It's not in HD:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=768294

Ya, that sux.

As far as I am concerned it ain't on. :)

I have one standard STB (not high def), and my CableCard is free. I think 1 CC is free no matter what.I wouldn't count on that, nationwide. I believe the new corporate policy is either/or is free (well, not free; just "included") -- not both.

Pats game isn't in HD, and not even competitive - thanks NFL for not allowing us an alternative game to watch (or even a game in HD to watch).

Next Sunday's is in HD>

I have one standard STB (not high def), and my CableCard is free. I think 1 CC is free no matter what.

It's free if it is your only HD source. if you have an HD STB or DVR they will charge you
2.75 as a duplication fee for that service.

Pats game isn't in HD, and not even competitive - thanks NFL for not allowing us an alternative game to watch (or even a game in HD to watch).

As a Pats fan we are very lucky that we have most of our games in HD. Some other teams in the AFC( because of CBS's limitations of only 3 games per Sunday ) only get to watch 2 or 3 games a season in HD. So missing just this one game is really not that bad.

I'd check the wording of the contract before making such an outrageously eggregious accusation.

Well, be prepared to wait a while, if you don't live in the center of town or in an affluent neighborhood.

The reality is that all these companies, Comcast, Verizon, etc., are all doing what they're supposed to: Presenting offerings that they believe customers want, and pricing them based on what they believe the customer is willing to pay. Demonizing them (accusing them of "greed") for doing what they're supposed to do is pretty myopic.

Well you have your opinion, I have mine. Comcast is the most expensive option. They will eventually lose out to Verizon when FIOS competes in all towns.

I was under the impression FIOS could not be rolled out until all parts of the City/town could be serviced, but if that;s not the case I guess I'm in good luck as I'm less than a mile from the CO and in an affluent neighborhood in Lowell believe it or not. :eek:

if that;s not the case I guess I'm in good luck as I'm less than a mile from the CO and in an affluent neighborhood in Lowell believe it or not. :eek:


I am pretty sure FIOS operation has nothing to do with how close you are to the CO. DSL may be affected by that, but not FIOS TV or Internet.

It sure shouldn't be. There is no technical reason for what they're doing!

As soon as Verizon becomes serious competition for Comcast, you'll see them raising their rates to match Comcast's.

Or Comcast lowering its price?

It sure shouldn't be. There is no technical reason for what they're doing!

As soon as Verizon becomes serious competition for Comcast, you'll see them raising their rates to match Comcast's.

Of course there's no technical reason for doing it, especially if the fiber's already run in the area. It's about the money both on the expenditures and receivables sides of things, as well as how to "best" utilize a limited installation facility.

It costs Verizon somewhere around $900 per home installation of FIOS where the wiring is above ground. Below ground, you can triple or quadruple that figure. So, to recoup that cost as quickly as possible, they're targeting neighborhoods where their costs are low, and they believe folks will order more services (read:affluent neighborhoods).

Also, they've only got so many installers to go around. They're putting them in places where they feel they can make the most money quickly. What that means for me is that they've pulled their installers from NH, and relocated them to NJ. Kinda sucks, but I can see their rationale.

Also also, you need to consider town, city and state legislation that controls television services and franchising. It's a pain in the butt for Verizon to have to negotiate with each and every town to provide TV services. It's a long and painful process for all involved. So, Verizon is rolling FIOS out in states where they can get through the TV process more easily.

Of course there's no technical reason for doing it, especially if the fiber's already run in the area. It's about the money both on the expenditures and receivables sides of things, as well as how to "best" utilize a limited installation facility.

It costs Verizon somewhere around $900 per home installation of FIOS where the wiring is above ground. Below ground, you can triple or quadruple that figure. So, to recoup that cost as quickly as possible, they're targeting neighborhoods where their costs are low, and they believe folks will order more services (read:affluent neighborhoods).

Also, they've only got so many installers to go around. They're putting them in places where they feel they can make the most money quickly. What that means for me is that they've pulled their installers from NH, and relocated them to NJ. Kinda sucks, but I can see their rationale.

Also also, you need to consider town, city and state legislation that controls television services and franchising. It's a pain in the butt for Verizon to have to negotiate with each and every town to provide TV services. It's a long and painful process for all involved. So, Verizon is rolling FIOS out in states where they can get through the TV process more easily.

I'm down in Middleboro which certainly isn't an affluent area and as long as residents have above-ground wiring they can get FIOS internet. The TV stuff is mired in local charter negotiations as usual. I even live in a remote area and once of the houses on the main street was getting lit up. I asked the tech if he had any info when my cul de sac (with underground wiring) would be ready and he just sorta chuckled.

So as mentioned, I don't think it's quite so much about demographics as it is about getting the low hanging fruit 1st and then dealing with the tougher installs.

Or Comcast lowering its price?I wouldn't count on that. A far more likely scenario is that Comcast will simply skip a price increase, and Verizon will "catch up".

So, to recoup that cost as quickly as possible, they're targeting neighborhoods where their costs are low, and they believe folks will order more services (read:affluent neighborhoods).Absolutely. Folks shouldn't be making them out to be knights in shining armor. They're a responsible, well-managed for-profit company, just like Comcast, and in the long-term, folks should expect that they'll both offer comparable services, at comparable prices, with comparable amenities, and comparable service quality levels.

Absolutely. Folks shouldn't be making them out to be knights in shining armor. They're a responsible, well-managed for-profit company, just like Comcast, and in the long-term, folks should expect that they'll both offer comparable services, at comparable prices, with comparable amenities, and comparable service quality levels.

In the long run, I suspect you're probably right.

However, in the short term, I believe that Verizon will probably provide better services for lower rates. They're the new guy on the block. In order for them to convince folks to switch services, they're going to have to show 'em better products and services. Given two equal propositions, I think most folks will sit tight with the devil that they know, rather than go with the devil they don't know. So, it's on Verizon to woo new customers with a better deal.

We're already seeing this, in fact. Verizon is rolling out FIOS internet and TV services (where applicable) at a significant discount than that which Comcast provides in the same area. Whether or not this persists over the long haul remains to be seen...

But this is the same Verizon that's completely bolluxed up every DSL installation I've ever let them near. The same people who can take months getting dialtone working on a line, all the while insisting it's working just fine.

No doubt that they have a superior product to offer, in the exceedingly limited areas where they offer it, but there's a reason why I check my phones every time I see a Verizon truck in the neighborhood.

I s'pose if I had the opportunity to give them a try (which will probably be never), I'd try it. Of course, I'd have to keep Comcast for at least two months of overlap before I trusted that Verizon got it right.

(Disclaimer: I do think that Verizon's got the best wireless service going. It's just the wired stuff that they're so inept over.)

But this is the same Verizon that's completely bolluxed up every DSL installation I've ever let them near. The same people who can take months getting dialtone working on a line, all the while insisting it's working just fine.
And it's the same Verizon that has maintained 99.9% uptime on my FiOS installation over a 1-year period (the only outage was a blown line card in the CO that was repaired within 6 hours). To balance that out, it's the same Verizon that took a few tries to correct billing after my install, but that was partly because they had just switched over to free wireless routers at the time of my install.

The moral of the story is that I wouldn't use your experience with who knows how old copper infrastructure as a gauge for how well their fibre optic network is going to function.

Tony

But this is the same Verizon that's completely bolluxed up every DSL installation I've ever let them near. The same people who can take months getting dialtone working on a line, all the while insisting it's working just fine.

No doubt that they have a superior product to offer, in the exceedingly limited areas where they offer it, but there's a reason why I check my phones every time I see a Verizon truck in the neighborhood.

I s'pose if I had the opportunity to give them a try (which will probably be never), I'd try it. Of course, I'd have to keep Comcast for at least two months of overlap before I trusted that Verizon got it right.

(Disclaimer: I do think that Verizon's got the best wireless service going. It's just the wired stuff that they're so inept over.)

From what I understand, they don't have the usual troupe of installation Bozo's doing the FIOS installs. The guys doing the FIOS installs appear to be very well trained and very customer-oriented, unlike their DSL brethren.

Also, since this is all new gear, there doesn't appear to be very much interaction with the "legacy" infrastructure (provisioning and such). So, there shouldn't be the typical snafu's that you see when you're talking about turning up POTS or DSL service.

Ah, this is very interesting and very timely. The FCC may be voting on Wednesday to change the TV franchising, which is the big complaint that Verizon and AT&T have about trying to roll out competitive TV services. A change in the current system could allow Verizon and AT&T to roll out TV services more easily, and provide more competition to the cableco's.

Very good write-up (as always) from Ars Technica is HERE (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061218-8445.html)

Anyone notice Comcast added National Geographic in HD now. Its 821 where Im at in Lowell. This is my favorite channel though not a heck of a lot is actually in HD yet.

Anyone notice Comcast added National Geographic in HD now. Its 821 where Im at in Lowell. This is my favorite channel though not a heck of a lot is actually in HD yet.
"Not Authorized" for Basic+Digital Classic service. Eliminating IND2 and not allowing to watch NG in HD Comcast effectivly raised price for HD service by 8%. Great news for folks who watch nothing but HD. And according to customer service more news like this are coming.
Alex

"Not Authorized" for Basic+Digital Classic service. Eliminating IND2 and not allowing to watch NG in HD Comcast effectivly raised price for HD service by 8%. Great news for folks who watch nothing but HD. And according to customer service more news like this are coming.
Alex

This was sort of why I bit the bullet last summer and ended up getting extended basic back.

Many other systems would require Extended basic for even HD locals.

However, in the short term, I believe that Verizon will probably provide better services for lower rates. True. Folks should simply not be surprised, or even upset, when they raise rates and allow service levels to adjust to match that of Comcast, after a couple of years. (But I bet there will be some folks with short memories who will post messages with loads of over-emotionalizing . . . :))

The FCC may be voting on Wednesday to change the TV franchising, which is the big complaint that Verizon and AT&T have about trying to roll out competitive TV services. A change in the current system could allow Verizon and AT&T to roll out TV services more easily, and provide more competition to the cableco's.And provide local folks less leverage over cable companies should they be providing sub-standard service. With many of the valid complaints that folks raise in this thread, we reply that folks should contact their local franchising authority. They typically get comparatively good results from that, and pretty fast results at that. Imagine, now, that all such complaints need to go through a state agency. So much for responsiveness and effectiveness of the complaint resolution system. There is less personal accountability in a large bureaucracy -- you can't just go down the block to neighbor/council member Joe and have a discussion about the problem anymore.

Look at the email I just got...
Dear David xxxx

Natick consumers will soon have another choice for cable TV!
Last night, the Natick Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to
issue Verizon a video license to offer FiOS TV.
One more town down. I'm going to have to hop over to the main Verizon office and see what the deal is with wiring up my condo development, as most of Natick is wired for FIOS broadband already.

But this is the same Verizon that's completely bolluxed up every DSL installation I've ever let them near. The same people who can take months getting dialtone working on a line, all the while insisting it's working just fine.

No doubt that they have a superior product to offer, in the exceedingly limited areas where they offer it, but there's a reason why I check my phones every time I see a Verizon truck in the neighborhood.

I s'pose if I had the opportunity to give them a try (which will probably be never), I'd try it. Of course, I'd have to keep Comcast for at least two months of overlap before I trusted that Verizon got it right.

(Disclaimer: I do think that Verizon's got the best wireless service going. It's just the wired stuff that they're so inept over.)

I'm with you. After several years of Verizon trying to fix my phone line, I gave up and got rid of them and went with Comcast Digiital phone and have been happy ever since. It will be a long time before I ever call them back for anything, regardless of price. Their service and installs are horrendous!

At the risk of being labelled a Comcast suck-up, I don't blame Comcast with trying to block the FCC's attempts to allow state-wide franchising.

I'm sure Comcast spent tens of millions (...if not hundreds of millions) in lawyer fees going from one podunk town to another to negotiate these franchise agreements. Now their chief competitor wants to skip to the end, thereby saving them all that money and allowing them to undercut them on price? Doesn't seem fair. I'm in favor of competition, but everybody should be forced to jump through the same hoops.

And for what it's worth, my "bundle" price with Comcast is up, and I'm sticking with them. I'm happy with what they're giving me and they've been pretty responsive in fixing any problems I've had. At this point, I'm satisfied to the point where Verizon or any other MSO would have to give me a pretty compelling reason to switch.

