Originally posted by MickeyGee
Yes. It will record and playback HD. Somewhat limited by its 80GB hardrive, which is plenty for SD but not enough to store a lot of HD.

Mickey

Got this from the Comcast web site:

*Actual recordoing time is not guaranteed and varies based on the type of program being recorded. Analog programs (typically channels 2-78) take up more space than digitial programs (typically channels over 100). Recording time for HDTV programming is limited to approximately 7 hours.

7 Hours?!?!?!?!

Sounds about right but don't forget one thing....you can record those shows (I am assuming) to DVHS and then free the space.
FREAK!

A little over 7 hours of recording time if the HD stream is at full 19.2 mbps bitrate. Some of the stuff varies anywhere from 14 to 19 mbps though, so you can get anywhere from 7-12 hours of record time if all you are recording is HD content. Same applies to the digital channels, though most of that is usually around 3.5-4 mbps so you can get alot more record time out of that.

It seems likely the single-tuner PVR will be phased out for the dual-tuner unit when it's released.

Originally posted by ScoopsHD
A little over 7 hours of recording time if the HD stream is at full 19.2 mbps bitrate. Some of the stuff varies anywhere from 14 to 19 mbps though, so you can get anywhere from 7-12 hours of record time if all you are recording is HD content. Same applies to the digital channels, though most of that is usually around 3.5-4 mbps so you can get alot more record time out of that.
As a rule of thumb, and to make the math easy, I would use 10GB of storage capacity for each 1 hour of HD programming. So when you see the unit has a 80GB drive, you know that is approx 8 hours of HD. The following unit will have a 120GB drive. Will still need a way to archive.

Mickey

In case anyone hadn't noticed, Comcast picked up the WGBH multicast SD channels- World, Create and Kids.

Multicast is here to stay. Blah.

I'm having an intermittent issue with my MOTO 6200 HD box. It will shut off by itself shortly after powering on the TV. It goes completely dead, no clock and I cannot simply power it back on. I have to unplug it and plug it back in for it to work, then it seems to be fine. This does not happen every time I power on the TV, only sometimes, but about once a day or so. This is my second box, the first one had a lot of audio static, which was corrected by replacing the box.

Any thoughts? I have not called Comcast yet.

Steve

Originally posted by dlp_steve
I'm having an intermittent issue with my MOTO 6200 HD box. It will shut off by itself shortly after powering on the TV. It goes completely dead, no clock and I cannot simply power it back on. I have to unplug it and plug it back in for it to work, then it seems to be fine. This does not happen every time I power on the TV, only sometimes, but about once a day or so. This is my second box, the first one had a lot of audio static, which was corrected by replacing the box.

Any thoughts? I have not called Comcast yet.

Steve

Are you using the comcast remote to power on the TV ?
If so, I would try to avoid it and use your TV remote or the power button on the TV.
I have had a similiar problem with the comcast remote and no longer use it for power at all- I leave the Comcast box on and TV remote for TV power.

COMCAST / DVI OUT / HDCP

curious to know if anybody has any updates on DVI output from the various motorola HD comcast boxes.

the last posts in this thread on the matter (with no answers) were three+ months ago.

the email someone received is amusing about dealing with the "HDCP people" (or whatever it said).

for better or for worse, HDCP is here to stay. nobody the likes of motorola or comcast are going to be able to work around it. it's a done deal. maybe little tiny companies who are unlikely to get caught or foreign companies can get away with it, but not these two behemoths.

are the DVI ports activated on ANY of the so-equipped units at this point? HDCP notwithstanding?

doody.

DVI output is wokring on my Moto6200.

VERY interesting, 2gbj. thanks!

and do you know whether they have flipped the HDCP bit on on anything yet?

doody!

Originally posted by SuperVision2010
Are you using the comcast remote to power on the TV ?
If so, I would try to avoid it and use your TV remote or the power button on the TV.
I have had a similiar problem with the comcast remote and no longer use it for power at all- I leave the Comcast box on and TV remote for TV power.

Yes, I think the comcast remote is being used. I also have a Learning remote for my Onkyo HT that I use. I'll try them both. The weird part is that I cannot power back on without first unplugging the box.

Steve

Comcast came this morning and installed my 6200 as requested... they gave me a 5100 manual to go with it, but I checked the serial numbers underneath and confirmed firewire before I let them "install it".

I use the term "install" loosely, because I had everything ready to go. All they needed to do was replace both coaxial connectors on the ends of the RG6U coaxial cable coming out of my wall, then connect it to my TV (using all the cables I already had dangling over the front of the tv), use the set-up menu, call it in, test, and they were done. Took them maybe 5 minutes. They also asked me if I needed HD explained to me. :rolleyes: I asked if by the looks of my system, and how I already had everything ready to go for them, what did they think ? I am now dubbed "comcast installer's best friend." by the two guys that came. :D

Picture through component is great, comparable to the Directv HD channels through my DVI. I'll have to do some testing back and forth and see if I can come up with some noticable differences. I'm interested to see how the HD feeds on the locals hold up against my OTA tuner.

I'm surprised by how many channels I actually get with this +/- $20 package, not bad for the money. There's a good amount of channels turned on, more than I thought there would be. Is there a way to 'delete' or shut off channels from the guide/channel scroll with this box like there is with Directv ? I'd like to turn off the channels I don't receive so I can channel surf right past them. This is common on most Directv receivers, but is it an option with digital cable ? Or, an alternate way of doing it would be for me to add all the channels I receive to the favorites list. How many channels will it hold ?

I had a bit of a scare this morning after hook-up. Around 10 AM I was checking out the new system and all the channels I receive. InHD and InHD2 were the only channels sending HD content at the time (no movie channels for me through cable). A crappy movie on 1, and Arena Football on 2. I was receiving both fine for a little while, but then I did some analog and SD digital surfing, and checked out my limited ON DEMAND stuff. After that, I went back to 881 and watched a little more. I switched to 882 and the picture and sound were gone. Black Screen. I was getting nothing from 882, leading me to think the woman on the phone was right... I wouldn't be receiving NESN HD with this limited package I have. Everything else worked fine (InHD1 included) but 882 had no audio or video, and after unplugging and rebooting, no change. It made me believe the worst, that Comcast had blacked out 882 for me because I don't receive NESN on the standard cable tier. After 10 more minutes it still wouldn't come on, and I had to leave for work. Throughout the day I was stressed thinking I did this all for naught, that the only channel I really wanted was blacked out. Even though I thought the worst, I held off calling Comcast until I was sure. Came home tonight and it's back on, showing the NESN pregame show. Phew ! All worked up for nothing, as usual. The few shots in HD I saw look great, but their upconverted stretch stuff leaves a bit to be desired. Looks like they still need to buy a few more HD cameras. Too bad for me, mother nature isn't cooperating and I've got to wait to see my first at home Sox HD came until the rain lets up. However, the M's and O's on InHD1 is a nice distraction until the rain lifts. I'm pretty happy with this decision right about now.

One final thing, I'm pretty sure the answer is no, but does Comcast offer any PPV movies in HD ? Directv has one channel with a pretty limited selection of movies, are there any on digital cable ?

When I had mine installed, I also had all my hook up cables read. He just ahd to drill a whole from the other room to run the existin gcoax to my rack. I showed him the component cables and toslink and said. I will take care of this part. He looks at the rack kind of confused and asks 'Where's the TV?' I point to the wall perpendicular to the rack to show him the 103" screen that my Dwin TV3 projects too 'whoa!' he says. I found ti amusing.
FREAK!

shanow: Not yet, HD VOD will be available starting in September. There are plenty of HD movies on the HD channels including the networks, check the listings, titantv.com is a great source for that. And very soon we'll be able to record them with the upcoming DVR, although very limited storage capacity for HD content but it's better than nada. External HDD will solve that, when they add the capability in a firmware upgrade.

I got a similar 'whoa' from my installers when they saw my 7.1 sound system, and we fired it up to test the digital audio;it too was amusing.

I've got Show HD and HBO HD through my Directv subscription for now... what's the deal with Starz and Max HD ? Are those up and running with HD movies at this point ?

Lousy rainout ruined it for me ! :mad: Oh well, Thursday there will be two !

sha_now:

Picture through component is great, comparable to the Directv HD channels through my DVI.

why are you not running the 6200 via DVI?

doody.

My Directv/OTA STB currently occupies my lone DVI port, at least until I receive my upconverting DVD player. For now I'm keeping the Directv/OTA STB on the DVI because still think OTA HD looks better than Comcast or Directv.... purest picture gets the purest input. I've got plenty of available component inputs, but only one DVI, and I don't plan on buying a DVI switcher any time soon.

I was just reading somewhere that the Pioneer 3510HD stb forces on HDCP over DVI *and* turns off the component outputs. IMHO, that's a little extreme. I currently have component and DVI connected from my 5100 to my display and both work at the same time. My display does have a DVI/HDCP input so I don't know if the 5100 is forcing HDCP or not. Does anybody have a 5100 or 6200 connected via DVI to a nonDHCP DVI input? I'm not clear whether or not a DVI/HDCP output has to be connected to a DVI/HDCP input even though no content is being flagged for copy protection.

larry

Originally posted by sha_now
I'm surprised by how many channels I actually get with this +/- $20 package, not bad for the money. There's a good amount of channels turned on, more than I thought there would be. Is there a way to 'delete' or shut off channels from the guide/channel scroll with this box like there is with Directv ? I'd like to turn off the channels I don't receive so I can channel surf right past them. This is common on most Directv receivers, but is it an option with digital cable ? Or, an alternate way of doing it would be for me to add all the channels I receive to the favorites list. How many channels will it hold?

