Northern Colorado / SE Wyoming DTV [Text View] - Page 3

jcloudm

09-29-05, 07:10 PM

For whatever is worth,

I had a comcast installer over yesterday to hook up my cable modem again(DSL 1.5 was just too slow for HD streaming). Anyway he told me that they were rolling out HD beta testers(employees first) beginning Oct. 31st. Had no idea when regular customers would get a shot, but is promising none the less. Seems to me that since Comcast of Denver has had this a while that most of the distribution bugs should have been worked out there, and the Beta testing should not take too long. :)

Interestingly enough, a relative of mine in Vail told me that he got HD from Comcast. I was surprised, since I thought Comcast had to get the locals OTA in the area before they could distribute them via HD (which seems silly, but whatever). I thought that maybe Comcast finally had their act together. But, no such luck. Comcast actually sold him a HD package WITH NO LOCALS. It had Discovery HD and some other HD channels (like inHD, I think), but NO locals. I wonder if that's what Comcast is going to roll out in FC. I hope not.

TheaterWizard

09-29-05, 07:27 PM

NO locals. I wonder if that's what Comcast is going to roll out in FC. I hope not.

I would put money on the HD rollout not including locals!!

As far as I know There is no sat uplink of Denver HD channels currently, so the only way they would get them is with antenna. I suppose with a big enough antenna they could get them now as most of us that experiment with small units on our houses get some of the channels including channel 9 with sporadic results. I would imagine that Vail would be impossible due to serious multi path in the mountian areas. I am still not sure if I would give up my satellite system with full digital picture on ALL channels for Digital cable with some digital and some still analog. Most of the digital cable boxes out there don't even have S-video outputs :( I install home theater systems for a living) and have yet to see a digital cable box look anything close to Dish or DTV.

Stefan

turt

09-29-05, 11:06 PM

I thought that Comcast HD was dependent on an OTA signal getting to Fort Collins first. With the hopelessness of the Lookout Mountain tower (grrr....), I'm almost positive it will be D* first. Does anyone know a schedule for D* HD locals in Denver?

Since Denver is not in the top 12 markets in the US, D* only says "2006-2007." My guess is middle of 2006.

colofan

09-30-05, 12:37 PM

So doesn't this mean we can get a waiver? I thought the FCC was rolling out the digital white areas next march and we would be in that region.

jayn_j

09-30-05, 09:58 PM

So doesn't this mean we can get a waiver? I thought the FCC was rolling out the digital white areas next march and we would be in that region.

Probably not for CBS given WKRP (oops KGWN) up in Cheyenne.

colofan

10-03-05, 10:11 AM

Actually I was more concerned with the other networks since at least CBS is making an attempt to serve N. Colorado.

Audiguy3

10-03-05, 10:54 AM

Damn

No HD Sunday for the Bronco game on Channel 5 - was the game broadcast in HD or was it another screwup by our brothers in Cheyenne

Reggie

colofan

10-03-05, 11:19 AM

I think it was a screwup because Direct TV had an HD feed for sunday ticket people (no I don't have ST) listed in their guide.

milehighmike

10-03-05, 11:38 AM

The game was broadcast in SD on KCNC in Denver.

Can someone answer a question regarding KFCT for me? I have 3 receivers, 1 Dish 811 and 2 RS Accurians. All three of them remap KFCT to 31-1 (KDVR) instead of 22-1. I asked this on the Denver thread and I got a reply that KFCT remapped to 22-1 for the person who made the post. I'm having difficulty understanding how KFCT remaps to 31-1 on my 3 receivers yet remaps to 22-1 for someone else. The PSIP information ought to be the same.

colofan

10-03-05, 11:46 AM

On my three receivers (2 HR10-250, Sony HD300) the KFCT maps to 22.1 though it might be that Direct TV is creating this in the channel list instead of the PSIP information.

You might check with an off-air antenna test in your receivers and manually check that uhf channel to see what is being sent.

milehighmike

10-03-05, 01:10 PM

flood222

10-03-05, 02:31 PM

I just got an HD receiver from radioshack for $90. I receive Fox and CBS.

Fox 95%
CBS 75%

I am going to try 11.1 tonight. I didn't even know it existed untill today and I didn't rescan after setting up the antenna in the attic. So perhaps it will come in and I can watch monday night football and Lost in HD.

I live in North Greeley.

Sundays Bronco game on CBS looked (picture quality) worse than the fox sports 1080i games. I love HD, 1080i is fantastic. Of course my Sony WEGA doesn't support 720p so maybe thats why? Next weekends game is on Fox I believe and that makes me happy.

Audiguy3

10-03-05, 04:39 PM

flood222

10-03-05, 04:52 PM

Flood - if you read a few posts up you will see the Bronco game was not broadcast in HD.

Next game is on Fox isn't it? And sorry for being kind of n00bie but I guess thats 720p on Fox.

mbuchana

10-03-05, 05:40 PM

colofan,

Thanks for the reply. All of my receivers are receiving OTA signals. When I manually input DT 21, my Dish 811 remaps the signal to KDVR 31-1. When I do the same with both of my Accurians, the same thing happens, except with my Accurians, I get 2 KDVR channels. One is KFCT (but the Accurian labels it KDVR), the other is KDVR. I know this because only one or the other picks up Fox, depending on how my antenna is pointed. My problem is with my Dish 811. I get constant dropouts, etc. because I think it's trying to decode both DT 21 (KFCT) and DT32 (KDVR) at the same time since they both remap to 31-1. Also, my Accurians do not go thru a Dish receiver - they are "pure" OTA. Any ideas?

I think the PSIP of both 32 and 21 map to 31-1. My Echostar 6000 won't even allow me to have both of them in the guide at the same time, which is a pain.
Oddly, even though I get a strong signal on 21, I often get breakups there, and none with 32 out of Denver. I think it is a multipath issue. My antenna is on a rotator, but regardless of adjustment I get more breakups on 21.

Mark

milehighmike

10-03-05, 05:52 PM

mbuchana,

Thanks for the info. It appears you're having the same experience I am. I complained to both KDVR and the FCC about this several weeks ago, but it appears neither one of them care. I actually get KFCT better than KDVR from the signal meter on my Accurian receivers. Doesn't make sense since I'm so close to KDVR. Must be in a sweet spot. You'd think stations owned directly by Fox would get their act together. Correct PSIP information has been required since February 2005.

mbuchana

10-03-05, 07:33 PM

mbuchana,

I actually get KFCT better than KDVR from the signal meter on my Accurian receivers. Doesn't make sense since I'm so close to KDVR. Must be in a sweet spot.

Equally weird is that I get KDVR better than KFCT (though with slightly lower signal strength), and I live in Ft. Collins!

Mark

Audiguy3

10-04-05, 01:24 PM

Next game is on Fox isn't it? And sorry for being kind of n00bie but I guess thats 720p on Fox.
Fox does do 720p - watch CSI Mami on Mondays to see great color.

Reggie

Audiguy3

10-05-05, 11:45 AM

NOTE - THIS THREAD IS UPDATED WITH RESPONSES FROM CHANNEL 7 AND 9 FROM MY ORGINAL POST.

I received the following Email(s) from Cornetta, Mark [mark.cornetta@9news.com] regarding HD in Northern CO - read what he says about Comcast:

Reggie,

We have been working extremely hard to address the needs of the 3.5 million viewers in the Denver DMA which includes Northern Colorado. We have been working with Comcast to make sure that they can deliver HD and Digital to Northern Colorado as well. That should happen in Mid-November and you will see an announcement on that sometime very soon.

As far as free-over-the-air television goes, we can’t just erect a tower anywhere we want. These are very complex issues. We are working with the FCC and the Jefferson County to remedy the situation. It is extremely frustrating and unbelievably expensive but we are not giving up. The new kid on the block, as you call it, has been granted permission to broadcast digital from their existing site. We were not. This is not a choice we made but unfortunately one that we have to work around. We appreciate your thoughts and understand we are doing everything we can to bring a timely resolution to this situation.

Both KWGN and KDVR both are operating on Lookout Mountain. They were able to get their towers approved to carry their digital antennas. We were not as I have already mentioned. We continue to work on it and hopefully will have a solution. In any event, the solution will not be immediate as this will take time to construct etc. The Directv folks have mentioned that they will be carrying the station sometime next year so you might see us on Directv in 2006.

Thank you.

Mark

And here is the message from Channel 7 "Brown, Darrell" <darrell_brown@kmgh.com> :

Reggie,

In light of the recent rulings by Jefferson County we are looking for a
much improved solution to deliver over the air HD. Can you receive
channel's 9 and 4 at your location? They are temporarily located at
Republic Plaza. We are looking at that option right now. Do you
subscribe to cable or satellite? If so, which provider?

Darrell Brown
General Manager

AND HERE IS HIS RESPONSE TO MY QUESTIONS:

Direct TV is going to launch local HD service by the end of the year.
I've heard that Comcast is ready in November to complete their system
upgrade in the north area they refer to as NOMA. The system upgrade
will allow them to put the HD channels on for subscribers. We have
granted carriage permission to Comcast, Direct TV, Dish.

I'm sorry that you currently can't get our service. We have spent
millions fighting Jefferson County for several years on this issue.
The
FCC has not stepped in to support the broadcasters and it's frustrating
that a small section of the population is blocking our efforts to
provide HD service to the entire community.

Hopefully, we will be able to work out a solution quickly.
Darrell Brown

mknoebel

10-05-05, 12:00 PM

Mid November?? I guess that's encouraging!

Audiguy3

10-05-05, 12:06 PM

Mid November?? I guess that's encouraging!

Not if you have been a subscriber to Directv since 96' like me :(

mknoebel

10-05-05, 12:18 PM

Audiguy3

10-05-05, 12:22 PM

As have I - but if I can get a locals only package for $10/month plus box rental - I might concider it until we can get them on D*.

I see that one of them asked about your satellite provider. Did they give any clue on when the HD Locals may be up on the birds?

I reedited my posting and added Marks response as the last paragraph. I also was pushing him to get an antenna on Lookout mtn .

flood222

10-05-05, 12:41 PM

forget comcast and sat. I want free HDTV like many here.

It must be a very complex issue indeed. It sounds like its easier to make a gravel pit than it is to erect an HDTV tower.

colofan

10-05-05, 12:54 PM

SpacedGhost

10-05-05, 01:37 PM

Mid November?? I guess that's encouraging!

Hello all, I was a long time E* subscriber and just recently switched to Comcast (not for HD reasons but a fight over dvr....long story later)..... Anyway I have had Comcast out on two separate occasion (Cable, Internet), and I asked both techs the same question "When will HD be available"? Without hesitation they both said November, so I also have some hope that this will get done... (Especially since I just sold my HD antenna)..

SG

jeremyhelling

10-05-05, 02:02 PM

What really cooks my goose is the fact they know they can't reach us and yet will not even grant waivers so we can at least get the programming another way.

This is also what frustrates me the most. I would gladly pay Dish an extra $2 per month to get ABC in HD

Because of this I have stopped watching anyhting on ABC except MNF and there only under protest!!!!

I too am forced to watch it in SD but good thing I get plenty of practice watching SD football the day before since the Bronco games are also in SD. :mad:

mbuchana

10-05-05, 02:46 PM

As have I - but if I can get a locals only package for $10/month plus box rental - I might concider it until we can get them on D*.

Unlike Denver, Comcast doesn't offer anything cheaper than $42/month in Ft. Collins. If you need to rent the HD box, presumably that would be about $10 more. That's a lot if all you really want is the locals in HD.

Mark

mknoebel

10-05-05, 03:36 PM

I don't think they advertise it, but I thought they HAD to offer a basic locals type of package??

John Boy

10-05-05, 03:37 PM

What really cooks my goose is the fact they know they can't reach us and yet will not even grant waivers so we can at least get the programming another way.

Because of this I have stopped watching anyhting on ABC except MNF and there only under protest!!!!

What is the reason (NBC & ABC) don't give the waivers like CBS and Fox does for the westcoast feeds?? It is nice to get the waivers, but "THEY ARE NOT MY LOCAL STATIONS, AND I WANT MY LOCAL STATIONS AVAILABLE TO ME WITH NO COST. DO YOU STATION MANAGERS if your listening..... UNDERSTAND THAT???

colofan

10-05-05, 04:54 PM

Well I checked the comcast website and it lists a $10.73 basic cable package but I don't think that would include the HD channels....I have Direct for more than 10 years now. The thought of cable sends shudders through my spine.

nirvana_av

10-05-05, 05:09 PM

colofan

10-05-05, 05:14 PM

Sorry that was for Loveland when I went on thier web page.....they saved a cookie with my information.

jeremyhelling

10-05-05, 08:17 PM

Is that for Loveland? The rates are localized, for Fort Collins, basic cable is $41.49.

Why such a large difference?

Our new house we're building is in NW Loveland near the foothills and if their basic is $30 less I might have to get both if it'll give me ABCHD.

nirvana_av

10-05-05, 08:30 PM

Why such a large difference?

Our new house we're building is in NW Loveland near the foothills and if their basic is $30 less I might have to get both if it'll give me ABCHD.

What I understand is that rates are set through negotiations with localities. The Fort Collins officials who negotiated with Comcast must get some kind of kick-back for allowing asurdly high pricing. That's the only explanation I can think of since Fort Collins also offers up Comcast a larger market than does Loveland.

flood222

10-06-05, 02:22 PM

So is the only thing in HD from CBS in wy Letterman? WTF :mad:

bkleven

10-10-05, 01:28 PM

I think you guys might be talking about two different programming packages.

Basic cable in Longmont is about $42.00. That is all OTA (or almost all) stations and all the normal cable channels - ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, USA, Discovery, TLC, Food, HGTV, etc., etc.

There is another package that is around $12 or $15 and is just the OTA group - the first 20 or so channels in the lineup.

When I was in TX we purchased that package, but Comcast never turned off the rest of basic cable. So we had basic at $13.00/mo for about four years. Man, I miss that.

Anyway, you should be able to get your HD locals with the $13-ish OTA only package. They should be required by law to provide it, and I have seen some info that suggests you can get them when they become avaliable by subscribing to that package.

