing this, but he stated that it may need to be done anonymously.

do most people have the 2.52 firmware like me? Anyone know when the next one will come and what it will have? Also, does anyone know what's the difference between 2.50 and 2.52. I haven't noticed anything at all. I can't wait for HBO on demand. By the way...200 posts!
Yay:D

Any word on Comcast having HBO On Demand soon? In HD?

should be within the next couple weeks

In HD should be the next HD channels to go up....they are the ones that the message indicator talked about, scheduled for 9/15, at least in the Philly region.....

HBO On Demand looks like sometime 4th qtr or early '04.....unfortunately they haven't figured out how to do On Demand HD yet.....

BTW the 5100 will be replaced, with a 6200 series box, but the 5100 will still be supported, and used.......the 6208 PVR will only be given to subscribers of the PVR service, which we already knew.

the inhd channels aren't on demand or ppv. they are just basic hd digital channels

anyone watching monday night football now. I was watching it on the HD channel and then all of sudden the picture went bad, and looked like it was being broadcast in 4:3. Anyone else notice this

supposedly in chicago they lost hd for a short period only during the game

how come only in chicago

Originally posted by miatasm
[BBTW the 5100 will be replaced, with a 6200 series box, but the 5100 will still be supported, and used.......the 6208 PVR will only be given to subscribers of the PVR service, which we already knew. [/B]
Miatasm:

Any idea on how much Comcast is going to charge for the PVR service with the 6208? I am assuming the 6208 will be a dual tuner box and also have DVI enabled? Anything other interesting features?

Mickey

It should be about $10, the boxes do have dual tuners, and it is unknown if DVI will be active, yet my educated guess would be, yes.

InHD ARE NOT Pay-Per-View, while INDemand does "own" these channels they are not Pay-Per-View. They are aggregrating HD content for these channels that will provided 24x7. The content is NOT the same as PPV. You will get these channels with digital service, 2 more HD Channels.
Check out http://www.inhd.com/myMovie for content.

I got this information from VP of Marketing at Comcast.

Originally posted by MickeyGee
Miatasm:

Any idea on how much Comcast is going to charge for the PVR service with the 6208? I am assuming the 6208 will be a dual tuner box and also have DVI enabled? Anything other interesting features?

Mickey

Same question here. Also, what is the latest estimate on a release date for the 6200? And is there any definitive feeling that it will have DVI enabled?

Just a quick update for the rebooting 5100 problem.

I got a new 5100 box, and the problem did go away. I tried
changing a couple of things to match how the first box
was installed/used, but that didn't seem to matter.

Specifically, I plugged the new box into the wall socket instead of my
surge protector, to see if it was maybe a 'dirty' power kind of problem.
No effect.

I setup my component out to 480p since I don't own a hi-def,
just a standard tv that has component in. That had no effect either.

I think those were the only 2 things I did when I got the first 5100.
I haven't cross-check software/firmware rev's yet.

So as far as I can tell, it appeared to be a hardware problem. I know,
that contradicts other findings here. Perhaps we had the same symptons
but 2 different causes. <ick>

As far as the 6208, I never did find out anything. There was a recent
thread that was closed down about someone who thought they were
getting a 6200/6208. I believe they called up the comcast chain
and finally got to talk to some head tech guy for the HDTV boxes.

It wasn't 100% clear to me, but it sounded like testing was going on,
but there was no release date anytime 'soon', like maybe not until early
2004. Reports back in may seemed to indicate a September release,
I think. So I guess they are slipping on their dates. <shrug>

odye,
is this the 2nd or 3rd box you have installed? I had mine replaced once and the problem was still there. Then it seemed to have disappeared for a couple of weeks, but it came back strong a few days ago. (I had at least 4 reebots in two hours the other night, including one when the 5100 was turned off). My best guess is that it is power related. It may be coincidental, but the problem reappeared the days we had big storms that disrupted the power lines here in MD. The clicking sound I hear when this happens could be coming from a protective relais, but I can't think of what may trigger it.
Were your symptoms exactly the same? Did you get any further explanation from Comcast?

Regarding the reboots - those experiencing this problem - do you have your 5100 set to display the channel or the time? It sounds crazy but I've noticed that whe set to display the time it reboots fairly often - when set to display the channel number it hasn't rebooted. I've switched back and forth a few times and results have been consistent. Could just be a coincidence but for now I'm leaving it on channel number...

Originally posted by lovingdvd
Regarding the reboots - those experiencing this problem - do you have your 5100 set to display the channel or the time? It sounds crazy but I've noticed that whe set to display the time it reboots fairly often - when set to display the channel number it hasn't rebooted. I've switched back and forth a few times and results have been consistent. Could just be a coincidence but for now I'm leaving it on channel number...

sorry to burst your bubble, I've always had the reboots while displaying the channel #...

As an FYI, I had called Comcast regarding a premium channel change yesterday. Following my changes, I asked about the 6208. The rep told me that the 6208 are not yet available but that everyone with a 5100 will be the first ones offered the new 6208. She told me that we should receive a letter (she did not say "message") regarding the new box when it is available.

Andy

Renpar61,

I had one bad 5100 box, that was it. I haven't seen the problem
at all since the replacement.

