INHDs seemed OK last night after being intermittant for several days.

Originally posted by biz_qwik
But I guess I should check out the hot new Whoopi or Scrubs this week!!!! Hmmm maybe I should watch people eating molded squid guts for an hour...decisions....decisions.
Maybe not Whoopi or squid eating, but you definitely should be watching Scrubs! Only morons don't watch Scrubs! ;) :D They don't use a laugh track either. Sterile high five!

Maybe not Whoopi or squid eating, but you definitely should be watching Scrubs! Only morons don't watch Scrubs! They don't use a laugh track either. Sterile high five!

Don't usually watch Scrubs, but a hilarious quote from last night's episode:

"If they took all the porn off the internet, there would only be one website left, and that website would say, "Bring back the porn."

I'm not usually a fan of sitcoms, but I find Scrubs to be quite clever. I appreciate the sarcastic humor and I especially like the fact that there isn't a laugh track. I don't need to be prompted to laugh, I'm pretty good at figuring out what's funny on my own!

Now how we got onto this when Comcast doesn't carry KING5 and even if they did, Scrubs isn't in HD... :D

Hey Sonoma, just curious... What brings you over to the Seattle area thread?

Are the HD NBA game reruns on INHD going to be blacked out or will they be allowed to air?

Any airing will be blacked out.

biz_qwik, you're not alone. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even have a TV if it weren't for sports. The other stuff is just made-up fluff, IMO.

I really have to give Comcast credit for the effort they are putting into promoting their HD service. While Dish and DirecTV seem to treat their HD offerings as a secret, Comcast has put regular HD ads in the Seattle Times, on radio and inserts into their bills.

Now if Comcast could only get KING-DT and KIRO-DT and others in their line-up ...

Originally posted by Budget_HT
Now if Comcast could only get KING-DT and KIRO-DT and others in their line-up ...

They need to get WB, UPN and Fox also. WB has quite a few HDTV shows. UPN just got Startrek Enterprise. Fox is gearing up for HDTV next year. Comcast is falling behind on this.

Fox (480p) IS available in certain markets....the upgrades to the Washington area will allow these channels to be avail when possible....

Originally posted by Budget_HT
Now if Comcast could only get KING-DT and KIRO-DT and others in their line-up ...

I kept hearing that this would happen by the end of October... I guess I put too much faith in unsubstantiated rumors. There have been newspaper articles stating that agreements were either made or very close that lead me to believe these rumors.

BTW its interesting that Canada cable gets Seattle channels in HD before Seattle cable customers:


http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK1.story&STORY=/www/story/10-28-2003/0002046287&EDATE=TUE+Oct+28+2003,+04:04+PM

Comcast promises for HD channels should not be believed any more. Maybe they should say nothing until each channel is already available.

I don't know what the hold up really is, but we have had promises for nearly 2 years now (it started with AT&T Cable before Comcast came on the scene here). Good thing for me that I have great OTA HD reception, but I have friends who were waiting patiently for cable. But patiently ran out many months ago. Comcast's big advertising campaign for HDTV is misleading to folks who don't realize the whole story.

For me personally, there is no reason (except Mariners games next season) to pursue Comcast for HDTV unless they ACTUALLY offer more HDTV than is available via OTA and DirecTV HD. This Comcast habit of "stringing customers along" with unfulfilled promises is getting VERY OLD! I feel sorry for those folks who have no other viable alternative unless they are willing to subscribe to ExpressVu satellite service to get Seattle channels in HD.

Originally posted by Budget_HT
Comcast promises for HD channels should not be believed any more. Maybe they should say nothing until each channel is already available.

I don't know what the hold up really is, but we have had promises for nearly 2 years now (it started with AT&T Cable before Comcast came on the scene here). Good thing for me that I have great OTA HD reception, but I have friends who were waiting patiently for cable. But patiently ran out many months ago. Comcast's big advertising campaign for HDTV is misleading to folks who don't realize the whole story.

For me personally, there is no reason (except Mariners games next season) to pursue Comcast for HDTV unless they ACTUALLY offer more HDTV than is available via OTA and DirecTV HD. This Comcast habit of "stringing customers along" with unfulfilled promises is getting VERY OLD! I feel sorry for those folks who have no other viable alternative unless they are willing to subscribe to ExpressVu satellite service to get Seattle channels in HD.

I can understand why you would be frustrated with their pace of progress, but how is their advertising campaign misleading? Also, they do offer InHD and InHD2 which aren't available OTA or via satellite. I personally don't find much value in those channels yet, but they are cable exclusive.

I liken the current state of affairs regarding the lack of HD availability to high speed INTERNET cable service. It wasn't available until two? years ago in my neighborhood and I was forced to to DSL (IDSL to be specific which is only 144kb). I now have cable INTERNET and I will NEVER EVER go back to DSL. I remember how impatient and upset I was that I could not get cable INTERNET although other areas could get it.

That said, I believe that we are in a similar situation with HD. We all want all available HD content now. A year from now, I believe Comcast will have completed the HD deals and the sorry state of affairs we are in now will be a distant memory. I am one of the fortunate ones in that I can get FOX. CBS, KING, KCTS and KOMO OTA so I don't feel as much pain as many others do. However, I cannot get UPN, Discovery etc. in HD. I look forward to the day I can take down my OTA antenna.

Also, they do offer InHD and InHD2 which aren't available OTA or via satellite. I personally don't find much value in those channels yet, but they are cable exclusive.

Actually, I find them quite enjoyable. It's cool to see some of the older movies I really like (Full Metal Jacket, Romancing the Stone, etc.) being shown in HD. Also, some of the documentaries are quite good such as the one on an Endeavor shuttle mission the Over xxx series. The channels are eclectic in their showings, much the way I wish KCTS had gone with their HD offerings.

I agree James...the space shuttle footage had my captivated for 30-mins.Great stuff, but still second tier none the less.

Originally posted by Budget_HT
Comcast promises for HD channels should not be believed any more. Maybe they should say nothing until each channel is already available.


I too am frustrated. However, I have not seen any promises other than the "more on the way."

The cable industry is in somewhat of a turmoil now. Regulations on HD must carry are still not ironed out. They are still grappling with the new must-carry PSIP agreement which if fully implmented renders their own guide redundant for DTV feeds. Add in the cable "plug and play" OpenCable push and they are moving to do a lot fo stuff in a short amount of time.

I'm willing to cut them some slack. There are cool things coming down the pipe enabled by the OpenCable POD/CableCard stuff that the DBS folks will not be able to match. For the first time in decades cable will be cool again. I'm willing to wait for that.

As a followup - my picture on INHD & INHD2 seems to be quite stable once again. No more dropouts & pixelization. The recent solar storms are also quiet today - hmmm......

Originally posted by brvheart
Hey Sonoma, just curious... What brings you over to the Seattle area thread?

Just like to see what is happening up there with HD as compared to the Bay Area.

Plus, Seattle's CBS affiliate (KIRO) is owned by Cox Television, which also owns Bay Area's Fox affiliate (KTVU). I believe Comcast and Cox are negotiating for carriage of all Cox stations' digital/HD signals together as one package/agreement. So if and when there are indications/announcements that Seattle Comcast is getting KIRO's digital/HD channel, I would be quite interested because that will indicate to me that we would be getting Fox Widescreen 480p over cable soon in the Bay Area.

Originally posted by jimre
As a followup - my picture on INHD & INHD2 seems to be quite stable once again. No more dropouts & pixelization. The recent solar storms are also quiet today - hmmm......

It's so bad I can't even watch MNF in hd, it's fine on the analog station. And the center channel of the 5.1 sounds like their talking in a can. Noticed 108 having the same picture issues, 664 and 665 seem to be ok (of course I never saw the issue on these stations)
And some of the lower digital stations too. Anyone else seeing this?


Ric

Ric - are you referring to pixelation on KOMO-HD (104)? if so, I'm not seeing any in Carnation on comcast... (pic looks good)

Originally posted by Ric Crowe
It's so bad I can't even watch MNF in hd, it's fine on the analog station. And the center channel of the 5.1 sounds like their talking in a can. Noticed 108 having the same picture issues, 664 and 665 seem to be ok (of course I never saw the issue on these stations)
And some of the lower digital stations too. Anyone else seeing this?


Ric
I was having these issues last week on all my HD channels. Comcast sent out a technician and installed a signal amplifier, after determining the signal was weak to my house. All channels are now coming in fine. Note that I have a 200 foot run of cable from the street to my house, you may have a different problem.