As to what method you can use to view them, that's more interesting. I don't know if it is consistent... some have said that they can get Comcast HD locals by just hooking up their ATSC tuner and scanning for them - poof! there they are, so obviously the HD locals are broadcast unencrypted on those systems. Others have not been able to lock on to unencrypted HD locals, and have had to deal with renting the STB, and others still have tried CableCard. Just a note of caution - Comcast reps seem to be clueless about CableCard, especially in new rollout areas. You may have to be very persistent and punch up the chain a few levels to get someone talking who has a clue.

All in all, this whole HD thing is one giant cluster you-know-what here in CO. Hopefully something significant will change in the next 12-18 months to alleviate the insanity.

mbuchana

10-10-05, 03:06 PM

I think you guys might be talking about two different programming packages.

Basic cable in Longmont is about $42.00. That is all OTA (or almost all) stations and all the normal cable channels - ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, USA, Discovery, TLC, Food, HGTV, etc., etc.

There is another package that is around $12 or $15 and is just the OTA group - the first 20 or so channels in the lineup.

The problem is, as far as I know, the lowest package offered in Ft. Collins is equivalent to "Expanded Basic" (which I think is now called "Standard") elsewhere. They call it "Basic" here and it is ~$42/month.

Using Comcast's web site, you can enter in an address and click on "Channel Lineups" to see what is offered. Using this approach, you can see that Longmont has the low-end "Basic" plus the "Standard" packages. Ft. Collins has "Basic", which is similar to, but not exactly the same as Longmont's "Standard."

I think the FCC requires the local digital channels to be carried as part of the "lowest tier." But in Ft. Collins, that will set you back around $42/month. That is, unless they have a super-secret offering of some sort. I think nirvana_av is right that whether a lower-cost package is available is determined through negotiations with the localities.

If someone finds that a lower-cost option is available in Ft. Collins, let us know!

Mark

mknoebel

10-13-05, 12:06 PM

jeremyhelling

10-13-05, 12:22 PM

I'm noticing a pretty bad picture out of KGWN-HD in Cheyenne (CBS). I noticed it during NCIS on Tuesday and CSI-NY last night. There are quite a few picture and audio breakups, and a lot of macroblocking (is that the term I want??) as well. Pretty sad for our only CBS-HD option up north here.

Are others noticing this as well, or is it on my end??

I emailed the station some time back and never got a response.

CBS out of Cheyenne ALWAYS sucks. Not sure what kind of program they're running up there but I have never watched an entire program in HD w/o an issue of some sort and usually ongoing through the entire program if watchable at all.

flood222

10-17-05, 05:21 PM

I had problems with the Broncos game. Would break up where there was alot of orange/bright colors. Sometimes on the crowd.

I am in greeley with a 70-80 signal strength. ~25 SNR

I thought it was the signal dropping out, but I think it could be their problem. Also I notice that when they broadcast HD the signal strength goes up? Am I just making this up?

FCHD_Newbie

10-17-05, 09:36 PM

CBS out of Cheyenne ALWAYS sucks. Not sure what kind of program they're running up there but I have never watched an entire program in HD w/o an issue of some sort and usually ongoing through the entire program if watchable at all.

I believe the problem is channel 5.2. Actually KGWN used to have a great HD signal (audio has always been weird) but when they added the 5.2 channel they used too much bandwidth and that's why 5.1 is now so crappy. I see the same thing when I have to watch it. This Sunday was the first Bronco game I had to watch since my D* LA CBS feed was showing the SD KC game. It was painful and I actually switched back to the SD feed from KCNC but that was even worse. KGWN has to know about it and obviously doesn't care. The ironic thing is that the 5.2 is unwatchable as the audio is at least 1 second out of sync. Not that I would watch it in SD anyway.

flood222

10-18-05, 10:56 AM

How do I attempt to contact them? Cause I agree the 5.2 channel is absurd!

mknoebel

10-18-05, 12:46 PM

flood222,

Their phone number is 1-307-634-7755. Joan Turner is the General Manager. Keith Yoston is the Chief Engineer.

jeremyhelling

10-18-05, 03:27 PM

Let us know what they tell you. Tell them that we're all up in arms over what the addition of 5.2 has done to the signal and if they need it we can all call individually.

flood222

10-20-05, 02:58 PM

Well I left a msg with Joans voicemail just with a complaint about the broadcast since the addition of the 5.2 channel. I also mentioned that the audio and the video on 5.2 isn't in sync and I dont know why it was even added.

I requested a callback, but we shall see what happens.

flood222

10-20-05, 05:23 PM

Just got a call back from Joan.

She said that there have been a few reports of people in Northern Colorado with similar issues. She said that it seemed to have been motorola boxes. I have a Accurian HTS 6000.

I also mentioned that it seemed to happen mainly durning the broncos game where there was alot of bright orange color. (digital breakup) It seems to never occur on Letterman.

She thanked me for the information and said she would pass it on to the engineers and that they were still learning alot about the new technology. I agreed that the learning curve was understandable and was glad to help if I could.

She also did mention that she gets kudos letters from people saying that the picture is beauitful even after the addition of the 5.2 channel. On the message I told her that the 5.2 is unwatchable because its out of synch.

Now if they do something about it, thats another question. But she seemed to care and I think if there is something they can do that maybe they will.

mknoebel

10-20-05, 06:48 PM

Just got a call back from Joan.

She said that there have been a few reports of people in Northern Colorado with similar issues. She said that it seemed to have been motorola boxes. I have a Accurian HTS 6000.

.

It is happening on my HD-Tivo.

By chance did you mention this forum?? It would be great if they would monitor it. I know a few of the Denver station engineers or GMs monitor the Denver thread.

jeremyhelling

10-20-05, 08:18 PM

I use a Dish 911 and have the same issues.

milehighmike

10-20-05, 11:53 PM

I have the same issue on my Dish 811 and Accurian. Did Joan state why they added 5.2? All it does it take bandwidth from 5.1. I noticed that 5.2 on my Dish 811 remaps to a call sign of KGWN-FC. Does the FC stand of Ft. Collins, or what? Usually, a station only transmits an SD signal for cable co. feeds. Maybe this is what they are doing.

As an aside, isn't it rather "unusual" that all the posts to this Cheyenne thread seem to come from Colorado? Does anyone in Wyoming own an HDTV?

flood222

10-21-05, 11:05 AM

Didn't mention this forum. Also I didnt ask why they added the 5.2 channel ...
Both very good questions in hind sight.

She seemed happy to get feedback, maybe try calling. I think the number is for the news desk.

1kludge1

10-25-05, 11:01 AM

Comcast ran an ad in Monday's Coloradoan (10/24) announcing HD channels. It sounded like it was an ad they had to run to meet some FCC thing. I don't have the paper in front of me, but what I remember:

All locals would be offered by late November (11/22? -- maybe confusing with xbox360 launch, but it was definitely late November). The channels they listed were ABC, NBC, CBS, WB, PBS, FOX -- all from Denver.

It stated that other HD channels would be offered "at a later date". ESPN, inHD1/2, etc.

No mention of pricing or PVR.

I'm seriously considering paying for this in addition to D*. When D* finally does Denver locals, then I can drop comcast.

Audiguy3

10-26-05, 10:52 AM

jeremyhelling

10-26-05, 11:30 AM

I have heard from the GM of both Channel 9 and 7 and they both told me that Comcast was going to offer HD in Fort Collins in November.

Reggie

Crap... now I'm building another place in NW Loveland that should be done in Jan so hopefully we'll get the same there. :confused:

mknoebel

10-26-05, 01:09 PM

In today's Greeley paper there is a short blurb on camcast. It says that comcast will be making changes to its cable network early next month. It is in an effort to provide advanced services such as on demand and HD services to the Greeley area........

The last paragraph says the changes become effective Nov. 8th.

flood222

10-31-05, 02:55 PM

I will not pay comcast for something we should all have for free.

I currently do not have cable or sat or any of that. 40/mo is alot of money. If all my locals came in as well as CBS/FOX I would be very satisified.

mknoebel

10-31-05, 03:42 PM

I still don't think it's right that Ft C doesn't have a "lifeline" type cable package that will give you just the locals. Here's what I get from the comcast.com site:

Basic Package(s) Premium Channels Other Features Monthly Price

Standard Cable N/A Over 50 Channels $42.99

Basic Cable N/A Converter, Remote, PPV $13.51

mbuchana

11-01-05, 03:34 PM

I still don't think it's right that Ft C doesn't have a "lifeline" type cable package that will give you just the locals. Here's what I get from the comcast.com site...:

Put in a Ft. Collins Address and you get this:

Basic Package(s) Premium Channels Other Features Monthly Price

Basic Cable N/A Over 50 Channels $41.49

Unfortunately, they have no option for Basic vs. Standard (unless it is a secret).

Mark

Audiguy3

11-02-05, 10:25 AM

Still nothing about Comcast offering HD in the papers this week. Sigh!

Reggie

jeremyhelling

11-02-05, 11:06 AM

Still nothing about Comcast offering HD in the papers this week. Sigh!

Reggie

A guy I know works for Comcast in sales. He showed me a piece of paper with about a dozen HD channels listed and said that Loveland and Greeley would be getting HD Nov 1st (I think) and Fort Collins would be December 1st. This was the end of last week so I'm not sure if anything has changed or if it's available in those areas yet.

colofan

11-02-05, 11:37 AM

Question can I get just the HD channels? from comcast since who knows when full power is going to be available OTA.

nirvana_av

11-02-05, 01:00 PM

A guy I know works for Comcast in sales. He showed me a piece of paper with about a dozen HD channels listed and said that Loveland and Greeley would be getting HD Nov 1st (I think) and Fort Collins would be December 1st. This was the end of last week so I'm not sure if anything has changed or if it's available in those areas yet.

Does anyone know how this is going to work with respect to set-top-boxes and plans? Will you be forced to subscribe to a digital cable plan to get HD (which I assume would be a premium on top of digital cable) or can you subscribe to standard (analog) cable with an HD-only option?

jeremyhelling

11-02-05, 01:15 PM

Does anyone know how this is going to work with respect to set-top-boxes and plans? Will you be forced to subscribe to a digital cable plan to get HD (which I assume would be a premium on top of digital cable) or can you subscribe to standard (analog) cable with an HD-only option?

He was talking about a package that included two digital boxes and included analog cable to as many TVs as you wanted. I would assume that one needs the digital boxes to get the HD package which was $10 more per month.

nirvana_av

11-02-05, 01:25 PM

He was talking about a package that included two digital boxes and included analog cable to as many TVs as you wanted. I would assume that one needs the digital boxes to get the HD package which was $10 more per month.

That sounds attractive. So I assume you would only need to "rent" the STB on top of the $10 HD service on top of the standard analog cable service.

jeremyhelling

11-02-05, 01:28 PM

That sounds attractive. So I assume you would only need to "rent" the STB on top of the $10 HD service on top of the standard analog cable service.

No. The package they were peddling was for existing Dish/DTV customers and it was $59.99 per month for cable/internet for 12mos and I'm sure it was digital cable since the price after the year would be ~$80 and you still had to add the $10 to both of these prices.

nirvana_av

11-02-05, 01:36 PM

No. The package they were peddling was for existing Dish/DTV customers and it was $59.99 per month for cable/internet for 12mos and I'm sure it was digital cable since the price after the year would be ~$80 and you still had to add the $10 to both of these prices.

Hmmm! $80/month for Internet and HD would be excellent since I'm paying $56/month now for cable internet ($10 more than if I subscribed to cable TV too). I wonder if us Fort Collins folks will get this same deal?

mknoebel

11-02-05, 01:50 PM

Does anyone know how this is going to work with respect to set-top-boxes and plans? Will you be forced to subscribe to a digital cable plan to get HD (which I assume would be a premium on top of digital cable) or can you subscribe to standard (analog) cable with an HD-only option?

In reading the Denver Comcast thread, most people have said that you can rent the box for about $5/ month and that the digital cable package is not necessary to rent the box. When I stopped by the comcast office the other day, the guy at the counter seemed to think that I should be able to get the $13 basic package plus $5 box rental if I wanted. But the Ft. Collins folks may not be getting the same story...

jeremyhelling

11-02-05, 04:10 PM

Hmmm! $80/month for Internet and HD would be excellent since I'm paying $56/month now for cable internet ($10 more than if I subscribed to cable TV too). I wonder if us Fort Collins folks will get this same deal?

Yes. The deal was for Fort Collins/Loveland/Greeley but the HD packages weren't available yet.

nirvana_av

11-02-05, 04:51 PM

Sign me up!! Where's my HD :D

byancey

11-03-05, 03:14 PM

I'm in Firestone, but I'm serviced by Comcast out of Fort Collins. Wonder if HD will be available here in Firestone as well. I've recently been messing with an OTA antenna in my attic trying to pick up as many local HD signals as possible, but I would much rather pull the signals off of my cable.

--
Bryce

mbuchana

11-03-05, 05:54 PM

In reading the Denver Comcast thread, most people have said that you can rent the box for about $5/ month and that the digital cable package is not necessary to rent the box. When I stopped by the comcast office the other day, the guy at the counter seemed to think that I should be able to get the $13 basic package plus $5 box rental if I wanted. But the Ft. Collins folks may not be getting the same story...

An update for Ft. Collins...

The city is currently negotiating the franchise agreement extension with Comcast. I do think that there is a high probability that a "locals-only" type basic cable will be part of that agreement--this was supposedly a high priority for the city.

So, eventually, I think the same deal will be available here.

Mark

gregkauf

11-04-05, 03:54 PM

For what its worth, I heard that Loveland will have Comcast HD on 11/8 and Fort Collins on 11/22. All I know for sure is that the digital channels I had been able to pick up on my Sony TV disappeared over the past couple of weeks.

bkleven

11-05-05, 07:57 PM

Just visited the new Best Buy at the new shopping center NE of the US-34/I-25 interchange east of Loveland.

There was a Comcra... er, Comcast booth set up. The rep showed me a photocopy of a Comcast published channel line up for Greely (and several other small area towns) that said something to the tune of effective November 8th. This list included local HD channels from Denver.

He said that Fort Collins, Loveland, and Longmont should all be coming along shortly in the following weeks. He wasn't specific, but he implied all within the November timeframe. He gave me his number and told me to call him later this week to see if he had a live date for Longmont (since that's what I was most curious about).

