I have a quick question.....can you receive QAM signals if you only subscribe to the basic analog cable with broadband internet from Comcast? Or do I need to subscribe to digital cable to receive those signals?

Thanks,

M

Yes - any QAM capable TV or receiver or PC card can pick up the unencrypted channels with Basic cable. Success depends somewhat on brand and model - some take more fiddling than others. If you want On Demand or other services you will need a Comcast box and a Digital package ($50+ with taxes & fees).

Yes - any QAM capable TV or receiver or PC card can pick up the unencrypted channels with Basic cable. Success depends somewhat on brand and model - some take more fiddling than others. If you want On Demand or other services you will need a Comcast box and a Digital package ($50+ with taxes & fees).

Thanks for the quick response, I have an AverMedia HD Combo card that has QAM capabilities, I haven't tried it yet since Vista Media Center doesn't seem to have capabilities for QAM (and Vista crashes whenever I try to run different MC's). I'm in the process of dumping Vista for XP so I can run either MediaPortal, GB-PVR or the boxed AverMedia Center since I believe they all have QAM support.

If anyone knows these programs I would love some input.

Thanks again!

-M

Hands down, the S3 is the best designed piece of equipment I have ever owned . . . and over the last 20 years I have purchased everything from JVC, Toshiba, Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony, and Dennon (Sony and Dennon have been my most common purchases in recent years).

Sorry I can't compare it to the Comcast's Motorola box, as I never rented one. I can say my S3 has never crashed and has never missed a recording.

I am not too surprised by your assessment of the S3. I have owned S1 and S2 boxes and now a 3416 from Comcast. About the only thing the 3416 has over the S2 unit is 4 levels of FF speed. But no 30-sec skip etc. etc. Although I've not had any trouble yet, others seem to have had plenty. My S1 had a few problems related to Hard Drive problems and the S2 has been very reliable, although NOT perfect. I would buy an S3 in a minute if they were'nt so $$$. I plan on moving in 2-3 years and most likely to an area without cable. So S3 is not a cost-effective option. Now that Comcast is switching the software on the DVR's the problems should disappear (the new guide is much more than an interface change - it is more like an operating system change).

Thanks for the quick response, I have an AverMedia HD Combo card that has QAM capabilities, I haven't tried it yet since Vista Media Center doesn't seem to have capabilities for QAM (and Vista crashes whenever I try to run different MC's). I'm in the process of dumping Vista for XP so I can run either MediaPortal, GB-PVR or the boxed AverMedia Center since I believe they all have QAM support.

If anyone knows these programs I would love some input.

Thanks again!

-M

MCE for either Vista or XP doesn't directly support QAM, that's true. But, besides the "firewire" trick using a Comcast box, there is now another option working on both XP and Vista to tune local HD channels from cable in MCE: HDHomeRun (http://www.silicondust.com/). It virtualizes 2 QAM tuners on your home LAN network and lets any of your PC tune them. Their current MCE QAM Beta drivers are pretty stable too. Just wanted to throw the idea as another option for your current setup in case you haven't heard of them.

-eric

I need a little ammunition before I talk with a Comcast CSR. My question is this: What is the minimum 'normal' cable service I must order to get broadcast HDTV and cable box? Can I have Limited cable, plus Digital Classic and the 3412 fee? The price jump between Limited and Expanded cable is substantial, and I never watch anything that's on the additional channels involved. I'm needing to retrench financially, and $35 less per month could be helpful. I don't want to give up my HDTV and recording capability, and Discovery HD is nice, but that's all I need.

My guess is that the CSR is programmed to insist that I need Expanded Cable to do digital, and I need to know if that's really true or just more profitable for Comcast. Thanks.

I need a little ammunition before I talk with a Comcast CSR. My question is this: What is the minimum 'normal' cable service I must order to get broadcast HDTV and cable box? Can I have Basic cable, plus Digital Classic and the 3412 fee? The price jump between Basic and Expanded cable is substantial, and I never watch anything that's on the additional channels involved. I'm needing to retrench financially, and $35 less per month could be helpful. I don't want to give up my HDTV and recording capability, and Discovery HD is nice, but that's all I need.

My guess is that the CSR is programmed to insist that I need Expanded Cable to do digital, and I need to know if that's really true or just more profitable for Comcast. Thanks.

That's the same boat I found myself in a while back. For me, it made the most sense to buy a QAM-capable HD set-top receiver, and keep up my subscription to "Limited Basic". I pay $12/mo. and get all of the Seattle stations in Analogue, Digital, and in HD. With no equipment rental and no subscription fees beyond Limited Basic, it paid itself off in a few months.

I just poked about on Google for a few minutes, and the cheapest QAM-capable HD set-top I found was on ePVision.com for $149.

Wow. Good information. No problem getting the HDTV with just limited cable? That would be a fast payoff for a Tivo 3.... I assume I would be losing Discovery HD and a couple of the other HD channels?

Wow. Good information. No problem getting the HDTV with just limited cable? That would be a fast payoff for a Tivo 3.... I assume I would be losing Discovery HD and a couple of the other HD channels?

Yep, it's that easy. Scroll up to post 9499 for a list of what's currently unencrypted via QAM. And yeah, you'd lose a few HDs, but the 8 local HDs are all unencrypted. Good luck!

My cheapy little Polaroid 19" LCD HDTV does an excellent job of mapping real QAM channels to their OTA-equivalent channel numbers using the PSIP (?) data set to us by Comcast.

Unfortunately, my sister in law is attempting the same thing using an external 451 tuner from Samsung. It has never mapped any channels like my Polaroid (and many other HDTVs I have heard of) can.

My questions:

How about the newer Samsung 260--does it map channels correctly?

Has anyone been successful in getting a 451 to map QAM channels to OTA-equivalent channel numbers?

MCE for either Vista or XP doesn't directly support QAM, that's true. But, besides the "firewire" trick using a Comcast box, there is now another option working on both XP and Vista to tune local HD channels from cable in MCE: HDHomeRun . It virtualizes 2 QAM tuners on your home LAN network and lets any of your PC tune them. Their current MCE QAM Beta drivers are pretty stable too. Just wanted to throw the idea as another option for your current setup in case you haven't heard of them.

-eric

Very cool!

Thanks, I'll give them a try, still planning on getting rid of Vista since it is way too buggy but I will definitely play around with this.

Thanks!

-M

Yep, it's that easy. Scroll up to post 9499 for a list of what's currently unencrypted via QAM. And yeah, you'd lose a few HDs, but the 8 local HDs are all unencrypted. Good luck!

I'm fairly new to this, and have difficulty receiving all the listed clear QAM channels. I've tried having the cable company come out and install a jack specifically for my HD set (but they only said I had plenty of signal for my "limited basic"; they didn't check high up on the band.) I've also tried various amplifiers with strange and inconsistant results. I would really like to find some sort of instrument that can measure what is actually there at various frequencies, but don't know how to get my hands on such an instrument, even temporarily. I can currently get a few of the HD channels but less than 1/2 of the local channels. The set changes with amplification, but I've never seen them all.

Thanks,

Chuck

If I'm only interested in getting the local HD unencrypted QAM channels, do I still need a CableCard to tune on a Tivo S3?

I ask this because Comcast says I need a digital package to request a cablecard and I only want the local HD channels which are available on limited basic.

then you do not need a cable card..just an over the air antenna hooked up to the S3...

enjoy,

Keith

If I'm only interested in getting the local HD unencrypted QAM channels, do I still need a CableCard to tune on a Tivo S3?

I ask this because Comcast says I need a digital package to request a cablecard and I only want the local HD channels which are available on limited basic.

You can do this via cable if you prefer. The limited basic channels come through, and federal law requires that the local HD channels be unencrypted. There is no need for cablecards if all you want are local HD channels.

then you do not need a cable card..just an over the air antenna hooked up to the S3...

enjoy,

Keith

You can do that, but if you have Comcast cable you can also use your QAM tuner to access the locals, and any other unencrypted channels.

Here's an email I just received from a local Comcast VP -

On behalf of Comcast, I would like to apologize for the performance of the DVRs, particularly over the last several weeks. There were a series of technology changes made to the network that caused several issues, and these changes are in the process of being rolled back. Let me assure you that we have a small army of technologists working on these issues to get them resolved as quickly as possible.

In addition, we will be changing your on-screen interactive guide over the course of this summer. The new guide is the same guide that is being used in Comcast markets across the rest of the country. In those markets, many of the DVR issues have been eliminated. It is our belief that the new guide will help resolve the majority of the DVR issues here in the Seattle Metro area. Hopefully within the next 60 days you will see dramatic improvement.

Should have mentioned this before.

I know that I can use the Tivo S3 to record OTA HD locals.

I also know that I can watch HD locals with basic cable using the QAM tuner built into my TV.

My real question was, that if I wanted to record HD locals with basic cable on a Tivo S3, can I do it without a CableCard?

If someone is currently doing this, that's what I'd love to hear.

...
My real question was, that if I wanted to record HD locals with basic cable on a Tivo S3, can I do it without a CableCard?
...


I don't have a TiVo S3, but logically I don't see why you can't use the QAM tuner to record the HD locals from the cable, since all the cablecard(s) do is allow access to encrypted channels you subscribe to. I'd think the TiVo would be able to record any channel you now get with your TV QAM tuner.

My real question was, that if I wanted to record HD locals with basic cable on a Tivo S3, can I do it without a CableCard?

Yes, you can record any channels that you can view, including local HD channels.

One of the biggest drawbacks of the S3 is that you cannot schedule QAM recordings as easy as analog channels if you do not have cablecards. When the S3 first came out, this was a common gripe at Tivocommunity.com (which is probably a better place to get answers to S3 questions - there is even a separate forum for the S3).

When I bought my S3, I had similar goals as you, which are common. The bad news: Like most people, I gave these goals up, as the S3 was clearly designed to work with cablecards.

"hopefully adding another three by the end of the year"

Say what?? Hopefully?! Hopefully 3 by the END of the year?! :eek:

What ever happened to Comcast offering 35 HD channels by 3rd quarter of 2007?
I read several posts and sites about this last year....
http://www.tvpredictions.com/burke091306.htm

At the rate things are going here, I didn't really expect Seattle to get 35 HD channels this year at all, but I was certainly optimistic for more than 3. Especially since in other markets Comcast has aready added more then 3 HD channels this year. I was really hoping we'd get like 3 this summer and 3-5 more by the end of the year. Even that would still put us well below the 32-35 stated by Comcast's president and COO for this year.

Hmm... this news is a bit discouraging to me. I guess I'm gonna write another email to Comcast, although I don't know if it's gonna even help until they get some other HD competition in the area.

When I bought my S3, I had similar goals as you, which are common. The bad news: Like most people, I gave these goals up, as the S3 was clearly designed to work with cablecards.
Thanks Drew, that's what I was afraid of. I'll follow up on the tivocommunity forum. Thanks for the tip. Even with the $200 rebate I might decide against it but I want to know all my options.

Say what?? Hopefully?! Hopefully 3 by the END of the year?! :eek:

With the teaser they gave us a few weeks ago, I was expecting 3 HD channels by the end of the week.

In any case, the article you reference says he "expects to offer up to 35 high-def channels," which at best means he expects to have a total of 35 channels. We already have over 20, if you count local, digital classic, and pay channels.

With the teaser they gave us a few weeks ago, I was expecting 3 HD channels by the end of the week.

In any case, the article you reference says he "expects to offer up to 35 high-def channels," which at best means he expects to have a total of 35 channels. We already have over 20, if you count local, digital classic, and pay channels.

Yeah same here, I was really expecting those 3 channels to be working soon based on some of the posts here about Nat Geo HD coming and the roll out the new guide, etc.

I expect places like Boston, Philly and Chicago will get close to 35. We currently get 20, and I was hoping with by the end of the year we'd be getting 25-30. that's still 5-10 less than certain Comcast markets. Wishful thinking I guess...

Say what?? Hopefully?! Hopefully 3 by the END of the year?! :eek:

What ever happened to Comcast offering 35 HD channels by 3rd quarter of 2007?
I read several posts and sites about this last year....
http://www.tvpredictions.com/burke091306.htm

At the rate things are going here, I didn't really expect Seattle to get 35 HD channels this year at all, but I was certainly optimistic for more than 3. Especially since in other markets Comcast has aready added more then 3 HD channels this year. I was really hoping we'd get like 3 this summer and 3-5 more by the end of the year. Even that would still put us well below the 32-35 stated by Comcast's president and COO for this year.

Hmm... this news is a bit discouraging to me. I guess I'm gonna write another email to Comcast, although I don't know if it's gonna even help until they get some other HD competition in the area.

I agree - very disappointing. I don't know why, but Seattle has been behind the curve for many many years regarding cable. I visited my niece in Portland back around 1990 and they had 3 times as many cable channels and for less $$. And this is supposed to be the high-tech center of the NW?

I received another reply from the VP and he said it was up to me as to what to spill. Soooooooooo, here goes:
1) Tivo unit is still in the works and may happen before 2008
2) the new guide will fix most DVR issues as noted above
3) it may be 3+ years before Comcast goes all-digital which would allow more HD

I think in 1 year they will be way behind the dish services and sales may fall off because of it. Most people who invest $1k-$5k in a TV will not settle for the meager HD offering of Comcast. The only advantage of cable right now is low startup cost but that may shift as competition heats up.

My questions:

How about the newer Samsung 260--does it map channels correctly?

Has anyone been successful in getting a 451 to map QAM channels to OTA-equivalent channel numbers?
I have a Samsung TX-R2678WH TV set that I love to death, but it does not have a digital tuner. I went out and bought the Samsung DTB-H260F set top box and have never been happier! It does map out the channels correctly for OTA and for Comcast...that is when Comcast gets around to updating their info. The DTB-H260F does not automatically update itself when Comcast decides to move the QAM channels around, which seems to be quite often lately. So aside from that little quirk of having to hunt down a channel every now and then, it was the best $170 I could have spent. Good luck! PS: got mine at Circuit City.

I have a Samsung TX-R2678WH TV set that I love to death, but it does not have a digital tuner. I went out and bought the Samsung DTB-H260F set top box and have never been happier! It does map out the channels correctly for OTA and for Comcast...that is when Comcast gets around to updating their info. The DTB-H260F does not automatically update itself when Comcast decides to move the QAM channels around, which seems to be quite often lately. So aside from that little quirk of having to hunt down a channel every now and then, it was the best $170 I could have spent. Good luck! PS: got mine at Circuit City.
Thanks, I think it is time for me to get one.

