Originally posted by Savadave
Does anyone know if there is any number besides 1-800-COMCAST that I can call if I'm interested in getting a job as a Comcast tech?

I think I'd do pretty well and really enjoy installing cable and internet for people and I'm currently looking for a new job. After talking to almost every tech that has come to my house most of them have realized that I know what I'm talking about and told me that I should give Comcast a shot.

I'm just a little concerned cause I dont know who exactly to contact and if they're gonna need me to have some previous experience or some kind of certificaion (both of which I don't).

Comcast accepts applications & resumes online ONLY. Use the link Scoops provided.

controller2K:

Just for s&%^s and giggles, I am going to buy a cable amplifier and hook it up to see if that's the only reason why my HD is still pixelating. I figure if that's the problem, I can simply return it and have Comcast put one on. Two questions:

1. Radio Shack has an amp that provides a 10dB boost. I've seen some on eBay that claim to be "pro" cable amps that have a 15dB boost. Would there be any difference in the two? Where in Boston could I get a "pro" cable amp?

2. Where in the cable drop would I put it? Should I put it right at the wall outlet and have the cable box plug into it? Should I put it before the splitter that splits the signal to the living room and the two bedrooms?

Thanks!

Originally posted by tennberg


1. Radio Shack has an amp that provides a 10dB boost. I've seen some on eBay that claim to be "pro" cable amps that have a 15dB boost. Would there be any difference in the two? Where in Boston could I get a "pro" cable amp?

2. Where in the cable drop would I put it? Should I put it right at the wall outlet and have the cable box plug into it? Should I put it before the splitter that splits the signal to the living room and the two bedrooms?

Thanks!

You Do it has good amps, but I can tell you from experiance they don't work with HD. They *should* be bi-directional but the one I got boosted the signal fine but blocked the backchannel for stuff like indemand. I got a Comcast installed amp and have been fine.

Just another thing since I am posting I checked my OOB AGC and it was 74%ish and I don't pixilate at all on any of my channels so there might be a reason the techs don't know/care about it.

I would imagine you still have some older cable somewhere between the pole and your box and that is giving you some problems.

Hey tennberg.

1. I use the 8db amp (#15-2506) because I am amplifying 3 drops. 10db would be even better.

I have no idea where one can get a "pro" amp; I didn't even know that bidirectional amps were sold in stores until I searched for one. :)

2. I put my amp in my attic where there was a line into the house that split off into three rooms. The amp is inline with all of that - cable in - amp - 3 drops out (and one terminator).

If all these techs have done all they could to check the strength of the incoming line, it may be simple signal loss in your apt. Can't hurt to try the amp, as you say.

I would try it at the first split first.

-P

Originally posted by tennberg
controller2K:

Just for s&%^s and giggles, I am going to buy a cable amplifier and hook it up to see if that's the only reason why my HD is still pixelating. I figure if that's the problem, I can simply return it and have Comcast put one on. Two questions:

1. Radio Shack has an amp that provides a 10dB boost. I've seen some on eBay that claim to be "pro" cable amps that have a 15dB boost. Would there be any difference in the two? Where in Boston could I get a "pro" cable amp?

2. Where in the cable drop would I put it? Should I put it right at the wall outlet and have the cable box plug into it? Should I put it before the splitter that splits the signal to the living room and the two bedrooms?

Thanks!

The part that bothers me is that my service was fine since October of last year....This is a comcast problem not my wires or my equipment. One minute it is great and the next all of my channels are cr&^! All day yesterday it was great until prime time....

Thanks for your replys, helps to keep me sane! :)

That was painful watching the Pats in SD. I go so use to watching football in HD. I wish the Patriots were in the NFC ! I hope CBS gets their act together next year. Anyone know how to email the NFL television committee or Bob Kraft and complain :)

Originally posted by dozens
That was painful watching the Pats in SD. I go so use to watching football in HD. I wish the Patriots were in the NFC ! I hope CBS gets their act together next year. Anyone know how to email the NFL television committee or Bob Kraft and complain :)
Didn't somebody post a while back saying that there's a shortage of mobile HD "units"? They can't be built fast enough. At least the situation is better overall than it was last year.

larry

Watching NFL Prime Time on ESPN Sunday nights is really nice now, the majority of highlight are in HD. :)

Originally posted by JDLIVE
Watching NFL Prime Time on ESPN Sunday nights is really nice now, the majority of highlight are in HD. :)
I agree. I am not able to watch all of the games on Sunday, so the HD highlights give me my HD football fix.

Mickey

I guess I'm a real homer, but I can't get excited about watching games other than the teams I root for or games that have playoff implications for my team. MNF tonight is a real snore for me and I won't be watching it, HD or not.

-Ken

The IND-TEN game looked pretty good at 1pm, which made the Pats game in SD look all the worse by comparison.

Still, better than the horrid picture we got from CBS prior to this year.

Originally posted by kenvt
I guess I'm a real homer, but I can't get excited about watching games other than the teams I root for or games that have playoff implications for my team. MNF tonight is a real snore for me and I won't be watching it, HD or not.

-Ken

Ken - Trying running a fantasy football team or two and every game will have some form of interest :) Although last nights game was a snoozer and Summerall has to go.

INHD has it listed that they will be showing Sunday afternoon's game of the Yankees @ Red Sox on either INHD or INHD2. Is there a chance this will be shown in the Boston DMA? Since it's a home game, will NESN be covering it instead? Will NESN's coverage simply be a rebroadcast of INHD's feed, or vice versa?

It's still a shame that UPN38 shows Friday night games in SD. Once you've seen a baseball game in HD, it's unberable to watch it in 4:3 analog. Will UPN be showing Friday night games for a while (contract)? Any chance UPN will upgrade their equipment to HD and do it that way, maybe borrow NESN's equipment for Friday games?

Originally posted by tennberg
INHD has it listed that they will be showing Sunday afternoon's game of the Yankees @ Red Sox on either INHD or INHD2. Is there a chance this will be shown in the Boston DMA? Since it's a home game, will NESN be covering it instead? Will NESN's coverage simply be a rebroadcast of INHD's feed, or vice versa?
Next Sunday's game is a NESN home game. So the HD broadcast will be seen on InHD-2 locally. If InHD-1 decides to show it too, that channel will be blacked-out in the Boston area. InHD-2 picks up the NESN broadcast as is. InHD-1 would overlay some InHD graphics and InHD commercials, but otherwise you still get Jerry and Don doing the broadcast.

Mickey

Even if WSBK were to do a Friday night game in 16:9 it would be irrelevent as comcast dosen't yet carry WSBK-DT nor WLVI-DT,even though comcast has already secured rights to carry LVI as part of the Tribune agreement.

If that is the case,where is WGN (SD if not HD)?

HDNet looks promising ,though they do not have any dates yet.

Yet another update:

This afternoon, I picked up a 1-in, 1-out bi-directional cable amplifier (up to 10dB boost) and a 5MHz-1100MHz Radio Shack cable splitter. I added the amp before the old splitter and added in the new splitter to replace the old one. I tweaked the gain control on the amp, and was able to get the following:

OOB:

Same SNR as before (around 20-21dB)
Lower AGC (down to 16% from original 20%)

IIB (e.g. INHD):

Slightly lower SNR than before (down to 35.0dB from around 36.5dB)
Lower AGC (down to around 45% from 56%)

Nevertheless, I was still getting pixelation across lower HD channels (805, 807) along with 881 and 882, etc.

I then tried switching the amp to the wall outlet, and got numbers similar to those above. Again, I got pixelation.

I'm beginning to think that the entire length of wire from the wall outlet straight to the junction box on the floor needs to be replaced, not just 30% or so. I also think Comcast may need to add a pro-grade amp somewhere along the line. When the TriWire guy replaced part of that wiring with RG6, the IIB AGC went down from 75%+ to around 55%. I am thinking if he replaces even more wire, I might be able to get the HD AGCs down to 20% or so. Maybe then all pixelation will be gone.

I will try the TriWire guy again tomorrow (he never got back to me) and see what he thinks. At least I now know that a consumer amp and new splitter does not solve the problem. Good thing Radio Shack has a 30-day return policy.

If the signal to noise ratio is high, adding the amp just amplifies the noise. I bet there is a break in the line or poor grounding and the signal is all muddied up. My HD channels are great when it is dry, when it rains it goes all to hell. Most of my cabling is outside.

-Ken

At least you tried. :) I was fairly convinced I knew where the problem was in -my- setup because all was fine until I added a third split off the line. Adding the amp compensated for the split.

So it is obvious I have a good signal coming in.

My guess in your situation is just what you said... you have bad wire somewhere and more needs to be replaced.

Hope it all works out for you.

-P

Originally posted by tennberg
Yet another update:

This afternoon, I picked up a 1-in, 1-out bi-directional cable amplifier...

I called the guy at TriWire again and was able to get a hold of him. I had to remind him of who I was (guess he sees a lot of people every week). I told him that channels were still pixelating and sound still cutting out. Granted it's not as bad as it's been, but still makes watching long shows annoying.

He is going to replace the rest of the wiring from the hallway to the junction box on the floor. Hopefully that will be the thing that does it. When he replaced part of that wiring, it dropped the AGC by 25%. Thankfully I do not have to be home for him to do that.

If that doesn't work, I guess the next step would be to repalce the wiring from the corner of the living room (where the cable comes into the apt.) to the wall outlet. Since the apartment was renovated within the past 5 years, they stuck that part of the cable under the space between the carpet and baseboard. He said it was possible that it might be pushing on a carpet nail. However, he did test that when he was there last and said it was fine. I guess if it is still acting up, it doesn't hurt to replace more wiring.

The iGuide upgrade should be happening pretty soon. Looking forward to it.

agreed, will be a big improvement. dual-tuners should then not be far behind.

DaveFi:

Any inside word on the iGuide upgrade? Too bad it's not Microsoft's software, which I'm quite envious of.

avic:

As for the dual-tuners, I'm assuming they'll be the 6412s. Any idea if Comcast will swap them out for free? I was able to use a free installation coupon the first time around for the 6208, and would hate having to spend $15 or so for them to spend a minute swapping out the two.

No "inside" poop. Just that it should start being rolled out soon. It's no secret.

Only way you'll get Microsoft on Comcast is if you live in the Pacific NW. Maybe in the next few years we'll be able to own our own box- that seems to be happening way too slowly.

Originally posted by DaveFi
No "inside" poop. Just that it should start being rolled out soon. It's no secret.

Only way you'll get Microsoft on Comcast is if you live in the Pacific NW. Maybe in the next few years we'll be able to own our own box- that seems to be happening way too slowly.

Technically today you can own your own box... Motorola sells their DCP-501 on the market... its a DCT-2000 built into a 5.1 Surround Reciever/DVD Player. All other boxes Moto doesn't sell to the public yet. Perhaps one of these days Replay or Tivo or some other DVR upstart will come out with a DVR capable of HD and SD recording and QAM tuning and through use of a CableCard can get all your local cable programming.

by then comcast may wise up and roll out moto bmc's with moxi nationwide with the built in progressive scan dvd player and external hdd. i'd rent that! :D

Did anyone notice the Sox game on NESN HD tonight seemed "darker" than usual? I have not touched any settings on my TV, but I can say that compared to last night's (Monday) game, tonight's (Tuesday) game seemed darker, especially with shots of the crowd in the background. I may just be imagining things though.

I have the 6208 now, will I have to call comcast to order the new ones? or will they be calling people? Thanks




the sox game seemed darker to me too.

Originally posted by tennberg

avic:

As for the dual-tuners, I'm assuming they'll be the 6412s. Any idea if Comcast will swap them out for free? I was able to use a free installation coupon the first time around for the 6208, and would hate having to spend $15 or so for them to spend a minute swapping out the two. you'll have to call in for the swap, there shouldn't be an installation fee if you already have DVR service, you were already charged the one time installation with the 6208. i haven't heard anything about 6416's in stock. anyone?

Sorry for the constant Sox blathering, but I'm still looking for the venue to show off my new TV. Is Saturday at 7 on INHD and Sunday also. I live in the Boston blackout area. I learned last week that Fridays night on Ch 38 stinks.