The Comcast techs seemed pretty unaware of a systemic problem, and
through some inquiry it seems to me that Comcast support isn't really
able to detect a problem of this nature. (low frequency, hard to diagnose)

One of the techs I talked to said he had seen the problem before,
and just swapped the box, problem solved. A phone support person
said that she had a customer with the problem, and it was his power
in his house. But these are all pretty anecdotal reports, so
who knows. <shrug>

Good news to hear that at least someone knows of the 6208.
The handfule of sales and tech people I spoke to didn't even know
of its existence.

I've been waiting a long time to hear word about a firmware upgrade to improve the analog performance of the 5100. I'd sure like to not have to switch to direct TV input (and switching the input on my home theater amp) whenever we watch a channel < 100.

Does anyone know if this is still in the works?

Joe

My only problem with the 5100 so far is that my Showtime HD has frequent video dropouts (pixelation every 3-5 seconds) and occasional audio dropouts. All of the other HD channels are fine. I went into the system menu to check the SNR and the AGC on all of my HD channels. They are all SNR ~32.4 and AGC ~55% except for Showtime and the new InHD channel which both measure SNR ~26.4 and AGC ~99%... but InHD looks great, there are never any dropouts. I have one 3-way 1000Mhz splitter to support my 2 TV's and my cable modem, but I removed it for a test and that didn't make any real difference. These measurements changed by a point or two and the dropouts still occurred. The common answer is always "remove the splitters" which didn't seem to make a difference, and also something that I really don't want to do. How am I supposed to support 3 devices without a splitter?

What can I do? I have a feeling if I call Comcast out here they are going to tell me that the signal strength coming into my house is within the correct range and that it must be something with the inside wiring. Is there something else I should try? What is the best that the SNR and AGC measurements can be? Is it because Showtime HD is the very last video channel (before the music channels)? And if the Showtime measurements are bad, why doesn't my InHD channel have problems with the same measurements? (Sorry so many questions...)

Ok I just got the 5100 and I have some questions :)

I did not get a manual although I did read the online one and I can not seem to figure out how to get to any menu other than the main menu that is showed in the manual.

How do you get to the audio menu?


Are there any other menus you can access?

tdejong01,
Call Comcast, there might be something wrong with the distribution amp for your area that could cause this. If your other Channels are fine, and only Showtime HD is not working well, then it seems related to the frequency of the signal. For this type of work it might mean a higher level of technician come to your neighborhood, as your normal installer does not carry the proper equipment to check these things. Just relating what I have seen.

In that same screen (in band status) you were seeing the S/N ratio you will also see correctable & uncorrectable error counts. This is an indicator of bad data coming into the box. Correctable counts are bad data that the box sees but has enough of the complete data to fix the errors befor they are view as "microblocking". The uncorrectable errors are data that cannot be fixed and will result in tiling & "microblocking" on the screen. If you tune to SHOHD then access the diag. screen if numbers are present then generally its a problem somewhere in the wiring (not necessarily in your house, but somewhere, it could even be on Showtimes' feed, other users in the area can confirm this for you. If no errors numbers are present then my guess would be the box maybe bad, but a qualified technician should be able to confirm this for you.

In the digital tier the location of the channel numbers has no reference to where they are allocated in the frequency spectrum. So just because your SHO-HD is near your music channels they may not be close in the frequency allocation of you channels in your specific cable system. This is especially true with HD channels because there is only 1 maybe 2 HD channels using the same frequency allocation. With the regular Digital channels you can have up to 6-8 channels in the allocated 6mhz bandwidth. But even these are not necessarily channel numbers that are side by side. Hope this helps....

Originally posted by gcribbs
Ok I just got the 5100 and I have some questions :)

I did not get a manual although I did read the online one and I can not seem to figure out how to get to any menu other than the main menu that is showed in the manual.

How do you get to the audio menu?


Are there any other menus you can access?

The only audio menu is in the "main menu" under "setup"....Please read my FAQ below for more info....


BTW in Philly, Fox EDTV is up on channel 183, Starting Today. InHD & InHD2 will be up permanently on 9/15.

Like tdejong01, I am having some AGC issues.

My HD channels are great but some of my other digital channels get a bit blotchy or fuzzy on the edges of people/objects.

When I look in the menu (while I'm tuned to one of these problem channels) I get the following readings:

OOB Status -- SNR = Good, AGC = Good

Inbound Status -- SNR = Good, AGC = Poor (between 90% and 99%).

I tried an adjustable attenuator but it didn't help at all.

On my other channels all readings are "good"

Any way I can fix this or do I need to call Comcast?

I want more channels in Atlanta (Comcast)

If anyone has any contacts with Comcast in Atlanta, please pass on a request for

ABC (lots of HD content including MNF)
WB (They just doubled their content, can you say Angel and Smallville?)
Discovery HD
HDNet / HDNet movies

I don't see why it's taking so long to get ABC and WB, they are available over the air, but I don't want to buy a tuner just to get two channels. They have added InHD which is great, can't wait till it actually starts on the 15th, the U.S. Open was great. ESPNHD was added at the expense of one of the showtimes, and I have to say I am very disappointed so far. There is not much content and all of the baseball games that I have seen look horrible, even though they are supposed to be HD. The football games have looked good as well as Playmakers (which I really don't care for). I hope they beef up their content soon and learn to use some new camera angles.

If anyone wants to call the Atlanta request line it is (770) 559-7680.

Thanks,

Todd Major

I've been having a problem since getting the 5100 with Comcast. I'm using the coax digital out to my sony 444es receiver. I'm ready to purchase my new Paradigm Studio set up but am very worried about this issue.....any help or problem solving advice would be GREAT!

