I notice that when you try to press menu after turning the DCT off (within 2 seconds of course) the user settings screen flashes on and off.

Thanks, avic! Now I know what I have (7.07), and a search reveals that that's not uncommon for a 6208.

Still 7.10 here, and channel 839 shows up but is "Not Authorized" Discovery HD

Still 7.10 in downton Boston, but DiscoveryHD is up.

Anyone else getting crazy macroblocking on ESPN (849) this evening? It is almost non stop...

Originally posted by Gabatta
Still 7.10 in downton Boston, but DiscoveryHD is up.

Anyone else getting crazy macroblocking on ESPN (849) this evening? It is almost non stop...

Same here, still have 7.10, DiscoverHD is up, and I'm getting crazy macroblocking. On top of that, our HBO channels look like they're analog or something, large drop in PQ. :(

-JR

7.15 hasn't gone out anywhere in New England according to an engineer I talk to frequently. Just a case of mistaken identity... if Dorchester had 7.15, then all of Boston should have 7.15. Anyways, DiscHD is up here too... looks good... my wife is already nagging me to record Trading Spaces in HD tonite.

Scratch that... might wanna try tuning to it first... Not Authorized here as well. Bummer, now I gotta listen to the wife...

'Not Authorized Message' Here

No 839 out here in Metrowest yet.

Anyone get HD-VOD? I'm assuming this will be the two Imax titles (not for me).

7.10 in boxborough, but DiscHD is up with minor lipsync issues

If HD-VOD is up it's not intuitive to get to. LOOOONG "Wait One Moment" blackscreen to pull up In Demand. That may be typical, but shows how much I use it.

the loooong wait is recent/temporary, comcast is aware of issue and is working to fix it. i'm also in dot but not home so can't report on alleged 7.15 by 'bostondigital' perhaps he/she can confirm that indeed the service menu shows firmware 7.10 and NOT 7.15??

Not authorized here in Southern NH, although also none of the reported problems with VoD or ESPN-HD.

no 7.15 here. Still 7.1 on my 6208
839 is live though
FREAK!

No Discovery -HD on 839 in Brockton area on Comcast.

No 839 in New Bedford......... 7.10 here

We're live and looking good in sterling... now, just need 856 and 838 to pop on... ;)

Chris

how dissapointing, here i hoped for 7.15 and expected discovery, but have neither. looks like 7.15 was sent to one box in dorchester. ;) hope they do hit us soon, 6208+7.10 were never meant to be.

No 839 in Lawrence as of 12:37. :(

perhaps in the morning.

839/DHDTV just showed up in the guide (Trading Spaces is supposed to be on) here in Watertown, but no content yet.

We have DHDTV this morning in Haverhill/Bradford.....Still at 7.10 however....

Originally posted by sheakt
We have DHDTV this morning in Haverhill/Bradford.....Still at 7.10 however....


Same here on the North Shore.

I'm located in Back Bay. Wife and I watched a few hours of DiscoveryHD last night, still at 7.10. Turned on the TV today and it looks like DiscoveryHD is now on the "not authorized" list. After watching "Trading Spaces" last night, and some other shows, my wife and I are both really pleased to get DiscoveryHD. Feed looked good, and there were some previews of some really interesting shows.

It's great to see another HD channel on Comcast. :D

-JR

Discovery-HD is on in the Boston suburbs. Looks excellent. Still 7.10.

Originally posted by sheakt
We have DHDTV this morning in Haverhill/Bradford.....Still at 7.10 however....

A fellow Bradforite!!! I recently moved to Bradford..I just switched from Comcast HD to D* HD...I couldn't get a good HD picture with comcast, don't know if we are not wired for it or what.

But the DTV is looking pretty good!!

It's on here.

Originally posted by avic
the loooong wait is recent/temporary, comcast is aware of issue and is working to fix it. i'm also in dot but not home so can't report on alleged 7.15 by 'bostondigital' perhaps he/she can confirm that indeed the service menu shows firmware 7.10 and NOT 7.15??

My BIG mistake...I was told if I had 839 I'd also have 7.15 so went on assumption...won't do that again!

Still 7.10 here...... :(

discovery -HD now on looks good near Brockton. Hope more is coming soon

FWIW Discovery HD was on and looking fine in Nashua this morning.:D

839 on fine in Bedford, NH as of this morning.

Still 7.10.

Originally posted by toots
839 on fine in Bedford, NH as of this morning.

Still 7.10.

Good to hear toots...I look forward to watching it when I get home !

I would of preferred newer firmware over HD Discovery...hopefully it is coming soon.

What is so great about 7.15 that you would choose it over DiscoveryHD? We've watched it every night for a month and still haven't suffered from repeat-itis (except for the shorts between programs).

Of course, I'm in Baltimore with 7.07 so I may not be experiencing the problems causing you to want a firmware upgrade instead.

Rich N.

Can someone articulate for me the key things they are expecting in the next firmware (7.15) release? Is there a place I can go to see this list? Here is what I think I have heard:

- end to "blocking" when changing HD channels
- improved PQ on SD (non-HD digital) stations

anything else? on the guide? firewire?

I have read that 7.15 will fix the DVI HDCP problems. As it is right now I am stuck using component outputs. With DVI I will get all digital path to my projector instead of a D/A and then A/D conversions

Originally posted by raidbuck
What is so great about 7.15 that you would choose it over DiscoveryHD? We've watched it every night for a month and still haven't suffered from repeat-itis (except for the shorts between programs).

Of course, I'm in Baltimore with 7.07 so I may not be experiencing the problems causing you to want a firmware upgrade instead.

Rich N.

I don't know about other users, but when I was "upgraded" to 7.10, I noticed a degradation in PQ, 3-10 seconds of massive macroblocking when changing two or between HD channels, and occasional macroblocking during shows.

OnDemand menu sometimes comes up as unavailable, or has massive lag when coming, as in 10-15 seconds of attempting to access it.

I think a lot of us are hoping 7.15 will fix these rather serious issues.

-JR

the ondemand lag is a separate issue not related to the firmware and comcast is working on it. the guide isn't affected with firmware, that's on the software end. and as far as the 7.15 fixes, they are:
-hd macroblocking fix
-hdcp 'handshake' fix
-improved analog pq
All 3 have been confirmed by those with 7.15 If you have 7.07 you're scratching your head since u don't have these problems, the rest of us await 7.15 eagerly.

Thanks, now I know what the problems are. As far as analog PQ, 7.07 is pretty bad, I don't watch any analog except ESPN2 occasionally. Local and network news is upconverted on the digital channels. Hopefully in Baltimore we can just skip 7.10 and go right to 7.15.

Rich N.

Originally posted by avic
the ondemand lag is a separate issue not related to the firmware and comcast is working on it. the guide isn't affected with firmware, that's on the software end. and as far as the 7.15 fixes, they are:
-hd macroblocking fix
-hdcp 'handshake' fix
-improved analog pq
All 3 have been confirmed by those with 7.15 If you have 7.07 you're scratching your head since u don't have these problems, the rest of us await 7.15 eagerly.

Thanks for clarifying that avic! :) My mistake raidbuck!

-JR

Great to hear Discovery HD will be up and running when I get home tonight. I check this thread once a month or so and just learned that I must be running 7.10. When did they do the flash from 7.07 to 7.10? I ask because I have noticed a degredation in PQ over the last two maybe three weeks. I thought that maybe the bulb in my new 60" RP LCD was going early, but maybe it is this 7.10 firmware? SD really has taken a turn for the worse, HD does not look as "stunning".

I also just got off the phone with Comcast, making my bi weekly call for the PVR/6208 box. The woman did not even know what I meant by "PVR", I explained and she told me that it would be about three more months.

Any truth to this?

I also just got off the phone with Comcast, making my bi weekly call for the PVR/6208 box. The woman did not even know what I meant by "PVR", I explained and she told me that it would be about three more months.Larry, unfortunately this is correct. The 6208 isn't really officially released- it will be replaced by the dual-tuner 6412 PVR. The 6412 will be official in October when the iGuide upgrade comes down.

