Yep, ESPN-HD now on 849 in the Natick/Framingham area- Stretch sucks. 4:3 in 16:9 is something I could live without.

Unfortunately I'm not a huge sports-guy. Now, we need something like HDNet...

ESPN HD now on north of Boston on Comcast. Verdict still out on the 16:9 stretch. Studio stuff is clearer on 849 vs ESPN analog on 49. Looking forward to check Sunday Nite Baseball in HD.One can hope that something might be brewing with CBS at corporate level. Also. WFXT -DT would be nice for 16:9 DVD video with Dolby 5.1 audio on Comcast.

Has anyone seen it yet on their QAM tuner, can you tell me the channel number? Did a scan this morning and still no ESPN-HD

Yes, life is good. ;) Now for the 2 INHD channels and CBS?

I'm in Berkley (Comcast) and currently have only ABC, NBC and PBS (No HBO yet). I have noticed the only 16/9 1080i channel lately has been PBS. It appears as though ABC and NBC have been broadcasting mostly in 4/3 1080i. Last month I got Law and Order in 16/9 but not recently. As I understand it this has nothing to do with Comcast but with the broadcasters themselves. Now if we could only get CBS........

any material that is 4:3 is not 1080i.....food for thought

ABC's HDTV (720p) broadcast of 101 Dalmations in it's 4:3 OAR. Also food for thought.;) HDTV can indeed be 4:3 pillar-boxed.

never heard of that one...much food for thought..lol ;) now im kinda hungry..anyone BBQ'n tonight?

If you have a widescreen TV that shows a HD channel in 4/3 you are only getting the digital feed from the broadcaster. The cable provider has nothing to do with it. It is not true HDTV but can be interlaced at 1080i. Since not all broadcasts are in HD, having black bars on the sides of the picture (i.e 4/3) is normal for many shows.

Barbecue sure sounds good.

I have a 4:3 Sony that shows 16:9 hdtv letterbox. If on the digital channel on Comcast you have a show which is sideboxed, that is a 4:3 SD program from the network up converted. Very common on WCVB and WHDH -dt on Comcast. Less so on PBS DT and HBO and Showtime. It appears that ESPH HD is stretching 4:3 SD material to 16:9

Originally posted by gustiepeg
If you have a widescreen TV that shows a HD channel in 4/3 you are only getting the digital feed from the broadcaster. The cable provider has nothing to do with it. It is not true HDTV but can be interlaced at 1080i. Since not all broadcasts are in HD, having black bars on the sides of the picture (i.e 4/3) is normal for many shows.

Barbecue sure sounds good.

Not necessarily true, which I pointed out above. I movie (originally shown with a 4:3 AR) can be in HDTV (not upconverted) and still have a 4:3 aspect ratio, with side bars to fill the 16:9 HDTV transmission standard. It is a rare occurance, but it can and does happen that a 4:3 movie is telecined to HDTV, as 101 Dalmatians was.

First HD content on ESPN last night, picture looked great but there was a lot of stuttering at times. Reds/Giants isn't exactly my idea of great sports action, either. ;) I noticed HBO and Showtime were having lots of problems, too.

last night I was watching "Original Sin" on SHowtimeHD and the video was highly pixelated and I kept losing audio too. frustrated , I decided to switch to the other channels - the analog 99 as well as Digital 361 and found the
same problem. looks like the problem was with the sourcing itself. anyone experience this same problem ?

our street has had digital cable for a month now, and i notice that most channels are granier than before on my same TV... even broadcast channels occasionally.
only the movie channels 202-205 have consitently been clear.

I can't believe comcast would be so bad everywhere else.. i am presuming it is just my street. anyone else in Westford, MA care to comment ? how is it in the other neighbouring towns as well ?
did u suffer like this during deployment ?

Sounds like your signal levels are too low, or there's too much noise in the cable line. The cable co should come out and fix this free of charge.

where can we find the ESPNHD schedule for the NFL games. I was hoping to get CBSHD in time for the Patriot games.. but now, hopefully ESPNHD will show most of those same games.. anyone can send me a confirmation, pointer to ESPNHD programming schedule..

I went to their website but didn't figure out how to tell if it is being broadcast in HD or not..

anyone else notice that close captioning has become very bad with Comcast Digital ? previously with analog service, I used to get most channels with close captioning. Now, very few channels have Close captioning. for .e.g. none of the premium channels seem to have close captioning most of the time.

Worst, Close captioning never works with HD channels.. so 805 and 807 won't have CC even when 5 and 7 have this problem.

Motorola confirmed that their box does CC fine. even on HD channels.
so looks like Comcast is not broadcasting CC or else
messing up the CC.

Finally, the DCT5100 CC capability sucks.
U have to switch off the box, hit the menu button to turn on or off CC.
you cannot choose to add/remove CC without interrupting watching ur programs.
with a HD box, I would've expected a subtitle button like on the TV or DVD remotes.. to turn and off..
hopefully the 6200s (when they arrive) will have that option.

any idea when the 6200s arrive to our neck of the woods..

sorry for the barrage of postings.. just got comcast digital after waiting for years.. and it has been truly disappointing. seriously considering switching to dish.

Check the HDTV Programming section, there's a sticky thread about NFL coverage.

Last night was the first time I've seen the HD broadcast problems, I've had HD for about a month and a half.

ESPN will not show any games that are carried by CBS.

CBS has yet to announce if it will have NFL games in HD this year.

It is not known if or when Comcast will start carrying CBS-HD.

Has anyone found ESPN-HD on their Intergrated QAM tuner yet. I called Comcast and they said it is not a scrambled channel and we should be able to get it. Did a scan yesterday and still no ESPN-HD

FAiello -
I don't have an integrated QAM tuner, but I had trouble getting ESPN-HD on my Mot 5100. I found that unplugging the unit and letting it reset solved my problems. You may find this works for you as well. Just a thought.

CBS Sports and DirecTV join to present 'The NFL on CBS' in HDTV


Primary Game Each Week of 2003-04 Season To Be Broadcast In Highest Definition Television Format; HD Games Also Will Be Available on DIRECTV's Exclusive NFL SUNDAY TICKET Package
NEW YORK and El SEGUNDO, CA, August 5, 2003 -- CBS Sports and DIRECTV, Inc. will join to present CBS's primary game each week of the 17-week 2003 NFL ON CBS regular-season schedule in high definition television live on the CBS Television Network. The announcement was made today by Sean McManus, President, CBS Sports and Roxanne Austin, President & COO, DIRECTV, Inc.

THE NFL ON CBS's primary game broadcast in digital television's highest definition format, 1080i, also will be made available to subscribers of DIRECTV's exclusive NFL SUNDAY TICKET package throughout the 17-week regular-season schedule. Both over the air and DIRECTV customers must have appropriate HD-enabled equipment to be able to view the games. The HD games will be regionalized on the CBS Television Network, but on NFL SUNDAY TICKET will be subject to the NFL's hometown blackout rule only when the hometown stadium is not sold out. The designation of the HD game will be determined on a week-to-week basis. These games are being offered as part of a five-year agreement with the National Football League for exclusive rights to NFL SUNDAY TICKET. The agreement between CBS and DIRECTV is for the 2003 regular-season only and will be evaluated for renewal after the 2003 season.

The unified productions for the Standard Definition and HD telecasts will feature the same game announcers, camera angles, replays and graphics. Each HD game also will be broadcast in 5.1 digital dolby surround sound. Coupled with the clarity of 1080 lines of picture resolution, the HD broadcast will bring the stadium experience to the viewers' home.

"There is no better sports property than the NFL to showcase what HDTV can mean for viewers," said McManus. "CBS is the undisputed leader in HDTV programming, and we are proud to partner with DIRECTV in furthering our commitment to something that is making sports programming more enjoyable everyday."

"Avid football fans turn to DIRECTV for the most comprehensive football coverage every Sunday during the regular season, and our agreement with CBS to offer NFL games in HDTV for the first time makes our exclusive NFL SUNDAY TICKET package even more appealing," said Austin. "Only DIRECTV has NFL SUNDAY TICKET and only DIRECTV will offer NFL games in HDTV nationwide. Try as it might, cable just can't match us."


It is time for Comcast to get their crap together and get CBS in the HD channel line-up.

CBS Sports and DirecTV join to present 'The NFL on CBS' in HDTV

Sure Greg and Phil will do several Patriots games this year.

I still have not found ESPN-HD on my QAM tuner. But wasn't ABC-HD going to have the Patriots game in HD also. If it was it was in 4:3 format and not 16:9.

WCVB only had the SD feed. Verified both OTA and via Comast.

At last I got to see it on ESPNHD here in Taunton!

On CBSportsline web page, the 1st 4 weeks of NFL games on CBS is listed. Pats vs Eagles in week 2 and Pats vs Redskons in week4 will be in HDTV. Darn , I hope CBS and Comcast sign a deal soon.

Originally posted by Benji
Bob Hess...do you have any idea when COMCAST will add WBZ and WSBK? I get pretty good OTA reception of Boston stations, but at times, the signal can be spotty. If these 2 stations are added, I would probably get cable basic service and lose my indoor antenna.

+++++++++++++++++++
Is there any response from WBZ or additional information? I e-mailed WBZ more than a month ago about this and received no reply. I went to Comcast HDTV because my OTA reception was very spotty despite the largest Weinguard antenna and best channel master amplifier. But, without WBZ this is not a complete "picture" - no pun intended.

Do we need to inundate WBZ and Comcast to get them to the table?

It's a national issue between the owned & operated CBS affiliates and Comcast. I very much doubt there's anything WBZ can do locally to change this.

Here's my latest inquiry to Comcast about CBS and their reply. It seems like a standard canned response, but is Comcast in negotiations for Discovery-HD? The response makes specific reference to it, but I only asked about CBS, not Discovery.

I truly hope that Comcast does not screw us come football season.

Here's the reply:



Thank you for writing,

Thank you for your channel request, we are working to provide as many high definition channel broadcasters as possible. 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 Discovery-HD, as this channel is a brand new station.

-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.

If you have any future questions or problems, please feel free to email us again or contact our Technical Support line for further assistance. We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When replying to this address, please include this message as well as all previous correspondence regarding this issue.

Dave S.
Comcast Electronic Customer Care
-------------------------------------------

You can also email us anytime at: AskComcast@Comcast.Net

Tel: 1-888-633-4266 - Customer Care 24/7
Tel: 1-866-447-7333 - Internet Support 24/7

Connecticut Only
Tel: 1-888-824-2273 - Customer Care 24/7
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Tel: 1-888-262-6300 - Internet Support 24/7

--- Original Message ---
Received: 08/10/2003 01:29pm Mountain Standard Time (GMT - 6:00 )
To:
Subject: Service - Comcast Cable Television



Comments:

As an HDTV subscriber located in the Boston market, I
must express my continued concern over the lack of availability of CBS in your HDTV channel line-up. The inability of Comcast to reach agreement with CBS, the largest broadcast network provider of HD content, for the Boston market, sixth largest market in the country, is just not acceptable. Now that it appears that the New England Patriots will be covered by CBS in HDTV during weeks two and four of the season, the pressure continues to mount on Comcast. There is not a sports fan in the Boston area that will forgive Comcast if those games are not available in HDTV via Comcast in the Boston market.