I asked a similar question, and was told that there is no way to delete channels for use with the +/- buttons. As an alternate, I did end up entering all the channels I receive as "favorites" and it could hold everything I get in the ~$20/month package.

Here's a technical question-

My neighborhood apparently uses HRC which is screwing things up a bit for me with compatibility.

Anyone know why they're still using it? I know newer systems are not allowed to use HRC anymore.

i'm having a strange problem with hd...

i have the 5100 connected to my pj (infocus x1) via component. i have it set to 16x9, 1080i for HD, and 480p for SD material. up until a couple of days ago it worked fine. when i went to an HD channel the pj had to re-sync and it would come up in 1080i. when i switched to an SD channel it would lose sync and then bring it up as 480p.

i don't think i've changed anything, but now it tries to bring up HD as 480p and just says "this channel should be available shortly" and never comes up. SD is still shown as 480p. last night i changed the set up to "off" for SD material, but it still doesn't bring up the HD channels.

any ideas?

Sha-now. I too have d* and OTA HD (and digital cable sd for other rooms). Why do you also have Cable HD? My major gripe is that I am too often affected by bad weather. I rarely have signal problems with cable. Are you planning to keep both?

I only have comcast because of one channel... NESN-HD. I'm very happy with Directv and OTA, and for a one box user like myself, it's a lot cheaper than Comcast and offers more content. But I need my sox in HD, so for the course of the season, I'm happy to pay $20 a month for it... works out to under $3 a game for me. Directv has no plans (or bandwidth) to add NESNHD right now, so I've got the minimal Comcast package just for that. When the sox season regular season is over at the end of Sept., I'll re-evaluate the situation based on the content offered from both provided at that time, and the prices - then I'll decide which to keep. As it stands right now, I'll be dumping comcast until next spring.

jstorerj,
Try pulling the power plug from the back (full power-off) and then double check HD and SD output settings. Or did you try this already?

larry

larry - i did try that and though it didn't work this time it has in the past, so i'm still confused. i'll spend some more time playing around with it tonight.

thanks for the idea.

LONG plug for NESN HD during tonight's Sox game, only this time with a guy from Adelphia instead of Comcast. Two interesting things about Adelphia:

* They have HDNet
* Now that Comcast has dropped the Disney bid, Adelphia is rumoured to be next on their buyout list. Could this mean we eventually inherit the HDNet contract?

It was very humerous listening to the Adelphia marketing guy speak. At one point he said it was "easy" for them to offer NESHHN because of the broadband network...why did it take them so long to do it ?

i got my HD up and running in time to see the guy from adelphia last night. as others have said it was pretty entertaining.

the only thing i did was plug an svideo line into the back of the 5100 and dead end it in my receiver (did not run it to my video source). now the 1080i signal seems to be working just fine. strange.

Originally posted by sha_now
I only have comcast because of one channel... NESN-HD. I'm very happy with Directv and OTA, and for a one box user like myself, it's a lot cheaper than Comcast and offers more content. But I need my sox in HD, so for the course of the season, I'm happy to pay $20 a month for it... works out to under $3 a game for me. Directv has no plans (or bandwidth) to add NESNHD right now, so I've got the minimal Comcast package just for that. When the sox season regular season is over at the end of Sept., I'll re-evaluate the situation based on the content offered from both provided at that time, and the prices - then I'll decide which to keep. As it stands right now, I'll be dumping comcast until next spring.

Monthly Charge(s)
04/11 - 05/10 Basic Service 8.10
04/11 - 05/10 HDTV Box/remote 7.25
04/11 - 05/10 Digital Classic 4.95
Includes: Digital Classic, Digital Music Choice, Interactive Program Guide.
04/11 - 05/10 Comcast Internet Service 42.95
Multi-product $15.00 Discount Included In Rate.

Subtotal 44.88

No offense, but there's something wrong with your math there. The $15 has been deducted from the Internet Service cost. So, I'm getting $63.25.

Chris

deleted!

xboxjunkie, what channels do you get with your Basic Cable and Digital Classic package?

-JR

I don't have it on paper but I get alot of them except the movie channels like HBO, Cinemax and so on. I cancelled my digital silver cause i got the $99 deal with D* and they added HBO and Showtime for 6 months for $2 for that period of time. I called Comcast to tell them all I wanted was locals and INHD and this is what they gave me! Seems strange cause I see the Digital classic as $57.70 on their page and I get it for $4.95

I'll scroll thru my lineup and give you the list in a few minutes!

Interesting...so you get the normal channels (ABC, NBC, etc.) as well as Discover/MTV/History/A&E, etc. with your package?

My bill looks as follows:

04/03 - 05/02 Standard Cable $47.25
Includes: Basic $8.10 and Expanded Basic $39.15
04/03 - 05/02 First DTV Box/Remote $5.50
Includes Digital Box $5.20 and remote $0.30
04/03 - 05/02 Digital Silver $23.95
Includes: Digital Classic, Digital Plus, Digital Music Coice, HBO, HBO Plex, Interactive Program Guide
Subtotal: $76.70

Granted, we're going to kill the Digital Silver and drop it down to Digital Classic...but like you said, that's $57.70 a month on TOP of their standard cable, whic I'm paying $47.25 a month for now. No way do I want to pay over $100 a month for digital cable that isn't even HD. :(

The only reason our Digital Silver is $23.95 this month is because it's part of the 3 month deal when you first subscribe.

I'd love to see if there is a cheaper package like the one you have, once you know what those channels are let me know. :D

Thanks!

-JR

I don't get some of the channels you mentioned but i get them thru TC on D*, my main concern was NESN in HD.
Heres my channel lineup,

2 thru 7
9 thru 12
14
16 thru 34
36 thru 39
41 thru 55
57
61
64
68
73
74
78
80
195
210
211
212
217
219
221
223
226
227
229
235
236
237
238
241
245
248
257
599
802
804
805
807
825
849
881
882

Thanks xboxjunkie! You have a great set of channels! Looks like it's missing a few that we unfortunately watch a good deal of, such as Discovery, A&E, and a couple others.

Thanks so much for that list! :D

-JR

xboxjunkie-

Be carefully... Comcast reps read this page. :)

Anyone have any idea/rumors on what channels are moving to digital? If they are adding a lot of HD channels, I'd imagine some channels (4 or 5 anyway) are going the way of digital.

Chris

Thanks, I removed it!

xboxjunkie. If you're not paying for "expanded basic" which runs about $39.00 they usually put a filter on your line that blocks channels 23-59 or so. At least that's what has happened to me.

(I didn't see your posting before you deleted them, so perhaps I'm providing extraneous info.)

I'm hoping the 7.1x firmware gets rolled out in the area soon.

Hopefully it will come inside the 6208s. :)

larry

6208's have their own set of issues, and I'm not going to bother with the single-tuner unit.

Can't wait 'til we get his badboy some day:
BMC9022D with Moxi:

•Two TV support over existing home cable
•DVD/CD player to expand available program choices
•Two Analog/Digital/HDTV video tuners
•DOCSIS 1.0 cable modem, Ethernet, and OOB data receiver
•733MHz x86 CPU, 256MB DRAM and 4MB Flash
•Dual 3D Graphics processor with 64MB of dedicated DRAM
•80GB Hard disk drive with expansion via USB2.0 port
•Two USB1.1 and two USB2.0 ports
•RF cable input and RF modulated TV output
•Composite baseband, S-Video, YPrPb, and DVI video outputs
•Stereo, S/PDIF optical and electrical audio outputs

re: 6208
Single tuner and disk is better for me than single tuner and no disk. :)
Hopefully they'll let me rent 2 6208s. D-VHS is not my thing.

re: BMC9022D

Nice specs. Cable companies move very slow. If this box is not already in the pipeline, I doubt we'd see it in the next 18 months or so. Too bad.

larry

Nice, but as we discussed in the other forum, no Firewire in the current Moxi hardware.

Don't you like to save stuff? For $300 it doesn't seem like a huge investment.

Dave,
Can you take the data off the D-VHS and dump it down to a PC? I've thought about getting a deck (more than once), but tapes turn me off big time.

larry

Yes, or you can just wait for the 7.1x firmware and save it right to your PC.;)

Tape storage is still much cheaper than hd space. $4 SVHS tapes work fine.

Hmmmm, cool. So, yea, where is that 7.1x firmware!?! :) My biggest gripe with tapes is random access latency and no directory structure (well, not since DECtapes). I guess I need to go read up in the HDTV recorder forum.

larry

Anyone else getting these new channels? 850, 851, 852? They don't work and appear to be foreign language. Interesting they are on the 800's range....

Non-english speaking people like HD too. :)

larry

Maybe Comcast is getting these 3 channels ready for something new?