Thanks Dave. I guess getting the two tuner box is a good thing. Saves me the trouble and service fee of swapping the 6208 for the 6412 within a short period of time. I just was told "end of April", then "end of May", then "very soon". Can't wait to dump the VCR and start recording HD. The woman said something about a problem getting the boxes, this was the reason for delay, not technical issues. I have a friend in Braintree who uses BELD as a cable provider and they are offering the 6208/PVR service. He has it and it works great.

Any answers to my firmware question?

maybe we'll get the 6416, that would be sweeter. larryjoe, my analog PQ is terrible, worse than my 5100 but i'm told that's the 6208 encoding on the fly not the firmware. digital and hd channels look great. those with the new 7.15 keep reporting much improved pq on all boxes so we shall see.

Thanks. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the 7.15 fw.

Originally posted by avic
maybe we'll get the 6416, that would be sweeter. larryjoe, my analog PQ is terrible, worse than my 5100 but i'm told that's the 6208 encoding on the fly not the firmware. digital and hd channels look great. those with the new 7.15 keep reporting much improved pq on all boxes so we shall see. avic,
What's the disk capacity of the 6416 and are there any links to topics discussing this model?

Originally posted by edv
avic,
What's the disk capacity of the 6416 and are there any links to topics discussing this model?

I'm no Avic, but I think I can answer this. If it follows the scheme of the other boxes, it will have a 160 Gb HD. I think someone posted a couple weeks ago indicating that the numbering convention was something like:

1st digit is series number
2nd digit is twice the number of tuners
3rd & 4th digits represented HD size

So:

6200 = One Tuner, no HD
6208 = One Tuner, 80 Gb HD
6412 = Two Tuner, 120 Gb HD
6416 = Two Tuner, 160 Gb HD - I assume

Nathan

Nathan,

Thanks, that seems to make sense.

After a couple of weeks with my 6208, I'm getting 10 hours of HD recording from the 80gb drive. My feeling is that for time shifting HD, two tuners and 25 hours is the sweet spot, so the 6416 comes close to that.

The single tuner in the 6208 has been a problem for me mostly with the HD Red Sox games on weeknights where it conflicts with prime time weekly scheduled recordings. When you select a single program for recording that conflicts with a repeating scheduled recording, it would be nice if the 6208 would give you the option of skipping the single conflicting recording. But it doesn't, it deletes the repeating scheduled recording completely.

So I've resorted to some creative manual recordings to get around that. Mind you, I'm not complaining, because until something better comes along, they'll get my 6208 only from my cold dead hands.

This channel will be available shortly

I STILL get that in Lawrence.

That is not a valid message on the Motorola boxes... either you'll get One Moment Please or Not Authorized.

Originally posted by ScoopsHD
That is not a valid message on the Motorola boxes... either you'll get One Moment Please or Not Authorized.

One moment please - This channel will be available shortly

Still not on in Lawrence.

Gus

Has anyone else noticed that the guide data for INHD 1 & 2 is different the what www.inhd.com says should be ? I just tried to schedule a recording for "Discoveries America: New Hampshire" which www.inhd.com says will on 7/23 and 7/24 but I can not find it in the guide.

what did you find? don't forget sox home games pre-empt inhd2

Originally posted by Gus
Still not on in Lawrence.

Gus

also checked downstairs so that makes 3 places where it is not on.

"Discoveries...America: New Hampshire" (http://www.inhd.com/products/viewProduct.jsp?prodId=13827) is listed as being on INHD2 at 12:30pm on 7/23. I did not find it in the guide nor was it listed when I searched by title. I did manage t0 find other "Discoveries...America" with search by title.

Yes, I've noticed that you really need to check the INHD.com listings and program your HD-DVR for the channel and times, not by the guide. I don't know why there are these discrepancies.

Rich N.

In Haverhill I get the channel (i.e., I can tune to it), but forget about seeing anything. DSCHD looks like a giant pixelated mess - and has now for a few days.

By the way, I can't wait for the new FW as the HDCP handshake issues are a pain in the ass in my setup.

-P

Originally posted by sheakt
We have DHDTV this morning in Haverhill/Bradford.....Still at 7.10 however....

Can you actually -see- the channel? All I get is a pixelated mess.

-P

Originally posted by raidbuck
Yes, I've noticed that you really need to check the INHD.com listings and program your HD-DVR for the channel and times, not by the guide. I don't know why there are these discrepancies.

Rich N.

raidbuck - Are you saying if I setup a manual recording based on time the website says it will record what I expect it to ?

Is anyone still having the VOD delay problem in the Boston area?

Originally posted by controller2k
Can you actually -see- the channel? All I get is a pixelated mess.

-P

Absolutely clear... excellent picture.... I have a 6208 STB but that shouldn't make a difference......

839 on in Fairhaven last night

Dozens:

If you have the Moto6208, yes, you can set up a time and channel and it will record without paying any attention to what the guide says. At least that is my experience. I'll bet that if the show you want, as found on the website, is the same time and length as the show on the guide, you could do it through the "Listings" option. I've recorded both ways with no problems.

Rich N.

Finally popped on in Lawrence.

Discovery HD is at 547.75 which puts is on Ch 78 or 79 (Area on analog spectrum) We know its mapped to 839.


Called comcast last night about it. Was able to speak with an HD specialist.

He said rights for 38 and 56 have been obtained as well as TMC and Encore.

Having 20 HD channels by the end of the year is a given and they are shooting for up to 30.

There may be seperate negotiations going on to get HDNet in the Boston market.

Funny how the Boston area is still using HRC- I wish they'ld just abandon it.

Encore is a given- same programming as Starz except for free, so I'll probably switch back to SHO or drop them altogether. TMC is a waste of money as SHO has such little HD programming anyways, and even less movies. The only reason why I'd want SHO at this point is for Dead Like Me.

HDNet has been in "negotions" since the beginning- it doesn't mean much, but sure would be nice to have as they don't crop.

WLVI and WSBK are probably next, along with TNT-HD.

DaveFi - Which premium channel do you think is the best for HD movies ? I currently have Starz and will probably swithch to HBO when Deadwood or Sopranos come back on.

Originally posted by chitchatjf
...Called comcast last night about it. Was able to speak with an HD specialist.

He said rights for 38 and 56 have been obtained as well as TMC and Encore.

Having 20 HD channels by the end of the year is a given and they are shooting for up to 30.

There may be seperate negotiations going on to get HDNet in the Boston market.
That sounds great. I can see 20, but I am not sure how we get up to 30 true HD channels unless we include some of the Voom-type channels. The one I really want is HDNet.

Mickey

Personally, I'd like Bravo now- I like Cirque too much and would love to see it in HD.

Tim

HBO is best for movies by far (even with cropping). Cinemax is the same movies as HBO, without the original programming (no Deadwood, Sopranos, etc). Likewise TMC is SHO's "movie-only" channel.

Starz is second right now, even with the upconverts and cropping.

Once they add Encore, I'm thinking that just HBO will be plenty- Unless you like SHO's original programming or Boxing there really isn't much reason to get it. I respect the fact they show everything OAR, but there just isn't enough to justify the cost.

There's a real need for "movie-only" HD channels like TMC-HD (doesn't exist yet), that show classics OAR.

Ultimately it's up to you to decide- Right now I have HBO and Starz (switched from SHO). I think I'll just buy Dead Like Me on DVD and forget SHO.

30 channels would be great, but I'd just like better content on the channels I do get. I suppose once football starts up again, that will help. ;)

Is Discovery HD 720p or 1080i? I have a native 720p set (Sammy HLN).

Originally posted by jsheldon_us
Is Discovery HD 720p or 1080i? I have a native 720p set (Sammy HLN).
1080i

As I surf the forum it seems that HDNET/Movies is the most desired new HD channel, followed by BravoHD+ and then TNT-HD.