Thank you for your attention to this matter,

Beyond the Patriots, CBS has the most HD content in primetime as well. Comcast really needs to get on the ball here for *all* of their regions before the fall season starts. Has anyone tried to write to folks higher up at Comcast yet?

Originally posted by RAP
+++++++++++++++++++
Is there any response from WBZ or additional information? I e-mailed WBZ more than a month ago about this and received no reply. I went to Comcast HDTV because my OTA reception was very spotty despite the largest Weinguard antenna and best channel master amplifier. But, without WBZ this is not a complete "picture" - no pun intended.

Do we need to inundate WBZ and Comcast to get them to the table?
For the record, RAP, you did not email me. I respond to all emails via this forum and direct. Emails from the web sites for WBZ, WSBK, and WLWC (Technical Issues) go to me.

Bob Hess
Director, Broadcast Operations/Engineering
WBZ-TV, WSBK-TV, WLWC-TV, WBZ Radio

Originally posted by Bob Hess
For the record, RAP, you did not email me. I respond to all emails via this forum and direct. Emails from the web sites for WBZ, WSBK, and WLWC (Technical Issues) go to me.

Bob Hess
Director, Broadcast Operations/Engineering
WBZ-TV, WSBK-TV, WLWC-TV, WBZ Radio

Bob,

Yes you are correct, I did not e-mail you directly. I did e-mail through the web site and did not direct it as a technical issue because I do not believe that it is one. Is it?

My apologies if my post may have been interpreted as such, it is not my intent.

Can you facilitate a reply from the correct group at WBZ?

Regards
Bob

Originally posted by Bob Hess
[B]For the record, RAP, you did not email me. I respond to all emails via this forum and direct.

Bob,

Could you once again update us with any details that you are at liberty to disclose? What exactly is the sticking point? Is it cost, bandwidth, or a combination of both? Has there been any intensification of negotiations as Football season approaches?

I am sure that CBS would like to have it's HDTV broadcasts reach the largest number of viewers possible, but Comcast is likely the one to suffer the most damage as far as customer satifaction if they don't get a deal done soon. As evidenced by Comcast's deal with ESPN, it is obvious that Comcast would be loathe to pay a cent for something it believes it should have for free. Unfortunately, they may only feel more emboldened by their deal with ESPN.

Is the Motorola 5100 STB what Comcastis supplying for HD users? What cables will I need to hook it up to my Denon AV3803 receiver and Elite 630HD RPTV?
Thanks
~Glenn

nhparrot-
Yes, it's the Mot 5100 box. The cable installer will bring an RGB/audio cable to plug the 5100 into your TV set.
He will also bring a COAX cable for digital audio into your receiver. If your receiver doesn't have digital audio input, you can use a y-splitter on the RCA-audio output jacks (one pair to the TV set and one pair to the receiver). Be sure to ask about the COAX cable, they're supposed to bring it but since already had the cables in use from my Zenith DTV-1080 (now in the closet) I didn't ask for it.

Don't forget to complain about WBZ-HD not available!
bob

bob,
So it can do component video out, analog audio out and digital audio out?
thanks again
~Glenn

Originally posted by nhparrot
bob,
So it can do component video out, analog audio out and digital audio out?
thanks again
~Glenn

You have it correct. Check out this link for all the details. It has coax digital and TOSLINK but youve to buy your own TOSLINK cable.

http://www.comcast-ne.com/DCT5100_guide_April03.pdf

Bob,
Thanks again
Glenn

Originally posted by RAP
Bob,

Yes you are correct, I did not e-mail you directly. I did e-mail through the web site and did not direct it as a technical issue because I do not believe that it is one. Is it?

My apologies if my post may have been interpreted as such, it is not my intent.

Can you facilitate a reply from the correct group at WBZ?

Regards
Bob
I know it is frustrating, but I cannot comment at this time..... This is a Company-wide issue, affecting WBZ and other stations in our organization.

- Bob

Bob - thanks for the quick and honest reply. I think we all understand that business issue (especially ones that are this complex) take time and energy to work out, but those of us interested enough to be here do really care, and like to know that they are being worked on.

Any feedback at all is preferable to the standard form-letter response that was posted earlier. I guess that the good news from that is that there is at least enough inquiries regarding HD to warrant a canned response!

btw - now that it's up and running, i have had no technical issues (except a few drop-outs) with the comcast-hd delivery and the end product is fantastic.

Originally posted by c-geek
anyone else notice that close captioning has become very bad with Comcast Digital ? previously with analog service, I used to get most channels with close captioning. Now, very few channels have Close captioning. for .e.g. none of the premium channels seem to have close captioning most of the time.

Worst, Close captioning never works with HD channels.. so 805 and 807 won't have CC even when 5 and 7 have this problem.

Motorola confirmed that their box does CC fine. even on HD channels.
so looks like Comcast is not broadcasting CC or else
messing up the CC.

Finally, the DCT5100 CC capability sucks.
U have to switch off the box, hit the menu button to turn on or off CC.
you cannot choose to add/remove CC without interrupting watching ur programs.
with a HD box, I would've expected a subtitle button like on the TV or DVD remotes.. to turn and off..
hopefully the 6200s (when they arrive) will have that option.

any idea when the 6200s arrive to our neck of the woods..

sorry for the barrage of postings.. just got comcast digital after waiting for years.. and it has been truly disappointing. seriously considering switching to dish.

Comcast does not transmit in CC, the channels that Comcast happen to carry decide what gets CC or not. Comcat does not strip anything off the signal prior to rebroadcasting. So if ABC doesn't have CC on a show, is it Comcasts fault too.. Think this one out.

If you are talking ON DEMAND service that doesn't have CC, Comcast has told me that they are fixing that. All ON DEMAND stuff will have CC by end of March 2004.

Motorola has not begun to mass produce the 6200's yet. There is no CC software change.

I am aware that a cable company like Comcast doesnt add CC.
My complaint was that Comcast was REMOVING CC.

specifically, when NBC - channel 7 's Law&Order show is shown with CC, channel 807 didn't have CC. Similarly, channels such as CNN etc always had CC enabled. this doesn't work most of the time now.


But as an update, I complained to someone who's uncle works in Comcast HD... and not sure if he did something - but CC in HD channels just started working during the 1st Pats game on ESPN HD.

suddenly all the HD channels that day onwards now have CC (obvioulsly when the show carries CC in the first place). so there was some glitch that got fixed.

thanks for the info about INDEMAND CC as well as the Motorola HD PVRs. waiting for the latter desparately !! hopefully they charge a reasonable rental fee for it.

Is anyone in the central MA (Marlborough) area having problem with the digital audio out of the 5100 STB on the HD channels? I noticed last evening that there was no audio at all. All other channels sound fine, just the HD channels (802, 805, 807, 849, 870). I unplugged the box for a few minutes, but that didn't help.

Thanks, Bill

No problems here, except that the volume level varies considerably between channels. All the HD channels are at a much lower level, except for ESPN.

Originally posted by JDLIVE
No problems here, except that the volume level varies considerably between channels. All the HD channels are at a much lower level, except for ESPN.

This frustrated me for a while but the cable guy who installed it said 'that's the way it is due to the compression'. I discovered in the audio set up menu a setting for compression (low-medium-high, or something like that). Change the setting to indicate a high degree of compression and the box will boost up the HD channels. Worked great for me. No more cranking the volume up/down and getting blasted out of the room.

The problem was on my side. I had my receiver set to DTS :o Odd how the regular channels had audio...

Bill

Originally posted by JDLIVE
No problems here, except that the volume level varies considerably between channels. All the HD channels are at a much lower level, except for ESPN.

Read my FAQ below, in the audio section there is an explaination on why this is....

I have had comcast hd for a few weeks now.
Did ESPN HD change their programming in the boston area when the sox were scheduled?
The first game there was no signal. This was a first.
The second game was another game even though the guide said sox.
Yet the games were on the digital channel.
Was this local to Arlington?

I just had Comcast install digital cable and the Motorola 5100 today PBS HD looks
the same as OTA with a Zenith 520 - which means great! HBO and
Showtime HD look great as well. I've had D* for years (and will
continue to do so for some things), but I was pleasantly surprised
that "good quality" cable channels look noticeably better than
the corresponding D* channels on my plasma. The compression
artifacts aren't there. I haven't tried to see if the DVI port on the
5100 is active. I don't really need it and atm I use my one DVI input
for my DVD player. After all the years this town scewed up themselves
and got screwed by cable companies, it's nice to finally get what most
others have had for quite some time.

larry

Thanks miatasm, I had actually read your FAQ before I got HD installed but had forgotten it all. ;)

I live in Wilmington and have Comcast HD, unfortunately I cant get ESPN-HD yet and I'm wondering why. I notice some posters are right in my area and get it. What is involved with the ESPN-HD roll out?

Originally posted by PooperScooper
I just had Comcast install digital cable and the Motorola 5100 today

Larry,

I had Comcast out on the 13th to do my install. Just wait until you see ESPN HD! :D The Bills/Titans game looked sweet!

-Jim
--------------------
Sony KP51WS500
Harman Kardon AVR 225
Sony DVP-NS715P
Harman Kardon HKTS-6
Comcast Digital Cable

Jim McK, you were right, the PQ on Bills/Titans was excellent ,made going to CVB for the Pats/Redskin a pain with the drop in PQ on the analog side,maybe should have seen CVB-DT but get sidebands from 4:3 as well as letterbox from Moto 5100. Set is a 4:3 HD Ready Sony 36"

I've been waiting for some trees to be cut
to get DirecTV HD channels. I probably won't
do it now. Can't wait for football season to
start - both college and pro! I can get OTA CBS-HD,
so the lack of it on Comcast isn't an issue.

larry

Is ESPN-HD encrypted or not? CSR said that it isn't but I am unable to receive this channel with my Mits integrated QAM tuner. I presently can get ABC-HD, NBC-HD, and PBS-HD. Also what about INHD when it is available will it be encrypted? I do not feel I should have to rent equipment from Comcast if I already have a tuner, They are now charging $7.25/mo. equipment charge.

ESPN-HD is probably encrypted as it is part of their digital cable service.

The local broadcast stations can be received without a subscription to digital cable, just a HD cable box or as you discovered via your integrated QAM tuner.

My guess is that anything above and beyond your local broadcast stations in HD will be encypted (ESPN, INHD and INHD2 for example.)

What are the QAM channel numbers? I'm having trouble finding them.