My 6200 just clicked on and off and lit up like it was going to d/l. I'm using Firewire and it appeared to iterrupt it. I'm not sure if the boxes will stop a Firmware update if it sees it's in use?

At any rate we could be in for updates soon. Hopefully 7.1x

Well, those are locals if they are HD...... 856 and 838 are the two left I can think of.

Chris

Originally posted by Schlotkins
Well, those are locals if they are HD...... 856 and 838 are the two left I can think of.

Chris

Stupid question: why are they necessarily locals? ESPN is 849, so couldn't they be TNT or DISC?

*IF* these will be new HD channels they are not necessarily local. if they follow the boston lineup map then 806 for UPN and 810 for WB. they may be the premium channels they've been planning on adding like TMCHD. we're all guessing and in the dark. no one has good scoop in here anymore since the comcast employees are forbidden from posting per the VP.

Could be TNT-HD as well.

Comcast NE has already commited to alot more new channels by Sept, and even the engineers don't know what's coming until it's time to add them.

If the channels were in a foreign language, more than likely its the new foreign language channels they launched today. One of their engineers in Boston could have been testing to make sure the channels worked or something. Anyways, the new channels are Utilisima on 713, GolTV on 714 (GOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!), RAI on 679 and TV5 French on 688. So those could've been the foreign language channels that someone saw in the 800s.

Dave,

Where did you find out about the "September committment" to add many more HD channels?

All I read was that Comcast NE was planning on going to 30+ HD channels, but no time frame was given.

;)

Originally posted by BostonDIGITAL
Anyone else getting these new channels? 850, 851, 852? They don't work and appear to be foreign language. Interesting they are on the 800's range....

Not here & firmware still 7.07

scoops looks like u were right, the new channels that appeared in the 800 block were moved to their permanent channel assignments, so it must have just been a test. as far as new HD channels in september, sounds reasonable since that's the month that HD VOD debuts which means theyll have a lot more bandwith and able to support more HD channels. maybe they'll be all-digital by then.

Moot point now, but I meant to say they AREN'T locals... :)

Chris

Have you guys ran into this beforehand

Running a DVI connection from the DCT6200 to the HDTV. When turned on getting an error message that reads as follows.

"The HD content protection of your display has been compromised. Please use the YPbPr outputs for your HD connection"

Any Ideas on this one?

Thanks

is your tv HDCP compliant? it sounds like maybe comcast flipped HDCP on?

also, i've seen some reports that suggest that you should have your component output hooked up to something - just connect it to your monitor or receiver - even if you don't intend to use it. like it wants it there just in case or something.

please keep us posted - i'm VERY curious to know what's what on this front 'cuz my tv won't do HDCP.

all channels? just one channel? all programs on that channel or just some programs? etc. etc. etc.

doody.

We're quite a while aways from the elimination of all analog channels.
That won't stop alot of the channels from moving to digital.

Comcast is finally coming to set up HD at my place on Tuesday. A few base questions...

a) should/can I request a specific HD cable box?
b) should I go for DVI over component?
c) anything I should do to be prepared for the tech?

Thanks! :)

-JR

a) yes get the 6200
b) test them both out, let your eyes decide
c) if you'd prefer it tell him/her you'll take care of hooking things up
d) sit back and enjoy

Yes you can ask for a specific box. I asked for the DCT6200 and got it.
I have not compared DVI vs. Component yet but that is something you can do later.
I had my component cables, toslink and rcas plugged into my TV/reciever and waiting for him.
FREAK!

7.10 will start to hit next week and the 6208 shortly after.

7.10 has already hit in the Boston area.

Where?

I just got a message on the screen about HDCP authentication failing and it said to use component outputs (I have both DVI and component connected). I checked firmware - I have 7.10 now.

Freak, Juice: DVI and component look basically exactly the same into my Fujitsu P50 plasma. However, YMMV depending on your display.

larry

Ah, OK, I misread my info.

I should have it next week sometime, but as you say, some people have it.

AFAIK the 6208 is on schedule for May 18th.

Wow, this is weird. I noticed that my DVI no longer worked. So I set my display to the DVI input and pulled the plug on the 5100. It powered back up and I could access the setup menu and see it on the screen via DVI. When I turned on the unit via remote, I could see programming on the screen via DVI. I switched inputs to component on the display and could still see video. When I switched back to DVI the screen went blank. So, I pulled the plug again and put it back in. This time I got E620, E610, Fr 1, and then something else in the LEDs and then it went to "dl" with a little LED segment(s) moving in the shape of a circle (well square). I assume it's downloading something. It's still doing it. If it doesn't stop in a while I'll call support.

larry

Re: 6208

All area rollout?

larry

Edit: I called and talked to a HDTV support person about my (non) problem above. It just took about 10 minutes or so to download the program info. I also asked him about 6208 rollout. He didn't know anything definite except that the 6208s were being trialed in Conn. But he guessed 3rd quarter here but wouldn't be surprised if they popped up sooner given that HDTV came sooner than expected. So hopefully May 18th like DaveFi said. This guy also mentioned NFL Football Package!!

davefi: is that a soft launch? and how do we get one, call in to the cs center after the 18th?

NFL Package won't be here for next season... DirectTV paid a bigger chunk this season around to get the exclusive rights to it again. Though with the number of digital boxes out there now, I'm sure the NFL will play its cards right next time and we'll be seeing it the season after next... though nothing will be final until the next contract talks.

7.10 hit Boston Proper and Framingham/Maynard areas.

All I did was call up and ask the HDTV CSRs to put me on the list for a 6208. There is a list, and those on the list will start getting them right after they launch.

list, what list? i asked about one and was told there was none. ugh. i'll call again.

Originally posted by PooperScooper
Freak, Juice: DVI and component look basically exactly the same into my Fujitsu P50 plasma. However, YMMV depending on your display.

larry

Thanks! :) I'll probably stick with component for the meantime then. I have a pwd6uy, so I was debating whether or not to buy a dvi or component blade for the HDTV.

:D

-JR

My 6200 was showing 7.10 as of yesterday. Not sure when it was downloaded.

I'm in Shirley and I think the head end is in Westford for what it's worth.

7.10 is in da' house. Will try some mac & dvhs records to see if a difference.

Tim

7.1 here too in West Roxbury.

I think I am on the 6208 list. Every time I call I get the same comment: you seem to know more than I do....sad.
Thanks for the DVI update. I will check it out. What kind of DVI cable and component cables are you using?

Just spoke to another HDTV Tech and he said that 5/18 will be the soft launch, some people have been identified for beta testing outsite the company by 'what they sent in from the website' no idea what that means, that they wil be having a training next week for it blah blah blah....I am convinced that no one really knows what is going on over there. I may call again later just to see what different answers I can get...



FREAK!

Soft rollout, yeah. All I know is the 18th.

As far as 7.10 goes, I think I have a bad box. It went to upgrade again (clicked off) and then flashed a bit and came back on again. I unplugged the Firewire cables and hopefully next time the upgrade comes down that will solve it.

I just spoke to another tech (nothing going on here at work today so..) and ..hehe... she said that they have training monday that she would call me back if she hears anything other than June release. She said she was told what it could do..hehe..30 hours HD 50 hours SD..
I may call...again...and see what happens. This time I may call sales..
FREAK!

3 calls reveal a good conspiracy against a list existing.

Dave, if you have an in on the beta please PM.

Otherwise it appears that the "sign up" on the comast website for DVR availability is the only "public" mechanism for notification THEN there will be a scramble to get on the rollout (soft or hard or inbetween) first come first serve.

Tim

This story from the Rocky Mountain News details Comcast's plans to gradually convert to all-digital. Note the section that specifically addresses the Boston market!

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_2863847,00.html

i think it's been made clear, even before that article, that before years' end comcast customers will have a lot to play with. as far as dvr, i spoke with someone who infomed me that all beta-testing customers have been chosen and no additional customers may take part. she also said that an area-wide rollout would soon follow. tell me something i don't know.

I just called and i'm on the list!:D Also got a work order put in for the 19th and discounted programming for 3 months, I talked to a very well informed rep that said he was waiting for the 6208 himself! He stated all csr's will getting an email regarding the rollout shortly!

Aparently it's not easy to do this. I've called five (5) times today and spoke with 5 different reps. The first four told me what I've read mostly - it's comming soon and will be notified shortly. The 5th rep I spoke to was the 1st to mention the "list" and yes I'm now supposedly on that list. I will be contacted after the 18th (or I can call back).

She couldn't schedule anything right then and there, which makes me heistant, but did confirm twice about "oh yes, there is a list and you are on it for the rollout".

All in all no big deal to me as I don't have an urgent need for recording. However, it is aparent from ALL the reps I spoke to today something IS happening later this month.

As a side note, I do have a friend who works for Comcast out of Lexington and who has the 6208 (he's using it for testing). Looks ok but the big benefit is the recording. Sad it only has an 80gig HD. Quality is ok for HD.

Originally posted by BostonDIGITAL
"...Quality is ok for HD." What do you mean ok?

Originally posted by xboxjunkie
I just called and i'm on the list!:D Also got a work order put in for the 19th and discounted programming for 3 months, I talked to a very well informed rep that said he was waiting for the 6208 himself! He stated all csr's will getting an email regarding the rollout shortly!

work order for what? what kind of discounted programming? did you just sign up for digital cable service with a sign-up promo?