Still no guarantees and the info is sort of sketchy, but we are definitely (finally) seeing the first rollout of HD locals over Comcast in northern CO.

Hopefully this guarantees that we will all have the chance to see the Super Bowl in HD! (still not holding my breath though...)

garyfritz

11-06-05, 11:55 AM

I just got Dish (since I'm just outside the Comcast coverage area). It used to be pretty straightforward to get a waiver from KGWN to get CBS-HD on Dish. From reading some of the recent posts I get the impression it may not be so simple any more?

Anybody know what it takes to get a waiver from KGWN? I want NFL in HD!

Audiguy3

11-07-05, 04:41 PM

Gary

Just get a OTA. I watch the Broncos on Fox and Cheyenne (5)

Reggie

jeremyhelling

11-07-05, 04:54 PM

Gary

Just get a OTA. I watch the Broncos on Fox and Cheyenne (5)

Reggie

Yeah but I'm more interested in the process to get a waiver to be able to get ABC ala carte for three bucks a month to watch MNF in HD.

mknoebel

11-07-05, 04:58 PM

jeremyhelling

11-07-05, 05:32 PM

The picture on 5-1 for the Pittsburgh @ Green Bay game yesterday was TERRIBLE. Macroblocking through the whole first quarter so I turned it over to ABC-HD West out of LA on D*. Too bad, too. I'd much rather watch KGWN...

Yes, I saw that too with any motion it would go blocky like mad. To the point where I gave up until the end and watching FOX out of Denver. They really need to fix that because they lost me as a viewer due to the interference from 5-2 and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Turned over to FOX to be sure it wasn't my box or set and when I saw it was fine.... left it there and added KC to my online updates to watch.

jeremyhelling

11-07-05, 05:33 PM

milehighmike

11-07-05, 05:41 PM

Question - wasn't the Pitt-GB game on CBS yesterday, not ABC?

mknoebel

11-07-05, 06:39 PM

Yeah -- CBS.

gregkauf

11-08-05, 10:12 AM

The Comcast website now shows HD channels in the lineup for Greeley. Maybe we are getting closer for the rest of Northern Colorado? Guess we will find out on the 22nd...

gregkauf

11-09-05, 06:57 PM

I am seeing HDTV on Comcast via my 6412 this evening... They are probably testing, but encouraging none the less. I am only getting a couple of channels... 9 News in HD looks great! A few channels that were not tuning in disappeared, so not sure how long this will last...

Dan Hitchman

11-09-05, 07:34 PM

Anything on the Fort Collins front???

Art76

11-10-05, 12:23 PM

Hi, been a lurker for a few months. Live at 22nd and Francis in north Longmont
Had Comcast channels 652 KMGH HD, 653 ESPN HD, 654 WB2 HD, and 655 FOX31 HD for a few hours yesterday afternoon before they were wiped. So they really are finally testing for HD in Longmont. Thanks fellows for the help and humour. Appreciate it. Art

mknoebel

11-10-05, 10:04 PM

The Comcast website now shows HD channels in the lineup for Greeley. Maybe we are getting closer for the rest of Northern Colorado? Guess we will find out on the 22nd...

I called them today and they are NOT offering HD in Greeley. As a matter of fact, they had no idea when they would be adding them to the lineup.

Surprise, surprise...

bkleven

11-10-05, 11:02 PM

Mike -

Even though the sheet I saw said that the changes were effective 11/08/05, the website is saying that the changes are effective 11/15/05 (I think).

You may want to try again on Tuesday, or perhaps even before then on the (somewhat likely) probability that you talked to someone who was clueless.

gregkauf

11-11-05, 11:01 AM

Mike -

I noticed that it still showed "Coming Soon" for Greeley on the Comcast web site. It also does not let you order it online. However, the channel lineup does indicate that they are new channels. Might ask the Comcast rep why they are listed in the channel lineup, just for fun, to put them on the spot? Obviously it is not quite there yet, but I have a feeling it will be soon. I am still getting PBS and NBC in HD from Comcast in Loveland (Loveland doesnt even list HD channels in the lineup like Greeley does), though they have NBC mapped to the channel that should be carrying WB (based on other Colorado locations (Denver and Greeley) and the Guide data that is starting to hit my box).

Take Care,
Greg

garyfritz

11-11-05, 11:44 AM

Reggie, getting OTA isn't as easy up here 10 miles north of you and on the north side of a hill. I could get 21 (FOX, 13 mi ESE of here) without much trouble, but even 11 (ABC, 9 mi SW) has a hill and major trees in the way. And, natch, they're in opposite directions, but for those close-in stations I might be able to use a omnidirectional antenna. There's no way I could put up a big antenna to get any of the Denver or Cheyenne transmitters -- I have major WAF problems. It was a fight to get her to accept the dish on the side of the house. She'd freak if I put up a big yagi on the roof. The dish is my best bet.

Well, nobody suggested any magic incantation, so I just called KGWN and asked for a waiver. No problem: give us your name, address, & phone sir, and Dish should have you turned on by this afternoon. Kewl!

Audiguy3

11-11-05, 12:37 PM

garyfritz

11-11-05, 01:01 PM

Not huge hills, but yes, we live on the NE side of a local hilltop. You can see southward from our rooftop but it's blocked by trees and houses in most directions. I have a broadband Internet dish on the roof (no DSL or cable internet here) and there is exactly one spot where I can see the transmitter on the Key Bank building downtown. I dunno how well a TV antenna could pull a 60-mile-distant HDTV signal through that, even if I could mount a yagi on the roof.

Is there anywhere on the web that rates antennas by the yellow/green/etc ratings that antennaweb.org uses?

jeremyhelling

11-11-05, 04:33 PM

garyfritz

11-11-05, 05:07 PM

Oh I do not beLIEVE this.

Jer, I just called KGWN's main number (307-634-7755) and the nice lady who answered took down my info. This afternoon I got a call from a guy at Dish who wanted to check out some equipment questions before he added the CBS-HD programming. No problems.

At least, no ADMINISTRATIVE problems. TECHNICAL problems, now that's different...

I just got Dish last week, and they installed one of the new Dish-1000 dishes that shoots at 3 birds. One of those satellites is carrying the HD programming I can already get: HDNet, DiscoveryHD, ESPNHD, etc.

BUT CBS-HD IS NOT ON ANY ONE OF THOSE THREE SATELLITES!!

He says that in order to get CBS-HD, I'd have to have a dish at 148, and all the rest of the HD programming is on 129. So I would have to add a second dish to add this one channel. Not bloody likely, given WAF. *sigh*

BTW MNF is on ABC, isn't it? So CBS-HD wouldn't help. I don't know what options there are for ABC-HD, other than OTA.

turt

11-11-05, 05:13 PM

If KGWN provides a waiver for Dish, shouldn't I be able to get one for D* ? I thought it was a lost cause. Any D* subscribers get a waiver?

jeremyhelling

11-11-05, 05:22 PM

mknoebel

11-11-05, 07:11 PM

If KGWN provides a waiver for Dish, shouldn't I be able to get one for D* ? I thought it was a lost cause. Any D* subscribers get a waiver?

I have one through D*. I got it a long time ago by calling KGWN and asking them for it (back when they first added CBS-HD East and West).

mknoebel

11-12-05, 10:08 PM

"The word" now is that Greeley will officially have HD Channels on comcast early this coming week. Ft. C and Loveland early next week. Cross your fingers. And I hope they will allow me to get an HD DVR and just the basic package!

gregkauf

11-13-05, 09:43 AM

Mike, I think the DVR requires a subscription to their digital tier...

mknoebel

11-13-05, 10:13 AM

Mike, I think the DVR requires a subscription to their digital tier...

I hadn't heard that before... rats...

Dan Hitchman

11-13-05, 09:43 PM

What HD channels will be offered at first for Fort Collins? The entire Comcast lineup including OLN and Altitude? I need my Avs in HD!!! Do I have to have digital cable to get the HD channels, or just their new decoder box and it comes through the "regular" pipeline as modulated digital feeds? Does anyone know the scoop?

Dan

gregkauf

11-14-05, 03:55 PM

I am taking a guess that Comcast will offer the same HD channels as Denver (same ones listed for Greeley)... They are:

650 Showtime HD
651 HBO HD
652 KMGH (ABC) DT
653 KUSA (NBC) HD
654 KCNC (CBS) HD
655 KDVR (FOX) HD
656 KWGN (WB) HD
658 KRMA (PBS) HD
661 Starz HD
662 Cinemax HD
663 Discovery HD Theater
664 iN DEMAND1 HD
665 iN DEMAND2 HD
668 ESPN HD

Stars, HBO, Cinemax and Showtime HD channels require subscriptions to each respective movie channel.

Comcast airs Altitude HD games, Avs and Nuggets on iNHD1. This is pretty much most of the home games. You can find more details, including an HD schedule, at www.altitude.tv.
http://www.altitude.tv/hd/avs.aspx
http://www.altitude.tv/hd/nuggets.aspx

I have no idea about the cable box. My assumption would be that it requires an HDTV cable box, but that is just a guess. A QAM tuner may get you the local channels in HD, but probably not much else.

Greg

gregkauf

11-16-05, 10:13 AM

I was looking at the Comcast web page and it indicates that an HDTV cable box is required. Obviously that is not completely true, as in the case of any channels offered via Clear QAM.

gregkauf

11-16-05, 03:06 PM

OK, one more thing... I was checking out the sports on INHD and it seems that some OLN HD games are available as well...

jeremyhelling

11-16-05, 05:32 PM

Are the In Demand channels pay-per-view or is that just a coinqie dinq?

gregkauf

11-16-05, 05:59 PM

No, INHD and INHD2 are not PPV channels...
http://www.inhd.com/indexFlash.jsp

INHD offers viewers two channels, INHD and INHD2, for two different experiences:

INHD brings you powerhouse sports including MLB, NBATV, College, Tennis, Golf, extreme sports and AFL games.
INHD2 features WOW HD entertainment including exclusive concerts in Dolby 5.1, more than 35 movies made for the big screens of IMAX and much more.

I am looking forward to viewing HD hockey soon!

- Greg

bkleven

11-18-05, 10:14 PM

Just noticed... the Comcast listing for Longmont now includes the following:

652 KMGH (ABC) DT
653 KUSA (NBC) HD
654 KCNC (CBS) HD
655 KDVR (FOX) HD

That's it. No other HD or DT channels listed. I wonder if it's just a coincidence that KMGH is listed as DT and not HD... Perhaps that's Comcast saying that they don't consider 720p 'true HD' ???

Dan Hitchman

11-18-05, 10:20 PM

That couldn't be it because FOX is also 720p. Perhaps they haven't gotten the KMGH HD signal yet.

Dan

gregkauf

11-22-05, 06:33 PM

nirvana_av

11-22-05, 07:32 PM

Loveland has Comcast HDTV!!! A message on my HD DVR said I could order the service. I called and sure enough, now I get them all... (well, not HBO/STARS/CINEMAX/SHOWTIME, I dont subscribe to any of those) No extra charge if you have the HD DVR, just a quick call and it was activated!

Greg

Excellent!! Just another 14 miles to go :)

I keep checking their website for word on availability in Fort Collins. Maybe that isn't the most reliable indicator.

amtravco

11-22-05, 09:31 PM

I just called Comcast, and they told me that Fort Collins now has HD! (it's not on their website yet). Now I just need to go out and buy an HDTV---I was waiting for this first.

mbuchana

11-22-05, 11:20 PM

Yes, Comcast HD is in Fort Collins. I picked up an HD DVR this afternoon 11/22.

For the HD DVR, I had to get at least "Digital Classic" plus $9.95/month for the DVR. I think the premium for Digital Classic is free for 3 months. I was already a "basic cable" and HSI subscriber.

It sounds like it is also possible to get HD (no DVR) for $6.95 extra to whatever package you are ordering.

I'm getting the Denver locals plus INHD1/2, Discovery HD, ESPN HD.

Mark

Audiguy3

11-23-05, 09:43 AM

mbuchana

11-23-05, 10:10 AM

That's great Mark - what about Altitude (Avs)?

Reggie

My understanding is that Altitude uses one of the INHD channels when there is HD content.

Mark

flood222

11-23-05, 10:25 AM

GReeley zip 80631

Dear Comcast Customer,

Thank you for your interest in Comcast products and services.
Comcast HDTV service is currently not available in your area.
We will send you an email notification as soon as it becomes
available.

gregkauf

11-23-05, 12:09 PM

Hey Flood222, Have you tried calling Comcast? I am not sure if it is available in Greeley yet, but you might get a different answer if you call them? If they are not available, you might ask them why they are listed in their channel lineup for Greeley on their website? Earlier rumors had Greeley getting HD before Fort Collins. Good Luck, Greg

rblatchley

11-23-05, 11:32 PM

Nevermind - I found the answer to my post in a different forum. Sorry.

Audiguy3

11-24-05, 01:05 PM

From the Loveland Paper Website - The Fort Collins Coloradoan had a article in the newspaper too.

Comcast digital adds HDTV

By Alicia Beard
The Daily Reporter-Herald

Welcome to the digital era.
Or at least it will be after 2009, when the Federal Communications Commission requires all broadcasters to switch from an analog to a digital signal.

As part of this transition, new services such as high-definition TV are becoming available. For Comcast digital cable customers in Northern Colorado, HDTV became an option Wednesday.

“Customers subscribing to our HD service in Northern Colorado will now be able to use the features of their high-definition televisions to take advantage of many local high-definition broadcasts, including Denver Broncos games,” said Stan Reifschneider, Comcast general manager for Northern Colorado, in a written statement.

High-definition requires a specific kind of TV and equipment, and it is not yet available by satellite in the area. By transmitting more information through the bandwidth, the picture appears sharper, like watching a movie on a DVD player.

Jim McDonald, chief executive officer of Wind River Group Inc. and a city Communications Technologies Commission member, said high-definition is part of the transition to digital.

He said the switch was born out of the communication challenges that emergency personnel encountered during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Since then, lawmakers have called for TV stations to free up some of the broadcast spectrum for radio frequencies, he said.

Digital signals use less of the spectrum than do analog signals, while transmitting more information.

