Originally posted by DaveFi
I'm fairly certain Comcast will offer HD VOD as soon as it's available.

Just like CBS-HD, HDNet, & DISC-HD right?:rolleyes:

I don't put nearly as much faith in Comcast as you do.

I'm in Boston and I don't even have SD VOD yet.

You ain't missing much.

Yes, it's not a matter of licensing fees here. They already have SHO and HBO VOD, so when it's available in HD they will offer it.

I do have alot of faith in them when it comes to HD. They've offered alot of programming material in a relatively short time. They are really pushing hard for HD content and I'm certain they will get the CBS issue resolved sooner rather than later.

Comcast is doing just fine. The CBS thing, I have a feeling has to do more with the O&O then the cable co, having worked for the former in Boston. And when that gets resolved, their stepchild UPN may come along as well (806). Can't wait to see Tpol in HD!

On an unrelated noe, has anybody noticed that audio levels in HD are far lower than analog- or any other type of input (OTA or DVD in my case).

I need to turn my reciever up to a point where I hear as much signal noise as I do actual audio, and help me if I chane to an analog station or source- the windows shake!

Tim

Yeah, I've noticed the same thing.

Annoying, it is, although I'd be hard pressed to say which volume level is more "correct."

A point of larger annoyance is that DTV stations don't seem to have the same volume levels. I set my OTA receiver for something that's comfortable for the big networks, and as I flip through channels, the local Hispanic affiliate nearly blows the coils out of my speakers.

Agree that channel 23 (66) is the worst offender. The rest of the OTA channels are pretty close in volume; 23 is so freakin' loud!

I'm referring specifically to the comcast HD stations,(WCVB being the worst one) but I see similar results with OTA. WUNI is a bit loud, but my antenna is oriented now so that I don't get it.

It's been my impression all along that Comcast is just passing on whatever they get from the station. That is to say that I find the stations equally "quiet" whether I get them via Comcast or OTA.

Originally posted by tcable
On an unrelated noe, has anybody noticed that audio levels in HD are far lower than analog- or any other type of input (OTA or DVD in my case).

I need to turn my reciever up to a point where I hear as much signal noise as I do actual audio, and help me if I chane to an analog station or source- the windows shake!

Tim

See the FAQ on this. In the Audio section, there is a whole question & explaination of this.

Here is a quote from me on another thread, on a comparison test I did with the audio levels...


I've done some more testing and this is what I have found:

The audio set up menu (which is the same as the DCT2000) does not effect the audio output on analog channels at all regaurdless of your method of audio transfer (SPDIF, RF, L/R analog)

It seems, the setup menu only changes audio output when watching a digital channel through an analog output (L/R, or RF). This means the box does nothing to the audio when it goes through the SPDIF outputs, on Digital channels. Does this sound correct?

Another test I did was to compare audio output volume from 3 different sources:

Samsung sir-t150 OTA HD decoder using Optical Audio & L/R (ana)
Panasonic DVD/VCR Player using Coax Digital Audio & L/R (ana)
Motorola DCT5100 using Optical Audio & L/R (ana)
All running through an Onkyo TX-SR600 A/V receiver

Samsung Decoder had NO volume difference between Digital & Analog
Samsung Decoder & DCT5100 had NO volume difference between the same broadcast stations ABC, NBC, PBS
Panasonic DVD/VCR had no difference between Digital & Analog
DCT5100 had a 10 db (+/- 3db) INCREASE between Digital channels & Analog Channels on the Optical output
DCT5100 had a SIMILAR volume output between Digital channels & Analog Channels when the L/R analog output was used and the Compression (Audio setup menu) was set to Heavy, any other selection in the audio setup menu revealed a LOWER volume on the Digital channels as the Analog channels continued to stay at the same volume.

Through all of the tests the volume on the receiver was exactly the same and the Processor was set to Pro-Logic II & Stereo with no changes in results.

It seems that the 5100 is doing something to the volume of the Audio on the SPDIF outputs but only on the analog channels. Anyone else do any testing similar to this?

Originally posted by miatasm
It seems that the 5100 is doing something to the volume of the Audio on the SPDIF outputs but only on the analog channels. Anyone else do any testing similar to this?


Since there is no digital audio stream from the analog stations, the Motorola box is clearly doing an analog to digital conversion in order to output a digital stream on the SPFIF or optical outputs for these analog channels. God only knows what they are doing to the signal levels during the D/A conversion.

As soon as we get to 100% digital HDTV broadcasting, the issue of volume levels will go away. Part of the Dolby Digital format is a pretty effective standardized signal level. The choice of whether to take advantage of the full Dolby Digital dynamic range or to use the compression feature will be up to the user settings.

The standarized signal levels and available dynamic range options are two of the very cool features of the Dolby Digital format. Unfortunately, they only serve to highlight how annoyng the lack of standards with analog formats can be. Especially since most analog TV soundtracks have very high signal levels and essentially zero dynamic range -- the old FM radio trick to make the signal sound louder.

Since there is no digital audio stream from the analog stations, the Motorola box is clearly doing an analog to digital conversion in order to output a digital stream on the SPFIF or optical outputs for these analog channels. God only knows what they are doing to the signal levels during the D/A conversion.


I don't think the SP-DIF out is active for analog channels.
What digital format would the 5100 construct that a prepro
or receiever will decode? AFAIK the 5100 will just pass the
DD stream, if present, in digital streams.

larry

I had the same problem with the volume on my comcast HD channels, turns out the tech did not properly set up the audio. If you select the setup option from the on-screen menu and then select audio. You need to make sure to set the optimal volume to yes, the compression to heavy, and select matrix stereo for the last option.

This solved the volume problem for me and now the volume is constant across all of the channels.

compression heavy?! why? i want full dynamic range, my system can handle it. i've read faqs and posts and there are conflicting explanations.

-----------SO is this correct regarding the audio settings for the DCT:

"This refers to the Dolby Reference levels for Audio output on the DIGITAL Channels only when using ANY ANALOG audio output. These settings DO NOT effect the sound when using the Digital Audio outputs (Optical or Coax) & DO NOT effect the sound on the ANALOG Channels regardless of audio outputs used (Analog or Digital)."

-----------And is the DCT doing a conversion or not?:

"The DCT-xxxx must run this analog stereo signal through an analog-to-digital converter and send it out the digital audio outputs as a Dolby Digital 2.0 PCM bitstream."

Originally posted by hwc
Since there is no digital audio stream from the analog stations, the Motorola box is clearly doing an analog to digital conversion in order to output a digital stream on the SPFIF or optical outputs for these analog channels. God only knows what they are doing to the signal levels during the D/A conversion.

As soon as we get to 100% digital HDTV broadcasting, the issue of volume levels will go away. Part of the Dolby Digital format is a pretty effective standardized signal level. The choice of whether to take advantage of the full Dolby Digital dynamic range or to use the compression feature will be up to the user settings.

The standarized signal levels and available dynamic range options are two of the very cool features of the Dolby Digital format. Unfortunately, they only serve to highlight how annoyng the lack of standards with analog formats can be. Especially since most analog TV soundtracks have very high signal levels and essentially zero dynamic range -- the old FM radio trick to make the signal sound louder.

This little test I did was written back about 6 months ago right after the box was launched. I've learned alot since then and alot of it had to do with your Dolby Digital expertise and the couple of paragraphs you wrote on that. This info is linked in the FAQ.

Kellewa,

Read the FAQ, or the post directly above which quotes the FAQ, you are talking about using the ANALOG outputs not the SPDIF(Digital).

Originally posted by PooperScooper
I don't think the SP-DIF out is active for analog channels.
What digital format would the 5100 construct that a prepro
or receiever will decode? AFAIK the 5100 will just pass the
DD stream, if present, in digital streams.


The SPDIF digital audio outputs are active on my DCT-5100 and a fairly recent DCT-2100 on ALL channels at ALL times. I know, because the only audio connection between my cable box and my receiver is a digital cable. I have the analog audio outputs of the cable box going straight to the VCR for recording.

The only way that can be is for the Motorola box to be doing a straight analog to digital PCM conversion of the 2-channel analog audio signal -- really no different than what a Dolby Digital receiver does with a 2-channel analog audio input.

The stereo PCM output would be whatever the analog channel is broadcasting. Could be stereo. Could be Dolby Surround matrix encoded. Generally it would be decoded by the receiver's Dolby Pro Logic processor, either way -- unless you've got the default surround mode set to something else.

Originally posted by avic
compression heavy?! why? i want full dynamic range, my system can handle it. i've read faqs and posts and there are conflicting explanations.

-----------SO is this correct regarding the audio settings for the DCT:

"This refers to the Dolby Reference levels for Audio output on the DIGITAL Channels only when using ANY ANALOG audio output. These settings DO NOT effect the sound when using the Digital Audio outputs (Optical or Coax) & DO NOT effect the sound on the ANALOG Channels regardless of audio outputs used (Analog or Digital)."

-----------And is the DCT doing a conversion or not?:

"The DCT-xxxx must run this analog stereo signal through an analog-to-digital converter and send it out the digital audio outputs as a Dolby Digital 2.0 PCM bitstream."

Maybe I could explain a little more fully.

There are two kinds of audio signals that can come INTO the cable box from the wall. One is an analog audio signal encoded on the analog RF broadcast signal. This is what comes into the box on EVERY analog channel because it's the ONLY type of audio that exists in analog. The second is a digital bitstream on the digital channels. This would almost always be encoded in Dolby Digital format (could be 2.0, could be 5.1) since Dolby Digital is the "official" audio format of digital and HDTV. It is also possible that some digital channels have a Linear PCM digital soundtrack, just like some DVDs have a PCM soundtrack instead of Dolby Digital; however, Dolby Digital is a far more efficient format in terms of bandwidth.

Now, let's look at what happens to these signals. When a digital audio bitstream comes INTO the cable box and is sent to the receiver with an SPDIF digital cable (optical or coax), the cable box is essentially doing nothing except passing the raw digital audio stream to the receiver, untouched. None of the audio settings in the cable box have any effect, because the cable box isn't doing diddly.