Originally posted by avic
What do you mean ok?

I assume this device just records the digital bitstream from the channel, leaving the quality unchanged from the live broadcast. I can't imagine it has the processing horsepower to recompress an HD feed on the fly, and generate watchable results.

jc is right. It should work just like a DirecTivo, more or less, depending if it has buffering for instant rewind/replay. It should write the stream to disk and then decode for output.

larry

Originally posted by avic
work order for what? what kind of discounted programming? did you just sign up for digital cable service with a sign-up promo?

For the 6208!
No promo deal, the rep and I were chatting about HD in general and I told him I frequent the Avs forum daily and that I read the 6208 was rolling out on the 18th! He said he was aware of this site and we chatted for a bit! He scheduled an order for the 19th (6208) and he would give me a deal on premium channels for 3 months! I said cool and thanks alot!

The 6208 records the digital stream coming into the box directly to the hard drive of the unit. There is a 3-5 second delay as it buffers a bit. Analog channels are encoded on the fly for recording to the hard drive.

scoops can u elaborate on the difference? is there a loss in quality with either process?

I have the 7.10 firmware now. Is there any new features in it ?

"The HD content protection of your display has been compromised. Please use the YPbPr outputs for your HD connection"



Scorhedangel,

I got the same message on my TV this morning. I got this message even though I was using component input instead of DVI, which my plasma is enabled for with HDCP. I had both component and DVI connections. I disconnected my DVI connection, unplugged the cable box from power supply and replugged. That seems to have done the trick. Its working again with the component connections. I also checked my firmware and it is 7.10. I don;t know if the upgrade caused the problem, since in the past I could use either the DVI or component outputs.

I'll try connecting the DVI again to see if it works.

Anyone who got the 7.10 upgrade have Firewire connected at the time?

Originally posted by DaveFi
Anyone who got the 7.10 upgrade have Firewire connected at the time?

I had the firewire cable connected to the 6200 but I think the device on the other end was turned off.

My DVHS was on the first time, but the night after it was off. My PC might have been on. We'll see what happens tonight if it comes down again.

Shouldn't the firmware just upgrade when you plug-in the box? I tried unplugging and the "-" symbol came on briefly and that was it.

I got my 7.10 sometime in last 2 days- finally able to record on my PC via CapDVHS!
spearse

Here's a quote:

Switch to digital TV may cost Comcast $2 billion
Cable provider plans to phase in format, expand new services

"Within six months, Comcast plans to convert analog channels that are being used for some pay- per-view services in Boston to the digital format as the first step in going all digital, Alchin said. The move will allow the company to double the number of high-definition channels for TV viewers in that area to about 24, he said." Click to read the whole article.

[URL=http://http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_2863847,00.html]

What is really interesting about that article, and makes it suspect, is that if you notice in Analog, there are no more PPV channels. I think only in the Boston area (my friend lives in Roxbury) do they have IN1 PPV left.

so, does 6200 have working firewire so I can offload to JVC 30K ?

Yes the 6200 has working firewire for DVHS recording and output to a firewire capable TV.

Comcast gets nasty.

I got a letter stating they have been undercharging me because I don't qualify for the bundled discount even though I'm paying $90 a month! It seems "Basic" cable just isn't enough for the combined discount anymore. Screw them! This is just extortion- I've had the service for over a year this way.

You know, there's a word I have in mind right now, and while I like the services I'm getting, I'm pretty pissed.

They don't even have the balls to state the increased price on the letter, like I'm not going to notice.

thanks, so I'll call Comcast. they've sent me 25 off for 16 month or something like that. I am not sure on their HD ofering. Should be HBOHD, SHOHD and some other channels right ? I was Dish subscriber with 5000 system happily recording and then kaboom.... Dish is history for me....

cbs, nbc, abc, pbs, fox, espn, cinemax, starz, hbo, showtime, inhd1, inhd2 (NESN sports). All HD. I may have missed or misnamed one. The movie channels require the extra subscription price beyond the HD box and digital package. IMO, satellite is a dead end. How are they going to do two-way communication required by VOD and future things. Once Comcast (and other cable providers) get the sports packages, satellite will be in big trouble.

larry

Originally posted by DaveFi
Comcast gets nasty.

I got a letter stating they have been undercharging me because I don't qualify for the bundled discount even though I'm paying $90 a month! It seems "Basic" cable just isn't enough for the combined discount anymore. Screw them! This is just extortion- I've had the service for over a year this way.

You know, there's a word I have in mind right now, and while I like the services I'm getting, I'm pretty pissed.

They don't even have the balls to state the increased price on the letter, like I'm not going to notice.

I recieved the same letter today. This is the final straw. Good by comcast, hello OTA (Again) with a possible dish.

This is the SECOND time they've pulled this stunt here. The first time they took away my expanded basic.

At least my phone is with Verizon.

Tim

Originally posted by DaveFi

I got a letter stating they have been undercharging me because I don't qualify for the bundled discount even though I'm paying $90 a month! It seems "Basic" cable just isn't enough for the combined discount anymore. Screw them! This is just extortion- I've had the service for over a year this way.

I wonder if they'll try this with me? I have basic cable and a cable modem and if I get this letter it will finally be enough for me to try Verizon DSL.


Steve

Originally posted by DaveFi
Comcast gets nasty.

I got a letter stating they have been undercharging me because I don't qualify for the bundled discount even though I'm paying $90 a month! It seems "Basic" cable just isn't enough for the combined discount anymore. Screw them! This is just extortion- I've had the service for over a year this way.

You know, there's a word I have in mind right now, and while I like the services I'm getting, I'm pretty pissed.

They don't even have the balls to state the increased price on the letter, like I'm not going to notice.
Could you be a little more specific about this so that we here in the Boston area can understand the issue?

The letter says that I "do not meet the minimum service level requirements to receive the bundle discount savings currently shown on my bill".

It's a form letter- it doesn't specifically state what the price difference will be, probably $5 to $10. Even the CSR I spoke to seemed a bit confused.

if u think the rate increases or bundle changes are not acceptable them call them and negotiate. announcing that you're cancelling your service to the rest of us aint gonna help lower your bill.

in any case i think 'u get more u pay more' applies here. comcast has added many new services in just a few months i.e. HD/VOD/DVR(soon) and by year's end moxi/HDVOD/many more HD channels, etc. So keep it in mind before u leave for 1-way comm dish land. but if that's what u choose, plenty of threads on AVS are ready to welcome u.

Originally posted by sbourgeo
I wonder if they'll try this with me? I have basic cable and a cable modem and if I get this letter it will finally be enough for me to try Verizon DSL.


Steve

I am with Verizon for 2 years now (about $35 a month) - VERY HAPPY ! Go to Dell and order Verizon through them - they (Dell) will mail you $70 MIR so your service with be even cheaper !

Originally posted by atmosfera
I am with Verizon for 2 years now (about $35 a month) - VERY HAPPY ! Go to Dell and order Verizon through them - they (Dell) will mail you $70 MIR so your service with be even cheaper !

Thanks for the Dell link. According to their site, I am not eligible for Verizon DSL despite the "Your phone line is pre-qualified for Verizon DSL" bombardment I have been getting on my bills and on their web site.

On a happier note, the mail just came and I didn't get a letter from Comcast (yet).

Just remember, when you switch to Verizon DSL, when you are downloading that pr0n that its gonna take 3 times as long. 768 down DSL vs 3000 (3mbps) down for cable. Oh... and before you go and say that DSL is guaranteed bandwidth as opposed to cable... read the fine print. Not even Verizon DSL guarantees your full bandwidth. Sure, its a straight shot to your CO and you are guaranteed your 768kbps on that line, but once you hit the concentrator and the switch, you are sharing bandwidth with everyone else. Oh... and also you better hope that you are close enough to your CO to get that ful 768 and that the telephone wiring in your place is up to snuff. Frankly, for 15 bucks more a month (Verizon DSL is 34.95/month after the first 3 months) I'd rather have 4 times the bandwidth and pretty much be guaranteed that bandwidth no matter where on the cable system I live. Sure, if 12 people are all downloading full boat at the same time on my stretch of the cable system... then yeah I might not get my full bandwidth... but 12 people downloading full boat all at the same time is my bet a big improbability.

Of course, that is just my 2 cents... for someone who get EVERYTHING, phone, full package cable, and high speed internet.

Oh... and I've had satellite. Granted not in the past couple of years, but hell, sat can't give you all your local stations in HD, can't give you VOD... and unless you want to drop almost a grand (IF you can find someone who isn't sold out) you can get the DVR version of their HD box (soon anyway).

Another nice thing about video from your local cable company. Your box dies, you get a new one. What happens when your sat box dies? Gotta buy a new one (or deal with the whole warranty thing).

Sorry for my rant... I'm on a roll today ranting about everything in life. It helps relieve the stress to do that once in a while. :)

Scoops

if u think the rate increases or bundle changes are not acceptable them call them and negotiate. announcing that you're cancelling your service to the rest of us aint gonna help lower your bill.No, but it makes me feel a bit better.;) Where in my post did I say I'm cancelling my service?