I just wanted to let you all know that due to recent developments I have had to take down Seattle HDTV News for those of you who were on the site it was fun and I'm glad I was able to offer you guys help and a place to strictly discuss HD in the Seattle area, I may decide later in the future to start up another site but probably not anytime soon. I'll still be around here though.

Jeremy

Jeremyfr@comcast.net

bummer! Jeremy - thanks for all the info and knowledge you've been able to part to us here on the forum. with the effort you were putting it, it was a positive reflection on comcast and was finally a source of valuable & correct information. hope "recent developments" didn't get you into any trouble - comcast should be happy to keep their customers informed, but alas...

Hey Jeremy, I wanted to tell you thanks for everything you have done for us in keeping us informed of the developments over there at Comcast. I, along with others, can only hope that the "recent developments" did not cost you your job. We find your responses to posts are quick and informative. Again thanks for all you have done.

"recent developments" did not but nearly did cost me my job.

If I were your supervisor and found out about your "unofficial" website the purpose of which was to help Comcast subscribers, which you put together using your own personal time, I would have given you a raise and promoted you.

Ahhh Sonoma, but life in the corporate world is not that easy. Perhaps his boss was ticked off because s/he did not think of it. It was a great resource, and I hope you'll stay around Jeremy. :)

Originally posted by Ric Crowe
And the center channel of the 5.1 sounds like their talking in a can.

Exactly! What is up with that KOMO? If this is their solution to the lip sync problem then they better go back to the drawing board. Glad I'm not the only one being annoyed by this (not that I wish anybody had to be).

Brent

Policies like that come all the way from the top. Jeremy's manager has to worry about watching their own back as well. Not too different from that guy that Microsoft fired last week for putting a picture on his website showing a shipment of Macs being unloaded for MS. They didn't fire him because they were Macs, but because of a security policy.

The removal of Jeremy’s site is Comcast's loss. Here was a forum that would dispense information and dispel rumors with a slant favorable to Comcast. Seattle area customers are hungry for information relating to the various cable products, notably the new DCT6208 DVR and a more complete hdtv lineup. It was nice to know what features actually are upcoming and what services Comcast considers a priority. Not knowing this may lead some consumers to give up on cable and try the ota route. I had been pleasantly surprised that Comcast would allow such a site and this helped dispel my notion that Comcast wasn’t very customer focused. It seemed like a very progressive move, I assumed that Comcast had some sort of control of the information published on this site but was allowing information known to the CSR’s available to the public.

With the removal of this site, I only hope that Comcast will make information regarding upcoming and new services more easily available either through the stb messages (instead of ads), their corporate website, or through CSRs.

Personally I have been staying with cable with the idea that we will have a full lineup of local hdtv channels relatively soon. I am not excited about spending the extra cash and effort to buy a hdtv receiver/antenna but it doesn’t make sense to have an expensive hdtv set and to miss out on the local hd channels for a long period of time.

Jeremy,

While you have taken down the "other" site....will you still be able to participate here in this forum, or have you gone silent all together?

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
[B]I just wanted to let you all know that due to recent developments I have had to take down Seattle HDTV News for those of you who were on the site it was fun and I'm glad I was able to offer you guys help and a place to strictly discuss HD in the Seattle area, I may decide later in the future to start up another site but probably not anytime soon. I'll still be around here though.

Well it was fun while it lasted. Thanks for all the hard work Jeremy.

I can still participate here dont worry but I'm going to be watching what I say and do for a while.

Jeremy,

You put up a really nice forum in a very short time and it was immensely helpful. I can understand why Comcast might be very nervous not having full control of all the information that was disseminated on that site. I suppose it was inevitable that they would become aware of it, and as soon as they did they couldn't just "trust it", so they had to make you stop. Maybe they thought maintaining the site was compromising your ability to perform your present duties because of your greater love for HDTV than broadband. Too bad businesses don't always put people in positions doing the things they love the most, thereby getting the most effectiveness out of them :).

Is there any way you could still put out a bi-weekly or monthly newsletter to the names you already have in your distribution list, perhaps "scrubbing" the origination? Regardless, thanks for all you did!

On the DCT5100s that have until the rollout of the 6208s:
I like to timeshift several of the programs that are on digital stations - especially KOMO-DT, ESPN-HD, INHD1, and INHD2 - on my Replays. Do you have any idea why the picture is SO DARK on the 480i s-video output on these channels but not on any of the others? Meanwhile, the 1080i output on component looks perfect (as good as OTA, IMO). Can anything be done to lighten up the s-video output?
Also, on the s-video output, if I don't letterbox it, I lose several inches off the top and bottom of the picture. Can anything be done about this (such as a firmware update)?

Thanks!

Jeremy,

The sad part about this situation is that you were a Comcast advocate and defended the company from the barbs of a critical and sometimes hostile group of HD enthusiasts!! I bet that as a group, we have some of highest average cable bills versus your average Comcast customer. At the same time, we are among the most frustrated customers. Your efforts did nothing short of appeasing the best of your company's customers and encouraging them to stick with Comcast. IMO you should be rewarded for your efforts and encouraged to continue.

I hope that someone from Comcast reads this post and the others that have praised your efforts. I also hope they realize that as a group we are among the most technically savvy of their customers and are not intimidated by the prospect of dumping Comcast for satellite, or OTA, or whatever.

Thank you for all your hard work.

tluxon: As for the S-Video thats the only output I use right now as I haven't purchased an HD set yet, I've had no problems with a dark picture on S-Video though I have the dvi/ypbpr output set to 480i so I'm wondering if that makes a difference. Try that and let me know if so then I dont know why it would be like that.

Everyone: I really appreciate your word's of encouragement regarding the situation, I want to make it very clear that I was not asked in any way to take down my site.

There was concerns internally about some of the information I had posted was still being considered propietary and they would have preferred if I had not posted it.

As much as I enjoy sharing the information that I recieve and have I will have to cut back quite a bit, I'll still be able to answer questions regarding tech help with equipment etc, but as for stuff like channels coming etc I'm gonna have to hold back on that. Sorry guys.

Jeremy

Well, after a couple good days I notice that pixelization & dropouts on INHD & INHD2 have returned. And according to www.spaceweather.com - so has the latest blast of solar storm radiation. Coincidence? I think not....

Out of curiosity, is there any particular reason ABC broadcasts in 720p while the other HD channels are in 1080i?

Well, there are valid technical reasons for choosing 720p over 1080i. And vice versa.

It's progressive for one and in the future most HD displays will be progressive. At least that my opinion. The bandwidth needed for 720p is about the same as 1080i.

With 1080i you get 30 frames per second made of 60 interlaced fields. Each field is 1920x540. It provides more spatial resolution.

720p has 60 progressive frames per second. You get more temporal resolution. More frames per second.

In a single second both splatter the same number of pixels on the screen. I prefer the look of 720p, particularly when sourced from good progressive content.

To be quite honest 1080i, or interlaced video at all, is just silly today. IMHO. Originally NTSC 480i was cooked up to get more spatial resolution out of the limited 6mhz bandwidth of a TV signal back in the crusty analog days.

To keep intelaced formats alive in the 21st century is just stupid.

I think ABC made the right call.

Originally posted by Roto
Policies like that come all the way from the top. Jeremy's manager has to worry about watching their own back as well. Not too different from that guy that Microsoft fired last week for putting a picture on his website showing a shipment of Macs being unloaded for MS. They didn't fire him because they were Macs, but because of a security policy.

It could be worse. If he worked for Motorola he'd be fired already. Every person at Motorola/General Instrument who's ever tried to promote the big dish and help out the users has eventually been fired. Many large companies seem to have a habit if getting rid of their top motivated talent.

It explains the stellar software on the DCT5100.

Both INHD1 and 2 were unwatcheable last night. Too bad because my alma matter (UMass) was on inhd2's football night. It's not very often I get to watch them on TV (being 3000 miles away) and too see them in HD would have been a treat.

Of course the primary question going through my head was "why the heck is a game between two 1-AA schools being broadcast in HD?" It's not like it was a single HD camera feed also, They must have had at least 4 cameras in the stadium all in HD.

Have you had much trouble with INHD being unwatchable. They are one of the main reasons I'm going ahead with HD instead of waiting for more network channels to become available.

INHD and INHD2 were just fine until quite recently. I suspect the current batch of solar storms is interfering with one or more of Comcast's satellite downlinks for these channels. It seemed to get better a few days ago during a lull in the solar storms, but had problems once again on Tuesday - (concidentally?) when the solar storm activity picked up again.