Re: Weekend Sox games on INHD?

Both games (Sat. & Sun.) will be on NESN in HD on channel 882. Go Sox!

Originally posted by new2hometheater
Sorry for the constant Sox blathering, but I'm still looking for the venue to show off my new TV. Is Saturday at 7 on INHD and Sunday also. I live in the Boston blackout area. I learned last week that Fridays night on Ch 38 stinks.

Last Friday night was a road game, and all road games are in SD (except the rare ESPN-HD Sunday night game). But you're right that Friday night homes are SD as well.

Saturday and Sunday the game will be available on 882 in HD.

Originally posted by jason978
I have the 6208 now, will I have to call comcast to order the new ones? or will they be calling people? Thanks




the sox game seemed darker to me too.

Thanks jason978. I thought I was the only one. I was beginnig to think that my Sony TV was acting up. I am going to watch tonight's game on 882 to see if the problem persists. If so, I will be e-maing NESN about it.

Anyone know who at NESN technial comments would go to? Thanks in advance.

Originally posted by jason978
I have the 6208 now, will I have to call comcast to order the new ones? or will they be calling people? Thanks

My installer said Comcast will not contact you. I told him "no problem, I'll know when it hits the streets". :)

larry

Tonight is the Smallville season premiere and we still don't have WLVI-HD.
:(

Anyone else notice Cinemax HD (868) having problems during "Shattered Glass"? Whenever I tuned to it, I only got sound and a blank screen. After 20 seconds or so, the picture would come in SEVERELY pixelated. All other HD channels seemed to be working normally (albeit for those that still do some pixelation*).

*Please see previous threads for my mis-adventure.

I can't believe comcast switched away from the NESN HD feed to Twilight zone...

I can't wait until they have a dedicated channel...

ARGH!

Originally posted by bioart
I can't believe comcast switched away from the NESN HD feed to Twilight zone...

I can't wait until they have a dedicated channel...

ARGH!

I LIKE TWilight Zone. I am awaiting tommorow's episode.

OTOH I agree that they shouldn't have done that.

Originally posted by bioart
I can't believe comcast switched away from the NESN HD feed

Looks like a planned switch over at 11pm. It is the bottom of the 11th inning. What complete crap!!

Probably an autoswitch since a lot of folks complained about strechovision all night long.

But the Sox did just win in the bottom of the 12th :)

Originally posted by chitchatjf
I LIKE TWilight Zone. I am awaiting tommorow's episode.

OTOH I agree that they shouldn't have done that.

Oh, nothing against Twilight Zone... good show... but that's an easy way to make enemies in Boston :)

It's just annoying to have shared channels for HD...

Art

Originally posted by bioart
Oh, nothing against Twilight Zone... good show... but that's an easy way to make enemies in Boston :)

It's just annoying to have shared channels for HD...

Art

You think that's bad.you should see what they do for GSN.

midnight to noon is this leased access crap and sometimes during afternoons they put spanish stuff on.

Not to be mean, but I'm hoping someone at either NESN or Comcast is going to get fired for that. You do NOT do that, especially in Boston. I panicked for a bit before I realized I could watch the SD feed. I kept switching back to 882, hoping someone in Boston was on the phone with NESN/Comcast yelling.

As for GSN, I am assuming that is Game Show Network. How come we don't get it in Medford? Am I just not finding it among the several hundred channels from Comcast?

i knew it would be switched at 11pm automatically so i had the remote ready and went to 195. caught the end in HD, i bet they got plenty of calls.
i'll talk to the guy in charge of this and have them change the switchover tomorrow for midnight not 11 as it's scheduled now, just in case.

and NESN wont get its own hd slot anytime soon, can't see comcast wasting bandwidth fo 24-hour stretched SD. no hockey so no BruinsHD so no HD period on NESN 'til April 2005.

also got word today that iGuide will now be postponed. they found a 'showstopper' bug. :mad: end of october.

HI All,

Here's some info (or lack of) I just got from Comcast regarding WLVI in HD..



Thank you for taking the time to write us.

We are working to provide as many high definition channel broadcasters
as possible. Currently WLVI is not on the line-up and there is not time
frame yet. Here are some of the factors involved with expanding our high
definition lineup:

-the negotiation and contract process required to obtain the rights to
carry a specific high definition broadcast, such as TNT-HD and HD-Net.

-the increased bandwidth resources that are required

-the relatively low subscribership (currently only a small minority of
customers have high definition compatible television sets)

We appreciate your channel requests, we hope to expand our high
definition channel lineup as fast as we can. Unfortunately we are unable
to provide specific details regarding the launch of new channels at this
time, please keep an eye on your monthly billing statement as the
announcement of any channel additions will appear on those statements.

Thank you for the opportunity to assist you. If you need further
assistance with any of your Comcast services please reply to this email
and we will be happy to assist you. Thank you again for choosing
Comcast and we continue to appreciate your business.

Originally posted by tennberg
Not to be mean, but I'm hoping someone at either NESN or Comcast is going to get fired for that. You do NOT do that, especially in Boston. I panicked for a bit before I realized I could watch the SD feed. I kept switching back to 882, hoping someone in Boston was on the phone with NESN/Comcast yelling.

As for GSN, I am assuming that is Game Show Network. How come we don't get it in Medford? Am I just not finding it among the several hundred channels from Comcast?

don't ask me. Personally I think GSN should be full; time on the digital lineup.

Perhaps ch 225,with Encore WAM moving to ch 208.

I just sent an inquiry to Comcast asking if GSN is available in Medford among the hundreds of other channels I get.

On another topic, did anyone notice how last night's Sox game didn't seem dark in the beginning, but somehow got "darker" as the night progressed? This happened Tuesday night with the entire Sox broadcast, but only happened in the last couple innings in last night's (Wednesday) broadcast?

please stop posting comcast email templates on new HD channels requests! ;) as far as the NESN broadcast, you may have missed it since it happened only once towards the end but they manually adjusted video levels during the broadcast bringing it down and then back up to a good level but didn't stay there, so it looks like they're aware of the issue. personally i'd like to get my hands on the compulsive HD/SD switcher and wring his neck!

Originally posted by tennberg
Not to be mean, but I'm hoping someone at either NESN or Comcast is going to get fired for that. You do NOT do that, especially in Boston. I panicked for a bit before I realized I could watch the SD feed. I kept switching back to 882, hoping someone in Boston was on the phone with NESN/Comcast yelling.

As for GSN, I am assuming that is Game Show Network. How come we don't get it in Medford? Am I just not finding it among the several hundred channels from Comcast?

I wanted to call them last night, but I would have yelled at them too much and woken up my kids!

I'm about to call them right now and demand a credit on my account. My comcast bill is nearly $120 / month (tv and modem) and I could just as easily have dsl/satellite. Red Sox games in HD is one the few differentiators.

You should all do the same.

i meant the switching back and forth during commercials between HD and stretched SD, they used to just leave the sidebars up for 4:3 content.

as far as the 11pm switchover to INHD2, that woud normally work but they didn't take into account xtra innings. they used to leave it up for 12-24hrs and there were legitimate complaints but then they went too short at an 11pm cutoff. they just need to push back the cutoff to midnight or 1am. credit on your account is not reasonable imo, your cable service was working fine, it was a programming error.

Couple updates:

I e-mailed Comcast about GSN in my area, and they sent back a form letter response. Basically, it's not available in my area. Guess all the senior citizens in my building aren't into game shows :-)

As for credits on your service, I will be demanding one once my HD is working as it should. The guy from TriWire will be out at my building later this week or early next to replace more wiring with RG6. Hopefully that should fix any remaining pixelation issues. Cinemax HD was having a fit last night. I'm not sure if it was due to the wiring or if it was a programming/Comcast error.

Originally posted by avic
i meant the switching back and forth during commercials between HD and stretched SD, they used to just leave the sidebars up for 4:3 content.

as far as the 11pm switchover to INHD2, that woud normally work but they didn't take into account xtra innings. they used to leave it up for 12-24hrs and there were legitimate complaints but then they went too short at an 11pm cutoff. they just need to push back the cutoff to midnight or 1am. credit on your account is not reasonable imo, your cable service was working fine, it was a programming error.

If a game is simicast on INHD1 (in the case of this weekends Sat and sun games,they should just have it on INHD1

(the big thing is the NESN ads as opposed to coverage,so if INHD1 has a ROAD Sox game it should NOT be blacked out but only popping in the NESN ads during ad time.

Having NESN do ALL GAMES in HI DEF would be a possible reason to give its own channel as it appears NHL looks like history.

I was at last nights game, but if I were at home, I would've been furious. 7pm games on occasion go until 1am; 18 inning games aren't unheard of. They need to be certain that the game has ended before switching back to InHD2.

With the NHL strike looming, I agree that a full time NESN-HD station probably isn't worth the trouble just yet, but the disruption caused by not having a separate channel is pretty high.

Originally posted by chitchatjf
so if INHD1 has a ROAD Sox game it should NOT be blacked out but only popping in the NESN ads during ad time.


NESN has the local rights to both home and road Sox games, so we won't get the InHD1 Sox games regardless. If by "should" you mean "would like" I agree.

It would be nice if say the Sox and O's could agree to share their HD feeds.

If NESN has rights to both home and road Red Sox games, why do we have to put up with UPN38's crappy feed on Friday nights?

If NESN has rights to both home and road Red Sox games, why do we have to put up with UPN38's crappy feed on Friday nights?

Originally posted by tennberg
If NESN has rights to both home and road Red Sox games, why do we have to put up with UPN38's crappy feed on Friday nights?

UPN38 has the rights to Friday night games in the Boston DMA, period. They pay the Sox to show the games. HDTV is not part of the consideration. I should have said NESN has the rights to most games in my previous response.

Home and road issues only affect the ability of NESN to do HDTV broadcasts; they have no bearing on the rights to actually show the game.

Just speculation on my part, but, since some other Comcast regions in the country have started seeing the NFL Network's Game of the Week pop up in HD on the InHD-2 channel (which is currently being occupied by the NESN Sox games), is it possible that we will start seeing GOTW in HD next week on InHD-2? The regular season home games are over after this weekend.

Mickey

Originally posted by tennberg
Not to be mean, but I'm hoping someone at either NESN or Comcast is going to get fired for that. You do NOT do that, especially in Boston. I panicked for a bit before I realized I could watch the SD feed. I kept switching back to 882, hoping someone in Boston was on the phone with NESN/Comcast yelling.

As for GSN, I am assuming that is Game Show Network. How come we don't get it in Medford? Am I just not finding it among the several hundred channels from Comcast?

You know what Tennberg... shut up. I mean c'mon... don't be such a dink. 99% of Comcast's other customers watching the Sox game were watching it on plain ole analog. If it was my company I'd rather lose a single customer with too high expectations than have to fire an employee over something as stupid as missing the switch of the HD game. I have friends that work for Comcast and they all work their asses off to provide US with the best possible service. They put up with people like you who complain about every damn little problem and they go out of their way to do what they can to resolve it. You weren't deprived of the game, just the HD feed. Get over it, move on, and don't ever wish for someone to be fired over a SMALL mistake effecting a SMALL number of people.

it's that sox september passion! we've cooled off by now. ;) but let's move on kids...how 'bout that dissapointing iGuide postponement. bugs bugs bugs, but i'd rather wait than go through another disaster like firmware 7.10

Originally posted by ScoopsHD
You weren't deprived of the game, just the HD feed

I would have been, since I don't have "expanded basic" analog service. I don't think anyone should get fired, but they should've seen this coming. An 11pm automated switch is entirely too soon for a 7pm baseball game.

This was a bad/poor decision on the part of Comcast; I hope they correct it soon.

Originally posted by ScoopsHD
You know what Tennberg... shut up. I mean c'mon... don't be such a dink. 99% of Comcast's other customers watching the Sox game were watching it on plain ole analog. If it was my company I'd rather lose a single customer with too high expectations than have to fire an employee over something as stupid as missing the switch of the HD game. I have friends that work for Comcast and they all work their asses off to provide US with the best possible service. They put up with people like you who complain about every damn little problem and they go out of their way to do what they can to resolve it. You weren't deprived of the game, just the HD feed. Get over it, move on, and don't ever wish for someone to be fired over a SMALL mistake effecting a SMALL number of people.