Originally posted by FAiello
Is ESPN-HD encrypted or not? CSR said that it isn't but I am unable to receive this channel with my Mits integrated QAM tuner. I presently can get ABC-HD, NBC-HD, and PBS-HD. Also what about INHD when it is available will it be encrypted? I do not feel I should have to rent equipment from Comcast if I already have a tuner, They are now charging $7.25/mo. equipment charge.

Because ESPN-HD is a Pay service, as is Comcast Sports Net, HBO, SHO, and the InHD channels will be encrypted also, these ARE part of Premium cable packages and are NOT must carrys'. Think of your QAM Tuner in your TV as a old Click dial TV when it comes to HD. For now you will only be able to get anything that is free OTA with a direct cable. I believe its in the Contracts with the Providers & Broadcasters, also.

i am in wayland and have had D for 7 years and am thinking of upgrading to hd and people at tweeter are pushing comcast and dump the dish and people at cambridge soundworks pushing d and not going with comcast if i stay just with the dish i am worried about the kind of reception if any i will get ota
help

HEY, BIG FOX NEWS!!

Just added a thread in "Programming", but thought I should mention it here too:

As of this moment (12:30 PM on Tuesday), channel 807 (which is usually the DT version of Ch. 7) is broadcasting a DT signal from FOX 25 instead. I'm guessing they're about to add FOX, but someone goofed when doing channel assignment.

Or maybe it's just a test.

Whoops, my thread in "Programming" just got moved to this section, so don't look for it there.

David49,
I've been a DirecTV user for 6 or 7 years - never had a good thing to
say about cable in my town until now.
On DirecTV there are "good" channels and "bad" channels in terms
of PQ. However, with the good channels, compression artifacts are
still present. On Comast digital cable, at least in my town, the channels
on Comcast that correspond to the "good" channels on DirecTV look
great! Very good PQ with no compression artifacts. I was pleasantly
surprised.

You should have no problems with OTA HDTV where you live. I get
all the Boston stations where I live using a $40 Silver Sensor antenna.
Well, all the stations except WLVI - I'm not crying over that one... :)

The only reason I'll be keeping some sort of DirecTV is because of
my Tivo (combined Tivo and sat receiver) and extra Sports packages.

The only advantage I see with DirecTV at this time is that they currently
offer more HDTV channels. There may be also some other channel
mismatches, but none that concern me. YMMV.

larry

Looks like Fox on 807 is gone now (at least, I didn't see it). Anyone have any more info about this?

I'm guessing it will show up within the next couple of days. I say ch 825? Any other guesses?

Originally posted by n_plasma
Looks like Fox on 807 is gone now (at least, I didn't see it). Anyone have any more info about this?

It was on when I checked (around noontime).

It was still on a bit after 1 PM when I went on a grocery run.

I checked again a bit after 2 and NBC was back on that channel. I guess they're just testing at the moment.

Originally posted by DaveFi
I'm guessing it will show up within the next couple of days. I say ch 825? Any other guesses?

FOX 25 is on Comcast ch. 13, so my guess would be - 813.

Originally posted by BobColby
FOX 25 is on Comcast ch. 13, so my guess would be - 813.

Errr.... Not on my service it's not. Fox 25 is on channel 25 here.

Anyway, I got a flyer in the mail from Comcast today officially announcing that ESPN-HD is available now (breaking news this is) and that INHD and INHD2 will be debuting September 15th. No word on Fox or any other stations.

thank you pooper scooper i am now leaning towards comcast and dumpint the dish as comcast is offering 400 over 16 months to do so but i think i will first get a hdtv for bedroom and see how it goes before investing big bucks for the family room am leaning towards samsung dlp though phillips cineos seems to be getting lots of buzz

Originally posted by Josh Z
Errr.... Not on my service it's not. Fox 25 is on channel 25 here.

Anyway, I got a flyer in the mail from Comcast today officially announcing that ESPN-HD is available now (breaking news this is) and that INHD and INHD2 will be debuting September 15th. No word on Fox or any other stations.

Interesting...didn't know that Boston and Watertown had different lineups.

I wouldn't expect any advance notice when they add Fox for real. As you pointed out, they didn't do it for ESPN.

I'm going to drop into the Watertown office today and see if the CSRs are aware of what happened on 807 yesterday. I won't be surprised if they're not; they really are the last to know.

The people in those offices are the last to know anything. They're basically cashiers.

I wouldn't have gone if I wasn't passing right by. Predictable non-results (same with the phone CSRs, and that was after putting me on hold while they went looking for someone who might know something).

Hi got the mailing today that ESPN HD on 849, and INHD 1 and 2 on 881 and 882 coming on 9/15. Any other hot rumors on Fox in Boston? Other threads have other Comcast cities added or soon to add Fox ED Digital. The Dolby 5.1 audio on Fox Sports will be worth the wait.

I'm currently pretty happy with HDTV from DirecTV, but if the right things happened, I wouldn't mind switching to Comcast (while still holding onto DirecTV for NFL Sunday Ticket). Could somebody provide likely timeframes for Comcast (in Marblehead, MA) offering each the following products/services:

HDTV DVR Box
NESN-HD
Cinemax-HD
HDnet
HDnet Movies
Discovery Theater HD
Bravo HD
Starz-HD
WBZ-DT
WSBK-DT
WLVI-DT

From what I've read, this is what they already offer:
ESPN-HD
INHD (within a month)
INHD2 (within a month)
HBO-HD
Showtime-HD
WFXT-DT (likely within a month)
WCVB-DT
WHDH-DT
WGBH-DT

Someone help me please!

They disconnected my service and won't say why!

Why do you think they did this?

Originally posted by ssetta
Someone help me please!

They disconnected my service and won't say why!

Why do you think they did this?

You pay your bills on time?

Are you sure it's not just a temporary outage?

Ok, let me explain.

See, I kept calling and scheduling these appointments for problems that "weren't real."

See, sometimes when I'm bored, or in between shows, I will purposely flip through the channels to see if there's a problem. I have experienced intermittent problems with QVC shopping network with lines of interference. I don't watch that channel, I just flip through the channels and see problems with it, occasionally. And every time I saw it, I would actually call and schedule an appointment for a tech to come out. Then, when it was time, I would cancel the appointment. Then, later, the problem would come back, and I would schedule another one. And when they came, there wouldn't be anything wrong. So now, they are still providing us with cable service, but they will not send anymore techs to this address.

Does that make sense?? What is there to do about it??

First you post that your service was "disconnected" and now you say you still have service but they won't send techs.

Well, that's what I meant. But why isn't there anything that can be done to fix this problem? And why do they have to treat me this way?

Ummm...probably the fact requesting service multiple times and then at the last minute canceling it costs them money and wasted time.

In some ways you should be thankful they decided not to charge you for each canceled appointment since they are $16 a pop now.

Personally for an issue like that I would just fill out Comcast's webform so they know there is an issue with the channel cause likely the problem is in the headend not at the box.

I smell a troll. Or one of the Jerky Boys.

Comcast is already sketchy on providing adequate service and with you calling and scheduling service visits everytime you see the slightest distortion on the cubic zirconia's on QVC, you take away the ability of people with real problems to get service visits or for initial installs. A couple of my friends who recently got hdtv's had to wait 10 days or more for initial hdtv installation by Comcast.

10 days is nothing for Comcast. I've had to wait over a month in the past for installs.

to agacek how do you find the overall quality of hd i am in wayland and thinking of dumping the dish because i won't be able to get good ota hd reception so comcast seems like the only way to go

sseta- We've discussed this before. Natick analog cable is poor- it's about as bad as you can get. The system is well over 20yrs old. There is no way to fix it other than a complete overhaul- and what with analog being phased out, there's no need for them to do it.

How ever bad your analog service is, it's not as bad as mine, which is pretty much unwatchable. They won't fix it.

Originally posted by jckessler
10 days is nothing for Comcast. I've had to wait over a month in the past for installs.


Does the quality of Comcast installation services vary greatly from office to office?

I live in a town served by the Comcast office in Arlington and have had no problems.

I bought my first HD set earlier this month, right before the Pat's first exhibition games on ESPNHD, which was a big factor in the purchasing decision. I purchased the TV at Tweeter on a Sunday. I was assured by the sales rep that I could have the set delivered on Wednesday of that week (the game was on Tghursday night), and they actually delivered on Tuesday. On my way out of the store, I phoned Comcast to schedule the HDTV installation. The earliest install time they had was Thursday of that week, which was great as the game was that night, so I book for 1:00 to 3:00 Thursday afternoon. I did call again on Wednesday to confirm and was suprised that everything was on track, and the reps I spoke with both days understood what I was ordering.

That Thursday, the Comcast installer arrived at 12:50 (ten minutes earlier than scheduled). He actually had someone with him that he was training on Hi-Def installs. They showed up with a good quality set of component cable and the requisite knowledge to complete the install. I requested that they throw a signal strength meter on the cable feed to verify that the signal was up to the task and the installer complied without complaint. He also made up new coax cables without being asked. He was knowledgeable about HDTV and claimed to have a set at home with Comcast HD service. They were there for about 40 minutes and everything worked when they left and has continued to since.

Wow, if this is supposed to be the new face of Comcast, I hope everyone gets the chance to see it.

You get lucky from time to time. When I had the HD installation a few months ago, the guy came with 4 trainees- I guess he just assumed I'd be OK with 5 strangers in my apartment. Lol.

The instructor was somewhat knowledgable, but when I told him I'd rather do it for myself, he told the trainees that the early adopters would probably want this. But none of the trainees knew anything about HD and they were seeing it for the first time in my apartment.

It will probably be a few years before all the installers are up to speed on HD.

David,

I have both an ota tuner (samsung 150) and comcast hdtv and have found them comparable in quality on both my mits 55807 rptv (old tv) and sony hs10 (new projector). The image may be a little softer on comcast but not enough to detract from the experience or even make me want to keep my ota tuner hooked up. anyone want a slightly used sir-t150? With ESPNHD/INHD/FoxEDTV on the horizon it seems like a no brainer to me.

-Adam

Anybody else have problems with NBC-HD channel on Comast?
I get no picture/signal. I can get NBC-HD channel OTA.

larry

Originally posted by mgpt6
Any other hot rumors on Fox in Boston?

I wrote both Comcast and Fox this morning to see if they knew anything about the brief broadcast of FOX DT on ch 807 and what it might mean for the future. No response from Fox so far, but the Comcast answer was the meatiest I've gotten for any inquiry so far (though it didn't address the test broadcast directly):

We are working out agreements with FOX, WBZ-TV, Discovery HD, and HD-Net to carry their programming. Currently we cannot give you a definite date of when HD programming for those channels will be added, but be assured that we are working on obtaining broadcast rights to as many HD channels as possible.