When changing channels from analog range (1-99) to any digital or HD there's a quick snap or static pop that comes through all speakers. Usually with varying intensity. Sometimes makes me cringe. Would this eventually pay a toll on speakers? I'm very annoyed with this and don't know what to blame.....anyone else have this happen?

I get the audio snap also when tuning from an analog to a HD channel (not so often in tuning to a non-HD digital channel), usually at a level that does not make me fear for my speakers.

I was watching football this weekend in HD on a number of different channels (ESPN, Fox, ABC &...) and the picture was freezing and breaking into blocks so bad that it was unwatchable. Is this the result of the cable companycompressing, the signal stength, the 5100 or is it my Toshiba 57 HDX82? Any thoughts, cause I had alot of comapny over the weekend and needless to say I was dissapointed with what was coming across.

Kipper,

I get that also on occasion, but of course never when the Comcast service guys show up. It makes me afraid to invite people over for a game, for precisely the reason that you experienced this weekend.

I think it's related to signal strength; I have two different lines into my house, and sometimes one of the 5100s will have that problem while the other one doesn't. This would be a solution, but I can't see inviting the guys into the bedroom because that's where the signal is better :)

Try having Comcast come out. Didn't really work for me, but it might work for you.

Its either signal strength, or the feed from the broadcaster, 95% of the time this problem is caused by signal strength....

Frequent and recurring HD channel breakup due to pixelation on the 5100 is due to the signal being too strong. It can be fixed by placing a -10db attenuator on the cable before it enters the box. This can be found at Radio Shack or other electronics store.

Originally posted by phil_e
Frequent and recurring HD channel breakup due to pixelation on the 5100 is due to the signal being too strong. It can be fixed by placing a -10db attenuator on the cable before it enters the box. This can be found at Radio Shack or other electronics store.

Too Strong? Now I am thoroughly confused. This is the Atkins Diet for AV. For years people were trying to eat more carbohydrates and less meat/fat . . . now I need a weaker signal to get a better picture???

Andy

Andy, if you're not joking, any electronic device can be overloaded, especially those dealing with video/audio signals. The interference can come from the signal itself being too strong or from outside.

I'd recommend the variable attenuator from RS... this lets you adjust it to see where it helps. You can always return if it doesn't do the trick.

Edit: Here's the URL http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F003%5F001%5F003%5F002&product%5Fid=15%2D678

It says Cable/TV, and I can't find any specs, so take a look at the freq range on the box.

Originally posted by phil_e
Frequent and recurring HD channel breakup due to pixelation on the 5100 is due to the signal being too strong. It can be fixed by placing a -10db attenuator on the cable before it enters the box. This can be found at Radio Shack or other electronics store.

Phil_e you are correct that the STB can have too much signal causing breakups & pixelation. But this is an extremely rare occurance, for you to be making such a definative solution. The signal coming out of the cable systems connection @ the street well within the signal level specs (assumed for standard cable losses) for the cable boxes to work properly. Cable losses, splitters, ect. will continue to attenuate the signal up until it connects to the STB.

Now the occurances that you can have too much signal:

- You have the cable line going to the STB and its the only cable line in the house. In which case you could TRY an attenuator but don't get your hopes up....
- You have an amplifier installed thats trying to amplify a signal that looks poor because of other problems (like ingress, hum bars, ect.) at this point you're only amplifiing the problem
- or you just put an amplifier in because you figured the more signal the better.....

I have configured my current 5100 (1 year old) numerous ways to see what its limits were:

Line directly from street to STB: no problems on analog / HD (about 12dbmv)
Line directly from Street to amplifier to STB: analogs - x-mod / HD - freezes & off completely ( the box was seeing about 27 dbmv)
Line to 8-way splitter to STB : No problems (about 0dbmv)
Line to 8-way spliiter to 10db attenuator to STB : analogs - grainy / HD occasional dropouts (about -10 dbmv)
Line to 8-way to 15 db att. to STB: analogs - very grainy / HD - constantly tiling and dropping out (about -15dbmv)

I stepped the attenuation down in 1db increments and just at about -15 it was unwatchable. -14 it was still watchable but was extremely annoying.

Because of what frequency the HD channels, regular digital channels are located in the freq. spectrum. They have much less signal (higher frequencies) than your analog channels (typically lower frequencies, especially where the locals are usually located)

My advice go buy the attenuator from radio shack, but keep your reciept....it most likely will not have any positive effects on the performance of your STB....:)

Miatasm,

Can one get the dbmv number through the 5100's service menu, or does one need a special gauge of some kind?

Thanks for the great 5100 FAQ resource.

No you can't get the forward signal dbmv numbers from the box, that would be nice though. The closest is the SNR & AGC numbers in the IB status & OOB status screens. Which are actually more important when they are accurate. But you do need a meter to read the signal levels from the cable company, unfortunatly the ones that can read the digital carriers the Cable Co. uses are about $2-3k, on the low side, & up to $10k with all the bells and whistles. So not very practical for the home user.

I'm sure there are probably cheaper ones out there but the good ones are expensive....

BTW how big is Petaluma, I just recently made contact with someone that lives there, he is making some custom parts for my car. Just wondering....

Found this thread and have a few questions. Sorry if they've already been dealt with (as is likely) but this thread runs to 85 screens (we need better search heh?) and I'm running out of time and eyesight after a dozen or so.