However, what happens when a digital audio bitstream comes into the cable box and goes out the cable box's analog audio jacks? In this case, the cable box's internal Dolby Digital decoder is processing the incoming signal, decoding it, running it through D/A converters, and sending it out the RCA jacks as good old-fashioned analog audio. If it's a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the cable box decoder downmixes it to two channels. If it's a stereo digital bitstream, it either outputs it as a stereo signal OR preserves any Dolby Surround matrix encoding -- depending on whether you have the box set to output stereo or stereo matrix.

Note that the compression settings on the cable box are really Dolby Digital decoder settings, essentially the same as the dynamic range compensation settings on a Dolby Digital receiver. The options are NONE (full Dolby Digital dynamic range), LIGHT (comparable to the "midnight" or "max" compression setting on a Dolby Digital receiver or about the same as a hi-fi VCR), and HEAVY. Heavy is a special Dolby Digital compression mode that massively cuts dynamic range (to about that of old-fashioned stereo TV) specifically for devices (like cable boxes) that output the signal on an RF converter to channel 3 for playback over dinky TV speakers. Dolby Digital receivers don't have the HEAVY (or RF mode, as Dolby calls it) because receivers don't output their audio through an RF converter to channel 3 on a TV set. The RF converters cannot handle dynamic range at all.

The reason that HEAVY sounds so loud is that, in addition to compressing all the dynamic range, the Dolby Digital decoder is also boosting the average signal level by 11 dB (to preserve the signal to noise ratio of the D/A converters. The cable box is SUPPOSED to have a matching -11 dB cut in the analog output stage when HEAVY compression is used so that signal levels are not changed. I think Motorola forgot about this part. None of these compression settings have any effect on the digital audio output -- only on decoded signals going to the analog outputs.

An analog audio signal, coming into the cable box from the wall, just gets sent to the analog audio RCA jacks, just like it would on any old stereo VCR. It seems that the cable box also runs this signal through an analog-to-digital converter and outputs it as a plain PCM digital bitstream over the digital output of the box. But, none of the Dolby Digital settings in the cable box would have anything to do with this conversion. It's just a cheap analog-to-digital converter IC chip, basically the same kind of chip that your receiver uses to convert the analog input from a VCR or a cassette deck or an FM tuner to digital for surround sound and other processing (virtually everything that happens in a Dolby Digital receiver, including crossovers, tone controls, etc.) happens in the digital domain.

The differences you hear in volume levels can come from a lot of different things. But, the biggie is that Dolby Digital has a very tightly defined average signal level. This signal level (more or less the volume of normal dialog) has to be fairly low by conventional standards, because of the need to allow for an additional 25 to 30 dB of dynamic range above normal spoken dialog for the loudest peaks in a sound track. In the LIGHT compression mode, the loudest peaks are limited to perhaps 15 dB above normal spoken dialog. In the heavy compression mode, the loudest peaks are limited to less than 10 dB above normal spoken dialog -- however, in this mode, they accomplish this by boosting the level of normal spoken dialog. Until Dolby Digital came along, nobody had ever tried to standarize recording levels so tightly and, therefore, they are all over the board on non-Dolby Digital broadcasts.

Theoretically Dolby Digital with no compression is capable of a real-world 70+ dB of dynamic range (the mathematically derived spec is well over 100 dB, but there aren't any microphones that will record that wide a range between soft and loud), In practice, soundtracks almost never capture sounds at the extreme quiet end of that range or you would hear the whir of the movie cameras and the air conditioning on the sound stage! However, the dynamic range of Dolby Digital soundtracks is unprecedented in the history of consumer audio recording by a considerable margin. By comparison, traditional analog TV audio or FM broadcasting is more on the order of 40 dB maximum dynamic range and often only a fraction of that in actual practice. That's why you can blast your TV speakers to hear them over the dishwasher and not have the little four inch cones go flying across the room during explosion scenes. The HEAVY compression mode of Dolby Digtial decoding emulates that limited dynamic range. The LIGHT mode emulates the dynamic range of a hi-fi VCR or a typical CD recording (still pretty good, considered true hi-fi before Dolby Digital came along) and is suitable for home-theater-in-a-box grade systems or standard mid-fi systems without biamping and subwoofers.

[Note: before the audiophiles jump me: yes, the CD standard is capable of high dynamic range, too (96 dB mathematically), but in actual practice, the recording engineers don't use it because they want the stuff to sound "hot" on car stereos, FM broadcasts, and boom-boxes, so they compress the loud peaks and bump up the average signal level. Dolby Digital got around the problem of playback on wide range of systems by recording at full dynamic range and allowing the end user to select the compression level suitable for their playback equipment -- really a breakthrough development in recording technology, IMO, because I don't have to listen to soundtracks mixed for playback on a $59 boom box. That's why live rock n' roll concert recordings can sound so incredibly real in Dolby Digital.]

hwc,
thanks, I never even bothered to switch my receiver to
the digital input of the 5100 unless I know it's doing DD.
I'd never thought a stb would do that. Normally I just
use the analog output connected directly to my display's amp.
Tonight I see what type of input my receiever thinks it's
getting on the digital in.

larry

The big problem I have with the DCT-5100 is that I use the SPDIF output,
so dolby channels sounds great, but analog channels are twice as loud, and there is no way to adjust that.
So, I'm constantly having to adjust the volume when changing channels.

I also get a slight green tint from the component out. Can't adjust this in the DCT-5100 in any way I can find.

Adjusting it at the set doesn't work because all my other video sources would look wrong, because they don't have this problem, and look perfect with the current default settings of the TV (I have OTA HDTV, DVD, XBOX, etc), all coming in on component video.

HWC,

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain this. This is why we come to AVS.

Mickey

Originally posted by Chuck_McDevitt
The big problem I have with the DCT-5100 is that I use the SPDIF output,
so dolby channels sounds great, but analog channels are twice as loud, and there is no way to adjust that.
So, I'm constantly having to adjust the volume when changing channels.

This is my complaint as well, although I use the TOS-Link (optical) connection. It is very annoying that the analog channels are so much louder than the digital channels.:(

hwc, excellent thanks!!! looks like some still don't get it. by the way, for boston area customers who still don't have VOD: i was told they'll light us up next wed the 29th.

Bummer about MNF tonight. I guess the last minute change of venue prevented the HDTV trucks from setting up in Sun Devil. Yeck! I hate SD on a large screen. It shows all the warts.

One question. I also posted this on another thread. When watching 4:3 content on 807 I see a flickering white line on the top of the screen. I do not see it on any other HD channel. I can force it to go away by switching my PJ to "wide" mode, but I don't want to do that because it looks odd. My STB is a Motorola 5100. I have checked out the FAQ and did not see an answer there. Does anyone else experience this? Any have a suggested resolution?

The flicker you see is the data encoded into the broadcast for things like CC and the such. You should not see this though if you are watching the feed on your component inputs. Analog inputs, yes - Component, no. I don't have a 4:3 TV, it maybe because its being broadcast in SD on your TV.

That flicker you see is actually part of the 525 lines of resolution for analog TV of which you only see 480.

Thank you for the explanation. I am indeed using component inputs on my 16:9 projector. It is just odd that data encoding is filtered out on all channels except 807. Hmmmm, I guess it is just an oddity that I have to live with. It is just odd because it only seems to affect 807 and not any of the other channels. I originally thought that it was my problem only, but when I saw someone else post, I realized that it wasn't just me.

No big deal. Thank you for your inputs. (no pun intended!)

JL

Just got Comcast HDTV installed this afternoon. InHD channels look nice; The ESPN S t r e t c h is annoying.

I'm not impressed with the 5100 box. There's no way really to delete unwanted or unsubscribed to channels aside from the favorite button which allows you to move up through the channels only, you can't change resolution or aspect ratio without turning the box off, and the component outputs are active even when the box is turned off.

Well it will be nice to get the football games in HD on ESPN, and I'm looking forward to some NESN HD games as well!

For the extra $12/mo over my cable modem subscription, I can't really complain too much. ($5/mo for digital classic and $7/mo for the box rental).

Is this Thursday's Bruin's game going to be HD?

Yes, all B's home games are to be hd + HDNet even has a game in Columbus on the schedule.

Comcast doesn't have HDNet.:mad:

just throwing that in for those B's fans that have both Comcast & D*

Yeah but the HDNet game will probably be blacked out in Boston, according to the threads in the programming section.

NESN coverage would be on 882 INHD2 .Just like Sox games were in Sept.

Some news from http://www.comcast.com/Support/Corp422/LocalHomepage/Page1.asp?LocResult: Comcast now lists CBS as an HD channel for Western Mass, but they don't get NBC or FOX.


On an unrelated note, my compression (tiling) issues seem to have mostly gone away, EXCEPT an issue that occurs every time the 'HBO Original Series' intro comes up (i.e. before Carnivale), when the static effect comes out -- this causes a second of video chop and the audio cuts out. Anyone else seeing this?

-Kordos

Originally posted by Kordos
Some news from http://www.comcast.com/Support/Corp422/LocalHomepage/Page1.asp?LocResult: Comcast now lists CBS as an HD channel for Western Mass, but they don't get NBC or FOX.

Good find! It appears to be the Hartford CBS station. They must not be a CBS O & O station.

Originally posted by Jakes
Good find! It appears to be the Hartford CBS station. They must not be a CBS O & O station.

Correct. That station is owned by Meredith Broadcasting Group.

Any chance that Comcast will carry WPRI-DT from Providence in its systems south of Boston which WPRI-TV now? It is not a CBS O&O station?

Any chance that Comcast will carry WPRI-DT from Providence in its systems south of Boston which WPRI-TV now? It is not a CBS O&O station?

In looking on the Comcast website, it appears that they're offering their dvr now and it says that it can record high def as well. First, can anyone confirm that that it is available in the Boston area? Second, can it record high def? And third, does anyone know what box they're using?

It may be in beta, but not to the public yet in Boston. Yes it can record HD. It will be, for now, a DCT6208.

If the system uses SA equipment then it will not record HD.