Originally posted by BobColby
We are working out agreements with FOX, WBZ-TV, Discovery HD, and HD-Net to carry their programming. Currently we cannot give you a definite date of when HD programming for those channels will be added, but be assured that we are working on obtaining broadcast rights to as many HD channels as possible. [/i]
Thank you, Bob. That seems like a fairly positive, forward looking statement. We can only hope that they can pull this off in the near term. Of course, WBZ-TV is the local CBS affiliate, which carries NFL football and their prime time lineup. We have been waiting impatiently for CBS-HD.

Mickey

Hi Guys WCVB -DT showing HD Chronicle shows. Picture is awesome.This is the first time I have seen WCVB-DT broadcast something different from what is on WCVB-TV 5 (ABC College Football now on Ch.5)

Originally posted by mgpt6
Hi Guys WCVB -DT showing HD Chronicle shows. Picture is awesome.This is the first time I have seen WCVB-DT broadcast something different from what is on WCVB-TV 5 (ABC College Football now on Ch.5)

I'll go further, this is the first time I've heard of any non-PBS network affiliate treating its DT operation as a separate entity that can have its own schedule. Wow, they're treating us HD viewers as though we actually exist or something!

Interesting side note - the "story producer" on the "historic first high-def Chronicle" was Clint Conley, who I've known for many years due to his musical affiliations (Mission of Burma, Consonant) - he was on the front cover of a recent Phoenix, and Consonant's CD release party is at TT the Bears (Central Sq in Cambridge) this coming Friday.

And just as I mention this, 805 joins 807 in going to black.

Regardless, I urge those who've enjoyed what we saw to thank WCVB for doing something nice for us.

Comcast has had problems with WCVB most of the day- I'm not sure if it's OTA or not. Maybe they're gearing up for InHD and Fox?

BTW, there were also some Chronicle showings on Sunday as well, which were more recent (this year) than the ones they kept repeating Saturday. Prior to this, I hadn't known that there had been any HDTV editions of this program.

Well, I am about to switch to RCN, and they have far more HDTV than Comcast, and RCN seems to be "the thing" on my street. So, hopefully they're better. But I've noticed that they don't get as many channels as Comcast does. Does anyone think they're better?

Does RCN use the same "wires" as Comcast?
If so, it may not be any better for you.
larry

I don't think they do, but I'm not sure. All I can say is, it looks like just about everyone else on our street has switched. We have had quite a few people from them in the past come to try to force us to switch. The only thing about RCN that I am against is that they don't carry the PBS channel out of Rhode Island. So, do they use the same wires? Do they? I don't see how they can, because I heard their wiring was all new.

RCN, why pay more? They charge for some of their HD channels in addition to the STB rental. Comcast has no additional fees and is about to add FOX and INHD with DiscoveryHD and HDNet on the way, so I'm hanging with them.

FROM RCN:
"Renting the HD converter box gives you free access to HD programming on ABC, NBC, PBS and FOX. If you already have standard HBO and Showtime subscriptions you can see these networks in HD as well. However, for an additional $12/month RCN also offers a special tier of HD programming that includes Discovery HD Theatre, ESPN HD, HD Net and HD Net Movies."

It will be interesting to see if Comcast keeps the current pricing structure
as it adds more HD channels. I would be surprised if they do, especially
if/when they add HDnet and DiscoveryHD. If/when that happens,
making ESPN-HD, HDNet, DiscoveryHD, and maybe INHD a separate
"tier" isn't totally out of the question. Somewhere, sometime, as they
pay more for programming, they'll have to pass it along to us.

I just signed up to Comcast, so I'm not exactyl sure how the pricing
works, but judging from the pro-rated charges, I don't see a special
charge for HD. I believe it just costs more to rent the HD capable 5100.

Oh, and ssetta, I don't know how the cable companies "deliver" service.
They could do what the phone company does, and let different carriers
use the wire. Stringing private wires is possible. Not many towns
have cable companies that compete - unfortunately.

larry

I'm not actually interested in HDTV just yet. Although, we should be getting it soon. I'm mostly concerned about the analog problems I told you about. And I found out the name for the problem I was seeing. It's called "noise interference", where you see lines on the screen that move with the noise of some powerful station. It's a problem with the amplifier on the pole, but they are just sick of me as a customer, calling and complaining, and setting up service calls. That's why I'm going to RCN, because their wiring is newer, and it looks like its better. That's what people around here are saying.

They do not use the same wires. I can see eventually that there will be a different "tier" for some HD channels. But I can see it will probably be grouped in with the "Digital Plus" Packaging. For example you can get ABC, NBC, PBS, & Fox in HD with just the convertor rental, but if you subscribe to digital plus you can get the others, ect. This is just a guess, however.

SSShhhhhh....don't give Comcast more ideas, it's at no added cost for now so enjoy it! I'm checking often for the Fox addition, 825 would be my guess. And I have to say, I've had no problems with Comcast since they took over, with the exception of the cable installers, which can be somewhat clueless. Otherwise no problems with cable or internet. Also looking forward to the 6208 box with 80gig PVR, will be sweet to pause/record hd channels. i'll be tossing the TiVo.

Is that like Video On Demand (VOD)? I know that RCN is already offering it. I told you they're becoming more advanced!

Comcast is already rolling out VOD as well. A lot of towns on the south shore already have it. I have it here in Hanover, but its SD not HD, but I'm sure in the future they will have HD VOD.

The 6208 box, will that be able to record HD?

VOD is nothing like Tivo or PVR/DVR technology. VOD programming is located on servers at you local CSO. The programming that goes on to those servers is chosen by your Cable Co. Then you chose from that programming what you want to watch.

PVR/DVR (tivo/replytv) basically works like a VCR where it records programming onto a Hard Drive, but YOU decide which programming goes on to YOUR HDD. And you can watch-pause-rewind live TV. And also record anything you want, when you want.

VOD & PVR are 2 different animals, you cannot even compare the 2 technologies.

& Yes 6208 should be able to record HD....it will just take up more space on the HDD...

I've done some searches and I can not figure out exactly what InHD is.
Could someone explain this for me.
Thanks?

InHD and InHD2 are two new HD channels that Comcast should be adding on 9/15. You can get more info at http://www.inhd.com

Basically its two channels like HDNet, sports, and other programming, all HD 24hrs a day.

It should be a nice addition to the HD package, now if they could just get Fox25 and 7 in HD we would be all set.

7? WHDH-DT is already offered by Comcast on 807, Maybe you meant WBZ-DT channle 4? CBS and Comcast still negotiating. Also get ready for Cinemax HD on Comcast plus On-Demand:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comcast to add Cinemax HD; also HBO on-demand and Cinemax on-demand:

Press Contacts
Jenni Moyer, Comcast
215/851-3311

Jeff Cusson, Home Box Office
212/512-1343

Comcast And Home Box Office Extend HBO And Cinemax Distribution Agreement

PHILADELPHIA, PA AND NEW YORK, NY (August 19, 2003) -- Comcast, the country's leading cable and broadband communications provider, and Home Box Office, the largest and most successful premium television company in the U.S., today announced that they have extended their carriage agreement for the company's two pay TV services, HBO and Cinemax. In addition to the core HBO and Cinemax channels, the long-term agreement includes the distribution of the subscription video on demand (SVOD) services HBO on Demand and Cinemax on Demand as well as high definition feeds of HBO HD and Cinemax HD. Additional terms of the agreement were not announced.

Comcast will make HBO on Demand and Cinemax on Demand available in areas where its ON DEMAND service is available and in new ON DEMAND markets as they are launched. HBO HD, a mirror of HBO's main feed with 75 percent of the network's programming in true high definition, is currently available in more than 20 markets where Comcast offers its HDTV service. HBO HD and Cinemax HD, which is scheduled for launch this fall, will continue to be rolled out to customers as the service becomes available in additional markets. The subscription video on demand and HD services will be available at no additional monthly charge to Comcast Digital Cable customers with a subscription to HBO or Cinemax, respectively.

meff below is more info on the new moto stb's, word is they will be available in some markets after nov 1, we'll wait and see:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Motorola DCT6000 family of set-tops includes:

Motorola DCT6200. The DCT6200 is the next generation of Motorola’s popular DCT5100 platform. Motorola has enhanced this set-top with an 800 MIPS internal processor – an upgrade of over 150 percent. Additionally, the Motorola DCT6200 includes an “Entertainment Package,” which enables a direct digital connection to consumer audio and video devices via 1394-DTV and DVI interfaces.

All DCT6200 outputs (both analog and digital) are available, which facilitate consumer interaction in multiple DTV interface configurations. The DCT6200 includes an MPEG encoder, making the set-top “PVR-capable” with the addition of an external 1394 hard disk drive. These enhancements provide an even more compelling, easy-to-use, HDTV and PVR experience for the cable customer

Motorola DCT6208. The DCT6208 becomes the cable industry’s first fully integrated, solution for HDTV, PVR, and advanced interactive features. Like the DCT6200, the DCT6208 offers an 800 MIPS processor and has 1394-DTV and DVI interfaces, and an internal 80 GB hard disk drive.

Designed with evolving industry standards like DOCSIS set-top gateway (DSG) in mind, the DCT6200 and DCT6208 come with a host of standard features including a DOCSIS-compatible cable modem, a smart-card reader, Ethernet and Universal Serial Bus (USB) interfaces, Y-Pb-Pr video output, S/PDIF optical and coaxial digital audio outputs, and baseband and RF audio-video I/Os.

Thanks, avic. That is great information. The 6208 sounds like a winner to me.

Originally posted by avic
7? WHDH-DT is already offered by Comcast on 807, Maybe you meant WBZ-DT channle 4? CBS and Comcast still negotiating.

I meant WBZ4, I still think of channel 7 as CBS since it was for so many years.

Wow, looks like the 6208 might be a good replacement for one of my Showstoppers..and in HD to boot!

I must say I am real impressed with what Comcast has done with the situation AT&T left them.

I agree- Here in Taunton (Rehoboth head end) the week that the merger closed, we had HD offerings here. I was one of the first people in town to get an HD box, but I'm still happy that I have an OTA tuner :) With the news of NESN HD and the new HD offerings via comcast, this is looking up.
Tim

Originally posted by miatasm
For example you can get ABC, NBC, PBS, & Fox in HD with just the converter rental, but if you subscribe to digital plus you can get the others, ect. This is just a guess, however.

Are you saying you can get local HD channels and receiver from Comcast without having to order anything else? How much is that?

I currently have Directv with locals, Comcast Basic (so I can get our local government channels) and get HD via OTA Zenith 420. By renting the box the only locals I would need OTA would be WB and CBS.

Of course I would love having the other HD channels offered by either DTV or Comcast, but I think I may have a tree problem for the position of the oval DTV dish, and don't want to just switch back to cable because I have a DirecTivo that I could not live without. I know I could get a standalone TIVO, but they only record one channel at a time. Anyone know if dual tuner standalones are in the works?

Originally posted by ssetta
Someone help me please!

They disconnected my service and won't say why!

Why do you think they did this?