You know of a different Comcast than I do? You can't negotiate with them- they can do whatever they want- it's not like I have another cable company to turn to. I just don't like the form the letter took, without even bothering to enumerate just what exactly my charges will be.

Now I'm concerned they'll start eliminating some of the other bundled discounts to HD users who don't have "Standard Cable" ($39/mo!). If the Internet discount goes, that's an $18 difference.

My service is 1.5Mbps down 256k up.... so it is pretty reasonable for the money. I had not a pleasant experience with Comcast before and the only thing which might lure me into the deal is fully functional IEEE1394 interface so I can record to D-VHS. I used Dish 5000 to do that but now Dish obsoleted my equipment and I left me (and many other customers) "high and dry" with thousands of dollars wasted in the equipment coasts. I was paying $27.99 for HBOHD and SHOHD only as I go careless about SD channels. My OTA is pretty good in Malden/Melrose area so I again would be caleless about the sales pitch from Comcast about my locals. They (Comcast) need to "tailor" better for customer needs. I need only HD and they will not give me HD pacage only - they want to extract as much money as possible for services (read SD channels) that I do not need - that IS piggish !

ScoopsHD posted: <Just remember, when you switch to Verizon DSL, when you are downloading that pr0n that its gonna take 3 times as long. 768 down DSL vs 3000 (3mbps) down for cable. Oh... and before you go and say that DSL is guaranteed bandwidth as opposed to cable... read the fine print. Not even Verizon DSL guarantees your full bandwidth. Sure, its a straight shot to your CO and you are guaranteed your 768kbps on that line, but once you hit the concentrator and the switch, you are sharing bandwidth with everyone else. Oh... and also you better hope that you are close enough to your CO to get that ful 768 and that the telephone wiring in your place is up to snuff. Frankly, for 15 bucks more a month (Verizon DSL is 34.95/month after the first 3 months) I'd rather have 4 times the bandwidth and pretty much be guaranteed that bandwidth no matter where on the cable system I live. Sure, if 12 people are all downloading full boat at the same time on my stretch of the cable system... then yeah I might not get my full bandwidth... but 12 people downloading full boat all at the same time is my bet a big improbability.

Of course, that is just my 2 cents... for someone who get EVERYTHING, phone, full package cable, and high speed internet.

Oh... and I've had satellite. Granted not in the past couple of years, but hell, sat can't give you all your local stations in HD, can't give you VOD... and unless you want to drop almost a grand (IF you can find someone who isn't sold out) you can get the DVR version of their HD box (soon anyway).

Another nice thing about video from your local cable company. Your box dies, you get a new one. What happens when your sat box dies? Gotta buy a new one (or deal with the whole warranty thing).

Sorry for my rant... I'm on a roll today ranting about everything in life. It helps relieve the stress to do that once in a while.

Scoops
>

Scoops, I'm with ya. I have the three offerings from Comcast and haven't had any problems with them, but - dude - switch to decaf, will ya?? :)

What is the world coming to when Ma Bell is being hailed as the "white knight"? :D

The services are excellent, the fees are out of control.

Is anyone getting the Sox game on 882? I'm still getting the regular InHD2 programming.

Yeah, as far as I'm concerned, there's no comparison between Comcast and Verizon when it comes to service. Verizon generally can't find their own behind, given thirty seconds and both hands.

I've always had better service from Comcast, but I agree with the others that the yearly/quarterly/monthly/weekly/daily price increases and/or nickel and dime jobs are getting pretty annoying.

for me, the sox are on 881 and 882

As I See it, unless you are paying Comcast at least $100/mo, they don't want you. (my bill is ~$90 for tv/internet)

I can live without the catv. I have an OTA tuner that is lying idle right now.

I really want about 10 Cable stations plus OTA- the rest are junk!

INHD1 is running the game as scheduled nationally but it should be blacked out here, someone forgot to flip the switch or whatever they do to black it out. Interestingly the clips from last night's SD UPN game are in high def, what a waste, they could at least run the HD feed on 882 for the rest of us during friday night home games.

I agree, friday's game should be on INHD! 38 UPN's picture quality is just pathetic!

I don't understand why WSBK can't send out the games in HD.

They send out the UPN programming in HD, so they have the broadcast capabilities...

Probably should address the question to Bob Yankowitz in the Boston tower thread. In defense of UPN38's picture, true it is pathetic on cable but if you get 38-1 OTA, it's not HD but acceptable.

Originally posted by DaveFi
The services are excellent, the fees are out of control.

Tell me about it. I've had a cable internet from Mediaone/AT&T/Comcast for 5+ years and have been very pleased with the service.

If Comcast gets rid of the $15 "multi-product discount" I get for having basic cable and cable modem, I am looking at paying $57.95 per month to Comcast or $34.95 per month to Verizon for internet service. $23/month would be enough incentive for me to give DSL a shot.

Unfortunately I can't get DSL because I'm too far away from the switch.

I do like my HDTV, but if the price goes much higher I'm going to have to really start cutting back.

Originally posted by DaveFi
Unfortunately I can't get DSL because I'm too far away from the switch.

I do like my HDTV, but if the price goes much higher I'm going to have to really start cutting back.

Dave, looking at the state where economy is right now it is inevitable (prices going up).... I wish it will be way around. What I do not really like about Comcast is that I, as a consumer, do not have choice of getting only what I want - HDTV only. I am not interested in SD channels at all. I have 50 inch plasma so SD is not my realm. But Comcast will not give me only HD channels - I have to pay for all other junk too.....

Originally posted by Benji
Probably should address the question to Bob Yankowitz in the Boston tower thread. In defense of UPN38's picture, true it is pathetic on cable but if you get 38-1 OTA, it's not HD but acceptable. they will be ready next year for upn-hd and the wbz games this year ahould be in HD, there are only a few. also, once comcast adds all the new hd channels in the fall they will give nesn there own channel number leaving inhd2 alone.

Originally posted by avic
once comcast adds all the new hd channels in the fall they will give nesn there own channel number leaving inhd2 alone.


Comcast probably won't waste the bandwidth to give NESN a full time channel until they go HD for most of the schedule (Yes, Charlie Moore included). Viewers don't need another ESPN "stretched for most of the week" clone out there. I wouldn't be surprised if Comcast launches a few more iN HD channels that programmers (i.e. Fox Sports) could share until production volume justifies full time channels.

If NESN got the studio stuff in HD, that'd be enough to justify a full time channel.

let's not forget they gave fox 25 their own hd channel slot (825) with absolutely NO HD programming. nesn will get theirs.

Avic, your right about the order, they have me down for the 6200:( I'll make them come anyway and say something that day and see what happens!

One thing i've noticed recently when the Sox are on INHD, my second INHD channel is always locked up (picture frozen) until the game is over, why does it do that? Anyone else have that happen?

The lockup on 881 is only happening because InHD has picked up the Sox NESN broadcast for national distribution, which is then blacked out in Boston and in whatever city the team they're playing against is from. It's a bit bizarre, but them's the rules!

InHD1 won't be carrying the Sox game tonight, and it won't be blacked out when the sox are on 882.

Hope that makes sense!

I got word from a tech at comcast that there is a softlaunch to the first 2800 customers on their waiting list of the 6208. Not sure how many are on already but give a call and see.
FREAK!

It happens at every home game not just the nationally televised games!

I too would hope that NESN gets its own HD channel sometime soon. That way Comcast can allocate the necessary space to carry it full-time. However I do have a question a little bit off topic, so I do apologize. Does anybody get Gol TV now that Comcast carries it here in Boston? I believe its channel 714. Currently I have RCN and am considering switching over to Comcast because of Gol TV. If so does Comcast provide you with the English audio option? Another thing I heard, which is more geared to this topic, is Gol TV going HD in the future. Does anybody know when this is going to happen? I can't wait to watch Real Madrid or Barcelona in HD! I know I could do this with Voom, but Voom doesn't carry the Red Sox and Bruins games and they don't carry the Celtics or Revolution. Without NESN and Fox Sports New England I don't see myself switching to Voom. Oh ya on a sidenote which I forgot to add, RCN lists NESN HD as channel 170 (NESN SD is channel 30) and it is always listed in my program guide. Its probably similar to what ESPN does with ESPN HD.

Adelphia here has NESN-HD on a dedicated channel, and yes, it's stretch-o-vision a la ESPN. Charlie Moore looks horrible...short, fat people catching long fish! Oh well...the Sox games (and what few Bruins games I got to see) are awesome!

Rant mode on:

Getting back to the cost issue. It is interesting to me that all of a sudden Comcast is really into auditing their subscribers. It's the second "We've audited your account" letter that we've received. If they were not the only game in town for high speed internet, I'd have already dropped them.

Sure I enjoy good HD programming, but I already don’t get any of the premium channels I just get digitals- not even basic anymore.

At this point it'll be off to satellite with OTA for my locals- no big deal. We are blessed with decent reception at my house.

In the past 6 months, I've lost a large chunk of my service (Their billing error for 3 years?) and now they want to take away my multi product discount, as I don't have enough service. I can take my dollars and go home, or go elsewhere. They're adding all kinds of products and services that I could care less about. On Demand? <sarcasam> Great content there.
3 Shopping channels? Don't care.