The Federal Communications Commission is mandating that broadcasters make that change by the end of 2009. At that time, McDonald said, people with standard TVs will be able to receive only cable.

“If you have a standard TV set, one of these days it will go dark,” he said.

Many television stations are currently broadcasting from two channels to accommodate the switch, he said. And lawmakers are still speculating on whether to subsidize TVs with high-definition capabilities for low-income viewers.

McDonald said high-definition is the first of many services that digitizing broadcasts will offer. Down the road, instant stock market reports or background music will be commonplace.

“We have such a vast array of information available,” he said. “There’s so many possible uses, it’s only limited by the imagination.”

The Facts

High-definition television became available to Comcast digital cable customers in Northern Colorado beginning Wednesday.

Viewers can tune in to 14 channels with high-definition service.

High-definition is a technology that better utilizes the broadcast spectrum by sending more information through the bandwidth.

Viewers see a clearer picture with a higher resolution and better sound.

The service works only with a TV that has high-definition capabilities.

Comcast customers will need a digital cable box that costs an extra $5 a month. For more information, call (888) 824-4010.

TheaterWizard

11-24-05, 11:13 PM

All I can say about this is that it is about time, now the next hurdle is full over air HD for us sat people, wont loose my dish and switch back to the dark side.....Its been many years since I have subscribed to cable, but the wounds are still fresh. :mad:

Hope fully someone will post back a cheap local HD only solution from cable I might consider that.

I have been experimenting with some streaming HD from the internet and that shows as much promise as anything. Nuba.tv has some easy to use demo material if anyone feels like a new challenge. Full HD streams no downloading.

Stefan

handy7390

11-27-05, 07:16 PM

flynrubi

11-27-05, 07:54 PM

Hi All,
I am new to this post.

handy7390 there are no HD transmitters on Horsetooth. The equipment that you saw are only used for their remote news broadcasts for Northern CO.
As far as OTA I can only get KWGN WB2 and KDVR Fox 31 and some times Ch9 out of Denver.

I converted from E* on Tuesday to Comcast with an HD DVR. So far I am pretty happy with the move. HD channels look great. The package I got was the digital silver package with HBO and YD DVR. They put me on a dish win back plan and I will save about $20 a month (for 12 months) and save $10 on my broadband.
The DVR is a little difficult to use with Comcast, however I am sure I will get use to it.

Thanks for a great forum!
Ken

SW Fort Collins

nirvana_av

11-27-05, 08:00 PM

I converted from E* on Tuesday to Comcast with an HD DVR.

Who makes the Comcast HD DVR? Do you have a model number that you can share?

flynrubi

11-27-05, 08:05 PM

Yes it is a Motorola DCT6412 III Dual Tuner.
So far so good.

Audiguy3

11-27-05, 08:37 PM

Hi guys. I am new and live by PVH hospital in Fort Collins. I saw reference to the Key Bank transmitters. Are there local HD broadcasting going on in FC? I have Directv and want to upgrade to the HD service. To get the locals I have to get the OTA antenna. Does FC get the 2, 4, 7, and 9 channels? I know 9news has a tower on horsetooth or atleast a camera on one. I've been up there. So if I get Directv HD with OTA antenna, am I going to get the Denver HD stations?

If you read the forum previous postings - you will see that you can only get OTA HD channels 2(who cares),5 (Cheyenne), 31 (Fox). We have too many high bluffs between us and the Republic Building in Downtown Denver.

To get all the HD locals you need either Comcast HD or D* this summer when they start HD feeds for the denver area.

Reggie

handy7390

11-28-05, 09:20 AM

I did read the posts and they seemed to be referring to people north of Fort Collins yet. So I was posting for people "in" Fort Collins. I thought the broadcasting was done from Lookout Mtn. I am learning a lot here in just 2 days.

Dan Hitchman

11-28-05, 12:40 PM

handy7390,

You'll probably see DirecTV or Comcast in Fort Collins (or even Dish Network) have Denver locals in HD before any full powered digital transmission from Lookout or Morrison occur(Morrison would have too many blind spots for N. Colorado). It seems to be a dead issue trying to wait and see for OTA HD in this neck of the woods. The FCC (the yes men to the broadcaster lobby) seemingly will do nothing to push the point.

Dan

rsb61

11-28-05, 06:29 PM

bill-fc

11-29-05, 01:00 AM

rsb61, you should be able to get Fox (DT 21, north of you) and CBS (DT 30, Cheyenne) and maybe WB (34 from Denver) with a relatively small UHF antenna carefully placed. If that will tide you over until sometime next year, go for it; anything else will be a real struggle.

Bill

rsb61

11-29-05, 12:32 PM

digiphotonerd

11-29-05, 05:32 PM

rsb61 -

In general, you'll need a highly directional antenna with a decent preamp to pick up the Denver stations. Where in Windsor are you located? There are some areas that can't "see" the Denver towers at all...

- digiphotonerd

turt

11-29-05, 11:51 PM

b) Does anyone know for certain that DirecTV will broadcast the Denver local channels in HD sometime next year? Dates?? If so, I will probably choose the lower cost option.

No one know for certain, but D* made a press release that they were going to get the top 12 markets by end of 2005. I think they're up to #6 right now, so that's a good sign. Denver would be in the next group (at #18) in "early 2006." My guess is Comcast will beat them to the punch. As an addicted Tivoer, I'm going to wait to hear how the new D* HD PVR is, which should also be out next year. The dates on that are even sketchier. I'll switch to Comcast only if their PVR is better.

Audiguy3

11-30-05, 12:19 PM

Bill,

You have confirmed my thoughts - Thank you!

I will be putting up an antenna - I just need to figure out whether to buy a low-cost multi-directional one in the attic or go the whole hog and put an external Hi-gain directional one with a rotator on the roof.

My decision will be based on the following, and perhaps the very knowledgeable people here can help influence my decision:
a) Will the directional antenna get me more in the way of better signal strength or more HD channels? If so, I will probably choose this option.
b) Does anyone know for certain that DirecTV will broadcast the Denver local channels in HD sometime next year? Dates?? If so, I will probably choose the lower cost option.
I'm hoping that Comcast delivering local channels in HD will add impetus for DirecTV to do the same ... but I'm not holding my breath!!

Thanks for your help.
rsb61 (have a name?)

There is a thread that has all the antenna info you need. Ideally you should get a rotor and a directional antenna. Here is the thread on antennas:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=546066

My neighbor borrowed my rabbit ears over the weekend for his TV in the basement and could get Fox (31)

I have a antenna in the attic and get 2 and 5 (as well as 12 Digtals signals) also - they are not on a rotor and point to Denver - so I am not optomized for Cheyenne or Denver as I had to make the antenna fit the rafters - I should just switch over to UHF antenna (0rginally was using it for locals SD Channels) - I know there are too many bluffs in the way for me to get any channels from the Republic Building for 4, 9, and soon 7.

Probably a good one to get would be this type: 8Bay (http://www.channelmaster.com/images/4228.jpg)

If you are high enough in Windsor you might get Denver Channels.

No one know for certain, but D* made a press release that they were going to get the top 12 markets by end of 2005. I think they're up to #6 right now, so that's a good sign. Denver would be in the next group (at #18) in "early 2006." My guess is Comcast will beat them to the punch. As an addicted Tivoer, I'm going to wait to hear how the new D* HD PVR is, which should also be out next year. The dates on that are even sketchier. I'll switch to Comcast only if their PVR is better.
__________________
Ron

Ron,
Comcast has already beat D* - they offer HD now.

I am looking forward to someone posting about the HD channels on Comcast that has signed up for it.

Reggie

skyburn

11-30-05, 04:27 PM

rsb61 (have a name?)
...snip...
Ron,
Comcast has already beat D* - they offer HD now.

I am looking forward to someone posting about the HD channels on Comcast that has signed up for it.

Reggie

I know someone who is receiving Denver HD locals via Comcast in Fort Collins, and officially signed up for it last week (I think on Tuesday). What information are you looking for?

Audiguy3

11-30-05, 05:57 PM

I know someone who is receiving Denver HD locals via Comcast in Fort Collins, and officially signed up for it last week (I think on Tuesday). What information are you looking for?

Would like to hear some comments on quality, quanity(ie stations), cost and what they think of the hardware

Reggie

skyburn

11-30-05, 06:31 PM

Would like to hear some comments on quality, quanity(ie stations), cost and what they think of the hardware

Reggie

From my source:

Quantity: All locals from Denver (KMGH, KUSA, KCNC, KDVR, KRMA, KWGN), plus DiscoveryHD, InHD, InHD2, ESPNHD and HBOHD/ShowtimeHD/StarzHD/CinemaxHD if you sub to those premiums.

Quality: Look pretty good; a few problems with InHD2 (some pixellation issues) but rarely.

Cost: HD Pak is $5/mo on top of Digital Cable (if you don't get digital cable, it's $5/mo and only the Denver locals)

Hardware: Motorola Dual Tuner HDDVR -- works pretty well, but could use some software/UI tweaks on the DVR side (trick play is a little annoying such as not being able to get all the way to the end of a recording, all the way to the beginning etc. -- I don't know how this stacks up with other DVRs).

mbuchana

11-30-05, 06:48 PM

Reggie,

The Comcast HD quality seems to be excellent. If you want to have the DVR the minimum cost is Digital Classic ($51.44) plus a $9.95 DVR charge. So, HD doesn't cost any more than the "regular" DVR charge, which I think would be the same $9.95 even if you only wanted an SD DVR. That gets you Denver locals, plus INHD1, INHD2, Discovery HD Theater and ESPN HD, and everything else that normally comes with Digital Classic.

I have noticed some jumpy images when recording from analog channels on the DVR. I have not seen the problem with HD. I did find an Avs game unwatchable due to breakups & freezes on INHD, which was presumably a temporary technical problem.

Mark

Audiguy3

11-30-05, 09:50 PM

Mark and Skyburn

Thanks - That's what I was hoping to hear. I have several friends who I wanted to recommend it too. I wonder if the Avs issue was local or in Denver too.

Reggie

flynrubi

12-01-05, 11:30 PM

I to have had pixeling on the INHD channels. Especially bad on AVS games. I cross check with the SD channel if look fine for SD.

As for the Comcast HD DVR it seems to work ok. It is not as easy to use as E* PVR that I had. The Comcast on has locked up on me a couple time and I was not able to see my recorded DVR's until I unpluged the unit and let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes. After it restores I could see the DVR's again and it took a while before all of the channels in the guide displayed there content again.
Hopefully I will get use to the DVR controls/quirks.

Also when I canceled E* they tried to save me by saying the they were launching HD locals here in January and they would pay for my service until then.

My 2 cents worth
Ken

colofan

12-02-05, 09:52 AM

Also when I canceled E* they tried to save me by saying the they were launching HD locals here in January and they would pay for my service until then.

My 2 cents worth
Ken

I would have cornered them and said okay you pay for my E* until you get HD locals :) More likely to get HD locals in Jan 2007 than next month :)

flynrubi

12-02-05, 05:13 PM

Your right I should have. I could of had both and only pay for one.
Oh well!

byancey

12-03-05, 11:29 AM

I've been feeding my FusionHDTV5 Lite card in my HTPC with an OTA antenna pointed toward Republic Plazza in downtown Denver. In this configuration, I can pick up most of the Major networks (minus ABC and UPN) with between 65% and 100% signal strength.

I'm actually in Firestone, but I get my Comcast Cable Service out of Fort Collins. After reading the latest posts in this thread regarding availability of Comcast HD, I switched the antenna input to my FusionHDTV card from the OTA antenna over to the comcast feed on a whim. Lo-and-behold, there's really something HD on that wire! :) Looks like I'm getting all of the unencrypted QAM HD channels comcast offers, including all of the Major networks and a few others I haven't identified yet. My tuner also picks up all the digital music channels as well.

Needless to say, I'm quite pleased with these results! Just had to tell someone. :)

--
Bryce

nirvana_av

12-03-05, 11:35 AM

Out of curiosity, what HD receiver are you using?

Audiguy3

12-03-05, 02:59 PM

byancey

12-03-05, 03:11 PM

Out of curiosity, what HD receiver are you using?

I dont' have a Set To Box. I'm using a FusionHDTV5 Lite HDTV tuner card in my HTPC.

http://www.fusionhdtv.co.kr/eng/Products/ATSC5Lite.aspx

I've cycled through all the channels that my card found, and here's what I can tune:

All of the Standard Definition Digtial Channels from the Basic Package (primarily all the channels that are also available OTA as analog).
The following HD Channels: WB2, NBC, FOX, CBS, and ABC. I couldn't find any HD channel for UPN or PBS (KRMH). I do get KRMH on my OTA antenna, which is great because they always broadcast some fantastic HD shows. Didn't see it anywhere in the Comcast Lineup.
An assortment of digital music channels spread throughout the other channels.

EDIT: Actually, I think I am getting the HD feed for KRMH. I see that KRMHDT does show up in the Comcast Firestone lineup from zap2it, and I have the same PBS channel in my lineup twice at 2 different frequencies (my FusionHDTV cards doesn't map the channels correctly, so it's hard to tell what's what just from looking at the channel numbers). I think one of the PBS channels is the SD broadcast, and the other is the HD broadcast...but both are transmitting in 480i right now. My guess is that one of them will switch to 720p when something other than "Making your fortune onlne" is broadcasting. I just can't tell which is HD and which is SD with the current broadcast feed. :( I also don't see a UPN-DT listed in zap2it, so I'm guessing comcast doesn't currently carry the UPN HD feed. Maybe they'll add this at some point.

Thanks.

--
Bryce

nirvana_av

12-03-05, 03:18 PM

I dont' have a Set To Box. I'm using a FusionHDTV5 Lite HDTV tuner card in my HTPC.

http://www.fusionhdtv.co.kr/eng/Products/ATSC5Lite.aspx
Bryce

Ah! Thanks. I should have read your post more carefully.

TheaterWizard

12-03-05, 04:59 PM

Humm - I might try this and see if I can get my D* Sony HD200 receiver to work. I have high speed internet with Comcast
Reggie

I personally would like to hear the outcome of this one...

Stefan

jayn_j

12-04-05, 04:59 PM

Now that Comcast is transmitting local channels in HD, does anyone have concrete evidence that DirecTV will also do the same for the Denver channels?