Many people will also want their regional Fox Sports channel if it is showing HD.

This is the first time I saw any interest in the channels most likely to be added. I expect the only ones we'll see in Baltimore for many months would be TMC-HD (which I won't buy) and EncoreHD (and maybe neither of those) which should be part of the digital service. At least it will save me some money because I can start dropping the premium services as more included movie channels come on.

It would be nice to get HDNET and Bravo. "Well, maybe next year".

You folks in the Boston area are lucky as it seems you'll get a lot more HD than the rest of us. But at least when you do we can then put more pressure on Comcast to extend the coverage of the extra channels.

Rich N.

When I had Dishnetwork I had HDNet & HDHet Movie channel and they only showed very old movies and repeated them too often. So far I like INHD far better than HDNet. Bravo seems to be showing some good programs I would like to see Bravo-HD added next.

I had HDNet when I was with Dish too, and like INHD, it had a lot of unique programs like concerts, Champ Car racing, World Report etc. But both of these networks recycle their material frequently. That's why an HD DVR is so important to us.

Now, the HDNet Movies channel showing old movies in HD OAR may not appeal to everyone. But I just checked their schedule and they have The Man Who Would Be King on tonight, and that's a movie I wouldn't mind seeing again.

And by the way, it would be over Mark Cuban's dead body that either of the HDNet channels would be allowed to do what TNT-HD has been doing since it became available on Dish.

Originally posted by edv
It would be over Mark Cuban's dead body that either of the HDNet channels would be allowed to do what TNT-HD has been doing since it became available on Dish.

What HAS TNT-HD been doing?

ondemand lag is gone.

Getting the 6208 tomorrow. Is there anything you seasoned veterans feel I should know to make the first few days more enjoyable.

BTW... Quincy has DHDTV. Get some.

Originally posted by MidKnight
Getting the 6208 tomorrow. Is there anything you seasoned veterans feel I should know to make the first few days more enjoyable.

BTW... Quincy has DHDTV. Get some. know this: prepare for massive MICROblocking on the hd channels for up to 20secs each. analog pq will be worse than what you may be used to. firmware 7.15 takes care of those and the dvi issue but word is it's being held back here for more testing, not a bad idea after the 7.10 debacle but NJ customers already have it with no reported probs.

the guide is slightly improved but still poor and full of ads. dvr functionality is bare bones. if you've never had tivo though you wont know what you're missing so it will be less of an issue. it does record HD, only reason to have it really but capacity is very limited, don't expect to have more than a handful of movies on there. mine fills up with 5 or 6. this is an entry-level beta unit with one tuner, small drive, and antiquated ipg software, keep that in mind and you wont be disappointed.

Thanks for the reply. I'm looking forward to it... mostly because I've never had the Tivo before. So this is a treat for me. I'll be taking advantage of the HD recording... I signed up recently for the Comcast deal of HBO and Showtime free for a month including HD channels.
Does anyone know if I can connect a firewire or USB2 hard drive? If so, how does that work for extra storage?
Thanks in advance.

I have some minor issues with 7.15. I've had intermittent problem with microblocking / pausing while rew - ff "live TV". It has only happened 2-3 times with no rhyme or reasoning. Otherwise everything seems to be OK with 7.15.....

Originally posted by MidKnight
Does anyone know if I can connect a firewire or USB2 hard drive? If so, how does that work for extra storage?
Thanks in advance. No external hard drives.

As far as I know, Comcast is talking about doing away with the unneccessary tvguide ads which should add more options and hopefully improve it

Originally posted by CMG1976
As far as I know, Comcast is talking about doing away with the unneccessary tvguide ads which should add more options and hopefully improve it From a Comcast July press release:

Comcast plans to upgrade its Motorola-based digital set-tops to iGuide, an IPG developed in partnership with Gemstar-TV Guide, sometime in the next 90 days. Among the improvements: iGuide is 50 to 100 percent faster than the current "Tan" guide, offers a wider grid for an hour-and-a half-view of programming, and provides trick-mode capabilities for boxes with on-board digital video recorders.

ads will also be gone with iGuide (http://www.shaw.ca/ipg/guide.htm) until then call now to get that second mortgage or bose wave radio for only.....!

If they eliminate the ads on the left and open the grid up to 90 minutes, they should also put the control icons vertically on the left side instead of at the bottom. And the up and down directional keys should cause the grid to scroll one line at a time when you're at the top or bottom of the grid.

As it is now, it's one of the most un-intuitive interfaces I've ever had the displeasure to use.

Those ads can't be terribly effective; I can't remember a single one off the top of my head.

Originally posted by miatasm
I have some minor issues with 7.15. I've had intermittent problem with microblocking / pausing while rew - ff "live TV". It has only happened 2-3 times with no rhyme or reasoning. Otherwise everything seems to be OK with 7.15..... But nonetheless microblocking is significantly reduced and your handshake issue was fixed, have you noticed the better analog PQ others are reporting?

iGuide will be completely customizable by the locals, so I suppose if we bitch enough we might see improvements.

This is the appropriate place to complain.

I never really had tons of "blocking issues" it was pretty clean, that is when I had time to watch it......I also never really had issues with PQ as I had seen & heard with others.

This may be due to me having an Panasonic EDTV Plasma. I've seen an HD Panny Plasma, same size (42"), same STB & cable signal levels & the PQ was definately worse than mine. My thoughts are that the EDTV doesn't have to do any scaling to match the Horz. resolution of analog (NTSC 480i)cable signals. Thats my excuse & I'm sticking to it....:)

Originally posted by avic
But nonetheless microblocking is significantly reduced and your handshake issue was fixed, have you noticed the better analog PQ others are reporting?

So what is the hold up ? Why not push down 7.15 and lets use our DVI connections ?

Originally posted by DaveFi
iGuide will be completely customizable by the locals, so I suppose if we bitch enough we might see improvements.

This is the appropriate place to complain.

Will complaining here about the Needham/Newton area still being at firmware 7.07 on the 6208 which has broken FireWire output here be useful too :( ? I sent an email a fews back and got a response of "we hope to update in the next 6 to 8 weeks" which is incredibly frustrating given that everyone just outside of this area has 7.10 on their 6208, and the 6200s in our area have 6200.

They held of the 7.10 firmware for the South for the 6208 because of the HD tiling issue and some other bugs that didn't crop up until after the North was done.

7.10 is a mess, i'd take 7.07 back in a sec. we ALL may not have to wait much longer for 7.15 after all (<2 weeks). and are you ready for some HD PPV? - Tyson v. Williams

Originally posted by avic
7.10 is a mess, i'd take 7.07 back in a sec. we ALL may not have to wait much longer for 7.15 after all (<2 weeks).

Even putting aside the broken FireWire, 7.07 seems like a mess - 7.10 must be really bad.

WFXT is out again- has been since last night.

maybe they're getting ready to broadcast today's game in 720P HD! wouldn't that be a nice surprise?!

See here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4099671#post4095641)

it might explain things.

Has anyone else seen Ch .194 with message" channel to appear shortly" on screen? Could thie be for ABC News Now that I saw in the Globe to start Monday, and is probably broadcast on one of WCVB's sub-channels. Wonder how it may affect PQ on the main HD channel?

Should be no effect on their HD channel since the sub channels are always there OTA. The 2 sub channels only take up approx 4 MB. We've had the sub channels here for about 2 months with no difference in PQ on the HD channel....

Discovery HD theater is awesome.....a great addition......anyone know what is coming online next???


also, has anyone noticed what i guess some are calling "micro blocking" on inhd1?

Originally posted by mgpt6
Has anyone else seen Ch .194 with message" channel to appear shortly" on screen? Could thie be for ABC News Now that I saw in the Globe to start Monday, and is probably broadcast on one of WCVB's sub-channels. Wonder how it may affect PQ on the main HD channel?

That would make some sense,considering WCVBDT's Ch 20-2 will be covering it.