Is everything gone or do you still get certain channels? About 4 years ago I switched from cable to DTV, but kept only basic cable. However, Comcast (Mediaone then I guess, or was it ATT?) did not cut off the Extended Basic channels and I have been getting them ever since.

Well, just this past week I got a letter from Comcast that in doing an audit of their system in came to their attention that I was getting channels I do not pay for and it said that on or around Sept. 30, I will lose these channels.

Maybe this is what happened to you?

I agree- Here in Taunton (Rehoboth head end) the week that the merger closed, we had HD offerings here. I was one of the first people in town to get an HD box, but I'm still happy that I have an OTA tuner With the news of (NESN HD) and the new HD offerings via comcast, this is looking up.
Tim

NESN is going HD! Someone please elaborate I haven't heard any news about this one!!!

Called Comcast today. No info from the CSR with any more HDTV channel adds. Said she would forward to HDTV specialists and would be get an e-mail response back.

Joeinma,
Being a new Comcast customer, I believe you
get PBS, NBC, ABC, and ESPN (all HD) if you
rent the "HD stb", which I think around $8/month.
HBO and Showtime HD are available with the
HD stb and HBO and Showtime packages. As they
add more HD, it has to change. I could be wrong
about the billing, but I didn't see a line item
for HD channels and my prices were pro-rated.

Back in June I had somebody agree to come
and cut down two tall pines in my neighbor's yard (they
didn't mind) so I could get to the 110 sat. The
tree guy still hasn't come but I don't care now!
THe PQ of the digital SD channels is better
than DirectTV SD - no compression artifacts.

larry

But is it better than RCN? Probably not. That's where I'm going next week.

Good luck, ssetta.

larry

Originally posted by PooperScooper
Joeinma,
Being a new Comcast customer, I believe you
get PBS, NBC, ABC, and ESPN (all HD) if you
rent the "HD stb", which I think around $8/month.
HBO and Showtime HD are available with the
HD stb and HBO and Showtime packages. As they
add more HD, it has to change. I could be wrong
about the billing, but I didn't see a line item
for HD channels and my prices were pro-rated.
larry

Great, thanks Larry! I will definitely have to pay the $8.00 and do this. It's worth it just for the ESPN Sunday night football games! :D Does the Comcast HD receiver have an input for OTA antenna in order to get CBS and FOX (wide screen) until Comcast adds them to the HD package? If not I guess I will have to keep my Zenith 420 hooked up just for those channels.

One last question on this..does Comcast have to come out to install this receiver or can I just pick up up at their offices, and do they run a separate cable for HD feeds or use their regular cables? The reason I ask is that since I currently have DTV, my cable tv cable merges with the DTV cables in the multiswitch and then runs to 3 different TV's where the diplexers (sp?) splits the signal out between cable and DTV. Would this setup weaken the HD signal?

Any help would be great!

New cables do not need to be run. Anytime you connect a cable to a passive device its bound to lose some signal, but common Sat Splitter/Combiners do degrade the signal slightly. I've seen Cable HD work with them, & not work with them. It all depends on hows its configured, home many lines, ect. But if it was me I would be running a dedicated line for the Cable HD, if you can.

Most Comcast areas have adopted the same rule, that doesn't allow customers to pick up boxes, they have to be installed by technicians.

The Motorola DTC5100 & Scientific Atlanta HD STB's Comcast currently uses do not have an input for an OTA antenna.

BTW Fox just was released today in the Philly Market so it probably won't be long before it reaches Boston Area.

Ok truly one last question about Comcast HD..since I only have basic cable (ie locals) if I added Comcast HD receiver, would I definitely get ESPN HD or do I have to bump up to the whatever the package is that carries regular ESPN -- Extended Basic??.

I'm completely 100% positive on this, but with Locals only if you wanted HD you would only get the locals that you Cable Co. offers in HD, ESPN isn't considered a Local because ESPN is a pay channel. Meaning you couldn't get it with an antenna for free. Your Cable company may ask you to get one of their Digital Packages in order to get ESPN. In Philly I know you can only get Comcast Sports Net HD if you subscribe to Digital Plus. This may be the same for ESPN.

I spoke with a CSR for an unrelated reason, and he told me that the goal was to have INHD in half of the New England systems by the end of the year. At least that is waht the email that he had recieved yesterday was saying.

Tim

Comcast's CSRs know little or nothing about HDTV.

Considering you're probably speaking with someone in Seattle, don't expect them to have the right answers about our area.

Joe:

Your multiswitch might or might not work. I had a winegaurd 18db amp right after my cablemodem/tv split, and that woulnd't pass 1000mhz back and forth so the 5100 could see the headend, but the headend can't see the box. Comcast tried out one of their amps (only 15db) and it worked fine so I went with that. From what I have seen, signal strength can be a very strong issue with HD since without the amp inline I couldn't even get a clear analog picture, HD was a pipe dream.

Figure have them come out to do the install (its likely they have specials for new customers) and make sure before they leave that the box can be seen from their end, otherwise as updates come down the pike you will be SOL.

Also for ESPNHD I think you need at least a basic digital package. But the games look great in HD! Now if we could just get CBS and Fox I would be happy and stop debating getting an OTA box.

Originally posted by avic
meff below is more info on the new moto stb's, word is they will be available in some markets after nov 1, we'll wait and see:

If the 6208 has better picture quality on the analog channels than the 5100 box (which is very poor), I'll be all over that the day it is first offered.

I may be wrong, but I don'[t think the stb has much to do with the PQ
of the analog channels. I've plugged the cable into the 5100, a Zenith
520, and another TV - analog is bad on all of them. :) The analog
PQ is more sensitive to cabling in the neighborhood, house, etc., and
source, of course.

Yankee/Red Sox Game -- fox feed is now on channel 813 -- full frame but not HD. Maybe later today/tonight HD content will be broadcast. Things are looking up!

Fox does not do HD, only 480p Widescreen. Its still better than analog though.

Hey, 805 is running HD Chronicles again (while analog ch. 5 is running college football). I even heard the announcer say "this is WCVB-DT" (with the "DT" emphasized).

BTW, I talked last night to the "story producer" who did the first HD Chronicle a few years ago. He didn't know how much HD they would be doing going forward, but they do now own the equipment (which they had to rent in the beginning). Still costs more per episode, so I would expect it to still be limited to the most "scenic" episodes for awhile.

may i just inform ye lucky comcastians that i hate adelphia?
anyone want to run an HD over IP stream from their home to my adelphia-bound home? mayday!

Has anybody else in the Boston area lost the ESPN-HD channel on Comcast? My other channels are showing up OK, but I get the "available shortly" screen for 849 ESPN-HD.

Originally posted by MickeyGee
Has anybody else in the Boston area lost the ESPN-HD channel on Comcast? My other channels are showing up OK, but I get the "available shortly" screen for 849 ESPN-HD.

Its on in Hanover in its stretched glory. Hope it stays for tonights game! Still no 813 (fox25) here yet, but on the ESPNHD add we were a few days behind.

My question/delemia is go buy my birthday gift of a OTA STB or hold out for Comcast and CBS or not...

I have no ESPNHD either, thought it was my cable box....guess not! Lousy timing for this!

Interesting, I was just watching the Titans-Raiders
on ESPN-HD here. Sorry to hear that.

larry

No problem with 849 here in Watertown.

ESPN HD fine north of Boston No 813 Fox yet

So, do any Mass. towns *other than* Dover have Fox yet?

Very strange. I called Comcast last night at gametime hoping they could figure something out. They had me pull the power to do a full reset, that didn't do anything. The CSR told me they would forward the info to an "HDTV specialist" who would call me that evening, but I didn't receive any call. I was hoping to grill him for more HD info, too. ;)

MickeyGee, where in the Boston area are you?

Originally posted by JDLIVE
Very strange. I called Comcast last night at gametime hoping they could figure something out. They had me pull the power to do a full reset, that didn't do anything. The CSR told me they would forward the info to an "HDTV specialist" who would call me that evening, but I didn't receive any call. I was hoping to grill him for more HD info, too. ;)

MickeyGee, where in the Boston area are you?
I still don't have ESPN-HD working. I called Comcast yesterday and they sent a signal, but that didn't work. I have done several unplug and reboots, but that does nothing. My other HD channels are strong. Comcast told me to call back and they would send a tech out, which I guess I will do today. I am located in Hopkinton. Since this looks like an isolated problem, it could be caused by my set (Sony GW) which blocks return signals when using the TV's converter.

Mickey

Originally posted by MickeyGee
I still don't have ESPN-HD working. I called Comcast yesterday and they sent a signal, but that didn't work. I have done several unplug and reboots, but that does nothing. My other HD channels are strong. Comcast told me to call back and they would send a tech out, which I guess I will do today. I am located in Hopkinton. Since this looks like an isolated problem, it could be caused by my set (Sony GW) which blocks return signals when using the TV's converter.

Mickey

I too am in Hopkinton, experiencing the same problems. Please post the resolution when you become aware of it. Thanks.

John

I was able to verify that my ESPN-HD (Comcast channel 849) is back on. Unfortunately, I have no idea what fixed it. I had left the Moto 5100 unplugged overnight, but I am not sure that had any effect. My guess is that Comcast figured out the problem and fixed it after getting a few calls.

Mickey

Back on here, too. Wonder what the cause was?

North of Boston 825 WFXT-DT and 881 INHD Preview,but just blank screen with "Not Authorized" as of Tuesday afternoon.

Well, switched to RCN today, and it's not better, it's worse! Check out the reception on channel 14 (WGBX 44)! It's as if it were being received with an antenna! Same with channel 21, and channel 9 has very poor closed-captions! And, I can't get any of the 100 channels! WHAT A COMPLETE WASTE!!!!!:mad: I wanna go back to Comast! What am I to do about this???

Looks like you shot yourself in the foot there sseta. Though I'm sure Comcast would be more than happy to come and switch you back to Comcast. But a lesson learned, don't call for a service tech to come to your house for stupid reasons and then cancel at the last minute. You should be very lucky that you weren't charged. So suck it up, call Comcast back, and if you see a problem, sure call, but don't schedule an appointment unless its been going on for more than 30 minutes constantly.

Scoops

I have to disagree with you Scoops....Although he may have been a little picky with his picture, if he was having a legitamite problem then it should have been fixed by the Cable Co. Now since you didn't see his problem yourself nor do you know for sure if the problem was legit you, can't tell him to stop calling for stupid reasons....And if he's having a constant, legit, yet intemittent problem he should call until the problem is resolved not wait until it happens for 30min at a time......

My 2 cents worth is that you would have never known how good RCN was at your location until you tried it. So you tried it and don't like it, switch back to Comcast, and if your "problem" is still there, insist on it being fixed but be patient, courteous, and persistant. There is alot of equipment in the cable system between the Head-end & your home that can be adjusted, replaced, repaired. But now you know that Cable TV isn't perfect, and it isn't as easy as running new wires......