1. Cox Cable in RPV CA (LA area) is now starting to offer HD programming to their digital cable customers (I am one). The STB that they lease is none other than the DCT5100. They want $10/month for the box. Are these for sale anywhere and how much are they? I live in Rancho PV and am unsure about LOS to Mt WIlson where the majority (maybe entirety) of local HD OTA signals originate, so I probably need to make this work.

2. Will plan on using a Sony KP51WS510. I understand some users dislike analog display on the Sony widescreens coming out of the DCT5100. The 2003 KP's have internal 2x2 upscaling of WD 480i material which I find to be OK. Should one just also connect the cable to the TV for SDTV and bypass the DCT5100 when not viewing HD material? Would switching to say S-video out of the STB be a good option? Or is this just a lousy matchup and I should get out of the Sony and look for another set, I still, just barely have time to change this procurement?

2. I currently have internet through Cox also and I think the DCT5100 has the same cable modem that Moto sells (the SB5100) separately in the STB. Is this feature enabled on the current 5100 STB's? I'm thinkng that as the HTPC is on most of the time, it would be a better point of entry for a home network.

TIA to any and all who can comment

Carl H.

Miatism --The comments I made about pixelation and breakup reflected my horrid experence when I had the 5100 installed by Comcast last Nov. After over a dozen service calls from various service tech's, supervisors, and linemen and replacement of the box three times and nearly everything in my neighborhood (underground cables, distribution amps, etc,) all to no avail; one tech said "you know, the signal seems a bit high". He tried the attenuator and "voila" problem solved. I have since seen this issue raised several times on the forum. I agree that the variable attenuator from Radio Shack is a good testing device.

1) The DCT-5100 is not a purchaseable Motorola Model. The only DCT model that Motorola is selling (so far) on the open retail market is the DCP-501 which is a DCT-2000 built into a DVD Player/Home Theater Reciever. Besides, you wouldn't want to buy a 5100 with all its bugs, especially when the 6000 series is just around the corner.

2) One of the worst bugs of the 5100 is its analog upconversion quality. To output on the component video cables, the 5100 upconverts all standard definition programming. The cheap chip they use in the 5100 is rather crappy and handle the upconversion improperly, thus resulting in SD digital channels looking bad, and analog channels looking absolutely horrid. I've tested the 5100 on multiple HD monitors and are better when displaying the analog channels, but the origination point of the problem is with the 5100. The 6000 series is supposed to resolve this problem. Current methods for getting around this is to use the Component outputs for your HD programming only, and for all analog and SD digital programming, use your S-Video out. With the S-Video you will get same quality you would on a DCT-2000.

3) While the 5100 as well as the 6000 series have built in DOCSIS modems, they don't come enabled by default. The code provided by your cable company is actually a combination of different code packaged together. In this packaged code, they need to include the code to enable the DOCSIS cable modem, as well as other features like DVI support, USB support, etc.

I tried the variable attenuator from radio shack but it didn't solve my poor AGC issues at all.

I think I'm going to have to call Comcast although I don't hold out much hope for a solution. My HD channels are all fine, but some of my other digitals are blotchy.

Bad channel reading...

OOB Status -- SNR = Good, AGC = Good

Inbound Status -- SNR = Good, AGC = Poor (between 90% and 99%).

I agree with Scoops. Leasing your cable HD STB is the best option considering bugs and technology changes.

The 5100 struggles with analog. Since this is a "your mileage may vary" issue, I recommend playing around with all possible connections, inputs and outputs to discover the one that works best for you on your equipment. The component cables work well on some SD channels for me, but I usually switch that off to watch analog using my TV's converter. My S-Video provided no improvement. Meanwhile, my non-HD STB provides brillant analog on my next best TV (a 30 inch JVC), and this after several splits. Go figure.

Mickey

ScoopsHD,

What other stb's have you compared to the 5100 with digital channels?

I've only had digital cable for a a few weeks now - been D* customer -
and I agree the analog channels are poor. However, I've been quite
impressed with some of the digital SD channels. Just like on sat,
some channels are better than others. But the corresponding "good" channels on cable vs sat, digital cable wins hands down. One thing
I have to do when switching between HD and SD is switch to different
PQ settings (brightness, contrast, etc) on my plasma. Otherwise the SD channels
don't look that great. I'll be real happy if the 6000 series increases
the PQ on the SD digital channels given some of them look good now.

larry

Edit: One thing I just thought about. I don't let the 5100 upscale
480i SD to one of the HD resolutions - I leave it at 480i and let
the scaler in the display handle the rest. I could believe the
scaler in the 5100 is not that great.

It is my understanding with the 5100 that for output on the component video output its upconverts everything to 1080i, regardless of the setting you have of 480i or 480p. Its been awhile since I've played with the 5100, so the SD digital PQ issues I saw could have been pre-patch when the analog PQ issues were alot worse.

That was originally how it was on the very first launch of the box, about the time of the start of this thread.

You now have a choice for the analog channels, either 480i, 480p, or "off". When set to off it outputs whatever is set for the HD channels which means 1080i or 720p typically. Read the FAQ on how to switch these settings

Until last monday, the 5100 closed captioning system would show perfect captions for both SD and HD channels. Now it only works on SD channels. I think there was a reset of the unit somewhere around that time, maybe a firmware update that crashed the CC system?