ScoopsHD:

"People like me..." hah!

These people you know at Comcast must be completely different from all the people I have dealt with. I've had 2 junior technicians who couldn't solve my issue. I then got a senior tech who couldn't solve my issue. I was then supposed to get a field supervisor, but Comcast in all its brilliance sent out a 6-month rookie who was here for 2 minutes because he was going to do everything the previous 3 technicians had already tried. Multiple calls to Comcast led all their customer support people saying I was never supposed to get a field supervisor at that time even though I was promised one. I've wasted several afternoons and have had to leave work on a couple occassions, only to still have this problem. I haven't seen these Comcast employees "working their asses off" to provide me with the best possible service.

I don't believe my expectations are too high. I expect to get consistent feeds without problems, especially for the cost of their service. If people did not complain about issues with their service, Comcast would just left "good enough" be their best.

BTW- I'm fairly certain the Boston area has the highest ratio of HD/Comcast users than any other region.

hey avic,

any idea if the new IPG will indicate whether a program is in HD?

thanks

Originally posted by avic
i knew it would be switched at 11pm automatically so i had the remote ready and went to 195. caught the end in HD, i bet they got plenty of calls.
i'll talk to the guy in charge of this and have them change the switchover tomorrow for midnight not 11 as it's scheduled now, just in case.

and NESN wont get its own hd slot anytime soon, can't see comcast wasting bandwidth fo 24-hour stretched SD. no hockey so no BruinsHD so no HD period on NESN 'til April 2005.

also got word today that iGuide will now be postponed. they found a 'showstopper' bug. :mad: end of october.

195?

195 what?

Originally posted by jason978
hey avic,

any idea if the new IPG will indicate whether a program is in HD?

thanks Yes it will. You can also sort the listings by HD programs only so you see what's coming up in HD. Gotta love that!

Originally posted by avic
195 what?

I believe chitchatjf is asking what you meant by "i had the remote ready and went to 195."

I wondered what you meant, as well.

oh, channels 195 and 13 are the NESN SD channels in the Metro Boston/Brookline lineup.

Originally posted by avic
oh, channels 195 and 13 are the NESN SD channels in the Metro Boston/Brookline lineup.

ahhh, 51 most everywhere else. Thanks for clearing that up.

Yes it will. You can also sort the listings by HD programs only so you see what's coming up in HD. Gotta love that!You have to wonder how accurate this will be, especially since channels like Starz tend to list upconverts as "HD".

as accurate as it's gonna get for now and better than what we have - nada. titantv doesn't differentiate either, only place i've seen is hdgalaxy. no doubt that it would be nice to have it say (1080i, 720p, upcon) but do you know of an IPG that currently does?

Tonight game Sox vs. Yankees are scheduled on both INHD1 and INHD2, both will be blocked?

INHD2 is the NESN feed and won't be blocked. INHD1 will be blocked in the Boston DMA.

-Ken

Yes BOTH will be blacked out along with ESPN-HD since you're in the dreaded Boston DMA, you'll be watching it on 38 with the rest of us. BUT it's the last Friday night home game, so no more craPN 38 blacking the HD feed...'til next year. Hope they come up with a better solution.

Thanks avic! That was my guess! Tomorow and Sunday's games won't be blacked out right.

right, our last 2 HD regular season home games.

avic,

just wondering what you meant about the delay with the iguide, haven't heard that anywhere else.

thanks
chris

Originally posted by avic
Yes BOTH will be blacked out along with ESPN-HD since you're in the dreaded Boston DMA, you'll be watching it on 38 with the rest of us. BUT it's the last Friday night home game, so no more craPN 38 blacking the HD feed...'til next year. Hope they come up with a better solution.

I say next season they will be running hames on WSBKDT IN HD and it WILL be on comcast

Ch 838 perhaps.

INHD2 does have the Red Sox game on, but it seems like it's UPN38's SD 4:3 feed stretched to 16:9. I can't decide what's worse: analog 4:3 SD or stretched, upconverted SD.

Originally posted by tennberg
INHD2 does have the Red Sox game on, but it seems like it's UPN38's SD 4:3 feed stretched to 16:9. I can't decide what's worse: analog 4:3 SD or stretched, upconverted SD.

the distorted clarity or the proportionate blur of the grass and the stands...

Not surprisingly, I'm confused. Does my Comcast subscriber friend in VA get the HD feed on INHD as he thinks or does no one get it?

Originally posted by happystick
Not surprisingly, I'm confused. Does my Comcast subscriber friend in VA get the HD feed on INHD as he thinks or does no one get it?
If it is being televised on InHD-1, then he is probably getting it in HD tonight. The HD feed is blacked out in Boston tonight.

Mickey

In the Boston DMA the game is blacked out on ESPN, NESN-SD, and INHD. The INHD2 NESN feed is not but is supposed to be, which is how they've done it all season. We've been trying to get them to not black out the "HD" feed on 882 in Boston. They finally did it, on the last possible night. It's still UPCON but better than WSBK.

If you're wondering why the UPCON, it's because WSBK does the production from the park. NESN receives the HD signal that has the WSBK graphics (because WSBK is doing the production). NESN then needs to downconvert the HD signal to remove the WSBK graphics and add the NESN graphics. The signal is then upconverted back to HD and goes out on the NESN "HD" feed on 882.

I also noticed that I'm getting RI area commercials where I normally get Boston. No complaints - just different stuff to ignore....

Originally posted by hammersfd
avic,

just wondering what you meant about the delay with the iguide, haven't heard that anywhere else.

thanks
chris from 2 engineers here and in another region: they found a major bug so no iGuide until a fix is ready and tested. better late than broken. estimate is now late october...

Originally posted by Kaiser-Soze
I also noticed that I'm getting RI area commercials where I normally get Boston. No complaints - just different stuff to ignore.... yep that's why, we shouldn't be seeing the 882 feed, it's for sw mass, taunton and friends in the RI market. no complaints, again anything is better than WSBK!

avic:

You think the "stretchovision" is better than Standard Def on channel 38 ??I have to disagree. NESN-HD stretched is useless.

On another subject, is there any chance we will see Celtics in HD on Comcast ?

-Ken

Originally posted by kenvt
avic:

You think the "stretchovision" is better than Standard Def on channel 38 ??I have to disagree. NESN-HD stretched is useless.

On another subject, is there any chance we will see Celtics in HD on Comcast ?

-Ken
on MY set it is. OTOH I only have a 26" Samsung, use component inputs, and have the DVR.

Celtics are a go. home games of course.

Originally posted by kenvt
On another subject, is there any chance we will see Celtics in HD on Comcast ?

-Ken
Apparently, agreement was reached earlier this year to broadcast Celtics home games in HD this season. I assume the only remaining issue is getting Comcast to allocate the bandwidth, or perhaps they will show those games on InHD-2.

Mickey

Couple questions for everyone:

1. Has anyone noticed a huge baseline volume difference between the HD channels (802 through 882) and regular analog and digital channels? I find myself constantly reaching for my receiver remote to turn down/turn up the volume when switching between HD and others. The HD baseline volume is significantly lower than that of analog and digital channels. Am I doing something wrong? Any way to fix this?

2. Any chance Comcast would ever release the 6208 or 6412 in a black model? For those of us with home theater systems who have all black components, having one silver component throws everything off.

Originally posted by tennberg
Couple questions for everyone:

1. Has anyone noticed a huge baseline volume difference between the HD channels (802 through 882) and regular analog and digital channels? I find myself constantly reaching for my receiver remote to turn down/turn up the volume when switching between HD and others. The HD baseline volume is significantly lower than that of analog and digital channels. Am I doing something wrong? Any way to fix this?

You need to visit miatasm's FAQ (http://cjhengineering.com/DCTHDFAQ.htm)

While the additional HD channels have been nice, I just found the price to be paid - Comcast is not carrying ESPN GamePlan AT ALL this year. Bad news for college football fans. :mad: The CSR read me a canned statement that it was because of "bandwidth" limitations, i.e. GamePlan's bandwidth needs increased and there isn't room. That didn't make a lot of sense to me, since Comcast NE never offered the full package, just 2 games a day on PPV 401 and 402. I suppose the decision to drop it was a corporate one, not local and that's the real reason.

Originally posted by JDLIVE
You need to visit miatasm's FAQ (http://cjhengineering.com/DCTHDFAQ.htm)

While the additional HD channels have been nice, I just found the price to be paid - Comcast is not carrying ESPN GamePlan AT ALL this year. Bad news for college football fans. :mad: The CSR read me a canned statement that it was because of "bandwidth" limitations, i.e. GamePlan's bandwidth needs increased and there isn't room. That didn't make a lot of sense to me, since Comcast NE never offered the full package, just 2 games a day on PPV 401 and 402. I suppose the decision to drop it was a corporate one, not local and that's the real reason.

Most likely.

In past years IND1 and IND2 carried movies and events and played the games on Saturdays.

This year IND1 and IND2 are just events channels as many systems are dumping general movie PPV in favor of On Demand (Though Disney titles not offered to On Demand still run in a PPV format on Chs 423 to 430)

They opened up bandwidth in July with dropping of 4 analog channels which would open up space for 8 HD channels or 16 SD digital channels , or a combo of both. They have added so far 4 or 5 SD channels and no HD channels since July. Come on Comcast where is WLVI-DT and WSBK -DT.

Originally posted by mgpt6
They opened up bandwidth in July with dropping of 4 analog channels which would open up space for 8 HD channels or 16 SD digital channels , or a combo of both. They have added so far 4 or 5 SD channels and no HD channels since July. Come on Comcast where is WLVI-DT and WSBK -DT.

Actually it was 5 and we DID get Discovery HD

Originally posted by mgpt6
They opened up bandwidth in July with dropping of 4 analog channels which would open up space for 8 HD channels or 16 SD digital channels , or a combo of both. They have added so far 4 or 5 SD channels and no HD channels since July. Come on Comcast where is WLVI-DT and WSBK -DT.

I think five SD channels can fit in the space of one HD channel, not two.

I'm surprised Comcast would drop PPV packages. I would have to assume they'd be a money maker for them.

Originally posted by jckessler
I think five SD channels can fit in the space of one HD channel, not two.

I'm surprised Comcast would drop PPV packages. I would have to assume they'd be a money maker for them.

MOVIE PPV. They have On Demand now!

They can fit up to 8 SD channels in the same bandwidth as 1 analog channel.

Originally posted by miatasm
They can fit up to 8 SD channels in the same bandwidth as 1 analog channel.

but would it look good?
some systems overcompress trying to put 10 SD digital channels in the space of 1 SD analog. they don't look too good.

I remember one time they ran the MLB preview over one night and a game that was also playing on ESPN looked like **** on the 600 channel just passing on 049 and AWSUME on 849!

Originally posted by miatasm
They can fit up to 8 SD channels in the same bandwidth as 1 analog channel.

Guess that would be 4 SD channels per HD channel.

I was close. :)

The 999 "Info" channel is gone here.

Originally posted by DaveFi
The 999 "Info" channel is gone here.

Yeah so? Ithe tape was 5 years old and updated stuff is on the on demand channel.

Originally posted by jckessler
Guess that would be 4 SD channels per HD channel.

I was close. :)

Yeah thats about right.

An SD channel (compressed analog converted to digital) - 3-4 mb/s
An HD Channel (depending on the broadcaster) - 12-18 mb/s

Has anyone every noticed audio syncing issues on the HD channels (802 - 882)? It's as if you're watching a dubbed foreign film.

I've noticed this on some shows on PBS HD, Cinemax HD, and HBO HD. I have not noticed any sycning issues on the analog or digital channels. Could it be something in my HT setup? Basically, the cable goes from the wall to the 6208, then via coaxial audio from the 6208 to the AV receiver input and component video from the 6208 to the TV input.

I recently upgraded to a separate amp and pre-amp/processor, which I will be hooking up tonight. I'm not sure if the DD processor in my AV receiver is simply getting too old (it's a 6+ year old receiver).