More Comcast feedback and info:

1) it appears that the bottleneck on HD here is not bandwidth or anything related to the hardware - it is due to the reluctance of Comcast to install new channels that do not produce a good quantity of quality HD. There are just not that many new full-time HD providers out there and it takes time to negotiate with each one. They do want to add HD as fast as practical and without adding phony part-time HD.

2) claims by DISH and others to have (or will have) 200 HD channels are bogus. For example, DISH counts all 11 NFL Sunday Ticket games as 11 separate channels when only one is available at a time. You really have to read the fine print.

3) comparing Seattle to the top 20 markets shows that we are not far behind most areas and ahead of some. With the 3 new HD we will be comparable to the top 5 markets (19 total HD without premium services). Other markets have A&E, NatGeo, HGTV and Food in HD in addition to what we have. So we will be 1 short of a full boat.

Personally, I don't need to see Food in HD - I see that every night at dinner.

More Comcast feedback and info:

2) claims by DISH and others to have (or will have) 200 HD channels are bogus. For example, DISH counts all 11 NFL Sunday Ticket games as 11 separate channels when only one is available at a time. You really have to read the fine print.



I always thought that Dish's numbers were inflated. And of course they still say "it's coming soon". Add VOD to the mix and I don't beleive you can get a better viewing experience than cable. Thanks for your posts!

More Comcast feedback and info:

1) it appears that the bottleneck on HD here is not bandwidth or anything related to the hardware - it is due to the reluctance of Comcast to install new channels that do not produce a good quantity of quality HD. There are just not that many new full-time HD providers out there and it takes time to negotiate with each one. They do want to add HD as fast as practical and without adding phony part-time HD.


Thanks for all the great info quarque... both good news and some discouraging.

What I don't understand is if we don't have a bandwidth issue and they are going to add 3 channels this year, why can't they add them sooner rather than later in the year? Why are we always 6 months to a year behind the other markets?

Also, if they do add 3 this year, as you say, we will be 1 short of the top 20 markets at current state now, but I was under the impression some of those markets will get even more by the end of this year... there are a bunch of new Discovery channels, and others that are supposed to debut this fall. Chicago looses there analog next month so they will have tons of room for HD. Why do we have to wait 3 years? I wish Seattle Comcast was a little more aggressive in this aspect.

Thanks for all the great info quarque... both good news and some discouraging.

What I don't understand is if we don't have a bandwidth issue and they are going to add 3 channels this year, why can't they add them sooner rather than later in the year? Why are we always 6 months to a year behind the other markets?

Also, if they do add 3 this year, as you say, we will be 1 short of the top 20 markets at current state now, but I was under the impression some of those markets will get even more by the end of this year... there are a bunch of new Discovery channels, and others that are supposed to debut this fall. Chicago looses there analog next month so they will have tons of room for HD. Why do we have to wait 3 years? I wish Seattle Comcast was a little more aggressive in this aspect.

Maybe being market #14 puts us just outside the "big fish". I don't know. We seem to have always been behind, even before it was Comcast. All we can do is keep requesting more HD and hope it leads somewhere.

claims by DISH and others to have (or will have) 200 HD channels are bogus. For example, DISH counts all 11 NFL Sunday Ticket games as 11 separate channels when only one is available at a time. You really have to read the fine print.

It's DirecTV, not Dish Network, with NFL Sunday Ticket.

What I want to know is if Comcast (in Seattle) is ever going to offer a HD DVR with more than a paltry 120/160gb hard drive. I'm really tempted to leave DirecTV (the HR20 still looks "iffy" to me, and having to get a whole new dish installed is a turnoff), but I watch/record a fair amount of HD (on my HR10) and the idea of having a hard drive that's half the size is just not appealing...

Any news on that front?

Personally, I don't need to see Food in HD - I see that every night at dinner.

Make me more hungier. :rolleyes:

I seem to have 3 blank, "No Information" channels on 659, 658 & 657 on my box. A sign of things to come?

I seem to have 3 blank, "No Information" channels on 659, 658 & 657 on my box. A sign of things to come?

Those have been there for awhile, and have been discussed in this forum recently. There are another 3 or 4 channels with similar tags. I think everyone is hoping that they will be used HD channels in the very near future.

Those have been there for awhile, and have been discussed in this forum recently. There are another 3 or 4 channels with similar tags. I think everyone is hoping that they will be used HD channels in the very near future.

The others (958-961) were displaying images from the "Comcast Central" of the upcoming new guide before they were encrypted, so they're not likely to be destined for HD use.

Just wondering if anyone knows where too look to find the disk size on the 3416/3412.

The reason I'm asking is I have a 3416 at home, but my parents just got a box from Comcast and I told them to get the 3416 since it has a larger drive. When we went to the Comcast store we asked for the 3416, but they gave us a 3412, at least that's what it says on the outside of the box. When I asked about it, they said it was really a 3416, even though it says 3412. So not sure if they upgraded there 3412's drives or if they even know what they are talking about since when I first asked for a 3416, the lady told me she had know idea what a 3416 was.

Just wondering if anyone knows where too look to find the disk size on the 3416/3412.

The reason I'm asking is I have a 3416 at home, but my parents just got a box from Comcast and I told them to get the 3416 since it has a larger drive. When we went to the Comcast store we asked for the 3416, but they gave us a 3412, at least that's what it says on the outside of the box. When I asked about it, they said it was really a 3416, even though it says 3412. So not sure if they upgraded there 3412's drives or if they even know what they are talking about since when I first asked for a 3416, the lady told me she had know idea what a 3416 was.

In addition to the model number, there is a diagnostics page with data about the disk, size and usage. I believe it's "d13 PVR/HDD STATUS". I would check, but mine is recording a movie for the granddaughters at the moment. To get to the diagnostics, with the TV on turn off the DVR and within two seconds hit "OK/Select".

Thought I'd give my experience with dish network vs comcast for anyone thinking of jumping to dish.

About 3 months ago I decided to go to dish because I was sick of the moto boxes malfunctioning. I got the vip622 from dish with hd service, but kept comcast actived so I could a-b the two. VEEEEERY long story short: if you care about HD PQ at all, do yourself a favor and stay away from dish. They must compress the crap out of their signal because EVERY hd channel macroblocks like crazy. Also, the colors have very little depth on the dish HD channels (I tried 2 of their HD DVR boxes). You know it's bad when the wife walks in as i'm doing the a-b, points the dish display and says "what's wrong with that picture?".

I'm sick and tired of the moto boxes like everyone else and hoping that the new software fixes all the bugs, but it's not worth having good equipment (the vip622 was a very good piece of equipment) in exchange for poor picture quality.

Thought I'd give my experience with dish network vs comcast for anyone thinking of jumping to dish.

About 3 months ago I decided to go to dish because I was sick of the moto boxes malfunctioning. I got the vip622 from dish with hd service, but kept comcast actived so I could a-b the two. VEEEEERY long story short: if you care about HD PQ at all, do yourself a favor and stay away from dish. They must compress the crap out of their signal because EVERY hd channel macroblocks like crazy. Also, the colors have very little depth on the dish HD channels (I tried 2 of their HD DVR boxes). You know it's bad when the wife walks in as i'm doing the a-b, points the dish display and says "what's wrong with that picture?".

I'm sick and tired of the moto boxes like everyone else and hoping that the new software fixes all the bugs, but it's not worth having good equipment (the vip622 was a very good piece of equipment) in exchange for poor picture quality.
Thanks for the comparison as I'm sure many (including me) have thought about jumping to a dish system. I was not aware that DISH HD was so poor. According to my Comcast contact the new guide solves 99% of known issues. It is in use many other places already with very good reviews.

What I want to know is if Comcast (in Seattle) is ever going to offer a HD DVR with more than a paltry 120/160gb hard drive. I'm really tempted to leave DirecTV (the HR20 still looks "iffy" to me, and having to get a whole new dish installed is a turnoff), but I watch/record a fair amount of HD (on my HR10) and the idea of having a hard drive that's half the size is just not appealing...

Any news on that front?

I agree, 160GB is way too small. At least they could open up some of those ports on the back so we could add our own drives (ala Tivo S3 eSATA expansion). Then it is an option you can buy or not as you see fit and your budget allows. But I've heard nothing about bigger drives, yet. Maybe the Tivo/Comcast box will have a BIG drive. Supposed to arrive by 2008, but don't hold your breath.

...
Maybe the Tivo/Comcast box will have a BIG drive. Supposed to arrive by 2008, but don't hold your breath.

I believe the TiVo/Comcast box will be the current Motorola box, and the TiVo part will only be a download to it.

Thanks for the comparison as I'm sure many (including me) have thought about jumping to a dish system. I was not aware that DISH HD was so poor. According to my Comcast contact the new guide solves 99% of known issues. It is in use many other places already with very good reviews.
Ha! 'Known issues' being the key here. Talk to their customer service, and you'd be under the impression they never heard of some of these issues.

In good or not so good news today, an exec at Comcast has stated that they will offer 400 channels of HD this year and 800 next year. It sounds like Comcast is using a literary method known as hyperbole, called lying by people who know better. We were wondering how they would reach 35 channels, how about ten times that number. Good luck. By my calculations we should see 30+ new stations in the next two weeks if this is true.
I'll believe it when I see it, and maybe not even then.

In good or not so good news today, an exec at Comcast has stated that they will offer 400 channels of HD this year and 800 next year. It sounds like Comcast is using a literary method known as hyperbole, called lying by people who know better. We were wondering how they would reach 35 channels, how about ten times that number. Good luck. By my calculations we should see 30+ new stations in the next two weeks if this is true.
I'll believe it when I see it, and maybe not even then.If you ignore the marketing BS, we're still going to have to change our pre-conceived notion of a "channel" in the near future. Once Comcast goes to SDV, the differences between a traditional "channel" and OnDemand will blur. Everything will be "on demand". The only difference will be whether it's a live stream or a stored stream.

As their on-demand library grows - I'd expect Comcast to start creating "virtual live channels" from these stored programs. Like the "Law & Order Channel", "The Sopranos Channel", or the "Just Talk Shows" channel, etc. The kind of thing you might create yourself with a Tivo or ReplayTV.

Ha! 'Known issues' being the key here. Talk to their customer service, and you'd be under the impression they never heard of some of these issues.

And based upon what I see posted in iGuide forums, I wouldn't be that optimistic about the upcoming software switch solving them.

Thought I'd give my experience with dish network vs comcast for anyone thinking of jumping to dish.

About 3 months ago I decided to go to dish because I was sick of the moto boxes malfunctioning. I got the vip622 from dish with hd service, but kept comcast actived so I could a-b the two. VEEEEERY long story short: if you care about HD PQ at all, do yourself a favor and stay away from dish. They must compress the crap out of their signal because EVERY hd channel macroblocks like crazy. Also, the colors have very little depth on the dish HD channels (I tried 2 of their HD DVR boxes). You know it's bad when the wife walks in as i'm doing the a-b, points the dish display and says "what's wrong with that picture?".

I'm sick and tired of the moto boxes like everyone else and hoping that the new software fixes all the bugs, but it's not worth having good equipment (the vip622 was a very good piece of equipment) in exchange for poor picture quality.

Buy yourself a TiVo Series 3 from costco.com for $399 after MIR

you won't regret it :)

Buy yourself a TiVo Series 3 from costco.com for $399 after MIR

you won't regret it :)

Actually, you may regret it if you wait more than a day or two. I believe the $200 rebate ends very soon.

So this last week I finally replaced our main tv with a panny 42 plasma. I wanted to run HDMI for convienence and so I didnt have to drill a huge hole in the wall there. So I go to a comcast store to get a HDMI HD cable box and of course am told the only cable box that has HDMI is the DVR. We have one already in another room whee we watch alot of our movies and HD shows ect so I really didnt need a 2nd DVR. So now I am paying 17 bucks a month for the HDMI plug, another 17 for the first DVR and like 10 for our bedroom TV box. Does anyone know if anyone makes a cable box you can purchase where VoD works and has an HDMI but no DVR? Seems like for 17 bucks a month you could make your money back fairly fast.

So this last week I finally replaced our main tv with a panny 42 plasma. I wanted to run HDMI for convienence and so I didnt have to drill a huge hole in the wall there. So I go to a comcast store to get a HDMI HD cable box and of course am told the only cable box that has HDMI is the DVR. We have one already in another room whee we watch alot of our movies and HD shows ect so I really didnt need a 2nd DVR. So now I am paying 17 bucks a month for the HDMI plug, another 17 for the first DVR and like 10 for our bedroom TV box. Does anyone know if anyone makes a cable box you can purchase where VoD works and has an HDMI but no DVR? Seems like for 17 bucks a month you could make your money back fairly fast.

get the moto 6200 from comcast and get a HDMI-to-DVI cable

So this last week I finally replaced our main tv with a panny 42 plasma. I wanted to run HDMI for convienence and so I didnt have to drill a huge hole in the wall there. So I go to a comcast store to get a HDMI HD cable box and of course am told the only cable box that has HDMI is the DVR. We have one already in another room whee we watch alot of our movies and HD shows ect so I really didnt need a 2nd DVR. So now I am paying 17 bucks a month for the HDMI plug, another 17 for the first DVR and like 10 for our bedroom TV box. Does anyone know if anyone makes a cable box you can purchase where VoD works and has an HDMI but no DVR? Seems like for 17 bucks a month you could make your money back fairly fast.I thought all the Comcast non-DVR boxes at least had DVI, if not HDMI. If you just need to run video to your TV, you might consider an inexpensive DVI-to-HDMI adapter cable. If you need to run audio to the TV, also - then you'd need to run a separate audio cable (or get a more expensive adapter that combines DVI video + SPDIF audio into HDMI).

Thanks for the tip thee, I never thought about the DVI - HDMI option.

Does anyone know if anyone makes a cable box you can purchase where VoD works and has an HDMI but no DVR? Seems like for 17 bucks a month you could make your money back fairly fast.
There are no cable boxes you can purchase, period, much less ones with HDMI that support VoD. You MUST rent whatever Comcast feels like providing at whatever price they want to charge, or switch to satellite.

You can buy a box that will get you the local broadcast channels, the same channels you can get over the air for free. You won't even get basic cable channels. Comcast moves the channels around and disables them on a nearly daily basis to make this option as painfull as they can.

So this last week I finally replaced our main tv with a panny 42 plasma. I wanted to run HDMI for convienence and so I didnt have to drill a huge hole in the wall there. So I go to a comcast store to get a HDMI HD cable box and of course am told the only cable box that has HDMI is the DVR. We have one already in another room whee we watch alot of our movies and HD shows ect so I really didnt need a 2nd DVR. So now I am paying 17 bucks a month for the HDMI plug, another 17 for the first DVR and like 10 for our bedroom TV box. Does anyone know if anyone makes a cable box you can purchase where VoD works and has an HDMI but no DVR? Seems like for 17 bucks a month you could make your money back fairly fast.Cablecard boxes - like the Tivo S3 - are the closest you can get to a native Comcast box. Those will get you access to all the channels you subscribe to including premium channels. But they won't do VOD - that requires you to rent a box from Comcast.