Comcast cable, Montgomery County, MD

Help appreciated.

Originally posted by miatasm
Because older units didn't pass the return signal back to the cable company, 6 months is just an estimate on how long ago MC & others allowed their Surge Protector to pass those signals.

Speaking about return paths, does the DCT2000 series require a return path at all for the box to operate? I know the DCT1000 series used modems but the 2000 has a RF Return Path but I wonder is it even used at all since isn't that how PPV channels are ordered?

Yes the DCT2000 are capable of return path. If you can use your remote to order PPV then Return Path is working. Also if you have VOD and it is working then this is also anm indicator of return path working....but to answer your question, YES, it does require return path to operate correctly if your Cable Co. is setup for any of the above services...

In my case, using the 5100 cable box, SD looks better through my S-video connection than through my component connection. In my case the display device is a Fujitsu P50 plasma display.

I can fiddle around with the settings on the display in order to improve SD through the component video connection and I am prone to some amount of picture adjustment in an effort to get the picture as good as I can get it anyway.

Some of the variable between SD performance using the S-video connection vs. the component video connection is likely to be display specific.

Originally posted by miatasm
Yes the DCT2000 are capable of return path. If you can use your remote to order PPV then Return Path is working. Also if you have VOD and it is working then this is also anm indicator of return path working....but to answer your question, YES, it does require return path to operate correctly if your Cable Co. is setup for any of the above services...

I had to ask that question because the way I have my box is that the cable drop goes to a 4 Way Monster Cable 2Ghz splitter and then from the splitter, it goes to my Mitsubishi SuperVHS VCR Input A and then there is a Cable Box loop through that goes to the DCT2000 and then it goes back into the RF Input B on the VCR so that when I select RF input A, it will not use the box at all and when I select input B, it basically has to be on channel 3 as it's taking the signal from the output into RF input B and then it sends it out the RF to the TV.

In your case it sounds like the cable isn't going directly into the cable box, because of the loop thru. This will cause your cable box not to respond back to the cable co. For things like On Demand, ect.

Do you have On-Demand? If not you will need to reconfigure your wiring when you guys launch VOD. If so and its working then your OK. If so, and VOD is not working try going from the splitter directly to the box.

I noticed recently that my DTC 5100 is showing what appears to be an updated firmware number, IIRC. S/W version change and the firmware version now says 02 instead of 01.

Anyone know what changes may be present in this firmware?

Thanks.

Check it in the diagnostics screen.....Let us know what your firmware is in there.

I'm in Maryland (Montgomery cty) and its 2.52 in the firmware. I thought it used to be 2.50 (S/w version 51.42-2002, firmware 02)

Originally posted by miatasm
Check it in the diagnostics screen.....Let us know what your firmware is in there.

51.42 - 2002
Firmware: 02

Pretty sure it used to be 2.50.

Any idea what may have changed in this release?

The update came through here about 5 minutes ago.

51.22 - 2002

Firmware 02 (Diag screen 2.52)

In Diag, there's a module loaded I don't think was there before:

tc511307 version 13.07

In regular Menu area, so far only thing I've noticed is a new "Timers" menu option under Configuration with multiple settings to allow auto-switch on at a repeated time with option to bypass any locks in place.

Aha!: choosing Menu now puts up a small upper left screen short menu offering Video OnDemand...going there shows the full list of Video OnDemand options which, as far as I have tested, seem all to be ready and online now. We haven't had any word here that this was due soon, altho' I've heard other markets already having it.

Any word on DVI being enabled? Although I must admit, I'm not as excited about this as I once was because there will most likely not be a way to control the black level (brightness control) on the display when the DVI port is active. This means the black level will likely be too high causing a washed out picture, or too low causing detail in the dark areas to get lost. Oh well.

Originally posted by rollerfink
I tried the variable attenuator from radio shack but it didn't solve my poor AGC issues at all.

I think I'm going to have to call Comcast although I don't hold out much hope for a solution. My HD channels are all fine, but some of my other digitals are blotchy.

Bad channel reading...

OOB Status -- SNR = Good, AGC = Good

Inbound Status -- SNR = Good, AGC = Poor (between 90% and 99%).

So I called Comcast and the guy came out this morning. He didn't seem to think there was a problem and he told me maybe I just need to sit further back from my TV. I tried to point out how Lisa Left Eye Lopez' face was breaking up but he didn't seem to think it was a big issue.

The good news is he checked my levels coming into the box and they were all fine. I showed him the poor AGC levels but he didn't know what that meant. He referred the case to the engineering department but told me that I shouldn't expect everything to be 100% good in Comcast's Detroit system.

He said I don't need to be home and that the engineering crew will just check everything out around the house.

Originally posted by rollerfink
So I called Comcast and the guy came out this morning. He didn't seem to think there was a problem and he told me maybe I just need to sit further back from my TV. I tried to point out how Lisa Left Eye Lopez' face was breaking up but he didn't seem to think it was a big issue.

The good news is he checked my levels coming into the box and they were all fine. I showed him the poor AGC levels but he didn't know what that meant. He referred the case to the engineering department but told me that I shouldn't expect everything to be 100% good in Comcast's Detroit system.

He said I don't need to be home and that the engineering crew will just check everything out around the house.