Thanks for any insight!

I've noticed, mainly in non-DD applications

Originally posted by tennberg
Has anyone every noticed audio syncing issues on the HD channels (802 - 882)? It's as if you're watching a dubbed foreign film.

I've noticed this on some shows on PBS HD, Cinemax HD, and HBO HD. I have not noticed any sycning issues on the analog or digital channels. Could it be something in my HT setup? Basically, the cable goes from the wall to the 6208, then via coaxial audio from the 6208 to the AV receiver input and component video from the 6208 to the TV input.

I recently upgraded to a separate amp and pre-amp/processor, which I will be hooking up tonight. I'm not sure if the DD processor in my AV receiver is simply getting too old (it's a 6+ year old receiver).

Thanks for any insight!

I had this issue previously. Under the audio settings on the HD box make sure it is set to full matrix. After I changed that it was synching correctly.

Originally posted by Tsunamii
I had this issue previously. Under the audio settings on the HD box make sure it is set to full matrix. After I changed that it was synching correctly.

Where is the full matrix setting? The settings (I believe, I will need to recheck) on my 6208 are set to:

Audio Output: Advanced
Compression: None
Stereo Output: Matrix Stereo

According to miatasm's site, the compressions and stereo output settings should not affect my setup, as I use coaxial digital out for audio to my receiver.

Any clues as to what I should try now?

This was a change made with the last firmware setup. I will not update it as the new iGuide is launching soon and the site will need to be revamped completely. So I'm slowly getting the info ready about the iguide for the site.

tennberg
Ill take a look tongiht at my setup. I have one of the older HD boxes anyway. I opted to wait for the dual tuner DVR to minimize my tranactions with Comcast for sanity reasons. Off the top of my head, it was from the main menu > cable box setup > audio > Full Matrix was a selection for me. That is unless that has been changed with a new firmware. Im on 7.15 now and it was awhile ago that I had that problem.

Was I seeing things or does Comcast have a commercial where they're pushing "HD On-Demand"?

Either that or they're pushing HD and On-Demand in the same commercial. (I was in the other room).

Originally posted by jason978
I have the 6208 now, will I have to call comcast to order the new ones? or will they be calling people? Thanks

I called customer service yesterday and (for what is is worth)they told me that Comcast would be contacting existing 6208 users and giving them"first crack" at the 6412's.....

--K

Originally posted by sheakt
I called customer service yesterday and (for what is is worth)they told me that Comcast would be contacting existing 6208 users and giving them"first crack" at the 6412's.....

--K
Although I don't doubt that they will handle it that way, I am at a loss to understand how that makes sense. In theory, they bought the 6208's from Motorola for at least a few hundred per box. They are now getting an incremental 5 or 10 bucks per month per box in rental fees. And after about 6 months, they will swap these out so that Comcast can own a bunch of obsolete boxes that they didn't get their money back on?

Mickey

i had been told same, don't be susprised if they call. as far as the spot davefi, it's a satellite-bashing ad, saying with comcast you get ondemand and local HD which u can't get from a dish.

Originally posted by Tsunamii
tennberg
Ill take a look tongiht at my setup. I have one of the older HD boxes anyway. I opted to wait for the dual tuner DVR to minimize my tranactions with Comcast for sanity reasons. Off the top of my head, it was from the main menu > cable box setup > audio > Full Matrix was a selection for me. That is unless that has been changed with a new firmware. Im on 7.15 now and it was awhile ago that I had that problem.

So, this is the bizarre part. I unhooked my HT system last night to test out my new amp and pre-amp. I then hooked the cable line directly into the TV and set it to auto-program. I did this so I could watch TV while re-terminating my speaker wires with better banana plugs.

When I was on channel 2 (WGBH), I noticed some audio syncing issues, as if watching a dubbed foreign film. This was on the History Detective show. What's up with this? I was getting the same problem on some HD channels when hooked up through the 6208. Is it possible that the audio and video signals coming through on the cable line into the apartment are "out of sync"? I'm not sure how else to explain it.

In the past I've noticed sync issues w/ wgbh-dt.

My guess is that it is a problem w/wbgh. They must take the national HD feed and merge their local SD signal in to their broadcast. This is where the problem may be.

Any news on when we should be looking forward to the new DVR boxes?

Also, will they have some of the functionality of tivo? Like season passes and stuff like that?

lots of discussion on those topics here, go through a few pages but short answer is: probably november after the new iGuide (http://www.i-guide.tv) is released which will offer recording by show capability.

Just curious if anyone had a WB update? I'm working if the Comcast antenna farm can get a reliable signal now. I've been able to get it in for the shows I watch, but that's only because of a lack of wind....

Chris

tennberg,
I checked out my setup last night Main Menu > setup > audio = Heavy Compression and full matrix.
When I had the issue it was mostly on HD stations. Hope you resolve your issue soon, I know how frustrating it can be.

Originally posted by Omeed
Any news on when we should be looking forward to the new DVR boxes?

Also, will they have some of the functionality of tivo? Like season passes and stuff like that?
The MAIN advantage of the "newer" boxes are the two tuner system. Watch one and record another.

Originally posted by chitchatjf
The MAIN advantage of the "newer" boxes are the two tuner system. Watch one and record another.

From what I understand you can even go so far as to record two programs and watch an already recorded program all at the same time... however it will not have most of the "tivo" like "advanced features....

-K

Originally posted by Tsunamii
tennberg,
I checked out my setup last night Main Menu > setup > audio = Heavy Compression and full matrix.
When I had the issue it was mostly on HD stations. Hope you resolve your issue soon, I know how frustrating it can be.

Tsunamii:

How does the audio go from your cable box to your TV or other device? Is the outgoing audio over analog cables? The way mine is set up is going over a digital coax cable from the cable box to my pre-amp/dolby digital processor.

According to miatasm's website, those settings (heavy compression, full matrix, etc.) do not make any difference over digital signals.

The NFL Networks's Game of the Week was on InHD-2 (Channel 882 in my area) in HD last night (unannounced) between 9 and 10pm. I assume that they will show the second game tonight during the same time period.

Mickey

Tennberg,
I have the audio going from teh Cable Box into my Yamaha receiver. Analog though not digital. It was the compression that threw off my setup previously but it sounds like that is not an issue to for your setup. Good luck in hunting down your problem it sounds like youve been through the ringers on this and other issues.

Robb

I found out (the hard way) last night that one of the differences between a TiVo and the Comcast DVR is ...

When I run out of room on the TiVo hard drive, it deletes the oldest programming (unless I "save until I delete") to fit new programming.

When I ran out of room on the Comcast DVR, it ... DID NOT RECORD NEW PROGRAMMING!!! ... and I missed, "Lost" ... my favorite HDTV program.

Luckily, it's on this Saturday night again.

Or, did I overlook something, and did it not record Lost for a different reason?

Recordings to the 6208 are by default "Save until I delete". When you go and set the recording you need to to go and change the setting to "Delete When Space is Needed".

Interesting thing I found out about the 6208:

Apparently, when you hit the power button to turn it off, all that does is turn off the channel display on the front panel and turns off the video outputs. So, other than that, the unit is still running as if it were on. That is why it gets so darn hot (or at least why mine does). I may need to look at new AV stands after getting a new pre-amp and amp.

Breaking News: :rolleyes:

Dear Comcast Customer,

You asked us to notify you when Digital Video Recorder (DVR) became available in your area and we have great news! You can now experience DVR from Comcast.

With Comcast Digital Cable, you're ready to take TV to the next level. And once you've experienced DVR from Comcast, you'll have even more reasons to love watching TV. Comcast DVR (Digital Video Recorder) lets you record and pause live TV, so you never miss a moment of your favorite shows.

To see for yourself how DVR works click here.

They must have a lot of 6208's to get rid of but imo it's a marketing mistake to put out a single-tuner DVR to the masses especially when iGuide is near deployment so they'll have to get used to 2 IPG's within weeks. It will confuse Joe and Jane Blow.

Originally posted by tennberg
Apparently, when you hit the power button to turn it off, all that does is turn off the channel display on the front panel and turns off the video outputs. So, other than that, the unit is still running as if it were on. That is not correct.

when i saw the breaking news above i though maybe WLVI-DT was ready to go.... then I read the sorry excuse for marketing.

-Ken

Originally posted by avic
Breaking News: :rolleyes:

Dear Comcast Customer,

You asked us to notify you when Digital Video Recorder (DVR) became available in your area and we have great news! You can now experience DVR from Comcast.

With Comcast Digital Cable, you're ready to take TV to the next level. And once you've experienced DVR from Comcast, you'll have even more reasons to love watching TV. Comcast DVR (Digital Video Recorder) lets you record and pause live TV, so you never miss a moment of your favorite shows.

To see for yourself how DVR works click here.

They must have a lot of 6208's to get rid of but imo it's a marketing mistake to put out a single-tuner DVR to the masses especially when iGuide is near deployment so they'll have to get used to 2 IPG's within weeks. It will confuse Joe and Jane Blow.

I got that email to. Did you call and check to see if it is the 6412 ?

it's the single-tuner. current software/firmware do not support dual-tuner capability so they will not release it until it can work. iGuide will support that capability but as u know it has been rolled back due to bugs. we'll be lucky if we get the 6412 before the year is out. but for s&g's i called and was told dual-tuner for january.

Originally posted by RScogland
I found out (the hard way) last night that one of the differences between a TiVo and the Comcast DVR is ...

When I run out of room on the TiVo hard drive, it deletes the oldest programming (unless I "save until I delete") to fit new programming.

When I ran out of room on the Comcast DVR, it ... DID NOT RECORD NEW PROGRAMMING!!! ... and I missed, "Lost" ... my favorite HDTV program.

Luckily, it's on this Saturday night again.

Or, did I overlook something, and did it not record Lost for a different reason?

Check each program. There is an option to save unbtil I delete or save until space needed.

This article is about California, but it can't happen here soon enough !!

Comcast may provide set-top boxes

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and BLOOMBERG NEWS

Bay Area cable provider Comcast Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts said the world's largest cable-television operator may spend about $1.5 billion over five years to provide digital set-top boxes to all its customers. The boxes, which are likely to cost $60 to $75 each, would improve the quality of the transmissions for TV viewers and reduce customer defections. Comcast, which has 21.5 million cable-TV subscribers, and other cable operators want to expand their digital offerings to compete with DirecTV Group Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp., the two biggest satellite-TV operators, which provide digital TV to all of their subscribers.

Originally posted by kenvt
This article is about California, but it can't happen here soon enough !!

Comcast may provide set-top boxes

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and BLOOMBERG NEWS

Bay Area cable provider Comcast Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts said the world's largest cable-television operator may spend about $1.5 billion over five years to provide digital set-top boxes to all its customers. The boxes, which are likely to cost $60 to $75 each, would improve the quality of the transmissions for TV viewers and reduce customer defections. Comcast, which has 21.5 million cable-TV subscribers, and other cable operators want to expand their digital offerings to compete with DirecTV Group Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp., the two biggest satellite-TV operators, which provide digital TV to all of their subscribers.

They do now It is called the digital cable box.

I could see them go all digital eventually

Question for DVR ovners:

If you select a show to be recorded in the future through the menu, does the cable box have to be left on to start recording or does it turn itself on?

I am waiting patiently for the dual tuner 6412, but I use a Harmony remote and have it programmed to turn everything off when I push "off". This can be changed, but I was just curious. Not even sure if the current software allows "show" recording, but I know the upcoming iGuide will.

Thanks,
Joe

Originally posted by LarryJoe
Question for DVR ovners:

If you select a show to be recorded in the future through the menu, does the cable box have to be left on to start recording or does it turn itself on?

I am waiting patiently for the dual tuner 6412, but I use a Harmony remote and have it programmed to turn everything off when I push "off". This can be changed, but I was just curious. Not even sure if the current software allows "show" recording, but I know the upcoming iGuide will.

Thanks,
Joe

Even when you turn it "off" it is still "on" and will "wake up" and record the show.

The current "guide" does not allow "show" recording (like TIVO/Replay). It only records by "time" similar to a VCR.....