RE: INHD signal quality

It's been rock solid on my end. It may vary across different parts of the network.

i've been having trouble here with pixelation & audio dropouts in carnation throughout the week - even last night...

looked stunning last nite in shoreline...no pixelation or audio dropouts....

Rich

Originally posted by ianken
Well, there are valid technical reasons for choosing 720p over 1080i. And vice versa.

It's progressive for one and in the future most HD displays will be progressive. At least that my opinion. The bandwidth needed for 720p is about the same as 1080i.

With 1080i you get 30 frames per second made of 60 interlaced fields. Each field is 1920x540. It provides more spatial resolution.

720p has 60 progressive frames per second. You get more temporal resolution. More frames per second.

In a single second both splatter the same number of pixels on the screen. I prefer the look of 720p, particularly when sourced from good progressive content.

To be quite honest 1080i, or interlaced video at all, is just silly today. IMHO. Originally NTSC 480i was cooked up to get more spatial resolution out of the limited 6mhz bandwidth of a TV signal back in the crusty analog days.

To keep intelaced formats alive in the 21st century is just stupid.

I think ABC made the right call.

wierd how my tv (and many others) support 1080i and NOT 720p...
I guess tv manufactures like to resist the future then..

Originally posted by Jinx
wierd how my tv (and many others) support 1080i and NOT 720p...
I guess tv manufactures like to resist the future then..

1080i can be done with less capable CRTs. The timing/sepcs for 1080i are the same (mostly) as 540p. 720p requires more capable, and therefor more expensive CRTs. As with all things it's a cost issue.

I'd like to follow up on why there has been no Software/Firmware updates for almost 2-years ... Aaarrrggghhh!!!

Latest Software/Firmware:
Software Ver. 51.22 – 2002 & Firmware of 6.04

My neighbors, co-workers, friends, relatives & myself are still on very old:
Software Ver. 50.00 – 1078 & Firmware of 2.48

Now, I'm reading that the DVI connection has been enabled.

To add insult to injury, I just got off the phone with some very rude & ignorant Comcast representatives :mad: They have no clue what DVI, Software/Firmware was, plus they gave me attitude :mad:

Links:
http://cjhengineering.com/5100faq.htm
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=194404&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

Almost 2 years without an update - really? I thought the very first 5100's were deployed here just over 1 year ago, last October. The first boxes with DVI connectors didn't ship until Jan 03. Maybe it just seems like 2 years...

Okay, mid to late 2001. That's still over a year since an update for the DCT5100 has been sent. Customers have had to endure the pixelation, red push, and other PQ & Audio quirks. I bet a bunch don't even notice or care, but many do. Who at Comcast do I/We need to contact to get some action?!? It's ironic that the customers know more about Comcast's equipment than their phone monkeys:mad:

Originally posted by jimre
Almost 2 years without an update - really? I thought the very first 5100's were deployed here just over 1 year ago, last October. The first boxes with DVI connectors didn't ship until Jan 03. Maybe it just seems like 2 years...

Well, just to be accurate - we all got the 2.50 firmware update on our 5100 boxes in late April/early May 2003. This added the much-needed "480i Override" feature. Here in Seattle we got this update about 3-4 months after the very first east-coast markets (original Comcast areas, not newly-acquired AT&T areas) got it.

If the DVI-enabling update is specifically what you're looking for, it looks like these early-adopter east-coast Comcast markets just got this update last week. Based on past history then, I'd guess we'd get this update in 3-4 months.

From what I've read here & in other posts, Comcast Puget Sound seems to be totally focused on upgrading their old AT&T Cable head-end infrastructure to support Video On Demand. It's high priority, since this is a new service that could actually make money for them - unlike say, enabling DVI ports.

As for the enabling of DVI ports if you read the other post's that firmware was pulled and noone has DVI again, it appears they were merely doing firmware testing for the release of the 6208.

As for firmware updates & numbering the firmware version can be different in different markets if they have different requests for features.

As has been stated our last firmware update in this area was around 5 months ago and I'd say to probably expect on coming sometime in Late December.

Jeremy

Firmware 2.50 ... WTF?!? Everyone I know is still on Firmware 2.48 & Software 50.00 - 1078. HOW DO WE GET THE UPDATES? How does one get on the waiting list for the DCT 6208?

Originally posted by jimre
"... Well, just to be accurate - we all got the 2.50 firmware update on our 5100 boxes in late April/early May 2003. This added the much-needed "480i Override" feature. ..."

Originally posted by r0bErT4u
Firmware 2.50 ... WTF?!? Everyone I know is still on Firmware 2.48 & Software 50.00 - 1078. Just dbl-checked, and it is indeed 2.48 firmware that is currently installed. When we got this update back in May, I guess I assumed it was 2.50, since in other parts of the country that was the version that included the 480i Override feature, and we had a discussion thread going about "the 2.50 update". Just replace "2.50" with "2.48" in my post, and my point is still valid: Seattle may be way behind other Comcast markets in their technology rollout, but it has only been 6 months (not 2 years) since we've gotten an update.

Seattle may be way behind other Comcast markets in their technology rollout, but it has only been 6 months (not 2 years) since we've gotten an update

Just to clarify, Seattle is not behind in updates. If you are to ask these people with different firmware what other services they get they would tell you that they already get VOD, and are very near release for DVR etc. All things that Seattle does not have yet and probably wont start seeing untill at least the end of the year. Each of these things requires a different firmware, so for what Seattle has right now we have the correct Firmware, as you see services like VOD added etc you will see the firmware change but not untill then.

Jeremy

Any update on when we'll get the Microsoft program guide?

I wouldn't count on anything till probably around the end of next year, I've not heard anything regarding it at all, and TV-Guide is still the primary in all Comcast markets I think MSTV is still in its very early testing phases at MS honestly.

btw I start beta testing VOD starting around the 17th.

Does anyone know what the highest frequency is that Comcast uses in Seattle for its NTSC and ATSC digital cable channels and whether or not they are in-the-clear or encrypted (other than premium and ppv of course).

I'm hoping that an ADTV HDTV card for my computer will be capable of pulling in all of the channels, but it's only able to get signals less than 800MHz or so.

If anyone has a list of channel #, freq, clear/encrypted could you post?

Thanks! Lee

Lee: unforutnately that wont work with Cable it will only work with 8-VSB modulated HD and cable use's QAM to modulate all of its channels so you would only recieve the normal analog SD channels with that card but no digital channels.

As of yet I am not aware of any PC Card that is capable of decoding QAM.

Jeremy

I've seen in another thread (here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2900630#post2900630)) that there actually *IS* an AccessDTV card that can tune unencrypted QAM. Assuming that's true - then the following Comcast Seattle HD channels are in the clear (currently):

ABC (KOMO-HD), ch 104 (717 MHz)
PBS (KCTS-HD), ch 108 (717 MHz)
ESPN-HD, ch 173 (729 Mhz)

the other HD channels (HBO-HD, SHO-HD, INHD, INHD2) are all encrypted.

I don't know of any channel vs freq. list - I've asked Comcast and they (engineering folks, not CSRs) said they don't really have one. Maybe JeremyFr can find one.

You can always use the Moto 5100 diagnostics to find the details of the specific channel you're tuned to - frequency, encrypted status, etc.

it really all depends on the channel but as for frequency Comcast doesnt exceed 860Mhz currently.

So....can we expect Cinemax-HD any day now?

So....can we expect Cinemax-HD any day now?

I haven't heard anything regarding carriage of this channel yet.

I don't imagine there will be much of anything on Cinemax-HD that wasn't on HBO first. Though I guess it would at least have movies on during prime time. HBO loves to have reruns of shows that aren't even HD like K-Street and sports highlight shows during the week at 8pm :rolleyes: This is why I want Starz-HD.

no kidding roto...I'm tired of turning to HBO-HD/SHO-HD at 8pm and finding crap on....

HBO and SHO HD don't optimize their content for their HD channels. The movies played are not "selected" because of their image quality. It is definitely nice to see some well-done movies in 1080i, but the majority of the stuff is rather un-exciting.

I think priority should always be on acquiring local and cable networks offering HD. Although the premiums offerings will always come along smoother.

the other HD channels (HBO-HD, SHO-HD, INHD, INHD2) are all encrypted.

I thought INHD and INHD2 were on the free list?
Do you mean you need the cable box to un-encrypt them, but you don't pay extra?