The Comcast website seems to say that the DVR will be available in Massachusetts in mid-2004.

yes, mid 2004 if we're lucky, they are also testing the explorer 8000HD, see below. and by the way we finally got VOD today in metro boston, or at least my neighborhood did. the firmware download occured in the middle of the day.

http://www.sciatl.com/customers/source/4004400.pdf

If Comcast picks the 8000HD, that means they don't intend to do HDCP flagging. The 8000HD
has no mention of a DVI/HDCP or HDMI output. Possibly a newer rev/model of the 8000HD
will have HDCP hardware support.

larry

This goes back to the same old question of SA vs Motorola.......If your cable box is currently a Motorola then it will be a DCT6000 series DVR, if its SA then it will be either the Explorer 8000 or 3280......They cannot interchange these as of yet....

pooper:
Look at the link I posted, the 8000HD DOES have DVI/HDCP output; says it's optional but I can't see Comcast skipping it. They claim that any HD PVR's they release WILL have DVI/HDCP.

miatasm:
Who told you they cannot interchange stb's as of yet? I was told by more than one comcast employee that they were looking at both Moto and SA for Mass.

A little birdie told me.... :) ....Seriously though, that's because Mass has systems that use both SA OR Motorola, not BOTH.

You CANNOT interchange boxes in systems that use SA or Motorola. Mass has systems that primarily use Motorola, but there are some systems that use SA. There are NO systems that use both being fed from the same location.

that's too bad, the 8000HD has 160GB HDD! 20hrs HD 90hrs SD. Moto 6208 only 80GB but i suppose you can go external with firewire.

miatasm: do you know what the firmware upgrade from 51.22-2002 to 51.42-2002 did? or is there such a firmware version?

No unfortunately I do not.....But usually they are small fixes for stuff you don't even notice....and sometimes it may be "code" that simulates a function that will be added down the road in order to see how it reacts with the current firmware.....In this case DVR, VOD, ect.

I'm not saying that was what this was but, it could've been anything.

DVI shouldn't be much longer....my "guess" is you will have DVI before you get DVR....

DVI shouldn't be much longer....my "guess" is you will have DVI before you get DVR....
i'd say that's a pretty safe guess. i keep hearing december for DVI though i don't know why everyone is salivating so bad. you wont notice a thing compared to component (unless maybe the DLP sets). we do like playing with new things.

but this is all a copyright thing and correct me if i'm misinformed but yes maybe at some point, and not anytime soon, we may only get HD content from cable/sat through DVI/HDMI w/HDCP output and component will be downrezed or even shut off. though i just can't see that happening whether the MPAA wants it or not, there will be riots! but that's a whole separate issue.

VOD finally came on yesterday. pretty cool, more stuff on there than i'd thought if you can bear watching that awful SD! ;)

Hi, I have a question regarding

I do not currently subscribe to Comcast but have been thinking about making the switch from Dish.

My main concern about Comcast (other than no O&O CBS HD) is the support of subchannels. I have not heard about any subchannels on Comcast (central and eastern MA). That would include the SD subchannel for WGBH and the radar subchannel for WCVB. To be honest neither of those two are deal breakers. But I just noticed that Channel 44 is broadcasting on 4 subchannels - two of which look to be PBS Kids (East and West feeds?). It would be great to have those available.

Anyone know if 44 and its subchannels are going to be available on Comcast? Thanks!

Scott

has anyone noticed that the EPG banner for inhd1 and inhd2 are wrong all the time? what's on doesn't match the guide. i think it's just those 2 channels.

No subchannels on cable you get the following broadcast channels:

PBS (HD feed)
ABC (WCVB)
NBC (WHDH)
FOS (WFXT)

No WB, UPN, CBS, PBS subchannels, etc.

miatasm:
FYI for the FAQ: the firmware that has now enabled DVI is 06.04

Originally posted by avic
has anyone noticed that the EPG banner for inhd1 and inhd2 are wrong all the time? what's on doesn't match the guide. i think it's just those 2 channels.

I've noticed that on INHD2 lately, the EPG always says To Be Announced. INHD1 hasn't been wrong that I've noticed.

Nathan

The FAQ is info is mostly for Philadelphia region only. I am aware of the updated DVI activation Firmware. I will be posting that info soon....

I'm not a big hockey fan, but HD Bruins sure are nice...

Is there a way with the 5100 to see the frequencies of channels and whether or not they are encrypted?

Thanks,
Chris

Tune to a channel then enter the diagnostic mode. Goto 04 in band status...This will show the frequency of the channel you were tuned to....

Hey! I've been having a problem with channels 23, 6, 48, 57, 8, and 98. Anyone else experiencing this in Natick?

Originally posted by ssetta
Hey! I've been having a problem with channels 23, 6, 48, 57, 8, and 98. Anyone else experiencing this in Natick?

None of those are HD.

I know, they're not, but does anyone know what this is?

ssetta:

I would say call customer service... but you already got banned for calling and cancelling over and over didn't you? If you have a legitimate problem, talk to your neighbors and see if they are having the same problem. If not, then you should look to the inside of your house for shoddy wiring.

No, I'm not banned anymore. We have a new account now.

Good... don't abuse it again.

yes let's not go through all that again, keep it in the realm of >>> HDTV with Comcast - Boston <<< or post elsewhere.

Rate hike if you haven't noticed, and a big one. HBO "a la carte'" is going to $18.95/mo but $15.95 for the first year.

Nice. :rolleyes:

Sounds like they're trying to force everyone onto "digital silver" for $21.95/mo which includes one movie pack, plus digital plus.

I'll do it only because I have digital classic and it will end up costing the same.

Still, that's a 36% price increase, which is outrageous.

A turkey in every pot, and a digital cable box in every home!

or something like that.

The increase is pretty obscene. I seriously doubt their programming costs went up very much.

We all have to answer this question: Faced with these increases, can we take our business elsewhere? If the answer is no, then you are dealing with a monopoly, and should be thankful that the rates aren't doubling every year. If the answer is yes, then what are you waiting for?

Mickey

Or downgrade. Cancel one or more premium channel services (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, TMC, Starz, etc.). That's what I did the last time rates were raised out here.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Or downgrade. Cancel one or more premium channel services (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, TMC, Starz, etc.). That's what I did the last time rates were raised out here.
I agree. I have reached the limit on what I am willing to pay them. I am downgrading.

If it wasn't for two things, I'd change to satellite- Up from cost and my internet service. It's almost $800 to get up and running, more if you do a prepay of service.

I have a legacy package of Digital Cable (ATT days) but a 5100 box. ALl told my monthly bill is ~80/mo with internet. Sure, I'd love to get more HD programming, but I'm more into quality programming, and that probably has to wait for a bit once more sources are available. I've found that I love HD movies, and I'm not a huge movie fan.

Tim

SHO will probably be the first to go. There's not alot new on there anyways.

That argument about them being a monopoly only goes so far. The cable industry price increases are more than inflation.

Yes it is more than inflation. Its cost of living pay raises for employees, hiring of more employees to better support customers, purchasing of equipment to launch new services, upgrades of plant to support more services and products, purchasing of equipment to upgrade customer equipment, progammer fees, etc. If they are pumping up the cost of HBO Ala Carte, its probably because HBO is charging them more. If they were going to raise rates otherwise, they would spread out the increase across several packages.

any new info on comcast adding cbs-hd?

I'm probably going to downgrade as well, the only good thing Showtime does is maintain OAR on more movies than HBO, but they counter that with lousy movies and too little HD overall. I was considering going down to digital classic + HBO, but sounds like that's not going to save as much as I thought. :-(

Speaking of cable increases:

Dow Jones Business News
EchoStar's New Ad Campaign Attacks Cable Pricing
Monday November 17, 7:16 pm ET
By Ellen Sheng
NEW YORK -- EchoStar Communications Corp. (NasdaqNM:DISH - News) isn't going for subtlety with its new marketing campaign, "Stop Feeding the Cable Pig." The multimillion dollar campaign, which kicked off Monday, aims to ride the growing wave of consumer discontent with increasing cable rates. In the past five years, cable companies have raised their prices by 40%, or about five times the rate of inflation, said Marc Lumpkin, a spokesman for EchoStar. "It's time to bring to attention what cable companies are doing and how greedy they are," he said.

Scoops- the thing is- none of that is true. There's on ongoing investigation in Congress. Cable rates are artifically inflated, and do not reflect any benifits to the customer. In this case we're getting less services for more money. For most cable customers, including myself, there is no competition so we have no choice.

They are forcing people with analog only channels to pay for digital by reducing the number of premium channels on analog and charging more for it. The fact that they raised the Cable Internet charge $15 if you didn't have cable TV forced me to pay for services I didn't want to save money.

I'm happy when they add more HD programming, but don't think we're getting any of this for free.

For anyone with Comcast and a Mits integrated set, what can you get with a direct connection from cable into the built-in QAM tuner? Just wondering if a cable box is necessary.

Should get all the locals (NBC,ABC,PBS, ect) that are carried by your provider & possibly ESPN.....

NBC-HD, ABC-HD, PBS-HD, FOX-ED, History-SD, & Bravo-HD

If I'm understanding the previous 2 comments, the HD converter box from Comcast is only necessary to get HBO and Showtime HD, but not ESPNHD or any local digital channels. Is this correct?

One other question: does INHD require the box?

InHD and ESPN HD are scambled channels. Only the broadcasters are required to be un-scrambled because you can pick them up OTA for free.

You need the box for ESPN-HD, IND-HD, Showtime-HD, and HBO-HD. You also need to subscribe to HBO or Showtime to get their HD.

Originally posted by FAiello
NBC-HD, ABC-HD, PBS-HD, FOX-ED, History-SD, & Bravo-HD

Are you sure that's Bravo HD? If so, verrrry interesting.

Something you might find interesting...

I don't know about other communities, but here in Watertown we recently got a letter from Comcast announcing an extensive channel realignment "in order to prepare for the launch of new technology". Since we already have VOD here, I was wondering what they were talking about. Since I pass by the local Comcast several times a week, I decided to ask (they usually don't know anything, but what the hey).