I'm with you. After several years of Verizon trying to fix my phone line, I gave up and got rid of them and went with Comcast Digiital phone and have been happy ever since. It will be a long time before I ever call them back for anything, regardless of price. Their service and installs are horrendous!

I couldn't agree more, my Verizon phone line would buzz every time it rained and went dead for a couple of hours durning a wet spring day. My Comcast phone has superior voice quality and I get the benefits of faster internet, because they bumped me from a 6 to 8 meg line to handle the VOIP.

The best part was when I got a call from Verizon asking me to come back. I've been a Verizon customer for 22 years and never heard 'boo' from them except to have them say that my broken line is fine. I do want FIOS in my neighborhood so I can use it to help keep Comcast rates in line.

I'm also not a big fan of Verizon. When I moved into my new complex 3 years ago DSL wasn't available but I then got a call 2 months later to see if I was interested in signing up since it was now available in my area. I'm in Nashua and only about 11K feet from the CO. They sent me the install kit and I waited for the 2 weeks as they set things up on their end, checking the status online along the way.

The day before the service was supposed to be activated, the online status shows ORDER CANCELLED. I called them up to see what was going on and first they tell me that I'm too far from the CO - they then confirmed my response that I was not. After the run around, they finally get the CO Tech on the line and he says that due to load coils on my line the distance is significantly extended beyond the DSL limit. I found that hard to believe but that was their story and they would not change my line's routing to fix this.

I asked customer service how they could solicit customers to sign up for a service that they show is available and now leave me high and dry. Nothing but BS response. I was so pissed I told them I want nothing to do with their service now or in the future and that I better not see a charge for their install kit as I am not responsible other than to drop it in the mail which I felt was more than I should do.

I've been a happy Comcast internet customer ever since. And I've had excellent service with their HD reps and the techs that have come out to install the cable card. My complex has an exclusive agreement with Comcast and we get a discount for basic cable that's paid through our association, so it's very unlikely Verizon would come in with FIOS.

I notice a number of online program guides gives Fios an an option for my zip code.
i can SEE the local CO from my window.

Right now i have what I call Comcast should kiss my ass package. (Digital platinum WITH Sports/Ent (in anticipation of HDNet) AND Ext basic),Internet and phone.

I do not plan to switch unless there is something darn good.

You know, I have one of those "Comcast should kiss my ass" packages too, and the really startling thing is that often, they do.

You know, I have one of those "Comcast should kiss my ass" packages too, and the really startling thing is that often, they do.

If they want to kiss our asses.

Let's see Start by having snE at NO extra charge with Dig plat (at the $50 price not $54)

and having HDNet on that tier.

They could also upgrade to 8 mbps at no extra charge. :)

They could also offer the DCT700s for FREE then get rid of analog. :)

Well, yeah, there is that, but I always figured that paying through the nose was a prerequisite for the ass kissing.

If they want to kiss our asses.

Let's see Start by having snE at NO extra charge with Dig plat (at the $50 price not $54)

and having HDNet on that tier.

They could also upgrade to 8 mbps at no extra charge. :)

They could also offer the DCT700s for FREE then get rid of analog. :)
And if a competitor (like Verizon) would offer that to you right now, would you switch? If not, then I don't see Comcast puckering up anytime soon.

Mickey

I think the price is a tad bit high but for what I pay compared to what I get I gotta tell you I'm quite happy. I paid more with BHN in Largo, FL and Comcast puts BHN to shame and that is being really nice. Also even though we don't have tons of HD On Demand programming I still can't deny that its very impressive. I also got word that in the future TNT will be expanding their HD On Demand offerings for Comcast customers. What will be a big change is that all TNT HD On Demand movies will air in the same format the movie is in on the main HD Network. This means if the movie is OAR on the TNT HD channel it will be OAR on the On Demand. The two other big changes from what I hear that will only occur via the HD On Demand portion (not the 24x7 HD channel) is one no ads at all and two no edits. So if the movie is rated R it will be shown unedited (ie with all the bad cursing etc) via the HD On Demand. Also the third big thing about this is that all movies will be free for all customers with an HD box and HDTV set.

I also have been hearing that Showtime and HBO will soon be offering HD Movies On Demand along with some of their series shows as well. I gotta tell ya just the HD On Demand alone is making it very hard to even want to switch to another company even if they are better at some things and cheaper. I'm just hooked on it now and I also see it as only getting better. I guess I'm just thrilled that I have a cable company that is doing something great (that I will love using) before everyone else ya know. When you have had Bright House Networks for so long and move to New Hampshire with Comcast you really find out how much Comcast will spoil you.

I will say that I do love everything about my Comcast services expect those fricking DVR boxes. Sometimes I just want to throw that box out the damn window.

And if a competitor (like Verizon) would offer that to you right now, would you switch? If not, then I don't see Comcast puckering up anytime soon.

Mickey

They would probably insist I also use their phone service. If it was cost effective io would consider then see what Comcast can do to keep me.

I actually like the Comcast DVR software. I have HAD Tivo and I still like comcast better.

I do NOT like the auto mute when starting a recording

I do NOT like the occasional freeze

I do NOT like the auto mute when starting a recording

I thought you could get rid of the auto mute???

I had it happen to me once, and I didn't know what was wrong. So I called up Comcast, and the guy on the other end walked me through what buttons to push so that it didn't happen again. And it hasn't.

Anyone know where i can find an accurate channel lineup showing just the HD offerings? I went here (https://www.comcast.com/localization/localize.ashx) and the listing for my zip doesnt show the recent addition of National Geographic. I know its been mentioned before but losing iNHD2 and then having NG working for about a week and then have it become part of a higher tiered service is enough to piss you off.
Ive seen a few people mention that HDNet may or will be coming. Is this a fact or wishful thinking?

Most likely the latter.

It has been listed a number of times,but here goes:

802 -PBS HD channel *
804 - CBS *
805 ABC *
807 NBC *
809 ABC NH *
821 National Geographic ****
825 Fox *
828 MHD ****
833 TNT **
838 WSBK-DT *
839 Discovery Home Theatre **
846 Universal HD **
849 ESPN **
850 ESPN 2 ***
851 NESN ***
856 the CW *
868 Cinemax $
870 HBO $
875 Starz $
877 Showtime $
881 INHD **

* local broadcast -Only basic
** Digital classic (Basic + Classic OK, for NOW)
*** Enhanced basic required
**** Enhanced basic AND Digital Classic required
$ premium channels

Celtic home games and NFL Network HD games are seen in 881.

Thanks chitchatjf,
So is the iNHD2/NESN listing i see on the Comcast website now just plain ole NESN? I used to watch a lot of the Isle of Wight concerts on iNHD2 i think, and cant remember if they were just on iNHD2 or iNHD1 as well.
Doesnt look like paying the extra 30 something a month for enhanced basic will be worth it just yet unless they start dropping more channels from the basic+digital classic tier.

No: The INHD2/NESN you see on the website now has been replaced by the 821 National Geographic which you don't yet see on the website.

I have thw NGHD as 821 though dont have any of it in HD is this due to needing to upgrade service? It doesnt say not authorized or anything but its all in SD it seems.

I have thw NGHD as 821 though dont have any of it in HD is this due to needing to upgrade service? It doesnt say not authorized or anything but its all in SD it seems.
It seems as though alot of their programming is non-HD with pillar boxes. If you can tune 821 then you're probably just viewing one of their non-HD programs. Keep checking back, I have seen some HD programs.

It has been listed a number of times,but here goes:

802 -PBS HD channel *
804 - CBS *
805 ABC *
807 NBC *
809 ABC NH *
.
.
.


* local broadcast -Only basic
** Digital classic (Basic + Classic OK, for NOW)
*** Enhanced basic required
**** Enhanced basic AND Digital Classic required
$ premium channels

Celtic home games and NFL Network HD games are seen in 881.

There is, also, 806 ABC Providence *, for those of us in South East MA. !?!?! :confused:

And if a competitor (like Verizon) would offer that to you right now, would you switch? If not, then I don't see Comcast puckering up anytime soon.

Mickey

Verizon FIOS is offering all this and more and I am switiching in a couple of weeks. My comcast bill just went up 28% ( after the discounts ran out). Verizon is offering 15/2 ( now 20/5) with a DVR box , HDNet channels and more at the lower price.

What will be a big change is that all TNT HD On Demand movies will air in the same format the movie is in on the main HD Network. This means if the movie is OAR on the TNT HD channel it will be OAR on the On Demand.

That's pretty meaningless as I have yet to see any cinemascope ratio films that have been aired OAR on TNTHD. They cropped the LOTR series, so that pretty much means they'll crop anything and everything, IMO.

...Verizon is offering 15/2 ( now 20/5) with a DVR box , HDNet channels and more at the lower price.
What is "15/2" , "20/5"? I ask because I would like to find out more about what Verizon is currently offering in Mass.

Mickey

What is "15/2" , "20/5"? I ask because I would like to find out more about what Verizon is currently offering in Mass.

Mickey

Internet tier download/upload speeds.

Internet tier download/upload speeds.
Thanks. That compares favorably. After the holidays, I am going to sit down and compare the numbers and see if it makes sense to switch.

Mickey

Verizon FIOS is offering all this and more and I am switiching in a couple of weeks. My comcast bill just went up 28% ( after the discounts ran out). Verizon is offering 15/2 ( now 20/5) with a DVR box , HDNet channels and more at the lower price.

They may never offer it in my building and I doubt they will offer it in my community for some time if ever.

Update on FIOS:
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.aspx?Feed=PR&Date=20061221&ID=6297179&Symbol=US:VZ

They may never offer it in my building and I doubt they will offer it in my community for some time if ever.

http://ga3.org/campaign/Lawrence.

I sent my letter to the mayor and my local stae reps Here is what I added: :)

Although we do have reasonable cable service at the moment with Comcast, there are a few areas where they may be lacking.

a)The ongoing refusal to add HDNet and HDNet movies to their HD lineup.

b)Not carrying all the multiplex channels for Cinemax and Showtime.

c)The continuing of airing 45 extended basic channels on analog nearly a year after presenting an all digital lineup,and AFTER the introduction of inexpensive digital cable boxes (DCT700) using bandwidth that could be used for advanced services.

d)The actual rise or refusal to lower prices for high speed internet. Granted the speed has gone up but so has the cost.

e)the ongoing bugs within the HD DVR box. At times it freezes so I cannot change channels or enjoy an On demand program. If you call they ask you to reboot the box.

f)The pushing of Comcast Digital voice over the already sufficient Digital phone service.
Digital voice would cost more and require me to use thier cable modem for my Internet when I already have one of my own.

g)recent channels changes have been done with no advance notice given by standard mail,by email or by a notice sent to my cable box. One required me to obtain a package that would cost $40 a month more so I can see some games I was already seeing.

Having Fios as an option would be a great incentive for Comcast to adjust their prices and services accordingly so we would have TWO great options for TV service.

Verizon FIOS is offering all this and more and I am switiching in a couple of weeks. My comcast bill just went up 28% ( after the discounts ran out). Verizon is offering 15/2 ( now 20/5) with a DVR box , HDNet channels and more at the lower price.


Note that Verizon FiOS does not provide the NESN-HD channel or any Red Sox/Bruins game on any HD channel. You also do not have the option to watch Celtics games on any HD channel. All you will get is lots of football in HD on the full-time NFL Network HD + ESPN, CBS, and NBC. I'm hoping they will add this before the Sox season starts...