QUOTED FROM "WHAT'S IN MY AREA"
Welcome to Comcast of Snohomish County, Wa

7 Channels Now Available!

We currently offer the following HDTV Channels to Comcast Digital Customers who have an HDTV decoder:

KOMO 4 – Seattle Market’s local ABC station – Channel 104 ~Not available on satellite!

KCTS - Seattle's local PBS station - Channel 108 ~Not available on satellite!

ESPN - Channel 173

INHD - Channel 664

INHD2 - Channel 665

the following HDTV Premium Movie channels*:

HBO West - Channel 549

Showtime West - Channel 574

*A subscription to HBO or Showtime is required to receive the HDTV channel from that service. HDTV Programming is limited to the programs delivered to Comcast in HDTV format by the underlying program provider. Programming is subject to change.

Originally posted by weebling1
I thought INHD and INHD2 were on the free list?
Do you mean you need the cable box to un-encrypt them, but you don't pay extra? Correct. "Free" doesn't mean "unencrypted". You would not be able to decrypt these programs if you had your own QAM-capable HD receiver or card.

Isn't the rule of thumb on encrypted vs. unencrypted availability of a channel that it will be unencrypted if it's available OTA, and encrypted otherwise?

In a separate thought, I'm one of the conflicted/tempted people that don't have Comcast, want HD, but can't bring myself to sign up until a PVR and networks are available. Originally, I thought that pretty soon the networks would be available, and the temptation not to wait for the 6208 would get too great. Now, I'm beginning to wonder if it will work the other way around, with the PVR available before the rest of the networks.

--Mike

With reports of DVI becoming enabled in East coast Comcast markets, I'm curiouis what the latest firmware and software versions are for the 5100 in the Seattle area.

With reports of DVI becoming enabled in East coast Comcast markets, I'm curiouis what the latest firmware and software versions are for the 5100 in the Seattle area.

50.00 1078
2.5

All I want for Christmas is my local networks in HD! I know the whole CBS-HD acquisition is a royal mess, but at least get KING5 on there!

How many HD 'wanters' have contacted KING andCBS regarding timeline for HD. I know Comcast is the negotiator but with many requesting we may be able to help tilt the timeframe in our direction.
Just a thought.

nodrog2,

I prefer to be called an 'HD whiner'. That conveys the dignity I deserve.

I'll send off email, today, but if I recall correctly, the responses people have been getting essentially stated that the local stations are willing to provide the signal, but Comcast needs to work out an agreement with them.

It also seems that if I don't already have service with Comcast, any calls to request (or complain) HD networks, hardware, etc. are not logged (no account to log them in) for statistical analysis.

Whatever, it will all resolve over the next couple of months. I just need to find something else to occupy my time until then.

--Mike

Any specific email addresses for the networks that we can send email to? (NBC, CBS, WB, UPN, FOX)

I've been meaning to do this for a while. I just sent an email to kingtv@king5.com. I told them that I had been a loyal KING5 News viewer and that NBC had been my preferred network for primetime programming. I then said that I now prefer KOMO entirely due to the fact that they broadcast in HD over Comcast cable. I'll post again if I get a response.

I did the same thing with one minor tweak: I told them I am an Arbitron rated household, and I am no longer watching KING due to their lack of HD availability on Comcast.
I believe as a Arbitron house, I speak for ohh...about 800k people :)

Originally posted by Vespa
I did the same thing with one minor tweak: I told them I am an Arbitron rated household, and I am no longer watching KING due to their lack of HD availability on Comcast.
I believe as a Arbitron house, I speak for ohh...about 800k people :)

Are you allowed to identify yourself as an Arbitron house? I thought that was taboo, at least with the Nielsen homes anyway.

I am being anonymous :)

Shoot, comcast customer service is horrible, and they don't help with anything, or know anything!! I'm ready to drop them and go to directv HDTV, I'm starting to think it's worth the extra money to purchase a reciever!! Anyone have directv hdtv yet??

My understanding with Directv or Dish network is that they don't and they won't have local channels on HD. That is the primary reason I'm sticking with Comcast and the not knowledgeable customer service personnel. As of yesterday I was told that the DVI on their 5100 will not be activated in my area for "awhile". The networks are in negotiations with Comcast but no idea who or what is the holdup. It makes no sense to me that so many other Comcast areas get all or more networks in HD than we do.

The phone sales reps and first-tier support reps at DirecTV are NO BETTER than those at Comcast. Poor service was the reason I dumped DirecTV last year.

Here's a tale of woe: last year DirecTV upgraded their activation cards to a new "anti-piracy" version. Of course they screwed it up, and all 5 of my receivers were dead. After 3 weeks, 20+ phone calls, and multiple attempts to mail me new cards that worked - I still couldn't watch TV. To make matters worse by this time they had tried to send me so many new cards their computer system flagged me as a "pirate" - and refused to mail any more to my address. DirecTV actually suggested the only way for me to get my receivers working again was to change my address or get a PO Box!! Needless to say, my subscriptions were canceled and a lengthy letter was written to DirecTV management.

So I didn't really switch to Comcast because it was any better, just out of total disgust for DirecTV. But now that Comcast is starting to get HD locals, I'm glad I made the switch.

Okay maybe i'll wait a little!! Also i'd like to mention that i just got the newer version of their 5100 box (it now says comcast on it because the older 5100 froze and locked up on me), and mine doesn't have dvi on it!! So activated or not i don't get to use dvi unless i switch out the box for the 6208 or whatever the new one will be called!!

You can contact KIRO at "programming@kirotv.com" - they told me IT WILL be available in the future. So will Armageddon, let's try to, if not pin them down, at least get a reasonable estimate. Maybe someone from Comcast will read our frustration and drop a little information our way. Here's hoping.

Chhuong, what is in the slot where the DVI normally is? Also what is the first 6 digits of the Serial Number? It will be a GIxxxx.

I don't see any other complaints, but I haven't been able to get any Comcast digital channels (104,109,173,664,665) all day long. Is everybody else getting these?

[edit]I discovered that we had a power outage at about 9 this morning, and the problems began after that. When I cycled the power on the 5100 everything seemed to return to normal. I kind of ignored it for a while because I was watching the Hawks game on 13-1 OTA.

i don't even know where the dvi spot is supposed to be so i can't tell you that but it says it's model dct 5100/1004 serial gi1251tc3436.

I am confused, why are you guys so excited about DVI? When i was researching tv's I was to understand that it was just another method that could be used to encrypt stuff further.. Not that it was in any way far superior to component.. yet you guy seem to make a huge deal out of it..

Assuming that there isn't a digital-to-analog then analog-to-digital decode and encode before outputing via DVI, a DVI connection keeps the picture information in the digital realm until it gets to the display. This reduces the chances for interference.

I like the fact that Mitsubishi enabled Firewire in their Promise Module. This seems to fly in the face of the huge DVI crowd.

i don't even know where the dvi spot is supposed to be so i can't tell you that but it says it's model dct 5100/1004 serial gi1251tc3436.
Wow that's an early box. Before they were putting DVI in.

Where has INHD gone.... I noticed I could not tune in either channel last night. Checked the Comcast channel lineup on their web site today and INHD is no longer listed.

Just checked. INHD and INHD2 are just fine - where they always were - on both my 5100 boxes. I've actually NEVER seen them listed on the Comcast web site - along with several other channels - so don't judge by that.

Perhaps last night you had a brief power outage (pretty good windstorm here), and your boxes were rebuilding their program guide?

Is anyone still seeing the INHD issues? Specifically, the picture pixelating and the audio dropping out. I seem to see that at night, it is really bad..whereas during the day picture and sound seem stable. I don't know how or who to escalate this to in Comcast, but when it's bad....it's REALLY bad.

Could it be my neighbor downloading porn on his cable modem? Does digital cable and data for the cable modem share bandwidth?

Digital Cable & Cable Modems don't share the same channel / frequency allocation. Your INHD Frequencies are well away from the cable modem frequencies, that it would be highly unlikely that what you described would be your issue.....

I didn't think I had any problems with INHD, because it always came in really good. But yesterday, I wanted to show off my system and tried to watch channels 664 and 665. It was horrible. Break ups in the video and audio.

Count me in on the list of bad INHD reception. :(

-eric

Eric, you may have seen I also periodically have problems with INHD and INHD2. Last night was not bad though. I am in Woodinville as well.
Bill

Originally posted by tluxon
I like the fact that Mitsubishi enabled Firewire in their Promise Module. This seems to fly in the face of the huge DVI crowd.

But mistubishi is alone. Firewire means the video decoding (HD MPEG2 decoder in this case) is in the TV.