Well, this time they did know something. The woman at the front desk told me that the changes were to free up bandwidth for new HD channels! She didn't know anything else, so there's no way to know whether this was a long-range plan to free up enough space for all the channels they might want to add in the next year or so, or whether they had to go through this whole rigamarole just to free up space for Cinemax and Starz (a Philly poster with inside Comcast connections is posting that Philly will launch those channels on 12/22). Cross your fingers and hope it's the former!

Sorry, I meant to say Bravo-SD can be pick up with the QAM tuner.

Did anyone know if Celtic has any game shown in HDTV?

Fox sports hasn't announced anything about Celtics in HD, but I'd guess a few games will appear on ESPN and/or ABC in HD at some point.

Bob- got that too- they're just really pushing people to get digital. Reducing analog services and charging more for it.

Then do those of us with digital boxes a favor and make more of the channels truly digital and not analog mirrors in the digital range.

I'm not familiar withthe technicalities of HD over catv. Is Comcast really that limited by bandwidth right now?

Tim

I don't know all the technical details, but if you figure 6Mhz per analog channel and 100 analog channels that's 600Mhz right there. I don't know if Comcast has a 750Mhz or 1Ghz system, but then they run cable modem service, phone service, and all the digital channels. Each HD channel takes up 1/2 the space of an analog one, and something like 8-10 digital SD channels fit into the space of one analog channel. Your guess as to what's left is as good as mine.

Are there any TVs that will come out (eventually) with a way to tune all channels without a box? I thought there was finally a deal in place or something...

Chris

I think Celtics games are supposed to be on INHD2. I've seen several Bruins games shown there, but not the Celtics so far.

Originally posted by Schlotkins
Are there any TVs that will come out (eventually) with a way to tune all channels without a box? I thought there was finally a deal in place or something...

Chris

I believe what you are thinking about is what is called "conditional access". I don't know the specifics of this but it is believed that this is how the "smart card" technology will start to come into play...

Comcast must have alot of bandwidth here because of all the stuff they're adding- on top of that they're upping the internet speeds too.

They added Starz VOD in the last few days. It's the biggest VOD offering by far, and a few of the movies are widescreen (although not HD). I'm hoping their HD service starts soon. I don't watch SHO much.

There should be a rate increase across the board in the Boston region. They just switched me to digital gold the other day (same price as what I was paying for a la carte stuff) and I'm wonderng how much the increase will be?

Originally posted by JDLIVE
I think Celtics games are supposed to be on INHD2. I've seen several Bruins games shown there, but not the Celtics so far.
The Bruins games are NESN property. NESN has a deal with InHD to show Bruins home games on InHD. The Celtics games are on Fox Sports New England which does not have a deal with InHD. I have not seen anything that would indicate that the Celtics will be available in HD this season. Too bad, because that Fox channel in analog on Comcast comes in poorly for me, and is almost unwatchable.

FAiello-

You can't get any of the SD channels right? 203 or anything? My 5100 seems to indicate they are encrypted.

Chris

Thanks for the correction, Mickey. I think I mis-remembered the announcement...I knew the Red Sox and Bruins were included, figured the Celtics were as well. ;)

"Expanded basic" rates are going up here as well.

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/326/business/Comcast_hiking_cable_rates+.shtml

They're all going up. The say it's because of the "added value" of cable services. I suppose that's true, but it's not like we're getting it for free. I'll be happy when we get the bandwidth upgrade in a few months.

I could see VOD being fairly usefull for those with kids. There's tons of movies on there. Saves a trip to the videostore. It's too bad the PQ is so poor- I find it mostly unwatchable, at least for movies. I have watched some 4:3 anime on there. HD VOD doesn't seem likely for a while.

I also noticed on the website it said we won't get the 6208 PVR untill the middle of '04.:(

No mention of cable internet or digital cable rates going up...well "No comment" from Comcast according to that article. Have you heard otherwise?

Anyone else here having trouble with Fox on 825, or is it just me?

FXT-DT is not on the air either.

Fox 825 not working here in North Chelmsford

Getting no WFXT-DT OTA or Comcast.

I've made the big decision to dump DIRECTV in favor of Comcast. Reasons: (1) NESNHD; and (2) Offer I couldn't refuse...free install and $25 off my programming for 16 months. My install is scheduled a week from Wednesday. Can anyone give me any reasons why I am (A) doing the right thing or (B) cancel the install and keep DIRECTV. All comments pro or con are welcome. Also can someone list an up-to-date HDTV Comcast lineup for me. Thanks.

D* over Comcast:

1. OTA stations that are not available w/Comcast are integrated in to the line up (WBZ-DT, GBX-x, SBK, LVI, PRI, etc.)
2. Sunday Ticket

Comcast over D*
1. Sox
2. B's
3. No separate charge for ESPN-HD
4. Cable agreement that will provide a STB w/1394 in 2004

Also:
1. You don't have to give them your HD box for the $25/month credit any box will do. Better to buy a SD box on ebay for little money and sell the HD box there for more money.
2. They won't give you the $25/month credit if you are already a Comcast customer :(

DaveFi,
Middle of '04 will be here before you know it. At least we will be getting it! :)

larry

Benji,
I have both D* and Comcast. I've cut back on D* just enough to keep what I want to "TiVo".
Once Comcast gets us the PVR, I will just keep bare bones D* for the sports packages I order.
For me, the PQ of most Comcast digital channels (> 100) is better than D* on my display.
Depending on where you live and your display, YMMV. I believe, in the long run, cable
will be the preferred video pipe into the home. Satellite has some issues to overcome if it
wants to compete with cable, which I don't think they will be able to do - mostly because of cost.

larry

A few more cons for Comcast

1) Regular rate increases
2) No CBS, WB, UPN, etc (not an issue if you keep an OTA tuner though)
3) Generally incompetent customer service (missed appointments, rude CSRs) although it seems to be improving
4) The Motorola Box is clunky IMO. No way to delete uninteresting channels, for instance.

Pro DirecTV

1) HDNet and Discovery-HD


HD lineup on Comcast is:

WGBH
WCVB
WHDH
WFXT
ESPN-HD
InHD1
InHD2 (includes home Red Sox/Bruins games in HD)

If you subscribe to each channel:
HBO-HD
SHO-HD

Originally posted by D_Doherty

4. Cable agreement that will provide a STB w/1394 in 2004

Also:
1. You don't have to give them your HD box for the $25/month credit any box will do. Better to buy a SD box on ebay for little money and sell the HD box there for more money.
2. They won't give you the $25/month credit if you are already a Comcast customer :(

Is the STB w/1394 a done deal or only a remote possibility? And I was told they would take my dish, not my HD receiver. They can't have my HD receiver unless they want to fork over $599.

Not that there's much worth watching on Fox these days anyway... ;-)

I do watch WFXT quite a bit. Simpsons, Malcom, Seinfeld, etc.

Anyone know if comcast has plans to add CSTV to the lineup? CSTV is the new College Sports Network... UMass hockey is on live tonight from Nebraska Ohmaha, but no indication if INHD will pick it up.. :(

-t

Dave, I watch those as well, but they aren't shown in widescreen by Fox. At any rate, looks like they're back on the air again. Also VOD is now active here, hopefully they'll get some HD VOD channels going eventually.

Malcom is widescreen.

PBS Loop will not be shown and they are going with a regular schedule although repeated... stating Dec. 7th


http://www.ptvdigital.org/dt2a_dec.html#dec7

Originally posted by wdwms
Anyone know if comcast has plans to add CSTV to the lineup? CSTV is the new College Sports Network... UMass hockey is on live tonight from Nebraska Ohmaha, but no indication if INHD will pick it up.. :(

-t

Funny thing is that I saw some CSTV one night, on the channel FOX-DT is normally on, while FOX-DT was down for a few days. I am using my QAM tuner on my Mits RPTV. Did anyone else notice this. They were showing a college football game.

That was InHD1... the same game was running on InHD1 at the same time... possibly the MPEG streams got misconfigured or rerouted when WFXT-DT went down.

Seals the deal for me. Having Comcast installed Wednesday and dumping DIRECTV. If I wasn't sure I wanted to do this before, now I definately am! Watching Curt and Pedro blow away opposing teams in HD will be a treat next season. Now if we can only get Foulkes and AROD. Note to Steinbrenner...tough s__t!!!

Is anyone else not receiving some HD channels? PBS, ESPN and the two indy channels aren't showing up... getting that "will be available shortly" message..

Chris

Benji,

Questions regarding dumping D* for Comcast:

Did you get the $400 credit ($25/month)?
If so, will they take from you a dish or a receiver?

Were you ever a Comcast customer? They won't give me the $400 because I am a customer now. I'd like to cancel and re-up if that is allowed.

-Dave

Originally posted by D_Doherty
Benji,

Questions regarding dumping D* for Comcast:

Did you get the $400 credit ($25/month)?
If so, will they take from you a dish or a receiver?

Were you ever a Comcast customer? They won't give me the $400 because I am a customer now. I'd like to cancel and re-up if that is allowed.

-Dave

Dave...my install is this coming Wednesday. The CSR said they would take my dish. She didn't mention the receiver. I'm going to try and keep it because it(Hughes E-86) has an excellent OTA signal meter. I have the integrated Mits TV with no meter. I'll let you know what happens.

Originally posted by Benji
Dave...my install is this coming Wednesday. The CSR said they would take my dish. She didn't mention the receiver. I'm going to try and keep it because it(Hughes E-86) has an excellent OTA signal meter. I have the integrated Mits TV with no meter. I'll let you know what happens.

Benji,
Yup, they will insist on a receiver unless you can show evidence of a lease arrangement with your satellite provider.
If you want to keep your receiver you could do what I did and pick up a junky basic one somewhere; they don't much care what it is but they will not process the buyback program without one.
On the other hand , I was told the dish, at their option, might remain yours if it is a difficult removal.

Good Luck

I lost Fox again yesterday evening, haven't checked to see if it's back.

Originally posted by JDLIVE
I lost Fox again yesterday evening, haven't checked to see if it's back.

Fox has been out for about a week in my area, though I may have missed a few periods of it working.