--K

Perfect, thanks for the confirmation.

Pats this weekend in HD!

What happens to the signal on the component outputs during different stages for the 6208 for dvr recording? Specifically,
Are the outputs on or off when the machine is off?
Are the outputs on or off for a scheduled recording?

I'm thinking of purchasing an Audio Authority 1154A which contains extra component inputs, but changes automatically based on whether there is a signal being output and the priority of the device. I'd like to put the cable box first, so I could say switch from a dvd to tv while others are taking a bathroom break. However, if I have a scheduled recording, I don't want it to override a dvd that I'm watching.

Is there a difference between just watching tv while it records and a scheduled recording where in my opinion it should stay off?

Does anyone know if the iGuide upgrade will cause saved shows to be lost? I have a 6208 right now with a couple saved shows and am hoping the new iGuide software will not completely erase everything on the hard drive.

I'm getting tempted to order the 6208 as the release date for the 641x gets pushed back.

Seems limited in its usefulness as I have a DVHS for basic timeshifting.

Another month goes by, and no new HD channels on Comcast. No wb-56 ,upn38,tnt-hd,no bravo-hd, no tmc-hd....

Is it possible to transfer a show from the DVR to a VCR?

I just came back from a friend's house in Maine.He has Time Warner cable. He has had TWO tuner DVR functionality for over a year. He gets all the HD channels we get plus HDNET, HDNET movies, and TNT-HD.

-Ken

Mark Cuban says he is in discussions with Comcast. We are all waiting, not so patiently, for HDNET/Movies. I believe TWC has a separately priced HD Tier, whereas if Comcast gets it we won't pay extra. So it is not as easy for Comcast to add new channels. Hopefully competition will make them more agreeable to Cuban's terms. TNT-HD may be longer, because of the lack of programming in HD right now.

Rich N.

Originally posted by BousquetP
Is it possible to transfer a show from the DVR to a VCR?

If you have a DVHS deck, you can transfer the HD recordings via firewire. For a non- HD VHS deck, you would have to use the s-video or composite outputs and record the down-rezed output.

Originally posted by DaveFi
I'm getting tempted to order the 6208 as the release date for the 641x gets pushed back.

Seems limited in its usefulness as I have a DVHS for basic timeshifting. Dave, why wait. It's not like your buying the 6208 and will be stuck with it when the 6412 becomes available. The 6208 will cost you around $8/mo more than you're paying now.

Even with it's limitations of 10 hrs. HD and a single tuner, it's still a much better machine for time shifting than any tape based system. For example, yesterday, I recorded the Sox game while I watched a couple of movies I had recorded last week. Then I zipped through the recorded game in a little over an hour by skipping the commercials and other fluff. I couldn't have done this with a DVHS system.

I'll jump on the 6412 when it becomes available, even if it costs more to rent than the 6208. But for now, a bird in the hand.........

Originally posted by edv
For example, yesterday, I recorded the Sox game while I watched a couple of movies I had recorded last week. Then I zipped through the recorded game in a little over an hour by skipping the commercials and other fluff.

How were you able to record the Red Sox game and watch two recorded movies with the 6208? Since it only has a single tuner, I thought once you were recording something, it had to stay on that channel and you couldn't even watch a previously recorded show? That's the whole point of the 6412. (Or am I just completely uninformed on this?)

re-read edv's post. it said "watched [not recorded] a couple of movies." you can watch anything and everything on your hard drive while recording another channel.

So, it seems ABC did not realize they were broadcasting the SD version of "Desperate Housewives" until about 10 minutes into the show. Then, it switched to 16:9.

P.S. - I like this show :-)

From what I read it looks like the Sox won't in HD until possibly this weekend. Has anyone heard differently ?

From the programming forum, Ken H has stated that an HD truck is at Yankee Stadium, and will go to Boston after the first two Yankee games are complete.

Nothing official has been announced, however.

Dave, why wait. It's not like your buying the 6208 and will be stuck with it when the 6412 becomes available. The 6208 will cost you around $8/mo more than you're paying now. It's still $10/mo and I'd like to keep the cable guys' visits to a minimum. It's also unclear whether they will charge for an upgrade to the 6412 or not.

As far as I can tell there is no reason for the cable guys to come to your house to upgrade a 6200 to a 6208 or higher. They should allow you to make that swap at the office.
My friend who lives in maine and has TWC was told to pick up his HD box at the office !! We did his HD install ourselves. We did a better job then the comcast guy who came to my house. I have had a total of three comcast visits to get the HD right. Actually 4 visits if you count the "maintenance guy" that was sent to up the voltage at the pole.

-Ken

Originally posted by kenvt
As far as I can tell there is no reason for the cable guys to come to your house to upgrade a 6200 to a 6208 or higher. They should allow you to make that swap at the office.



Good luck, I tried to avoid the truck roll with both my 6200 box and the 6208 that replaced it with no luck....According to CS the offices do not stock the HD or DVR boxes and a truck roll is required....They never charged me for the 6208 roll however.....

--K

I am new to this forum and just had a 6208 installed in my house last week. I am having pixelation problems. I went to the diagnostics screen and am seeing these numbers

OOB
SNR ~ 25db
AGC ~ 14%

IBS
SNR ~36db
AGC ~49%

Would these numbers explain the pixelation?

Those numbers don't seem unreasonable, although the correctable/uncorrectable error counts may be more useful if you're seeing lots of pixelation.

I've found over the last few days that if I'm watching "live" I get rather frequent pixelation, but if I'm just a little behind live, I get none. For example, I have yet to see any pixelation in a recording, and if I see pixelation while just watching a show, if I rewind and view that spot over, the pixelation goes away. That, to me, points to a software bug (like inadequate buffering) rather than a signal issue (if it was a signal issue, you'd see the same pixelation when replaying the same stretch of a program, since the data stream itself would be damaged/incomplete.)

When I remember to, I just give it a second and hit instant replay after a channel change, but I watch "live" so infrequently it's not much of an issue.

Originally posted by Dennis Wilkinson
Those numbers don't seem unreasonable, although the correctable/uncorrectable error counts may be more useful if you're seeing lots of pixelation.

I've found over the last few days that if I'm watching "live" I get rather frequent pixelation, but if I'm just a little behind live, I get none. For example, I have yet to see any pixelation in a recording, and if I see pixelation while just watching a show, if I rewind and view that spot over, the pixelation goes away. That, to me, points to a software bug (like inadequate buffering) rather than a signal issue (if it was a signal issue, you'd see the same pixelation when replaying the same stretch of a program, since the data stream itself would be damaged/incomplete.)

When I remember to, I just give it a second and hit instant replay after a channel change, but I watch "live" so infrequently it's not much of an issue.

Dennis:

That was the thought of one of the many Comcast techs who has visited my apartment to try and fix the pixelation on my HD channels (which is still not yet resolved, thank you :-)

He said that since I somtimes get "One Moment Please" on the digital and analog channels, it was a buffer issue of the box. However, I got that error sometimes with my old 2442 or whatever the non-HD/non-DVR cable box was. That makes me think it's more of an incoming signal issue, but that's been tested and retested.

At this point, the enginner from TriWire still has to rewire part of the run to the junction box on my floor. Hopefully replacing more of the run with RG6 wiring may help the situation.

Originally posted by tennberg
Dennis:

That was the thought of one of the many Comcast techs who has visited my apartment to try and fix the pixelation on my HD channels (which is still not yet resolved, thank you :-)

He said that since I somtimes get "One Moment Please" on the digital and analog channels, it was a buffer issue of the box. However, I got that error sometimes with my old 2442 or whatever the non-HD/non-DVR cable box was. That makes me think it's more of an incoming signal issue, but that's been tested and retested.

At this point, the enginner from TriWire still has to rewire part of the run to the junction box on my floor. Hopefully replacing more of the run with RG6 wiring may help the situation.

One Moment Please means the box has lost the signal for that service (and typically whatever other digital services are on that channel). Has the tech told you how long the run is from your apartment to the plant connection (the tap)? If its more than 100 feet, RG6 starts to be less of an option, especially after you throw splitters on the line. If they are using a meter to check the strength of the signal, have them check the EIA channels your HD services are coming in on (you can find that by tuning to the HD channel and looking into the diags I think under Current Channel Status). Have them see what the level is for each of those EIA channels... if they are hitting your box at -6dbmv or less they need to go back along each connection and check the level and see if its because of bad cabling or splitters, or if your run is too long.

I am now able to tune The WB on my HD PC Card--so WLVI must have finally increased their HD Signal. Hopefully Comcast will add it to their lineup soon.

-Kyle

hope UPN does at some point as well. another season without enterprise hd.

Originally posted by ScoopsHD
One Moment Please means the box has lost the signal for that service (and typically whatever other digital services are on that channel). Has the tech told you how long the run is from your apartment to the plant connection (the tap)? If its more than 100 feet, RG6 starts to be less of an option, especially after you throw splitters on the line. If they are using a meter to check the strength of the signal, have them check the EIA channels your HD services are coming in on (you can find that by tuning to the HD channel and looking into the diags I think under Current Channel Status). Have them see what the level is for each of those EIA channels... if they are hitting your box at -6dbmv or less they need to go back along each connection and check the level and see if its because of bad cabling or splitters, or if your run is too long.

Scoops:

I will be sure to ask him that the next time he is at my apartment. Is the plant connection (the tap) same as the junction box on the floor of my building? Each floor has its own junction box, which apparently all stem from something right outside the apartment building.

On another note, I noticed serious audio syncing issues tonight on Cinemax HD (while watching The Rundown) along with slight syncing issues on a couple other HD channels. My pre-amp comes with a group delay function, which helps you to delay audio to time with video. However, the delay starts at 0ms and goes up to 500ms. On every channel with syncing issues, anything greater than 0ms makes the problem worse. I'm beginning to think there's either a problem with the incoming signal (is that even possible) or with the software/firmware on the 6208. I could also be completely wrong :-)

Originally posted by tennberg
He said that since I somtimes get "One Moment Please" on the digital and analog channels, it was a buffer issue of the box. However, I got that error sometimes with my old 2442 or whatever the non-HD/non-DVR cable box was. That makes me think it's more of an incoming signal issue, but that's been tested and retested.

My point is that, if it was really a signal issue, you wouldn't be able to rewind and watch the signal "clean" as I've been able to do -- had it been a signal issue, then the errors in the data stream would have been written to disk, and should glitch on playback. If the errors weren't correctible the first time, then they shouldn't be correctible the second time. What I see on my box certainly looks like a firmware or at least a software issue.

When I had a 5200, I didn't have any issues like this.

Originally posted by DaveFi
It's still $10/mo and I'd like to keep the cable guys' visits to a minimum. It's also unclear whether they will charge for an upgrade to the 6412 or not.

Dave,

You get the insider scoop more than me, but I just updated two receivers to 6208s. It is worth the extra dollars so 1) I don't have to tape Kim Possible & kids shows, that can be done in the family room now, 2) I can prog the DVR alone and archive at my convenience vs pray the VCR Programmer works (it's only missed a couple sessions). It did force me to hook up cable to components to see the menus, while I was just playing it through FireWire previously.

The tech said the 6412 may not be out for a LONG time, but who knows. I got the notice on a Thur night and called and had it installed the next day.

That said, there has been a dearth of recordable content meeting my tastes lately.

Getting harder to justify the HDtivo now (despite it's much greater flexibility/slickness). If HDnet came on, I would be at nil reason as Comcast has much more/better premium HD.

Originally posted by DaveFi
It's still $10/mo and I'd like to keep the cable guys' visits to a minimum. It's also unclear whether they will charge for an upgrade to the 6412 or not.

I'm with Dave, I want these guys here as little as possible. I have found that most of the time the comcast tech is clueless and I end up fixing what they did most of the time. I most likely can not be there during the install and they always mess with my config.