The only network I know of that is even sparsely available that has both FSNE-HD and NESN-HD is RCN. Even so, I think only home Celtic games are in HD anyways, so Comcast is providing all it can at the moment.

a)The ongoing refusal to add HDNet and HDNet movies to their HD lineup.
Two big companies arguing over a carriage agreement. Not sure how or why local government would or should care. If Comcast had unlimited bandwidth and were offered the channels for free, I'm sure we'd have them.

c)The continuing of airing 45 extended basic channels on analog nearly a year after presenting an all digital lineup,and AFTER the introduction of inexpensive digital cable boxes (DCT700) using bandwidth that could be used for advanced services.
Just over half of Comcast's customers have at least one digital box. I don't doubt this is what you want, but there's a sizeable portion of people out there who are happy with their cable the way it is.

d)The actual rise or refusal to lower prices for high speed internet. Granted the speed has gone up but so has the cost.
They're #1 in the market for internet share. Supply and demand. If people weren't willing to pay $42.95, they wouldn't be charging it.

e)the ongoing bugs within the HD DVR box. At times it freezes so I cannot change channels or enjoy an On demand program. If you call they ask you to reboot the box.
Again, I'm not sure what you want your local government to do. I'm sure Comcast is working on it. I'm also sure they're not the only company that has problems with their equipment.

f)The pushing of Comcast Digital voice over the already sufficient Digital phone service.
Digital voice would cost more and require me to use thier cable modem for my Internet when I already have one of my own.
So now you want your local government to tell the cable company what new products they can and can't introduce? It sounds like Digital Voice isn't for you. Fortunately, I'm sure you have several alternatives.

g)recent channels changes have been done with no advance notice given by standard mail,by email or by a notice sent to my cable box. One required me to obtain a package that would cost $40 a month more so I can see some games I was already seeing.
Absolutely valid criticism, IMO.

Having Fios as an option would be a great incentive for Comcast to adjust their prices and services accordingly so we would have TWO great options for TV service.
Competition is ALWAYS a good thing. Although, my gut says that if you're waiting for either Verizon or Comcast to lower their prices, you're going to be waiting for quite some time.

The franchising authority's biggest concern is always disruption of the streets and the obscuring of sight-lines. They generally care remarkably little about the television enthusiast. Comcast does a good-enough job at providing television service to keep them satisfied, and gives them the free airtime they feel obligated to get.

g)recent channels changes have been done with no advance notice given by standard mail,by email or by a notice sent to my cable box. One required me to obtain a package that would cost $40 a month more so I can see some games I was already seeing.

Speaking of channel chages; in the recent past Comcast has taken out 2 channels from the Digital Classic package that was part of the package when I sign up for it.

CMT and Thrillermax. Is it right that they take something away that you are paying for, with no explanation?

Note that Verizon FiOS does not provide the NESN-HD channel or any Red Sox/Bruins game on any HD channel. You also do not have the option to watch Celtics games on any HD channel.

I think they will have both these channels soon.

g)recent channels changes have been done with no advance notice given by standard mail,by email or by a notice sent to my cable box. One required me to obtain a package that would cost $40 a month more so I can see some games I was already seeing.

Speaking of channel chages; in the recent past Comcast has taken out 2 channels from the Digital Classic package that was part of the package when I sign up for it.

CMT and Thrillermax. Is it right that they take something away that you are paying for, with no explanation?

Thrillermax? That looks like a Cinemax miultiplex channel. They AREsupposed to gave a 30 day advance notice before changes. They haven't.

is anyone experiencing green and purple bars scrolling up the screen on their comcast cable? it started about a week ago.. any one got any ideas what it could be?

is anyone experiencing green and purple bars scrolling up the screen on their comcast cable? it started about a week ago.. any one got any ideas what it could be?

Nope. Nothing like that here...

What even happen to having FSNNE HD Celtics games on 882 :confused:

What even happen to having FSNNE HD Celtics games on 882 :confused:
They are on 881 now.

Thrillermax? That looks like a Cinemax miultiplex channel. They AREsupposed to gave a 30 day advance notice before changes. They haven't.

ThrillerMax is indeed a Cinemax Multiplex channel, and thus requires the Cinemax Package in order to receive it.

As for 30 day notice... I have my cable bill in front of me from November that says right in the left border that INHD2 will be dropped on December 14th and to "Look for an exciting new channel to replace INHD2 in the coming weeks."

Looks like 30 days notification to me no?

C'mon guys, if you are going bitch about Comcast dropping a channel, at least come up with something credible. They dropped INHD2 because its going away at the end of the year anyways. The did it mid-December I'm sure to accomodate the large portion of their workforce who is likely taking off the last half of December or so. They launched National Geographic HD in its place (in our market anyways). Why did they not put it in Digital Classic? Perhaps because National Geographic wanted more money to carry their HD service. Perhaps, as was pointed out many many months ago by those of us taking advantage of this Basic + Digital Classic only "loophole", Comcast would eventually get wise to it. No more free lunch.

At your job, do you expect your employer to not accomodate employee raises, performance bonuses, infrastructure upgrades, etc? I sure as hell want my employer to give me a raise every year. And how are they supposed to pay for that? Maybe thats why they do price increases. Maybe thats why they take out these loopholes that people are taking advantage of.

No one is forcing you to take the Expanded Basic package. Watching TV is a choice, not a necessity. If you aren't willing to pony up the cash for your entertainment, then don't. If you want competition, look at Dish and DirecTV... last I checked they offered Television service in our area and have been doing so for many years (is this not competition, or is an inferior product to Comcast's just not what you'd consider competition because Comcast has invested the time, money, and effort to provide the best customer experience possible for ALL of its customers).

You wonder why people like Avic no longer post here. Perhaps because this bored is nothing more than a giant bitch-fest rather than the helpful and informative board it was a year or two ago.

I've been a happy customer of Comcast's for 8 years (since I moved to this area). If times are lean, I've cut back on what I paid for. I did my homework and compared my choices (yes, there is that DirecTV and Dish Network thing again) and found that Comcast provided the best quality for the money.

If you aren't happy, then complain to your city council board. Thats what they are there for.

Lets get this forum back to being a helpful forum and stop your complaining.

They AREsupposed to gave a 30 day advance notice before changes. They're actually NOT supposed to. I think that is something that customers and perhaps even CSRs spread around but there is nothing in the terms of service that promise anything of the sort.

They're actually NOT supposed to. I think that is something that customers and perhaps even CSRs spread around but there is nothing in the terms of service that promise anything of the sort.

30 day notice is pretty much an industry standard written into franchise agreements. It's intented to protect consumers against overnight removals and unannounced increases in cost to view of thier favorite programs. Here's a link to Burlington's 1997 agreement with MediaOne (Comcast)

http://www.mass.gov/Eoca/docs/dte/catv/license/Burlington.pdf

check out page 34, section 5.2-programming, part (b). You can interpret the word "substantial" all you want, but the town would consider any single removal or change as needing a 30 day notice.

"Substantial" in indeed subjective and therefore subject to change with the judicial winds, which, as we all know, have been distinctly pro-business and anti-consumer since at least January 2001. Many things for which action might have been taken before are going unchallenged. Folks should come to grips with the government they've created for themselves and accept that "substantial" notice may now mean no more than a week, and it only appearing as a note on their website. They'd be well within their rights, given the current climate, for that to be deemed sufficient.

It is interesting that the current franchise agreement is not available online. Just another indicator of what I'm talking about.

ThrillerMax is indeed a Cinemax Multiplex channel, and thus requires the Cinemax Package in order to receive it.

As for 30 day notice... I have my cable bill in front of me from November that says right in the left border that INHD2 will be dropped on December 14th and to "Look for an exciting new channel to replace INHD2 in the coming weeks."

Looks like 30 days notification to me no?

.

YOUR system did Mine DID NOT!

NOONE got ANY advance notice about the NESN games going from 882 to 851.

If they continue to price digital classic, digital plus and/or any other digital service separately then they are a-la carte services and only require Basic.

They can say that Digital starter is included with all digital tiers (except Family tier and Movie channels purchased a-la-carte)

Lately generally ever since the "ad" was added to the program guide the boxes have had more bugs then one can stand.

When i first turn the set on it seems to take 15-20 seconds to get a channel on. This has taken place on BOTH SD and HD channels.

There seems to be a pause when trying to activate controls. changing channels going up/down or even selecting directly. These pauses even take place when activating the controls on the box itself.

Calling the office will possibly say reboot the box when I have done a few times.

I have a good number of show stored on the drive (I have a DVR),and if I was to replace it they would probobly want me to make an appointment for them to come down when I could easily switch it at the office.

I have an older Model 1 6412.

So it's Christmas morning and I plugged the Moto DVR into the new Sylvania HDTV via HDMI and the program guide downloads and then.......no picture.

I'm stuck with the "Channel Will Be Available In a Moment" screen.

So, it downloaded the Guide so it's clearly talking to Comcast. Why no picture? Anyone? The guide looks just fine, I can navigate to the DVR recordings section.....everything's working except there's no picture or audio.

It's Christmas and the kids are crying :(

Help.

BJ

So it's Christmas morning and I plugged the Moto DVR into the new Sylvania HDTV via HDMI and the program guide downloads and then.......no picture.

I'm stuck with the "Channel Will Be Available In a Moment" screen.

So, it downloaded the Guide so it's clearly talking to Comcast. Why no picture? Anyone? The guide looks just fine, I can navigate to the DVR recordings section.....everything's working except there's no picture or audio.

It's Christmas and the kids are crying :(

Help.

BJ

Does it do this on every channel ? Did you try the lower number channels ?


-Ken

Does it do this on every channel ? Did you try the lower number channels ?


-Ken

Yes, all channels.

Spoke to Comcast tech and they had me re-boot, wait 30 minutes, and still get the program guide but no video/audio.

Should I try component cables instead of HDMI?

BJ

Lately generally ever since the "ad" was added to the program guide the boxes have had more bugs then one can stand.I've noticed no appreciable differences.

The burning log on 881 was a nice touch this morning when the inlaws came over. The light Christmas music in the background was also a nice, pleasant touch.

The burning log on 881 was a nice touch this morning when the inlaws came over. The light Christmas music in the background was also a nice, pleasant touch.

The INHD logo was also there but in a non intrusive place. The ON Demand version had NO bug,and there was a non HD letterbox version as well.

So it's Christmas morning and I plugged the Moto DVR into the new Sylvania HDTV via HDMI and the program guide downloads and then.......no picture.

I'm stuck with the "Channel Will Be Available In a Moment" screen.

So, it downloaded the Guide so it's clearly talking to Comcast. Why no picture? Anyone? The guide looks just fine, I can navigate to the DVR recordings section.....everything's working except there's no picture or audio.

It's Christmas and the kids are crying :(

Help.

BJ

Bump.

Help.

BJ

BJ, you didn't supply any details. Was this set top working before on another TV? Did you go into the set up menu and set resolution, etc to match the new TV? Did you go into the diagnaostics and check signal readings?

HDMI may be a problem, try component, If you don't have conponent cables try any RCA cables to see if it works.

Bump.

Help.

BJ

Turn off the TV. Turn off the Moto box. Unplug the Moto box. Wait 30 seconds. Plug in the Moto box (DO NOT TURN IT ON). DO NOT TOUCH IT FOR 10 MINUTES. Turn both on.

people, one moment please is RARELY a box issue, its never a HDMI/DVI/Component issue. You're getting one moment please due to either weak signal or interference on the line. Going cable direct will not prove anything due to ADS.

1. Check/replace fittings, splitters and coax(screw on not push on fittings) on the run that the box is connected to
2. Run coax directly to the box, bypass any splitters & eliminate and unnecessary splitters

If those fail call Comcast for a service visit.

BJ, you didn't supply any details. Was this set top working before on another TV? Did you go into the set up menu and set resolution, etc to match the new TV? Did you go into the diagnaostics and check signal readings?

HDMI may be a problem, try component, If you don't have conponent cables try any RCA cables to see if it works.

The box is new to my house......I'm a DirecTV customer and only got the Comcast box as an upgrade to the basic service being fed to coax in my house for the past 10 years because I wanted to add an HD feed to the upper level of my home.

How do you get into the set-up menu of the Motorola set top box? I didn't see any options on the Comcast remote. I'd love to change teh resolution, check diagnostics, etc but don't know how.

Thanks.

BJ

You'll want to make yourself familiar with the wikibook where that's covered:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

BJ,

Follow L Supreme's advice. Sounds like a signal issue.

In my opinion, the first HD install to a house should be performed by a Comcast tech. I also had an original signal issue that was quickly detected and fixed by the Comcast tech. Since then I have installed/swapped a number of HD/DVR boxes myself without any problem.

Mickey

BJ,

Follow L Supreme's advice. Sounds like a signal issue.

In my opinion, the first HD install to a house should be performed by a Comcast tech. I also had an original signal issue that was quickly detected and fixed by the Comcast tech. Since then I have installed/swapped a number of HD/DVR boxes myself without any problem.

Mickey

I tightened all the wires and used a fresh piece of insulated coax to no avail.

I found the diagnostics and the setup. Doesn't seem to be any way to change the output resolution, just the coax bypass.