Schlotkins,
I had the same thing happen to me a week or so ago. One minute I was
watching INHD, then switched away and came back a couple minutes
later and I got the "Available shortly" messages. I pulled the power
from the 5100 and when it came back up everthing was ok.

larry

... and no luck. I leave it on there for a while and nothing happens so... I did tune to 600 (NBA TV) and it appears my signal isn't that great. I think it could be some old RG56 (?) cable and not RG6 to that box (no other box to check) so I'm going to rerun the cable and see what happens.

Thanks,
CHris

Originally posted by Benji
Seals the deal for me. Having Comcast installed Wednesday and dumping DIRECTV. If I wasn't sure I wanted to do this before, now I definately am! Watching Curt and Pedro blow away opposing teams in HD will be a treat next season. Now if we can only get Foulkes and AROD. Note to Steinbrenner...tough s__t!!!

:D HA! That's a good one, but be forewarned...The Oakland A's with their great pitching staff over the last several years have not won a Series, so don't bet the house just because of Schilling. Pedro will be a year older and is injury prone. Meanwhile, offensively the Sox had many of their "second-tier" players, ie Walker, Millar, etc..have career years and they still did not win the division. Can those players do it again or will they be Brady Anderson the year after he hit 50 home runs?:( If they cannot, you'll be crying for Directv by the all-star break! :(

Joe...You sure you're not a Yankee fan. Anyways with Comcast coming out with an HD-DVR in April, I don't think I'll be returning to DIRECTV anytime soon.

Well, the A's didn't have Mulder this year, and really didn't have Hudson for much of the post season, either.

Just had Comcast installed this morning. I received the Free Install/$400 worth of free programming package by swapping out my Hughes E-86 DIRECTV HD receiver. The tech said it was too cold to go out and remove my dish so he left it. I am still using a reduced satellite package on my bedroom RCAF38310 TV. My initial thoughts: SD quality through S-Video on my Mits 65807 is slightly worse than DIRECTV but viewable. HD quality is equal to DIRECTV and OTA. I wa going to cancel sat altogether but since he left my dish I decided to keep it + cable on my bedroom TV. Now I have the best of both worlds-HDNET and DISCHD on 1 TV and everything else on both TVs.

Any new information on when the firmware upgrade to activate the DVI port on the 5100 will be relased and available.?

Rates going up on Comcast.

I received the official brochure in the mail yesterday. My basic cable (lifeline) is going up by $1/mo. Digital Silver, Gold, Platinum each going up by $2/mo. Expanded basic + basic will be $47/mo. Any of the premium channels a la carte will be $19/mo(!)

No change for Digital Classic or Plus.


TMC and Cinemax HD were both mentioned in the brochure BTW, so they're like to be here soon.

Hmm, I wonder if my digital package will go up.. They told me a year ago I had been grandfathered into the Digital Bronze package, which isn't even offered anymore.. I've got the old AT&T rates at the moment.. after taxes and fees i'm paying about $90 for HDTV box, digital bronze, high speed internet ($42.95), and all taxes.. Subtract the internet and the hdtv box out, and i'm only paying about $35 for the channels..

-t

Lets be fair to Comcast, they lowered the price of the Chinese package from $6.99 to $6.95.

I got that mailing from Comcast too.
Comcast is out of control.
I've reached the limit of what I'm willing to spend monthly for cable & internet. Sadly, I think I will have to drop some channels. The rates are just getting too outrageous. It's a shame they have a monopoly in most of their service areas, because if people had a choice, they wouldn't put up with this.

The ONLY way Comcast will stop raising prices is if people reduce or eliminate their service when rates increase. The problem is that the number of subscribers continues to increase, even as rates go up, so there's zero incentive for them to put a lid on price increases, or actually a negative incentive.

Originally posted by wdwms
Hmm, I wonder if my digital package will go up.. They told me a year ago I had been grandfathered into the Digital Bronze package, which isn't even offered anymore.. I've got the old AT&T rates at the moment.. after taxes and fees i'm paying about $90 for HDTV box, digital bronze, high speed internet ($42.95), and all taxes.. Subtract the internet and the hdtv box out, and i'm only paying about $35 for the channels..

-t

I am too, and I cringe at making any changes to my package. I'd need to spend more for lesser service (fewer channels) even though I could live with Disc (and sub channels) Bravo, History HGTV and TLC- along with the base HD content.

Not that I've even turned my set on this week.

Tim

anyone getting Starz HD or Cinemax HD yet?

Originally posted by johnovox
anyone getting Starz HD or Cinemax HD yet? I just had Comcast installed Wednesday and haven't seen either station yet.

Yeah, I'm grandfathered into the AT&T pricing structure as well. I've been keeping a sharp eye on my bills lately, and plan to continue doing so for some time yet.

I've tried to find ways to cut back, but my wife and I tend to go for different channels, and unfortunately, several of the channels she likes are in segments that I'd be content to let go, and vice versa. The bottom line is that I really don't want to change my package, but I'm not willing to pay more (I already feel like I'm paying about $30/month too much).

We'll just have to see.

Nathan

Originally posted by johnovox
anyone getting Starz HD or Cinemax HD yet?

Something to consider...

Comcast informed customers in the PA/NJ/DE area weeks ago that Cinemax HD and Starz HD would be coming - on Dec 22nd. Comcast in Mass. has made no such announcement yet.

Now that doesn't necessarily mean we're going to get it later than the 22nd - maybe our regional people just aren't as pro-active in communicating these things. Maybe we'll even get it sooner (a couple systems have it already). But don't hold your breath.

Anyone having dropout problems on Food Network (ch.40)? Every once in a while it either blacks out or the station signal is gone altogether. I still have satellite and have not had that problem with my dish.

Benji, Is it on all your tv's in the house? If it is you need to have your drop checked from the pole outside, then the rest of the wiring inputting to spltter etc. Squirrel chews or damaged cable causes this.

Ch 40 should be analog. If there are digital "dropouts" it's probably at the source.

Originally posted by xbigjoe
Benji, Is it on all your tv's in the house? If it is you need to have your drop checked from the pole outside, then the rest of the wiring inputting to spltter etc. Squirrel chews or damaged cable causes this. It only happens on that one station on both my TVs. All other stations seem fine.

With Comcast freeing up 3 analog channels on 12/16, will this be making room for more HDTV?

With Comcast freeing up 3 analog channels on 12/16, will this be making room for more HDTV?

Originally posted by mgpt6
With Comcast freeing up 3 analog channels on 12/16, will this be making room for more HDTV?

That's what I was told, but the person had no idea of which (or how many) channels would be added, or when.

We're getting Starz soon. That's all I know.

I'm thinking about dropping SHO for it, but we'll have to see. OAR vs. Quantity.

I do know that Comcast has a system-wide committment to add Starz HD and Cinemax HD "in the near future", but it's anyone's guess how near that is here and how much it depends on the bandwidth situation in the individual regions.

They commited to it here- we're supposed to have it within a month.

Originally posted by DaveFi
They commited to it here- we're supposed to have it within a month.

Glad to hear it! But it still makes me wonder why the local website says nothing about it, when customers in the PA/NJ/DE region have known for weeks that they're getting both channels on 12/22.

Website said nothing about FOX either and it just turned up. They don't announce many of these things far in advance.

Hey guys I wasn't really sure where to post this, but I have Comcast in Western MA.

On some of the HD channels, the NBC and CBS in particular, why does my picture come out smaller than the screen? Also why does ESPN stretch its picture and force it to be widescreen. Is there any way to fix these annoyances?

I don't know if this is only local to my cable, or if you guys get these problems too.

By the way, while FOX HD shows up on tvguide, we still don't get it here.

Spinedoc,
You're not getting HD CBS on Comcast - you must mean ABC. The networks
don't broadcast much HD, that's why you see 4:3. And, you'll have to ask
ESPN why they always stretch non-HD programming. Fox HD has been
out-to-lunch for a week or so now.

larry

spinedoc...check to see how your box is connected to your set. If it's connected by composite or s-video, the HD channels will show up as 16:9 within a 4:3 box. In order to fill the screen, it must be connected via component (red, blue, green) cables.

Western Mass may get CBS The Hartford Conn CBS affiliate is not owned by CBS. Providence CBS affiliate is not owned by CBS and they are now HD. Maybe Comcast can get CBS from them in parts of Eastern Mass.

I'd like to think so- being that in Taunton we're part of the Providence Market- IT has not happened yet. WPRI is woned by Lin.

Unfortunately Viacom owns WBZ, WSBK and WLWC (PRovidence's UPN- out of New Bedford/Lakeville)

Tim

Benji,
spinedoc's stb is correctly cabled - he mentions in another post INHD going "wide-mode" as it should.

mgpt6,
Good point. He does mention CBS and NBC in the other post as well.

It appears spinedoc doesn't know how little HD material is actually broadcasted by the networks.
And, of course, we all want to know why ESPN-HD has to do the ugly stretch! :)

larry

In reference to WPRI being HD, that's not totally accurate. Most of their programming on the HD channel is upconverted SD...even most of the CBS HD programming. They have been HDing the Sunday HD NFL game. Yesterday they had color bars on in the hours leading up to the KC-Denver game then showed the Hd telecast instead of the Pats game. They apparently kept the HD on the rest of the evening, but this is the exception rater than the rule. Comcast would probably not be interested in wasting bandwith on a part-time HD station.

Super Bowl XXXVIII is less than 2 months away! I for one have had it with the CBS-Comcast negotiations failure. We've been patient enough, call/email Comcast often so they know we're out here!!!

In other posts, the entire Viacom package is up for renewal on Comcast the end of the year. The only Viacom cable service presently not available on most Boston Comcast systems in CMT. One hopes that CBS-HD will be agreed upon by New Years

I'm definitely NOT counting on having CBS at superbowl time and I've already started to get the OTA setup together...

Originally posted by Schlotkins
I'm definitely NOT counting on having CBS at superbowl time and I've already started to get the OTA setup together...

Yup, OTA is key. Not only for CBS-HD, but also for WB-HD & UPN-HD.