I live in Windsor and we are too far from the center of town to get cable. I do get some HD channels via DirecTV and am wondering if I should install an OTA antenna or wait?

I think I am in the same boat. I live in the Country Meadows Subdivision at 392 and CR5. I have had DISH forever, and the last I checked, the cable service was pretty bleak. Analog only and was Jones Intermountain when we moved here.

I picked up one of those cheap Radio Shack ATSC tuners and a TERK indor antenna. I can get 31, 5 and 12 pretty solid. 2 is very iffy. The rest seem to be difficult at best. I haven't wanted to go mess with a roof antenna and an attic one doesn't seem to be worth the bother, especially if I need a rotor. Also, I seldom bother with KGWN because of the HDLite issues. It simply isn't worth the bother to switch it in for the little gain I see.

I think I am stuck with either DISH or DTV, depending on who gets here first, and am playing the waiting game until then.

digiphotonerd

12-05-05, 10:50 AM

I think I am in the same boat. I live in the Country Meadows Subdivision at 392 and CR5. I have had DISH forever, and the last I checked, the cable service was pretty bleak. Analog only and was Jones Intermountain when we moved here.

I picked up one of those cheap Radio Shack ATSC tuners and a TERK indor antenna. I can get 31, 5 and 12 pretty solid. 2 is very iffy. The rest seem to be difficult at best. I haven't wanted to go mess with a roof antenna and an attic one doesn't seem to be worth the bother, especially if I need a rotor. Also, I seldom bother with KGWN because of the HDLite issues. It simply isn't worth the bother to switch it in for the little gain I see.
FWIW, I'm less than a mile from you, and receive WB, CBS, PBS, and FOX (2, 5, 12, and 31) solidly, with NBC (9) being my iffy one. Antennaweb says I should be able to get ABC (33) as well, but I haven't gotten around to pointing the antenna NW yet. My antennae are in my attic -- a highly directional VHF/UHF pointed south, plus a cheap UHF one pointed north for 5.

Your attic may be a few feet lower than mine (depending on your home style), BUT your ATSC receiver is at least one full generation newer. Personally, I think it'd be worth it to pick up something like a ChannelMaster 4228 (less than $100, even including shipping) and give it a shot.

jayn_j

12-06-05, 10:13 PM

Thanks. I may give it a shot, especially since the dish websites are now reporting HDLite from both DISH and DTV

nirvana_av

12-06-05, 11:52 PM

My antennae are in my attic -- a highly directional VHF/UHF pointed south, plus a cheap UHF one pointed north for 5.

Are you using a simple combiner?

mknoebel

12-07-05, 12:04 AM

digiphotonerd

12-07-05, 12:18 AM

Are you using a simple combiner?
No, I actually use automatable RF switches (Niles RFS-1) to select one antenna feed or the other, for each of my DTV tuners. One tuner's switch is controlled by a button on that room's touchpanel. The other one is automatically switched based on the channel selected on that tuner (i.e. if channel 5.1 gets selected, switch to the north-pointing antenna).

One thing I'm considering doing is getting one of those tuned notch filters to knock channel 25 down as far as possible for the south-facing antenna. That stupid shopping channel's tower is only ~20 degrees away from the Lookout towers, but is ~30 miles closer, and last I checked, had an ERP of 5MW.

flood222

12-07-05, 04:31 PM

The wife wanted to watch the Victoria Secret show on cbs tonight :D
so I flipped over to KGWN to see if it was in HD. To my surprise it was - but to my disappointment, KGWN-HD continues to be unwatchable due to the macroblocking. :(

I missed out on that actually as my accurtain (sp) receiver quit working..argh.

I have one coming to a radioshack near me though and should be here anyday.

About the macroblocking I was going to send them an email with some facts about their issue. I am curious how wide spread this issue actually is? I know that you mknoebel are here in Greeley too.

Where are others located that experience the same thing? Are there people in WY that notice this too? I would like to rule out the signal strength as a factor before sending them the email.

When I talked to the station manager she admitted that they didn't know a whole lot. If it is indeed a bandwitdth issue then I would like to send them info about how HD works..lol. Such as MPEG encoding. I only get the macro blocking on programs with lots of motion. Such as broncos games. however letterman rarely ever did it.

My signal strength is 70-75% with an SNR ~25

jpco

12-07-05, 09:08 PM

Signal strength is not a factor. My signal has always been strong, and it used to be a fine video station with lousy audio. The audio is now a little better, but the picture is unwatchable. Football games and the Victoria's Secret special were awful. They may as well not even be broadcasting.

TheaterWizard

12-08-05, 12:54 AM

I cant agree more with CBS out of cheyenne being unwatchable. Used to be the best picture around with some sound issues that I could deal with, now the so called HD picture is nothing more than an unstretched analog looking signal. Too bad and I am afraid this is only the beginning. Once more stations figure out that they can now have two or more crummy signals on the same bandwidth, then money talks............more commercials = money = less picture left for us to enjoy. :(

By the time we get all the channels up here there wont be much left to marvel at.

I still hold out hope for HD streaming on demand from the internet......until they figure out how to screw that up as well.

Loosing hope,
Stefan

Audiguy3

12-09-05, 04:21 PM

I personally would like to hear the outcome of this one...

Stefan

Stefan,

Did not work - I guess I do not have a QAM (is this the correct term) tuner in the Sony HD -200. It would only scan digital signals up to channel 125.

So it looks like free HD from comcast is not a option for me

Reggie

nirvana_av

12-09-05, 04:46 PM

jeremyhelling

12-09-05, 04:50 PM

I have found out from a fellow Comcast subscriber that you CAN get local HD stations (unencrypted QAM) from Comcast with only the basic cable subscription. They will rent their QAM set-top-boxes for $6.75/mo without any subscription length commitment and can be discontinued at any time.

So how much is the basic cable subscription for Fort Collins Loveland then? Did we ever decide what the difference between them is as far as channels and price?

nirvana_av

12-09-05, 05:02 PM

I thought it was determined that Loveland has a basic and standard while Fort Collins's basic is the same as standard which is the 50 or so channels for $42/mo.

TheaterWizard

12-09-05, 07:26 PM

Stefan,

Did not work - I guess I do not have a QAM (is this the correct term) tuner in the Sony HD -200. It would only scan digital signals up to channel 125.

So it looks like free HD from comcast is not a option for me

Reggie

Thanks Reggie,

I did not put much hope in the fact that we could get something for nothing.....

Comcast was kind enough to put an analog filter on my incoming high speed line that filters out 2-62 analog, I was hoping that the digitals would not be effected by this, but after some experimenting I came up with the same result using three different HD tuners, one computer OTA HD card, Dish 942 and an old 6000 with the 8VSB adapter. I don't get anything unless I hook back up the old UHF monster on my roof. Channel 9 seems to be pretty good at night lately, even with the snow I was getting good signal. Went from 6:00 news until after Leno with no dropouts on Thursday night, with CBS destroying there channel now 9 has the best OTA picture out there, ER was almost gross. :eek:

So we live and learn, thanks again for the reply.

Stefan

TheaterWizard

12-09-05, 07:36 PM

Sorry if this is a little of topic, its not OTA HD but local coverage news none the less.

Anyone else notice that HD net is now blacking out the Av's games in HD. I have had Saturday marked on my calender since the beginning of the year, and now I notice that the game is "not availabe in my area". I have been watching the AV's broadcast on HD net for the last two years that they played with no blackouts. Seems to me that since they left Fox RM that altitude now sends out the blackout flags for other stations............ Hardly seems fair, as altitude now brags about being in HD somewhere, but not anywhere I have seen yet, guess its another hit to us satellite users.

Have you HD comcast users been watching Altitude in HD? If so, how is the picture compared to HD net if you have used that channel before. My opinion is that HDnet has the best HD picture around.

Thanks for any input.
Stefan

flynrubi

12-10-05, 10:27 AM

Have you HD comcast users been watching Altitude in HD? If so, how is the picture compared to HD net if you have used that channel before. My opinion is that HDnet has the best HD picture around.

Yes I have been watching the AVS in HD on the INHD channel on Comcast. The first few games had a fair amount of pixeling (I think that was an Altitude problem). That has seemed to clear up and now they look great. As for the comparison to HD Net, The only games I watched on HD Net were the classic games during the strike. I would say they are very comparable.

Ken

TheaterWizard

12-11-05, 02:13 PM

Yes I have been watching the AVS in HD on the INHD channel on Comcast. The first few games had a fair amount of pixeling (I think that was an Altitude problem). That has seemed to clear up and now they look great. As for the comparison to HD Net, The only games I watched on HD Net were the classic games during the strike. I would say they are very comparable.

Ken

Thanks for the reply, does that mean that I would have to subscribe to INHD to watch the AV's or do they just use that channel to broadcast the games on? This is all assuming that I would rent a digital box and subscribe to a package that includes the regular Altitude channel.

Stefan

flood222

12-12-05, 11:12 AM

so broncos were in SD on CBS

YAY

flynrubi

12-12-05, 11:22 PM

Thanks for the reply, does that mean that I would have to subscribe to INHD to watch the AV's or do they just use that channel to broadcast the games on? This is all assuming that I would rent a digital box and subscribe to a package that includes the regular Altitude channel.

They just use that channel to broadcast the games. INHD is part of the HD package. I have the HD DVR box so I can record the games.
The AVS's game tonight looked great in HD!

Ken

Audiguy3

12-15-05, 11:32 AM

Thanks Reggie,

I did not put much hope in the fact that we could get something for nothing.....

Comcast was kind enough to put an analog filter on my incoming high speed line that filters out 2-62 analog, I was hoping that the digitals would not be effected by this, but after some experimenting I came up with the same result using three different HD tuners, one computer OTA HD card, Dish 942 and an old 6000 with the 8VSB adapter. I don't get anything unless I hook back up the old UHF monster on my roof. Channel 9 seems to be pretty good at night lately, even with the snow I was getting good signal. Went from 6:00 news until after Leno with no dropouts on Thursday night, with CBS destroying there channel now 9 has the best OTA picture out there, ER was almost gross. :eek:

So we live and learn, thanks again for the reply.

Stefan

Stefan,

I don't think you have a QAM tuner - same as me. I also have the same filter as you. I suspect we can get the HD if we had a QAM Tuner.

I can not get 9.1 - though the signal level is about 30%. If I had a roof antenna w/rotor I might be able to get it. Antenna now is in the attic.

FYI - It has been three years that HDNet carried the Avs games locally. The games were well done with excellent sound in most games. They had an agreement with Fox that allowed sharing of the video. That stopped two years ago. Last year there were no games.

Reggie.

TheaterWizard

12-15-05, 12:09 PM

Oh well back to the drawing board, wonder where we might find this elusive QAM tuner? Never heard of that before..

Audiguy3

12-15-05, 01:42 PM

Oh well back to the drawing board, wonder where we might find this elusive QAM tuner? Never heard of that before..
They appear to be part of the HDTVs for use with cables

Video Noise
February 2004

Does Your Next Video Display Need to Have a QAM Tuner?

Satellite customers who don’t intend to ever have cable in their homes needn’t worry about QAM tuners at all. But if you’re a cable subscriber who expects to remain so, a QAM tuner might be of interest.

When cable companies ran out of bandwidth for analog cable channels, they turned to digital transmission to increase the number of available channels. This allows many cable systems to carry hundreds -- possibly even more than a thousand -- channels of programming. Digital cable allows for 30 to 100 pay-per-view movie channels with scheduled start and end times. It also makes possible 10 to 50 movie-on-demand channels that allow you to start a movie any time you want, have access to that movie for 24 hours rather than one viewing, and, when you do sit down to watch it, have all the options you get with a VCR or DVR: stop, rewind, pause, etc. Digital cable permits multiple versions of various "pay" channels, such as HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz, etc. Sports subscriptions of various types are also available on digital cable systems, as are special events, and 30 or more channels of continuous music without commercials.

The complex signals a cable company generates to carry all that programming are far beyond the capabilities of the simple broadcast UHF and VHF tuners that have been in TVs for decades. This is why cable companies give you set-top boxes, which you need to receive all of their digital and analog channels.

QAM stands for "quadrature amplitude modulation," the format by which digital cable channels are encoded and transmitted via cable. Until recently, there was no standard for how this was done; most cable systems were incompatible with those of other companies. The FCC recently issued a ruling requiring all cable providers to use the same QAM scheme; the tuners beginning to appear in home video displays now use this scheme.

Theoretically, a QAM-equipped TV is all you need to receive digital cable channels. Most people assume that, rather than having to pay the cable company rental on the set-top box and remote, all they’ll have to do now is to connect the cable to the video display and use the display’s remote control to view digital cable channels.

But there’s a fly in the ointment. Cable companies charge extra for digital cable service. Not a lot, usually -- in my area, it’s just $3 per month. But you can’t receive the digital channels without the set-top box, which sets you back another $7 a month. Add $0.60/month for the remote, and the cable company is getting a little over $10 a month for each digital cable subscriber -- more if the customer has more set-top boxes.

The capabilities of QAM tuners now appearing in some new TVs are not completely clear. The owner’s manual of one model I examined contains no information about using the built-in QAM tuner and what it can or can’t do for you. If the TV’s QAM tuner can’t be addressed by the cable company, as the set-top boxes can be, you may not be able to receive digital cable channels without a set-top box. That could make the built-in QAM tuner useless.

There’s a chance that some cable companies may decide not to encrypt local channels that are on their digital band. If that happens, you might be able to get local HDTV broadcasts via your TV’s QAM tuner without having to have a set-top box. This would spare you the considerable hassle of installing a largish antenna to receive local HDTV broadcast channels, even if you don’t live very far from the broadcast antenna. There may be some value to having an internal QAM tuner, but the amount of value depends on your local cable company, their digital programming, and the capabilities of the built-in QAM tuner.

One story that has made the rounds in recent months is of a consumer who brought home a new TV with a QAM tuner. He was paying only for analog cable, not for digital cable or any of the services on the digital band. When he flipped through the channels, he found he could receive all of the digital cable channels on his new TV. Not one to make any waves, the guy enjoyed digital cable for a while, until the channels began disappearing one by one. Over the course of a few days, every digital cable channel disappeared from his set, each one apparently now encrypted by the cable company.