If I jot down the diagnostic codes can anyone decipher?

TIA

BJ

In my opinion, the first HD install to a house should be performed by a Comcast tech.
Mickey
Hopefully NOT the Comcast "tech" that connected my father-in-law's brand new Sony Bravia LCD TV. The "tech" connected the component video output of the high-def set-top box to the 480i/480p input of the set. Not being a technologically-savvy kind of guy, dad was very puzzled why his "high def" picture looked like absolute crap.

Once I moved the component video connections over to the 720p/1080i input things looked a LOT better. Dad called the other night to thank me (again) for "fixing" his TV.

Tony

Hopefully NOT the Comcast "tech" that connected my father-in-law's brand new Sony Bravia LCD TV. The "tech" connected the component video output of the high-def set-top box to the 480i/480p input of the set. Not being a technologically-savvy kind of guy, dad was very puzzled why his "high def" picture looked like absolute crap.

Once I moved the component video connections over to the 720p/1080i input things looked a LOT better. Dad called the other night to thank me (again) for "fixing" his TV.

Tony
I think this is a YMMV issue. I have had great luck with the on-site techs from Comcast, but I know that this is not always the case. I would hesitate to recommend that every subscriber should go-it-alone. Your dad was lucky to have you fix his install, but not everyone has an in-family expert at their disposal.

Mickey

I've often found that if you have "bleeding edge" issues, they'll often send someone with a clue.

So far (knock wood), I've had pretty good luck with Comcast techs.

I've had pretty good luck with Comcast techs.

I'll let them get as far as the wall plate. I still haven't met a tech who I would let near my equipment. I think I have taught something to every tech who has been at my place. I find them woefully lacking.

Comcast Tech's:

I found one highly qualified tech, tipped him $20, and got his cell phone number. I've paid him off the clock to come back and redo all my crimps. I call him first and have him open up the tickets for work.

I wish I had a contact like that. I'd love to run an extra couple of coaxes through my basement to have cable ports in my living room and kitchen.

The last Comcast guy who came out gave me his card, too. Seemed fairly competent, although the installation was a couple of cable cards for the new TiVo. Sounds trivial, but from what I've read over on the TiVo boards, I was extremely lucky that mine all worked on the first try. Well, he seemed to know what he was doing.

Then again, the wiring and placement of my HT components is strange and tangled, and far too easy to screw up for anyone at that end of the pay scale to be touching, so I handed him the remote to the TiVo, but insisted on doing all the plugging/unplugging of cards myself.

I tightened all the wires and used a fresh piece of insulated coax to no avail.

I found the diagnostics and the setup. Doesn't seem to be any way to change the output resolution, just the coax bypass.

If I jot down the diagnostic codes can anyone decipher?

TIA

BJ

If you are seeing The Guide and One Moment Please on your display then it is not a connection issue, you would get nothing instead. Sounds to me that your box needs a hit from the Comcast Office to activate the channels and service you have subscribed too. That happen to me once before and once they did everything worked fine.

Are we getting new firmware this evening? I've had a "dl" appearing on my cable box (DCT5100) with a block that is traveling in clockwise circles to the left of the "dl".

I can't power the unit on either...

Is this normal for an update?

I'm alive! The "one moment please" was due to the fact that the builder of my house 10 years ago was cheap and kept splicing and splicing into the cable from the lead instead of putting in some virgin wire. The Comcast tech did a great job in sleuthing down the splices, putting in new splitters, and even gave me a powered signal booster. Kudos Comcast.

I've now got some questions as a Comcast newb after being a DirecTV user for a decade:

1. I didn't subscribe to all the premium channels; how can I stop them from showing up in the guide and frustrating my wife? With DirecTV, I can choose between "favorites" or "channels you receive" as defaults to the guide; is there sucn an option with Comcast to only show the channels I'm paying for?

2. If the answer to #1 is "use favorites", can you tell me how to create one-button-press access to the favorites menu? (Even if it's not the answer to #1, I'd like the answer to #2).

3. My cheapo Sylvania 26" LCD HDTV is 720p native. In the Motorola service menu, should I set the Moto output to 720p or 1080i for the best picture via HDMI?

4. In the Motorola service menu, I am set for 480i as my 4:3 default. When I jump from an HD program to a SD program, the screen behaves properly and the SD isn't 'stretched'......it's given the vertical black bars. But when I jump over to the On Demand area, all the non-HD content is stretched instead of given the vertical black bars. How can I correct this?

5. In the Motorola service menu's HDMI 'advanced settings', do I choose RGB colors or the other one (4:4:4 or something)?

6. Is there a hack for a 30 second commercial skip on recordings possible?

Thanks for all your help these past few days.......if you can answer the questions above I'd be eternally grateful.

BJ

1) Set up favorites. Hit guide, then FAV. This should do it. I too came from DTV and had this problem at first. Also, when you flip channels hit FAV, not UP.

2) I don't think you can.

3) Try them both and see. Not sure here either.

4) This is normal. Nothing you can do to my knowledge. When you go from HD to SD and back there are brief stretching issues.

5) Not sure.


6) Nope.

6. Is there a hack for a 30 second commercial skip on recordings possible?
If you have a motorola 6412 the following Wikipedia link has a bunch of useful info on reprogramming the remote, including a 30 second skip. Hope this helps, I know it saved me when I switched to comcast.

Rob

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

Edit: Jut noticed someone posted the link earlier. It has kind of grown since when I first saw it a year ago, so you may have to dig a little to find the part on programming some of the DVR functions on the remote.

6. Is there a hack for a 30 second commercial skip on recordings possible?

BJ

If you go buy yourself one of those fancy remote controls (I have the Harmony 676) it does the 30 second skip perfectly. No special coding necessary.

Looking like Comcast pushed a bad update down here. Last night around 2AM my box started rebooting, then continued after I powered down for the night. This morning the box was unresponsive to the remote. I pulled the plug and now I've got dl with the circle of LEDs, see how long it takes to come back on...if it does.

I suspect you can create a one button way of accessing only your favorites program guide, using a macro:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_a_Macro_Button

3. My cheapo Sylvania 26" LCD HDTV is 720p native. In the Motorola service menu, should I set the Moto output to 720p or 1080i for the best picture via HDMI?


All 3 of my dispays are 720P native but I have to run the cablebox at 1080i or I get strange picture garbage. This goes for HD OnDemand and other standard HD channels.

Pete

3. My cheapo Sylvania 26" LCD HDTV is 720p native. In the Motorola service menu, should I set the Moto output to 720p or 1080i for the best picture via HDMI?

Depends on whether the Moto box or your TV is better at scaling. Unfortunately, there's no "pass through" mode to allow the native resolution of the channel to be sent, so you have to pick either 720p or 1080i output.

If you have a motorola 6412 the following Wikipedia link has a bunch of useful info on reprogramming the remote, including a 30 second skip. Hope this helps, I know it saved me when I switched to comcast.

Rob

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

Edit: Jut noticed someone posted the link earlier. It has kind of grown since when I first saw it a year ago, so you may have to dig a little to find the part on programming some of the DVR functions on the remote.

That Wiki is great stuff. Thanks guys.

BJ

When I got home today I found all the HD channels missing from any of the programable favorites lists. When I edit the lists the channels indicate that they are selected as favorites (they have hearts next to them).
If I add a new channel to the list it appears on the guide, but not HD channels. I've tried removing them from the list then re-adding them and still the don't appear.
Anyone else seen this problem before ?

When I got home today I found all the HD channels missing from any of the programable favorites lists. When I edit the lists the channels indicate that they are selected as favorites (they have hearts next to them).
If I add a new channel to the list it appears on the guide, but not HD channels. I've tried removing them from the list then re-adding them and still the don't appear.
Anyone else seen this problem before ?

It is not this way in Lawrence :)

When I got home today I found all the HD channels missing from any of the programable favorites lists. When I edit the lists the channels indicate that they are selected as favorites (they have hearts next to them).
If I add a new channel to the list it appears on the guide, but not HD channels. I've tried removing them from the list then re-adding them and still the don't appear.
Anyone else seen this problem before ?

I've got the exact same problem (on a 6412 and a 3412) with the HD channels.

Also tried removing channels from favorites list from Setup menu, then re-adding them. Doesn't help. I spoke to a very nice rep at Comcast who seemed knowledgeable but had no idea what's causing this. Tried turning my box on and off, that doesn't help either. Linda, the Comcast rep is going to send an initialize ? hit to my boxes in the middle of the night so it won't interfere with using it now, so I'll see tomorrow if that worked.

Someone in California responded to my post in the 3412 with the same problem, so it's not local. I might as well just reboot the box before I go to bed and see what I get in the morning, because that always seems to be the first thing I'm told to try in response to calls. If that doesn't work, at least the call wait time will be less in the morning....

Anyone know if Comcast is ever going to give us Superstation WGN (HD or otherwise)?

I'd be happy if Comcast could get my boxes turned back on. We're part of the Adelphia conversion. I called today to get the higher Internet access speed. That went through OK but they can't reprogram the boxes. Went back and forth between Adelphia and Comcast (didn't know Adelphia still existed) and neither can do anything. Comcast is working on it they say.

I also have the no-HD favorites problem in Jamaica Plain. Unplugging (for about half an hour - installing new receiver) didn't make any improvement, nor did creating an all-new favorites list.

I saw the annual price increases They list Soapnet,which has been on digital classic since August as NEW

It also shows ESPN Classic moving from 48 to 258.

a Net $2.14 increase i can live with but are they now gonna charge $5 EXTRA for the HD DVR?

It seems pretty tame by comparison to TiVo's recent price increases.

I have the same problem with no HD on favorites. Comcast rep says it is a known problem. He has recieved many calls about it.

I got the same story about the missing HD favorites this morning when I called. I haven't been home since then, and it sounds like I won't see them when I finally get home.

It also shows ESPN Classic moving from 48 to 258.

Interesting, but expected.

Is there any truth that the locals in the next few years will be in the 900-tier? In Western Massachusetts CBS has been mapped to 903 (on 003 as well), CN8 to 909/009and NBC to 910/010...

Interesting, but expected.

Is there any truth that the locals in the next few years will be in the 900-tier? In Western Massachusetts CBS has been mapped to 903 (on 003 as well), CN8 to 909/009and NBC to 910/010...

Those are for apartment building where they have a security camera taking over an analog channel.

For example if such a camera were to be on channel 9 the camera will be ion channel; 909 while the regular channel 9 would remain on channel 9 with the digital box.

It seems pretty tame by comparison to TiVo's recent price increases.

Sigh..... TiVo's monthly charge is still $12.95. Stop spreading FUD.

No. Previously, TiVo's monthly charge was $12.95, month-to-month. Now, TiVo offers $12.95 only with a three-year service commitment. There is no month-to-month option any longer. The shortest commitment they'll allow is one year, and for that the charge is now $19.95 per month. So TiVo's increase is 54%, and that's an optimistic number given that it doesn't acount for the fact that you now have to make some sort of service commitment where before you did not need to do so. And while current customers are grandfathered in at their previous rate, turn off your service temporarily, and when you return your unit to service you will pay the new customer price!!!

I'm not saying TiVo's price increase is "wrong" or "evil" -- I'm just saying that it is significant, and that Comcast's price increases aren't remarkable as a result.

Do some research before you post, next time.

No. Previously, TiVo's monthly charge was $12.95, month-to-month. Now, TiVo offers $12.95 only with a three-year service commitment. There is no month-to-month option any longer. The shortest commitment they'll allow is one year, and for that the charge is now $19.95 per month. So TiVo's increase is 54%, and that's an optimistic number given that it doesn't acount for the fact that you now have to make some sort of service commitment where before you did not need to do so. And while current customers are grandfathered in at their previous rate, turn off your service temporarily, and when you return your unit to service you will pay the new customer price!!!

I'm not saying TiVo's price increase is "wrong" or "evil" -- I'm just saying that it is significant, and that Comcast's price increases aren't remarkable as a result.

Do some research before you post, next time.

Wow. Somebody take a leak in your Wheaties this morning ? What's the deal ?

I'm well aware of Tivo's new pricing structure. Who in their right mind would ever get a one-year deal ? I'm not even sure why Tivo offers it, to tell you the truth. It's like the little check box on the MA State Tax form where you can choose to pay more taxes if you'd like. Gee, lemme think about that for a while...