If I keep HSI, and go with satellite, I lose a total of 3 HD streams (INHD and ESPN HD) I gain 50 SD streams. All for an almost identical outlay of dollars/mo.

The only programming I’ll miss from my current standard is NESN sports, but I don't even watch the Sox that much anymore.

Even current weather is now on 2 different DTV sub channels- making Weatherscan obsolete!

If I go satellite for SD (non locals) I'll pay less and get more. And I can have that Dish up in less than an hour. Hmmm.....

So what if it's one way. It's the value. Comcast is trying to get me to believe that they offer all of these services that I need. They don't. They’ve added a handful of HD programming and tried to DOUBLE the price- at least at my address.

Everybody has claimed that Comcast would really have their act together. Sure they do. If you own Comcast stock. The value that I had is long gone. I’ve priced out similar service through Comcast to what I had. Basic, Digital Silver and HSI comes out to almost $123/mo- with 1 SD and 1 HD box (Per the Comcast website). I’m insulted.

tcable,
is there a name change coming soon, 'tsat'?

BTW, I forgot to mention that you can get EarthLink High Speed Cable Internet (https://store.earthlink.net/cgi-bin/wsisa.dll/store/product.html?product=cable) using Comcast's network for $45.95/month. That is certainly better than paying Comcast $57.95/month for the same connection if DSL isn't an option for you.

Tcable,

Comcast's pricing brochure clearly states that "you must purchase basic service to subscribe to any other video service". And that's true for digital and analog video services. So you shouldn't have been getting the digital package without paying for basic service.

And if you jump to satellite for video, you'll be paying the extra $15/mo for your HSI service anyway.

"basic" service refers to $8-12/mo broadcast only cable, not $45-50/mo "standard" cable.

The HSI + basic service is cheaper than HSI by itself.

I tried to tape a movie with my D-VHS through the firewire connection on HBO-HD Saturday night and it do not record. I got am ERROR CP on my D-VHS. I just tried to record on HBO-HD again today and got the same message so I tried INHD and still got the same message. I tried PBS-HD and it did record. My question is, Does Comcast copy protect all of the HD channel except local channels now? I was able to record last weekend from Starz-HD.

My understanding is that now with firmware 7.10 HDCP has indeed been turned on. An interesting side effect of this, as some others have noticed, is that DVI is no longer working for me, despite the fact that my TV is supposedly HDCP compliant.

To bad I can not go back to 7.07.

I have a Sony XBR 910. My DVI works fine. What tv do you have? I might be able to help you

Originally posted by 2gbj
My understanding is that now with firmware 7.10 HDCP has indeed been turned on. An interesting side effect of this, as some others have noticed, is that DVI is no longer working for me, despite the fact that my TV is supposedly HDCP compliant.

I just tried to record the Red Sox game on NESN-HD (INHD2) and that is copy protected also. I guess I they what you to rent the DVR's when they come out soon.

Originally posted by jckessler
"basic" service refers to $8-12/mo broadcast only cable, not $45-50/mo "standard" cable.

The HSI + basic service is cheaper than HSI by itself.
The price for basic service varies from town to town and mine is almost $16/mo. But the point is, he needs to pay for basic in order to get any of the digital channels. And once he does that, he should get the $15/mo discount on HSI, so it's pretty much a wash.

re: HDCP
Is HBO etc. actually flagging their HD broadcasts for copy protection, or is
Comcast just enforcing it for Non-OTA channels?

larry

I just called Comcast tech support and was informed that they know about the copy protection problems and they are working on it. But he could no tell me any more than that.

Originally posted by D_Doherty
tcable,
is there a name change coming soon, 'tsat'?


*Groan*

The curse of my name :)

Originally posted by PooperScooper
re: HDCP
Is HBO etc. actually flagging their HD broadcasts for copy protection, or is
Comcast just enforcing it for Non-OTA channels?

larry

If you go to diag screen d11 you will see that HBO, ESPN and INHD1 (I assume INHD2) have 5C with a value of "1". I do not know if it is comcast turning on the flag or the originator.

I just tried using DVI with my PE8700 and was unimpressed. The only way I could get DVI to work was to unplug the cable box while my FP was on. Simply turning off the 6200 or switching input sdid not not work. The PE8700 is HDCP compliant so this should be working.

Yup. I've been speaking to them about the HDCP issue, and they do indeed say they are working on it. For the record, my TV is a Zenith C32V37.

Originally posted by 2gbj
Yup. I've been speaking to them about the HDCP issue, and they do indeed say they are working on it. For the record, my TV is a Zenith C32V37.

Who have you been talking to, Motorola ? How do I get in touch with them ?

Originally posted by avic
let's not forget they gave fox 25 their own hd channel slot (825) with absolutely NO HD programming. nesn will get theirs.

It's most likely that 16x9 wide-screen football drove the channel launch. Do you think it's possible Fox 25 got it's full time slot because of their insistence on all or nothing? Wasn't this the Viacom argument? Isn't this why Comcast passes the full unencrypted signal onto the cable system even though they don't use it all (i.e. WCVB radar & WGBH SD)? I agree NESN will get theirs in due time.

according to all the recent articles and interviews with comcast execs they are adding more HD channels than even exist so i think they would like to say to potential customers that they offer "NESN-HD" as part of the Comcast HD Package (which will inevitably cost xtra once all the 30-something channels are added) sounds better than "select Red Sox and Bruins home games from NESN on INHD2 882"

Originally posted by dozens
If you go to diag screen d11 you will see that HBO, ESPN and INHD1 (I assume INHD2) have 5C with a value of "1". I do not know if it is comcast turning on the flag or the originator.

Thanks, Dozens. If those channels are flagged by the respective "network" then Comcast is probably required to use DVI/HDCP if present (and 5C over firewire). One possible way to tell if those networks are flagging the content is to somehow verify with a satellite stb. How? I don't know. Doesn't one of the sat stbs have firewire output? I guess I'll be putting my PC recording plans on hold....

larry

I had a problem recently but dont know what it is.

I have a sony wega 36: XBR800 HDTV and suddenly the channel I was watching went to snow, but still audio was there.

all channels were like this. switched the box off then on again and the picture came back. anyone seen this with there cable box ? using the HD 6200 ? box.

Originally posted by dozens
Who have you been talking to, Motorola ? How do I get in touch with them ?

No. Comcast.

Originally posted by edv
The price for basic service varies from town to town and mine is almost $16/mo. But the point is, he needs to pay for basic in order to get any of the digital channels. And once he does that, he should get the $15/mo discount on HSI, so it's pretty much a wash.

I have Basic (2-22 at my house) and a grandfathered digital package.

What Comcast is now saying is that Basic + Digital is not enough. You need Digital Silver or better (which includes expanded basic)- to qualify for the discounts. They are probably trying ot get all of the grandfathered users onto new packages- happens all the time. Even going to Digital Silver I'd actually lose digital content, but gain a Premium and the expanded basics again. My wife loves TCM.

Strangely enough they also state that Digial Phone is not avaialble at my address. Strange since 3 of my immediate neighbors have digital phone!

I'm aware of the price increase on the HSI. My wife's work will now pick up the cost of it so It's irrelevant.

No decison to be made for at least a month as i'm having surgery Friday and won't be allowed any heavy lifting or exertion for a month (all over sinus surgery...).

It just fascinates me to see how Comcast is doing their best to push us out :) So be it as there are enough other TV options. At least I have an excellent South horizon to look out onto!

It's just business to them. I find it interesting that they are over time tryinf to get my bill from ~80/mo (catv+HSI) to ~125/mo without any real change in services. It's not cost of programming.

Originally posted by 2gbj
No. Comcast.

Is there a direct number for Comcast cable tv tech support ?

My (limited) understanding is that there is not. You have to go through the automated phone line. I've spoken to Comcast a couple of times now. They are being very friendly, but have little actual news, and are "working on the problem". On a different note, they did confirm that there is a list for the 6208, and apparently a general memo has now gone out to this effect.

What Comcast is now saying is that Basic + Digital is not enough. You need Digital Silver or better (which includes expanded basic)- to qualify for the discountsActually, I only have Basic service with Digital Gold.
They say I need Expanded Basic to qualify for the discount.

So we have to pay $150 (internet included) to save $5? Give me a break.

Comcast has the worst PR dept I've dealt with. It's the little things like this that really piss off their customers.

Thankfully the Tech guys (hi guys!), really seem to care about us. It almost makes up for it.

Avic, I cancelled my last work order since they had me down for the 6200!
I'm at work and decided what the hell lets try this again! I called Comcast and talked to a sales csr and asked that my 6200 be changed out for the 6208! She had no clue and said she would transfer me to the Tech Dept. I talked to a Tech by the name of SAM and told him I wanted the 6200 changed out for the 6208! He put me on hold for about 5 minutes and came back and asked me if that is the HD DVR, I said yes! He said let me check something and put me on hold again for a few minutes! He came back and said is Sat 5/15 between 3-5 pm good for you? I said yes thats fine! I asked him twice are you sure the 6208 is on the order? He said yes! I asked for his name again just in case I got it wrong the first time, and he said Sam and he stated my order is in and any CSR can bring up the order! So, Avic or can anyone else try and order the 6208 and see what results you get!