Here is a story incase Comcast is reading. My neighbor bought his first HD TV and Comcast came out to install the box. This was on a tuesday. He calls me the following Saturday and asks me to have a look, it doesn't look as good as mine (we have the same set - a Sony GWIII RP LCD). He told me he could stretch the HD channels, and I say no way should you be able to do that. I look at the screen when I walk in and no way is it HD, he is watching 839 HD-DISC stetched. I can't figure it out from the front of the TV and then look behind. He is on the RF input. So I have him switch to the component and we get no picture, but sound. I wiggle the Comcast installed cable and it flickers every so slight. I then switch to a monster component and bam, HD glory! He is jumping out of his seat (I love the reaction to first time high defer's).

In summary, the cable was bad, but the tech gave up and switched to RF and told them this was HD and they tried to convince themselves all week that it looked good. On top of it all (this is the worst), Comcast plugged the $4000 TV into the STB! Thereby cutting off the power totally on shut down. These sets need to run the fan for 2-3 minutes after power-off to cool the bulb. He is lucky no damage was done, or so we hope.

Maybe I am crazy, but wouldn't you think they should know not to plug the TV into the STB?

When the 64XX comes out, I am going to wait patiently for a Sat. appointment and stand over these guys.

Originally posted by Dennis Wilkinson
Those numbers don't seem unreasonable, although the correctable/uncorrectable error counts may be more useful if you're seeing lots of pixelation.

I've found over the last few days that if I'm watching "live" I get rather frequent pixelation, but if I'm just a little behind live, I get none. For example, I have yet to see any pixelation in a recording, and if I see pixelation while just watching a show, if I rewind and view that spot over, the pixelation goes away. That, to me, points to a software bug (like inadequate buffering) rather than a signal issue (if it was a signal issue, you'd see the same pixelation when replaying the same stretch of a program, since the data stream itself would be damaged/incomplete.)

When I remember to, I just give it a second and hit instant replay after a channel change, but I watch "live" so infrequently it's not much of an issue.

The error counts have been 0.

What you describe with live makes some sense. When the problem happened the other night, we were watching live, I did a rewind, and we were able to review that part of the show with no pixelation. I'll try your idea and see what happens (Comcast suggestion was re-boot the box)

Here is the latest info I got from my CSR (I have Comcast in Bellingham, MA)


'Currently we are projecting a roll out of the new boxes sometime in the
1st quarter of next year. We do plan on letting our customers know so
they may upgrade to the new boxes if they want to. We will be sending
information, through email and billing inserts out as we get closer to
the roll out date.'

I just called as well and they said most likely 1st quarter, which is vastly different from the November time frame they told me last week.

They also told me that there was a $100 deposit required to get the 6208 and that it was refundable in six months. Does this sound right? I kind of balked and they said the equipment was expensive. I mentioned that I was a 14 year customer and that the "refundable in six months" implied you did not trust the customer. I could see them taking deposits, but refunding it in six months has me perplexed.

Originally posted by LarryJoe
They also told me that there was a $100 deposit required to get the 6208 and that it was refundable in six months. Does this sound right? I kind of balked and they said the equipment was expensive. I mentioned that I was a 14 year customer and that the "refundable in six months" implied you did not trust the customer. I could see them taking deposits, but refunding it in six months has me perplexed.

I have had a 6208 since shortly after they were introduced and they did not charge me any sort of "depost"......

--K

Originally posted by LarryJoe
I just called as well and they said most likely 1st quarter, which is vastly different from the November time frame they told me last week.

They also told me that there was a $100 deposit required to get the 6208 and that it was refundable in six months. Does this sound right? I kind of balked and they said the equipment was expensive. I mentioned that I was a 14 year customer and that the "refundable in six months" implied you did not trust the customer. I could see them taking deposits, but refunding it in six months has me perplexed.

I just got my 6208 last week, no deposit was requested/required (This is in Bellingham, MA)

OK, this is exactly what I am talking about a few posts above, I called back, got a different rep and they are coming on Saturday 10/16. No mention of a deposit. I have no idea what the first rep was talking about. Tell me the 6200 is not expensive??, makes no sense.

Contrary to what I said above about waiting for the 6412, 1st quarter of 2006 is too long. I'll have them swap it out when they get them. Should be good timing, as I'll be able to record the Pats winning the Superbowl in HD and have the capacity to save it for a while. I also asked if I'd be charged the $15.95 service fee the next time out and she said she would note to waive it on my account. I'll worry about it when the time comes.

They also told me that there was a $100 deposit required to get the 6208 and that it was refundable in six months. Does this sound right?

huh? mine was installed on friday. nobody ever mentioned anything about any deposits. we'll see if something shows up on the next bill, but it NEVER came up. first i've heard of any such thing.

doody.

Same here and I have inquired about DVR service about a zillion times. I think I just got a clueless rep. He stumbled and bumbled and put me on hold many times I assume to talk to a manager or someone who knew something he didn't. When I told him I was a 14 year customer and this sounded odd, he informed that he was just a CSR and he didn't make the rules.

The only thing I can think of is that it had something to do with my account. I pay my bill after I recieve the service (like other utilities), not in advance as they try to get you to do. So basically, I pay my bill in full right before the billing period is about to end.

It's a matter of principal, but I am never behind (in my mind I guess). I'm just from the old school, you use your gas, electricity and water and then you pay for it at the end of the month. I use comcast for phone, internet and cable. Maybe times have changed, but they have never had a problem with it.

I doubt it had anything to do with this, the rep was most likely misinformed. The second call went smooth.

Originally posted by doody
huh? mine was installed on friday. nobody ever mentioned anything about any deposits. we'll see if something shows up on the next bill, but it NEVER came up. first i've heard of any such thing.

doody.

All depends on who you speak with. The CSR told me some lame story of how expensive those boxes were and the $100 deposit was so I don't steele it (see my post from last month).

I called back, spoke to another, and got it two days later. Go figure...

Exactly how it went for me.

What's the iGuide release timeframe?

sounds like were stuck with the same old questions:

1. iguide ...bug found, implementation delayed..no firm release date
2. dual tuner DVR...first qtr. 2005 maybe ??
3. WLVI-DT, WSBK-DT no date
4. HDNET - don't hold your breath...in negotiations (hopefully)

iGuide should come out any time now. The bug was with the dual-tuner/PVRs and shouldn't effect the majority of Comcast customers.

efeatherston- Don't bother asking CSRs these things, as people here tend to have more accurate info.

I will inquire as to the hold-up on the 6412.

Basically the way Comcast looks at this is they take a look at the last 6 months to see if you made payments every month on time with them, if you missed say maybe two or three payments, you will be required to put a $100 deposit. They do take exceptions of course if you've been a customer for a long time compared to someone who just recently signed up (It all depends on the CSR you speak to) . New customers would definitely require a deposit unless they signed up for some Dish buy back incentive.


Originally posted by LarryJoe
I just called as well and they said most likely 1st quarter, which is vastly different from the November time frame they told me last week.

They also told me that there was a $100 deposit required to get the 6208 and that it was refundable in six months. Does this sound right? I kind of balked and they said the equipment was expensive. I mentioned that I was a 14 year customer and that the "refundable in six months" implied you did not trust the customer. I could see them taking deposits, but refunding it in six months has me perplexed.

Originally posted by tennberg
Scoops:

I will be sure to ask him that the next time he is at my apartment. Is the plant connection (the tap) same as the junction box on the floor of my building? Each floor has its own junction box, which apparently all stem from something right outside the apartment building.

On another note, I noticed serious audio syncing issues tonight on Cinemax HD (while watching The Rundown) along with slight syncing issues on a couple other HD channels. My pre-amp comes with a group delay function, which helps you to delay audio to time with video. However, the delay starts at 0ms and goes up to 500ms. On every channel with syncing issues, anything greater than 0ms makes the problem worse. I'm beginning to think there's either a problem with the incoming signal (is that even possible) or with the software/firmware on the 6208. I could also be completely wrong :-)

The tap is basically the "splitter" into the main system plant. If you drive down the street and look up on the line where other people's cable lines go to, you'll see a square box (bout 3"x7") with a bunch of F-type ports coming out of it. Its metal (to resist weathering of course). This is the tap. Its quite possible that that is what is on your floor, and that is a fairly decent design having each floor of the building have its own tap... easier to fix problems. If however, your junction box is just a place where the cables get extended, a patch panel say, rather than a true hard line tap into the system plant, you are adding alot of footage and possibly alot of signal loss.

As for your audio... have you tried bypassing your pre-amp all together, going direct from the box to your TV to see if the audio delays are still happening? If you still get it going direct from box to tv, then you might have a bad box, as generally the only other way you will get audio delays is coming from the HD channel provider (and everyone would see that).

FWIW, I actually saw a Comcast commercial last night promoting the new iGuide as "coming soon".

Originally posted by CMG1976
Basically the way Comcast looks at this is they take a look at the last 6 months to see if you made payments every month on time with them, if you missed say maybe two or three payments, you will be required to put a $100 deposit. They do take exceptions of course if you've been a customer for a long time compared to someone who just recently signed up (It all depends on the CSR you speak to) . New customers would definitely require a deposit unless they signed up for some Dish buy back incentive.

I never missed any payments, this guy was just new and probably asked everyone for $100.

Originally posted by BousquetP
Is it possible to transfer a show from the DVR to a VCR?

Very much so

Originally posted by avic
hope UPN does at some point as well. another season without enterprise hd.

I was under the impression WSBKDT still tramsmits at 480i.

If this is the case, then the need isn't as great.

Even IF it was 1080i AND comcast had it,it would still not be as important to ME until the 6412s come out because I am committed to JOA on WBZDT.

Originally posted by LarryJoe
I'm with Dave, I want these guys here as little as possible. I have found that most of the time the comcast tech is clueless and I end up fixing what they did most of the time. I most likely can not be there during the install and they always mess with my config.

Here is a story incase Comcast is reading. My neighbor bought his first HD TV and Comcast came out to install the box. This was on a tuesday. He calls me the following Saturday and asks me to have a look, it doesn't look as good as mine (we have the same set - a Sony GWIII RP LCD). He told me he could stretch the HD channels, and I say no way should you be able to do that. I look at the screen when I walk in and no way is it HD, he is watching 839 HD-DISC stetched. I can't figure it out from the front of the TV and then look behind. He is on the RF input. So I have him switch to the component and we get no picture, but sound. I wiggle the Comcast installed cable and it flickers every so slight. I then switch to a monster component and bam, HD glory! He is jumping out of his seat (I love the reaction to first time high defer's).



I know that feeling. The folks who used to live downstairs used the RF input at first. Now they have DVD (I'm stucvk with component but am content)

when my 6200 was upgraded to a 6208 the tech was glad that I was somewhone who had an idea what the system was all about so he just let me plug everything in the way I wanted it.

The 6412s don't even have RF!




In summary, the cable was bad, but the tech gave up and switched to RF and told them this was HD and they tried to convince themselves all week that it looked good. On top of it all (this is the worst), Comcast plugged the $4000 TV into the STB! Thereby cutting off the power totally on shut down. These sets need to run the fan for 2-3 minutes after power-off to cool the bulb. He is lucky no damage was done, or so we hope.

Maybe I am crazy, but wouldn't you think they should know not to plug the TV into the STB?

When the 64XX comes out, I am going to wait patiently for a Sat. appointment and stand over these guys.

Actually there is an option to have the power on./off so turning the box off does not unplug the TV.

Is it me or is the picture quality on FOX HD for the Yankees-Twins games not as good as what we are used to on ESPNHD and NESN for baseball? The 5.1DD also seems to have an occaisonal hum

That's because it's not HD.

Originally posted by FBGJR
Is it me or is the picture quality on FOX HD for the Yankees-Twins games not as good as what we are used to on ESPNHD and NESN for baseball? The 5.1DD also seems to have an occaisonal hum best place to go for these kinda questions is programming forum not here. they've got a thread on FOX HD Baseball (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4457692#post4457692)

So, I will be calling Comcast tomorrow for a bunch of things:

1. I just got my latest bill and there are charges on there for the HD cable box rental, HD related charges, etc. I am going to see if they will drop those charges for now since my HD service is still pixelating, now so more than before. I refuse to pay for something that is not yet fixed.

2. I need to have them contact TriWire again. I've left a couple messages with the engineer who was out here a few weeks ago to replace some wiring, but have not heard back yet from him. If I get the same guy out here again, I will ask him about where the "tap" is, and checking EIA signals (I believe that's what they were called) that was mentioned to me in a previous post.