If you wanna be pissed about something, try bitching about the whole Lifetime situation. Otherwise, just pipe down...

Yah, I gave my parents a new TiVo for christmas with a gift subscription. TiVo's completely messed up the order from day 1, and the latest in the saga is that at first, they failed to honor the gift subscription. In any case, before they honored it, they quoted my parents $12.95/month. Didn't sound much like a price increase to me.

Wow. Somebody take a leak in your Wheaties this morning ? What's the deal ?If you post erroneous attack messages like, "Stop posting FUD," expect people to call you on it.

I have the same problem with CBS. It's very annoying with my HK receiver b/c every time the sound format changes there is a 2-3 second drop out.

I think I've seen this mentioned in the HD TV threads and is an issue with the CBS broadcast, not our local Comcast transmission.


Has there been any further discussion on this issue? I'm not sure if it is the way that I have my surround sound setup or what, but I too experience the same "drops" in audio as the format changes back and forth.

Did anyone notice that the PQ on FOXHD for the Denver / SF game was HORRIBLE?
It looked AWFUL in Medford.
I'm trying to figure out if it's my TV or the broadcast.
Other channels looked fine.
Normally, FOXHD is the best for football.
Thanks!

Did anyone notice that the PQ on FOXHD for the Denver / SF game was HORRIBLE?
It looked AWFUL in Medford.
I'm trying to figure out if it's my TV or the broadcast.
Other channels looked fine.
Normally, FOXHD is the best for football.
Thanks!

I too thought the quality was bad. Typically Fox football is excellent!

Right now:

HD box without DVR - 8.95

DVR - 4.50+.25+9.95 =14.70

Feb 1st

HD Box withOUT DVR - 8.79

DVR withOUT HD = 3.79+.20+5.95 = 9.94

DVR WITH HD
'
a) 3.79+.20+9.95 = 13.94

b) 8.79+.20+9.95 = 18.94

Is it going down or up?

I too thought the quality was bad. Typically Fox football is excellent!

Perhaps it may had been a 16:9 480i game.

I tend to like WBZ-Dt the best for NFL myself :)

Did anyone notice that the PQ on FOXHD for the Denver / SF game was HORRIBLE?
It looked AWFUL in Medford.
I'm trying to figure out if it's my TV or the broadcast.
Other channels looked fine.
Normally, FOXHD is the best for football.
Thanks!

Your TV is fine. The Fox broadcasting equipment simply didn't make the migration into Denver, due to the snow storm, and as a result they ended up utilizing FSN Rocky Mountain as their satellite distribution channel.

Your TV is fine. The Fox broadcasting equipment simply didn't make the migration into Denver, due to the snow storm, and as a result they ended up utilizing FSN Rocky Mountain as their satellite distribution channel.

Thanks! I thought something like that may have happened, because the sideline cameras looked fine. The overhead shot looked awful.
I find that normally, FOX & ESPN have the best looking football broadcasts.
I have not tried CBS OTA though, I should get an antenna and give it a shot.
Uncompressed HD must be awesome.

If you post erroneous attack messages like, "Stop posting FUD," expect people to call you on it.

For someone to start screaming at the rooftops that the entire TiVo pricing scheme had gone to hell in a hand-basket, with massive rate hikes, is FUD. The monthly price is still $12.95.

Get over yourself.

Back at ya'. Repeating your erroneous information doesn't make it true, and more important doesn't make it helpful to folks reading this thread for information they can rely on.

The real information: TiVo offers $12.95 only with a three-year service commitment. There is no month-to-month option any longer. The shortest commitment they'll allow is one year, and for that the charge is now $19.95 per month. So TiVo's increase is 54%, and that's an optimistic number given that it doesn't acount for the fact that you now have to make some sort of service commitment where before you did not need to do so.

Yet, for some reason, Paul's not the one who gets added to the ignore list.

Evidently, neither am I. :)

Evidently, neither am I. :)

Yeah, you are.

Life's too short to be wasted on jerks who make pedantic and tedious arguments for the sake of argument, weenies who suit up with their +3 Muscles of Internet Anonymity and try to thrash on others, and clowns who people skills are sorely lacking (no, LAN parties don't count).

Welcome to the ignore list. Enjoy your stay.

I am not sure why people are giving bicker1 a hard time. I know he tends to be pro-Comcast. I am no Comcast cheerleader but I think they have a great service, it is expensive but competion from verizon should help. I love the fact they don't force a commitment down your throat like everyother tv provider (fios, d*, dish). Comcast does have it's share of stupid policies like the "comcastic discount" for multiple boxes.

From what it looks like Tivo does require a 3yr service commitment to get 12.95/month and I appreciate him pointing it out. I think it is great Comcast is rolling out the 3080 (non-HD dvr) and making it cheaper then DVR today. You can also go a get a 3416 which is 33% bigger then the previous HD-DVRs so that should help offset the additional HD-DVR increase.

Oh, I have to agree about Comcast. My only quibble with them has been price, but hey, I'm always gonna complain about that with just about any vendor.

Agreed. I had Comcast a few years ago while living in Nashua, and never had a problem with the service. The 6412 had some problems, since it was fairly new at the time, and that's to be expected with any version 1.0 product.

Now that I'm back with Comcast (recent Adelphia->Comcast acquisition), I hope that level of service remains. Just as long as they don't get in the way of me working around my only quibble with them (replace their DVR with my TiVo S3) through policy or ineptitude, then I'll be good to go.

Outside of that, the only thing that's left is the requisite complaints about the yearly fee increases.

My beef is will HD DVRs end up costing $9 MORE then SD DVRs?

My beef is will HD DVRs end up costing $9 MORE then SD DVRs?

The SD DVR is probably alot cheaper to make. Look on the flip side, before there were SD DVRs the people with non-HD tvs were overpaying for their DVRs. I do find the delta a bit much. You would think the DVR service fee would be the same for both boxes and the box fee would be different.

The SD DVR is probably alot cheaper to make. Look on the flip side, before there were SD DVRs the people with non-HD tvs were overpaying for their DVRs. I do find the delta a bit much. You would think the DVR service fee would be the same for both boxes and the box fee would be different.

No they weren't. They were still getting the HD channels in SD. The new DVRs will still give them the HD channels but ONLY in SD.

Me thinks they are sneaking in an HD tier $5 without DVR $9 with.

Welcome to the ignore list. Enjoy your stay.Thank goodness. Enough of your silliness.

I am not sure why people are giving bicker1 a hard time. I know he tends to be pro-Comcast.I couldn't care less about Comcast, specifically. My perspective is strictly reality. I'm in favor of keeping the friggen government out of things it doesn't need to be involved in. Whenever practical, let the customer decide what's what by voting with their WALLETS. Suppliers offer; consumers accept or reject. There is no need for the idiocy of recriminations like: "They won't offer me what I want them to offer me at the price I want to pay for it," which is essential what the argument against Comcast in this thread boils down to.

I have the same discussions with people about Disney, Target, Verizon, American Airlines, etc. Some people just irrationally hate big companies, and I won't give those people an unrebutted soap-box.

My beef is will HD DVRs end up costing $9 MORE then SD DVRs?I would expect the price difference to be more than that. You can get a stand-alone (i.e., non-subscription) SD DVR for $50 now. If there was a stand-alone HD DVR to be had, it would cost over $500, maybe a lot more.

I couldn't care less about Comcast, specifically. My perspective is strictly reality. I'm in favor of keeping the friggen government out of things it doesn't need to be involved in. Whenever practical, let the customer decide what's what by voting with their WALLETS. Suppliers offer; consumers accept or reject. There is no need for the idiocy of recriminations like: "They won't offer me what I want them to offer me at the price I want to pay for it," which is essential what the argument against Comcast in this thread boils down to.

I have the same discussions with people about Disney, Target, Verizon, American Airlines, etc. Some people just irrationally hate big companies, and I won't give those people an unrebutted soap-box.

The only BIG difference is that comcast is a monopoly for many of us. I don
t have FioS available, and I don't think my neighbors are going to cut down all their trees for me so satellite is out. I have no choice, I wish I did.

Here is an idea, take all sports stations out of basic and make them a la carte !

Link (http://www.multichannel.com/blog/1820000182/post/1400006140.html)

-Ken

HD channels are still dropped from my favortes list. I called Comcast for an update and this time the rep (and his supervisor) knew nothing of the problem. Is anyone else having this problem?

...There is no need for the idiocy of recriminations like: "They won't offer me what I want them to offer me at the price I want to pay for it," which is essential what the argument against Comcast in this thread boils down to...
I beg to differ. In this society, it is perfectly legitimate for consumers to make demands. The suppliers can certainly choose to ignore everything except their vision of what consumers should have. I for one will not sit quietly with these buggy Moto boxes and pay these high prices without fighting back.

Mickey

The only BIG difference is that comcast is a monopoly for many of us. I don
t have FioS available, and I don't think my neighbors are going to cut down all their trees for me so satellite is out. I have no choice, I wish I did.

Here is an idea, take all sports stations out of basic and make them a la carte !

Link (http://www.multichannel.com/blog/1820000182/post/1400006140.html)

-Ken

The RSN's were a-la-carte at one time. $17 a month for 1/2 the games (the other half were still on broadcast TV)

I could see $20 a month for aLL 20 sports channels.

I'm a very unsatisfied RCN customer, and have grown increasingly so with more problems lately and the typically horrible customer service. Among the problems is really spotty HD channel reception, particularly for CBS and ESPN. About 50% of the time I get a "temporarily unavailable" screen, and have missed many a college bowl game and have been forced to watch the Patriots in standard-def far too often this season. Sunday's Jets-Pats playoff game is on CBS, and I suspect I'll be forced to watch the SD channel. Like last's week game.

Can I expect anything better from Comcast? (I'll also be using the high-speed internet service if I switch.)

I've got their "high speed" internet option, meaning 768K up/8M down (as opposed to the standard 384Kbps/6Mbps service they offer). I can verify that I indeed witness those speeds on a regular basis. Actually, with their "speed boost," I actually get bursts of up to 16M down, but downloading a new Ubuntu CD, for instance, averages about 1MB/sec for the entire 600+ MB download, which is what you'd expect from the advertised 8Mbps advertised speed.

As for TV reception: really no complaints here, which is sorta strange coming from me.

I couldn't care less about Comcast, specifically. My perspective is strictly reality. I'm in favor of keeping the friggen government out of things it doesn't need to be involved in. Whenever practical, let the customer decide what's what by voting with their WALLETS. Suppliers offer; consumers accept or reject. There is no need for the idiocy of recriminations like: "They won't offer me what I want them to offer me at the price I want to pay for it," which is essential what the argument against Comcast in this thread boils down to.

I have the same discussions with people about Disney, Target, Verizon, American Airlines, etc. Some people just irrationally hate big companies, and I won't give those people an unrebutted soap-box.

bicker1 - I couldn't agree with you more.............except in the case of monopolies like cable franchises.......................................if I could shop 2 or more competitors for the same delivery (cable) service, the market would determine what is a fair price. In this case it doesn't.
We're not talking about a $50 monthly bill (before the increase I'm paying $175+ for the Silver Pkg/(1) HD/DVR & (1) Digital Box/Internet/Digital Phone.

Not cheap and I'd feel better about it's value for the $ if there was competition....................

Any news when the new Comcast HD Channel that combines Golf Channel with Versus will be part of the lineup?


Gary

The only BIG difference is that comcast is a monopoly for many of us.The law prohibits anyone from preventing you from erecting whatever structure you need to receive satellite signals.

Anyone hear anything about the news on 4, 5, or 7 broadcasting in HD anytime soon? I thik there are a number of other cities that have done so over the past year.

Anyone hear anything about the news on 4, 5, or 7 broadcasting in HD anytime soon? I thik there are a number of other cities that have done so over the past year.

Do you really want to see Lobel in HD?

Wonder when A&E HD will be on here. Some other Comcast systems now have it. Also,whenwill we see Golf/Vs HD? In Brockton area we are getting WLNE-DT (ABC-New Bedford-Providence) as well as WCVB-DT. We should get WHDH-DT back as well as having WJAR-DT. Not looking to see WPRI-DT any time soon as Cox Cable in RI is unable to carry them. One other thing we get WLVI-DT but do NOT get the video music channel on thier sub-channel.