What if comcast wants to offer streaming MPEG4 for VOD movie rental? Ditto with DirecTV? To work with that firewire connection you'd either need a new promise module that groked MPEG4 or the set top box would need to include an HD MPEG2 encoder.

Using an interconnect system with limited bandwidth and a reliance on only one video compression technology is short sighted. That's why the rest of CE community has a clue and have gone with DVI/HDMI for display interconectivity: it makes the display device video compression agnostic.

1394 has its place in the home theater but driving displays is not it.

Has anybody heard anything recently about future HD channels on Comcast? I'm switching from D*Tv to Comcast on Saturday specifically for HD content and the 6208 and I'm curious what is in the future plans. Looks to me like Comcast is missing: DiscoveryHD, HDNet, HDNetMovies, all networks except abc, pbs.

Forgot NBATV, what was I thinking???

Does anyone know about HDTV service in Gig Harbor through Comcast? I'm moving there and would like to know if HD and Data service is available. I've heard the area's being rebuilt, but don't know how it's coming along.

Yes phunky - they are missing all that you mentioned. On asking you will get notified that they are in negotiations with some and expect them soon. No definition of soon.

Any word out as to whether ABC will be telecasting the Rose Bowl in HD? Would sure make the New Year's Day party better.

Any word out as to whether ABC will be telecasting the Rose Bowl in HD? Would sure make the New Year's Day party better.

Got home tonight to find my box on channel 2 which lets me know that hmmm they must have sent a signal to my box. Pull up the Diagnostics and sure as sh** firmware 51.42 2002 with bootloader 5.03.

So I suggest all you Seattleites check your box's and see if your firmware updated today.

Jeremy

What does the new firmware provide?

should have some fix's for analog picture quality also gets the box ready for VOD which is coming soon.

n/m

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
Got home tonight to find my box on channel 2 which lets me know that hmmm they must have sent a signal to my box. Pull up the Diagnostics and sure as sh** firmware 51.42 2002 with bootloader 5.03.

So I suggest all you Seattleites check your box's and see if your firmware updated today.

Jeremy

West Seattle, mines still at 50.00-1078

it may be Snohomish county only then for now

Does anybody know where I might find universal remote codes for the motorola stb's (DCT2000 and DCT5100). I have some universal remotes that I would like to use rather than the remotes that came with the stb's.

try 0276 or 0476

It seems some people are getting the 6208 now.

On another web site (If I enter the name AVS will block it, ganks) a review was fairly lacklustre. Only one tuner. The Dual tuner is the 6408. Primitive scheduling abilities, two seconds to change channels. Overall it sounds like a lemon.

I don't know if you guys saw this, but I didn't before. It sheds some lights on the features of the 6208:

http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/news_faq.asp
http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/multimedia_demo.asp

(Namely, they talk about the 80G in the unit)

Scheduling abilities can be added via software upgrades, just like Tivo and ReplayTV. So I don't worry about that too much.

And while 2 seconds seems bad, it beats a ReplayTV hands down (mine could take over 5 seconds).

Personally, I couldn't call this unit a "lemon". It does something that no other setup box can do: it can record and playback HD, analog and SD digital signal all in one box. Also It's spouse-friendly (unlike a OTA-HD HTPC solution) and you don't have to buy the box.

I can't wait to get my hands on one... :)

-eric

And, even though the demo shows the ugly and basically useless TV Guide guide, according to Jeremy they will be replacing that with Miscrosoft version of the guide. You can go th MS website to check it out. It looks waaay better.

Is it against the forum rules to post the URL of the MS guide? I think I have found it, but am not sure if it can be posted.

Keep in mind that MS Guide will probably be a ways down the road if at all.

Also regarding the 6208, though it uses TV-Guide I've seen screen shots of the the interface on the 6208 and its quite a bit more usefull and alot better looking yet still running TV-Guide in the background. I'd post screenshots but I cant.

Jeremy

Can anyone PM me any links they may have to the new remote?

Originally posted by jameskollar
And, even though the demo shows the ugly and basically useless TV Guide guide, according to Jeremy they will be replacing that with Miscrosoft version of the guide. You can go th MS website to check it out. It looks waaay better.

I know people who work on the MSTV guide. It will be a while before we see it on onything other than the low end STBs.

If we see the 6208 in 1Q04 it will most likely be with Gemstar/TVGuide software. <shudder>

To the guy above who said "it's just a software issue" so he's not worried about updates. Hah! This is Motorola we're talking about. Margins on STBs are low for them, unless they get a per box monthly subscriber kickback from Concast they have NO motivation to update the software. As an owner of a GI/Motorola DSR-920 receiver for my big dish I have ZERO faith in Motorola to deliver ANYTHING once they have their money.

That's too bad. I (and more importantly my wife) find the tv guide-guide to be woefully inadequate and quite a step below dtv guides/menuing. Although it may be a matter of personal opinion. Half the screen is chopped of with ads that really clutter up the guide and make it far less usable as it would otherwise be. From the pictures I've seen, the MS guide looks head and shoulders above tv guide IMHO.

Sorry I was wrong about the MS guide. I truly hate the current TV Guide. I often use my ReplayTV Guide to surf until I find something I want then switch back to the STB (Replay doesn't do Dolby Digital or HD).

I have Gemstar running on my PC but I don't use it very much. Obviously, there would have to be a big change in layout to make a Gemstar gude appear on a STD TV so I'll reserve judgement on that guide.

Kinda OT: Finally, I just aquired a really cool remote, the MX-700. I've programmed a lot of my favorites into it making the need for a guide a lot less (at least for me). I'm back to channel surfing, something that is very hard to do with the DCT5100 (no random favs, favs only up, can't go back) and the ReplayTV (slow to change channels if using the IR blaster). I can go to any of my favorites in any order I want! Plus the Favs allow me to program macros so I can go to different devices (ie Media Center) and back again with a single button push.

Keep in mind that any DVR/PVR will have a delay when changing channels. Because it is buffering the signal--recording anything you're currently watching--it needs a few seconds to start that buffer. This is what allows you to pause what you're watching, even if it wasn't pre-recorded.

So, while I agree that the guide sounds like a loser, and the recording options are well below par, the channel changing delay is what you can expect from any unit of this type.

--Mike

Thanks for bringing that good point up Llamas its inherent of the technology.

I'd hold out any real judgement on its functionality or guide untill I actually get one.

I'm pretty non biased though since I'll be going into it with the only PVR in my house being my computer.

The stuff I've seen of the guide and the actual screenshots I have make me very anxious to get it as to me they are a great improvement over the stock Gemstar/TV Guide on the 5100's and lower DCT's.

It features thinks like quick link buttons for DVR,VOD, page up page down, movies, sports. etc. It also shows an hour a grid instead of the 30 minutes that DCT's do right now. The flip bar seems to show quite a bit more info regarding the program instead of just channel # time and program title.

Like I said if I could I'd post my screen shots I think if you saw them you'd be a little less critical of the guide.

Just to clarify somethings regarding the DVR functionality yes it does not as of yet have a season pass feature but does allow you to record same time same channel same day kind of stuff which yes I realize you'll miss the show if it suddenly changes time slots or something else happens, But I feel this will be resolved by end of 2004. Also the single tuner capability kinda sucks but then again it will be the first consumer HD DVR to hit the market before Dish or DirectTV so I'm not going to complain to much at least the Hardware is here software can always be upgraded. :)

Like I said I'm very non biased being that I dont own a standalone DVR/PVR and I'm holding all judgement till one these badboys is sittin in my equipment rack.

Jeremy

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
Also the single tuner capability kinda sucks but then again it will be the first consumer HD DVR to hit the market before Dish or DirectTV so I'm not going to complain to much at least the Hardware is here software can always be upgraded. :)

That some jumbo sized faith in Motorola you have there! :-)

I of course WILL get one of these as soon as I can, but the lack of dual tuners is a bummer. But chances are I will be using it for HD only as I will have another dual tuner solution for the analog feeds by then.

Has anybody gotten the new printed Comcast Guide for December? There was a two page spread on VOD that is "Coming Soon" Any comments?

You bought that guide? Sucker! :p
VOD doesn't really interest me. I already have a ReplayTV, and I'd rather have a 6208 even with only one tuner. My ReplayTV only has one tuner and I've done fine with that for at least a couple years now.

I'm willing to give Comcast a chance to prove me wrong, but I just don't see how they can have enough content available for VOD to make it better than a PVR.