I hate to beat what seems to be a dead horse.. I've looked over several of the posts going back a month or so .. but I'm a relative newcomer to this whole thing..

I had a 30 second skip dealio on my old cable before I moved here and loved it. Don't have it here. I tried to reprogram it, but all it does is hang up for about a second and then continue right where it was. I have a 3416 with Comcast in Tacoma.

So I guess what I'm asking is a) is there a way to fix that or b) will I have to wait for the software upgrade? Is that upgrade automatic and I just have to be patient or is it something I can get myself? I don't have a clue how this stuff works.

Thanks.

The 30-second skip feature is disabled with the Microsoft guide s/w, but should be programmable with the new guide (which will be rolled out whenever Comcast gets ready to do it).

Ha! 'Known issues' being the key here. Talk to their customer service, and you'd be under the impression they never heard of some of these issues.

SOME?! If you believe many of the CSRs, Comcast has never had a hardware or software issue, their equipment has always worked perfectly, any problems must be your fault, if only you learned how to operate the equipment it would work perfectly just like everyone else's equipment.

Verizon is laying Fiber optic in Kirkland/Redmond area. I asked one technician when FIOS TV will be available here, he said by end of the year.

I hope it's true but not convinced. Anyone knows how long it takes to acquire the TV franchise permit in our state?

Verizon is laying Fiber optic in Kirkland/Redmond area. I asked one technician when FIOS TV will be available here, he said by end of the year.

I hope it's true but not convinced. Anyone knows how long it takes to acquire the TV franchise permit in our state?

I read somewhere a while back, can't remember where, that Verizon was not planning on offering TV over FIOS until they had most of their infrastructure to the various neighborhoods built out. I thought they said 2 - 3 years before they had TV service here. Again, I can't remember where I saw that and who knows if it's credible, just wanted to throw it out there.

Send an email to John at Verizon john.gustafson@verizon.com and he will let you know when fios will be available at your address. I live in redmond in a condo and he said it will be available by end of next year.

Send an email to John at Verizon john.gustafson@verizon.com and he will let you know when fios will be available at your address. I live in redmond in a condo and he said it will be available by end of next year.

Thanks for the info and email, I'm gonna email him to find out when it will be available in my area. I''ll definately look in to Fios TV if Comcast hasn't gotten it together by then. For starters, next week Fios internet will be installed at my place, so we will see how that goes...

Funny story my dad just told me the other day.... when fios was being layed in my parents neighborhood, my dad talked to a guy and asked him what they were doing and he replied something like... we are going to put Comcast out of business.

... Anyone knows how long it takes to acquire the TV franchise permit in our state?
In the past, cable franchises were administered by local governments and not at the state level.

I know that Verizon and other telco's were trying to get this moved to state or federal levels so they would not have to negotiate with a large number of local government entities (cities, counties).

I never heard whether they were successful here, or anywhere else for that matter, in getting away from dealing with local governments.

Wow I got a response withing 20 mins from John at Verizon. He didn't give me any time as to when we would get it, just the following info:

"At present, we do not yet offer the service in Washington. This is a two-step process - 1) we must get a commitment for internal funding support for the video service; 2) next, we must receive authority from the responsible city or county to provide the service. A business case for funding support is now in review and we should have a decision soon. I suggest you check back with me later this year and I should have more information to pass along."

Anyone's cable box restarting around noon each day? I have the Moto 3416-I.
Mine has.

You can buy a box that will get you the local broadcast channels, the same channels you can get over the air for free. You won't even get basic cable channels. Comcast moves the channels around and disables them on a nearly daily basis to make this option as painfull as they can.

Sometimes I wonder what the confusion and frustration with QAM is. I've never had a service I pay for become "disabled", and among the eight local HDs, in three years, I've only seen the moves below:

KOMO 82-4 (never moved)
KING 83-1 -> 85-2
KIRO 84-1 -> 86-2 -> 110-2
KCTS 82-5 (never moved)
KSTW 81-2 (never moved)
KCPQ 81-1 (never moved)
KONG 83-2 -> 86-1 -> 110-1
KMYQ 81-2 -> 96-1

Sometimes I wonder what the confusion and frustration with QAM is. I've never had a service I pay for become "disabled", and among the eight local HDs, in three years, I've only seen the moves below:

KOMO 82-4 (never moved)
KING 83-1 -> 85-2
KIRO 84-1 -> 86-2 -> 110-2
KCTS 82-5 (never moved)
KSTW 81-2 (never moved)
KCPQ 81-1 (never moved)
KONG 83-2 -> 86-1 -> 110-1
KMYQ 81-2 -> 96-1

That's not what you said here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10524639&&#post10524639

That's not what you said here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10524639&&#post10524639

I'd almost forgotten that KCPQ/KSTW had moved. I shouldn't try to write without the list (or remote!) in front of me, eh? :-D So...

KOMO 82-4 (never moved)
KING 83-1 -> 85-2
KIRO 84-1 -> 86-2 -> 110-2
KCTS 82-5 (never moved)
KSTW 81-2 -> 111-2
KCPQ 81-1 -> 111-1
KONG 83-2 -> 86-1 -> 110-1
KMYQ 81-2 -> 96-1

The other two in there (Word, Gospel) were things that weren't part of Limited Basic and I wasn't paying for in the first place.

For $12 a month, I still can't complain. :-)

Hi,

Finally jumped into HDTV with the new Samsung LED-Engined 61". (woo! been staring slack-jawed at the picture for about a week...)

I'm running MythTV with the HDHomeRun, and have basic cable through comcast.

I've configured myth with the DataDirect 'over the air' channels and can see a program listing for most of the over the air channels, but some of the other cable channels sent in the clear (like KCPQ-HD, NWCN, HSN (yuk), and others) don't show up in the program guide.

When I switch the DataDirect channel listing to Comcast digital cable, none of the channels are mapped to program guide.

I guess I'm looking for the proper XMLTV ID's for all of the channels I can see in the clear.

Has anyone solved this problem in the seattle area?

Does anyone have a channels.conf file they could share?

Any other ideas?

Thanks

Brent

Hi,

Finally jumped into HDTV with the new Samsung LED-Engined 61". (woo! been staring slack-jawed at the picture for about a week...)

I'm running MythTV with the HDHomeRun, and have basic cable through comcast.

I've configured myth with the DataDirect 'over the air' channels and can see a program listing for most of the over the air channels, but some of the other cable channels sent in the clear (like KCPQ-HD, NWCN, HSN (yuk), and others) don't show up in the program guide.

When I switch the DataDirect channel listing to Comcast digital cable, none of the channels are mapped to program guide.

I guess I'm looking for the proper XMLTV ID's for all of the channels I can see in the clear.

Has anyone solved this problem in the seattle area?

Does anyone have a channels.conf file they could share?

Any other ideas?

Thanks

Brent

I use mythtv too. Attached is a QAM-XMLID list.
This is old (december) so the QAM mappings aren't right, but you can still use XMLIDs and just enter them in mythweb's channel info to get program info (or use the frontend channel editor), as the XMLIDs apply to the stations not the mappings...

Wow, glad I switched to DirecTV a while ago. I moved when the Nascar package switched to DirecTV in February. I came here looking for the update QAM list if you are wondering. I still get that for my computer.

A couple things I noticed mentioned here that I don't think are completely true:

1. I'm not sure about Dish, but the DirecTV HD channels are comparable in quality to Comcast. I had both for a while, and if there is a difference it is pretty minimal imho. I'm pretty picky and was very worried about this, but it was not a huge issue. Perhaps the guy with Dish had something setup wrong, or Dish is worse. I'm not sure.

2. It's no myth that they are adding 100 HD channels. See http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2007/06/directv_-_the_m.php for the projected list.

BTW, the DirecTV DVR rocks compared to Comcast's. It never locks up and it stores WAY more content. In fact we haven't come close to filling it up yet.

I've been very happy with the switch, and was pretty happy with Comcast when I moved.

2. It's no myth that they are adding 100 HD channels. See http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2007/06/directv_-_the_m.php for the projected list.


Yawn... While there are some channels I would likes to see in HD (SCIFI, Discovery HD, and couple of others) counting east/west code feeds, knocking out the sports channels which mean nothing to me (I know that's not true for many of you), there is not enough different HD content in their lineup to make me give up VOD, local radio stations (yes, I actually listen to that), and of course KONG HD :D .

Question: How does directTV handle local broadcast channels? Serioulsy, I really don't know.

You get most of the locals that matter. You can look it up on http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/packProg/localChannels.jsp?assetId=900018

You get most of the locals that matter. You can look it up on http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/packProg/localChannels.jsp?assetId=900018

I looked: 4, 5, 7, & 13 in HD.

You get most of the locals that matter. You can look it up on http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/packProg/localChannels.jsp?assetId=900018
Thanks. I was actually surprised to see that you can get KOMO,KING,KIRO, and local FOX in HD. Still, I'll stick with cable unless the new IGuide really, really sucks.

You get most of the locals that matter. You can look it up on http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/packProg/localChannels.jsp?assetId=900018

Are the locals coming via satellite or via antenna? I ask because their site says:

"Watch local sports, events and your favorite shows in amazing high definition with your DIRECTV® HD Receiver, an HD television set and an off-air antenna.* DIRECTV currently offers HD local channels in many select markets,† including yours."

What about those who have poor OTA reception of local HD?

Everything listed there is with no antenna. I think they used to tell customers they needed the antenna for HD locals, but they've been adding them since then.

I use mythtv too. Attached is a QAM-XMLID list.
This is old (december) so the QAM mappings aren't right, but you can still use XMLIDs and just enter them in mythweb's channel info to get program info (or use the frontend channel editor), as the XMLIDs apply to the stations not the mappings...

Thank you- the list of xmlid's helped greatly, and I'm enjoying an updated program guide after I figured out that I needed to run :

mythfilldatabase --refresh-all

to force it to recognize the new xmlid's for the added channels.

Brent

Quick question,

What is KCTS-HD typically broadcasting in, 1080p, 1080i or 720? We watched a classical concert today and the image was spectacular!

Quick question,

What is KCTS-HD typically broadcasting in, 1080p, 1080i or 720? We watched a classical concert today and the image was spectacular!
They broadcast in 720p.

I've been complaining about spotty Comcast service, especially HD stations with my digital Moto box. Well the answer was right in front of my nose. About three weeks ago a company was stringing some kind of thick cable on the telephone polls along 40th Street in Wallingford, right outside my apartment. Since there was no Comcast logo anywhere, I never put two and two together until the other day. When I remember back, it was right around this time where my digital cable starting being bad, with a wide array of digital and HD stations being unviewable for much of day. I ended up using my ATSC OTA tuner for local HD a few days.

Anyway, a couple of days ago I get up and my cable modem and cable TV are out. Until now, my internet had never been part of this problem. So a few minutes later, as I'm driving to work at 5:30 AM, there are three big Comcast crews working up the street on the same cable the other company was stringing a few weeks ago. Bingo! This was the problem. They were probably upgrading the wiring.

Right now it isn't perfect, I still have trouble with UHD and MTVHD, but the rest works OK again.

What bugs me is the lying sacks at Comcast. They never vary from their unwritten policy of always trying to blame the customers first and never admitting they were actually working in your neighborhood. I wonder how many times these mendacious CSRs try to blame the "wires in your house" or tell you to phyiscally turn off your computer, TV, cable box or whatever else you have, trying to implicitly place the blame for your problems on something inside your house instead of them. I despise the way Comcast does things.

Are the locals coming via satellite or via antenna? I ask because their site says:

"Watch local sports, events and your favorite shows in amazing high definition with your DIRECTV® HD Receiver, an HD television set and an off-air antenna.* DIRECTV currently offers HD local channels in many select markets,† including yours."

What about those who have poor OTA reception of local HD?

I know some of this was already mentioned but I figured I'd expand on it a bit.

Today DirecTV sends 4, 5, 7, and 13 via Satellite in HD for the Seattle market. Dish Network currently only sends 4, 5, and 7. They want to carry 13 but their has been some issues getting a re-transmit agreement signed. Some indicate it's because KCPQ wouldn't sign unless Dish also transmits MyQ in HD.

Currently neither of the Satellite companies have plans to carry any other local channels in HD, that may change but right now it's only the big 4 networks in most markets. If you like to get any other local channel in HD it's either cable or antenna. I'm lucky in the fact that I can get all local digital/HD channels with an antenna. As a DISH subscriber I can tell you the OTA integration in their HD DVR (ViP622) is flawless, I assume it's that way with the DirecTV receivers as well.

Currently DISH Network has 38 national HD channels, which includes a lot of the old VOOM channels. DirecTV has less than that but has 'promised' 100 channels of HD by the end of the year, I know this number is counting all the HD sports feeds they have for Sunday Ticket, etc ... and it may include local HD channels, I'm not sure. I know they are planning most of their adds in September or later. DISH Network has recently indicated that they want to continue be the HD leader, that they are planning adding another 6 - 8 channels by the end of the year and even more in early 2008. They are also planning launching 2 additional satellites by the end of 2007. I would guess that both Satellite companies will stay pretty competitive, as one adds a bunch the other will shortly follow, and vice versa, providing there is capacity.

Does DirectTV or Dish have FSN for local sports? Also, since they don't carry the local PBS station in HD, is there another PBS station they show in HD? I like Soundstage and many other things on my local HD station.

DirecTV currently has FSNW and will add the HD channel when the new HD content comes online. Also, they do broadcast a lot of the Mariner HD games on another channel. I don't know anything about PBS since I never watch it.

Does DirectTV or Dish have FSN for local sports? Also, since they don't carry the local PBS station in HD, is there another PBS station they show in HD? I like Soundstage and many other things on my local HD station.
Dish has FSN NW in SD, no HD yet. There was a channel assigned for it awhile back, but it not one that has gone "live" yet.

As for KCPQ Fox, my understanding is that it isn't KCPQ that's holding it up, but Tribune (out of Chicago) that insists Dish also carry MyQ2.