Has anyone tried?

Next week people. Often times the CSRs are really unaware of this stuff until the last minute.

This was a tech that set it up!

I called to try just for kicks. Nope, just put on the list....again. There are already 3800 names on it. Anyone know if you click that link on caomcast site to be notified when DVR is available if that puts you on the list?
If so, then I did that a few months ago.
FREAK!

sox game vs cleveland tonight.........did anyone watching in hd see tonights aftershow with remy and orsillo???? they didn;t know the hd camera was on, so they were acting all silly and whatnot, almost drunk, and they were checking their makeup and joking and laughing and stuff......hilarious!!!! regular nesn was on commercial!!!!!! this is the second time i have noticed they dont realize the hd camera is rolling while nesn is on commercial!

Originally posted by macd23
sox game vs cleveland tonight.........did anyone watching in hd see tonights aftershow with remy and orsillo???? they didn;t know the hd camera was on, so they were acting all silly and whatnot, almost drunk, and they were checking their makeup and joking and laughing and stuff......hilarious!!!! regular nesn was on commercial!!!!!! this is the second time i have noticed they dont realize the hd camera is rolling while nesn is on commercial!

We saw that, too! Seemed like someone forgot to throw a switch somewhere to return to the SD feed, so we got to watch the still-live HD truck feed, with Don and Jerry getting ready to record their drop-in for the postgame show. A hoot! :D

lol, glad i wasnt the only one.....saturday or sundays game they did the same thing less the video, it was just a still shot of the infield......but remy said something wicked sarcastic, not meant to be heard at all.......... it was funny. tonight they were acting wasted

Originally posted by macd23
sox game vs cleveland tonight.........did anyone watching in hd see tonights aftershow with remy and orsillo???? they didn;t know the hd camera was on, so they were acting all silly and whatnot, almost drunk, and they were checking their makeup and joking and laughing and stuff......hilarious!!!! regular nesn was on commercial!!!!!! this is the second time i have noticed they dont realize the hd camera is rolling while nesn is on commercial!

I have also seen this when regular NESN has gone to a pre-taped interview - I'm surprised I haven't caught anyone swearing yet!

Originally posted by DaveFi

Now I'm concerned they'll start eliminating some of the other bundled discounts to HD users who don't have "Standard Cable" ($39/mo!). If the Internet discount goes, that's an $18 difference.

I fit in that category. I have Comcast Internet, basic cable with Digital Silver (+HBO) package and HD. No "standard" cable since I have DTV also. I read my letter quickly, but I thought it told me that I would lose only a $5 discount. I'll have to double check.

The letter stated $5 or $10 difference depending upon what bundle you had (phone included).

Comcast has not added any new HD since early 1Q 2004. Will we see any new HD in 2Q 2004 or will have to wait till the fall?

davefi, are u getting your 6208 next week?

No, I think I'll wait for 6412 which should cost the same.

Has anyone had luck with the 'video in' on the back of the 6200?

The audio in works on mine but i cannot get any video.

Seemed like a nice featue. I have the 6200 connected via 1394 for NESN and use coax to feed a tv in another room. I tried connecting my DVD player to the 6200 so i could feed the other tv but i get only audio.

I just made my daily call to comcast to see what's up and a sale CSR told me that it would be out in the next 2 months. When I ask what about 5/16 she said that was postponed to the end of june.
DaveFi, can you get any info on this?
FREAK!

FREAK! :)
That corresponds what a "HDTV specialist" told me the other day. Q3 (june-aug).

larry

Originally posted by metallicafreak
I just made my daily call to comcast to see what's up and a sale CSR told me that it would be out in the next 2 months. When I ask what about 5/16 she said that was postponed to the end of june.
DaveFi, can you get any info on this?
FREAK!
If the single tuner won't be out until end of June, and the dual tuner is expected later this year, then the single tuner is making less sense to me right now.

Mickey

Originally posted by MickeyGee
If the single tuner won't be out until end of June, and the dual tuner is expected later this year, then the single tuner is making less sense to me right now.

Mickey
Can you wait till the end of the year (current guess) for any HD recording or timehshifting capabilities? (assuming you're not doing firewire recording)
I can't. :) I'll take a single tuner box (or two) and then get the dual tuner when it comes out. We don't have to buy the box.

larry

Can someone else please varify this because I was going to send back my 921 or sell on ebay as soon as I got the 6208.
FREAK!

soft launch is still happening next week, i spoke to 2 hd reps and they are both getting their own 6208. they both said that in a meeting this past tuesday they were also told of "the list" for customers and that comcast will conctact those on it to offer them the DVR. they were also told, as we know, that the hard launch will not happen until the dual-tuners are in stock, couple months. i'm waiting to hear back from one of the reps, i asked him to clarify whether the list was for the single-tuner out next week. i'll post what i hear unless davefi has that info and wants to share.

Thanks Avic, I appreciate it.
I will resume the 1-2 calls a day.....
FREAK!

Only thing I heard was 5/18.

The 6412 will most likely be replacing the 6208.

I'd rather wait for the later, as a single tuner unit isn't of much use to me. The larger harddrive will help as well.

Do you know if getting the 6208 will preclude one from getting the 6412?
FREAK!

Originally posted by metallicafreak
Do you know if getting the 6208 will preclude one from getting the 6412?
FREAK!
That is one thing to worry about. They might give a lower priority to you if you already have one of their DVR's if the dual tuners are in short supply.

Mickey

Don't let that stop you. I have no idea when any dual tuner PVR will be available. For all we know the Moxi units could be tested here in NE, instead of the 6412, or maybe even both.

I am a little bummed about the current Moxi boxes as they have no Firewire so I'll have to stick with the 6xxx boxes because of that.

I am bummed to. I just want to get a 6208 asap because I am not sure for how much longer I can hold out before I can not return my 921. I am well past my 30 days but have something worked out. I know I could just sell it on ebay but 1) I don't care about making money on the deal 2) I want to stick it back up Charlie's ass by sending it back to them.
FREAK!

Originally posted by PooperScooper
I just got a message on the screen about HDCP authentication failing and it said to use component outputs (I have both DVI and component connected). I checked firmware - I have 7.10 now.

Freak, Juice: DVI and component look basically exactly the same into my Fujitsu P50 plasma. However, YMMV depending on your display.

larry

I also have a Fufitsu P50 and a Comcast 6200 box.

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

Another person here has a 5100 with 7.10 and the same problem, which he works around by using s DVI switcher to change the source to aother device and then back again. When I tried unplugging the DVI cable and plugging it back in it the picture came back. I have audio all the time.

Any thoughts?

Hi Chris,
I saw your post over in the Plasma forum concering miatasm's power on/off order. I'm just using component output now from my 5100.

larry

Hey gang,

going to be calling comcast sometime in the next 2 weeks(as soon as I get the tv) for my first hd cable box. Is there a specific box I should request. Is the 6200 the latest box? is better than the previous one(5800?)? thanks

jason

Jason...depends a little on what TV you are buying. If your TV has a 1394 firewire connection, request the 6200, if not, the 5100 will be sufficient. The 5100 has both component and DVI outputs.

Anyone get called for a 6208 yet?
FREAK!

FYI

Thank you for writing.

The DVR service will be available at some point during July, with a dual tuner. At this time, we are beta testing the Motorola 6208 in the New England Region. Please continue to visit www.comcast-ne.com for service updates.

If you have any future questions or problems, please feel free to email us again. When replying to this address, please include this message as well as all previous correspondence regarding this issue.



Sincerely,
Dave

Comcast Electronic Customer Care

Called CSR about new HD channels. Nothing offical but to quote" working on adding Discovery -HD and there may be a few others but noth offical"
Anyone else hear anyhting recent for Comcast Eastern Mass.?

Anyone know why I got to unplug my 6200 to regain my dvi connection??

Here is a link to answer your question>>>

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

Originally posted by hovbuild
Anyone know why I got to unplug my 6200 to regain my dvi connection??

Call Comcast ask them. The more problems with dvi they hear about the better the chance they will get Motorola to fix the firmware.

Look at this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3801509#post3801509) post and the couple following for the DVI answer.

Any differance in how quick they change channels? The digital box I have now is real slow. Thanks


Originally posted by Benji
Jason...depends a little on what TV you are buying. If your TV has a 1394 firewire connection, request the 6200, if not, the 5100 will be sufficient. The 5100 has both component and DVI outputs.

I have both boxes and there isn't any apparent difference in the time it takes to change channels, at least, in my opinion.

5100 locked up/slowed down alot, while the 6200 does not.

Thank you!!!!

I think the newer firmware has helped the 5100. Mine has not locked up in quite a while. However, the slow channel change here and there is still present.

larry

For those of you with QAM tuners that were wondering what is available, unencrypted, from Comcast, I had some spare time this morning and decided to connect the Comcast cable directly into my Mits PM tuner. Following is the list of channels I was able to receive:

44.01
44.02
44.03
44.04 (all WGBX)
83.04 (infomercial)
83.05 (infomercial)
84.01 (PBSHD)
84.02 (FOX)
85.01 (ABC)
85.02 (NBC)
88.02 (CBS)
109.02 (INHD2)

I picked up a few other Comcast barker channels such as InDemand, etc.