Originally posted by Roto
I'm willing to give Comcast a chance to prove me wrong, but I just don't see how they can have enough content available for VOD to make it better than a PVR. They're not mutually exclusive - VOD is supposed to be available on 5100s in the near term, and it will also be available on the 6208s when they're available. It's not like you'll have to give up PVR to get VOD.

VOD has nothing to do with DVR......I think of VOD as an enhacement of PPV......Not as competition for DVR....Where I live they have already removed about 10-15 PPV channels from the Digital Line-up, and have added HBO, TMC, Starz, Sho, & Cinemax to VOD, & also all new movies that were on PPV are now on VOD........

I know they aren't the same thing and they can coexist, I just have far more interest in an HD-PVR than the VOD offering. I never buy PPV and I don't think VOD will change that for me personally unless it's HD, which it isn't yet. HBO, TMC, Starz, Sho, and Cinemax all on VOD doesn't make much difference to me when I already have a ReplayTV. buddma asked for VOD comments, those were mine.

I dunno I had doubts about VOD but I've been playin with unfortunately not at my house and all I can say is its pretty awesome. I thought there'd be some type of lag in choosing and controling a program its all instant and alot of content is available that wouldn't be if there was no VOD.

So I'm one who cant wait to get VOD now.

Jeremy

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
and alot of content is available that wouldn't be if there was no VOD.
Jeremy
That will probably the one thing that will get me to watch the VOD channels. If they are showing exclusive content or ieven if it's just movies they've got in their catolog but haven't been in the rotation for a few years. I don't imagine HBO and the like having a huge list of movies, otherwise you could just subscribe for a month or two, watch everything, possibly record it and cancel the subscription until they add significantly more to the list.

The content change's every month, so say for instance on HBO-On Demand they rotate over 100 movies & program's on a monthly basis. likewise for the other premium providers. Theres roughly 60 channels of content from providers like BBC, Anime Network, DIY Network, etc that all have there own content available its actually quite nice.

What do VOD programs typically cost? Are HBO's VOD offerings free if you already subscribe to the HBO channels, or is there an extra cost for them?

Does anyone know the address for the website that had the 6208 review? I'm sure you can figure out some trick for naming it funny if AVSForum is blocking links to the website. I'm just curious to see what options it allows for doing recordings (ie, does it have anything like Tivo Season Passes...or is it only timer based).

alex

90% of VOD content is free. The ony thing you pay for is New Release movies, and Adult Content. to get HBO/SHO/Cin/TMC content on demand you have to subscribe to that peticular channel.

The 6208 does not have a season pass option it ony does timer based recordings, and has a repeat timer function but no actual season pass.

Jeremy

Thanks for the info. It looks like it is time for me to check my OTA reception and start considering other options than Comcast just so I can have a decent PVR...

alex

Well if you want the locals in HD soon you should be checking your OTA reception anyway, but if you were willing to wait for Comcast to get all the deals hammered out, by then you can probably get an HD Tivo or ReplayTV.

For standard television the only way a dish or antenna will get you a better PVR than cable is a DirecTivo. Otherwise a regular Tivo or ReplayTV works with just about anything. The only real advantage with DirecTivo are the dual tuners.

Not without an OpenCable standard which appears to be a long time away. The only HD Tivo coming anytime soon is the OTA/DirecTV one.

alex

Well I don't know what the OpenCable standard is, but if you're going to give me a choice between a DirecTivo with DirecTV and a 6208 Comcast and more HD channels, I'll take Comcast and deal without the nice Tivo interface

Doesn't Zenith already have an overpriced HD PVR? I don't see any reason Tivo or ReplayTV couldn't make one if they chose to. In fact I'd be a little surprised if ReplayTV didn't have one at this time next year. If D&M want it to be the high end PVR that would be the logical next step.

The premium HD channels on Comcast are encrypted. The only hardware which a consumer can get right now to decrypt them is provided by Comcast.

A regular Tivo works fine because SDTV is low enough resolution that MPEG compression chips for it are fairly inexpensive. The Comcast box is decrypting and expanding the MPEG data back to video, and then the Tivo runs it through a MPEG encoder to create MPEG data again to store on the hard disk. There is an extra MPEG cycle, but it works okay.

HDTV data is too high in bandwidth for consumer level hardware to encode MPEG streams. All HDTV PVRs work by saving the raw MPEG data directly from the HDTV stream to the disk, and then playing that stream back later.

OpenCable is the standard that will allow other companies to build products that can get to this data. The decryption will be handled by a smartcard (as it is for DirecTV) and consumers can buy whichever set top box they choose.

Without OpenCable we are stuck with Comcast provided PVRs for premium HDTV content. You can read about OpenCable at http://www.opencable.com/.

Right now DirecTV and Seattle Comcast have about the same number of HDTV channels. Seattle Comcast has been promissing locals for about a year with minor changes (we got PBS and ABC so far, still don't have NBC, CBS, FOX, UPN, or WB). DirecTV doesn't (and probably can't with their current infrastructure) provide the HDTV locals, but they do have better HDTV premium offerings. If (and this is a big if) I can get OTA locals in HD then I'm better off with DirecTV...

alex

But you understand that Seattle is currently behind when it comes to its cable system, which is rapidly being upgraded to catch up with the rest of the "classic" Comcast Markets. The more markets that have the ability to get the "other" HD channels, the more likely deals will be hammered out faster. Just take a look at other Comcast Markets around the country and you can see where its all going. For instance in here in Jersey it took only about 3 days from the time Comcast started the negotiations with ESPN-HD until it was live on the cable system. The locals will be there eventually but ultimately the choice is ALWAYS yours.

Yes, I know that Seattle is in the process of upgrading their network and that more HDTV locals will be coming.

A month ago my thought process went like this:
* DirecTV HD boxes are expensive ($500+)
* HDTV DirecTivo will be even more expensive ($1000+)
* Comcast is coming out with a DVR soon and their HD cable box is cheap, so lets see what it looks like.

Having had Tivo for 4 years I'm not really interested in going back to the 6208 functionality, which basically sounds like it doesn't offer much over a VCR except that it uses disk instead of tape. This swings my thought process back in the direction of DirecTV (if I get can OTA HDTV locals):
* DirecTV is cheaper per month for what I want
* DirecTV has more HD channels
* Monthly PVR cost is lower
* Downsides: OTA locals, have to mount dish and antenna, DirecTV HDTV Tivo is going to be expensive.

alex

Depending on your budget, you could go the basic cable + 6208 route, and have both cable and satellite.

I've got Cougar Mountain between home and the Queen Anne antenna, so OTA isn't even an option (grrr...). In your case, have you considered an HD recording card for a PC? That could handle OTA HD recording, and you could keep DirecTivo.

I'm experiencing the same lack of excitement about the relative usability between the 6208 and my DirecTivos, but the price delta between a [hypothetical] HD DirecTivo and the 6208 is making me lean towards Comcast for the whole package (as opposed to the split I suggest in the first paragraph).

Until they get the 6208 and the rest of the networks, however, Comcast doesn't get my money.

--Mike

Any idea if/when they're planning to bring back FSN in HD? I believe it was channel 100? I got HD at the tail end of baseball season and only caught one Mariner's game. I'd love to be able to catch some basketball and/or football on FSNHD.

FSNHD was only available becausde Comcast aproached NHK about using there high def feed from Mariners games, as to when FSN will actually start doing any type of HD work I couldn't tell ya.

Was down in Oregon this holiday and talked to a Comcast rep in the mall. I asked about the HBO/Showtime VoD. I was told that the movies will be pay per view 2.99 each and that it was to take away the need to go to the video store even for older movies. If this is the case, then I dont think I will be using the VoD stuff at least for the movie channels. Seems like a rip off to pay ppv price for an old movie like that. If it was 50 cents or something then mabey. This guy may have had the wrong info, who knows. Mabey someone can shed more light on this..


Mike

Also has anyone used this VOOM service? They advertise 39 HDTV channels for 39.99. Many are their own movie-only channels.

Mike

Calypse that guy didn't know what the heck he was talking about. the only PPV you'll pay for is brand new release's/Adult content. The HBO/Showtime/etc will be included with the monthly subscription to the main corresponding channel.

Mike/Calypse-

There's a multitude of threads in this forum on Voom--last I heard is that those of us this far north (as in the state of Washington) won't be able to use it, as the satellite they've chosen is too low on our horizon. Besides, it's quite an initiation fee.