I have read the past few pages but see no mention of those three HD placeholders on channels 657, 658 and 659. The title of eachy says "HD Placehold" or something like that..am I only seeing this on my Tivo? I have not looked on the motorolla boxes to see if they have the three HD placehold channels. I would assume we see HD content on those soon if they are already putting HD in the title on each of those three stations. These are channel numbers right befor UHD on 660

Keith

On my cable card they show as HD Movies 1, 2 and 3. They are on the cablebox as well but with no description or schedule info. I called Comcast to ask about it and got someone who didn't really know but guessed that they were probably used for HD on demand or PPV movies. I would love to hear what they are really going to be used for.

cool. thanks for the reply. These are not HD on demand..they are going to be three new HD channels on 657 658 659...minnesota got A&E, NG and Food yesterday in HD so these three placeholders should be the same real soon..interesting how we see it on our Tivo boxes but no listing for title on the comast box...

I'm a Dish Network customer wanting HD programming. About 2 months ago I scheduled a appointment for a technician to come in and set up HD. To my suprise I needed an additional satellite. I had a hard time having one satellite in my codo. I said screw it. So I have a Sharp 1080p LCD TV watching on digital cable. Anybody has an insight as far as having one satellite in the west region to support both HD and regular programming on dish network.

I'm a Dish Network customer wanting HD programming. About 2 months ago I scheduled a appointment for a technician to come in and set up HD. To my suprise I needed an additional satellite. I had a hard time having one satellite in my codo. I said screw it. So I have a Sharp 1080p LCD TV watching on digital cable. Anybody has an insight as far as having one satellite in the west region to support both HD and regular programming on dish network.

Yep. You need to be able to see the sat at 129 degrees west to recieve all the Dish HD programming. You can find a LOT more info at the two main Satellite forums:

http://www.dbstalk.com (affliated with AVS)

http://www.satelliteguys.us

thanks for the reponse. I'll take a look at those links. Any idea if Dish Netork will deploy the satellite(Dish1000) here in the west. I know that the eastern part of the counry has it which supports both HD and regular programming. I believe is the Dish 1000

I'm a Dish Network customer wanting HD programming. About 2 months ago I scheduled a appointment for a technician to come in and set up HD. To my suprise I needed an additional satellite. I had a hard time having one satellite in my codo. I said screw it. So I have a Sharp 1080p LCD TV watching on digital cable. Anybody has an insight as far as having one satellite in the west region to support both HD and regular programming on dish network.
Seattle HD-LIL (6000 series channels) are on 110 deg:
http://ekb.dbstalk.com/hdlocal.htm
Some National HD channels are also on 110 deg, with others on 129 deg:
http://ekb.dbstalk.com/hdlocal.htm
Remainder of SD-LIL (8000 series) are on 119 deg.
Most other SD channels are on 110/119, with RSN on 129.
Some Foreign Language channels require a second dish for 148 deg.

San Diego and L.A., use the 110/119/129 deg Dish 1000 and 1000.2.

The Dish 1000+ "SuperDish" provides higher gain for higher latitudes,
but requires the expensive DPP-44 Multiswitch:
http://sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Dishnetwork/Dishes/Dish-1000-Plus-Dish1000Plus.htm

The new Dish 1000.2 has built in multiswitch which will support
a single "homerun" cable for each of up to three Dual Tuner Receivers
(or a mixture, or up to 6 Single Tuner Receivers):
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=DISH1000.2
The older Dish 1000 supports up to two Dual Tuner Receivers or up to 4 Single Tuner Receivers:
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=DISH1000

To support even more receivers, new (and expensive) DPP-44 (Dish Pro PLUS!!!!)
Multiswitches are used (instead of older DP34, et.al.):
http://www.solidsignal.com/dishnetwork/DISH_Pro-DISH_Pro_Plus_Information_Documents/QuickFacts-Installation_Considerations-DP_Plus_44_Switch.pdf
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=DPP44

More info on Dish Pro Plus Installations:
http://www.solidsignal.com/dishpro_installation.asp

Note that OTA TV or CABLE can also be inserted onto the same coax,
cuz the Dish Sat signals are all above the TV bands!!!!

So what's the REAL problem upgrading to MPEG4?
Working with the HAO???

thanks for the reponse. I'll take a look at those links. Any idea if Dish Netork will deploy the satellite(Dish1000) here in the west. I know that the eastern part of the counry has it which supports both HD and regular programming. I believe is the Dish 1000

Info on this is all over dbstalk.com (I'm a moderator over there). Here is the quick version. Basically the satellite at the 129 orbital location has some technical issues that cause it's signal to drop dramatically every 45 minutes or so. This lasts for a couple minutes and then recovers. For anyone living near the fringe of the coverage area (the Pacific Northwest being one of the fringes) these signal drops are worse. Because of that a Dish1000 (which picks up the 110, 119, and 129 orbital locations) does not work well because the dish is not large enough to get a signal that will not work reliably. For this reason it has become standard practice for DISH installers in our area to install a separate 24" wing dish just for the 129 orbital location. If you can live with the dropouts you can request a Dish1000, or if you have the space you can buy and install a Dish1000+ (the biggest dish that picks up 110, 119 and 129, it also adds 118.7 which is used for locals in some markets, not ours). I personally have a 1000+ and while I still get the occasional dropout it's not nearly as bad as it was when I had a 1000. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions. Sorry for the off topic post.

Thanks for the reply Rob. I have a couple of questions. Is it easy to upgrade a satellite system? I know you mention you went from dish 1000 to dish 1000.2(plus). How often are your dropouts with your current satellite?

Here's a quick QAM update. Only one change to report, and that's that the Comcast Central barker on 120-X has encrypted.

I can't seem to get any of these attachments. Could someone post the contents?
Thanks.

cool. thanks for the reply. These are not HD on demand..they are going to be three new HD channels on 657 658 659...minnesota got A&E, NG and Food yesterday in HD so these three placeholders should be the same real soon..interesting how we see it on our Tivo boxes but no listing for title on the comast box...

Correction ... these are not new channels. They are there for a feature that will part of the new comcast guide. It will allow you to select the poster art of an HD movie ondemand and take you to that movie.

Correction ... these are not new channels. They are there for a feature that will part of the new comcast guide. It will allow you to select the poster art of an HD movie ondemand and take you to that movie.

No, I believe they are for new HD channels. The ones associated with the coming iGuide Comcast Central seem to be 958-961 (now encrypted, but previously appeared as barkers similar to Comcast Central stills).

is NFL network now premium?

It has disappeared from my cable.

Thanks,.

NFL Network was supposed to be made part of the Sports Entertainment package this month on channel 417. It would no longer be on channel 180.

NFL Network was supposed to be made part of the Sports Entertainment package this month on channel 417. It would no longer be on channel 180.

It is now part of a new package to make you pay more money come this fall if you want more sports.

It is now part of a new package to make you pay more money come this fall if you want more sports.

The package isn't new; NFL Network only being available as part of that package is new.

No, I believe they are for new HD channels. The ones associated with the coming iGuide Comcast Central seem to be 958-961 (now encrypted, but previously appeared as barkers similar to Comcast Central stills).

With the recent FM station moves you will see Comcast Central and other iGuide channels as follow:
Comcast Central is Channel 960
News is Channel 961
Kids' is Channel 962
Sports is Channel 963

Also with the new guide are the HD Poster channels ...
" tune to these channels in the TV Listings grid to navigate to the Poster Art pages at anytime. You currently cannot access these pages from within the ON DEMAND menu, but selecting a poster art thumbnail will bring you to a screen from which you can get more information on the HD ON DEMAND movie preview, view or purchase it. "

For a couple of days these were unencrypted and showed in my guide and then went away again. They showed the thumbnails for HD movies but did not go anywhere. When I called about them I was told they were for an upcoming feature.
Some info is on the Seattle New Guide (http://www.comcast.com/seattlenewguide/#top) site.

Dicovered my Hard Drive on my Comcast DVR is totaly erased and my recording schedules erased as well. Anybody else seen this? Major grumble. :eek:

I've been complaining about spotty Comcast service, especially HD stations with my digital Moto box. Well the answer was right in front of my nose. About three weeks ago a company was stringing some kind of thick cable on the telephone polls along 40th Street in Wallingford, right outside my apartment. Since there was no Comcast logo anywhere, I never put two and two together until the other day. When I remember back, it was right around this time where my digital cable starting being bad, with a wide array of digital and HD stations being unviewable for much of day. I ended up using my ATSC OTA tuner for local HD a few days.

Anyway, a couple of days ago I get up and my cable modem and cable TV are out. Until now, my internet had never been part of this problem. So a few minutes later, as I'm driving to work at 5:30 AM, there are three big Comcast crews working up the street on the same cable the other company was stringing a few weeks ago. Bingo! This was the problem. They were probably upgrading the wiring.

Right now it isn't perfect, I still have trouble with UHD and MTVHD, but the rest works OK again.

What bugs me is the lying sacks at Comcast. They never vary from their unwritten policy of always trying to blame the customers first and never admitting they were actually working in your neighborhood. I wonder how many times these mendacious CSRs try to blame the "wires in your house" or tell you to phyiscally turn off your computer, TV, cable box or whatever else you have, trying to implicitly place the blame for your problems on something inside your house instead of them. I despise the way Comcast does things.

good to know, thanks! i have a comcast technician coming out today to troubleshoot why some of my HD channels have weak signals 'causing enough digital tiling and dropouts to make them unwatchable. specifically, 104, 108, 109, 110, and UHD and MTVHD that you mentioned above (which i can't even tune in at all).

Dicovered my Hard Drive on my Comcast DVR is totaly erased and my recording schedules erased as well. Anybody else seen this? Major grumble. :eek:

Got this response back today:

"Thank you for contacting us regarding your Comcast cable service. A
power surge can sometimes erase your dvr recordings. Make sure,its
connected to a power surge protector and turn it off when not in use."


Ugh, OK.... :rolleyes:

In addition to the model number, there is a diagnostics page with data about the disk, size and usage. I believe it's "d13 PVR/HDD STATUS". I would check, but mine is recording a movie for the granddaughters at the moment. To get to the diagnostics, with the TV on turn off the DVR and within two seconds hit "OK/Select".

Thanks for the info, I finally got a chance to check out my parents dvr. They told us it was a 3416 even though it said 3412 on the box, and sure enough, they lied about it. It's got a 120g drive instead of a 160.

Dicovered my Hard Drive on my Comcast DVR is totaly erased and my recording schedules erased as well. Anybody else seen this? Major grumble. :eek:

Have not had that happen yet but after my first week of flawless operation my 3416 now resets every 2nd or 3rd recording "event". By "event" I mean starting, stopping or erasing a recording. The display goes blank, the LED display on the 3416 shows all '8's and goes blank, then it restarts and tells me that the guide is downloading & please try later. Sounds like the drive/file management software is full of bugs or the drive gets too fragmented. Reminds me of Windows 95/98. Now who was it that invented that...uh Micro something or other...

Finally at my Wallingford apartment, HD is working perfect. All my HD stations tune in instantly with my Motorola box, even the two that always gave me trouble, UHD and MTV-HD. I think they strung new fibre optic cable last month. I forsee some new HD stations.

Not only are the stations coming in, the HD picture seems cleaner also. Maybe this is more to do with improved signal strength, but I am much happier than I have been.

Now if they can change the guide from the insipid Microsoft stuff, that will be one more improvement.

Have not had that happen yet but after my first week of flawless operation my 3416 now resets every 2nd or 3rd recording "event". By "event" I mean starting, stopping or erasing a recording. The display goes blank, the LED display on the 3416 shows all '8's and goes blank, then it restarts and tells me that the guide is downloading & please try later. Sounds like the drive/file management software is full of bugs or the drive gets too fragmented. Reminds me of Windows 95/98. Now who was it that invented that...uh Micro something or other...

This sounds like the reboots that I got with 12.35 firmware, associated with transport functions. Reverting to 12.31 got rid of it, but perhaps waiting for the MSFT guide to go away will cure it, since it didn't seem to afflict anyone without it.

The package isn't new; NFL Network only being available as part of that package is new.

Hence a new package to make you pay more.

Hence a new package to make you pay more.

Actually, as you can see from this posting

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9172413&highlight=180#post9172413

it's always been part of the sports package on 417. The difference is that it's being removed from its former channel 180 in the digital plus package. You will have to pay more for it now, though.

This sounds like the reboots that I got with 12.35 firmware, associated with transport functions. Reverting to 12.31 got rid of it, but perhaps waiting for the MSFT guide to go away will cure it, since it didn't seem to afflict anyone without it.

Does a rollback wipe out your recordings?

Does a rollback wipe out your recordings?
it shouldn't. It didn't for me. But you won't be able to use your DVR for about 30 minutes or so while the rollback (the CSR actually called it a patch when I talked to them :))

Does a rollback wipe out your recordings?

No. Just takes time to get the firmware updated (as noted above), then all the guide data needs to be reloaded.

You said scroll to #9499, but I am new to this forum and so far have not found tools to allow either search or display by message number. I must be missing something!

Thanks,

Chuck

You said scroll to #9499, but I am new to this forum and so far have not found tools to allow either search or display by message number. I must be missing something!

Thanks,

Chuck
Easiest thing to do is to use the "Search This Thread" pulldown gadget in the right corner at the top of the thread and type in that number. It will bring up every other message that referenced that thread number but should make it easier to get to really fast.

Easiest thing to do is to use the "Search This Thread" pulldown gadget in the right corner at the top of the thread and type in that number. It will bring up every other message that referenced that thread number but should make it easier to get to really fast.

Actually I did not find that method to be very fast. What I do is just divide the post number by 30 (or whatever your posts/page setting is) and that gives you the page number (+/-1). So 9499 / 30 = 316.66. It should be on 316 or 317. Go to the page selector at the top right of any page and select 317. Voila, there it is.

Got this response back today:

"Thank you for contacting us regarding your Comcast cable service. A
power surge can sometimes erase your dvr recordings. Make sure,its
connected to a power surge protector and turn it off when not in use."


Ugh, OK.... :rolleyes:

Make that a UPS!!! My recordings were lost during quick power outages under 30 secs in the fall windstorm. Once I unplugged a 3416 and replugged it in some 15 seconds later (to a surge protector) and that was the end of that DVR. The 3400 series seemed much worse than the 6412.

I have been been with DISH, great HD-DVR though many people can't pick up Q13-HD, and DISH has never come to terms with Tribune. I will reevaluate my options this September. With DISH you can also 'move' to LA (or Denver, Chicago, NYC or others) and get HD & maybe SD feeds of ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX.

DISH quality is very good, Discovery HD side by side was the same. Voom signals will be lost 0-3 times an hour with a separate 20". Many more channels than Comcast and a much better HD-DVR with a bigger hard drive make up for this.
6-8 more channels this fall and a new satellite this winter too means even more channels.