Whether a QAM tuner will offer you any worthwhile functionality will be up to you to research in advance. Before you buy a new TV, call your cable company and ask them, "If I buy a new TV with a built-in QAM tuner, what programming will I be able to receive on that TV without one of your digital cable set-top boxes?" Ask this as well: "Will I be able to receive local broadcast channels in HDTV using the built-in QAM tuner in my new TV without having to have one of your boxes?" The second question is important -- they may have forgotten about the local HDTV channels.

...Doug Blackburn
db@hometheatersound.com

TheaterWizard

12-15-05, 03:24 PM

Good article Reggie,

Thanks for the post, now it makes more sense.

Stefan

nirvana_av

12-15-05, 06:20 PM

Oh well back to the drawing board, wonder where we might find this elusive QAM tuner? Never heard of that before..

Samsung and LG make and have made QAM tuner set-top-boxes. They can be found new, refurbished and used online for a little over $200.

gregkauf

12-17-05, 10:04 AM

Just noticed last night that Loveland Comcast now has VOD... VOD and HDTV, this is a very merry Christmas!!! :-)

jeremyhelling

12-17-05, 02:37 PM

Just noticed last night that Loveland Comcast now has VOD... VOD and HDTV, this is a very merry Christmas!!! :-)

VOD?

nirvana_av

12-17-05, 04:03 PM

VOD?

Video-On-Demand. Like Pay-Per-View but with time flexibility.

jeremyhelling

12-17-05, 04:15 PM

Video-On-Demand. Like Pay-Per-View but with time flexibility.

Gotcha.

jpco

12-17-05, 09:33 PM

Just noticed last night that Loveland Comcast now has VOD... VOD and HDTV, this is a very merry Christmas!!! :-)

I'm in Fort Collins and left DirecTV for Comcast, which was installed today. DVR is working great and the VOD was an added bonus that I did not expect. Feel like I went from the stone age to the present in the hour it took to install. Excellent.

1kludge1

01-02-06, 11:00 PM

I'm in Fort Collins and left DirecTV for Comcast, which was installed today. DVR is working great and the VOD was an added bonus that I did not expect. Feel like I went from the stone age to the present in the hour it took to install. Excellent.

I also ditched DirecTV for Comcast. The install happened 12/24, and overall I'm very happy. The only thing I don't like is that the DVR boxes are major kludges. I never had any weirdness with my TiVo, but the Moto boxes that Comcast uses are poorly designed. Examples:

- Random hangs in the video stream. Happens a couple of times per day for about a minute each. May be a problem with the strength of my signal (long run from the outside box, through a splitter for cable modem)
- Unintuitive use of the dual-tuner. TiVo was always smart enough to switch tuners if I wanted to watch something else. The Moto boxes require you to switch tuners.
- Box is often slow to respond to remote button presses. Sometimes ignores the button presses at all. Other times it queues them up for several seconds and processes them all quickly. Stupid.
- "Best Practices" from the web dictate leaving the Moto box on all the time. Configuring the remote to never turn the box off is impossible. It's hard to re-train the family to turn it on with "TV-Power-Cable" button sequences...
- only 15 hours of HD recording time. The box is filling up fast.

I can live with these quirks, and the advantages of HD DVR far outweigh the disadvantages, I was just spoiled with how well TiVo worked.

I've been pleasantly surprised with the picture quality of the SD channels. I always had this metnal image of poor quality cable channels (even digital cable). But Comcast SD looks as good as DirecTV, and the HD channels all look great. Looking forward to the Olympics and SuperBowl in HD.

jeremyhelling

01-03-06, 12:08 PM

I also ditched DirecTV for Comcast. The install happened 12/24, and overall I'm very happy. The only thing I don't like is that the DVR boxes are major kludges. I never had any weirdness with my TiVo, but the Moto boxes that Comcast uses are poorly designed. Examples:

- Random hangs in the video stream. Happens a couple of times per day for about a minute each. May be a problem with the strength of my signal (long run from the outside box, through a splitter for cable modem)
- Unintuitive use of the dual-tuner. TiVo was always smart enough to switch tuners if I wanted to watch something else. The Moto boxes require you to switch tuners.
- Box is often slow to respond to remote button presses. Sometimes ignores the button presses at all. Other times it queues them up for several seconds and processes them all quickly. Stupid.
- "Best Practices" from the web dictate leaving the Moto box on all the time. Configuring the remote to never turn the box off is impossible. It's hard to re-train the family to turn it on with "TV-Power-Cable" button sequences...
- only 15 hours of HD recording time. The box is filling up fast.

I can live with these quirks, and the advantages of HD DVR far outweigh the disadvantages, I was just spoiled with how well TiVo worked.

I've been pleasantly surprised with the picture quality of the SD channels. I always had this metnal image of poor quality cable channels (even digital cable). But Comcast SD looks as good as DirecTV, and the HD channels all look great. Looking forward to the Olympics and SuperBowl in HD.

What are the outputs on the boxes? That 15hrs is HD I assume? Do you have any pics of the box itself by chance?

1kludge1

01-03-06, 05:48 PM

What are the outputs on the boxes? That 15hrs is HD I assume? Do you have any pics of the box itself by chance?

The box outputs composite, component, and HDMI. My TV doesn't have HDMI, but I was able to get an HDMI to DVI converter for $30 from Circuit City.

There is also a firewire port on the front of the box. Not sure if it is active. haven't tried.

The 15hrs is for HD. They claim 80 hours or so of SD content.

There is a Motorola web page about the boxes (Google Motorola DCT6412), but this is for the original version of the box. The newer boxes are DCT6412-III. Sorry I can't post URLs or I'd include the link.

jeremyhelling

01-03-06, 06:21 PM

The box outputs composite, component, and HDMI. My TV doesn't have HDMI, but I was able to get an HDMI to DVI converter for $30 from Circuit City.

There is also a firewire port on the front of the box. Not sure if it is active. haven't tried.

The 15hrs is for HD. They claim 80 hours or so of SD content.

There is a Motorola web page about the boxes (Google Motorola DCT6412), but this is for the original version of the box. The newer boxes are DCT6412-III. Sorry I can't post URLs or I'd include the link.

I did a quick search but can't seem to find the what the difference is with the newer DCT6312-III and the older DCT6412. Do you happen to know the difference?

jpco

01-04-06, 08:46 AM

Just to chime in that I'm getting about 18 hrs. of HD. Maybe the HD bandwidth is not at its max. Don't know the differences in the boxes. I did download the manual here (http://broadband.motorola.com/noflash/customer_docs/user_guides/512659-001-a.pdf) and didn't notice any differences.

gregkauf

01-04-06, 12:52 PM

Hello, There is a thead on the Motorola 6412 Phase III located here : http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=558602&page=1&pp=30

Basically, the main differnece is that the Phase III box has an external SATA connection and HDMI instead of DVI. The HDMI sounds buggy, causing audio problems for those using it. The SATA would be nice for external storage, but there is a rumor that it will not be activated by Comcast.

Greg

jeremyhelling

01-04-06, 01:06 PM

1kludge1

01-04-06, 03:00 PM

Basically, the main differnece is that the Phase III box has an external SATA connection and HDMI instead of DVI. The HDMI sounds buggy, causing audio problems for those using it. The SATA would be nice for external storage, but there is a rumor that it will not be activated by Comcast.

Greg

I have heard about the buggy audio through the HDMI. I am only using HDMI for video -- I'm getting the audio through the optical connection and haven't had any problems with that.

Audiguy3

01-11-06, 05:01 PM

TheaterWizard

01-11-06, 05:54 PM

Looks like Dish will add HD locals here in March

D* has said in the first half of 2006 for Denver - so I expect them to be about the same time. Woot - we will have lots of choices with Comcast, D* and Dish -

So it will not matter anymore about when the tower gets built.

Reggie

Reggie,

This is great news, but keep in mind that we all need new Mpg4 receivers to pick up any new HD that dish will be offering :( Oh well time for an upgrade anyhow.

DVR921 and DVR922 are Mpg2 only
Vip622(2 tuner DVR) and 411(non DVR) are the new Mpg4 technology

Of course the Vip622 in not in stock yet in Denver just the 411

So I still have something to wait for :mad:

Stefan

Ps anyone want to buy a DVR942? :D :D

Audiguy3

01-11-06, 06:03 PM

Stefan

I've got too much invested in D* to quit now. It'll be the same for me - all new MPEG4 receiver for HD. Hope to get a deal for the HD DRV to swap out for my SD D*Tivo from Direct. If they offer me a good enough deal for that - then I will make the swap.

I'm not reallly up on the Dish receivers.
Reggie

jayn_j

01-13-06, 09:36 PM

Ps anyone want to buy a DVR942? :D :D

Not when they said you can't activate one after Feb 1! I am so glad I didn't quite buy one last month when they said another year to MPEG4. Looks like your best bet is to wait until April and take the rebate.

jayn_j

01-13-06, 09:41 PM

I've got too much invested in D* to quit now.
Reggie

Well the other thing to consider is how far the sat companies are going with HD-Lite. The DirecTv boards are reporting 1280*1080i for HD, and I have been seeing 1440*1080i for DISH.

My vote will likely go to the one that provides a higher resolution on locals, preferably the whole 1920*1080i

flood222

01-20-06, 10:46 AM

Bad reception last night?

I noticed about 20% Signal. Usually ~75%

Hope this clears up before the broncos game. :eek:

ktmglen

01-28-06, 12:01 AM

Hi, all,

I live in Fort Collins and am new to the forums here. I'm getting a new HD set soon primarily for watching DVDs, but figured if there was a remote chance I could get any of the broadcast networks from Denver, I might put up a really, really big UHF antenna with a preamp and give it a try.

I know I can get WB and FOX from some info some other forum members have posted. Has anybody in Fort Collins ever had any success getting one of the stations broadcast from RP or are the transmitters just too far below the horizon to receive up here?

I'm really disappointed by the actions of JeffCo and Golden and yesterday I let every elected official I can vote for know it. Allard, Musgrave, and Salazar's staff all seemed pretty clueless about HDTV in general and even more clueless about the situation on the LCG property. Allard's staffer even went so far as to say they don't get involved in local issues. For some reason, this seems like a state issue and an FCC (doesn't the F stand for federal?) issue to me! Has anybody else called their offices recently?

Later,
Glen

dhenriks

01-29-06, 06:17 PM

Glen,

FYI - I'm in Windsor just south of Ptarmigan country club. I can get Fox, NBC, ABC, and WB from Denver. They go out if any kind of weather rolls in, but usually they work pretty well when it is nice out.

Antenna - $25 Yagi style UHF only antenna from Radio Shack (40"). I tried the big channel master 4228. It was ugly and didn't work as well as this one.

Channel Master UHF only inline AMP.

Hughes HR10-250 Receiver from directv.

I think I'm about at the most extreme edge of where you can get NBC and ABC from Denver though. My area sits up a little higher than Fort Collins. Who knows though, if you give it a try you may be OK.

I think I could get CBS with a different antenna. The Yagi style antenna's are not that great (I believe) in the upper channels.But, NBC and ABC broadcast on channels 16, and 17 so the cheap Radio Shack one works quite well.

Dave

jeremyhelling

01-29-06, 11:04 PM

Audiguy3

01-31-06, 04:18 PM

ktmglen

02-01-06, 11:29 PM

Thanks for the info everybody!

Sounds like Fox, whatever the WB is to become, and CBS from Cheyenne are the definite stations. Tempting. The good news is that whatever I put on the roof now will eventually work with whatever is done to get HD throughout the Denver DMA.

Maybe when the weather is back to roof-crawling weather I'll give it a shot. It'll be kind of fun to be on the late-bleeding edge of things. (This is like Atlanta was almost 10 years ago!) It will also be fun to cite TCA of 1996 paragraphs to the HOA.

-Glen

weremichael

02-08-06, 04:15 PM

Greetings,

I too am a new member to the community (Cheyenne) and have read through this entire thread. Seems like the locals are dragging their feet as long as they can. I too am considering a HDTV that I will primarily use for dvds and video gaming. I have learned that I can get the local CBS and Fox affiliates OTA and an assortment of Channels through Bresnan Cable (they do not have a contract with the local Fox Network for HDTV). It seems improbable that I could get any other stations OTA. Most of the posts have been from northern Coloradans, so I am trying to piece this together. Can any Cheyennites confirm this for me. I live up on the hill near Logan and Pershing.

Speaking (or in this case typing) of Bresnan, I have not been too thrilled with the service they provide. I was required to pay for the first month at the time of installation. No big deal, it seems like a smart business practice to me. I think all is well. I then received my bill yesterday from Bresnan for Feb. and it shows that the Jan. bill was never paid. After checking my credit card statement online, it's true, it was never charged. I had setup for autopay online through the same card near the end of January and that didn't go through either. After talking to a customer service rep. (still yesterday), I paid the entire bill and setup autopay and was assured that no late charges/strikes against my credit would apply.

Today I get an automated call saying that Bresnan needs to talk to me. I call and the cust. service rep tells me that I haven't paid my bill for two months. After a discussion, she sees (on her computer) that I did pay yesterday and assures me that I am setup for autopay. The cust. service reps have been nice, so I can't complain in that regard. I just am afraid that these hassles from a disorganized business are going to continue. This really doesn't reassure me that my year contract with them (cable, internet and phone) is going to be worth the package savings.

Sorry for the rant but I am new to the community/don't have a job yet and have a very loving, intelligent wife that wouldn't want to hear the struggle with a company she would rather not deal with anyway (she's a librarian).

Thanks for reading and any advice on OTA reception is greatly appreciated,

Michael

bill-fc

02-09-06, 10:38 PM

Michael,

Try
http://www.tvradioworld.com/region1/wy/tv_information.asp?m=che

Don't know if it's up to date, but looks like you'll get CBS DT-30, ABC 11 and probably FOX 28 digital OTA now. Not sure if NBC or PBS are available locally yet, but they have some phone numbers and links to websites. Good luck.