Those who use comcast as their ISP can also get it :)

Like I said,it IS on ch 194!

another cookie for me ?

Originally posted by macd23
has anyone noticed what i guess some are calling "micro blocking" on inhd1? do you mean mIcroblocking(tiling) or mAcroblocking(fast-motion artifacts)? if the former, i can't help you since i have a 6208 with 7.10, so my HD experience has become a mIcroblocking nightmare. if the latter then it's dependent on many variables and others can give u the technical scoop...

I thought microblocking was the fast motion artifacts (small sections of the screen tile) where macroblocking is signal integrity dependant (the whole screen will tile).

that's what i thought, makes sense, until i saw it on a tech show and read it in a home theater mag. perhaps it's getting confused and used interchangeably. maybe an engineer can chime in.

i guess its "micro-blocking", where i get little squares of garbled information, and its happening on every hd channel off and on, and only when i switch to it from a lower channel, if i then go up a channel and back its ok.

ie, if i am on espn hd channel 849 and switch up to hbo hd 870, i get these blocks. if i go up to 881 and back down to hbo it will be normal.


i called comcast, they had me try a few things like power cycling and they reset the box, etc....cleared it up for a few minutes, now its back. they are saying its a "memory error or a bad box". they are replacing the box. i wonder what kind of box i will get, i hope its not a 6208 fw 7.10, is that combo troublesome???

memory error or bad box, of course!! :rolleyes: i'd bet it's not the box and you'll probably have the same issues. how's your signal strength?? have the cableperson check during your appt. and remember others have reported these problems when they got 7.10 so keep that in mind. word is 7.15 may be only a few days away...

Disc-HD is glitchy to DVHS over firewire.

Just a follow up to my own message. I used the diagnostic pages to look at the quality of my connection. (I have two drops - one downstairs, and one in the attic that feeds the 6200, a regular TV, and a cable modem).

The signal levels were horrible. So I purchased a RadioShack 4-port bi-directional amplifier [part 15-2506]. (one in, 4 amplified out) and installed it in the attic where there was previously a splitter. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! No uncorrectable errors now, "Good" levels of auto gain and signal level, and everything else runs smoothly (e.g., cable modem.)

I guess a solid signal is critical for HDTV.

The Red Sox looked great tonight, and Discovery HD Theater is really a great show-off channel.

-P

P.S. Still want that updated firmware to solve the handshake issue over DVI.


Originally posted by controller2k
In Haverhill I get the channel (i.e., I can tune to it), but forget about seeing anything. DSCHD looks like a giant pixelated mess - and has now for a few days.

By the way, I can't wait for the new FW as the HDCP handshake issues are a pain in the ass in my setup.

-P

OK we get Discovery HD on Ch 839.

We DO GET ABC News Now on ch 194

What's next?

WSBK and WLVI DT? (I hope we get the former before October 8th?)

TMC and Encore (Most folks get Encore and i get TMC)

I was going to ask the same... now that was have DisHD, what's next to wait for? :)

Chris

Originally posted by Schlotkins
I was going to ask the same... now that was have DisHD, what's next to wait for? :)

Chris

They did say somthing like 20 by the end of the year.

We have 13, add the 4 I mentioned and that STILL leaves us with 3 to go :)

they said 30 but who's counting? ;) BUT we all know that wont happen, they don't even have the bandwidth for it. we'd be lucky to get 1 more before 2005 and that may not happen.

HBO-East (Ch.72) may go digital only some time in the future to free up bandwidth.Also, in many towns EWTN is on analog channel 56 as well as digital channel 238. Also, if many channels are moved to digital only the price for standard cable would have to go down, and the basic digital tier would have to go up.to adjust for the migration of analog to digital tier.

Originally posted by mgpt6
Also, if many channels are moved to digital only the price for standard cable would have to go down, and the basic digital tier would have to go up.to adjust for the migration of analog to digital tier.

The channels most likely to move from analog to digital probably pull in very little subscriber revenue (probably on the order of pennies per channel). I doubt they'll drop the analog tier price, as that would discourage people from moving to digital.

I'll eat my hat if cable prices drop (even in conjunction with a decrease in channels). Hasn't happenned ever; I don't see it starting now.

Originally posted by avic
they said 30 but who's counting? ;) BUT we all know that wont happen, they don't even have the bandwidth for it. we'd be lucky to get 1 more before 2005 and that may not happen.

I see 2 or 4 more at least. :>

Originally posted by mgpt6
HBO-East (Ch.72) may go digital only some time in the future to free up bandwidth.Also, in many towns EWTN is on analog channel 56 as well as digital channel 238. Also, if many channels are moved to digital only the price for standard cable would have to go down, and the basic digital tier would have to go up.to adjust for the migration of analog to digital tier.

The EWTN on ch 56 is a shared channel with BCTV. My idea would have BCTV FULL TIME on 56 with EWTN on 238.

Any info on this either?

Chris

Originally posted by chitchatjf
They did say somthing like 20 by the end of the year.

We have 13, add the 4 I mentioned and that STILL leaves us with 3 to go :)

Not be Mr. Negative, but the quote from the Rocky Mountain News story only says that by the end of the year they will free the bandwith to allow them to double the number of HD channels, not necessarily that are set to actually move ahead and add that many.


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.

Originally posted by Schlotkins
Any info on this either?

Chris

I haven't seen anything, but I did get a survey from Comcast and inDemand that seemed to be probing interest in HD VOD and what incentives they could offer to convert more folks to HD reception on Comcast...

Forget the new channels just make the ones we have work better with a firmware update :) Anyone know when the successor to 7.10 will arrive ?

Originally posted by dozens
Forget the new channels just make the ones we have work better with a firmware update :) Anyone know when the successor to 7.10 will arrive ? EXACTLY! look for 7.15 possibly hitting a box near u, next week.

Originally posted by jckessler
The channels most likely to move from analog to digital probably pull in very little subscriber revenue (probably on the order of pennies per channel). I doubt they'll drop the analog tier price, as that would discourage people from moving to digital.

I'll eat my hat if cable prices drop (even in conjunction with a decrease in channels). Hasn't happenned ever; I don't see it starting now.

Personally I would put EVERYTHING above BROADCAST Basic on DIGITAL ONLY!

QAM tuners would still be able to get HD locals.

Folks see digital as an "addon" to cable service.

I say digital IS THE service.

Originally posted by chitchatjf
Personally I would put EVERYTHING above BROADCAST Basic on DIGITAL ONLY!

QAM tuners would still be able to get HD locals.

Folks see digital as an "addon" to cable service.

I say digital IS THE service.

I'm sure moving everything to digital is the long term plan, but that means putting a box on every single TV you hook up to cable, and eliminates one of the major advantages of cable over satellite, at least until CardCard becomes common.

They will simulcast analog channels in the Digital Line-up....to help with the possible 2007 all digital transition.

I am see channel 800 in Boston with message coming soon.

what's the new channel coming HD VOD or something else ???

HD VOD will be accessed through your current VOD Menus....

Originally posted by scorpion74
I am see channel 800 in Boston with message coming soon.

what's the new channel coming HD VOD or something else ???

No channel 800 in Lawrence yet.

My question is wHY ABC News now is on 194?

I would have put it on channel 74 instead of a duplicate feed of OLN

Originally posted by chitchatjf
No channel 800 in Lawrence yet.

My question is wHY ABC News now is on 194?

I would have put it on channel 74 instead of a duplicate feed of OLN

I'm quoting myself.

Well 800 is there and it says PPVHD.

Originally posted by chitchatjf
Well 800 is there and it says PPVHD.

If you look in the guide, the only event listed is the Tyson fight tomorrow night. I wouldn't be shocked to see the channel disappear after that.

Originally posted by BobColby
If you look in the guide, the only event listed is the Tyson fight tomorrow night. I wouldn't be shocked to see the channel disappear after that.

and ordering it on 800 is the SAME price as 401.