7.10 Firmware has come down in my area and 5C is enabled for HBO/SHO. So much for PC recording. Glad I have DVHS.

Also, PVR has been pushed back because of some problems.

So much for DVHS'ing HBO, SHO, INHD, etc. w/7.10 also.

I wonder if there was much QC on 7.10 wrt DVHS.

I don't understand that about DVHS and 7.1 because I recorded star trek first contact (maxhd) after getting 7.1 and it worked fine.
I will try and record off HBO/SHO?STARZ tonight.
FREAK!

DVHS is 5C compliant- PC Firewire is not.

I was getting 'Errror CP' on my Mits 2000 when I tried recording the other day from the 6200. I tried HBO and INHD then punted.

If I understand 5C correctly the only thing I shouldn't be able to record is PPV. So either 7.10 is is not working correctly or all of the encrypted content is incorrectly marked 'copy never'.

Is anyone having trouble with teh JVC 30K/40K? I own the 30K and it has been ok so far.
FREAK!

You should be able to record everything. AFAIK nobody has enabled copy protection yet.

I'll try it later.

Originally posted by DaveFi
Also, PVR has been pushed back because of some problems.
Pushed back until when? Is there a new date?

Mickey

No new date yet.

Originally posted by D_Doherty
I was getting 'Errror CP' on my Mits 2000 when I tried recording the other day from the 6200. I tried HBO and INHD then punted.

If I understand 5C correctly the only thing I shouldn't be able to record is PPV. So either 7.10 is is not working correctly or all of the encrypted content is incorrectly marked 'copy never'.

I am having the same problem with my Mits 2000u and I am getting nowhere with Comcast to correct it. Call them and complain maybe if they get enough call they may do something for us.

Does Comcast Cable have the right to add copy protection to the firewire output of their model DCT6200. I have been able to record to my Mits DVHS player all of my subscribe programing but now since they have upgraded the firmware on the 6200 to 7.10 I can no longer record any premium cable channel or HD channel except local HD channels.

Below is the information I found on 5C DTCP and I should be able to record at lest once according to this spec.

5C DTCP

5 company Digital Transmission Content Protection. An HDTV copy-protection encryption method for devices connected via FireWire, this allows one of three copy states: copy always (all ATSC broadcast and "in the clear" QAM cable broadcasts); copy once (premium cable); and, copy never (pay per view, video-on-demand). Bidirectional system requires 5C chips in every device in an A/V system (in other words, a set-top box, a TV, and so on); the TV "requests" acknowledgment before allowing the signal to be viewed or recorded. Proposed and sponsored by Hitachi, Intel, Matsushita (Panasonic), Sony, and Toshiba--the five companies.

I can no longer get a picture over firewire to my JVC 30K from HBO/SHO/INHD and ESPN. All I get is a "gray" screen.

Lost my ability to record encrypted channels this morning. Thanks firmware 7.1!!!

I can still get a picture over firewire on my Mits 2000U but nix to recording.

All the SD digital channels are "gray" as well and show 5C=1.
Now we know that's just wrong.

The firmware is obviously all screwed up. If this isn't fixed I'm going to start dropping channels.

I just got off the phone with a "Top Notch HD Tech" per the first CSR I talk with. He told me that a new firmware has been beta released to the southern part of Mass. and if everything goes well the rest of us should see a firmware upgrade in the next couple of days. After this upgrade we should be able to start recording again.

Thank goodness!
Thanks for the info
FREAK!

FYI, per JWhip on the programming forum, DiscoveryHD is coming in less than a month! :D

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=401537&pagenumber=3

Originally posted by Benji
For those of you with QAM tuners that were wondering what is available, unencrypted, from Comcast, I had some spare time this morning and decided to connect the Comcast cable directly into my Mits PM tuner. Following is the list of channels I was able to receive:

44.01
44.02
44.03
44.04 (all WGBX)
83.04 (infomercial)
83.05 (infomercial)
84.01 (PBSHD)
84.02 (FOX)
85.01 (ABC)
85.02 (NBC)
88.02 (CBS)
109.02 (INHD2)

I picked up a few other Comcast barker channels such as InDemand, etc.

I am confused.. 44.01, 44.02, 44.03, 44,04 - u received all of them over comcast ?
my friends with OTA receive these as 4 DIFFERENT SD channels..
so are u saying that my 5100 is not decoding them and providing them to me as PBS east, west, kids and one more ??

Originally posted by Benji
For those of you with QAM tuners that were wondering what is available, unencrypted, from Comcast, I had some spare time this morning and decided to connect the Comcast cable directly into my Mits PM tuner. Following is the list of channels I was able to receive:

44.01
44.02
44.03
44.04 (all WGBX)
83.04 (infomercial)
83.05 (infomercial)
84.01 (PBSHD)
84.02 (FOX)
85.01 (ABC)
85.02 (NBC)
88.02 (CBS)
109.02 (INHD2)

I picked up a few other Comcast barker channels such as InDemand, etc.

Painful wasn't it? That is the worst thing about the Mits - scanning digitals.

Was INHD2(NESN-HD) in the clear? If so, bye bye 6200.

Could people with the 7.10 Firmware and DVHS please list their model #s, years, and if they can record or not?

Thanks

Originally posted by DaveFi
Could people with the 7.10 Firmware and DVHS please list their model #s, years, and if they can record or not?

Thanks

Does VirtualDVHS count :)

Just out of curiousity, can you record 5C=1 content with VirtualDVHS?

Originally posted by DaveFi
Just out of curiousity, can you record 5C=1 content with VirtualDVHS?

It records something but the something can not be played.

Updating my earlier post...now I can no longer receive INHD2 thru my Mits PM tuner. And I am now not receiving any premium channels thru my firewire connection. I hope this new firmware fix posted above for southern Mass. wasn't the one I received this morning because it's rendered my Mits PM basically useless, except for local channels.

Originally posted by Benji
Updating my earlier post...now I can no longer receive INHD2 Thur my Mits PM tuner. And I am now not receiving any premium channels thru my firewire connection. I hope this new firmware fix posted above for southern Mass. wasn't the one I received this morning because it's rendered my Mits PM basically useless, except for local channels.

You getting INHD2 was a fluke, I have never been able to get any premium channels from my Mits intergated QAM tuner except when Comcast first started with HD, I was able to get SHO-HD and HBO-HD for about one week then it was scrambled. Funny though that we can get some of the VOD channels but we have no control, it must be coming from our neighbors lines.

Originally posted by c-geek
I am confused.. 44.01, 44.02, 44.03, 44,04 - u received all of them over comcast ?
my friends with OTA receive these as 4 DIFFERENT SD channels..
so are u saying that my 5100 is not decoding them and providing them to me as PBS east, west, kids and one more ??

I'm pretty sure in the Boston area these get mapped to PBS East, "GBH World", "GBH Kids", and "GBH Create". I'm not sure where PBS East gets mapped, but the other 3 end up in the 200's somewhere, and do indeed appear to be unencrypted.

The code that went out in Southern MA this morning was 7.10. Its the same that went last week in NH and Northern MA. 7.10 enabled HDCP and 5C, hence the problem with recording your premium channels.

I'm looking at getting a DVHS deck... and several people I have seen posts from around different forums, is that those with 7.10 and the Mits decks are unable to record the premium channels. Anyone with 7.10 and the JVC decks able to record from the premiums (HBO HD, SHO HD, etc)?

Originally posted by Benji
Updating my earlier post...now I can no longer receive INHD2 thru my Mits PM tuner. And I am now not receiving any premium channels thru my firewire connection. I hope this new firmware fix posted above for southern Mass. wasn't the one I received this morning because it's rendered my Mits PM basically useless, except for local channels.

See WGBH website for Comcast channel info on WGBX DT sub channels.

I dunno Scoops- Spearse claims he can record INHD on his JVC 30K, with 5C=1, but being I can't see anything on those channels, I don't know what's up.

ok,
I tried it out last night. When I first turned on the 30k I got the grey screen. I waited and nothing ahppened. Then I switched inputs to F-1 then back to I-1 and still got grey but it did then say DCT6200 which it did not before. I waited about 10 seconds then the picture kicked in. I tested recording on MaxHD and it worked fine. I did not try any other channels as it was 2am and I needed to go to bed but I will check tonigh on HBO/SHO/Starz. There is something wrong with the firmware because with 7.07 the picture came up right away no screwing around. Come on comcast/moto fix it PLEASE atleast before football season starts and I have a 6208 or 64XX!!!
FREAK!

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

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

I can't even record the local stations in HD now from Comcast. They've totally screwed up my $500 H-VCR!!!

I tried HBO and it recorded on my 30K, although it took longer than usual to kick in (like 10secs).

Benji, what DVHS do you have? Everyone else having problems, please list model # and year. Thanks.

Originally posted by DaveFi
Could people with the 7.10 Firmware and DVHS please list their model #s, years, and if they can record or not?

Thanks

Mits RPTV WS48511, STB Motorola DCT 6200 with firmware 7.10, Mits D-VHS HS-HD2000U.

I can not record any premium cable or HD channels through firewire, I can record local SD and HD channels, and I can record all channels through the S-Video connections