HD channels are still dropped from my favortes list. I called Comcast for an update and this time the rep (and his supervisor) knew nothing of the problem. Is anyone else having this problem?

Yes, nothing has changed for me, still no HD in favorites.

Do you really want to see Lobel in HD?

Lobey wouldn't be half as bad as some of the long-time female anchors (Natalie Jacobson, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Victoria Block, etc). YIKES! :eek:

WBZ's should probably think about going HD and gain an advantage, though. They've got quite the collection of attractive women doing their news. The investment in the HD gear would probably get 'em a nice bump in their ratings.

The law prohibits anyone from preventing you from erecting whatever structure you need to receive satellite signals.
Ok... I'll bite. Which law?

And does this law supercede local zoning restrictions, deed restrictions/covenants, leasehold covenants, condo association rules, and any other regulatory or contractual restriction regarding erecting "whatever structure you need"?

(I ask out of curiosity and with respect to my current lease which specifically prohibits me from attaching a satellite dish or any other structure on my window ledge or any outer portion of the building.)

Ok... I'll bite. Which law?

And does this law supercede local zoning restrictions, deed restrictions/covenants, leasehold covenants, condo association rules, and any other regulatory or contractual restriction regarding erecting "whatever structure you need"?

(I ask out of curiosity and with respect to my current lease which specifically prohibits me from attaching a satellite dish or any other structure on my window ledge or any outer portion of the building.)

He is being sarcastic. Put him in the ignore list and you will be fine.

He is being sarcastic. Put him in the ignore list and you will be fine.

+1

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/consumerdish.html

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/consumerdish.html

Yup.

But in this case, Rich may not have any choice. According to that notice :

OTARD rules do not apply to common areas that are owned by a landlord, a community association, or jointly by condominium owners. These common areas may include the roof or exterior walls of a multiple dwelling unit. Under certain conditions, if a common antenna is available for use by residents, then the community association or landlord may reject or not permit the installation of an individually-owned antenna or satellite dish, provided the service and costs are the same.

...and...

Restrictions necessary to prevent damage to leased property are permissible, as long as the restrictions are reasonable. For example, a lease restriction that forbids tenants from drilling holes through exterior walls or through the roof is likely to be permissible.


If his landlord has designated the exterior of the facility as a "common area", or has provided a common antenna, it's very likely he's out of luck.

Yes, but I figured the actual rules would probably be of more use to him than anything else.

It is neither the blanket "they have to let you do it" apparently claimed by some, nor the blanket "you can't do it" that any apartment management's going to try to tell you.

Yes, but I figured the actual rules would probably be of more use to him than anything else.

It is neither the blanket "they have to let you do it" apparently claimed by some, nor the blanket "you can't do it" that any apartment management's going to try to tell you.

The big question is why are we discussing dish mounting legalities, when he was initially talking about jumping ship from RCN and hooking up with Comcast ? Comcast getting into the satellite business ? :)

Back to original point of Rich's post. It kinda sounds like he's having signal quality issues, with all of the spotty reception and what not...

Yah, after I posted that I remembered... this ain't the OTA thread.

Back to the real discussion...

Thanks, Paul. I am having continuing, apparently unresolvable signal problems with RCN's HD service. Comcast seemed the obvious first option. I certainly didn't think that mounting an antenna or satellite dish was even a possibility in a Boston hi-rise, and so bicker's posting that "the law prohibits anyone from preventing you from erecting whatever structure you need to receive satellite signals" certainly caused me to sit up and take notice. Hence, my question was absolutely, positively a serious one. And I apologize if this is the wrong forum to ask an "OTA question", but as it was bicker's post upthread that raised it in my mind, I took a chance that someone might be willing to answer it here.

But "sarcasm"? Maybe mine is a question often asked and answered, and so my ignorance seemed suspect. I can assure you I am really and truly ignorant of whatever law is being cited ("OTARD"?), though I do know a few things about land-use restrictions, deed and lease covenants, etc. The idea that these might be superceded instilled some hope that my options might be much wider than I'd known. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case.

And I do thank you, Paul, for not ignoring my question.

Thanks, Paul. I am having continuing, apparently unresolvable signal problems with RCN's HD service. Comcast seemed the obvious first option. I certainly didn't think that mounting an antenna or satellite dish was even a possibility in a Boston hi-rise, and so bicker's posting that "the law prohibits anyone from preventing you from erecting whatever structure you need to receive satellite signals" certainly caused me to sit up and take notice. Hence, my question was absolutely, positively a serious one. And I apologize if this is the wrong forum to ask an "OTA question", but as it was bicker's post upthread that raised it in my mind, I took a chance that someone might be willing to answer it here.

But "sarcasm"? Maybe mine is a question often asked and answered, and so my ignorance seemed suspect. I can assure you I am really and truly ignorant of whatever law is being cited ("OTARD"?), though I do know a few things about land-use restrictions, deed and lease covenants, etc. The idea that these might be superceded instilled some hope that my options might be much wider than I'd known. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case.

And I do thank you, Paul, for not ignoring my question.

No sweat. Have you had an RCN tech come out and perform any signal measurements ? If not, it might not be a bad idea before you make any large leaps.

As for how your situation would be different if you went with Comcast... Not sure. If signing up with Comcast caused them to string you up with a nice, new, clean cabling from the street to your DVR, then I'd really think about it. If they were simply to re-use whatever cabling RCN was using to hook you up, then you're probably not going to see much benefit. Crappy wiring is crappy wiring, and these new STB's seem to have big problems dealing with signals of bad (or even marginal) quality.

I have no idea what bicker1's issue is. He's certainly on my ignore list, and I imagine he's on quite a few others as well.

I do have an RCN tech scheduled to come out, and I'll be sure to suggest that he take some signal measurements. The appointment was supposed to be tomorrow, but has been delayed until next Tuesday due to "overwhelming demand".

These problems only began in the last few months, and I should note that RCN has added several new HD channels in that time and there was some sort of software upgrade a few months ago. But the problems did not immediately begin following that upgrade. As for rewiring all the way from the street up, I don't think that's an option. I believe all the wiring in my building has long since been installed (RCN was the first in several years ago, followed about a year later by Comcast).

I've also posted in the RCN-Boston thread, which is only two pages long, and so it appears that there aren't that many RCN subscribers. I did get one response suggesting that I confirm whether I have the latest converter box (which I'll do tonight - the latest is apparently the Moto 6412-II). That poster went on to say that his RCN tech told him something along the lines of the software being overly cumbersome or that the HD bandwidth required was overwhelming the cable box ("Motorola's working on it...").

This last suggestion seemed to have some merit, or at least seemed a good diagnosis of what I was seeing. Sometimes, I'll get a "temporarily off air" screen, but more often than not I'll get brief snippets of reception that break up into small boxes or very large square quadrants and then "freeze" on the screen ("tiling"?), sputter, briefly regain reception, and then sputter again. I don't know if this happens more often with HD football broadcasts than with other programming, but the reception problems are now consistently bad on both CBS and ESPN. CBS seems to be down more often than not, regardless of the programming. Football games on Fox, on the other hand, have never once given me reception problems. Lately, this problem has also been affecting Discovery HD-Theater and HD-Net, though to a much lesser degree (small "blips" and "dropouts", very rarely a totally black screen).

At this point, my only strategy is to check which model converter box I have. If it's not the latest, I'll call RCN and suggest that the tech bring a new box. If that doesn't work, I think I'll simply switch over to Comcast and hope for an improvement. If nothing else, Comcast's promotional rates for the first year of service will save me a bit of money each month (even with the installation fee).

That really sounds like a signal strength issue. Nowadays, the cable companies are trying to squeeze 38Mbps onto a 6MHz carrier, which is noise sensitive enough, but then when they start using channels in the 700 MHz range and above, you're into serious transmission issues. That's where coax is the most lossy, and what looks like minor glitches in the connection can turn into major problems, usually resulting in an intermittent choppy/frozen picture. I'll go along with Paul and say that it's entirely possible that if you're connecting the last mile through the same wires as RCN, you may well have the same problem on Comcast.

Or, they could have an amp in your area going bad if it's a recent problem. Or something.

Have you tried putting your STB into the maintenance menu and checking the signal strength/signal to noise ratios on your bad channels? (Power off and immediately press Select on moto cable boxes if memory serves)

On the Motorola STB, the Guide is driving me crazy and I hope there's a fix.

It's 9:57 and I want to watch the last 3 minutes of Grey's Anatomy. So I hit Guide. Up comes the guide, but even though the clock says 9:57 the guide has defaulted to 10:00 and when I click on the bar for the next program the STB asks me if I want to record it.

Yes, I know I can navigate left and go back to the bar for the program that's on at 9:57 but I'd rather not. I'd rather have the Comcast guide show me what's on at 9:57 and not 10:00.

Is there a fix?

BJ

Yes, but I figured the actual rules would probably be of more use to him than anything else.

It is neither the blanket "they have to let you do it" apparently claimed by some, nor the blanket "you can't do it" that any apartment management's going to try to tell you.Precisely, and something that a lot of people hate to acknowledge is that a company that seems to someone to be a "monopoly" because of personal choices that person made (such as choosing to live in a specific apartment complex) is not a monopoly. In that case, the situation is being imposed on the tenant by the landlord, not the government nor the service provider, so there is no monopoly. As long as people in the town can get satellite service as well as cable service, there is no subscription television monopoly in that town. That's the law. Accept it and move on.

Have you tried putting your STB into the maintenance menu and checking the signal strength/signal to noise ratios on your bad channels? (Power off and immediately press Select on moto cable boxes if memory serves)
I haven't done this (and had no idea I could). I'll definitely check that. Is there a particular ratio deemed acceptable, below which I can fairly well assume that it's a signal strength problem?

I'd like to get as much info as I can before the tech comes, and make one last call to the Company with as many suggestions and issues as I can. You know, the ol' squeaky wheel approach.

Thanks again very much for everyone's advice. It's been a frustrating few weeks trying to deal with the, ahem, "customer service" this company (fails to) provide.

Precisely, and something that a lot of people hate to acknowledge is that a company that seems to someone to be a "monopoly" because of personal choices that person made (such as choosing to live in a specific apartment complex) is not a monopoly. In that case, the situation is being imposed on the tenant by the landlord, not the government nor the service provider, so there is no monopoly. As long as people in the town can get satellite service as well as cable service, there is no subscription television monopoly in that town. That's the law. Accept it and move on.

You are getting into semantics and entirely missing the point of the OP.

You are getting into semantics and entirely missing the point of the OP.Which is what? To have an unrebutted soap-box? If the OP wants that, then set up a blog.

Does Comcast ever offer PPV events in HD? I'm not talking about On Demand, I'm referring to "live" events such as boxing.

I'm asking because UFC has announced that their upcoming PPV events will be available in HD. I've seen references to HDPPV channels on some satellite systems as well as other cable systems.

I do not see any HDPPV channel on my system, and I don't recall Comcast ever offering PPV events in HD...at least in my area.

Does Comcast have the ability to temporarily add a HD PPV channel, or to offer PPV over an existing HD channel, or even to offer "live" PPV via OnDemand?

I haven't done this (and had no idea I could). I'll definitely check that. Is there a particular ratio deemed acceptable, below which I can fairly well assume that it's a signal strength problem?

I'd like to get as much info as I can before the tech comes, and make one last call to the Company with as many suggestions and issues as I can. You know, the ol' squeaky wheel approach.

Thanks again very much for everyone's advice. It's been a frustrating few weeks trying to deal with the, ahem, "customer service" this company (fails to) provide.

Don't really know any good numbers, but if memory serves, whenever my S/N drops below 30, the station is essentially unwatchable.

Does Comcast ever offer PPV events in HD? I'm not talking about On Demand, I'm referring to "live" events such as boxing.

I'm asking because UFC has announced that their upcoming PPV events will be available in HD. I've seen references to HDPPV channels on some satellite systems as well as other cable systems.

I do not see any HDPPV channel on my system, and I don't recall Comcast ever offering PPV events in HD...at least in my area.

Does Comcast have the ability to temporarily add a HD PPV channel, or to offer PPV over an existing HD channel, or even to offer "live" PPV via OnDemand?

Many months ago I saw channel 800 appear for a brief period of time and their label was HDPPV. It must be on their plate to accomplish, but in the Springfield/Holyoke DMA, it hasn't occurred as of yet.