However,I won't be watching (I would get a true unification bout,and saw Tyson/Lewis)

Thought that Comcast in other markets had some movies in HD at $6.49 or something like that.Hope that several more HD channels soon. Wonder if they will put something else on Ch.99 now that analog Showtime is gone. Move QVC or Golf Channel to 99 to free up more digital space on the high end. (99 being a midband channel.)

Originally posted by BobColby
If you look in the guide, the only event listed is the Tyson fight tomorrow night. I wouldn't be shocked to see the channel disappear after that.



Comcast is conducting a test of PPV in High Definition using tonight's Tyson vs. Williams fight. They are not promoting or openly offering the event in High Definition, as this is a test of the technical system to verify the process for future use. If you call to order it, they will process this for ch 800, the question is will it be worth it?

Originally posted by CMG1976
Comcast is conducting a test of PPV in High Definition using tonight's Tyson vs. Williams fight. They are not promoting or openly offering the event in High Definition, as this is a test of the technical system to verify the process for future use. If you call to order it, they will process this for ch 800, the question is will it be worth it?

The good thing is it is being offered for the SAME price as the "main" event on Ch 401.
Williams is not a big enough opponent for me to invest the $. (I have gotten a few Tyson PPV cards in the past,the undercard prior to the first one was just as entertaining)

If Comcast gives me the HD feed for free I will be happy to "test" it for them :)

Originally posted by dozens
If Comcast gives me the HD feed for free I will be happy to "test" it for them :)

They'd have to pay me to watch that garbage. ;)

One thing that bugs me is the continous thing on ch 999.
Yesh it gives info for NEW cable subscribers but the tape loop seems to be over 5 YEARS OLD and updated ones are on the On Demand tier.

Upgrade to Firmware on all Motorola HDTV Boxes

Comcast will be upgrading the firmware on all of our Motorola HDTV Boxes in region (5100, 6200, & 6208's). This upgrade will take place via code-spin 8/3/04 - 8/5/04 during normal maintenance windows.

As most of you know, this firmware upgrade will fix issues such as:

The clock feature should no longer intermittently disappear when the box is powered off.
20-30 second instances of tiling when tuning between two HD format channels will no longer happen on the DVR boxes.
This will fix instances of color-flashing on the top part of the screen when viewing standard definition channels via RF and Composite outputs.

This firmware upgrade may also introduce one issue for customers utilizing Dolby 5.1. Some customers may lose their Dolby 5.1 settings as a result of the upgrade. Troubleshooting steps for identifying whether a customer has lost their settings, as well as how to reset their cable box, can be found below.

Here are the steps that are required to recover Dolby if a user loses it due to the upgrade from A17 (one way to tell if they are set up or not is to tune to a digital channel, if you see the Dolby icon on the upper right side of the flip bar, they are already setup for Dolby and need not do anything more. If you do not see the Dolby icon, you need to follow these steps...)

From the TV Guide Main Menu select the "Setup" option

1. On the "Setup Menu" select the 5th option labeled "Audio"

2. Under the "Audio Setup" menu select the 2nd option labeled "Audio Output"

3. Using the right arrow key toggle the default setting of "TV" to "Stereo"

4. Using the right arrow key toggle the "Stereo" setting to "Advanced"

5. The user may now press the "Exit" key on their remote control


Now when the user tunes to a digital channel you should see the Dolby icon on the flip bar.

Hopes this helps in case anyone was looking for an exact date this would occur. It's about time

re: audio settings. the 6208 uses a different version IPG which no longer includes the audio type in the flip bar. so those with a 6208 should check their audio setup through the main menu to ensure that it has not been reset after the upgrade.

Originally posted by avic
re: audio settings. the 6208 uses a different version IPG which no longer includes the audio type in the flip bar. so those with a 6208 should check their audio setup through the main menu to ensure that it has not been reset after the upgrade.

I completely overlooked that, thanks

Will the upgrade from the existing 7.07 enable firewire on a 6208???

Will the HDCP issues be resolved in the new firmware ?

yes and yes

Originally posted by onkyoguy
Will the upgrade from the existing 7.07 enable firewire on a 6208???

In what way ? Can I add extra storage via firewire ? Or it is a display feature ?

Display only, so far no one has confirmed that 7.15 will output to an external HDD.......

7.15 has landed

Yep, got 7.15 here as well.

Will fool around with DVHS/Firewire later.

still 7.10 here but no PVR

Have PVR.... Still 7.10 here.....

Originally posted by DaveFi
Yep, got 7.15 here as well.

Will fool around with DVHS/Firewire later.

I have 7.15 here on a 6208. Will do some flipping around to see what its helped.

Still have 7.10....hopefully will get updated soon.

7.15 in Fairhaven

Still 7.10 in Haverhill (6200)

7.15 in Middleboro...need a Sox game on TV38 to see if there's any improvement in SD PQ.

How does the upgrade occur? If the box is on, does it just happen? What if the box is off (but still plugged in)?

-P

as stated in previous post, upgrade will occur between 8/3 and 8/5. you don't have to do anything, it will come to you. this and many more questions answered here: http://cjhengineering.com/DCTHDFAQ.htm

7.10 in Back Bay. I can't wait to see the upgrade go through. :)

-JR

Hopefully fixes ShoHD breakup issues.

7.15 has arrived. I check the dvi connection and got an error message :( I unplugged the STB and the connection worked. I was also able to change channels. Hopefully if I leave my STB on all the time HDCP will not be an issue. I will test my dvi switch tonight.

As of last night still 7.10 on my 6208 in w. roxbury
FREAK!

7.15 sems to have fixed the Firewire glitches on Disc-HD.

OK- That's fixed- more channels please.:D

I have a strange issue with 7.15...when I turn on my Panasonic RPTV connected to a 6208 via DVI i get the channel in split screen..STB is always on..

I watch a lot of ESPN so its been ESPN both times...Looks as if the screen was a dual tuner PIP split with both set to ESPN...

Once I change channels the picture is restored to full 16:9 on all channels

Weird???:confused:

7.15 this morning in Haverhill/Bradford (6208)

7.1.5 this morning in the Middlesex region. I do not see any improvement in
SD quality. I have the 5100. Should I upgrade to 6200 or wait for the DVR in the fall.

if u don't need firewire wait for the dvr. still 7.10 in boston/dot. always last.

7.15 in Cambridge. HDCP and DVI issues seem to be resolved for me.

Originally posted by jdoe7890
7.1.5 this morning in the Middlesex region. I do not see any improvement in
SD quality. I have the 5100. Should I upgrade to 6200 or wait for the DVR in the fall.

If you HD display has dvi and your 5100 doesn't then I would upgrade to the 6200.

7.15 last night in East Freetown.

I don't think we'll ever see an improvement in SD quality on these boxes- that's just how the 6200 is.

7.15 in North Easton, but i have not checked if DVI issues are solved

7.15 now in Haverhill as of this morning.

HD channel switching is faster.

DVI HDCP issues are -resolved- (yay!). I can flip inputs on my Z2 projector, shut it off, turn the cable box on/off - the sequence doesn't matter. There are no more losing signal due to HDCP handshake issues.

[added:] THIS FIRMWARE IS A BLESSING TO THOSE USING DVI CONNECTIONS and HDCP projectors like the Z2!

Still a small row of snow on the analog channels.

Also, it is not pillar boxing the non HDTV channels anymore when they are 4:3. I wonder why?

(I have it set to 480P override and 16:9, 720P, because I obviously have a 16:9 PJ).

[edit: I don't think it ever did on 480P signals - i.e, the "override" signals; have to use the projector to change aspect ratio. I thought it was a firmware issue but it was always like that on non HD channels.]

Originally posted by onkyoguy
I have a strange issue with 7.15...when I turn on my Panasonic RPTV connected to a 6208 via DVI i get the channel in split screen..STB is always on..

I watch a lot of ESPN so its been ESPN both times...Looks as if the screen was a dual tuner PIP split with both set to ESPN...