Here is the text of a response I received via Steve Burke (who forwarded it to the person responsible for New England programming(Kevin_Casey@cable.comcast.com)
regarding various service questions (VOD, DVI, CBS, etc):

My name is Kevin Casey, and I am responsible for Comcast's business
in New England. I am responding to your email of 12/9 to Steve Burke.
First, I want to thank you for being a Comcast customer. We appreciate your
business. Let me take a moment to address your concerns.
* CBS HD - We are as disappointed as you that the only broadcaster we
do not have in our line up is CBS. We are negotiating with Viacom for
carriage, however I cannot say that we will have this resolved by the super
bowl. You live in a hyphenated market - Boston/Providence. We are actively
working with LIN broadcasting to secure HD carriage rights for WPRI, but as
of this writing do not have agreement. Should we get this worked out, you
can rest assured we will have it on within days of an agreement. Stay tuned.
* DVI output: we are currently testing software to enable this feature
in our labs. Our vendor, Motorola has not yet met our requirements to make
this available, however we are committed to this capability as soon as it is
ready for commercial deployment.
* VOD - good news here. Next Wednesday, 12/17 Fairhaven is scheduled
to launch. You will be surprised at just how good OnDemand is, and what it
will do to enhance your viewing experience.
* For information about what is happening I would recommend you check
out our web site comcast-ne.com for product information.

I do just want to remind people that the last I checked, the other HD cable carrier in Boston (RCN) also doesn't carry CBS. That still leads me to believe that the problem isn't entirely with Comcast.

I think, considering we are talking about Viacom here, a heavyweight in the television industry, its coming down to Viacom trying to leverage their CBS station and its copious amounts of Prime Time HD content against its other channels of programming. They are prolly putting conditions on launching CBS HD like being required to launch several other Viacom stations with it, etc. Something that would be difficult since no doubt most cable companies are already utilizing their bandwidth as much as they can.

VOD has been available in Taunton for some time. I haven't touched it since week 2. IT's a content thing- it doe snot really appeal to me :)

I'll be happy if/when LIN reaches a carriage agreement in our fringe markets :) I'm sick of fighting with my antenna for OTA. Now that I have a few feet of snow on teh ground, IT's a real pain to get to the roof to adjust the antenna after windstorms!

I thnk the VOD is a cool feature. The only thing there is no HD VOD yet. But all movies with 5.1 sound are coming through on VOD so it's not a total lost. As for Comcast securing WPRI-DT, that would not be an earthshaking move. WPRI is barely sending anything above upconverted SD right now. About the only HD is the Sunday NFL HD game and maybe the rest of the Sunday evening lineup. Their upconverted SD looks pathetic.

I like the Anime Network VOD stuff, other than that I don't watch it much because it's very compressed. I'd still rather watch a DVD.

They just renumbered some of the analog channels here in the burbs. Freeing up some channels I guess.

Thanx guys, yes I have a HD box and have the component outputs going to my TV. I have a 4:3 screen/TV, so when watching INHD 1/2 I get a 16:9 screen with the black bars on the top and the bottom.

My issue is with some of the "HD" channels in which I get the proper 4:3 aspect but it has black bars on top/bottom and the sides!! In other words a box within a box. The resolution looks much much better than analog, but its really annoying that it does not fill my whole screen.

OK from what I understand this is because the broadcaster is not truly broadcasting in HD, but rather in upconverted SD. My question is, why is this shrunk down? Is there anything the broadcaster can do, or I can do at home to make this output fill my entire screen? This is so annoying that I dont even use those HD channels, prefering to watch analog channels that fill the whole screen but look like crap. What is Comcast thinking with this?!?!?

P.S. What is ESPN thinking with that cheap ass stretching of the screen? It looks horrid and I don't think it's fooling anyone.


Originally posted by PooperScooper
Benji,
spinedoc's stb is correctly cabled - he mentions in another post INHD going "wide-mode" as it should.

mgpt6,
Good point. He does mention CBS and NBC in the other post as well.

It appears spinedoc doesn't know how little HD material is actually broadcasted by the networks.
And, of course, we all want to know why ESPN-HD has to do the ugly stretch! :)

larry

Spinedoc- 4:3 digital broadcast shouldn't appear that way. You either have the 5100 box or your TV set wrong.

You might want to try this-
After turning off the cable box, immediatly hit "MENU". Then a USER SETTINGS screen should come up- Make sure your settings are appropriate to your TV. Fool around with them and see what happens.

You have what is called a picture frame. A 4:3 tv set to 16:9 on your cable box and a 4:3 hd broadcast. Unless your tv has a stretch mode that will stretch out hd content it will be like that. So far I have seen the Mitsubishi and a few Samsungs stretch hd content other than that, none. My sony xbr 910 doesn't stretch out my 4:3 hd content, Anyone else have a tv that stretches in hd mode?

Originally posted by Benji
Joe...You sure you're not a Yankee fan.

HA! How did you guess?:D Yep, I'm a Yankee fan living in enemy territory. I grew up in New Haven, CT which put me on the Yankee side of CT.

However, having lived in MA for almost 20 years now, I watch the Sox and will root for them as long as they finish behind the Yankees. I will say that a small part of me (REAL SMALL) wanted the Sox to win this year Why? Because it would make my 95 year old grandmother, my wife, my son, and my Boston friends happy for a change. I've seen 8 Yankee championships in my lifetime, I would like them to see 1 for their team. It would not have killed me if the Sox won like it kills Boston fans when NY wins.

Of course I am probably going be disowned by my fellow Yankee fans for saying that, but what the heck!:)

I have a reception issue with Comcast's analog picture. Currently I have Directv w/locals, OTA HD and basic cable for my local government channels, NECN, etc. The week before Thanksgiving, we went on vacation and when we came back the channels I get from Comcast all looked horrible. Very snowy, lots of interference, etc. Meanwhile, my cable modem is also out as it will not synch. My assumption is I am getting a weak signal which is effecting both the tv and the cable modem.

However, here's the kicker! When I got DTV 4 years ago, I dropped my cable package down to Basic, but Comcast (ATT actually) never shut off the extended basic channels. In October, I got a letter from Comcast that based on an audit they found people were getting channels they shouldn't be and they would be sending come one to turn off these channels at the pole. Anyway, sure enough, these channels disappeared while we were on vacation.

Thus, my assumption is the cable guy came, disconnected those channels and meanwhile screwed something else up causing me to lose my modem and get a bad picture on remaining channels. The question is, was this done out of spite because I have a dish? I am waiting for them to come out and fix the issue.

When Comcast blocks the extended basic channels I believe they do it by adding a filter/trap that doesn't allow certain frequencies through.

Adding any connection in the line will reduce the signal strength. You may have been borderline before and now you are below the required signal strength.

This happened to someone I know in NC and a real battle ensued. He didn't want the channels, just the cable modem but in order for the modem to work with a VPN client he needed the trap removed. The ONLY way they would remove the trap was to pay for extended basic.

Good luck getting the trap removed/signal improved - it nearly resulted in a police incident for my friend.

I tried to drop "expanded basic" with Comcast, and they want to charge me $15 to send out a tech to add the filter, plus I have to be there and wait for him! Comcast is an evil company. They will even charge you to reduce your service. I miss RCN terribly.

I am scratching my head here trying to figure out how TV makers and content providers could not get together and figure out how to make a friggin broadcast fill up an entire screen!!! I can't believe I am stuck with this, sigh. Basically out of Comcasts "HD" lineup, I really only have 4 feasible channels, Showtime, HBO, INHD and INHD2. Otherwise the channels are either stretched or shrunken!!

Oh well. Anyone know the status of FOX HD in Western Mass.?

FOX 825 is back

It was nice watching the Billboard awards last night on 825 (in whatevery widscreen mode they show, 480p is it?). But still no comparasion to the Grammys in true HD with DD 5.1

Originally posted by spinedoc
I am scratching my head here trying to figure out how TV makers and content providers could not get together and figure out how to make a friggin broadcast fill up an entire screen!!! I can't believe I am stuck with this, sigh. Basically out of Comcasts "HD" lineup, I really only have 4 feasible channels, Showtime, HBO, INHD and INHD2. Otherwise the channels are either stretched or shrunken!!

Oh well. Anyone know the status of FOX HD in Western Mass.?

Since you have a 4:3 HDTV, use "normal" mode instead of "wide" mode for ESPN-HD and it will fill the entire screen. For other 'window-boxed" upconverted programming, use your 4:3 HDTV's "zoom" function to fill the entire screen. If your HDTV or STB cannot perform either of these functions, it is your fault for not properly researching HDTV's before purchasing. I know this may not be what you want to hear, but there are 4:3 HDTV's and/or STB's capable of performing these functions. Buyer beware.

I have never heard of a 16:9 HDTV that cannot display a 4:3 frame properly. At worst you should have black bars on the side.

spinedoc- You should ask in the appropriate forum for your TV (CRT, Rear Projection, etc) how to fix this. Name your specific make/model and I'm sure someone will be able to help you out.

spindoc,

Hit "menu" with the power on the 5100 off. Select 4:3 pan and scan, 480p. This will fill the screen for the digital channels when they're not broadcasting HD material.

As a 4:3 HDTV owner, I can tell you these things are a headache. Always buy 16:9, if you're serious about HDTV.

JoeinMA,

Alot of the new traps that Comcast puts on for basic subscribers break easy if tightened to much. Have them come out and change te drop fitting and the trap. Have them check your modem and tv to be assured before they leave.

what happened to ER tonight? aired in SD. who is supposed to flip the switch: nbc, whdh, comcast?!

My post describes how to get rid of windowboxing (black bars all the way around) on 4:3 material upconverted and placed into a 16:9 frame. It is not intended to be a good way to watch native 1080i or 720p material.

edit:AVS reset the clock, my post should follow Wackymann's.

Originally posted by jckessler
spindoc,

Hit "menu" with the power on the 5100 off. Select 4:3 pan and scan, 480p. This will fill the screen for the digital channels when they're not broadcasting HD material.

As a 4:3 HDTV owner, I can tell you these things are a headache. Always buy 16:9, if you're serious about HDTV.