This is the same old crap from Comcast. I had the same experience: the guy comes, quite rude, clueless about technical details, telling me that he doesn't see anything wrong with PQ, and that I shouldn't expect anything better in Montgomery County, MD. I read on this forum another guy from CA getting the same rap. This is great, Comcast!

Sorry if this has been covered already.

When I press guide on the remote, the guide always comes up on channel 2 (now with on demand just before it).

Is there some setting that will force the guide to start on the channel I'm watching rather than at the beginning?

It seems to pickup at the last music channels when the music button is hit, but when on an HD channel it always starts back at the beginning.

It is a very user unfriendly guide compared to what the directv boxes have..


Thanks

smcwilliams:

Sound like the Newton/Needham area launched Video On Demand last night. Thats why you have the new code. It doesn't have any bug fixes or DVI enable stuff, its just an upgrade to the TVGuide code to support the VOD service.

rollerfink:

The techs aren't going to know everything about every bit of how the digital side works... if they did, I'm sure they'd be on to much better jobs then dealing with us six pack slobs. If there is truly an AGC issue, thats generally in the headend modulator. I knew an engineer once who talked about how the system works, and it could very well be a levels issue up to the QAM modulator. If you think the tech is blowing you off, get him to get you in touch with his supervisor or something. If there is an AGC issue, its going to affect alot more than just you, and it should be taken care of.

Steve:

AFAIK, TVGuide's guide just does that by default... same here in the New England area. I doubt, aside from a big change in the TVGuide code, that there is a way to change that.

Originally posted by ScoopsHD

rollerfink:

The techs aren't going to know everything about every bit of how the digital side works... if they did, I'm sure they'd be on to much better jobs then dealing with us six pack slobs. If there is truly an AGC issue, thats generally in the headend modulator. I knew an engineer once who talked about how the system works, and it could very well be a levels issue up to the QAM modulator. If you think the tech is blowing you off, get him to get you in touch with his supervisor or something. If there is an AGC issue, its going to affect alot more than just you, and it should be taken care of.



Yeah, I figured it wouldn't get solved today and didn't expect him to know all about the technical details. I was just hoping to get someone who could agree that the PQ was ot great and pass it up the line to someone who might be able to take care of it. Maybe the engineering crew will do that.

I'll see what happens. It's not on all my channels so I can live with it (HD channels are perfect). I'd just rather have it fixed than not.

Originally posted by Steve Richards
Sorry if this has been covered already.

When I press guide on the remote, the guide always comes up on channel 2 (now with on demand just before it).

Is there some setting that will force the guide to start on the channel I'm watching rather than at the beginning?

It seems to pickup at the last music channels when the music button is hit, but when on an HD channel it always starts back at the beginning.

It is a very user unfriendly guide compared to what the directv boxes have..


Thanks

Mine sometimes starts on the channel that I'm on and sometimes starts at 2. Usually if it's only been a few minutes since I turned it there it will start from the current channel. I don't know of any settings that affect this.

INHD - I'm watching the Yankees tonight and the strike, score, velocity, baserunner graphic is off the top of the screen. Is this consistent with others?

Went to flick over to check for you, and rather than switching channels, the picture on whatever the original channel is just freezes. Other HD channels seem OK, as do SD channels. Comcast in N. NJ.

Considering you are in NJ, you are prolly in the Yankees coverage area... thus your gonna be blacked out. And it seems, since you are getting the freezing screen, that they aren't putting alternate programming on during the blackout.

OK, I can buy that. I just wish they'd take the YES network off the air and put TechTV back on. I used to watch that a whole lot more.

Originally posted by VideoDetail
INHD - I'm watching the Yankees tonight and the strike, score, velocity, baserunner graphic is off the top of the screen. Is this consistent with others?

Its a regular CSN-HD broadcast in the Maryland area - InHD2 lists the game on the guide but no signal. (so a freeze on the last channel like others were seeing) Perhaps InHD is using the COMCAST HD equipment. The graphics are correct on CSN-HD but I don't know how to tell if they are using the same equipment and video. Kind of hard to think that they would use two sets of HD equipment on one game though.

The same "freeze-up" happened this evening in Hartford, CT on INHD.

Just curious if others are experiencing the emergency warning feature (?) of the Motorola 5100. Woke up to hearing the audio out of WTTG this am (COMCAST doesn't do digital FOX so it was analog) - of course the cable box was turned off but my receiver was on so I could hear the warning. (Even though I turned the TV on there was no video as the box remains off but audio continues. I need to turn the box on to get display worknig) I know that the weather channel was broadcasting the Hurricane warning. Does anyone know how the feature works? Why the last channel watched? This has happened to me previously during tornado warnings so I don't think I am imagining things but have never heard of others experiencing these warnings

Will also post this in the DC local thread in case it is station specific to the last station tuned before the COMCAST 5100 is powered off.

Originally posted by miatasm
In your case it sounds like the cable isn't going directly into the cable box, because of the loop thru. This will cause your cable box not to respond back to the cable co. For things like On Demand, ect.

Do you have On-Demand? If not you will need to reconfigure your wiring when you guys launch VOD. If so and its working then your OK. If so, and VOD is not working try going from the splitter directly to the box.

I don't have On Demand but only Pay Per View stuff... Is there a way to test whether it handles the 5-40Mhz return path with the current DCT2000 box? I mean I thought the boxes do have tor be able to send back or else it gets shut off. Isn't that what the filters people are selling were supposed to prevent the return path from working? I mean I had it this way for the last 5 months so I assume that the DCT2000 series needs to send stuff back or it gets shut off automatically as a non-responder? I guess if all else fails, then I'll just put the box between the splitter and the VCR so basically before the VCR.