Once I change channels the picture is restored to full 16:9 on all channels

Weird???:confused:

I also noticed this last night on ESPN. The problem occured when I switched to DVI while already tuned to ESPN-HD. I had to go to a non-HD channel to get away from the strange split screen. If I was already on DVI, and then tuned to ESPN-HD the problem did not occur.

Still 7.10 in west rox as of last night
FREAK!

7.15 arrived this morning. tiling gone, and agreed, no analog pq improvement and had not expected it. can't wait until we can buy or own equipment. just think: a dual-tuner DVR with excellent analog/digital PQ, tivo-quality software, large internal hdd with firewire and external hdd support plus dvi/hdmi and coax/digital audio outputs and all for cable.

7.15 HAS ARRIVED A FEW DAYS AGO, LOOKS GOOD.....FOR NOW.

Does this apply to the DCT5100 box as well? I just got my HDTV two weeks ago. I was wondering why I got the 5100 versus the 6200.

My install went fairly smooth, although I did have to change the setting to 720p. My PJ was not setup for the installer to use when he arrived (early I might add).

Now that we have Discovery HD, any rumors what will be added next?

PS Just verified that I have 7.15 on my 5100 .

7.15 on our 6208.

Channel switching between HD channels seems faster, PQ looks solid, and there are no more tiling issues. :)

For some reason I cannot access the INHD channels, 881/882. I get a black screen with the "one moment please, this channel should be available shortly" message. I've let it sit on screen for a few minutes, but the channels do not come in.

Also, when I turn off the box and turn it back on when it is on 881/882, the box defaults to channel 1, OnDemand, and the following text shows up on a black screen, "to activate service, press ok". I press ok and the OnDemand menu shows up. I can then navigate out of it to browse channels.

-JR

I just noticed some of my HD channels "blink" every couple seconds. Is anyone else experiencing this ? I recently switch and dvi and dvi switch so I not sure if that is causing the problem. I have notice the "blink" when watching dvds over dvi and the same switch.

jr: they're back on now, i had the same issue and then lost 802 and 825 as well but they're all back. more testing perhaps.

Originally posted by dozens
I just noticed some of my HD channels "blink" every couple seconds. Is anyone else experiencing this ? I recently switch and dvi and dvi switch so I not sure if that is causing the problem. I have notice the "blink" when watching dvds over dvi and the same switch.

This is probably obvious and something you have already done, but can you try two things:

1 - Take the switch out of the equation and look at the results.
2 - See if the same behavior (blinking) occurs on Component Input

I have not had any DVI issues with either my 6200 or 6208 box, though neither is using a switch.

Originally posted by avic
jr: they're back on now, i had the same issue and then lost 802 and 825 as well but they're all back. more testing perhaps.

Hi avic,

I checked last night before I went to bed (around 2am) and then again this morning (it's about 7:30am right now) and 881/882 still don't work. I'll give Comcast a shout and see what's up. :) I can't go through the weekend without 881/882 active! :D

-JR

all channels ok here since yesterday so i'd call them if you're still out.

Roger that avic,

I just gave Comcast a call, very friendly, knowledgable CSR assisted me. He reset part of our HD package, I'll check to see if that worked when I get home this evening. :)

-JR

spoke too soon, 881 and 882 went out again today and still aren't back. anyone else in boston metro with same issue?

Originally posted by avic
spoke too soon, 881 and 882 went out again today and still aren't back. anyone else in boston metro with same issue?

Yes, the infamous "channel will be available shortly..." gave up after several minutes.

Was trying to watch the Tom Hanks movie one Red Shoe

Whenever I see "Channel will be available shortly" for an HD channel, I desperately wish I had the phone number to my Comcast head end so I could call them and say, "Wasssup, dudes?"

Originally posted by avic
spoke too soon, 881 and 882 went out again today and still aren't back. anyone else in boston metro with same issue?

Yes, same here, they're still down.

I just had a Comcast tech come to my place (30 minutes ago) to take a look at it. He informed me that 881/882 would be out until Tuesday due to channel re-alignment. Something about NESN was getting it's own HD channel, and some A/B channels being moved around.

I checked their website, and there is no info on this. The CSR I spoke to yesterday in regards to the 881/882 issue attempted to fix it, but he did not tell me they were out due to channel re-alignment.

-JR

I'm still getting 881/882 here in Watertown.

When do the Sox get back to Fenway, anyway? Maybe they want a separate NESN HD channel up in time for the next home stand.

CMG1976, have you heard anything?

Originally posted by JuiceRocket
Yes, same here, they're still down.

I just had a Comcast tech come to my place (30 minutes ago) to take a look at it. He informed me that 881/882 would be out until Tuesday due to channel re-alignment. Something about NESN was getting it's own HD channel, and some A/B channels being moved around.

I checked their website, and there is no info on this. The CSR I spoke to yesterday in regards to the 881/882 issue attempted to fix it, but he did not tell me they were out due to channel re-alignment.

-JR

I got a mail from comcast informing about elimination of B cable on August 10th in Boston/Brookline area.

Also included new channel line-up effective 10 th august.

didn't see any changes in HD channels ( 882 still says INHD2/NESN HD )

also for more info visit http://www.comcast-ne.com/boston/

Comcast had been advertising about the Olympics in HD on radio spots. Will it only be what we get on WHDH-DT (NBC) or will they adding anything new?

Originally posted by mgpt6
Comcast had been advertising about the Olympics in HD on radio spots. Will it only be what we get on WHDH-DT (NBC) or will they adding anything new?

That is generally the case.

Just WHDHDT

Originally posted by scorpion74
I got a mail from comcast informing about elimination of B cable on August 10th in Boston/Brookline area.

Also included new channel line-up effective 10 th august.

didn't see any changes in HD channels ( 882 still says INHD2/NESN HD )

also for more info visit http://www.comcast-ne.com/boston/

They still do not list the "new" lineup for Boston.

I still say local broadcast on channels 2-23,and a lineup not too unlike elsewhere.

i have the new lineup card, there are some important analog changes but i wont bore you with them here on the HDTV with Comcast forum. 881 and 882 are fine now, hope they stay that way.

Originally posted by avic
881 and 882 are fine now, hope they stay that way.

Same here. I went to turn on my tv this afternoon, and all channels were coming in (including 881/882), however the GUI was stating "to be announced". We turned the tv off, headed out for a bit, came back, and now it seems that we have all our subscribed channels and the GUI is working. So far so good. :)

-JR

Originally posted by BobColby
I'm still getting 881/882 here in Watertown.

When do the Sox get back to Fenway, anyway? Maybe they want a separate NESN HD channel up in time for the next home stand.

CMG1976, have you heard anything?



So far there hasn't been any word on this

Ever since 7.15 was loaded in my 5100 I'm seeing MPEG macroblocking on HD that I never saw before. I don't know whether this is coincedence or not. I've seen it on PBS and Cinemax - today during the movie, The Good Thief, it was really bad during the scene when the guy was playing the Star Spangled Banner on the guitar in the room with the laser light. This has just started happening recently because this is something that's quite obvious.

Here's a link to a images that basically show what I'm seeing (posted by someone in the DVD player forum). Whether or not the cause is bad encoding, I don't know.
http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Articles/VideoArtefacts/VideoArtefactsMacroBlocking.html

larry

WGBH macroblocks alot because they multicast- it's pretty much unwatchable on anything with even a fair amount of motion.

Originally posted by CMG1976
So far there hasn't been any word on this they can add it easily and haven't and why would they? it would be nesn's stretched SD crap 95% of the time. and you may have noticed a tighter inhd2 pre-empting schedule. they no longer schedule the stretched-SD nesn sox rerun at midnight with paid prog until 5 or 6am. they switch back at midnight to inhd2 programming. until nesn starts broadcasting more HD programming they don't deserve the bandwidth. save it for WB, TNT, TMC, Bravo, etc. this is why i'll be stuck with SD enterprise another season until UPN offers more than 1 show in HD. comcast's argument and i can't blame them.