I have a hard time understanding this. I added a second tivo3 and dropped my comcast dvr and got the free hd box comcast was advertising for 12 months. Now my bill is $10 higher per month. Seems as though I am now being charged $5 per month for each tivo3 on top of the $1.75 for half of my cablecards. Seems fishy to me. I guess if I can't gett this straitened out I am going to go to the lowest tier and drop show and hbo as well.

...
I added a second tivo3 and dropped my comcast dvr and got the free hd box comcast was advertising for 12 months.
...


I only got a free DCT700. How did you manage a free HD box?

Well when I called to activate my second tivo I was on hold and they had the recoreded message in the background about getting a free hd receiver. That deal actually expires today or tomorrow. When the free 3 SD receiver deal ended they started the 1 free HD receiver. So I jumped on it fast.

On my HDHomeRun/Vista MCE system, I have mapped KCTS HD (broadcast on 9-5) into my guide as that's the only subchannel of KCTS that I'm interested in. However, I'm getting the wrong guide data for it; since I can only specify the callsign as KCTS, I'm getting the guide data for 9-1 instead of 9-5.

Looking at Zap2it, it's showing the callsign for 9-5 as KCTSDT5, but since Vista MCE is appending the -DT for each of the callsigns I don't know how to add it (or if that's even the correct callsign for that channel).

Does anyone know what the correct callsign for 9-5 is that I can put into Vista MCE and get the correct guide data?

Thanks,

Ivan

On my HDHomeRun/Vista MCE system, I have mapped KCTS HD (broadcast on 9-5) into my guide as that's the only subchannel of KCTS that I'm interested in. However, I'm getting the wrong guide data for it; since I can only specify the callsign as KCTS, I'm getting the guide data for 9-1 instead of 9-5.

Looking at Zap2it, it's showing the callsign for 9-5 as KCTSDT5, but since Vista MCE is appending the -DT for each of the callsigns I don't know how to add it (or if that's even the correct callsign for that channel).

Does anyone know what the correct callsign for 9-5 is that I can put into Vista MCE and get the correct guide data?

Thanks,

Ivan

There is no guide data available for 9-5 in windows vista. There is also no data available for any digital sub channel.

Make that a UPS!!! My recordings were lost during quick power outages under 30 secs in the fall windstorm. Once I unplugged a 3416 and replugged it in some 15 seconds later (to a surge protector) and that was the end of that DVR. The 3400 series seemed much worse than the 6412.


That's a good idea. Something I've thought about with the VCR and my other DVR. Probably need a decent sized one?

On my HDHomeRun/Vista MCE system, I have mapped KCTS HD (broadcast on 9-5) into my guide as that's the only subchannel of KCTS that I'm interested in. However, I'm getting the wrong guide data for it; since I can only specify the callsign as KCTS, I'm getting the guide data for 9-1 instead of 9-5.

Looking at Zap2it, it's showing the callsign for 9-5 as KCTSDT5, but since Vista MCE is appending the -DT for each of the callsigns I don't know how to add it (or if that's even the correct callsign for that channel).

Does anyone know what the correct callsign for 9-5 is that I can put into Vista MCE and get the correct guide data?

Thanks,

Ivan

I will look when I get home. I have the same setup as you and my listing for KCTS-HD (KCTS-DT5) work fine.

Hi all,
Am new to the HD world (about to buy a Pio 5080). I'm also located near some of you in Wallingford.

What do you get from Comcast for HD? I thought if you're using a Tivo3 you only need the Cablecards and not a tuner? How much is Comcast charging for the two Cablecards these days?

Also, what HD DVD player are you guys using?

Thx,
RM

What do you get from Comcast for HD?
Comcast has all local HD channels on the "limited basic" package. They also have ESPN, ESPN2, Starz, HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Universal, MHD, Discovery, Mojo (used to be INHD and INHD2), FSN, Versus and Golf on various other packages.
I thought if you're using a Tivo3 you only need the Cablecards and not a tuner? How much is Comcast charging for the two Cablecards these days?
You can watch the local HD channels on Tivo without a CableCard, but you don't get any scheduling from Tivo for those channels. You can always record manually but it sort of defeats the whole point of Tivo.

The Tivo series 3 has two tuners that you will want to get two CableCards for. With CableCards you will get scheduling for all the HD channels. The price seems to be variable depending on who you talk to and how good your negotiation skills seems to be.
Also, what HD DVD player are you guys using?
The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player.

How much is Comcast charging for the two Cablecards these days?

I have a Tivo S3 with two cable cards. I tried to do without, but the S3 was designed to work with cablecards. I eventually broke down and just picked a few cards up. I don't know how much I pay (few bucks a month?). In any case, if you can afford a Pio 5080 and an HD or Blu Ray Disk player, the cost of cablecards is nominal in comparison.

Also, what HD DVD player are you guys using?

I don't have one, but expect I'll get a Blu Ray player sooner or later. The recent Blockbuster announcment combined with most of the producers going Blu-ray makes it seem like Blu ray has already won the war. Of course, this is MS territory, which makes the software for HD DVD and sells a pricey HD DVD attachment for their Xbox 360. In other words, opinions may vary, especially in this forum. :cool:

Anyone know why recently the NBC Nightly News has been shown in SD on KING-DT? I noticed this weekend was SD, as was tonight's. Their local news has been HD though throughout this. Bummer.

I thought if you're using a Tivo3 you only need the Cablecards and not a tuner? How much is Comcast charging for the two Cablecards these days?

As long as you don't have any other equipment from Comcast, the first card is included with the digital package of Enhanced or higher, and the second is $1.75 (new price as of July).

If you do have other equipment, you have to pay for the digital programming on the outlet of $5.10 which includes the first card and then $1.75 for the second.

The prices are not for the cards themselves but for the digital programming.

The S3 is the tuner, the cards unscramble the channels.

As long as you don't have any other equipment from Comcast, the first card is included with the digital package of Enhanced or higher, and the second is $1.75 (new price as of July).

If you do have other equipment, you have to pay for the digital programming on the outlet of $5.10 which includes the first card and then $1.75 for the second.

The prices are not for the cards themselves but for the digital programming.

The S3 is the tuner, the cards unscramble the channels.
Ok thanks. My question is...do I need other equipment from Comcast?

Today I have a tuner but that's not HD. I'm assuming it goes away once I get the S3 with CableCards. If the S3 is the tuner, I don't need any other equipment from Comcast (so I thought).

Thanks,
RM

Ok thanks. My question is...do I need other equipment from Comcast?

Today I have a tuner but that's not HD. I'm assuming it goes away once I get the S3 with CableCards. If the S3 is the tuner, I don't need any other equipment from Comcast (so I thought).

Thanks,
RMI think the only thing that absolutely *requires* equipment from Comcast is their On-Demand system. You can't do that with a Tivo S3, or any other 3rd-party box at this point. Basically - here's what you can do without a Comcast box:

QAM tuner in your TV or DVR:
View un-encrypted (mostly local) digital channels, both SD & HD. Only requires Basic Cable.

CableCard-enabled QAM tuner in your TV or DVR (eg, Tivo S3):
View all digital cable channels that you've subscribed to, including Premium/Movie channels.

Hopefully comcast seattle will add this around sep so that we can watch mlb playoffs in hd.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/tbs062607.htm

Ok thanks. My question is...do I need other equipment from Comcast?

Today I have a tuner but that's not HD. I'm assuming it goes away once I get the S3 with CableCards. If the S3 is the tuner, I don't need any other equipment from Comcast (so I thought).

Thanks,
RM

I have an S3 and no Comcast equipment. You do not need a Comcast box if you do not watch Comcast's "on Demand." I chose not too. I find that there are enough channels without access to "on Demand."

If anyone tells you that Pay Per View is not available from an S3, they are wrong. The cable cards let the S3 get such. You just have to order PPV by calling 1 (800) Com-Cast. Seattle Comcast, however, does not have a good selection for PPV.

Does anyone have the most current list of channels that are not encrypted?
much appreciated.

I have a QAM tuner. I used to get the pay per view channels sometimes but not any longer.
I also used to get movieplex but not anymore.

Does anyone have the most current list of channels that are not encrypted?
...


Postings appear periodically. This seems to be the latest:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10748001#post10748001

The new software/guide got pushed to one of my moto boxes (the non DVR) this morning before I left for work. I suspect the DVR boxes will soon follow.

I've seen one report of non-DVR new guide in Pierce County, so it looks like King may be lagging. Anyone in the Seattle area get it yet?

I've seen one report of non-DVR new guide in Pierce County, so it looks like King may be lagging. Anyone in the Seattle area get it yet?
No one (at least from the conversations from friends) here on the Kitsap Peninsula. Tried my box first thing this AM hoping I would be finished dealing with the crappy MS software - just disappointmnet.

Maybe tomorrow...

I'm sure hoping this update solves the vast problems I've encountered with this box.

If anyone is interested:

I have Mac G4 tower for sale, I had been using it to archive HD content from my motorola 3412 via firewire. I have no use for it anymore since I am using a TiVo series3. The G4 is way more reliable than recording HD via firewire with windows XP.

I just checked the 900's (119.xx QAM) that I used to get... no more! :(

Probably because I got one of those DCT-700 boxes for the $1mo/year special and Comcast "upgraded" me to enhanced cable, thus scrambling the music channels?

Or, are they just gone?

It is possible that the music choice channels are no longer a part of the 'enhanced cable' package, so you will not get them on the DCT 700 unless you move up to the 'Digital Classic' or higher.

But you should still be able to tune them via your QAM tuner in your tv by splitting the incoming coax, run one to your 700, the other to your TV. Then input the 700 to your TV via composite connections. This will enable you to watch TV from the 700 on the 'input' mode, or switch to 'tuner' mode to access your QAM channels with your TV tuner
Hope this helps, Mike

Anyone curious about the rollout status of the i-guide?

I woke up to it this morning on my 700's here in Shelton, still not on the 3416, should be by next week though. It is cool, I think most of you will be happy once you get it, it beats the M$FE version without a doubt. A little supprise to me was the ability to direct-tune to some of the areas of on demand. I can't wait till it is on my DVR too.

I just checked the 900's (119.xx QAM) that I used to get... no more! :(

Probably because I got one of those DCT-700 boxes for the $1mo/year special and Comcast "upgraded" me to enhanced cable, thus scrambling the music channels?

Or, are they just gone?

I just now checked, and I no longer get a few of them with my 3416 or 700, and I have Digital Platinum. No telling what's going on. For example, I can get all that I tried from 964 up, but not 962 or 963. Those two appear in the guide listings, but the Comcast web site lists only 964-986 as FM radio. Perhaps they eliminated two of the stations, but forgot to tell us and the guy who populates the guide.

(I just checked QAM, and 962 & 963 are still there, unencrypted.)

Another check, and it seems that the FM stations formerly on 962 & 963 are now on 985 & 986.

Anyone curious about the rollout status of the i-guide?

I woke up to it this morning on my 700's here in Shelton, still not on the 3416, should be by next week though. It is cool, I think most of you will be happy once you get it, it beats the M$FE version without a doubt. A little supprise to me was the ability to direct-tune to some of the areas of on demand. I can't wait till it is on my DVR too.

my VP contact at Comcast says rollout for Seattle will happen first half of August, but maybe sooner. again he states it will fix 95% of DVR problems. don't hold your breath...

Another check, and it seems that the FM stations formerly on 962 & 963 are now on 985 & 986.

They moved these to make room for Comcast Central on 960 961 962 and 963. Untill you have the i-Guide you will see some 'weird' channel listings such as many with 'No Information', these will all be for easier access to on demand with the new guide.

It is possible that the music choice channels are no longer a part of the 'enhanced cable' package, so you will not get them on the DCT 700 unless you move up to the 'Digital Classic' or higher.

But you should still be able to tune them via your QAM tuner in your tv by splitting the incoming coax, run one to your 700, the other to your TV. Then input the 700 to your TV via composite connections. This will enable you to watch TV from the 700 on the 'input' mode, or switch to 'tuner' mode to access your QAM channels with your TV tuner
Hope this helps, Mike

I was tuning them in on my Sony DHG-HDD250 QAM tuners (I have two of these units) last week before I got the DCT-700/enhanced cable upgrade. When I checked the QAM channels (119.xx) yesterday, they were gone! :(

Does any have any idea if the "upgrade" to iguide is going to erase my stored shows on my dvr?

Does any have any idea if the "upgrade" to iguide is going to erase my stored shows on my dvr?

It isn't supposed to, and there's no reason to suspect it will.

Here's a quick update. The changes:

* Music Choice on 119-10 through 119-55 are encrypted again.
* Updated Comcast mappings for KBSG-FM (962 to 985), KING-FM (963 to 986), and Univision (not KUNS, was 98).

Here's a quick update. The changes:

* Music Choice on 119-10 through 119-55 are encrypted again.
* Updated Comcast mappings for KBSG-FM (962 to 985), KING-FM (963 to 986), and Univision (not KUNS, was 98).

Here in Shelton I still get the MC on QAM 119.xx
Another thing I noticed is that (not sure of the exact channel, I'll post it later, I believe 105.xx) I can get some Oregon channels, KPTV- Fox 12, KGW-NBC 8, and KATU-ABC 2. The thing is, the PQ is not very good on these channels. Has anyone else noticed this?

Thanks for the updates pastiche. Can someone make an XML file that we can just drop into our Media Centers? :)

Here in Shelton I still get the MC on QAM 119.xx
Another thing I noticed is that (not sure of the exact channel, I'll post it later, I believe 105.xx) I can get some Oregon channels, KPTV- Fox 12, KGW-NBC 8, and KATU-ABC 2. The thing is, the PQ is not very good on these channels. Has anyone else noticed this?

I can't speak for Music Choice being un-encrypted in points south, since we've lost it here. :(

Regarding 105-X, here's what I've figured from what others have posted over the last couple of years:

Most of the un-encrypted channels (i.e. 79-X, 80-X, 104-X, amd the local HD channels) are the same across all of Western Washington, with the exception that when changes are made, the changes don't happen everywhere at once, but rather, roll across the region.

105-X seems to be the "localizations": all of the local PEG channels are found there, the localized TV Guide Channel is found there, the localized Weather Channel is found there. In other areas, PEG, TVG, and TWC are appropriate for that locality. At points north, KVOS and CIVT are found there. At points southwest, KATU, KGW, and KPTV are found there.

Does any have any idea if the "upgrade" to iguide is going to erase my stored shows on my dvr?

I think their flyer said it wouldn't. But they've erased mine in the past and called it a power surge.

Anyone else having problems?