3. I plugged the audio from my cable box directly into the TV (left/right analog) and the audio syncing issues seemed to still be there, especially on Cinemax HD. I will mention this to Comcast and see if they can replace the 6208 again (this would be my third).

To top it all, my Sony HDTV CRT has a dead spot on it and I need to get that replaced. As well, my new pre-amp processor has a popping sound through all channels and most likely needs to be replaced. (The audio syncing issues were there when I had my receiver hooked up with the 6208, so it's most likely not a pre-amp issue).

Yesterday I had Comcast install one of their DVR's for me. I'm not sure how to tell what the box model is, but it says 73/08 on the back and it looks just like the old box externally (the Motorola boxes).

The tech was typically unhelpful. He just plugged it in (asking me what to plug in where) and left. I have a few questions that you folks might be able to help me with. (I'm in Cambridge, btw.)

First, is the DVI port active in these new boxes? I have a Samsung DLP with a DVI jack that I'd like to use if possible.

Second, I went to the Setup menu of the cable box and was messing with the Audio settings. If I set it to external audio there's an option for "Matrix Stereo." Is that where I want to have it to get 5.1 audio? I have the cable box hooked up to my receiver via Toslink so I'm hoping I'll be able to get surround sound.

Thanks, and if you need more details, let me know. I'm not nearly as technically sophisticated as most of you so its not always obvious what I need to tell you in order to get answers. :)

Oh, and FWIW, the Comcast DVR is an anemic thing. I actually kept my old cable box and have my Tivo still hooked up to it, and I'm really glad I did.

The DVI port is active.

Set the audio to "Advanced" , the matrix stuff is just for the regular output and does not affect the optical output.

I believe that matrix stereo creates a "fake" stereo sound from mono channels.

-Ken

iampetesmith,
A word of caution for you. Your audio question depends on how you are running the audio. I am not using a digital connection for my audio (Waiting for the Marantz SR-8500 to go for my DVI and digital audio) and have played with these settings also. I threw the audio out of synch with the picture. Unless you are running the audio digitaly set the audio to full matrix with heavy compression (IMHO), that synched the audio back with the video.
Good luck with your new HD and enjoy.

tennberg, I would put everything into a letter and fire it off to Brian L. Roberts in phili (I think he is still president of Comcast). For what ever reason a letter always gets a better response then a call or an email, at least it has for me in the past. Crack a beer enjoy the long weekend and dont let it get to you too much..

Tsunamii

Tsunamii,

I called Comcast again today and got someone who was a bit more understanding than previous CSRs. He is sending out an in-house field supervisor on Saturday to go over every issue I am having with my service.

On a couple other notes, he said I am obligated to pay for my HD service, even though it is not yet fixed. He said once it is fixed, Comcast would go back in and credit my account from day one. Does this sound right to you or anyone else?

As for audio syncing issues, he said he was getting similar issues, both on HD channels and digital channels. I did get these problems when I plugged the audio from the 6208 directly into the TV (bypassing both my pre-amp and amp), so it seems it's either a decoding issue with the 6208 or a problem with the way Comcast is sending their cable signal. He said he put in a note to their techs about it and would also put in one from me. Any ideas as to what this is about?

Tennberg,
You might want to check out ht*p://www.mass.gov/dte/complain.htm (not sure if hot linking is allowed hence the broken url) to get the low down on your rights as a cable consumer in Massachusetts.

From Tom Caron's mailbag (http://www.boston.com/sports/nesn/caron/10_06_04/) on nesn.com:

Just a question about NESN HDTV coverage. Why is it that only Red Sox home games are broadcast in HD? Will this change for next season? Also, it seems that your pre and post game shows could be broadcast in HD ... Once you have HDTV, it is very difficult to watch non-HD shows / channels ;-)
Michael, Hudson, NH

Right now it's all a matter of technology. NESN has the proper transmission equipment to deliver an HD broadcast from Fenway Park. Not all MLB ballparks have the necessary hardware. That is expected to change, and NESN is hoping to deliver more HD broadcasts next summer -- including some road games.

Tom Caron still doesn't answer the question of why they stretch all the low def stuff on the HD channel. It's just plain stupid.

-Ken

Originally posted by kenvt
Tom Caron still doesn't answer the question of why they stretch all the low def stuff on the HD channel. It's just plain stupid.

-Ken

I'd bet money that the meeting went like this:

One last item: What do we do with the SD programming on NESNHD?
Hmmm, ESPNHD stretches theirs....let's do the same.
Who's buying lunch today?

ESPN-HD does *NOT* stretch their low def programming. They put those HD bars on the side. None of the other HD channels I get on comcast stretch the low def stuff.

-Ken

indeed NESN is alone now, ESPN-HD stopped stretching 4:3 as of June 7 of this year. there is absolutely NO REASON WHATSOEVER to ever stretch 4:3 content, period!!! my nesn contact is trying to convince them to stop it for next season.

Originally posted by kenvt
ESPN-HD does *NOT* stretch their low def programming. They put those HD bars on the side. None of the other HD channels I get on comcast stretch the low def stuff.

-Ken

my point was that NESN made their decision back when ESPNHD was still stretching, and they simply haven't revisited it.

I would like to hear from anyone on here who has a 6208 hooked up to either an AV receiver or pre-amp/processor via a digital audio connection and has noticed audio syncing issues on multiple HD channels. I'm beginning to think there's nothing wrong at all with either my pre-amp or 6208 cable box, and that the problem lies in the way Comcast is sending out these HD signals. It was so bad on Cinemax HD the other night that the audio was nearly a second delayed from the video.

Thanks for any insight.

Originally posted by tennberg
I would like to hear from anyone on here who has a 6208 hooked up to either an AV receiver or pre-amp/processor via a digital audio connection and has noticed audio syncing issues on multiple HD channels. I'm beginning to think there's nothing wrong at all with either my pre-amp or 6208 cable box, and that the problem lies in the way Comcast is sending out these HD signals. It was so bad on Cinemax HD the other night that the audio was nearly a second delayed from the video.

I have such a setup, and have seen issues like you describe. It's by no means consistent, but seems to be most prevalent when a channel is upconverting SD to HD or has just switched from unconverted SD to HD or vice-versa. That kind of sync issue could very well be caused by the broadcaster themselves -- upconverting usually introduces a delay, so audio delay is added to keep things synced. If you switch to the upconverted video without also switching audio, it could cause problems.

i definitely have delay on mine, but i correct for it in my audio processor. i run my 6208 through a video processor as well, which introduces further delays.

the problem i've noted most is that on the HD channels, audio levels are just random - from channel to channel as well as from program material to commercials. all over the map. you adjust the volume up to hear a show and then a commercial comes on and you get blown out of your chair. doesn't seem to be a problem on non-HD channels. never had an issue with this on my DISH HD feeds.

doody.

Originally posted by tennberg
I would like to hear from anyone on here who has a 6208 hooked up to either an AV receiver or pre-amp/processor via a digital audio connection and has noticed audio syncing issues on multiple HD channels. I'm beginning to think there's nothing wrong at all with either my pre-amp or 6208 cable box, and that the problem lies in the way Comcast is sending out these HD signals. It was so bad on Cinemax HD the other night that the audio was nearly a second delayed from the video.

Thanks for any insight.

I've only had any real audio syncing issues with PBS and that seems to have cleared up a few months ago. I had some issues with CBS last Friday but that cleared up halfway through Joan of Arcadia and might actually have been a recording issue because the 6208 wasn't FFing correctly for the first half of the show. I'm curious what kind of digital connection you have. I'm using the coax connector, not the optical one. I'm going DVI to my TV and coax to the Denon reciever.

Originally posted by NeuroVic
I've only had any real audio syncing issues with PBS and that seems to have cleared up a few months ago. I had some issues with CBS last Friday but that cleared up halfway through Joan of Arcadia and might actually have been a recording issue because the 6208 wasn't FFing correctly for the first half of the show. I'm curious what kind of digital connection you have. I'm using the coax connector, not the optical one. I'm going DVI to my TV and coax to the Denon reciever.

NeuroVic:

I go coax audio from the 6208 to the Rotel pre-amp and component to the Sony TV.

Yep, like I said, it all depends on WHO you speak to. Some of those reps don't know much about the service they offer as well as the procedures.


Originally posted by LarryJoe
I never missed any payments, this guy was just new and probably asked everyone for $100.

Originally posted by avic
.......my nesn contact is trying to convince them to stop it for next season. Avic, you may wish to pass along the information from a poll I conducted last year while ESPN was still stretching their SD programming on their HD channel. ESPN stretch mode poll (http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=323882)

Out of nearly 200 votes cast, over 80% said they don't like the stretch.

Originally posted by Dennis Wilkinson

I've found over the last few days that if I'm watching "live" I get rather frequent pixelation, but if I'm just a little behind live, I get none. For example, I have yet to see any pixelation in a recording, and if I see pixelation while just watching a show, if I rewind and view that spot over, the pixelation goes away. That, to me, points to a software bug (like inadequate buffering) rather than a signal issue (if it was a signal issue, you'd see the same pixelation when replaying the same stretch of a program, since the data stream itself would be damaged/incomplete.)

When I remember to, I just give it a second and hit instant replay after a channel change, but I watch "live" so infrequently it's not much of an issue.

I've started doing this, and the problem has been significantly reduced. I still get occasional small pixelations, but very infrequently now. If I forget to do it on a channel change, the big problem does come back, at which point I do the rewind and watch from there, problem goes away. Thanks for the suggestion.

Can someone with the 6208 tell me if the remote is the same as the 6200?

I use a Harmony 659 and set it up for the 6200, which included assigned DVR buttons. I have my remote *just right* finally and don't want to have to delete the 6200 and add the 6208 when I get it next week.

I'm not positive, but it should work fine for the 6208. The DVR functions are in the 6200 configuration to support the OnDemand features. I also programmed my 659 to leave the power on for the 6208 because it's running all the time anyway.

You might want to check the 30 second skip thread in this forum because there's info on programming the 659 if you wnat to add that function.

Will do, thanks for the heads up. I recently switched back to shutting down the box on power off. I found that when left on, when I turn on my set, I would get some type of HD split screen of the same HD channel. I click away and a click back would fix it, but I don't think my set liked having that feed on all the time.

Okay, had something weird happen last night while watching ER in HD (channel 804, Comcast, Bellingham). I have the Motorola 6208 STB.

In one scene, for about 2 seconds, the picture flickered and seemed to be rapidly changing back and forth between 2 frames. There was no pixelation, just this rapid flicking back and forth. Then everything was fine after that.

Has anyone seen this kind of behaviour before? Any idea what would have caused it (TV, Cable box, cable company)?

Originally posted by efeatherston
Okay, had something weird happen last night while watching ER in HD (channel 804, Comcast, Bellingham). I have the Motorola 6208 STB.

In one scene, for about 2 seconds, the picture flickered and seemed to be rapidly changing back and forth between 2 frames. There was no pixelation, just this rapid flicking back and forth. Then everything was fine after that.

Has anyone seen this kind of behaviour before? Any idea what would have caused it (TV, Cable box, cable company)? \

I saw the exact same thing down here in Freetown (it was Neela coming out of the diner with her parents, right?)

That means it was probably in the broadcast itself.

Originally posted by Dennis Wilkinson
\

I saw the exact same thing down here in Freetown (it was Neela coming out of the diner with her parents, right?)

That means it was probably in the broadcast itself.

Yes, that was the scene! Whew, I feel better now that someone else saw it.

Regarding IGuide:

Looking at www.i-guide.tv , I see that this is the on-screen stuff I currently have on my 1-tuner DVR box. Are the talks of IGuide for an updated version of this?

Originally posted by efeatherston
Okay, had something weird happen last night while watching ER in HD (channel 804, Comcast, Bellingham). I have the Motorola 6208 STB.

In one scene, for about 2 seconds, the picture flickered and seemed to be rapidly changing back and forth between 2 frames. There was no pixelation, just this rapid flicking back and forth. Then everything was fine after that.