Originally posted by DaveFi
WGBH macroblocks alot because they multicast- it's pretty much unwatchable on anything with even a fair amount of motion.

That is interesting. I have never had a problem with WGBH in downtown Boston. Still intermittent issues with 881 though...

I find that WGBH has the lowest PQ of any of the HD channels, bordering on SD quality at times. I often see a good deal of macroblocking on that channel.

-JR

WGBH was a reference HD channel for a long time. Not any more. Lots of macroblocking. DiscoveryHD is the new 'wow' channel for HD.

Originally posted by jdoe7890
WGBH was a reference HD channel for a long time. Not any more. Lots of macroblocking. DiscoveryHD is the new 'wow' channel for HD.

I totally agree with you. DiscoveryHD has really been providing a solid level of PQ throughout it's wide variety of programming. If only WGBH and INHD would do the same!

-JR

Originally posted by mgpt6
All But HBO East. Figure Discovery HD ,WB56, UPN 38 in July after the move. Maybe TNT-HD ,Bravo HD (Olympics-NBC) in the fall. Also more In -Demand with maybe HD In -Demand

Anyone have any news on when we will get the WB and UPN in HD?

Thanks,
-Kyle

I was surfing through HD channels yesterday and noticed Simpson on Fox HD in wide screen. I noticed all the commercials in-between the show in wide screen and it did not look like they were stretched SD.

I'm wondering if it was the FOX "Wide Screen" 480p or if they were testing in anticipation of their switch to true HD broadcast?

Anybody else catch that?

Originally posted by ashridharani
I was surfing through HD channels yesterday and noticed Simpson on Fox HD in wide screen. I noticed all the commercials in-between the show in wide screen and it did not look like they were stretched SD.

I'm wondering if it was the FOX "Wide Screen" 480p or if they were testing in anticipation of their switch to true HD broadcast?

Anybody else catch that?
I also noticed the Simpsons in widescreen. It did not look like HD, but still an improvement over analog SD 4:3. My guess is that our local Fox station is testing out their equipment before the HD cutover.

Mickey

Originally posted by ashridharani
I was surfing through HD channels yesterday and noticed Simpson on Fox HD in wide screen. I noticed all the commercials in-between the show in wide screen and it did not look like they were stretched SD.

I'm wondering if it was the FOX "Wide Screen" 480p or if they were testing in anticipation of their switch to true HD broadcast?

Anybody else catch that?

The Simpsons was definitely stretched. What was much worse was what followed - "Arrested Development", which is normallly Fox WS, was stretched SD also!

Great night for HD sports, BTW.

Sox vs. TB on InHD2
Rockies vs Philly on InHD1
NFL preseason on WCVB-DT

North Shore is currently in "HD" on 825 Fox, non-stretched.

Ditto what jckessler said! It's interesting to see the difference in feed between the Sox game, Rockies game, and preseason game.

-JR

Originally posted by jckessler
Great night for HD sports, BTW.

Sox vs. TB on InHD2
Rockies vs Philly on InHD1
NFL preseason on WCVB-DT

Am I the only one who sees a vast difference in picture quality between the Sox game on NESN and the Footbal Game on ABC??? The NESN pic is so superior it's amazing when comparing the two.

Originally posted by pcardoza
Am I the only one who sees a vast difference in picture quality between the Sox game on NESN and the Footbal Game on ABC??? The NESN pic is so superior it's amazing when comparing the two.

I agree, the NESN feed broadcasting the Sox game is pretty amazing. Definitely almost "looking through a window" quality.

-JR

I'd say the sox game looked better on NESN than the recent ESPN HD broadcast in some spots. I think it is because ESPN uses some SDTV cameras, especially for slow motion, where NESN does not.

The football looked pretty good, but I agree NESN was absolutely amazing.

And they really need to start advertising Discovery HD Theater - it is an AMAZING looking channel with hardly any commercials and the content is pretty good too.

What's up with PBS? Half the "HD" shows look pretty bad (soft, grainy... not blocky, but as if they were at a lower bit rate or something.)

Watched the Sox game last, did anyone notice when a commercial came on the sound got alot louder causing me to turn the volume down, then back up when the game came back. Did anyone else experience this or is just my equipment?

Originally posted by xboxjunkie
Watched the Sox game last, did anyone notice when a commercial came on the sound got alot louder causing me to turn the volume down, then back up when the game came back. Did anyone else experience this or is just my equipment?

I noticed that. Broadcasters have been doing that for years (to get people's attention); it was just done extra loud in this particular broadcast.

Originally posted by controller2k

What's up with PBS? Half the "HD" shows look pretty bad (soft, grainy... not blocky, but as if they were at a lower bit rate or something.)

They are at a lower bit rate, as WGBH is multicasting their analog content along with the HD signal.

Some of the programming on PBS is widescreen SD, which won't look nearly as good as true HD.

Originally posted by xboxjunkie
Watched the Sox game last, did anyone notice when a commercial came on the sound got alot louder causing me to turn the volume down, then back up when the game came back. Did anyone else experience this or is just my equipment? They've been doing that ALL season long - very annoying. I've sent emails to NESN complaining, but to no avail. (btw...I'm on Adelphia, so it's not Comcast's problem.) Go onto their website and complain...maybe they'll listen.

They are at a lower bit rate, as WGBH is multicasting their analog content along with the HD signal.The sad thing is that there is macroblocking even on their SD broadcasts- WGBH obviously does not care about their viewers.

I sent them an email stating I would not donate until they addressed these issues.

Originally posted by JuiceRocket
I agree, the NESN feed broadcasting the Sox game is pretty amazing. Definitely almost "looking through a window" quality.

-JR

I agree as well. NESN blows away the networks in terms of HD quality. Though CBS did a very good job on the Superbowl. I can't wait to watch the Patriots dominate in HD this year!

Also, Discovery has been a great addition. This past weekend I watched the IMAX Dolphins film on INHD2, and it was the best looking thing I have seen on those channels. Stunning in HD....

I agree as well. In terms of showing off, wow effect, etc. the Sox on 882 is pure 3D eye candy. Discovery is now the go to channel over PBS for reliable 1080i feeds.

NESN is 1080i and ABC/ESPN are 720p - that could be the difference you are noticing in quality.

Originally posted by pcardoza
Am I the only one who sees a vast difference in picture quality between the Sox game on NESN and the Footbal Game on ABC??? The NESN pic is so superior it's amazing when comparing the two.

Definitely saw a difference. I think a big part of it was that Fenway is 100% wired for HD, while the football game, being at a non-NFL stadium, was using portable HD gear.

I know this is mostly a Comcast related board, but is there anyone here from Braintree, who has BELD instead? I am going to be moving from Randolph to Braintree shortly, and currently have Comcast, but I am considering BELD. However, BELD does not have CBS HD yet, meaning no Pats games in HD, nor do they have ON-Demand, but they are also cheaper than Comcast. Anyone know if they will be adding CBS HD soon?

My other concern about BELD is their willingness to pick up additional programming. I believe last winter Olympics, they did not "pay" for the right to show NBC's MSNBC coverage, so while I was able to watch the USA hockey games in Randolph, people in Braintree got regular MSNBC broadcasts.

BELD? never heard of that, start a new thread for it maybe someone will respond. though imo you've already listed more than enough reasons to stick with Comcast.

Originally posted by johnovox
NESN is 1080i and ABC/ESPN are 720p - that could be the difference you are noticing in quality.


I thought 720p was suppose to be better for sports broadcast over 1080i, true or am I under false perception? If so, they why is NESN sox broadcast so much better?

Originally posted by ashridharani
I thought 720p was suppose to be better for sports broadcast over 1080i, true or am I under false perception? If so, they why is NESN sox broadcast so much better?

"Supposed to be" are the operative words. I haven't found 720p to be superior for sports, or anything else.

I don't think motion looks bad at all with 1080i.