Miatasm:

The big issue he is going to have going back to Comcast is they totally shut him out from being able to request service. The reason for this is that he made many appointments and canceled them on short notice. So, it might be unlikely that Comcast would even *want* him back as a customer. So, yes in that aspect he was stupid. Its one thing to want/demand a good picture, its another thing to abuse the company trying to get the issue fixed. If there was a problem, even if its not onscreen when the service appointment would be, having a tech check all the levels wouldn't be a bad idea anyhow since the apointment was already made.

Like Scoops said, he was *very* lucky to not be charged $16 an appointment, even if he did cancel. Instead Comcast just turned the ability to get a tech out there off.

If Comcast refuses to install him, he needs to go to the local franchisor (city, county?) and complain. There is someone in the local government's staff that deals with the cable franchise, including customer service problems. Get that person on your side and Comcast will say "how high" when you ask them to jump.

I didn't relize it was to that extent (I haven't been following this thread since the beginning).

Wow ssetta, you have must have really PO'd them off, It's pretty difficult to get the Cable Co. through the process of denying you the ability request service calls. It that case I retract most of my statements. My bad....Thanks for the update on this.....As Scoops said Suck it UP....but the Cable Co cannot deny you the ability of getting the Cable service installed...Lucky You

I have to disagree with you Scoops....Although he may have been a little picky with his picture, if he was having a legitamite problem then it should have been fixed by the Cable Co. Now since you didn't see his problem yourself nor do you know for sure if the problem was legit you, can't tell him to stop calling for stupid reasons....And if he's having a constant, legit, yet intemittent problem he should call until the problem is resolved not wait until it happens for 30min at a time......
No amount of complaining is going to fix the town's infrastructure. I mentioned twice already that Natick's cable is one of the worst in the state. There is absolutely nothing to be done about it short of a total overhaul, and they're just not going to do it. So we're stuck with it. I'm right on the town line, so unfortunately I get Natick's cable, and it sucks so bad. I gave up complaining. Once I had the guy come over and set me up and it was horrendous (snow everywhere), and when I asked the cable guy if he'd pay for it, he just shrugged his shoulders and started to walk out the door (I unhooked it and gave him back the box). Luckily analog cable's days are numbered anyways.

At least I get HDTV, it might say FAIR-POOR for signal quality, but it doesn't appear to effect the picture- so thank God for QAM.

[Rant On:] This Sunday at 4:15 the Patriots will be the HD game on CBS. This is the HD moment we in the Boston area have been waiting for. I have been sitting here like an idiot expecting Comcast and CBS to come to their senses before the NFL season started. I understand that they both share the blame, but if I have to run out and buy an OTA STB, then that largely defeats the purpose of Cable for me. I would jump to DirectTV and Sunday Ticket in a heartbeat except that my neighbor’s trees are in the way. Does anyone have a meaningful way to express our anger at CBS and Comcast? [Rant Off.]

Mickey

Has anyone had any experience with DirecTV's locals?

i am in north wayland and i have made the choice to switch from d to comcast for h locals i am making the switch next wed. i never was able to pick up locals without cable so after 7 years the dish goes also instead of spending 400 to upgrade comcast is offering 400 to turn in the dish

Originally posted by ssetta
Has anyone had any experience with DirecTV's locals?

I currently have Boston locals with DTV as well as with Comcast (for my local government channel)..personally, I think the picture from DTV looks better than Comcast which tells to be a little grainy in my opinion. The only negative picture wise for locals via DTV is that since I have Directivo, the picture I am watching is being processed through the Tivo first and and when watching on a larger TV, if you're too close (ie 4 feet or closer)the picture looks slightly blurry.

Remember though you do not get HDTV locals from DTV though. I am waiting for Comcast to add Fox and CBS and then I am going to add their HDTV receiver to my set up and get rid of my OTA Zenith so I don't have to putz with my indoor antenna to get a good signal.

Actually one other thing about DTV locals. Currently DTV has issues with it's satellites, I am not 100% sure what's going on..but they had to move some of the birds around and are launching another one soon. Since the move though, people have had wide swings in signal strength on several transponders, including the one that beams the Boston locals. What happens is you may have 100 signal strength and be getting a perfect picture, then all of a sudden the signal drops to 50's and you start getting a break up, and then it will go too low and you lose picture. This seems to happen mostly at night, will last for a couple of minutes and then be fine, then do it again a 1/2 later etc. Since it comes and goes, you don't know when it's going to happen and with the new fall season starting up, a lot of people, like myself, who Tivo a lot of shows from the networks, will go to watch them and it will be unwatchable.

For example, last night the transponder that beams USA was having the issue, and when I went to watch Peacemakers that I Tivo'ed, the first half hour was unwatchable.

There are lots of discussions on this board and on tivocommunity.com about this issue, so if you are thinking about getting DTV locals, check the info out first. Supposedly the new satellite will be launched in November and the problems "SHOULD" stop after that.

DaveFi:
Unfortunately, the problem with Natick isn't the cable plant, but rather the big fat local broadcast towers just down the road a ways in Needham near 95. Due to the signal strength of those broadcasters, ingress on the plant cannot be filtered out (as most of it comes from shoddy wiring in households) and intereferes with channels on the same frequency. Any cable company would have the same problem. Sucks, but not a whole lot can be done about it short of taking down those towers.

MickeyGee:
Have you ever wondered why Comcast and CBS can't come to an agreement? CBS affiliates across the country want to charge cable companies to carry their HD signal. Why should the cable company pay to carry a broadcaster's service that is freely available to anyone with an OTA STB and antenna, and still not be able to charge the customer to recoup the cost? Those broadcasters that are on the systems now I'm sure are probably not charging a dime, seeing it as better exposure for themselves. A win-win for everyone, broadcaster, cable co, customers.

Scoops

You may not even get the game on Directv in HD. Check DIrectv site. They are not letting you see games on Sunday ticket channels that are available on your local network. Unfortunately the local network feed on Directv is not HD

Check the Directv website under NFL Sunday ticket and this will be confirmed

The HD game isn't subject to this restriction.

Originally posted by ScoopsHD
MickeyGee:
Have you ever wondered why Comcast and CBS can't come to an agreement? CBS affiliates across the country want to charge cable companies to carry their HD signal. Why should the cable company pay to carry a broadcaster's service that is freely available to anyone with an OTA STB and antenna, and still not be able to charge the customer to recoup the cost? Those broadcasters that are on the systems now I'm sure are probably not charging a dime, seeing it as better exposure for themselves. A win-win for everyone, broadcaster, cable co, customers.

Scoops
I have heard that, and I have also heard that Comcast wants to clip their bandwidth. I have no idea where the truth is. If in fact CBS wants to charge for the Digital version of their standard broadcast channel, I am surprised that the FCC doesn't have something to say about this. Nothing can slow the Digital transition more than that type of extortion. Does anyone have Michael Powell's email address?

hi, any news about FOX ED or InHD? They had 825 and 881 for one day, gone again.Moto has from 807 straight to 849. Nothing after 877..
Wed. I thought might have some digital NFC on FOX ED.

Well, they can fix the shoddy wires. Here's what the problem with QVC is: I was getting noise interference lines on it, and I think it's something from the amplifier on the pole, or I know it is. It's interference from another channel. Something can be done about it, but nobody believes me about it. Maybe I should just move.

Is it just QVC, if so, What the hell are you watching QVC for? :)

BTW, what channel # is QVC on your system?

That's another thing. With the cable box, it's channel 57. Without it, it's channel 3. I noticed that channel 7 without the cable box has problems too, and that's WSBE 36 (PBS) out of Rhode Island, which is channel 22 with the cable box. That channel isn't even offered by RCN, which is one of the reasons why I was against switching, and they're still not better, so that was a complete waste!

Originally posted by mgpt6
hi, any news about FOX ED or InHD? They had 825 and 881 for one day, gone again.

Over on the Fox/Comcast thread in "Programming", a poster who seems to have inside info (he knew the channel numbers we would use for InHD well in advance) has said that Fox would come up in the Boston area on 9/15 (same day as InHD launches). Then again, someone in Dover has said he has Fox, and that was on 9/6. Who knows - Monday is only four days away, in any case.

ssetta:

The reason why you have a different channel with cable direct as opposed to with a cable box is due to channel mapping. Because of the broadcasters there in Needham, Comcast can't put say WCVB Channel 5 (broadcasting on channel 5) on EIA channel 5 on the plant, otherwise, due to delay introduced by headend equipment and plant equipment, you would get ghosting from the ingress. So the channels are on different EIA channels all over the place to prevent such an occurence. As for CVS, if there was a widespread issue affecting more than just a single customer, the problem would have been resolved by now. Do you have any amplifiers in your house, is any of the wiring old RG-59 wiring? There are many reasons for ingress. As for fixing the "shoddy wiring", show me the shoddy wiring. If you point to your house (as I suspect alot of people could) thats the source of the interference. Cable companies have to abide by strict FCC guidelines on egress and ingress on their plant, especially as you get closer to major airports. If there was truly a plant issue, the FCC would be all over it. Inside house wiring is much more difficult to control.

But I don't think it's inside the house. I think it's on the pole with the line that comes into the house. That's where they don't wanna look!

ssetta:

Are you a cable technician? Have you ever been one? 99% of the time, with single customer reported issues, the problem is in the home. Like I had said, if it was effecting more than one customer, the problem would have been resolved by now. But with you calling, getting an appointment, and then cancelling right before the scheduled time, repeatedly, why should they help you? You waste the company and tech's time and money. If the issue was with a distribution amp, there would be alot more customers calling (and believe you me, QVC is a much watched channel). Now, going and doing what you did, its likely gonna be very difficult to get a service call to your home. If they do schedule you for a service call, let the tech come and do his job. He'll look inside and out... and if it does turn out to be on the pole, it'll be bumped up the line to the techs that handle that, and so on until the issue is resolved. You only serve to perpetuate the problem by using up a slot that a customer with a legitimate problem needed. Would you like it if the cable company scheduled your install, and then at the last minute cancelled, then rescheduled, cancelled again, etc etc. No, I don't think that you would.

Scoops

I know it bothers them. For some reason, I just get overly picky sometimes. Sometimes I wish I weren't.

I have to agree with Scoops here. Have a tech come out (if they will send one now) and check your levels at all the boxes. The fact that RCN has picture issues is a flashing neon sign that the problem isn't out on the poles but more likely inside of your house. Just a quick run down, the wires outside changed to RCN, your inside wires likely didn't and you are having similar issues. It might be worth your time to either hire someone to come wire the whole house with RG6 and new quality splitters. Like Scoops said, you are about what 5-10 miles from Needham, where I'm pretty sure channel 56 broadcasts from. I could be wrong, but that could be some of the problem up on QVC, and the definate issue of being close to Needham is your issue with channel 7 without the box.