I did a search of all forums and got no hits for "Comcast 5100 reset", so I post this question here:

Has anyone had an issue with the Comcast HD box resets in Montgomery county MD specifically, or perhaps wider? My original 5100 would reset itself frequently, and the replacement does the same thing. According to Comcast, it should only reset once per day in the early morning. As an example, one evening it reset itself at 9:00pm, 9:11pm, 9:30pm, and 9:50pm.

Thanks,
Scott

A few questions:

Anyone in Comcast Phila. area hear anything about the DVI being enabled? I got my box last week and the installer said he wasn't sure if the port was enabled. He then called and the other end said they had heard something as well and that cables were showing up in the warehouse.

Sellersville PA

It seems there is no way to program 'skip' channels in the box, so I use the fav menu. Not quite as nice but works. However, everytime I turn on the box it comes up on 8, of course the Comcast channel. Presumably this too is unchangable?

Mine comes up on the channel I last had it on, but I don't see anywhere to set it. Weird. Also, while looking for you, I popped into the Audio menu - didn't there used to be an option for 5.1 Surround / DD in there?

Sounds like the Newton/Needham area launched Video On Demand last night.

Is there any HD available on the new VOD service, or is it all SD? How about In Demand HD PPV? I am considering a switch from D* to Comcast (and thus an STB switch to the 5100) now that the Sox are in HD, but I also don't want to miss the Two Towers on HD PPV later this month.

Originally posted by carpboy
A few questions:

Anyone in Comcast Phila. area hear anything about the DVI being enabled? I got my box last week and the installer said he wasn't sure if the port was enabled. He then called and the other end said they had heard something as well and that cables were showing up in the warehouse.

Interesting. However, it hasn't been enabled yet.


It seems there is no way to program 'skip' channels in the box, so I use the fav menu. Not quite as nice but works. However, everytime I turn on the box it comes up on 8, of course the Comcast channel. Presumably this too is unchangable?

The only solution is simply to not turn off the box. I don't anyways because of my ReplayTV.

If you are not active for VOD then you may not, have had to have the box respond. It depends on the capabilities of your local cable system. When you do launch VOD then it will not work through that loop thru. If you have a cable modem hook it up through the loop thru see if it works. If it locks then it passes return....This is the only way to tell for a consumer.

DVI is not enabled, but the cables are available to order by you cable co. local warehouse in your local cable system. But each local system can decide whether or not they wish to order those particular cables. Once and for all the DVI port will eventually be enabled, but just not now and there is no definate date for activation.

The box coming back on channel 8 is an effect of the firmware/software locally, there is no rhyme or reason for this.

No HD avaiable on PPV or VOD, yet.

Elsewhere in this thread there was mention of random audio output from the box when it was off. It tapered off but I'm sure it will come back since you mentioned it....

>>>>>Has anyone had an issue with the Comcast HD box resets in Montgomery county MD specifically, or perhaps wider? My original 5100 would reset itself frequently, and the replacement does the same thing. According to Comcast, it should only reset once per day in the early morning. As an example, one evening it reset itself at 9:00pm, 9:11pm, 9:30pm, and 9:50pm.


Yes, I was having this problem from mid-May until last week. I swapped out several boxes and eventually had to file a complaint with the county. It wasn't until I directly contacted G.M. of the Montgomery County system to get them to admit there was a software problem. S/W Ver 51.42-2002 Firmware 02 is supposed to be the solution to the problem. I have had the patch since last Thursday (Sept. 11), and haven't had the resetting problem since.

Originally posted by miatasm
Elsewhere in this thread there was mention of random audio output from the box when it was off. It tapered off but I'm sure it will come back since you mentioned it....

I was a prime participant in that discussion - my point at the tail end of it; and seemingly confirmed by my observations over the last several months, is that in my case it does not seem to be random. It occurs when Emergency Warning signals are sent.

Audio Problems - I consistently am finding audio volume variability (snaps, lowers then rises to previous level) on ABC (hockey), INHD2 (NESN - Bosox), and other sports events (sometimes on ESPNHD). Also, I experience audio synchronization problems often - some are extraordinarily bad - INHD1 yesterday afternoon movie for example.

When I change to other HD material, the problem disappears, so it seems source-based. Is this a common issue? Any suggestions?

I too have had audio problems with ABC, audio lowers and raises..
Some lip-sync issues last seen on the Whoopi show. I'm kind of
attributing these issues to Comcast and the Networks getting
their feet wet HDTV-wise. I'll give them awhile to work it out, but
then I'll be on the phone. ;-)

Another current thread mentions Comcast Boston fixing pixelation
problems, maybe the audio will become more stable too.

Don

OK, speaking of Audio issues, does anyone else feed an AV reciever that thinks the digital Audio is DTS when it's not? This happens with my Yamaha reciever (5590), and I thought I heard mention of something similar with Denon units. It happens almost every time when switching via an MX500 macro, but occasionally when manually switching as well.

Could the difference be digital stereo vs 5.1?

There is an Audio compression setting in the DCT5100. I set mine to OFF. Worth a try.

I apologize in advance if this has been answered but why is ESPN-HD so freakin' loud? Is it comcast? the box? espn itself?