I have had a 3416 connected via HDMI cable to an HDMI receiver for about a year now, and it works fine no problems so far. However, my parents have almost an identical set up as I do, but they were having problems with there 3412 box crashing all the time, so they called Comcast, and a tech said he could fix it with firmware... So they uploaded a newer firmware ( not sure which vers.) and ever since then, they get an error message saying the input is not compatible for HD. The screen then eventually goes green when trying connected thru the receiver. So Comcast came out and changed their box to a 3416, the same problem occurred so they bypassed the receiver and got it working by connecting straight to the TV. They said they do not support anything but going straight from the box to the TV and told them not to use the HDMI receiver.

My parents never had a problem using the HDMI receiver before, they were just getting fed up with the box constantly rebooting itself, now they can't use the HDMI receiver which complicates the set up and just kind of sucks. I tested all other inputs with an HD-DVD player and it all works fine, it has something to do with the Comcast box and the firmware blocking the signal. I also check all the settings in the power down/menu options etc... everything is set correct as far as I can tell, but for some reason they cannot use an HDMI receiver with the 3416 anymore with the latest firmware. They are using a Sony STR-DG810 receiver. What is strange is I have no problems with my system, but I don't think I have the same firmware, I will check when I get a chance...

Anyone have any ideas on a fix for this? I'm hoping the new guide will fix this problem.

...
Anyone have any ideas on a fix for this? I'm hoping the new guide will fix this problem.

It may, but who knows? Here's what wiki says:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#When_turning_the_box_on.2C_it_may_not_display_a_picture .2C_the_picture_may_be_solid_green.2C_a_blue_box_may_appear_ displaying_an_HDCP_error.2C_or_multiple_images_may_appear_on _HD_channels

It may, but who knows? Here's what wiki says:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#When_turning_the_box_on.2C_it_may_not_display_a_picture .2C_the_picture_may_be_solid_green.2C_a_blue_box_may_appear_ displaying_an_HDCP_error.2C_or_multiple_images_may_appear_on _HD_channels

Thanks for the link! I'll check into this next time I get a chance to go over and look at their setup. Hopefully, I'll be able to get it working properly again Thanks.

Thank you KING 5 TV and WaMu for Seattle fireworks show and HD broadcast.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you to KING 5 TV (Seattle) engineers, technicians, crew, commentators and executives for the live high definition broadcast of the July 4, 2007 fireworks spectaluar from Lake Union. Thank you Washington Mutual (WaMu) for sponsoring the show.

Watching the Over-The-Air broadcast was awesome. I did enjoy the local Seattle fireworks show more than the recording (tape) of New York, Chicago and Washington fireworks shows (on channels 5, 22 and 9) that preceeded the local Seattle, Washington show. It was awesome that King 5, NBC, KMYQ 22, Fox (?) and KCTS, PBS all ponied up for high definition broadcasts of fireworks this year. Thank you all.

I deeply appreciate the fact that I could enjoy it from home instead of with 260000 friends around Lake Union. I'll be able to get to work in the morning after a good nights rest, instead of fighting thru six rush hours worth of traffic jams to arrive home at 2 A.M. (if I had attended the event in person).

98% percent of the shots were framed terrifically. 99.8% of the transmission was smooth with a few fractions of macro-blocking and only one loss of signal. It is a commendable effort for live field work.

Also, thank you for allowing us to enjoy the music and crowd reactions for the duration thru audio uninterrupted by expert commentary. King 5 TV you all did a great job.

Sure am glad I have OTA antenna in additonal to Comcast. Have not watched the Comcast DVR recording of the show yet, but intend to let friends and family watch the show at our place over the next few days.

Leo Henton

History Channel HD content now at ch 1 --> HD OnDemand --> News & Info --> History Channel.
A&E HD content now at ch 1 --> HD OnDemand --> TV Entertainment --> A&E
TNT HD content now at ch 1 --> HD OnDemand --> TV Entertainment --> TNT

KIRO local news was enhanced widescreen last night on 107 at 6PM and looked good. Weather segment was 4:3 with blue wings.

Now that is a good heads up! Thanks for letting me know.

History Channel HD content now at ch 1 --> HD OnDemand --> News & Info --> History Channel.
A&E HD content now at ch 1 --> HD OnDemand --> TV Entertainment --> A&E
TNT HD content now at ch 1 --> HD OnDemand --> TV Entertainment --> TNT
...


Also,
NGC HD content now at ch 1 --> HD OnDemand --> TV Entertainment --> National Geographic Channel

(But the content at each of those leaves a lot to be desired.)

Thank you KING 5 TV and WaMu for Seattle fireworks show and HD broadcast.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you to KING 5 TV (Seattle) engineers, technicians, crew, commentators and executives for the live high definition broadcast of the July 4, 2007 fireworks spectaluar from Lake Union. Thank you Washington Mutual (WaMu) for sponsoring the show.

Watching the Over-The-Air broadcast was awesome. I did enjoy the local Seattle fireworks show more than the recording (tape) of New York, Chicago and Washington fireworks shows (on channels 5, 22 and 9) that preceeded the local Seattle, Washington show. It was awesome that King 5, NBC, KMYQ 22, Fox (?) and KCTS, PBS all ponied up for high definition broadcasts of fireworks this year. Thank you all.

I deeply appreciate the fact that I could enjoy it from home instead of with 260000 friends around Lake Union. I'll be able to get to work in the morning after a good nights rest, instead of fighting thru six rush hours worth of traffic jams to arrive home at 2 A.M. (if I had attended the event in person).

98% percent of the shots were framed terrifically. 99.8% of the transmission was smooth with a few fractions of macro-blocking and only one loss of signal. It is a commendable effort for live field work.

Also, thank you for allowing us to enjoy the music and crowd reactions for the duration thru audio uninterrupted by expert commentary. King 5 TV you all did a great job.

Sure am glad I have OTA antenna in additonal to Comcast. Have not watched the Comcast DVR recording of the show yet, but intend to let friends and family watch the show at our place over the next few days.

Leo Henton

I must agree...I was VERY pleasantly surprised by the quality of the broadcast. Given KING/NBC's previous live HD broadcasts, I was kind of worried about the quality and level of macroblocking I would see, but it looked awesome!

What I don't understand is why when I watched the "Macy's New York Firework Show" earlier in the evening, there was a ton of macroblocking and nastiness, but during KING's local broadcast of the WaMu Lake Union fireworks, it looked great. If there was a bandwidth squeeze because of the extra Weather+ sub-channel, I would have expected both broadcasts to look equally pixelated/macro-blocked, but this wasn't the case. I wonder if it is more of a network problem? I know that for most of NBC's live HD broadcasts (including sports, anything fast-motion, etc.) I normally see lots of macro-blocking. And, FYI, this is all over Comcast cable.

After being incredibly disappointed by KIRO/CBS's live event HD quality (the SuperBowl was a complete mess), I've been very cautious about getting too excited about watching live events in HD, but the WaMu fireworks broadcast looked great! Thanks again!

Hello, I'm new to this. I've got a quick question - I've heard that I can get a basic limited analog cable from Comcast, but I don't know how to sign up for it. I've called, but they don't know what I'm talking about. Thanks in advance.

Hello, I'm new to this. I've got a quick question - I've heard that I can get a basic limited analog cable from Comcast, but I don't know how to sign up for it. I've called, but they don't know what I'm talking about. Thanks in advance.

It is billed as "Limited Cable Service" at $12.55 a month. I hope that helps. It includes Chs. 2-29, 75-78, & 99.

What I don't understand is why when I watched the "Macy's New York Firework Show" earlier in the evening, there was a ton of macroblocking and nastiness, but during KING's local broadcast of the WaMu Lake Union fireworks, it looked great. If there was a bandwidth squeeze because of the extra Weather+ sub-channel, I would have expected both broadcasts to look equally pixelated/macro-blocked, but this wasn't the case. I wonder if it is more of a network problem? I know that for most of NBC's live HD broadcasts (including sports, anything fast-motion, etc.) I normally see lots of macro-blocking. And, FYI, this is all over Comcast cable.

After being incredibly disappointed by KIRO/CBS's live event HD quality (the SuperBowl was a complete mess), I've been very cautious about getting too excited about watching live events in HD, but the WaMu fireworks broadcast looked great! Thanks again!
One is a national broadcast and one is local, somewhere in there lies the problem we all experience with macroblocking. I was trying to record that fireworks show last night with my Fusion card but something else messed it all up, Good to hear that the reports were excellent on the KING broadvast though.

I live in Renton, and for the last little while the quality on both my HD and "regular" Comcast channels has been absolutely horrible. Pixelation, sound cutting out, the whole she-bang. Shows I DVR have the same problems too. I haven't changed anything - no new hardware, nothing. I love paying almost $100 a month for cruddy quality cable!

Anyone know what the heck's going on? Is it just me, or are others in the Seattle area experiencing the same thing?

Thanks!

My 6412 has been behaving itself with both HD and SD content.

I live in Renton, and for the last little while the quality on both my HD and "regular" Comcast channels has been absolutely horrible. Pixelation, sound cutting out, the whole she-bang. Shows I DVR have the same problems too. I haven't changed anything - no new hardware, nothing. I love paying almost $100 a month for cruddy quality cable!

Anyone know what the heck's going on? Is it just me, or are others in the Seattle area experiencing the same thing?

Thanks!You're getting signal loss, probably a wiring or transmission issue somewhere. Other people don't seem to be seeing this, so it's likely either in your house wiring, or neighborhood cable infrastructure. Any construction going on nearby? Have you called Comcast to ask them to fix it?

I live in Renton, and for the last little while the quality on both my HD and "regular" Comcast channels has been absolutely horrible. Pixelation, sound cutting out, the whole she-bang. Shows I DVR have the same problems too. I haven't changed anything - no new hardware, nothing. I love paying almost $100 a month for cruddy quality cable!

Anyone know what the heck's going on? Is it just me, or are others in the Seattle area experiencing the same thing?

Thanks!

I had this problem for about six weeks in Wallingford in North Seattle. Ends up Comcast was stringing new fibre optic cable. Finally a couple of weeks ago, it all settled down and all the stations come in fine.

The reason I know this was the case is because I saw the company stringing the cable, which wasn't Comcast by the way. Then one early morning before work, my cable was out. As I drove to work, I saw a big Comcast crew working on the exact same cable.

Don't expect Comcast to admit one single things. I've never met such a lying pack of you know whats in my life. They will always try to blame you first, even if they know it is them. They are just as bad as health insurance companies denying all claims initially.

Don't expect Comcast to admit one single things. I've never met such a lying pack of you know whats in my life. They will always try to blame you first, even if they know it is them. They are just as bad as health insurance companies denying all claims initially.

Or possibly they just aren't told anything. A few weeks ago one of their techs showed up while I was on the phone with local mgmt who was explaining the repair work going on in the neighborhood. The tech knew nothing about it.

As of July 1st, Comcast is no longer allowed to distribute set top boxes with integrated security. This is why they offered all those free extra digital cable boxes for a limited time. From now on all set top boxes are required to have to have cable cards in them. So I was wondering if anyone has gotten a new box yet with a cablecard in it. I am really hoping that they have a new DVR box that uses two cable cards (dual tuner). I would assume that a new box would be better than the one I currently have and it may not lead to lockups all the time.

So, if anyone goes to a Comcast office and exchanges their box for a cable card box... let us know!

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9710918-1.html

Hope everyone's enjoying "Live Earth" concert on Universal HD.

--
Sang

As of July 1st, Comcast is no longer allowed to distribute set top boxes with integrated security. This is why they offered all those free extra digital cable boxes for a limited time. From now on all set top boxes are required to have to have cable cards in them. So I was wondering if anyone has gotten a new box yet with a cablecard in it. I am really hoping that they have a new DVR box that uses two cable cards (dual tuner). I would assume that a new box would be better than the one I currently have and it may not lead to lockups all the time.

So, if anyone goes to a Comcast office and exchanges their box for a cable card box... let us know!

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9710918-1.html

The new DVRs will still be dual tuner but only one card ... the MCARD (multistream). Most likely they will be the Moto DCH3416. I have seen other posts (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9943956&highlight=dch3416#post2) here that point that way.

The new DVRs will still be dual tuner but only one card ... the MCARD (multistream). Most likely they will be the Moto DCH3416. I have seen other posts (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9943956&highlight=dch3416#post2) here that point that way.

So how will a 3416 know it needs a card? Different firmware? I have a 3416 now and I assume I won't need to stick a card in it any time soon.

So how will a 3416 know it needs a card? Different firmware? I have a 3416 now and I assume I won't need to stick a card in it any time soon.

The DCT3416 has no capability of accepting a card, so none will be required. The decryption capability is built into the box.

So how will a 3416 know it needs a card? Different firmware? I have a 3416 now and I assume I won't need to stick a card in it any time soon.

you have a DCT3416, the new ones are a DCH3416.

doh!

Anyone having trouble with GOLFVS in HD (channel 665 on my Series3 Tivo). It couldn't record the Tour De France on it this morning, and right now I'm just getting a blank grey screen. VS in SD is fine, as are other HD channels.

Since when was 665 showing the race in HD. sam

Since when was 665 showing the race in HD. sam

The race was SD broadcast on an HD channel. i.e., the race was 480i/SD.

Just received a mailing from Comcast stating that we, in the area of Renton / Fairwood, would be receiving the new program guide the week of July 17th. It also stated that it would be for the DVR and regular box and that in the future we will be able to remotely program the DVR from the internet.

We will see...

In the future...? That's when everything will happen.

It also stated that it would be for the DVR and regular box and that in the future we will be able to remotely program the DVR from the internet.


In the future, the sun will explode. I suspect that might happen before Comcast gets around to this...

In the future, the sun will explode. I suspect that might happen before Comcast gets around to this...

It will actually bloat and then collapse into a white (and then brown) dwarf, but I certainly would not bet against you that when it happens, we'll still be getting e-mails saying it's "Coming Soon!". :p

Just received a mailing from Comcast stating that we, in the area of Renton / Fairwood, would be receiving the new program guide the week of July 17th. It also stated that it would be for the DVR and regular box and that in the future we will be able to remotely program the DVR from the internet.

We will see...

Ditto in Renton Highlands.

We still don't have the PIP for the button on the remote, marked as future feature too. No 30sec skip either?

In the flyer it states that if your box is recording, and you turn the box off, the recording will stop too. Hmm.

Ditto in Renton Highlands.

No 30sec skip either?



Thanks to WarEagle...