If you want a cheap test, go to You Do It, get a length of RG6 to go from where the cable comes in to a TV, run a single run (grab a barrel at YDI as well) and see how the picture quality is. Basically doing this you eliminate the house wiring and will have a direct feed from the street. (Note use a barrel here instead of a splitter) That will give you an idea of what might be happening.

I had an instance of a splitter just going bad, I was losing about 5db more than I should of, Comcast came out for something else, but was checking the levels and replaced the bad splitter and now my PQ is better through the whole house. (it was the cablemodem/tv split).

they're coming for you ssetta, through the wires. that's why there's all the interference. they communicate cryptically through QVC, and you shouldn't have gone to RCN, it's no use, they're all in it together. they will find you!

Ssetta- I'm beginning to think you have unrealistic expectations, especially when you make statements like your cable reception of WGBH is almost as bad as OTA.

WGBH has the strongest signal of any UHF channel in the area- and OTA reception of most channels (especially if you live in Natick) should be superior to cable. WGBH should come in crystal clear, even with a plain set-top antenna.

Well, the reception on WGBX 44 (not 2) is better than it was yesterday. But NHPTV channel 9 still has bad closed-captioning on one TV (it's the TV though). Also, I discovered today that many of the channels are not in stereo. VH-1 only works in the left channel, while MTV only works in the right channel, and has low audio output. Why in the world did RCN say they were better? Also, we found some information that everyone in the area is having trouble. Maybe we switched at the wrong time.

I have heard from a NESN employee that all remaining Red Sox home games are being taped in high definition. Has anyone else heard anything about this, or know on what station these games will be aired?

There's some mention of this on the Boston Tower thread. I don't think (or know) if they're going to actually air them in HD. I wouldn't expect much until next season.

The announcers mentioned the HD testing during last night's game.

I was watching the Sox game on NESN tonight (9/13). During the fifth inning, Don and Jerry noted some message posted up on the Prudential building using spot lights. It said something to the affect of "Comcast/NESN" and "HD 9/15/03". Of course neither Don nor Jerry had any clue what HD meant (they assumed it meant "home delivery" :) ). Does anyone know what's going on?

Perhaps Sept 15th will tell eh? :)

Do you mean NESN is gonna be in HD too?

According to the post by RedSoxInHD about the Pru having a message posted on it... Comcast/NESN HD 9/15/03... doesn't that sound like maybe so? :)

Do you mean now Comcast is going to offer some HDTV that RCN doesn't? Well, they have to in order to survive.

No changes on my Comcast HD Line-up as of Saturday night. No Fox, No InHD or NESN.

Originally posted by ssetta
Do you mean now Comcast is going to offer some HDTV that RCN doesn't? Well, they have to in order to survive.

I don't think Comcast is really worried about RCN to be honest, they offer less channels and are only in 20 towns in MA.

If I were to guess, 9/15 is the start date for INHD, which should be added around then, maybe NESN has sold a few games to them? Or maybe NESN is going to shock us all :) Wouldn't be a bad thing, Sox and B's in HD, I could live with that.

there wont be any until moday. and yes we may be watching the rest of the sox season on nesn-hd! though the patriots game is on CBS-HD tomorrow which we will miss. I hope the suits get their act together before the season is over!

OK, here is the answer to the NESN questions. I just noticed a message light on my cable box, and went to a message entitled "9/15 - New High-Def Channel"

Basically, the message says that select NESN Bruins and Sox games will be shown on INHD2 channel 882.

It's good that they're giving high visibility to this!

How is that for good news. Now if we can get the Sox back on track and have the Yankees lose a few it will be all the better. THANKS NESN and Comcast.

There is an article in this morning's Boston Globe sports section which has more information. In summary: Red Sox and Bruins home games only, produced by NESN and shown by Comcast over the InHD-2 channel. This starts tomorrow (Monday). It also said they will attempt to broadcast some future road games in HD when local HD equipment is available to them. Thank you NESN.

Now we just need the Patriots (CBS) and Celtics (Fox New England) for an all-HD sports lineup.

Woke up this morning to a lit message indicator on my Moto 5100. Message was announcement for launch of InHD2 premiering on Sept 15 on CH 882. InHD2 will feature select (likely meaning home) NESN broadcasts of Redsox and Bruins games.

It keeps getting better!

Is there an echo (echo) in here (here). :D

And, Bob, you're up way too late (or early). :)

larry

Now we just need a way to record them, or at least time-shift. I'm hoping the addition of local sports will hope speed-up the rollout of the Motorola 6208 boxes in the Boston area.

Here's the Globe article link:

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/257/sports/NESN_Comcast_are_about_to_redefine_Sox_coverage+.shtml

I saw the same messge on my Box today, and I'm surprised that NESN is upon us already with HD. Admittedly to me, Sports are the Killer App of HD right now, and I'll be looking forward to the Bruins in HD even if the team will be less than stellar.

You'll notice that the Globe got the details wrong, acting as though 882 would be a separate NESN HD channel, rather than InHD2. Unless they explain that during today's game, that's gonna cause some sports-fan confusion at first.

Every time the media report on a subject of which I actually have some detailed knowledge, it makes me wonder what else they're getting wrong.

BTW, 805 is continuing its practice of showing HD Chronicles at certain times during the weekends, although they will cut away from a story in progress to resume the ABC simulcast.

I knew I shouldn't have switched. See, if people keep switching to RCN, it will get to the point where Comcast will go out of business. I don't think it will happen, but it is possible.

Originally posted by ssetta
I knew I shouldn't have switched. See, if people keep switching to RCN, it will get to the point where Comcast will go out of business. I don't think it will happen, but it is possible.

RCN only has service in limited areas. I doubt they'll put Comcast out of business...

Originally posted by ssetta
I knew I shouldn't have switched. See, if people keep switching to RCN, it will get to the point where Comcast will go out of business. I don't think it will happen, but it is possible.


You missed the point of my last send...In terms of who Comcast worries about, its *not* RCN. Dishnetwork or DirectTV they worry about, RCN however is not even close to that level. RCN is only in 20 towns in Massachusetts, if anything they are a small blip on Comcast's radar. Even down in Comcast's "backyard" of Philly RCN is still small beans.

Now given what Comcast has done with NESN (probably a precursor to NESN-HD on its own channel) it has shown more than anything Comcast is dedicated to HD. Its kinda of intresting that they are going to basically supercede INHD2 for the Bruins and Sox, but as a local sports fan I'll take that anyday.

It seems like you want crystal clear pictures on SD channels, your best bet might be DirectTV or Dish since you don't have HD yet, and then you can get even more shopping channels that are crystal clear. But then of course a dish would go out durring heavy rain or snow, so thats not perfect. But then again, there is *no* perfect method at this point in time. You really should address your internal wire issues before going after your provider. Clean those up you will be a lot better off. But this probably will be my last response to you since you seem to like attacking Comcast or RCN or what not when the problem probably resides in your walls.

I know it may be, but aren't technicians supposed to check those things? And I've thought about DirecTV and Dish myself.

ssetta,
What are you smokin'?....

First,
How are they supposed to check "those things"....When you keep canceling your service calls. Even if they do find a problem with your internal wiring, you are probably going to have to pay for it to be replaced or repaired, since I'm assuming that the Cable Co. didn't install that wiring anytime recently. Which from your demenor so far I'm sure you would rather switch to every other service provider in the country before you would spend the couple of bucks upgrading your house wiring.

I will agree and say that anything is possible, but its more likely that "you" will be satisfied with your Television service provider before RCN puts Comcast OOB. :) Which neither will happen anytime soon...

First you badger the local Comcast Office with calls about crappy service only to cancel the Techs that do come out to fix it. Then you finally get brave and cancel your Comcast service, then you find out that RCN isn't all its cracked up to be, then you want to come back to Comcast. Now, from what I can tell, you are trying to justify your switch to RCN by saying that they "could" put Comcast out of buisness.

You are my Comic relief.......;)

Stop Trolling.......

I am actually quite surprised at the robustness (yes, it's a real word), of QAM. I have similar problems and yet digital broadcasts are crisp and clear.
Cable modem is pretty reliable too.

Now I begin to wonder what's going to happen when analog cable starts to get phased out and that bandwidth is used for other things? Unfortunately I live in a Condo and Comcast (actually, MediaOne) signed a contract with my Condo Association saying they have to maintain the wiring. Of course whenever I have the techs over they say my building needs to be rewired but it's not their responsibility.

That is what I've been dealing with for over 10yrs. I've given up on analog cable completely.

That's not the point I was making. I don't like RCN at all. I wanna go back to Comcast! Or maybe DirecTV or Dish. NOTHING they offer is old analog. I've also noticed that on RCN, channel 84 (C-SPAN) goes snowy. It doesn't happen gradually. It will go from clear to snowy, clear to snowy. Sometimes it's ok for a while, sometimes it does this. But a tech is coming out tomorrow between 2 and 5.

ssetta:

Whatever you are smoking, or injecting, please pass some this way. I could use a good dose of un-reality.

Honestly, you are just one of those people who isn't satisfied with life, so they need to make everyone else deal with it. I used to work in the service industry doing computer builds, upgrades, troubleshooting. I've had customers like you who consistently call because of a slight problem.

No tech is going to be able to fix your problem... your two biggest problems...


A) You live REAL CLOSE to the Needham broadcast towers
B) You have crappy in house wiring.

Stop wasting the time of installers and techs who could be at someone's house who has a REAL problem that needs fixing. Get off your butt and either rewire your house yourself, pay someone to do it, or just shut your yap.

Scoops

I will do that next. I will probably pay someone to do it. Because I can't have this crappy wiring in my house. Maybe I should just move to a new area which doesn't have so many problems.

Two words, ssetta: Satellite Radio :D

larry

The new HD channels are on the maps, though except for WFXT, are still Not Authorized. Word has it however, that tonite's 7pm Red Sox game will be on NESN HD in place of the 882 InDemand HD 2. Yay! :D

north of Boston on Comcast 825 has WFXT-DT on with a decent up converted picture. 881 and 882 mapped out with In HD but says "Not Authorized"

So what are the new channels? I thought we were only getting 882 INHD2, but it looks like we're getting the Fox channel also? Are we getting anything else?

Cheers,
SamTheFish

I have channel assignments for Fox (825), and the InHD channels (881/882), but am getting the "One moment please" message both for these and for 849 (ESPN). Anyone seeing actual content on InHD, or had problems with their ESPN? Maybe I need them to send a booster signal.

I'm seeing the same here in Taunton. the guide entries are there, but no contnet (available shortly here) and ESPN is down for now.

Tim

I have the same situation. Channel assignments have been added for in Medford for 825, 881 and 882. All, along with ESPNHD show "This channel should be available shortly".

Anyone else seing this?

When first speaking the CSR, she was unaware that FOX was being added. She then found a memo that she read aloud that confirmed the addition of FOX but also that CBS was coming soon. Has anyone had independent confirmation that CBS was getting close?