Andy

At what point do we riot? All this VOD is all nice and dandy, but I want my locals! It's been long enough. I want some dirt to be flung. I want the locals to say "Comcast is trying to screw us because XXX" and I want Comcast to say, "The Locals are demanding XXX." Let's get this started with some good old fashion mud!

Well thats good news on the VoD, was going to be disapointed if you had to pay per view for old HBO movies. The interesting thing about VOOM is I got a mailer from them offering their new deal. I hear its approx a $750 set up fee though and it appears their channel lineup is poor at best. But it is alot of HD content.

Mike

Originally posted by Calypse
Also has anyone used this VOOM service? They advertise 39 HDTV channels for 39.99. Many are their own movie-only channels.

Mike

The VOOM website says that they offer local channels for all major networks. Can anyone confirm this?

Being tired of Comcast's extremely slow pace of offering local channels in hdtv, I was starting to look into buying a hd DirectTV receiver. However I am concerned I will have reception problems.

VOD will be nice but having all availiable hdtv local channels will make me one happy guy.

if you can't get local hd channels OTA, comcast is your only choice... :-(

The VOOM hardware can tune OTA digital signals from locals. So, as Brente notes, if you cannot receive locals OTA, VOOM isn't going to help you in that regard.

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
Calypse that guy didn't know what the heck he was talking about. the only PPV you'll pay for is brand new release's/Adult content. The HBO/Showtime/etc will be included with the monthly subscription to the main corresponding channel.

The HBO & SHO are no extra charge for subscribers to those services. The Pay services in new releases, adult content, & older movies (which are discounted) for example "Slapshot" was in my VOD content and it was 2.95, but the new releases are the same as regular PPV, about 3.95. Assuming your prices will be about the same.

Originally posted by Tivolicious
At what point do we riot? All this VOD is all nice and dandy, but I want my locals! It's been long enough.

Yeah I agree. Thought for sure we'd have them by now.

BTW, the Seahawk stadium has HDTV I believe. At least all the internal screens are HDTV. How come KIRO doesn't carry the HDTV feed like they do for other games?

Originally posted by brente
if you can't get local hd channels OTA, comcast is your only choice... :-(

Actually, there is another real option: Bell ExpressVu satellite from Canada. They broadcast the Seattle and Boston local HDTV channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS and FOX-for what its worth). Several folks on the forum subscribe through a broker and have a dish and receiver that are almost identical to Dish Satellite (Echostar) equipment.

I don't have this service because I am lucky enough to get great OTA DTV reception. But others with this service (around the country) seem quite pleased.

something pretty cool that has come up with the VOD testing is New Release movies in Widescreen & 5.1. I'm really hoping this is something that they decide to keep in final release as it would make it a whole lot easier to plop down $3.99 renting a New Release Movie VOD.

Are the widescreen and 5.1 PPV movies in HD or SD?

$3.99 is a lot compared to DVD rental if they are in SD.

alex

I'm not a PPV user, myself, but I can see the value in PPV or VOD being convenience and nothing to return.

Anyway, when it comes to the topic of this thread, HD offerings in this area might actually interest me. Otherwise, they are a distraction from getting features I really want, namely HD DVR and HD locals. Until these last two show up, I won't be a Comcast subscriber, and won't even be in the position to consider their PPV and VOD offerings.

--Mike

$3.99 may be a lot compared to DVD rental, but it's the same price Comcast currently charges for new-release PPV movies. Adding the VOD features for the same price makes this a lot more attractive than it is now.

Originally posted by jimre
$3.99 may be a lot compared to DVD rental, but it's the same price Comcast currently charges for new-release PPV movies. Adding the VOD features for the same price makes this a lot more attractive than it is now.

Well *that's* damning with faint praise. ;)

Comcast offers PPV? ;)

Since all SD goes through the TiVo and I've got an OTA HD receiver, the only time I even see the interface on the Comcast box is when I'm changing the channel to ESPN-HD.

When one orders PPV, they should record it with a DVD Recorder. So, $3.99 gets them a DVD copy of the movie. Otherwise, the other options are the theaters or buy the DVD ... The later options cost way more than $3.99.

Originally posted by jimre
$3.99 may be a lot compared to DVD rental, but it's the same price Comcast currently charges for new-release PPV movies. Adding the VOD features for the same price makes this a lot more attractive than it is now.

It is in SD no HD as of yet.......

Jeremy,

The Widescreen & 5.1 is a permanent addition to the VOD....

VOD isn't designed to be better than DVD's or to put Blockbuster out of buisness....It is designed as an upgrade to PPV.....If you order PPV, then it is better to order that movie on VOD......Its an upgrade to the total Digital Cable package for the people that like movies & may not have a DVD player or don't like driving to BB to rent a movie, this service is flat out better. You do understand that the group of ppl on this forum are comprised of the complete opposite, and like it or not WE ARE THE MINORITY....

VOD cannot be compared to any other service other than Cable PPV.....doing just that shows you its truely a very functionality product.

Originally posted by r0bErT4u
When one orders PPV, they should record it with a DVD Recorder. So, $3.99 gets them a DVD copy of the movie. Otherwise, the other options are the theaters or buy the DVD ... The later options cost way more than $3.99.

Are you factoring in the cost of the recordable DVD disc + the extra cost for a DVD-R (over a normal DVD) and cabling?

Originally posted by r0bErT4u
When one orders PPV, they should record it with a DVD Recorder. So, $3.99 gets them a DVD copy of the movie. Otherwise, the other options are the theaters or buy the DVD ... The later options cost way more than $3.99.

Might as well just rent it (about $3 at Scarecrow video, half of that if you find one of their ever common 2 for 1 coupons) and copy it. I don't think that you end up with a legal copy in either case.

I agree that PPV has some convienence factors over rental, but paying $1 more for lower video quality isn't very inticing.

alex

Oops! I forgot about factoring in about .80 per DVD+R, Cabling ... more?!?
End up with movie to add to their DVD Collection:)

(Movies + Popcorn + Drink + Candy) Per Person
(Movie Rentals + Gas + Possible Late Fees)
End up spending way more & no movie to add to your DVD Collection:(

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Are you factoring in the cost of the recordable DVD disc + the extra cost for a DVD-R (over a normal DVD) and cabling?

The Widescreen & 5.1 is a permanent addition to the VOD....

Sweet I've not really been able to play with as I ended up not being in a test node for it. I was very surprised in the small amount I have had to play with it to find that section listed and just started watching the very first part of 2fast2furious and it looked as good as DVD I thought. I'm really glad its a feature they're going to keep. I just cant wait to get it at my house so I dont have to worry about late fees anymore.

Movie Freedom Pass from Blockbuster. ~27 with tax. Have 2 movies out at a time, return whenever, rent whenever. No late fees, no nothing. You dont even need your card after the first rental. You return and you get new ones. If you see 7 movies a month its worth it. I wont ever use vod if i can rent like this. Is this pass not marketed or do people not like it?

Originally posted by sonu55
Movie Freedom Pass from Blockbuster. ~27 with tax. Have 2 movies out at a time, return whenever, rent whenever. No late fees, no nothing. You dont even need your card after the first rental. You return and you get new ones. If you see 7 movies a month its worth it. I wont ever use vod if i can rent like this. Is this pass not marketed or do people not like it?

I don't like Blockbuster's movie selection, so I don't rent there. I know about the pass and I think it is pretty heavily marketted.

Netflix is similar and also heavily marketted.

alex

While the title of this thread is "Official Seattle Comcast Thread," let's remember that this *is* the HD forum. Unless VOD is HD (which by all accounts it's not), I think that we should try to get back to the topic of Hi-Def.

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
Got home tonight to find my box on channel 2 which lets me know that hmmm they must have sent a signal to my box. Pull up the Diagnostics and sure as sh** firmware 51.42 2002 with bootloader 5.03.

So I suggest all you Seattleites check your box's and see if your firmware updated today.

Jeremy

So Jeremy,been 2 weeks since you got upgraded, any idea if they are still doing the upgrades, or do you think it was your corenr of the city only so far....Anyone else in Seattle get this upgrade yet??

Anyone taking bets on if we'll actually see any new HD content by the end of the year? I certainly don't care about VOD, unless it's HD. And it ain't. I have a hard time paying a premium for low bitrate MPEG2 video.

Unfortunately, another year goes by and Comcast has still not delivered significant HD content in the Seattle area, and even worse in Kitsap County.

I would sure like to know once and for all what the holdup is.