Nothing like working all day come home have dinner and sit down to watch the Red Sox in HD with a few beers and then all of a sudden my 882 is junk since the end of the 3rd inning, black screen with "One moment Please".
I just called and they are having problems WTF:mad:

Watched the Sox game from beginning to end on INHD2 not one issue. Could be just your area or house. Any other HD channels been giving you a one moment please era?

How did you watch the whole game if its not even over yet?
All my other channels are fine the tech said they were having problems on their end.

Originally posted by joeinma
I know this is mostly a Comcast related board, but is there anyone here from Braintree, who has BELD instead? I am going to be moving from Randolph to Braintree shortly, and currently have Comcast, but I am considering BELD. However, BELD does not have CBS HD yet, meaning no Pats games in HD, nor do they have ON-Demand, but they are also cheaper than Comcast. Anyone know if they will be adding CBS HD soon?

My other concern about BELD is their willingness to pick up additional programming. I believe last winter Olympics, they did not "pay" for the right to show NBC's MSNBC coverage, so while I was able to watch the USA hockey games in Randolph, people in Braintree got regular MSNBC broadcasts.

My bud lives in Braintree and has BELD. For those who are not familiar - the utility company - Braintree Electric Something Something - offers cable and internet. They seem to be better than adelphia and some of the other smaller cable systems and close to Comcast. They use the 6208 and offer DVR, he has it. He also has their HD pack and it looks pretty good. Hard to compare as he has a two year old 65" mits CRTRP and my GWIII clearly looks better, but I think it is his set, not the feed. He doesn't have as many channels as Comcast, but I am jealous he has DVR and we don't. All in all, he is happy - no internet issues or HD issues. The downside, they don't carry the same weight as Comcast, but better than satelite, which he switched from.

Originally posted by xbigjoe
Watched the Sox game from beginning to end on INHD2 not one issue. Could be just your area or house. Any other HD channels been giving you a one moment please era?

802, 881, 882 are all down on my end. I'm in Back Bay, Boston.

-JR

I found the Forum about 2 weeks ago, and have been trying to catch up with all the posts. 881 and 882 we're on for me (Milford, Ma) Both had the Sox game with the NESN feed. The NESN on 882 has very vivid colors, while the 881 INHD looked a bit washed out. INHD did have a 5.1 audio, but I really had to crank the sound.

881 and 882 and even 802 have been off and on for the last few days, seems to be a metro-boston headend problem, which i wish they'd fix sometime SOON!

Originally posted by number9
I found the Forum about 2 weeks ago, and have been trying to catch up with all the posts. 881 and 882 we're on for me (Milford, Ma) Both had the Sox game with the NESN feed. The NESN on 882 has very vivid colors, while the 881 INHD looked a bit washed out. INHD did have a 5.1 audio, but I really had to crank the sound.
I noticed this as well. I kept switching back and forth between 881 and 882. 882 was a little over-saturated. The audio was also different for some reason.

Mickey

Originally posted by avic
881 and 882 and even 802 have been off and on for the last few days, seems to be a metro-boston headend problem, which i wish they'd fix sometime SOON!

Ditto. It'd be nice if we were at least informed about this issue, why it's happening, when to expect it, etc. It's not pleasing to pay the extra $ for HD only to have 50-75% of our pure HD channels go down randomly and more often than our SD channels.

When I turned on my tv today, all the channels were back up.

-JR

Originally posted by JuiceRocket

When I turned on my tv today, all the channels were back up.

-JR

Same here!

I had to watch the Sox from 3rd inning till the end in SD.

Originally posted by MickeyGee
I noticed this as well. I kept switching back and forth between 881 and 882. 882 was a little over-saturated. The audio was also different for some reason.

Mickey

I was having a hard time deciding which one was best. I usually watch NESN on 882, so that was my reference. When I switched it to 881, it looked a bit lacking in color. After watch 881 for a while and then going back to 882, it did look over-saturated. Why 881 had 5.1 audio when 882 didn't was also a mystery ? They both used the NESN feed ?

Flipped back & forth quite a few times. Preferred the INHD 881 broadcast. I thought the colors looked a bit more realistic. But both were very good though.....................

Thats strange, 881 was blacked out during what I got to see on 882!

Originally posted by xboxjunkie
Thats strange, 881 was blacked out during what I got to see on 882!

Here on the Cape, the Guide listed Milwaukee at Atlanta on 881, but they were showing nature programming!

Sox looked great on 882, though! :D

Originally posted by number9
I was having a hard time deciding which one was best. I usually watch NESN on 882, so that was my reference. When I switched it to 881, it looked a bit lacking in color. After watch 881 for a while and then going back to 882, it did look over-saturated. Why 881 had 5.1 audio when 882 didn't was also a mystery ? They both used the NESN feed ?

881 was showing a different game.

FYI: Mass is having a Tax Free "Holiday" this Sat 8/14, and it covers pretty much anything (outside of a car) up to $2500.

Originally posted by chitchatjf
881 was showing a different game.
I switched to 881 expecting the different game and found the NESN feed.

Originally posted by JuiceRocket
Ditto. It'd be nice if we were at least informed about this issue, why it's happening, when to expect it, etc. It's not pleasing to pay the extra $ for HD only to have 50-75% of our pure HD channels go down randomly and more often than our SD channels.

When I turned on my tv today, all the channels were back up.

-JR

Direct TV and Dish want an extra $10 a month.

We need only pay $1.75

OTOH they should work. :)

Going on 2 weeks since this problem started, same channels: 802, 825, 881, 882 are out in Boston AGAIN. Guess that means no HD Red Sox today here AGAIN. WTF Comcast?!!!

Originally posted by avic
Going on 2 weeks since this problem started, same channels: 802, 825, 881, 882 are out in Boston AGAIN. Guess that means no HD Red Sox today here AGAIN. WTF Comcast?!!!

Have you contacted Comcast today in regards to the issue? I'm curious as to why this is happening.

I'm not at home, so I can't check my feed, but I'm willing to bet mine is out as well.

-JR

Originally posted by LarryJoe
- the utility company - Braintree Electric Something Something - offers cable and internet. They seem to be better than adelphia and some of the other smaller cable systems and close to Comcast...

...All in all, he is happy - no internet issues or HD issues. The downside, they don't carry the same weight as Comcast, but better than satelite, which he switched from.

I should have given the full name for BELD - Braintree Electric Light Department. Thanks for the response...I'm still torn, though per one of their reps, they are hoping to add CBSHD soon, which was one of my concerns.

They definitely don't carry weight. I think it said on their website that they have like 3,500 residents who use it for their ISP. It doesn't say how many have cable also.

I was at Circuit City last night and wanted to check out the Sox game in HD. They have the Comcast HD box and so I switched to channel 882 and the picture was no where near HD quality. The person from CC even said the same thing. The picture was very grainy and and was not sharp. I thought maybe it could have been the TV, which was a Samgsung DLP. The guy told me no it was Comcast's cable box, because they had other TV's hooked up to DirecTV's HD broadcasts (HDNet) and all the other sets were crystal clear. So it seems as if its either Comcast's problem (most likely senario) or its coming from NESN.

Probably the box at CC was set to output 480i or 480p. There was no problem with the game last night while I was watching.

I assumed that since it was on channel 882 then it was supposed to be in HD. I currently do not have HD so I didn't realize that the box itself it supposed to be set in HD mode.

Circuit City probably didn't adjust the options in the user settings feature to change the output signal to a 720p or 1080i. The game looks good from mines.

CC floor reps in my exp are surprisingly unknowledgeable. the channels that were out in boston were back on late this morning and they are monitoring the issue. hope it's taken care of for good.

hot off the presses, new digital lineup for those interested in new/addt'l service.

Sorry this is a little off topic, but does anyone know of any custom installers north of Boston that are any good? I mostly just need some electrical work done like wiring for surround, some network wiring, coaxial wiring, and maybe even some electronic blinds if they're not too much. I could probably just get an electrician, but I thought having an audio/video company might help with speaker placement and that type of thing.