Any news when the new Comcast HD Channel that combines Golf Channel with Versus will be part of the lineup?


Gary

Good question. Any takers?

Many months ago I saw channel 800 appear for a brief period of time and their label was HDPPV. It must be on their plate to accomplish, but in the Springfield/Holyoke DMA, it hasn't occurred as of yet.

That happened here. It was for a boxing match and the price was the same as the SD feed on 401.

Old arguement: Paying fo channels we dont watch.

I watch the analog channels & the HD channels. So I know I need the box and I use the DVR. Last months bill shows
Basic Service 8.35
Expanded 40.80
Cable Box 4.50
Remote 0.25
DVR 9.95
Franchise Fees 3.67
Digital Classic 6.20

I spent 10 minutes on the phone talking to Comcast before that vein in my forehead told me to hangup and when I tried emailing them, I get back "While most topics can be addressed via email communication, there are issues that require live interaction. I apologize; we are unable to address this billing inquiry from within the email forum do to security reasons" followed by "call us"

What can I cut?

Thanks in advance

Old arguement: Paying fo channels we dont watch.

I watch the analog channels & the HD channels. So I know I need the box and I use the DVR. Last months bill shows
Basic Service 8.35
Expanded 40.80
Cable Box 4.50
Remote 0.25
DVR 9.95
Franchise Fees 3.67
Digital Classic 6.20

I spent 10 minutes on the phone talking to Comcast before that vein in my forehead told me to hangup and when I tried emailing them, I get back "While most topics can be addressed via email communication, there are issues that require live interaction. I apologize; we are unable to address this billing inquiry from within the email forum do to security reasons" followed by "call us"

What can I cut?

Thanks in advance

Not sure what the issue is, but I suspect you're not happy with having to pay for service tiers and would rather have a-la-carte options. Unfortunately Comcast does not offer that and it would be costly and complicated to manage.

The first 2 items are your analog cable service (basic and extended channels) for the first ~100 channels, digital classic is the minimal digital service tier which provides channels 200+ including HD, and that also requires the box and remote to decode the digital channels and access the program guide and on-demand.

Now an HTDV box is actually $9.20 so it looks like you're paying for an basic box, so how are you watching HD?

I have a Cable Card so I don't have to pay for the box/remote, and I don't rent the DVR.

Not sure what the issue is, but I suspect you're not happy with having to pay for service tiers and would rather have a-la-carte options. Unfortunately Comcast does not offer that and it would be costly and complicated to manage.

I accept that a-la-carte on a channel by channel basis is not possible, but I'm talking about large blocks of channels I dont watch. I'm guessing more than 100 - not including the premiums.

Now an HTDV box is actually $9.20 so it looks like you're paying for an basic box, so how are you watching HD?

I'm watching HD via the box. If I'm not paying enough, I'll pay you half the difference keep it quiet :)

Old arguement: Paying fo channels we dont watch.

I watch the analog channels & the HD channels. So I know I need the box and I use the DVR. Last months bill shows
Basic Service 8.35
Expanded 40.80
Cable Box 4.50
Remote 0.25
DVR 9.95
Franchise Fees 3.67
Digital Classic 6.20

I spent 10 minutes on the phone talking to Comcast before that vein in my forehead told me to hangup and when I tried emailing them, I get back "While most topics can be addressed via email communication, there are issues that require live interaction. I apologize; we are unable to address this billing inquiry from within the email forum do to security reasons" followed by "call us"

What can I cut?

Thanks in advance

Pretty much nothing. Although in the past many older HD channels (TNT, ESPN1, INHD and even UHD were available to those who had gotten Digital Classic without extended basic, this is not the case with ESPN2,NESN,MHD or National Geo.

(a Feb 2006 channel listing marks HD channels are requiring a minimum level of service. Most likely Digital starter which is Standard cable with a box)
High definition local broadcast stations are included with Basic service subscription.

Ok... I'll bite. Which law?
And does this law supercede local zoning restrictions, deed restrictions/covenants, leasehold covenants, condo association rules, and any other regulatory or contractual restriction regarding erecting "whatever structure you need"?
(I ask out of curiosity and with respect to my current lease which specifically prohibits me from attaching a satellite dish or any other structure on my window ledge or any outer portion of the building.)

This is exactly why cable is a monopoly for tens of millions of consumers.

college BBall on WSBK so Boston market viewers can see the entire game while WBZ runs Patriots 5th Quarter

First HD show on 38 in over 4 months.

Did anyone notice small amounts of macro blocking during either the colts or pats game ? I have a new 1080p set and was wondering if it was the result of the upconvert from 1080i to 1080p in the set or if the signal was lacking. I have my 6412p2 connected via component to my set and the 6412 is set to output 1080i.

I will soon be swapping for a 3416, hopefully HDMI will help.

Did anyone notice small amounts of macro blocking during either the colts or pats game ? I have a new 1080p set and was wondering if it was the result of the upconvert from 1080i to 1080p in the set or if the signal was lacking. I have my 6412p2 connected via component to my set and the 6412 is set to output 1080i.

I will soon be swapping for a 3416, hopefully HDMI will help.

Yes, I noticed some macro-blocking with 6412 set to 1080i and down-rezzed to 768p in Panny plasma; so it wasn't your set.
Probably signal source, I guess.

Steve

Didn't see the macroblocking, but for years now on different HD TVs, different cable providers (adelphia & comcast), different cable boxes (and cable cards), the CBS production of the Patriots game gets blurry for 2-3 seconds now and then between scene changes or when on screen stuff flies across the sreen.. anyone else notice this?

-t

Beverly, MA

821 (national geo HD) is blank channel. I have a cablecard and want to check status prior to resetting.

Anyone else seeing this?

Thanks.

Of you don't have expanded/extended/standard/whatever basic then you don't get NGCHD.

The official term is digital starter.

The new listings say ESPN Classic is moving from 48 to 258.

One down 44 to go.

I was an Adelphia MA customer. Comcast bought me out. Now I have COMCAST but with an Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD box.

Since the COMCAST takeover, mpeg compression artifacts have been unbearable. They have the compression too high.

Is there any way to convey to them that some people spent $4500 on an HD set to see stuff at the best quality? I want them to use 15-20 mbps. What are they using for a show like House on Fox? It must be about 6mbps. Horrible.

Seriously -- can I call some rep who will actually consider what I say?

I was an Adelphia MA customer. Comcast bought me out. Now I have COMCAST but with an Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD box.

Since the COMCAST takeover, mpeg compression artifacts have been unbearable. They have the compression too high.

Is there any way to convey to them that some people spent $4500 on an HD set to see stuff at the best quality? I want them to use 15-20 mbps. What are they using for a show like House on Fox? It must be about 6mbps. Horrible.

Seriously -- can I call some rep who will actually consider what I say?

I'm an Adelphia -> Monopoly forcec convert as well... :) but up in NH

I have the SA 3250HD and I must say the quality has pretty much remained the same for the HD channels (The low SD digital channels 1-35 are horrid however, and have been since the Adelphia days). Every now and then a few shows look a bit compressed, but 95% of the time everything looks fine.

-t

Just noticed I've got my HD channels back in the Favorites lists.

My Blu Ray disks look great. They are running at 17-29 mbps. I feel that we should be unhappy with anything that averages under 15mbps.

Not sure if it has changed, but in the Boston area Comcast does not alter the signal that they get from the network. One of the long time posters had checked with his PC, both OTA and Comcast were the same.

I was an Adelphia MA customer. Comcast bought me out. Now I have COMCAST but with an Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD box.

Since the COMCAST takeover, mpeg compression artifacts have been unbearable. They have the compression too high.

Is there any way to convey to them that some people spent $4500 on an HD set to see stuff at the best quality? I want them to use 15-20 mbps. What are they using for a show like House on Fox? It must be about 6mbps. Horrible.

Seriously -- can I call some rep who will actually consider what I say?

When I've seen something like this, I'll poweroff the box and reset it. Usually takes care of that.

does comcast have a alterative to the 6412. I've had it with all the freezes and lock ups.

I recorded the football game this past weekend and watched it later. I was fast forwarding a commercial break and pressed play when it was over, only problem was it didn't stop going fast, it ended up fast forwarding through an entire quarter. GRRR. This happens far too often.

There must be something better.

Just noticed I've got my HD channels back in the Favorites lists.Interesting. I just lost them a few days ago. I wonder if I have them back already too. It wasn't that big a deal with them gone -- I even forgot to mention it on the thread when it happened to me.

Not sure if it has changed, but in the Boston area Comcast does not alter the signal that they get from the network. One of the long time posters had checked with his PC, both OTA and Comcast were the same.I remember reading that, but for me, the proof is in the pudding. :) Visually, I couldn't tell the difference between OTA and Comcast, with the exception of Fox, where Comcast was far better (more stable signal) than OTA.

does comcast have a alterative to the 6412. I've had it with all the freezes and lock ups. ... There must be something better.Apparently, individual boxes "get like that"; not all the boxes within that model. I had the 6412 for a while and never had freezes or lock-ups. There were a few occasions when it stacked up my commands for 15-20 seconds, and then executed them all at once, but that's it, never worse than that, and even that doesn't happen much on the box I have now (3416).

Of you don't have expanded/extended/standard/whatever basic then you don't get NGCHD.

It's back. Lost it for a day. Weird.

does comcast have a alterative to the 6412. I've had it with all the freezes and lock ups.

I recorded the football game this past weekend and watched it later. I was fast forwarding a commercial break and pressed play when it was over, only problem was it didn't stop going fast, it ended up fast forwarding through an entire quarter. GRRR. This happens far too often.

There must be something better.
I'm having similar problems. I have both a 3416 and a 6412. The 6412 (which I have had for a while) recently began ignoring commands and shutting down by itself, so I am assuming this is a new "feature" contained in a recent code "upgrade" they sent out. I have not seen any of this on the 3416 (yet). Obviously, I will be swapping out the 6412 as soon as I catch up on my recorded shows.

Mickey

does comcast have a alterative to the 6412. I've had it with all the freezes and lock ups.

I recorded the football game this past weekend and watched it later. I was fast forwarding a commercial break and pressed play when it was over, only problem was it didn't stop going fast, it ended up fast forwarding through an entire quarter. GRRR. This happens far too often.

There must be something better.

I felt the same way and ditched the box for (what Comcast will pitch as) an inferior cablecard. Have not had the problems since.

On the Motorola STB, the Guide is driving me crazy and I hope there's a fix.

It's 9:57 and I want to watch the last 3 minutes of Grey's Anatomy. So I hit Guide. Up comes the guide, but even though the clock says 9:57 the guide has defaulted to 10:00 and when I click on the bar for the next program the STB asks me if I want to record it.

Yes, I know I can navigate left and go back to the bar for the program that's on at 9:57 but I'd rather not. I'd rather have the Comcast guide show me what's on at 9:57 and not 10:00.

Is there a fix?

BJ

Which is what? To have an unrebutted soap-box? If the OP wants that, then set up a blog.

You DO love being added to people's ignore lists don't you?

It actually doesn't affect me one way or another. People like that aren't really worth conversing with.

You DO love being added to people's ignore lists don't you?

...says the guy who obviously hasn't added said instigator to his own Ignore List. Yet. :)

Let him spout. He seems to enjoy being the pariah.

I s'pose it won't be too long before he's just posting to himself.

I s'pose it won't be too long before he's just posting to himself.

Wouldn't he then have his own blog right here ? The irony of that is just too rich... :)

Can’t we all just get along? Let’s move forward, stay on topic and drop the personal attacks. Anyone who has an (on-topic) opinion and should feel free to express it here.

Mickey

On the Motorola STB, the Guide is driving me crazy and I hope there's a fix.

It's 9:57 and I want to watch the last 3 minutes of Grey's Anatomy. So I hit Guide. Up comes the guide, but even though the clock says 9:57 the guide has defaulted to 10:00 and when I click on the bar for the next program the STB asks me if I want to record it.

Yes, I know I can navigate left and go back to the bar for the program that's on at 9:57 but I'd rather not. I'd rather have the Comcast guide show me what's on at 9:57 and not 10:00.

Is there a fix?

BJ

Can everyone stop fighting for a minute and answer my question (above)?

TIA

BJ

I think the reason you're not getting an answer is that (sadly) no one has one. I mean, I don't, or I woulda taken a break from the fighting to help you out. But, since I have no idea how to address that, I didn't say anything about it, assuming that you'd rather get a more meaningful response than "beats me," which is all I can provide.