The Motorola 5100 has 2 settings - the HD output format, and the 480i override setting (i.e. it tells it to output something other than 480i if the native signal is 480i). If you set the HD output to 480P, then you don't get any HD whatsoever - everything - including 1080i and 720P signals - gets downsampled to 480P. If you set the 480i override to ouput 480P, that doesn't help either (at least it didn't on my father-in-laws 4:3 TV) - most likely because the digital channels upconvert their SD digital signals to 1080i, so in the end, it only uses the 480P override on non-HD (mostly analog) channels. Lesson #1 - if you want to watch HD, buy a widescreen TV.

Hope that Cinemax and Starz HD comes on soon to sample. Comcast Digital Platinum is too expensive. Have to go to Digital Gold and pick just movie service packages along with their HD channels.

I was told that if all is well on 12/22 Starz and Cinemax HD launches. They don't want to formally announce it until they know for sure. the info came from a high up in the company.

I got a flyer in the mail from Comcast over 2 weeks ago announcing that Starz & Cinemax would be online 12/22.......I'm in the Philadelphia Region......

Received more news from a higher up in Comcast. They are dropping two HBO analog stations which will free up 4 more HD channels.......... Hint Hint Hint

xbigjoe, did your source mean four more in addition to Starz/Cinemax, or including Starz/Cinemax? Either way, any clues as to what the additional channels might be? Thanks!

Is it now a given in the Boston area , that they will need to drop an analog channel to add 2 more HD or other digital services from now on? I guess we might know later this week.

Originally posted by mgpt6
Is it now a given in the Boston area , that they will need to drop an analog channel to add 2 more HD or other digital services from now on? I guess we might know later this week. Minus (1) analog channel = Plus (2) HD channels??? I was more under the impression that bandwith for 1 HD channel equals about 5 analog channels. The scenario doesn't make sense.

Nope. Cable Co. use a modulation technique called QAM which allows them to get 2 HD channels into the bandwidth that one analog usually resides.

Remember that analog channels waste alot of bandwidth having to seperate the Video, Color, & Audio signals. Where as HD is fully digital, allowing for a "haystack" like response where there is no need for that seperation, the seperation is done by the STB. More data can be stuffed under the Haystack than the "peaky" analog response.

4 HD channels can be added when 2 analogs are gone. We know Starz and Cinemax are coming Dec.22 but there is still will be 2 Hd's left. I am hearing possibly cbs and discovery but this is just rumor, No fact on those two.

God it would be great if we could get CBS in time for the Superbowl. I don't know if I can justify having an SB party without HD. SD really shows its warts on a 100" + screen. Come on Comcast lets do it!

JL

Originally posted by jl_678
God it would be great if we could get CBS in time for the Superbowl. I don't know if I can justify having an SB party without HD. SD really shows its warts on a 100" + screen. Come on Comcast lets do it!

JL

Imagine, when getting ready for your SB party, your set buzzes loudly and won't start!

(Feeling pessimistic due to an experience with my problematic snow blower today, not my Sony)

Victor

Originally posted by victorgrund
Imagine, when getting ready for your SB party, your set buzzes loudly and won't start!

(Feeling pessimistic due to an experience with my problematic snow blower today, not my Sony)

Victor What a cruel thought.

Originally posted by spinedoc
I am scratching my head here trying to figure out how TV makers and content providers could not get together and figure out how to make a friggin broadcast fill up an entire screen!!! I can't believe I am stuck with this, sigh. Basically out of Comcasts "HD" lineup, I really only have 4 feasible channels, Showtime, HBO, INHD and INHD2. Otherwise the channels are either stretched or shrunken!!

Oh well. Anyone know the status of FOX HD in Western Mass.?

I've added some info to the FAQ that might help you with your situation if you already didn't know this.

Click the link below "Defining the.........DCT setup"

If there is anyone on Beacon Street in Boston with Comcast Digital...please pm me! I just moved there, and am trying to figure out if my building supports it or not! :D

-Juice

Which HDTV Channels does Comcast have in my area?

We currently offer the following channels in the Boston Metro area:*
WGBH (PBS) - Channel 802
WCVB (ABC) - Channel 805
WHDH (NBC) - Channel 807
WFXT (Fox Widescreen) – Channel 825

We currently offer the following channels in Western Massachusetts:*
WFSB (CBS) - Channel 803
WWLP (NBC) - Channel 822
WGBY (PBS) - Channel 847

We currently offer the following channels in Massachusetts:*
ESPN - Channel 849
INHD – Channel 881
INHD2 – Channel 882
Select Red Sox and Bruins home games from NESN - Channel 882

We also offer 2 HDTV Premium movie channels in Massachusetts*
HBO East - Channel 870
Showtime East - Channel 877

Two more channels coming Dec.22
Cinemax East - Channel 868
Starz! East - Channel 875

Originally posted by xbigjoe

Two more channels coming Dec.22
Cinemax East - Channel 868
Starz! East - Channel 875 [/B]

Interesting... when I enter my Watertown zip code, I get "coming soon" rather than "Dec 22". Maybe Boston gets it earlier?

Wow, It was on the website yesterday coming Dec.22, Now it says coming soon. Oh sh*t, Somethings going on

Originally posted by xbigjoe
JoeinMA,

Alot of the new traps that Comcast puts on for basic subscribers break easy if tightened to much. Have them come out and change te drop fitting and the trap. Have them check your modem and tv to be assured before they leave.

Thanks for the tip, before I got a chance to call them...everything came back! :D Weird, after several weeks of bad picture and no modem it just came back...maybe it was not just my house, but our area and they fixed it. I'll keep the trap issue in mind if it happens again!

I live in Medford. I just checked the Comcast website and it indicates that the two new stations will be available on January 13, 2004.

comcast vod now has ws movies. how do you get the picture to fill a ws tv??

tv is set to 4:3 expanded so it's streching the sides with blackbars at top&bottom. if i select the 16:9 native mode then the whole picture is stretched and still with the blackbars at top&bottom. reading the posts couldn't find info on this applying to ws tv's.

Originally posted by rclarkston
I live in Medford. I just checked the Comcast website and it indicates that the two new stations will be available on January 13, 2004.

That's what I'm getting now, too. They must have put the new date in within the last couple of hours.

avic,

You will always get bars at the top and bottom of a widesceen movie, unless its in HD. When they list the movies in WS the output is still an NTSC 4:3 signal with bars, this is so you can watch it the way it was formatted on a 4:3 tv. It puts the bars at the top and bottom of your TV because it doesn't know that YOUR TV is a WS TV. Your TV is strectching the picture, which it always does when your watching regular analog TV. Think of those black bars as being just part of the movie.....

miatasm: the black bars aren't the problem, it's the stretch that ruins the movie. but if don't stretch then i'll get the 'postage stamp' forget it, i'll wait for vodHD. btw for your faq, looks like firmware 7.05 reactivates DVI

Anyone else experiencing blackout problems with ch.40 Food Network? The channel keeps coming and going on both of my 5100 boxes. No problem on my DIRECTV RCAF38310 so the problem, I believe, is at Comcast. Currently at 12:22AM,the station is black.

Big news for Comcast Boston subscribers!

http://www.comcast.com/Support/Corp422/LocalHomepage/Page1.asp?LocResult

"COMING SOON TO THE BOSTON METRO AREA!
WBZ (CBS) - Channel 804"

No ETA -- hopefully 'SOON' means 'before the Super Bowl'.

-Kord

Hopefully in time for the Pats-Bills next Saturday!

Just called customer service and received the expected response. A deal has been reached but the CSR's have not been notified of a go-live date.

I realize that Comcast's moves are rarely logical, but, given what a huge issue that the lack of CBS-HD has become, I can't imagine that they would announce it as coming soon if they weren't prepared to go live in a relatively short period of time. The CSR's phones are hopefully ringing off the hook.

I'll expect that UPN will come soon too. WSBK is owned by Viacom as well.

Originally posted by rclarkston
Just called customer service and received the expected response. A deal has been reached but the CSR's have not been notified of a go-live date.

I realize that Comcast's moves are rarely logical, but, given what a huge issue that the lack of CBS-HD has become, I can't imagine that they would announce it as coming soon if they weren't prepared to go live in a relatively short period of time. The CSR's phones are hopefully ringing off the hook.
I belive part of the timing may depend on if Comcast-Boston has the required equipment in place to add this channel now. If they have not been planning for this, it could take a few weeks.

Made sense that it would happen, the Comcast /Viacom contract was up for renewal New Years. Sure Viacom didnt work MTV VH1 Spke,and Nick pulled from Comcast Hope 804 is up and running by 2/1/04 at the latest

Originally posted by mgpt6
Hope 804 is up and running by 2/1/04 at the latest
Remember when Comcast added ESPN-HD? Comcast quickly added the channel and came out with an advertising campaign along the lines of "now you can watch Monday Night Football in HD on Comcast but its not available on satellite". Same applies here for the Super Bowl. Expect Comcast to want to push that angle with CBS-HD, so having everything ready by 2/1 should be no problem.

CBS probably won't be added untill after Cinemax and Starz as they're focusing on the VOD rollout.

Somewhat OT but related...

Anyone know if RCN/Boston is close to making a similar arrangement with WBZ?

Most likely they are going to push the launch out early January in time for the AFC Playoffs. WBZ has already committed to showing all the AFC playoff games in HD. Now maybe I'll finally watch football on TV.

Originally posted by DaveFi
CBS probably won't be added untill after Cinemax and Starz as they're focusing on the VOD rollout.
I wouldn't be so sure about that. Again, this represents something of a competitive advantage.

Originally posted by DaveFi
CBS probably won't be added untill after Cinemax and Starz as they're focusing on the VOD rollout. 'coming soon!' can't possibly mean after 2/1. they'll surely have it for the superbowl and maybe well before. hope they throw in their stepchild UPN. after CBS, cinemax and starz i'd say comcast gets the HD leader title in this market.

This all sounds great. Now if Comcast can only do something about the volume level difference between analog and digital channels. When watching late at night, if I switch from a digital to an analog channel, the increase in volume wakes up my entire condo building! How hard can it be to adjust this?