A little later....
Not sure about anything except KGWN DT30 CBS. Look at
http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/programming/broadcast-market.php?dma_name[]=Cheyenne-Scottsbluff

Bill

adam1115

02-11-06, 03:26 PM

jpco

02-11-06, 08:13 PM

It's not there. They used to have an SD signal of ABC w/o sound and some foreign language subchannels or something. It disappeared completely a number of months ago. The good news is that the signal was strong, so if it ever returns as HD anything, it'll be easy to get.

weremichael

02-12-06, 01:21 PM

So it looks like there is only a CBS HD signal out of Cheyenne??

jayn_j

02-13-06, 03:51 PM

So it looks like there is only a CBS HD signal out of Cheyenne??

And only if you are generous in defining "HD"

"We're at WKRP in Cheyenne, Wyoming"

Audiguy3

02-23-06, 09:34 AM

DIRECTV Announces Next 24 Markets to Receive High-Definition Local Channels in Spring 2006; Local HD Markets Will Total 36, Representing More Than 58 Percent of U.S. Television Homes
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 2006--Continuing to widely expand its local high-definition (HD) programming services, DIRECTV, Inc. (NYSE: DTV), the nation's leading digital television service provider, today named the next 24 U.S. markets that will receive local HD programming.

Beginning in April of this year, DIRECTV will roll out the first of the 24 new markets, offering HD programming from the four primary broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. Customers with the appropriate DIRECTV HD receiving equipment, who subscribe to a programming package that includes local channels, will receive both the standard and HD signals at no extra monthly charge.

The 24 local markets to receive HD programming include:

Baltimore
Birmingham, Ala.
Charlotte, N.C.
Cleveland
Columbus, Ohio
Denver
Fresno, Calif.
Hartford, Conn.
Indianapolis
Kansas City, Mo./Kan.
Miami
Milwaukee, Wisc.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Nashville, Tenn.
Orlando, Fla.
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Raleigh, N.C.
Sacramento, Calif.
Salt Lake City
San Diego
Seattle
St Louis, Mo.
West Palm Beach, Fla.

"The expansion of local HD programming is one of the cornerstones of our brand strategy to provide the best entertainment experience for DIRECTV's customers and sets us apart from our competition," said Dan Fawcett, executive vice president, DIRECTV, Inc. "With the rollout of 24 new local HD markets, we will offer access to DIRECTV-delivered local HD programming to 58 percent of U.S. television homes. We expect to expand our HD local coverage to even more markets later this year."

DIRECTV currently offers standard-definition local channels in 141 markets, covering nearly 94 percent of television households in the country, as well as 12 HD local channel markets, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa and Washington, D.C. With the launch of two new satellites -- DIRECTV 10 and DIRECTV 11 -- in 2007, DIRECTV will have the ability to deliver more than 1,500 local HD and digital channels and 150 national HD channels, in addition to new advanced programming services for customers.

All DIRECTV local HD programming is being transmitted via MPEG-4 AVC, the new standard in digital video compression and advanced modulation that more than doubles the efficiency of DIRECTV's capacity.

Customers can receive local HD channels by purchasing the new H20 HD receiver and a satellite dish that has the ability to receive programming from five different orbital locations and Ka-band signals. Through Feb. 28, DIRECTV is offering new and existing customers a $200 mail-in rebate on the purchase of a DIRECTV HD Receiver. (Limit one rebate per account.) Receiving equipment is available at major consumer electronics retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City, and through DIRECTV.

About DIRECTV, Inc.

DIRECTV, Inc. is the nation's leading digital television service provider with more than 15 million customers. DIRECTV and the Cyclone Design logo are registered trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc. DIRECTV (NYSE: DTV) is a world-leading provider of digital multichannel television entertainment services. DIRECTV is approximately 34 percent owned by News Corporation.

CONTACT: DIRECTV, Inc.
Robert Mercer, 310-726-4683
rgmercer@directv.com

SOURCE: DIRECTV, Inc.

flood222

02-23-06, 12:55 PM

If I could get a direct TV HD only package I would do it. Otherwise its too much $$$ / mo for crap.

jeremyhelling

02-23-06, 04:50 PM

Well, I wonder when Dish will have all the HD locals. I have Dish right now and get $25 off my bill per month so it's pretty cheap even w/the HD package and extra DVR charge. I'm this close --><-- to going to Comcast because I was pissed I had to watch MNF and the Super Bowl in SD among other things.

TheBert

02-24-06, 10:36 AM

The last I heard in March/April for E* HD Locals, I guess we will see.

jayn_j

02-24-06, 01:40 PM

It sure sounds like this spring. However, I won't do anything in anticipatio0n because both companies have done some form of HD-Lite. I know D* has been sending stuff out in 1280*1080i and E* was doing some of the same.

jayn_j

03-02-06, 02:49 PM

Well it looks like Denver HD is now available via DISH Network

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=68854&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=824840&highlight=

Apparently, there is some form of hassle with Gannett, so channel 4 is not currently included, although the SD channel is available. People around the country are reporting that all Gannett stations are being blocked in HD. I would expect the situation will be resolved as soon as they can agree on carriage $$$.

I haven't jumped on this yet. Has anybody else gotten this service, and can we get a report on quality of signals, resolution, audio synch issues, etc?

mknoebel

03-02-06, 03:14 PM

Actually, channel 9 isn't included in the Dish package.

I posted this on the Denver thread about DirecTv adding the HD locals. For many of us up north it's our only option to get the Denver stations except Fox.

********************************************************
Because it was announced last week that *D will put the Denver HD locals up soon, I called to see if I could get one of the new dishes installed. They offered to come here and install the new 5 LNB dish and give me the new receiver (H20) for FREE - if I gave them my old HD receiver (Zenith). They wouldn't give me an exact date for the locals to go live, but just "soon".

Good deal for any of you outside the Denver area and can't get free OTA. As always, you may have to play CSR roulette - but the deal is in their computers.

jayn_j

03-02-06, 03:38 PM

Actually, channel 9 isn't included in the Dish package.

You're right, of course. After all these years, I still can't get used to NBC being on 9 :)

Audiguy3

03-04-06, 01:05 PM

mknoebel

03-04-06, 04:44 PM

Hopefully when the new satellites go up they will be able to get us Altitude in HD. But I agree with you, I'd really like to have some Avs games in HD.

jpco

03-07-06, 08:10 AM

mknoebel

03-07-06, 09:04 AM

jeremyhelling

03-07-06, 12:53 PM

I finally gave up the waiting on D* when Comcast began offering HD here. Although the HD DVR is not perfect, the switch has been great. Altitude games in HD, all the locals in HD, and increased HD premium channels, all with the HD DVR, have given me more quality HD to watch than I have time available. Plus, no more tweaking the antenna or browsing these boards looking for a sliver of hope.

If Comcast is available in your area, I'd suggest giving them a serious look for excellent HD right now.

I decided yesterday to go to Comcast as well. I'm gonna get ALL the locals w/o messing with antennas and having the reception go out and no dishes or anything on the outside of the (new) house. Also, the fact that I can get TWO HD DVR receivers for only $20 per month is great. Plus free SD to the rest (4) of the TVs is a bonus. We had our SD receiver back feeding to the rest of the TVs but this was a PITA because if you had company you had to put the remote in their room and couldn't watched DVR programs yourself and .... bah! What a PITA all the way around. Granted I'll be giving up HDNET and Art Mann Presents as well as a few other things here and there but will be getting MUCH more in return.

Too bad Dish couldn't get their shite in great because after Comcast drug their feet for SO long to launch HD in Norther Colorado I really did NOT want to go with them out of spite and let my purchasing dollars speak. However it's come to a point where I can't wait for Dish any longer and missed out on MNF and the Super Bowl in HD this year because I was waiting for Dish. Had I gone Comcast I could have watched the Super Bowl in HD and capped off the season (of which I watched EVERY game televised) nicely.

jeremyhelling

03-07-06, 01:00 PM

Although I would like to see the Avs games in HD, I don't want to give up HDNet or HDNet Movies. The locals should be on *D in April. Plus, I'm not ready to give up the Sunday Ticket. I thought hard about cable, but in the end I decided to stay with *D.

Good luck with the equipment upgrades/downgrades/replacements to make it all work once the programming is available. Dish isn't fun to work with to try to get equipment changes and I foresee shortages rivaling the Xbox 360 at release when they finally make this mpeg4/DVR equipment available. I'm tired of waiting and the Comcast deal I signed up for expires in one year. More than likely Dish will have all the kinks worked out by then and I'll re evaluate 11mos from now and probably go back to Dish. I'm tired of waiting around on companies though as they might say a month and before you know it a year goes by.

Being able to watch the Avs games, Nuggets games and many other local and regional sports and shows in HD will make up for it IMO. The other loss is no TNTHD with Comcast the way Dish has. I like NBA so I'll miss it for this reason but other then that never watch it. I will also like the 'new' HD channels I couldn't get with Dish. I already was using Comcast for cable internet that I use all day so the additional $10 discount and increased download speed is also a determining factor. I have a 65" HDTV and a 50" HD PDP and want to take advantage of this equipment and it pains me to watch SD on them knowing I could be watching the exact same thing in HD w/Comcast.

I'm not saying this decision is right for everyone but I'm looking forward to the change to take place as for me it's going to be a great fit at this time.

Audiguy3

03-10-06, 07:52 PM

I decided yesterday to go to Comcast as well. I'm gonna get ALL the locals w/o messing with antennas and having the reception go out and no dishes or anything on the outside of the (new) house. Also, the fact that I can get TWO HD DVR receivers for only $20 per month is great. Plus free SD to the rest (4) of the TVs is a bonus. We had our SD receiver back feeding to the rest of the TVs but this was a PITA because if you had company you had to put the remote in their room and couldn't watched DVR programs yourself and .... bah! What a PITA all the way around. Granted I'll be giving up HDNET and Art Mann Presents as well as a few other things here and there but will be getting MUCH more in return.

Too bad Dish couldn't get their shite in great because after Comcast drug their feet for SO long to launch HD in Norther Colorado I really did NOT want to go with them out of spite and let my purchasing dollars speak. However it's come to a point where I can't wait for Dish any longer and missed out on MNF and the Super Bowl in HD this year because I was waiting for Dish. Had I gone Comcast I could have watched the Super Bowl in HD and capped off the season (of which I watched EVERY game televised) nicely.

I went to the Comcast website to price the costs - Even with the US$10/month I would save on my High Speed Internet - It would cost me more than I am paying now for D* - This was based on the HDDVR package - and being able to get Speed Channel and HBO and two other SD digital boxes so I can get all the channels on all TVs

Reggie

Perhaps I d

jeremyhelling

03-12-06, 02:06 AM

I went to the Comcast website to price the costs - Even with the US$10/month I would save on my High Speed Internet - It would cost me more than I am paying now for D* - This was based on the HDDVR package - and being able to get Speed Channel and HBO and two other SD digital boxes so I can get all the channels on all TVs

Reggie

Perhaps I d

Not sure how your math works out or if my math is correct but I was paying around $52 month for my internet through Comcast. I was paying $43/mo after $25/mo referral discount (AT120, Locals, HD receiver & dual tuner receiver) so my total for TV & internet was $95 for Dish and Comcast internet. I now pay $69.95 which includes: Internet at 6mb down instead of 4mb, SD to all TVs in house for free, MANY HBO channels & for $20 per month I get not one but TWO dual tuner HD DVR receivers. With this I get ALL of the local channels in HD, HBOHD and all of the usual Dish channels sans HDNET, HDNMV & TNTHD but I also get INHD1 & INHD2 which both air AVS and Nuggets games in HD. All of that coupled w/the ability to record, pause & rewind is awesome. As I type this I'm watching SNL in HD for the first time ever at the new house and it's awesome! No dishes. No antennas. No backfeeding to other rooms and I can turn on all the TVs in the house and have every single one on a different channel if I wanted to. All that and, according to my math anyway, I'm saving money every month and that's even with the $25/mo discount that was set to expire shortly since I get them all about a year ago.

Also, I still get Speed Channel and most of the other channels I got w/AT120 but I also get a lot that I would have to stepped up to AT180 or whatever it was (Military Channel and a few others I can't think of) and I didn't have to do anything. Called Comcast and they met me at the house after closing and a few hours later I had lots of HD w/o having to climb onto my roof in the snow and 20 degree weather to attach an antenna position and dial in and drill holes and run cables and blah blah blah. This is a great move and I suggest it initially for every one and this is from someone who previously wasn't a big fan of Comcast. I'll report my long term review and answer any other questions others might have.

mknoebel

03-12-06, 10:35 AM

Audiguy3

03-12-06, 12:04 PM

Not sure how your math works out or if my math is correct but I was paying around $52 month for my internet through Comcast. I was paying $43/mo after $25/mo referral discount (AT120, Locals, HD receiver & dual tuner receiver) so my total for TV & internet was $95 for Dish and Comcast internet. I now pay $69.95 which includes: Internet at 6mb down instead of 4mb, SD to all TVs in house for free, MANY HBO channels & for $20 per month I get not one but TWO dual tuner HD DVR receivers. With this I get ALL of the local channels in HD, HBOHD and all of the usual Dish channels sans HDNET, HDNMV & TNTHD but I also get INHD1 & INHD2 which both air AVS and Nuggets games in HD. All of that coupled w/the ability to record, pause & rewind is awesome. As I type this I'm watching SNL in HD for the first time ever at the new house and it's awesome! No dishes. No antennas. No backfeeding to other rooms and I can turn on all the TVs in the house and have every single one on a different channel if I wanted to. All that and, according to my math anyway, I'm saving money every month and that's even with the $25/mo discount that was set to expire shortly since I get them all about a year ago.

Also, I still get Speed Channel and most of the other channels I got w/AT120 but I also get a lot that I would have to stepped up to AT180 or whatever it was (Military Channel and a few others I can't think of) and I didn't have to do anything. Called Comcast and they met me at the house after closing and a few hours later I had lots of HD w/o having to climb onto my roof in the snow and 20 degree weather to attach an antenna position and dial in and drill holes and run cables and blah blah blah. This is a great move and I suggest it initially for every one and this is from someone who previously wasn't a big fan of Comcast. I'll report my long term review and answer any other questions others might have.
Jermey,

Sounds like a good deal - I may have not configured the online packaging correctly - I have to say it was not very clear - and certainly not anywhere near your pricing for two HD-DVRs . Their site was not very clear either in understanding what was analog and what was digital.