I think the reason you're not getting an answer is that (sadly) no one has one. I mean, I don't, or I woulda taken a break from the fighting to help you out. But, since I have no idea how to address that, I didn't say anything about it, assuming that you'd rather get a more meaningful response than "beats me," which is all I can provide.

Same here. Sorry I can't help, since I'm saddled with this POS Scientific Atlanta box and I'm not overly familiar with how the Motorola boxes function.

Can we return this thread back to normal and put the soap opera stuff behind us. We should all be here to help one another solve problems and to get the best HD PQ possible. So lets stay vigilant and keep Comcast on their toes to deliver that to us and report problems when they arise so they can be addressed and corrected, Thats why this thread is here in the first place and after what we invested in our HT systems, thats the least we can do to help ourselves really enjoy it to it's fullest.

I'm having similar problems. I have both a 3416 and a 6412. The 6412 (which I have had for a while) recently began ignoring commands and shutting down by itself, so I am assuming this is a new "feature" contained in a recent code "upgrade" they sent out. I have not seen any of this on the 3416 (yet). Obviously, I will be swapping out the 6412 as soon as I catch up on my recorded shows.

Mickey


How does the HD picture quality of the 6412 compare to the 3416?

thanks,

jason

Can’t we all just get along? Let’s move forward, stay on topic and drop the personal attacks. Anyone who has an (on-topic) opinion and should feel free to express it here.That sure would make a lot of sense, wouldn't it?

How does the HD picture quality of the 6412 compare to the 3416?I saw no appreciable difference between the two.

How does the HD picture quality of the 6412 compare to the 3416?

thanks,

jason
As Bicker said, no real difference in PQ. The 3XXX series is all digital, and the 3416 has the 160GB hard drive. Otherwise, not much difference.

Mickey

On the Motorola STB, the Guide is driving me crazy and I hope there's a fix.

It's 9:57 and I want to watch the last 3 minutes of Grey's Anatomy. So I hit Guide.
Why? Generally speaking, just entering the channel number directly requires fewer keystrokes (3 at most) than opening the guide and navigating to the channel.

Yes, I know I can navigate left and go back to the bar for the program that's on at 9:57 but I'd rather not. I'd rather have the Comcast guide show me what's on at 9:57 and not 10:00.

Is there a fix?
I don't think it's broken. I just don't follow why you want the Guide to show you what's on at 9:57 when you already know what's on at 9:57.

If I drop from Digital Classic to Digital Starter what HD channels (if any) will I lose ?

I know I will lose all the 200 level channels except for channel 200.

Thanks,

Ken

The guide question reminded me of an issue I've had with the 3416. Was watching the last five minutes of the news one night and a final segment came up that I wanted to have available to watch later. I pressed the record button, no effect. Tried to get to the listing and record the final minutes of the show that way, still nothing doing. There's was apparently no way I could record the final five minutes of the show.

The guide question reminded me of an issue I've had with the 3416. Was watching the last five minutes of the news one night and a final segment came up that I wanted to have available to watch later. I pressed the record button, no effect. Tried to get to the listing and record the final minutes of the show that way, still nothing doing. There's was apparently no way I could record the final five minutes of the show.
That's odd. Did you try pressing the "Cable" button at the top of the remote and then the "Record" button? Otherwise, I guess the commands were frozen at that moment.

Mickey

If I drop from Digital Classic to Digital Starter what HD channels (if any) will I lose ?

I know I will lose all the 200 level channels except for channel 200.

Thanks,

Ken

Actually not the WGBX multiplex channels,the Tube or NBC weather (These channels are part of limited basic) :)

I would say wave bye bye to just about everything except ESPN2 and NESN

That's odd. Did you try pressing the "Cable" button at the top of the remote and then the "Record" button? Otherwise, I guess the commands were frozen at that moment.

Mickey

Yes, the box was receiving the commands, the little lower-right light blinked when I pressed record, but the box wouldn't do anything else.

On the Motorola STB, the Guide is driving me crazy and I hope there's a fix.

It's 9:57 and I want to watch the last 3 minutes of Grey's Anatomy. So I hit Guide. Up comes the guide, but even though the clock says 9:57 the guide has defaulted to 10:00 and when I click on the bar for the next program the STB asks me if I want to record it.

Yes, I know I can navigate left and go back to the bar for the program that's on at 9:57 but I'd rather not. I'd rather have the Comcast guide show me what's on at 9:57 and not 10:00.

Is there a fix?

BJ

If the guide is coming up to that channel, you must already be on it. If so, just hit record without going into the guide. If not, then you're already navigating to it, so just hit the damn left button and be done with it.

Anyone have any idea when Boston will be getting Tivo?

No, not yet.

I am new to HDTV and HDTV programming. I just did a search on this forum but didn't see anything. Let me know if this belongs in the programming thread. I am starting here in case this is a local phenomenon. I live in the Boston area.

Why is Jeopardy not in HD? I see the HD logo on the bottom left corner but clearly it is not in HD. Thanks.

dashford Why? Generally speaking, just entering the channel number directly requires fewer keystrokes (3 at most) than opening the guide and navigating to the channel.

I used Grey's Anatomy as an example. It's 9:57 and I just sat down to see what's on TV. I hit 'guide'. Instead of the program guide showing me 200 channels of what's currently playing at 9:57, it shows me 200 channels of what's going to be playing at 10:00. I want to watch TV at 9:57; I don't want to pick a program to watch at 10:00 and either a) wait until 10:00 for it to start or b) click on it and have it record it for me. All I want to do is surf channels at 9:57.

I don't think it's broken. I just don't follow why you want the Guide to show you what's on at 9:57 when you already know what's on at 9:57.

It's not broken. It's just trying to do me a favor I don't want it to do. It's assuming that at 9:57 I'm interested in seeing what's coming on in 3 minutes when I don't. I want to know what's on at 9:57. That's why I turned on the TV at 9:57. To watch TV.

BJ

If the guide is coming up to that channel, you must already be on it. If so, just hit record without going into the guide. If not, then you're already navigating to it, so just hit the damn left button and be done with it.

It's not for me. It's for my non-tech savvy wife.

At 9:57 she wants to watch something that's on. The program guide is trying to think for her and it shouldn't. If she wants to know what's on at 10:00, that would be visible on the guide at 9:57 without any button presses necessary. Would show the 9:30 brick followed by the 10:00 brick just like it does at, say, 9:50.

BJ

It's not for me. It's for my non-tech savvy wife.

At 9:57 she wants to watch something that's on. The program guide is trying to think for her and it shouldn't. If she wants to know what's on at 10:00, that would be visible on the guide at 9:57 without any button presses necessary. Would show the 9:30 brick followed by the 10:00 brick just like it does at, say, 9:50.

BJ

I think the old Microsoft adage may come into play: "Its not a bug, its a feature"

Anyone in the Brockton area that uses their Qam tuner?? What kind of channels do you pick up? I am new to the OTA thing and just read a Qam tuner will basicaly pick up (using basic cable) any OTA channels via the cable company, which I guess would make getting an Antenna obsolete right?? My cable bill is outrageous and will be looking to cut it down when I get a HDTV and want to know if I need or would be better off with a set that has a Qam tuner?

It's not for me. It's for my non-tech savvy wife.

At 9:57 she wants to watch something that's on. The program guide is trying to think for her and it shouldn't. If she wants to know what's on at 10:00, that would be visible on the guide at 9:57 without any button presses necessary. Would show the 9:30 brick followed by the 10:00 brick just like it does at, say, 9:50.

BJ

I've had a Tivo for 5 years now and Tivo does the same thing and I must admit, I like the feature. I mean think about it, if it is 9:57 and some seconds.. you have less than 3 minutes to a new show. What is really going on in the last 3 minutes of a show? Commercials most likely, so the system is being smart and saying "hey, you aren't going to see more than a minute or so of anything that is on, so let me show you whats coming up for you in 2-3 minutes"

In tivo you can press one button and skip back to the previous timeframe (ie 9:30 or 9:00)..

-t

Stupid newbie question:
I am an analog/basic cable customer. If I buy a QAM tuner for my computer, what channels does Comcast send out in the clear that I can receive (Cambridge/MIT area if that matters)? I found http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Working_QAM_cable_layout#Boston.2C_MA_-_Comcast but I don't know which, if any, are broadcast in the clear. Thanks so much.

I think that list is supposed to be what's broadcast in the clear, although I doubt that SpikeTV would still be clear.

I don't know about Cambridge, but at one time, this was the list for Burlington:

http://brianandrobbie.com/ComcastQAMMappingBurlingtonMA.JPG

All the digital versions of the analog channels (82-2, 82-3, 82-4, etc.) are now no longer provided in the clear. (The HD versions still are, as is 82-1, which has different programming than 84-1.)

I don't know about Cambridge, but at one time, this was the list for Burlington:

http://brianandrobbie.com/ComcastQAMMappingBurlingtonMA.JPG

All the digital versions of the analog channels (82-2, 82-3, 82-4, etc.) are now no longer provided in the clear. (The HD versions still are, as is 82-1, which has different programming than 84-1.)

Aren't they capable of mapping channels to whatever number they want. I would have WLVI-HD to 12-1,WLVI-SD to 12-2 and the Tube to 12-3.

also anything above limited basic including On Demand would be encrypted.

Not all tuners provide the ability to re-map. Neither the TiVo Series 3, nor my HDTV, provide that capability.

Nothing on that list was encrypted. On Demand is absolutely not encrypted.

Comcast should do the remapping at the plant.

WCVB-DT goes out over channel 20 but an ATSC Tuner receives it on 5-1 not 20-1.

I have two tvs. One Tv has a DVR. Both TVs have HD boxes. I also have a cable modem. My bill will be close to $140 when my deals run out. The best part of this Tivo announcement is that the get to charge more!

Well, I have had enough. I am getting internet for $20 (for six months) and I got a $25 per month credit ($400 total for 16 months) for turning in my DTV receivers during a dish buy back special. Once these deals are up my bill goes from 85 to 140.

I priced out the dish deals, and with a DSL dry loop and the same TV features, leaving Comcast will save me $45 a month!!!! I'll gladly buy the $200 HD DVR b/c after 4 months I will be saving big bucks.

Couple that with the announcement that they satellite companies will be adding 70 HD channels this year. Comcast likely will add one or two! I can't wait to kick them to the curb!!!!

I have found if you ping pong these companies and switch back and forth (if you can do it without it being a big pain in the behind) you can save a son of money.

Is there a way to program the "ALL ON" button on the remote for the Motorola HD STB to always leave the STB in the "ON" position and only turn off the TV and the Receiver?

I want to leave the STB on so it always has shows in the buffer when I turn on the TV. I've been doing this with my Tivo for years and it has no ill effect on the hard drive.

Any ideas?

TIA

BJ

Comcast should do the remapping at the plant. WCVB-DT goes out over channel 20 but an ATSC Tuner receives it on 5-1 not 20-1.Actually, they remap to a channel/sub-channel that their cable boxes know about -- which is not the one that the channel is publicly allocated.

Nothing on that list was encrypted. On Demand is absolutely not encrypted.


The question is, why is On Demand not encrypted???

I can't understand why they are left in the clear. Then another question is "When" will these get encrypted?

Got he annoucement that rates are going up Feb 1. But no annoucement of any new HD channels. Nothing about A&E HD or Golf /VS -HD. Direct TV is saying that they will add up to 70 HD channels this summer when their new birds are launched into orbit. Comcast has been slow to add

Couple that with the announcement that they satellite companies will be adding 70 HD channels this year. Comcast likely will add one or two! I can't wait to kick them to the curb!!!!

Assuming they can find 70 channels, which seems to be unlikely. Or at least 70 that actually have significant HD content.

Or 70 channels that'll still look HD after they've bit-stripped them.

what is bit stripped?

what is bit stripped?

Compressed video. The satellite companies are really strapped for bandwidth. So, in order to fit more video streams being transmitted by the sats, they compress the crap out of the video signal to lower the overall bit rate of the video streams in order to fit 'em all within that constrained bandwidth.

ah, so are the sat companies HD signals no good?

I do have a friend with DTV and I ws unimpressed but I figured it was his tv

WSBK is using the LFS HD production for tonight's BC/Miami game.