Same thing.

I wonder how much planning goes into adding a new channel? Anyone know how it's done?

Here in Boston, 849 ESPN-HD is fine along with the new 825 FOX, 881 INHD1 and 882 INHD2 are mapped but still say unauthorized.

So if the new channels assignments are showing and it says not authorized do you need to call a CSR at Comcast to have them download updates to your Moto HD Box? Last time 849 ESPNHD was saying not authorized that's what I did and after they pushed the download thru the picture came up.. What's the process? Will the box automatically download updateds every so often?

Philly has both InHD channels up online, and they look very good . I'm watching a documentry on Hawaii now, and all of the content is HD and stunning....

As far as whats involved in putting up a new channel, it depends on where your located but if the headend your located gets its feed from elsewhere (this is called a hub site) then all that is required is to install a modulator for the particular channel that is going online at the frequency its being sent. Its a tad bit more complicated than that but that the nuts and bolts of it. If your at the headend that actually recieves the signal via fiber or satellite, then there is a couple more steps involved but essentially it is a matter of fine tuning the modulator to the frequencies that the signal is being sent. Then routing that to the equipment that maps the channel to the line-up on the cable box. Usually takes a couple of hours....

Originally posted by rclarkston
When first speaking the CSR, she was unaware that FOX was being added. She then found a memo that she read aloud that confirmed the addition of FOX but also that CBS was coming soon. Has anyone had independent confirmation that CBS was getting close?
I hope this is true regarding CBS. This will be quite a month for Comcast if they can add CBS-HD, Fox Digital, InHD 1 and 2 along with the NESN HD games.

(BTW: I also show the new channels assigned: 825, 881 and 882 but with no picture along with ESPN-HD which is gone again for me.)

The reason you may be losing ESPN, is that they may have to move which channels are modulated on which QAM's. They may split ESPN with an InHD channel on one QAM & FOX & InHD2 on another. This requires the modulator to be shut down until the conversion is complete. Be patient.

Originally posted by PooperScooper
Two words, ssetta: Satellite Radio :D

larry

What does that have to do with anything? I thought this was an HDTV forum.

So anyway........Did somebody hear something????? [jab @ ssetta]

Originally posted by MickeyGee
I hope this is true regarding CBS. This will be quite a month for Comcast if they can add CBS-HD, Fox Digital, InHD 1 and 2 along with the NESN HD games.

(BTW: I also show the new channels assigned: 825, 881 and 882 but with no picture along with ESPN-HD which is gone again for me.)

It will be a sad day when I can no longer justify keeping my SIR-T150 on top of the TV. And the bow-tie antenna in the window.

On second thought, no it won't.

Originally posted by DaMutha1
It will be a sad day when I can no longer justify keeping my SIR-T150 on top of the TV. And the bow-tie antenna in the window.

On second thought, no it won't.

I couldn't agree more.

INHD/2 showing "Not Authorized" for me too. Any chance of this being fixed or are we going to have to call in for them to unlock it?

I believe InHD is part of the one of the Digital Cable Line-ups.....So if you just have the HD package no Digital Cable Packages then you will not be able to get InHD channels, just the locals ABC, NBC, & Fox........just a thought....

Originally posted by DaveFi
Now we just need a way to record them, or at least time-shift. I'm hoping the addition of local sports will hope speed-up the rollout of the Motorola 6208 boxes in the Boston area.

I have seen a number of messages regarding the Moto 6208 box. It looks like the solution to many of my current frustrations. Does anyone have the official word on when this may be available in Boston?

John

I read somewhere this morning that InHD was added at the Basic level (same as NBC, ABC, PBS, and Fox).

Update: here in Watertown Fox is now up, ESPN is back, and the InHD channels say "Not Authorized". I called at 1:50, and the CSR said she thought they were supposed to come up at 1, but they were "working out the glitches". An HDTV specialist is supposed to call me back.

I actually think INHD is free with Basic Cable, but I have Digital Classic.
Unless someone in the Boston area says they actually have INHD there's not much point in my calling.

6208 rollout? Your guess is as good as mine- there's a thread on it over in the HDTV Recorders forum. It might be a while before they get all the issues sorted out. Still, with the limited amount of HD programming available it's hard without some way to time-shift.

No official word but expect them around 1st Qtr of 04'......

Dave Fi

Why would they rush out this box......wasn't that the biggest complaint of the DCT5100 originally. Now if it performs terribly after all of the wait then you have a legitamate complaint.... :) ........ but the box was only prototyped earlier this year.... So a year I would say is about the normal lead time from Proto to production. I'm waiting anxiously for this product also but am willing to wait if they can get it close to right the first time..... ;)

And two seconds after I click on the send button UP THEY COME, (but a bit spotty)!

Both channels, on 881 and 882, are up and looking good in Medford.

Woohoo

I'd be more than willing to wait if they can supply a box with working firewire.

InHD just popped on for me too. They're showing the same crappy Quatermain 16x9 cropped transfer they show on HBO. So much for OAR.
At least tennis is HD.

Their bug is terrible. It's not even transluscent.

Any of you guys that have both OTA and cable ever do a subjective quality assesment? Are we really loosing any quality we'll notice by having Comcast compress the signal to 12mbps or whatever it is? I'm asking because I wonder if CBS really has any good grounds to ask for more bandwidth for their channel, or if that is just a red herring.

So far I've been very impressed with the quality of the pictures on Comcast, but of course I've been looking at 480i all my life so anything is a step up. I knew I would get better resolution but I'm surprised by the extra "depth" of the colors, or something of that sort. Shadows and dark areas also look much more realistic, and it's great not having any noise whatsoever.

I sent an email asking about CBS the other day to a CSR and he replied with what looked to be a canned response that mentioned bandwidth as being an issue, especially as we're still a small number of the overall comcast pie. It mentioned DiscoverHD as being a "new" channel they would need time to negotiate with.

SamTheFish

Hey...at least you folks with Comcast can GET HD. Charter still can't get it right, so I'm stuck with the OTA stuff through my PC for now. Even those areas that DO get HD programming from Charter are stuck with just HBOHD and Discovery...I think one other. No local channels in HD at all.

They are a joke.

Snappy

Sam- the OTA channels look the same. I don't think they compress the signals, they just convert them to QAM and send them out.

Pretty soon I can sell off all my OTA stuff.

sam,

1080i broadcasts compressed really do lower quality. HAve you seen WGBH-DT? They broadcast a 1080i subchannel along with a 480i simulcast. The macroblocking/pixelation is very noticible whenever the camera pans.

The full broadcast bandwith of 19.4Mbps is a bare minimum to avoid really nasty breakups whenever there's a lot of motion or complex scenery (crowds, water, fire, etc).


Dave,

Has anyone confirmed what level of service is necessary to get the InHD channels? I'd consider upping my cable TV bill beyond basic ($7/mo for local channels with Cable modem) but don't really want to be paying another $50/mo on top of everything else when I all really want is the Red Sox games...seems like a lot of $$$ right now.

To me the WGBH-DT multicast OTA and on Comcast is the same blocky mess.

I only have Basic Cable $6/mos and Digital Classic $5/mo and HBO/SHO a la carte. That's it.

From talking with a CSR about package levels, looks like you need Classic Package (P3), Digital Bronze (P2), or Digital NexTV Standard depending on what grandfathered package you are in, to get ESPN HD, INDHD1 and INDHD2.

You can get digital classic with basic cable and not expanded basic ($37/mo above the $6 basic)? I didn't know that was possible.

Thanks,

I may look into that. Do you get ESPN-HD or not?

I didn't know that either until someone else pointed it out. It's good for me because the only digital channel I wanted was BBC America anyways. Comcast seems to give alot of leeway to their HD customers.

Yes, I get ESPN-HD too.

Originally posted by miatasm
Why would they rush out this box......wasn't that the biggest complaint of the DCT5100 originally. Now if it performs terribly after all of the wait then you have a legitamate complaint.... :) ........ but the box was only prototyped earlier this year.... So a year I would say is about the normal lead time from Proto to production. I'm waiting anxiously for this product also but am willing to wait if they can get it close to right the first time..... ;)
I couldn't agree more. My 5100 is fairly buggy. I will wait patiently while they work out all of the bugs on the 6200, which should also give them time to add full functionality so that the upgrade represents a true leap to the next generation of STB's.

881 and 882 up this afternoon,north of Boston. PQ is very good on 882 qith a replay of a US O[en Tennis match. Hope CBS will be coming soon on Comcast

Thanks Dave,

I may have to stop hating Comcast!

Definately ESPN-HD is given to all HD customers, even cheapo ones like me and DaveFi that just get the cheapest setup possible, I'm just paying for reception cable $9, Digital Basic $5, and my set-top $8. I also get a $5 discount for getting internet from comcast. I verified from the CSR I would be getting ESPN-HD even at that level of service.

I dunno about INHD and INHD2, got my fingers crossed they'll throw those in for free too - I got the same message everyone else got about it being available today.

Incidentally how much is HBO a-la-carte?

Sam

After poking around on the web, I found this:

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2225227/detail.html

The relevent quote:

"Customers must purchase at least basic cable in order to be eligible for Comcast Digital Cable programming."

Again, thanks guys. I'll be looking into adding digital basic and an HDTV box to my setup.

I have both an OTA antenna with Samsung Receiver & Comcast HD. There IS NO noticible difference between the 2, side by side using my Onkyo receiver as the component switcher, same input on my Panny Plasma and multiple people (experienced & non-experienced) cannot tell ANY difference between the two.

Cable Co's do not Compress the HDTV channels,as Dave-Fi, said. They modulate the Digital feeds using a procedure called QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation).

881 and 882 are glitchy. Anyone else?

HBO and SHO are $13.99 and $12.99 respectively. You get all their digital channels (~12 total) and they throw in the two HD channels for free.

"Digital Cable" is not the same as HD.

Hmm...I think I'm going to have to look into reducing my services to a lower level. Dave, since you get ESPNHD, you must also get the regular ESPN/ESPN2/NESN/FSNE? Sports, movies and HD are all I really care about. ;)

ssetta, in the famous words of Foghorn Leghorn:
"It was a joke, son, I said, a joke". :)

Here in Leominster, I have 825, 881, 882 and ESPN-HD all working fine!

larry

Edit: I'm with Miatasm. I have OTA HD for
PBS, ABC, NBC (and CBS) and they look the
same on my plasma. You can't tell the difference.

881 and 882 are glitchy? not in arlington.
also getting fox on 825

I dunno, I get whatever comes in those packages. I'm not really a sports guy.

You sure 881/2 are OK? They're so glitchy as to be unwatchable. In fact as I type they both went black.

I had all my HD channels doing the glitchy go to black thing awhile back and it ended up being a signal problem. Any of the other channels giving you problems?

No. I know I need new wiring, but so far digital has been OK. Apparently these two channels use bandwidth in my problem area. Sucks.