Add 30-Second Skip
The following technique can be used to map an unused or unneeded button on the "silver" remote to the 30-second skip command. Current versions of the i-Guide software will skip forward 30 seconds into a recording when this command is sent. A good choice is the 'A / Lock' button since many users don't need that function; you can feel both the '15-second-back' and '30-second-skip' buttons with one finger and move between them without looking. Another option is to reprogram the '15-second back' button, since PgDn already provides that functionality.
1. Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3. Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice.
4. Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button.
5. Type in the code 00173.
6. Press whatever button you want to map the 30-second skip command to (ex: A / Lock). The "Cable" button will blink twice if successful.
Note: This now works on boxes with the Microsoft TV Foundation Interface (currently Washington State). As of firmware version 12.22 Insight Cable disabled this feature, but has been re-enabled in firmware version 16.35. Comcast software Version 73.44 disabled this feature, but the latest software, Version 74.53-3321, re-enables it (this has been confirmed on the 3416 w/ 16.20 firmware). See software for more info.

Thanks to WarEagle...


Add 30-Second Skip
...
Note: This now works on boxes with the Microsoft TV Foundation Interface (currently Washington State).
...


Doesn't work for me. I haven't heard of it working for anyone here. Guess it won't matter soon.

Thanks to WarEagle...


Add 30-Second Skip
The following technique can be used to map an unused or unneeded button on the "silver" remote to the 30-second skip command. Current versions of the i-Guide software will skip forward 30 seconds into a recording when this command is sent. A good choice is the 'A / Lock' button since many users don't need that function; you can feel both the '15-second-back' and '30-second-skip' buttons with one finger and move between them without looking. Another option is to reprogram the '15-second back' button, since PgDn already provides that functionality.
1. Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3. Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice.
4. Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button.
5. Type in the code 00173.
6. Press whatever button you want to map the 30-second skip command to (ex: A / Lock). The "Cable" button will blink twice if successful.
Note: This now works on boxes with the Microsoft TV Foundation Interface (currently Washington State). As of firmware version 12.22 Insight Cable disabled this feature, but has been re-enabled in firmware version 16.35. Comcast software Version 73.44 disabled this feature, but the latest software, Version 74.53-3321, re-enables it (this has been confirmed on the 3416 w/ 16.20 firmware). See software for more info.

I'm still on firmware 12.31, so I guess I'll have no 30 sec skip until iguide.

Also, I was having a problem with my DVR (no guide data - they had to send a signal - odd that out all my cable boxes only the DVR had this problem) and while i was talking to the CSR she said the new guide will be here (Everett) in a couple of weeks. We'll see...

I picked up a cablecard at 94th/Aurora office and installed it on my Samsung DLP tv two days ago.
I still get "Updating Channels" message. Is it normal? How long does it take to get all the channels updated? I live in Mukilteo.

I had to take my DLP off power for a couple of minutes and then power it back up before I was able to see everything....not sure why but it worked.

Doesn't work for me. I haven't heard of it working for anyone here. Guess it won't matter soon.

Humm..so your link to these instructions over on the Comcast Cable forum doesn't work??


http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_30-Second_Skip

Guess we will see after we get iGuide if it makes a difference.
I was getting excited.. :(

Humm..so your link to these instructions over on the Comcast Cable forum doesn't work??


http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote#Add_30-Second_Skip

Guess we will see after we get iGuide if it makes a difference.
I was getting excited.. :(


They don't work for my Microsoft guide and firmware 12.31, but I believe they'll work with the new iGuide s/w.

I need a little ammunition before I talk with a Comcast CSR. My question is this: What is the minimum 'normal' cable service I must order to get broadcast HDTV and cable box? Can I have Limited cable, plus Digital Classic and the 3412 fee? The price jump between Limited and Expanded cable is substantial, and I never watch anything that's on the additional channels involved. I'm needing to retrench financially, and $35 less per month could be helpful. I don't want to give up my HDTV and recording capability, and Discovery HD is nice, but that's all I need.

My guess is that the CSR is programmed to insist that I need Expanded Cable to do digital, and I need to know if that's really true or just more profitable for Comcast. Thanks.

I have Comcast in Atlanta with the lowest possible package which is only local channels (ie: the 13.99$ plan). I just got a LCD TV with QAM support and it detects all the HDTV broadcasts for the same local channels and even digital SDTV broadcasts for the rest. I even picked up CSPAN1 and CSPAN2 and some digital weather channels.

-d

I have Comcast in Atlanta with the lowest possible package which is only local channels (ie: the 13.99$ plan). I just got a LCD TV with QAM support and it detects all the HDTV broadcasts for the same local channels and even digital SDTV broadcasts for the rest. I even picked up CSPAN1 and CSPAN2 and some digital weather channels.

-d

Federal law requires cable companies to offer local HD channels in the clear. Most cable companies simulcast analog channels to digital. Hence, it seems like you are getting no more than what you paid for.

Can I get a QAM tuner from comcast and install it in my HTPC? or Do I have to go OTA for HD?

Can I get a QAM tuner from comcast and install it in my HTPC? or Do I have to go OTA for HD?


You can rent a box from Comcast that includes an HD tuner, or a DVR with dual HD tuners.

I called and asked about why the new guide hadn't been rolled-out to my DVR. The CSR told me that they are postponing the rollout until August for the greater Puget Sound region after having some negative feedback on the rollout to the greater Spokane area.

The CSR said she could attest to the fact there are bugs but she didn't think they were bad considering the alternative. She did not elaborate...

Has anyone heard of bugs upon roll-out?

Can I get a QAM tuner from comcast and install it in my HTPC? or Do I have to go OTA for HD?You can rent a box from Comcast that includes an HD tuner, or a DVR with dual HD tuners.
But you can't install it in your HTPC.

Some of the current PC tuner cards have QAM tuners, like the Hauppauge 1600. These let your HTPC tune un-encrypted HD digital cable channels (mostly locals).

For an HTPC to tune *any* HD cable channel you subscribe to - including encrypted channels - you need a CableCard tuner (and probably a new Vista PC & HDCP-compliant video card & monitor). Sounds like mostly bleeding edge pain at this point - I haven't tried it.

I have Comcast Digital, and just got a LCD HDTV (Vizio VX37L) with QAM inbuilt.

- Can I get free HD Channels without getting ComcastHD? If so, any recommended cheap OTA antenna?

- Can i just plug in the comcast cable directly to the TV bypassing the STB?

Thanks!!

I have Comcast Digital, and just got a LCD HDTV (Vizio VX37L) with QAM inbuilt.

- Can I get free HD Channels without getting ComcastHD? If so, any recommended cheap OTA antenna?

- Can i just plug in the comcast cable directly to the TV bypassing the STB?

Thanks!!

ComcastHD? I don't think they offer an HD tier. Comcast has even had press releases to such effect. In any case, you will get local HD channels with comcast basic - you don't even need to get expanded basic. The next level is Digital Classic, which comes with some HD channels, including ESPNHD (1&2), UHD, MTVHD, DiscoveryHD, MojoHD (previously INHD), and Comcast sports HD.

I just cancelled Digital Classic because I only watched a small amount of the HD content. I will probably sign up again once all of the big cable channels (eg. FX, TBS, USA) are available in HD.

Assuming your TV has a tuner, you should be able to plug your cable directly into the TV.

I don't know anything about HD antennas, as I take advantage of comcast's broadcast of local HD channels.

Can I get a QAM tuner from comcast and install it in my HTPC? or Do I have to go OTA for HD?
I went with a Fusion card for my HTPC to receive the local HD QAM channels. Already had the workstation laying around, so after installing a fat 500g hard drive and the $150 fusion card and I'm extremely happy. Of course if you meant the premium HD channels, probably a cablecard as mentioned.

Just to be the first to publish, South King (Kent) has the new guide or something this morning. It took several minutes before my Motorola 6200 would respond and it has new menus. sam

My box has been updated, too. I'm in southeast Seattle, down by the Renton airport. Looks pretty cool.

Nothing here on Queen Anne yet. Anxiously awaiting it though!

ComcastHD? I don't think they offer an HD tier. Comcast has even had press releases to such effect. In any case, you will get local HD channels with comcast basic - you don't even need to get expanded basic. The next level is Digital Classic, which comes with some HD channels, including ESPNHD (1&2), UHD, MTVHD, DiscoveryHD, MojoHD (previously INHD), and Comcast sports HD.

I just cancelled Digital Classic because I only watched a small amount of the HD content. I will probably sign up again once all of the big cable channels (eg. FX, TBS, USA) are available in HD.

Assuming your TV has a tuner, you should be able to plug your cable directly into the TV.

I don't know anything about HD antennas, as I take advantage of comcast's broadcast of local HD channels.

Drew, basic vs expanded basic... where does limited basic fit into here? Is that what you meant by basic?

I'm getting limited basic today ... asked about QAM and the installer replied that you do need a QAM cable box and some digital monthly fee to the tune of about $20/month.

I'm getting limited basic today ... asked about QAM and the installer replied that you do need a QAM cable box and some digital monthly fee to the tune of about $20/month.

As usual they're wrong. With Limited Basic, you get all the local network stations and public access stations in ClearQAM including the HD feeds. If your TV has a QAM tuner, you do not need a cable box. If it doesn't, you can still get Limited Basic with a standard or HD box.

Well I'm not sure if this has been discussed before but here's my current headache..

Set up the M's to Record in HD on 664. Start watching the recording and the picture freeze frames about 2 minutes into the recording. The audio continues but the picture is frozen. I've tried fast forwarding, starting the recording over and it will always freeze in the same spot.

This has happened two or three times now with 664 in particular. I haven't had this problem with other HD channels, so what is going on ???!!! :mad:

Please, someone tell me that it will all be better with the new iguide or Tivo software .... I need a hug
I have had the same problem each of the 4 times I've tried to set up a DVR recording of the Mariners game in HD on 664 in advance over the last week. The video freezes at the exact moment that they switch the channel to the Mariner's broadcast - one minute after the recording starts. The audio continues fine. If the recording didn't start a minute early, I think it would work fine.

Have called Comcast twice and they claim to have never heard of the problem. First call they suggested I wait a week to see if the problem clears up - after the free MLB extra innings preview has ended. Seems unlikely to be related to extra innings preview. Second call they remotely reset my DVR. I tried to explain that something about the switch in programming that Comcast does for the local game is causing the video to stop recording.

I can watch the game live without a problem on HD 664. I can also watch a recording manually started during the game without any problems.

Anybody else? Any suggestions? My signal is weak on some of the non-HD channels.

Could you just set a recording by time and make it start at like 7:02 for example?

As usual they're wrong. With Limited Basic, you get all the local network stations and public access stations in ClearQAM including the HD feeds. If your TV has a QAM tuner, you do not need a cable box. If it doesn't, you can still get Limited Basic with a standard or HD box.

Yep, I'm getting the digital feeds. Hit autoscan on the TV, and they are coming through. Mostly 720p, I've noticed with Dot-by-Dot mode as they show up with sidebars on the 1080p TV.

The cost of limited basic must have gone up as it's $15.99/month. I'd previously heard about it costing less than $10/month but maybe that was promotional.

If we ever decide to get a land line, might be good to try out expanded basic + phone for $66/month bundled.

I have had the same problem each of the 4 times I've tried to set up a DVR recording of the Mariners game in HD on 664 in advance over the last week. The video freezes at the exact moment that they switch the channel to the Mariner's broadcast - one minute after the recording starts. The audio continues fine. If the recording didn't start a minute early, I think it would work fine.

Have called Comcast twice and they claim to have never heard of the problem. First call they suggested I wait a week to see if the problem clears up - after the free MLB extra innings preview has ended. Seems unlikely to be related to extra innings preview. Second call they remotely reset my DVR. I tried to explain that something about the switch in programming that Comcast does for the local game is causing the video to stop recording.

I can watch the game live without a problem on HD 664. I can also watch a recording manually started during the game without any problems.

Anybody else? Any suggestions? My signal is weak on some of the non-HD channels.I have the same problem. I have been fighting with Comcast for a couple of months. They have replaced the DVR twice, with no effect. I have received many different theories on what is wrong, but they either don’t know or are expecting the new software to correct the problem. The latest story I was given is that maybe the HD Mariners broadcasts “aren’t recordable”. You would think Comcast would know.

I just called Comcast this morning to find out why the new guide had not been downloaded to my DVR and they said it has problems and won’t be sent for at least a week. I’ve decided to wait for that to see if it corrects the problem.

Limited Basic is still listed at $12.55 in Seattle. I have it at $7.95 until next May through a promo.

Could you just set a recording by time and make it start at like 7:02 for example?

I've been doing that, but the problem is you can't set up the Season Pass to start recording two minutes late. You can make it start early, but not late. Therefore, I have to manually set up each recording. Something happens when the signal switches over from MOJO to FSNHD that causes the DVR to freeze the picture.
Ugg.

I have QAM tuner in my 720p/1080i TV - and plugged in the Comcast cable directly to the TV instead of the digital set-top box.

Now I am able to get 3-4 channels in HD (looks beautiful! :)

- I get only ABC-HD (ch:4.x), NBC-HD (5.x), PBS-HD(9.x), CBS-HD (16?), myQ2-HD (22.x) and nothing else - are there any more HD channels in Bellevue,WA ?

- Is it worth going for $12/m HD DVR from Comcast - will I get more HD channels?

- I get weird channel numbers 4.1,4.2,114-9876-1 - like that. Is this normal and how do I input it using remote?

- Can I just return the Comcast STB - Would I need it for anything? (I used to get all channel info, but now I am getting very few info/title/etc)

- Are cable channels like CNN, FoxNews, Food Network, TBS, Travel, History, National Geo, Comedy Central available in HD? Should I upgrade to get those channels?

thanks!

My parents can no longer hook up a 3416 thru their HDMI receiver. They have to connect directly from the 3416 to the TV with HDMI to get it to work. It used to work fine thru the receiver, but after calling Comcast and complaining about the buggy guide, they upgraded their firmware and it no longer works thru the receiver and Comcast says they don't support getting it to work from anything other than straight to the TV. I have a very similar set up at my place, and it all works fine still. I'm hoping the new guide will fix this issue but we shall see.

I checked the Wiki link that Wareagle posted for me, and I looked at their box and everything is set correctly, but it only seems to work when connected straight to the TV, not thru the receiver, which is a bummer. The whole point of getting the HDMI receiver was to simplify there set up for them since they are completely new to HDTV and having a surround sound system etc... They are using a Sony STR-DG810 receiver. Has anyone else had any HDMI compatibilty problems where you get a blue error message then the screen goes green? If so any solutions to fix this?

I have QAM tuner in my 720p/1080i TV - and plugged in the Comcast cable directly to the TV instead of the digital set-top box.