Keep us informed of how the package works.

Reggie

jeremyhelling

03-12-06, 12:07 PM

I too was offered the $70 deal from comcast, but I still have too many bad memories of cable to be able to pull the trigger. If they had offered the HD locals back when Denver got them, I would have it right now. But it's close enough to when they will be available on *D that I will wait. I've got all my equipment that I'm happy with, and the Sunday Ticket.

And I'm one who doesn't mind the dish on my house. Of course, growing up my dad had a BUD in the yard, so it may be genetic. ;)

There are some advantages to cable - and you got a heck of a deal! Keep us updated on how you like it long term.

I'm not so worried about the looks of the Dish on the house especially since on our last house it was on the side of the house clear at the rear and within arms reach to clear shnizzle off if it lost signal. This was an alright setup but with the new house I don't have any holes in it or things mounted on it or anything and I don't have to fuss with getting crappy antenna reception *cough*CBS out of Cheyenne*cough* on the three channels that we do get. I get a great picture with nothing to mess with and this seems like SO much less of a hassle to get HD compared to what I was dealing with with Dish. Oh, and did I mention it's cheaper. :D

jeremyhelling

03-12-06, 12:34 PM

Jermey,

Sounds like a good deal - I may have not configured the online packaging correctly - I have to say it was not very clear - and certainly not anywhere near your pricing for two HD-DVRs . Their site was not very clear either in understanding what was analog and what was digital.

Keep us informed of how the package works.

Reggie

I too was confused by the online crap over the last several months when I would check it out here and there. Finally since we were nearing the closing of our new home and running out of time I finally decided to bite the bullet and blow the dust off my telephone and do it the 'old fashioned' way. :p

I spoke with a rep out of Arizona who knew her stuff pretty well and talked me through the whole thing. What you configured sounds like it might not be the 'special package deal' that is available I suppose as some sort of promotion since the prices are only good for one year. The package I got is called the Silver package and includes internet, SD channels and some HBO channels as well (half a dozen maybe) and then I pay $10 per HD receiver which is a dual tuner DVR. I found out when the tech was here for the install that they aren't supposed to give more than one HD receiver per home which was never expressed to me over the phone. I told him to pack up and go home and I would call Dish and have them transfer my service and he said he would call his supervisor and got clearance for two. I would post up the direct number/extension of the rep who I spoke w/over the phone so you can call her directly since she will hook you up with multiple receivers but since we're still moving I have no clue where my notes are w/her info. :(

Last night after we got everything inside and the important stuff unpacked I had a few minutes to hook up the 65" HDTV to the new receiver. My initial impressions where that the menu was a little clunkier but that is most likely due to just being different and something new to learn as opposed to being worse. We had a chance to sit down and watch SNL in HD and it was amazing as all HD programs are once you switch to HD. The FF/RR setup on the remote leaves much to be desired. I paused it for a bit and when I returned I wanted to FF through commercials and there isn't a skip 30sec key forward like the Dish system. You have to actually scan FF like on a DVD (not the skip) and can increase the FF rate by pressing the FF key multiple times and then play to stop and resume play. This is very tricky and you have to sit through all of the commercials and pay attention so you can catch it in time or you will be rewinding and missing it again. I really liked the Dish remote how you could hit the skip forward button like five or six times and be at the show and jump back (7sec?) once or twice and be right there. Maybe I'll figure it out more but my initial reaction to this is it sucks in a big way. That's the only downside so far... well, that and I think the second receiver they gave me is bunk because it won't DL the info so I can watch TV with it. Could be operator error too as I'm sorting through my extensive prewire yet.

One more note: I have my own Motorola modem for internet and am fairly certain I will get a $3 discount monthly for having my own equipment and the tech/installed echoed this sentiment when I asked if I was supposed to get some sort of a discount for supplying my own modem. I just need to call to get it taken off my bill. So, it might be even cheaper yet. :cool:

jeremyhelling

03-14-06, 11:52 PM

Comcast HD update:

First off I found a fix for one of the things I didn't like about Comcast vs. Dish. The remote didn't have a 30sec skip button the way that the Dish remote did so you can push it four or five times to skip through commercials. Here's the fix for anyone else annoyed by that:

1) Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote
to put it into
Cable Box control mode.
2) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the
"Cable" button blinks twice.
3) Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will
blink twice
4) Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button
5) Type in the code 00173 for 30 second Skip.
6) Press whatever button you want to map the skip
to.

Secondly, these Motorola dual tuner HD receivers are VERY buggy. It's hard to explain but the GUI is terrible at best and very slow to respond to inputs.

Next up is the heat. This thing supposedly has a (silent) fan at the bottom of the case and the top is entirely vented but it still runs VERY hot and I'm afraid to place anything on top of it which is a bummer because it's the widest of all my components in both rooms so I would prefer it be the bottom component on the totum pole. Soon as more receivers are available I might chance it but I had to fight to get the two I have now since they're so rare so I'm trying my best to take care of them at this point.

Picture is great. I really like having local HDs and am sure that the pros will outweigh the the cons. HBOHD has some very cool movies in HD from time to time and I find myself watching Dodgeball in HD every time it's on and it seems to get funnier each time.

I suppose I should start my own thread or something because this is getting OT in a hurry and I don't want to upset anyone.

Dan Hitchman

03-15-06, 12:10 AM

jeremyhelling

03-15-06, 01:24 AM

Glad you like Comcast... it's still too expensive for what you get, though. I, personally, wouldn't waste my money on HBO-HD or most any of the other pay movie stations. They usually do not adhere to OAR, especially with films that are 1.85:1 and wider. That is a big deal breaker for me. HD or not.

I'm not 'wasting my money' on HBO HD or any pay movie stations. I have never paid for them and I haven't started. It's part of the base package that includes internet and HD programming. The package includes like six HBO channels and HBO HD and I even asked if it would be any cheaper to remove the HBO's as I am normally not a fan. No dice and I'm 'stuck' with them now. The overall price is still cheaper than Dish w/o HBO or any of the other features/options I now have.

What's the hangup w/OAR anyway? I watch a movie in HD and it fills my 16x9 screen and looks glorious at the same time... works for me. What am I missing?

I'll be watching movies and TV shows on something like Blu-Ray more than likely, so I have no need for the movie pay stations and their substandard fair. Heck, with as many commercials as there are on most stations I probably won't use broadcast HD for anything but live events or the occational PBS documentary or nature show.

Any idea how many movies I'll have watched for free by the time Blu-Ray is widely available? :p

As for commercials, this is why the dual tuner DVR is key on the Comcast HD receivers. I VERY rarely watch a show live these days. Even if I'm home w/nothing else to do when it comes on. I'll let the DVR record it and watch something I've already recorded so that I can skip through commercials on playback. I've already saved hours and hours of time thanks to DVRs and I don't even watch as much TV as the average American. This is why Comcast is superior to Dish for me because I can record, pause and rewind HD. As for the live events in HD... man I can hardly wait for the NFL season to kick back in. :cool:

It'll be interesting to compare the prices, choices, and quality of cable with DISH and DirecTV once more programming is available on all three.

That's the problem.... it's not. Comcast has it right now and I wanted more HD right now. I was sick of waiting around for someone else to get off their butts and offer more/better HD programming. I have a special deal for one year on Comcast and when the time rolls around to start shopping I'm sure there will be plenty more available and whoever offers the most HD programming for the best price will be who I go with. Life is to short too stick with a company that has made promises when another company already offers that which you want.

Dan Hitchman

03-16-06, 11:29 AM

jeremyhelling

03-16-06, 11:54 AM

The "hangup" with the Original Aspect Ratio is that I want to see the theatrical framing and composition that the director and director of photography shot, not cropped (anamorphic scope or 70mm), and not "opened up" and slightly cropped (Super 35). Yes, I have that much respect for cinema.

With scope films especially, yes, you lose a lot.

Dan

To each his own. I prefer having the best picture possible and taking advantage of my equipment and adding to the movie experience. I would take HD and different aspect over 480p or less and original aspect any day of the week so for me this is best.

jpco

03-17-06, 08:47 AM

When I went to Comcast, I decided to give the premium channels a shot. I figure without the exorbitant cost of Sunday Ticket and the $10 discount for Internet and the $25 a month discount for being a D* customer, my overall costs are lower, with an HD DVR.

Interestingly, the analog/digital question no longer matters for me. Of course, viewing habits will make a difference, but with the HD DVR, the locals, ESPN, and the movie channels, I very rarely watch anything that is not HD.

The real push for me was the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl on ABC. I haven't regretted the switch one bit, and I find I watch/record network shows more than I ever thought I would now that they are HD and I can skip commercials. Really, in this area, other than historically high costs (which are now more in line), being a cable sub has been fine service-wise, certainly on par with my recent D* experiences.

flynrubi

03-26-06, 08:14 PM

nirvana_av

03-26-06, 10:45 PM

Those of you that have the Motorola 6412 III are you having problems with the box locking up? I am on my 3rd box. It will lock up and I will have to either power down it down by the remote or even sometime I have to do the famous Motorola reset(unpluging the power cord). I seem to need to do this 2-3 times a week. This weekeend I have done it a couple each day. I have talked with Comcast several times, first they say leave the box on all of the time. The next time they say turn the box off when not watching it.
I am not sure if this problem is with Comcast in FTC or my setup or what?

If any one has any ideas I am all ears.

Ken

I'm experiencing periods where remote control IR signals are either ignored or the unit responds extremely slowly. I've tried doing a soft restart or even unplugging the unit which usually messes it up even more. I have had a Tivo for nearly five years now which puts this Motorola box to shame. If the DVR wasn't practically free, it would be going back.

jeremyhelling

03-26-06, 11:14 PM

I have two of these and also can't seem to get a straight answer as to if I should leave it on all the time or power it off at night. Some tech's say to leave it on because that's how it does it's downloads but it seems to me you would have to reboot it for these downloads and changes to take effect. The Dish receivers were supposed to be turned off at night and that was across the board. I wish Comcast would decide one way or another and let us know. I think the main problem lies with Motorola and the fact that they offered next to know support on these boxes for Comcast and this includes basic tech type stuff they're supposed to be passing along to us. That or the 'training' process was done by different reps from Motorola and each one had a different idea of how it should be done. Either way, the end result is a buggy box with zero support. Sigh.

*Waits patiently for new Panasonic Dual tuner HD DVR for Comcast*

nirvana_av

03-26-06, 11:37 PM

Whether it's set-top-boxes or cell phones, Motorola is incompetent when it comes to software.

jeremyhelling

03-27-06, 12:17 AM

Whether it's set-top-boxes or cell phones, Motorola is incompetent when it comes to software.

Having worked in cell phones for four years (2000-2004) I agree w/you 100%!

Audiguy3

03-28-06, 12:18 PM

Having worked in cell phones for four years (2000-2004) I agree w/you 100%!

Their hardware is quite good (cell phones) and the latest V3i Razr is getting better in the software side.

Reggie

jeremyhelling

03-28-06, 01:39 PM

Their hardware is quite good (cell phones) and the latest V3i Razr is getting better in the software side.

Reggie

I'm not arguing the hardware... someone is doing a good job in that dept for sure. As for the software... it has been worthless even prior to the RAZR so the recent events involving that phone is really only a drop in the bucket that is Motorola's worthless software. Even when working correctly the menu system is terrible and lacking the most used features. So, even a V3 that is getting better is still a POS IMO.

flynrubi

03-28-06, 06:02 PM

Thanks for the responses! Its nice to know I am not totaling loosing it.
I will see if mine problem might be IR related as well.

*Waits patiently for new Panasonic Dual tuner HD DVR for Comcast*
I heard from a Comcast tech that a Tivo version of a HD DVR box is coming out soon, can anyone confirm?
I have never had Tivo but have heard good things about them.

jeremyhelling

03-28-06, 06:16 PM

Thanks for the responses! Its nice to know I am not totaling loosing it.
I will see if mine problem might be IR related as well.

I heard from a Comcast tech that a Tivo version of a HD DVR box is coming out soon, can anyone confirm?
I have never had Tivo but have heard good things about them.

The lady at Comcast when I went down the day before yesterday said that they talked to her tech guy and she confirmed that the next HD DVR box would be a Panasonic but at this time they didn't have an ETA or any further details. This is the first I have heard of the TiVo box but either has got to be better than this moto ga-bage!

flynrubi

03-28-06, 06:57 PM

I agree!
I guess we will have to wait and see what it is.

Hopefully soon!

jcloudm

03-29-06, 09:29 AM

There is going to be a Tivo box that will work with HDTV cable, but you'll only get premium stations if the cable provider supports CableCard. I have no idea if Comcast supports that around here.

Here are the details:
http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2006/01/hd_tivo_series_.html

jeremyhelling

03-29-06, 12:22 PM

TotallyPreWired

05-25-06, 04:54 PM

For those that are much closer to the source, what do you think of the PQ that KGWN puts out? Good? Also, for anyone who can receive both KGWN & KCNC(Denver) is one better than the other(when viewing the same program)?

Thanks,
....jc

colofan

05-25-06, 05:19 PM

Before KGWN started multicasting the video was about the same though the aduio has always been screwed up.

jayn_j

05-28-06, 08:45 PM

The current issue (May 26 - June 8) of the Northern Colorado Business Report is reporting that a Florida firm has proposed a 110 story television tower to be built 20 miles east of Greeley. Richland Towers, Inc won a full power broadcast license for digital TV signals ay auction last month for $5.28 Million and has filed a petition with the FCC to build the tower. The license is for a 1 MW digital TV broadcast license. The article states that the owner is looking to add a major network affiliation as well as hosting other TV and radio (Clear Channel was mentioned, as well as ABC,NBC,CBS and Telemundo)

"The company bid on the Greeley license as part of its strategy to enter the fast growing but underserved broadcast markets. In the shadow of the major Denver television market, Northern Colorado has long been overlooked by the media companies."

The license is for Channel 45, and the spokesman goes on to talk about the strong Greeley/FC market as well as the strong Hispanioc market here.

Well, this will be years in coming, but it might very well be up and running before Denver solves its mess. Northern Colorado Business Journal has a website at www.ncbr.com but it hasn't been updated in the last few weeks and doesn't contain this story.