Has anyone seen this kind of behaviour before? Any idea what would have caused it (TV, Cable box, cable company)?

efeatherston:

I noticed something similar on Fox HD last night. During a commercial for Fox News @10 and during another show, the screen flickered for a couple seconds and seemed to replay the last couple seconds of what was just shown. Very strange. Perhaps Comcast was having trouble sending HD signals last night.

Here's the problem: I wanted to record last night channel 805 (Life...) at 9:00pm. No problem. I also wanted to record ER on 807 which is supposed to start at 10:00pm (I was going to be out so I didn't want to miss these two).

The problem is I couldn't set to record ER because the Guide said it started at 9:59pm and conficted with my 9-10pm. I couldn't extend the time for Lfe...at 9:00pm, only start it earlier and vice-versa for ER. So I was out of luck.

Anyone else have this problem? Will the new Guide fix this and why is ER starting at 9:59pm?!?!?

Originally posted by BostonDIGITAL
Anyone else have this problem? Will the new Guide fix this and why is ER starting at 9:59pm?!?!?

ER starts early so next week you won't be tempted to watch a different network at 9pm and risk missing the beginning of ER.

Those network programmers are tricky, huh?

Originally posted by hibricc
ER starts early so next week you won't be tempted to watch a different network at 9pm and risk missing the beginning of ER.

Those network programmers are tricky, huh?

Correct... its NBC's fault... not the guide. Nothing can be done for it.

I believe with the iguide that you have the option of recording a channel with a start and stop time a la the old vcr way of doing things. At least thats what it shows in the demo.

-Ken

same issue, i got around it by setting up a manual record from 10pm until 11pm on 807. works for now until we get dual-tuners then problem solved!

You can manually set record times ....

Originally posted by Kaiser-Soze
Regarding IGuide:

Looking at www.i-guide.tv , I see that this is the on-screen stuff I currently have on my 1-tuner DVR box. Are the talks of IGuide for an updated version of this? Where are you? We don't have "iGuide" (http://michigan.mybrighthouse.com/services/customer_care/resources/iGuide.pdf) yet. We have the basic TVGuide DVR IPG for a few more days. iGuide will include these enhancements:

* Higher resolution interface for easier to view information
* New Mini-Guide for browsing through other listings while watching a current program
* Increased speed for faster navigation
* Enhanced display without ads and with 90 minutes of program listings
* Time progress bar
* Series Recording (first-runs/repeats feature as well)
* Series Priority
* Buffer Recording

IMO it will be almost just as functional as TiVo. Only thing missing that would ice the cake it is the ability to delete channels and a 15min FF which I'm told is already being worked on for the next software update.

Originally posted by avic
We have the basic TVGuide DVR IPG for a few more days.

avic:

From what I read in this post, others were saying a bug was found in the iGuide software and would not be fixed for some time. A couple people were even saying iGuide would not be out until early next year. Have you heard any new information on this?

Also, do you know if the iGuide software installation will erase any currently saved DVR programs? I have a couple things recorded that I'd hate to lose right now.

it's ready. your hard drive content should not be affected.

AVIC, Do you think there is any chance that UPN will be in HD before the end of the Season of Enterprise?

Tsunamii

anything's possible but i'd bet on WB first. UPN's signal is still too weak for comcast to pick up.

According to TitanTV there is still no HD programming on WSBKDT or WLVIDT.

If you want to get 1 4:3 windowboxed 480 go right ahead.

Originally posted by avic
anything's possible but i'd bet on WB first. UPN's signal is still too weak for comcast to pick up.

Too weak? I watched Enterprise in HD via an indoor antenna with absolutely no dropouts. My digital signal meter never dropped below 90%.

The episode wasn't that great, but the video quality was the best it has ever been.

Originally posted by chitchatjf
According to TitanTV there is still no HD programming on WSBKDT or WLVIDT.

If you want to get 1 4:3 windowboxed 480 go right ahead.

There are definietly 16:9 HD shows on WLVIDT--like Smallville, Gilmore Girls, What I Like About You, The Mountain, and more--the WLVI web site lists all the shows in HD. They recently increased their signal strength, so you should be able to get it with an antenna.

Originally posted by gmike
Too weak? I watched Enterprise in HD via an indoor antenna with absolutely no dropouts. My digital signal meter never dropped below 90%.

The episode wasn't that great, but the video quality was the best it has ever been. too weak as it reaches the comcast antenna farm for them to broadcast is what we've been told.

To everyone who's been following my troubles with HD channels here in Medford, I finally have a Comcast field supervisor coming out this afternoon to look at every aspect of the cable setup to determine why it's still pixelating after 4 tech visits, 1 cable box replacement, and partial rewiring. I will mention to him about EIA channels the HD services are coming in on, along with where I am in relation to the "tap".

Hopefully, he/she will be able to pinpoint exactly why my service is still doing this. I will post later this evening about what was determined. This may give those of you who are still having HD pixelating problems fruther information to present to Comcast.

Originally posted by tennberg
To everyone who's been following my troubles with HD channels here in Medford, I finally have a Comcast field supervisor coming out this afternoon to look at every aspect of the cable setup to determine why it's still pixelating after 4 tech visits, 1 cable box replacement, and partial rewiring. I will mention to him about EIA channels the HD services are coming in on, along with where I am in relation to the "tap".

Hopefully, he/she will be able to pinpoint exactly why my service is still doing this. I will post later this evening about what was determined. This may give those of you who are still having HD pixelating problems fruther information to present to Comcast.

I'm going to keep this as clean as I can. F*()@#*@ Comcast sent one of the same techs today who has been here before, when I was promised again that I would be getting a field supervisor. He was here for 5 minutes at most, checked the signals, and left. Unbelieveable! I immediately got on the phone with Comcast and yelled as politely as I could. The guy I got is going to have a field supervisor call me within the hour to set up a time for him to meet with me. The rep also credited $46 to my account for all the hassle I've been through the past month with this. He tried to credit me the entire Gold package but since my Gold package is older and includes Starz, he credited me for a full month of cable internet service.

It's absolutely ridiculous that I've had 5 Comcast technicians, 1 TriWire engineer, and multiple calls to Comcast about this, and the problem is still there.

lol, sorry to hear that tennberg.

I had a similiar issue when Comcast was coming out to fix a ground loop issue I had. The first tech who came out told me that it was my TV creating it, so, when I called Comcast and specifically asked them NOT to send the same tech back...guess who showed up AGAIN? :D The same tech, who again told me it was just my tv.

After many visits by other techs, someone finally came who was knowledgeable about the ground loop issues, installed copper wire on their feed, and solved the issue.

Good luck! ;)

-JR

Originally posted by kylenolan
There are definietly 16:9 HD shows on WLVIDT--like Smallville, Gilmore Girls, What I Like About You, The Mountain, and more--the WLVI web site lists all the shows in HD. They recently increased their signal strength, so you should be able to get it with an antenna.

not possible as I do not ahve an antenne OR an ATSC tuner.

Besides I don't watch anything on LVI and the only SBK program is Enterprise,and it is not as good as in thae past,so net seeing it in HD is THAt much of a loss.

Originally posted by avic
Where are you? We don't have "iGuide" (http://michigan.mybrighthouse.com/services/customer_care/resources/iGuide.pdf) yet. We have the basic TVGuide DVR IPG for a few more days. iGuide will include these enhancements:


Sorry - Hudson - it should appear below my name now...

I recently upgraded to the 6208 when I got my new HDTV. I am generally happy with the High-Def channels (well, I actually find myself watching PBS more than ever before, so I guess I am very happy with the channels, just not the selection).

However, the SD channels low in the range (2-30 or so), appear HORRIBLE on my box. For the first two days, I had the old standard non-high def moto digital box and everything looked fine - but now those standard SD channels look brutal. Once I get up to MTV, etc. it is fine (well fine for SD).

Anyone else have this problem? (I am using component output with the default comcast cables on a panny consumer plasma. Also, live in the South End)

Rookiewill -

We all have this problem. The solution is to split the cable and send one leg directly into the tv. Watch the lower unscrambled channels through the tv tuner bypassing the moto box.

-Ken

Actually, if he is only seeing them being really bad on 2-30, its not the common analog upconversion problem. Analog channels go up to 70 in most cases, so if after 30 they markedly improve in quality, might want to get someone out there to check... could be level issues in the low frequencies.

I really wish the 6412 was currently available. This Wednesday evening, Lost is on at 8PM on ABC and Game 1 of the ALCS is on Fox at 8PM as well. Does anyone know if ABC may re-air this episode or if there's someone out there who would be willing to record it? :-)

Quick question,
Just came back from my honeymoon in Hawaii. Before I left my 6200 was working great, but now the volume does not work on the remote control, I changed the batteries and tried 2 different remotes in the house to no avail. Does anyone know if something happened in the last 3 weeks that I should know about? Also I can not choose any analog channel 2-98 the numbers come on the screen but it dose not change channels, everything else works great. Not sure if I need a new box or not. Figured I would ask here before the dreaded call comcast.

can you change the channels from the box itself? regardless, i'd unplug, wait a min then plug back in. after few minutes try it and if u still have the problem, call comcast.

Has anyone noticed that the current guide on the 6208 is not showing full show listings past a day in advance? I was browsing through tomorrow night's listings, and noticed about 50% of the channels showed "To Be Announced". I then went to Wednesday and only a couple channels had shows listed. Is there something wrong with my box, or is this in preparation for the iGuide installation?

yea, you can go up and down on the box and the remote. I tried unpluging it for about half an hour, oh well I guess a call will have to be made

thanks

tennberg no prob with data here so sounds like your box lost power.

Check the settings on the menu, Go to Main menu, then to Setup and then Guide and navigate down to auto tune and make sure to switch it to yes. Also you may want to get the code for the name brand TV if you call them and reprogram remote for volume lock. Give that a shot



Originally posted by househusband36
yea, you can go up and down on the box and the remote. I tried unpluging it for about half an hour, oh well I guess a call will have to be made

thanks

Originally posted by avic
tennberg no prob with data here so sounds like your box lost power.

avic: My box finally was able to get the full listings for all channels. It took quite a while, but it's finally all there.

Couple questions/observations:

1. Will tomorrow night's Sox game on Fox be in HD? TitanTV has it listed as being in HD, but tonight's Astros/Braves game is in 16:9 480i. How will Fox be showing the ALCS and World Series?

2. I'm coming to the point where I believe the problem with HD pixelation at my location lies not with the incoming signal, signal strength, wiring, or any type of interference. All the wiring tests out fine, the signal strengths tests out fine, switching 6208s doesn't solve it, etc. I believe the problem lies with Motorola's 6208 STB model line (as a few others have noted on here). When watching a recorded HD program, I've never gotten so much as a single pixeled box or sound cut-out. Only when watching live HD does it happen. So I believe the problem lies with the way the 6208 handles incoming signals and how well it is able to decode it on-the-fly and buffer anything else. Whether this can be cured by a simple firmware fix or if the 6208 needs to be completely redesigned, who knows.

I had heard that the division titles will be in HD, but TitanTV for 01749 does not list it as HD. and for Wednesdays game, MLB.com (http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/schedule/ps_04.jsp) says "Game will be broadcast on FOX/FOX Cable" while they show StL and ?Houston? on regular Fox. So much for trying to plan HDTV viewing parties!

Originally posted by tennberg
Will tomorrow night's Sox game on Fox be in HD? TitanTV has it listed as being in HD, but tonight's Astros/Braves game is in 16:9 480i. How will Fox be showing the ALCS and World Series? Best place for this info is the Programming Forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=34) and yes the ALCS (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=456824) will be in HD on FOX.

Just moved about 20 miles from southern VT to western MA. I had Adelphia and now have Comcast. I've been very disappointed in Comcast. I lost ABC-HD for one, so no more Monday Night Football in HD. Also the guide for Comcast sucks with all the ads, you can only see about an hours worth of info. I got an HD DVR but you can only record one thing at a time and you can't watch anything else while you're recording. I never got the Adelphia HD dvr so I'm not sure if their's was the same. We do have ON DEMAND, which is nice, but Adelphia was getting that too.