Now I am able to get 3-4 channels in HD (looks beautiful! :)

- I get only ABC-HD (ch:4.x), NBC-HD (5.x), PBS-HD(9.x), CBS-HD (16?), myQ2-HD (22.x) and nothing else - are there any more HD channels in Bellevue,WA ?

- Is it worth going for $12/m HD DVR from Comcast - will I get more HD channels?

- I get weird channel numbers 4.1,4.2,114-9876-1 - like that. Is this normal and how do I input it using remote?

- Can I just return the Comcast STB - Would I need it for anything? (I used to get all channel info, but now I am getting very few info/title/etc)

- Are cable channels like CNN, FoxNews, Food Network, TBS, Travel, History, National Geo, Comedy Central available in HD? Should I upgrade to get those channels?

thanks!

I'll answer one of these. Pastiche posts files, updated frequently, listing the available unencrypted QAM channels:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10921115#post10921115

Bonus answer -- if your TV accepts cable card, you can use it to access encrypted QAM channels that are part of your cable subscription.

I'll answer one of these. Pastiche posts files, updated frequently, listing the available unencrypted QAM channels:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10921115#post10921115

Bonus answer -- if your TV accepts cable card, you can use it to access encrypted QAM channels that are part of your cable subscription.


thnx wareagle - any guide on how to read it ? the numbers don't match up for me.. (bellevue,wa)

According to the PDF:
PSIP----------QAM ------------OTA--------Comcast
-xxx-------(79)-(3)---- KOMO---(4) ---ABC ---(4)

ABC is supposed to be channel 79-3 (QAM), but my TV shows it as channel 4.x

I am sure I am reading it wrong or TV's QAM is funky...

My TV is Vizio VX37L-10A (LCD with QAM)

thnx wareagle - any guide on how to read it ? the numbers don't match up for me.. (bellevue,wa)

According to the PDF:
PSIP----------QAM ------------OTA--------Comcast
-xxx-------(79)-(3)---- KOMO---(4) ---ABC ---(4)

ABC is supposed to be channel 79-3 (QAM), but my TV shows it as channel 4.x
...



This is the HD KOMO channel:
(_4_)-(_1_) (_82_)-(__4__) KOMO (38)-(_1_) ABC HD (104)

This is the HD KOMO channel:
(_4_)-(_1_) (_82_)-(__4__) KOMO (38)-(_1_) ABC HD (104)

great!... so I shd be looking for PSIP column.....! (I was looking under QAM, as I assumed since my TV is pulling signal via QAM tuner, it shd be QAM)

thanks!

great!... so I shd be looking for PSIP column.....! (I was looking under QAM, as I assumed since my TV is pulling signal via QAM tuner, it shd be QAM)

thanks!PSIP is extra meta-data that's broadcast along with digital TV signals. In this case, it's providing a "virtual channel number" to simplify tuning - eg, the HD version of Channel 4 is Channel 4.1. Much easier than trying to remember the underlying physical channel number (79.3). Further - the actual physical channel number may change from time to time, at Comcast's whim. But the "virtual channel" 4.1 should remain the same.

I don't think all QAM-compatible TVs properly support PSIP channel mapping, but it sounds like yours does.

My box has been updated, too. I'm in southeast Seattle, down by the Renton airport. Looks pretty cool.

How stable is the guide? Any problems yet? I'm not sure when we will get it up north, I haven't heard a thing yet.

After using it now for a couple days, it is relatively stable. Each time you change the channel, you get both the title and the description of the show. I haven't really used the guide too much, since the box I'm using isn't a dvr.

I only have one complaint, and that's channel surfing. Press that CH+/- button one too many times, and it'll freeze, then land on the channel you stopped at. Not a channel skipper's friend.

Some people might get confused though with the autotune feature disabled. No pressing '7' or '44', etc., and expecting the channel to switch. Ya gotta press OK after each channel selection, unless you manually reenable autotune in settings. A pita to me, total crisis to my parents. :D

We have two boxes in our house. One with a DVR and one without. The non DVR box got the update but the DVR box didn't. Anybody else have this issue? I'm in South King County near Federal Way.

Limited Basic is still listed at $12.55 in Seattle. I have it at $7.95 until next May through a promo.

jason, where is this listed? any idea if it's possible to get the promo if you just signed up?

We have two boxes in our house. One with a DVR and one without. The non DVR box got the update but the DVR box didn't. Anybody else have this issue? I'm in South King County near Federal Way.
Could be they're only updating regular boxes right now. I'm not sure.

Same here. Regular box got updated but the HD DVR one hasn't yet.

jason, where is this listed? any idea if it's possible to get the promo if you just signed up?

Shop for digital cable on Comcast's website and you'll see it as an option to add to your cart. I have know idea about the promo. I was offered it when I downgraded from Digital Plus to Limited Basic back in May. Can't hurt to ask.

I had same.
According to Comcast, the DVR update will be done no later than end of August.
That's what they said.

Also, a new handy guide is available which I requested.

Hey All...

I have a couple of Motorola HD-DVR's from Comcast in my house...

Since I just got a new television, I want to buy the best possible cables, and was wondering if the comcast boxes have an hdmi port, or will I have to do the DVI to HDMI?

Do not buy any super expensive cable as they do not work better than the average ones. Some older boxes have dvi and the new ones have HDMI. Component cables will actually work about as well. My suggestion would be to get DVI to DVI and an adapter especially if you may use a computer as many laptops come with dvi outputs and the adapter could be useful. sam

Weil,

Thanks for your advice. After I read this I called comcast and will upgrade my cable boxes...I am hoping they will provide the HDMI cables I need.

I was considering buying some pricey cables...but wont fall for the hype.

Weil,

Thanks for your advice. After I read this I called comcast and will upgrade my cable boxes...I am hoping they will provide the HDMI cables I need.

I was considering buying some pricey cables...but wont fall for the hype.

If things haven't changed they'll only provide you with component cables (which work fine). I agree with the earlier poster - expensive cables are only worth it for longer runs. You'll probably get a box with HDMI

I am new to the Seattle area from the SF Bay Area and wondering if Comcast up here has made any mention of re-arranging the channel lineup to better accomodate the HD channels. In California a couple years back they began to move all HD channels into the low 700's - keeping the traditional local channels SD numbers as the final digit (i.e. old channel 7 would be 707). They did that here for the local channels - kinda - but SD channels are in the middle and it is alot harder to remember where to look for HD content. I find myself watching less HD just due to how hard it is to find. In California you could start on 702 and channel up and scroll through all the available HD shows. Much easier than the haphazard placement here.

Anyone else like this idea? Mention it to a CSR the next time you call if you do. It's not like its un-precedented.

Well there are only like 12 local HD channels, and I believe they are 104-113.

There is discovery HD and a few others somewhere in the 600's, and of course HBO HD which is 549.

I havent heard anything about a changing of the numbers...

I am new to the Seattle area from the SF Bay Area and wondering if Comcast up here has made any mention of re-arranging the channel lineup to better accomodate the HD channels. In California a couple years back they began to move all HD channels into the low 700's - keeping the traditional local channels SD numbers as the final digit (i.e. old channel 7 would be 707). They did that here for the local channels - kinda - but SD channels are in the middle and it is alot harder to remember where to look for HD content. I find myself watching less HD just due to how hard it is to find. In California you could start on 702 and channel up and scroll through all the available HD shows. Much easier than the haphazard placement here.

Anyone else like this idea? Mention it to a CSR the next time you call if you do. It's not like its un-precedented.Rather than asking Comcast to re-map all the channels (upsetting all the existing Seattle area customers) - I'd suggest simply adding all the HD channels to your Favorites list. Hit the FAV button, and you get a "mini-guide" showing what's on just those channels. Keep hitting the FAV button and it will cycle between those channels.

Besides, HD is just one way to organize channels. Some of us might rather have all the HBO channels be contiguous, all the SPORTS chanels to be contiguous, KIDS channels, etc - whether or not they're HD.

Having all the HD channels in the same area makes way too much sense for Seattle Comcast. :p

Sorry, still bitter about them telling me they were gonna add 20 new HD channels by the end of 2006 when I called about upgrading my service to HD :)

My DVR box has the new guide this morning in West Seattle. WTF happened to the SD picture quality? I tuned to CNBC and the ticker now looks absolutely horrid - extremely blurry/fuzzy. If this is Comcast's idea of "progress", I guess it's time to head back to satellite.

The new guide showed up on my 6412 this morning.

It added a bunch of garbage recordings for some reason (London Live, BBC World News) and filled my hard disk to 99 percent!. It took some effort just to clear out those scheduled recordings.

It looks like they're loading my 3416 with the new guide right now. It displays the "One Moment - restoring features" message when hitting the menu button.

If things haven't changed they'll only provide you with component cables (which work fine). I agree with the earlier poster - expensive cables are only worth it for longer runs.

Maybe, but I'm not sure that's ever been verified by double-blind testing. Wouldn't wanna estimate the amount of money that's been wasted on so-called premium cables...

My DVR box has the new guide this morning in West Seattle. WTF happened to the SD picture quality? I tuned to CNBC and the ticker now looks absolutely horrid - extremely blurry/fuzzy. If this is Comcast's idea of "progress", I guess it's time to head back to satellite.Sounds like you're seeing actual ANALOG stations. This was always a huge problem with their DVR box: poor analog tuner + poor-quality MPEG2 encoder = horrible, fuzzy picture. Problem went away when they started using digital simulcast of SD channels instead of analog - which bypassed the Moto box's tuner & encoder completely.

Maybe the new guide has reversed the mapping of analog channels and their digital simulcasts? Try tuning to the 700-series instead - eg, ch. 744 instead of 44 - and see if it looks better.

Sounds like you're seeing actual ANALOG stations.

I suspect you're right. I went down to check the 700's after reading your post and found the box totally locked up. Power light was on, IR activity light on, sound but no picture, totally unresponsive to any buttons. Pulled the power and reconnected, and it seems to be working again. But any 7xx channel number is ignored, so who knows what's up with the SD stations. :mad:

...
But any 7xx channel number is ignored, so who knows what's up with the SD stations.
...

Perhaps ADS got disabled on your box when the new guide was installed. Call Comcast.

Actually I think I'm going to call DirecTV instead. I was just down again fooling with it. When I turned the box off with the remote, it locked up solid again. Power light on, IR light on, sound but no picture. Unresponsive to any button on the box or remote. Never had the slightest problem with this box before today. Nice job Comcast. I will call them later when I get back and let them know what I think of their fine system. :mad: :mad: :mad:

Quote:
Originally Posted by newlinux
If things haven't changed they'll only provide you with component cables (which work fine). I agree with the earlier poster - expensive cables are only worth it for longer runs.

Opus312:
Maybe, but I'm not sure that's ever been verified by double-blind testing.>>

I am not blind in either eye and I have had both component cables and a dvi-HDMI cable connected to my Sony HD for a few years from my Motorola 6200. Switching between which I have done a few times yields no noticeable difference. I am fortunate to have the latter cable now as my brand new Mac Book Pro laptop has dvi out and my 1080p 24" BenQ display has an HDMI input as well as component and dvi. Should I add the new HDHomerun for Mac? :) sam

The new guide showed up on my 6412 this morning.

It added a bunch of garbage recordings for some reason (London Live, BBC World News) and filled my hard disk to 99 percent!. It took some effort just to clear out those scheduled recordings.

It looks like they're loading my 3416 with the new guide right now. It displays the "One Moment - restoring features" message when hitting the menu button.I got the new guide as well...
What a piece of $hit! I could find no redeeming features or functionality over the previous guide. In fact the layout is much worse, the DVR screen is terrible, and navigation is a big step backwards. For example, I used to be able to bring up the guide by hitting the guide button, and close it by simply pressing the guide button again. Now, pressing the guide button twice brings up a stupid icon menu (none of the icons I tried are even enabled yet). So I have to use the exit button to leave the guide. I have to say i am definately not happy. I was excited when I got a phone call telling me to expect a new guide to be installed this week. I assumed it was an upgrade, not a downgrade. Thumbs DOWN Comcast! :mad:

Any word on when redmond will be updated?

this is where having my tivo s3 is nice..of course that is only one room. I hvae the 3412's in two other rooms. I noticed when I got up at 4am this morning that my box in bedroom was downloading, I would guess the new guide as comcast called my cellphone sunday afternoon to say they would be updating the new guide...

gdeep, I woudl think you also would get a call (automated one) that informs you of an upcoming guide change as I did...

Keith

this is where having my tivo s3 is nice..of course that is only one room. I hvae the 3412's in two other rooms. I noticed when I got up at 4am this morning that my box in bedroom was downloading, I would guess the new guide as comcast called my cellphone sunday afternoon to say they would be updating the new guide...

gdeep, I woudl think you also would get a call (automated one) that informs you of an upcoming guide change as I did...

KeithIdentical experience here.... received a call to the phone line i have on file with Comcast on Sunday afternoon. Noticed the DL notification on my box at 4:06 AM when I let the dog out.

I just wish i could have the old guide back. :cool:

I just wish i could have the old guide back. :cool:

Great, this is not sounding good at all. I was looking forward to an improvement with the new guide, now I'm getting kind of worried.

Any new word on when Fios TV's coming to Washington? I've heard this fall, and I've also heard fall 2008... I don't think Satellite will work for me with all the trees.

Wow, what bad timing for the new guide to come out. The same day the TiVo HD goes on sale. I just ordered mine after I got home and my Comcast box is completely full of garbage shows I've never in my life watched. Jerry Springer? WTF? After spending about 20 minutes trying to cancel the hundreds of programs that are scheduled to record I gave up and placed my TiVo HD order. Heck, it's a nightmare even going through your scheduled series as it's no longer in an alphabetical order.

Great job Comcast!

I got the new guide as well...
What a piece of $hit! I could find no redeeming features or functionality over the previous guide. In fact the layout is much worse, the DVR screen is terrible, and navigation is a big step backwards.

Agreed. You forgot to mention sluggish. It is a truly dreadful UI, IMO. Am I correct that you can't program channels out of the default list? So you have to make at least 2 button presses to select a Fav list in the guide, and then it always resets the guide to chan. 1? :( :mad:

I sure hope they don't do Bellevue this week, since I am in San Diego until next Monday and I am worried my DVR will run out of space recording "junk" and will miss my regular shows... :mad:

Might be time for Tivo HD for me, as well...

Great, this is not sounding good at all. I was looking forward to an improvement with the new guide, now I'm getting kind of worried.

Any new word on when Fios TV's coming to Washington? I've heard this fall, and I've also heard fall 2008... I don't think Satellite will work for me with all the trees.Well, I don't want to sound like a complainer. But if anyone finds an improvement to the guide... (the only one I noticed is kids programs are in blue and sports are in green) feel free to let me know.