Should be a good day for HD sports tommorow (today?)

1pm NESN HD (InHD2 882) Bruins vs. Carolina
5pm CBS HD (maybe 804???) KC vs. Minnesota
8:30 pm ESPN HD (849) Pats vs. Jets
9pm InHD (881) college bball

Must avoid sitting on couch all day long!

Originally posted by Benji
This all sounds great. Now if Comcast can only do something about the volume level difference between analog and digital channels. When watching late at night, if I switch from a digital to an analog channel, the increase in volume wakes up my entire condo building! How hard can it be to adjust this? That's not a Comcast issue, read the FAQs!

Motorola High Definition STB FAQ (http://cjhengineering.com/DCTHDFAQ.htm)

DCT2000/5100 Sound Levels and Compression (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/miatasm/HT/dolby.htm)

Why is it not a comcast issue? It is very very annoying, and it doesn't matter to to consumer if the fault is Motorola's or Comcast's, we pay Comcast for the use of the box.

And the "compression" setting is useless to those of us using digital out for the sound.

We have to put up with the sound being 2x louder on the analog channels from the HD ones. Ugh.

But its not the boxes' fault either......ANY device will do this. I've done extensive testing with multiple devices, Samsung OTA HD Decoder, Panasonic DVD/VCR, ect. --- to the same input with the same settings of the A/V reciever and the volume levels are the same.

The Problem is not that the Analog is too high it that the Digital Audio output is too low. But its not really too low, its how DD gets its dynamic range. If Comcast or Motorola were to make a change to these output levels, it would kill the Dynamic range & Dolby Labs would probably have a nice little lawsuit.......

This will not change, its not anybodys choice to change this, its just how it is, unfortunately.... Go ahead and blame Dolby for having too much dynamic range & making DD sound so good.......

Originally posted by avic
'coming soon!' can't possibly mean after 2/1. they'll surely have it for the superbowl and maybe well before. hope they throw in their stepchild UPN. after CBS, cinemax and starz i'd say comcast gets the HD leader title in this market.

If they offer it already in "Western Mass." (803), what would be the big issue of adding it to Boston Metro (804)???

I'm using the digital out for both. All they'd have to do is reduce the volume of the Analog sound when converting it for the digital out.
Not hard technically at all, and doesn't have any affect on the DD output.

Western Mass gets its feed from channel 3 in Hartford. I agree this shouldn't be such a big deal. Others around the country have already been getting on line as early as 2 days ago right after the agreement. Even in much smaller markets than Boston. Come on Comcast!!! The #5 TV market in the country deserves better than this!

may not mean anything but i found it interesting that the DVR section for boston no longer says mid 2004. it now has a 'notify me when available' link where you can enter your email address. maybe they want to see how much interest there is?

Keep in mind Benji, as with most companies this time of year there is no budget left for new equipment. Other areas that have launched CBS, like WMA, launched CBS not owned by Viacom, while the Boston CBS (WBZ) is a Viacom owned company. Also, since new budgets generally don't start until the new year, they might be waiting until Jan 1st when they can actually order the necessary equipment. End of year stuff is tough for everyone as that when EVERYONE is trying to get EVERYTHING done with the last little bit of budget money they had allocated for the year. Kind of a use it or lose it thing. Plus, the announcement being 2 days before Xmas week... don't you think alot of people have decided to take the week off? Hell, I know I did... and you think I'd go back to work (and lose 2 weeks of vacation time) because my employer wanted some new server up and online today?

Most company budgets go from July 1st to June 30th (Fiscal Year). Anyways, Comcast has CBS-owned stations up and running in much smaller markets than Boston. There doesn't seem to be any budget constraints elsewhere. They should have been prepared in a top 5 market.

At least for temporary purposes, all Comcast should need is an antenna. They likely already have the modulation/demodulation equipment. A fiber link isn't absolutely necessary.

may not mean anything but i found it interesting that the DVR section for boston no longer says mid 2004. it now has a 'notify me when available' link where you can enter your email address. maybe they want to see how much interest there is?Filled that out. It doesn't matter, as all Comcast markets are getting it anyways.

Does Bob Hess still post on these forums? Bill Griffith mentioned CBS-HD on Comcast might be ready by the Pats vs Bills game next Sunday. Would he be able to provide some info?

Originally posted by happystick
Does Bob Hess still post on these forums? Bill Griffith mentioned CBS-HD on Comcast might be ready by the Pats vs Bills game next Sunday. Would he be able to provide some info?

He seems to post mostly on the "Status of Boston DTV Tower" thread. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28454) Several posters have left questions for him there in the last couple of days, it'll be interesting to see what he says.

Here's something to keep in mind, 'tho. If you read the "Programming" threads, you'll find that CBS has been added to many Comcast systems already since the announcement. Many of the same systems have already added Cinemax and Starz - we have to wait until Jan 13th. What does this tell you about Comcast Boston? Based on everything I've read, the impression I get is of a second-tier system whose bandwidth is so maxed-out that they will have to kill analog stations anytime they want to add anything in the way of HD. Since that involves the likelihood of alienating the non-HD majority (no rational business sacrifices the interests of the majority of their customers to please a small minority like us), expect us to be near the end of the line as far as any new developments are concerned.

I really hope I'm wrong about this, but that's how it looks to me right now.

Ugh! Not the response I was hoping for. Why would Comcast-Boston be a 2nd-tier system being in a top 5 media market? Is it infrastructure that they inherited and havent upgraded yet?

Have they dropped those two analog HBO channels? That might be one clue.

[/rant]

No it isn't infrastructure that they haven't upgraded yet, its people that whine that make it a second tier system because Comcast Boston isn't fast enough for everyone. If there is one thing I hate about society today, instant gratification syndrome. Everyone whines and cries when they don't get what they want, when they want it, and that means now.

[/end rant]

There are probably many reasons why CBS/Starz/Max HD haven't been launched yet. Perhaps they are waiting for other regional things to get done? Perhaps they don't have the money? Perhaps they didn't have any behind-the-scenes lead time on the upcoming deal and didn't know they needed to prepare so quickly for it? Who knows? But is it REALLY going to kill you if they don't have CBS up in time for this weekend's game? Barring any unforseen disasters, I would bet $100 that they'll have CBS on in time for the AFC Playoffs to make people happy. I'll just be happy to see the Pats playoff games and see them when they win the Super Bowl, thats all. Otherwise, lets all be patient and not knock the Boston system because they can't have everything you want online right now.

Oh... and if Comcast Boston is using up ALL their bandwidth that they have to drop analog channels to launch more digital channels... doesn't that say something in and of itself? Like... they have their bandwidth MAXED out providing as MUCH AS POSSIBLE to us, the consumer?

Comcast-Boston and previously AT&T/Mediaone has always been behind the curve. Boston is always one of the last markets to get the latest advances be it high speed internet, HDTV , VOD or PVR.

By the way, we are not expecting of the ordinary or for free. Comcast charges quite a bit of money for the services it provides.

Joke of the day : The cable company is looking out for us : the consumer.

My opinion of Comcast has dropped multiple notches this weekend- I've lost all of my "Expanded basic" stations (23-69), now sure they are analog, but they were the stations that I watched. (Bravo, HGTV, TLC...) Now they tell me that I can have them right back for an additional $31.50/mo. (making my monthly bill to Comcast $120/mo!) and that there was an error on my account in my favor- since the day that I've had digital cable (almost 3 years and two addresses) I pay over $87/mo and I was barely happy with that (I have internet included in my catv bill) I felt that the value was lacking already, but now take away roughly half of my channels and then charge me the same rate. Just in time for the Holidays...

It is enough to make me want to dump Comcast.

Anyone having trouble with the center channel sound on Comcast's HDTV ABC channel? On channel 805 I'm getting no center channel sound for either Alias or The Practice tonight. It works fine on NBC and the demo channel.

Originally posted by old_muggle
Anyone having trouble with the center channel sound on Comcast's HDTV ABC channel? On channel 805 I'm getting no center channel sound for either Alias or The Practice tonight. It works fine on NBC and the demo channel. Yup same problem here and 881 is still out to lunch.

Wow the excitement of finding out CBS-HD was coming quickly faded in this forum. I'm just glad it's coming period. Happy Holidays to all! :D

Originally posted by avic
Yup same problem here and 881 is still out to lunch.


Anytime INHD lists "Featured Presentation" (with no description) in its schedule (as with 9:30-1:30 tonight) it means "off the air".

Originally posted by ScoopsHD
Everyone whines and cries when they don't get what they want, when they want it, and that means now... But is it REALLY going to kill you if they don't have CBS up in time for this weekend's game?

Man, I'm not even complaining, just trying to add a touch of realism to folks' inflated expectations. I don't have time to watch even half of what I want to watch now, so I can easily wait, more than some. If they get it up by the Superbowl I'll be very happy (more for my roommate's sake than mine). I just don't want everyone to go mad with grief and frustration when things continue to take a little longer to get here, that's all.

Originally posted by BobColby
Anytime INHD lists "Featured Presentation" (with no description) in its schedule (as with 9:30-1:30 tonight) it means "off the air".

If Comcast had a deal with NBA-TV, we'd have been seeing a HD NBA game. Until that happens, we'll just get a black screen during the times slotted for the NBA HD games.

Originally posted by tcable
My opinion of Comcast has dropped multiple notches this weekend- I've lost all of my "Expanded basic" stations (23-69), now sure they are analog, but they were the stations that I watched. (Bravo, HGTV, TLC...) Now they tell me that I can have them right back for an additional $31.50/mo. (making my monthly bill to Comcast $120/mo!) and that there was an error on my account in my favor- since the day that I've had digital cable (almost 3 years and two addresses) I pay over $87/mo and I was barely happy with that (I have internet included in my catv bill) I felt that the value was lacking already, but now take away roughly half of my channels and then charge me the same rate. Just in time for the Holidays...

It is enough to make me want to dump Comcast.

Comcast has started going around putting filters on everyone's lines. AT&T never did this as far as I could tell.

Might be worth putting up a dish, and just keeping the basic (antenna) service to get the cable modem discount.