Thanks,
Mike

Its ESPN, Comcast cannot make any changes to the content it is provided. What you see & hear is what Comcast gets from the broadcaster.

"Could the difference be digital stereo vs 5.1?"

No, I don't think so. When I switch to the Cable Box, the AV reciever 'detects' a DTS signal (according to the indicators on the front), even though it's actually digital + Dolby Pro Logic (or 5.1). The DTS light comes on, but not the 'Digital' indicator. If I turn the AV reciever off and on, I get the Digital indicator, and the Dolby, but not the DTS.

Tthe ReplayTV, on the other hand, doesn't show Digital (shows PCM & Pro Logic), whether it's working or not, even though the digital cable is the only audio connection. ???

I disabled the compression, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Originally posted by kenrowe
>>>>>Has anyone had an issue with the Comcast HD box resets in Montgomery county MD specifically, or perhaps wider? My original 5100 would reset itself frequently, and the replacement does the same thing. According to Comcast, it should only reset once per day in the early morning. As an example, one evening it reset itself at 9:00pm, 9:11pm, 9:30pm, and 9:50pm.


Yes, I was having this problem from mid-May until last week. I swapped out several boxes and eventually had to file a complaint with the county. It wasn't until I directly contacted G.M. of the Montgomery County system to get them to admit there was a software problem. S/W Ver 51.42-2002 Firmware 02 is supposed to be the solution to the problem. I have had the patch since last Thursday (Sept. 11), and haven't had the resetting problem since.

Mine reset itself again last night so either I don't have the patch or the patch is a bust.

I was wondering if someone could help me out. Comcast introduced HD in the Twin Cities recently. I frequently get very heavy pixelation on INHD and INHD2- so much that it's unwatchable. Seems the more motion in the picture, the worse the pixelization. My other HD channels have never had this problem.

Bart745 turned me on to the box's diagnostic mode, and I'm getting a POOR reading on both of my IN-BAND STATUS values. Can anyone tell me if this is the likely cause of my problem, what this means, and how it might be corrected? Thanks!

The levels coming into your house may be too high. That happenned to me when I first had comcast HD installed and I was getting heavy pixelation on all HD channels.

I'm not sure if it could just affect certain channels but I think I did read about someone who that hapenned to. Try giving Comcast a call and see if they can fix it.

Is there a way to check at the box itself if the levels are too high? I have a similar problem as DaveMN. When I had it installed, the installer said something about levels being high, but not knowing about this thread, I didn't know what that means. After reading lots of the pages in this thread I'm still not totally sure what this means. :) I'm in Boulder, CO and we just got Comcast HD this week.

I had a DCT5100 installed last week by Comcast. Previously, I was viewing HDTV through my OTA antenna.

My INHD and HBOHD channels will frequently (ever few seconds) display highly pixelated bars or patches, and sometimes the picture will freeze altogether. When a freeze occurs, it stays there for 5-10 seconds bu the audio keeps playing. When it "releases", the picture goes in FF to catch up to the audio.

Has anyone else seen this? I'm wondering if it is a DCT5100 issue or something to do with signal strength into the house/cablebox..

I'm viewing on a Mits 65857.

thanks.

Also..
Does anyone know how the replacement to the 5100 (the 6100, 6208, or whatever) will compare to the TIVO interface and features?

My INHD and HBOHD channels will frequently (ever few seconds) display highly pixelated bars or patches, and sometimes the picture will freeze altogether. When a freeze occurs, it stays there for 5-10 seconds bu the audio keeps playing. When it "releases", the picture goes in FF to catch up to the audio.
This is exactly what I'm seeing. I have a tech coming out tonight, so hopefully I can post back here with some more information afterwards.

There is a diagnostic menu in the 5100. This can be found by Turning Off the 5100 and hitting the Select button within about 1 second. This will bring up the diagnostics menu, the In Band Status will tell you about the channel you had selected prior to turning off the 5100. Check the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), AGC (Automatic Gain Control) and Error Counts. values on the In Band Status sub-menu. These values can change from one channel to another channel.
I will caution you, these numbers are ball park numbers, they will not be as accurate as test equipment that is designed to make these measurements, but it is some indication of what is happening.

For HD content, be sure that you are using as few as splitters as possible and that the splitters have bandwidths from 5 MHz to 1000 MHz. Also, be careful using a amplifier as too high signal level can cause as much if not more problems than a low signal.

will a 2ghz splitter be okay?

Well, the Comcast tech has come and gone. He isolated my INHD pixelization problems to low signal strength at the Motorola box. He found there were a couple of cheap 600MHz splitters and some cheap cable in the house that were degrading the signal to the box. The splitters were replaced and he even gave me some replacement cable, all free of charge since it's still within 30 days of my HDTV install.

He took some measurements, and the changes seem to have brought the signal up to the acceptable range. He also mentioned that INHD seemed to be more sensitive to signal strength problems than other HD channels.

So far the baseball game on INHD looks great! Hopefully it will stay that way...

Hey, I left my 5100 on last night and forgot to turn it off. When I came in and turned on the tv and tried to change the channel on the 5100, it freaked out (all the lights flashed 188:88 and then it shut off. I tried to turn it back on, no go. then I tried a few seconds later, and it turnedback on. But the thing was, it acted like it had been reset completely. The time said 12:00, and the channel guide said "To Be Announced" like it did when I first set it up a few days ago. Is this normal?