Hi All,
Is there a way to fix the audio sync problems on the HD ABC shows? I end up just having to bail on channel 104 and watching on regular old school channel 4 as the syncing is so bad as to be unwatchable. If this isn't going to be sorted out I couldn't care less when we get more local channels. I haven't seen sync issues like this since movies in elementary school...

<rant> Need HD locals by the time the price goes up in January. If not, it'll be time to cancel everything, including HBO. HBOHD (West) is getting pretty boring for my personal taste...they can also have their d*%# 5100 back that I have to boot every 3 to 5 days when it locks up. Extended basic without a cable box worked for over 20 years, it'll work again...the days of paying more and getting less are over "Comcast".
</rant>

You know what's really sad? I was finding myself looking forward to ESPN-HD shows because its upconverted signal is actually decent. I then thought to myself, "All shows could look like this (or close) if they didn't overcompress the hell out of everything."

Until you give us HD Locals, why not upconvert the SD signal and send it to us. It would at least give us something tolerable to look at.

Originally posted by artpease
<rant> Need HD locals by the time the price goes up in January. If not, it'll be time to cancel everything, including HBO. HBOHD (West) is getting pretty boring for my personal taste...they can also have their d*%# 5100 back that I have to boot every 3 to 5 days when it locks up. Extended basic without a cable box worked for over 20 years, it'll work again...the days of paying more and getting less are over "Comcast".
</rant>

What prices are going up?

alex

It's $2. I don't know how they're going to apply it, probably to Basic because it applies to everyone. Sooo, I'll still end up paying it when I cut back to Extended Basic...I'm just not going to pay more than $100 for cable and internet...principal...aversion to more $ less service...remember AT&T... as I said, "Patience is running out" </rant>

Originally posted by Jholland
Hi All,
Is there a way to fix the audio sync problems on the HD ABC shows?

Sorry to say... no.

The problems are happening at channel 4 and they've admitted to knowing about it and are working on it. It's less frequent than it once was but its still annoying.

The sync problems have gone past annoying and have become unacceptable. Someone is really dropping the ball. If KING 5, KCPQ 13 or KIRO 7 (yeah right) ends up being added to the digital line up and they have similar sync issues, there's no way that I'll stay with Comcast. I realize that it's "Not Comcast's fault", but I truly believe that if they're delivering the product, then they should be held accountable for passing on the defects to the customer. If the KOMO engineers are having a tough time with resolving the audio issues, Comcast should camp out at their facility, and work with them until they find a solution. You're only as strong as your weakest vendor. It seems like I get down on Comcast every now and again-- but I think I've been patient, and I say again, I have equipment for OTA, but can't receive at my current location. I'm using Comcast because I'm forced to. I really thought things were on track when we got ESPN-HD, KOMO-DT, and InHD. I do enjoy InHD sometimes, ESPN-"HD" really is a joke (~3-4%) and KOMO is often unwatchable due to these sync issues. A PVR or a new guide system would give me something to be excited about, but it seems all energy has been focused on VOD, something that I (and every single one of my friends and family that I talk to) really couldn't care less about. I'm stuck with Comcast until the spring, but if things haven't improved by then, I hate to say it, but D* gets my money when I move.

Called Comcast today just to see if there was any new dates for HDTV channels. Of course there wasn't. He did say they were adding a few new channels soon like DIY. He mentioned the first part of the year possibly for more locals in HD but I dont know if he really was sure. He did say that VoD is starting in Everett on Dec 10, so I guess thats something to look forward to. I just hope they start some HD VoD soon after. He did mention calling in and asking for a channel or channels was how they tally what people want so I listed off all the Locals of course. I dunno may just have to call every day and ask for them hehe.



Mike

"rumors" I've heard are that that KING & KONG DT were supposed to have been online already but they are having major problems with the equipment at there end so its on hold till they get there side fixed. Cinemax & Starz HD are both on the way as well as quite a few other locals within the very near future.

KING and KONG are on the wire in my area, viewable with my QAM enabled STB (I have no HD cable box). Lots of dropouts and pixalation, however, so I figured it was close to reality but they were having problems.

-Lance

What channels should we be looking for KING and KONG on? 105 and 106??

What subscription tier do you have to have with Comcast to receive the HD QAM channels with a non-Moto5100 box?

Originally posted by mimler
What channels should we be looking for KING and KONG on? 105 and 106??

Unknown -- they probably don't have a mapping yet. I am receiving them on my LG 3100A set top box on channels 112-1 and 112-2. These channels only apply to QAM enabled HDTV set top boxes.

I think all you need is basic cable since these channels are not encrypted.

-Lance

Cinemax & Starz HD will be online here (NJ) by the end of the year. This was stated in a letter I just recieved from Comcast yestarday. So as soon as Seattle gets its system upgraded to the classic Comcast markets you should get everything the other markets are.

The sync problems have gone past annoying and have become unacceptable. Someone is really dropping the ball. If KING 5, KCPQ 13 or KIRO 7 (yeah right) ends up being added to the digital line up and they have similar sync issues, there's no way that I'll stay with Comcast.

I get both OTA HD on 4,5,7 and 9. Only KOMO has sync issues. It's the same whether you're watching OTA or cable. For the sync issue, I'd give Comcast a break. It's not their fault. It's also kinda funny how it is that Komo is the only one with sync issues and the only one doing DD 5.1. A coincidence?

I think it has been publicly stated that KOMO's lipsynch issues are related to their 5.1 programming, and that is what is causing the problem....it's several pages back (this thread is now 60!), so easy to miss.

I agree, on the KOMO issue, give comcast a break.

On all other issues - keep the pressure on (NBC/CBS/FOX HD!)

Cheers,

Rich

I just saw a Comcast ad for the Gonzaga-Missouri game next Saturday being billed as "The Battle in Seattle in HD". Anybody know the details to this and what channel it will be on?

Tim

As far as I know Gonzaga-Missouri will be on INHD

I see there is a channel called Comcast Sportsnet in some areas that is in HD. Any chance of us getting this one soon?

I think people that get that don't have a FOX Sports affiliate. So I wouldn't expect us to get Comcast Sportsnet.

Actually it really comes up to when FOX's contracts are up hence whats going on in Chicago, Comcast won the contracts for coverage to start next October when FOX's contract's expire to do regional sports coverage. So to answer the question yes theres always that possibility will it ever happen is anyones guess.

But it depends on losing FSN? I don't really see how it makes a difference then which one is on the air. Unless of course if Comcast would offer HD, then I'd be all for a switch in the future. Seemed like they worked together with FOX to get us those Mariners games, so I don't imagine much would change other than the name of the channel and the assorted talking heads.

CSN is offered as a Local sports channel in certain areas. The HD offerings from CSN are HD broadcasts of the local sports teams games when they are playing @ home. I.E. Here in Philadelphia CSN broadcasts most Phillies Flyers & Sixers Home games. Same in Baltimore - Washington region. But in Philadelphia we won't see any Away Games in HD.

There are special occasions where CSN will broadcast something other than Local Games like they did the All-Star last year, that was being broadcast by Fox Sports Net. But mostly just for the local teams.

Last Year Comcast Built 1 Truck with all of the HD gear in it, and it travels between Philadelphia & Baltimore/Washington areas, broadcasting those local teams games in HD.

I don't think they would go regional with this unless they were to get together with FSN & do more of the regional programming as long as it didn't interfere with the Local Teams Schedules.

The HD Mariners games last summer were really NHK (Japan) production - the pictures were all from NHK & the voices were from the FSN broadcast. I think we were lucky to get this at all - fortunately the Japanese market was clamoring for hi-def coverage of Ichiro. Except for this fluke, I don't think Fox has any real interest in providing HD sports coverage. I for one would be glad to see someone else who is (like Comcast).

Fox Sports Net Northwest is owned and operated by Fox Sports (not Rainbow Media, which owns a majority interest and operates FSN Chicago, FSN Bay Area, FSN Ohio, FSN Florida and FSN New England).

Fox Sports has entered into a deal with Time Warner Cable to show some local FSN games in HD in various markets. All the games are either NBA or NHL. Presumably, the deal will extend to baseball games once April rolls around.

The Mariners games you saw in HD in the summer could be a precursor to a continuing similar arrangement between Comcast and Fox Sports in the FSN Northwest area (Seattle, Portland, Spokane market areas, all of which are served by Comcast). This is just speculation on my part, of course. But since Comcast has "experimented" with it with the Mariners games, and Time Warner is doing something more extensive in other markets, it would not be a huge leap for Comcast to reach an agreement with Fox Sports to do HD games in your area.

However, as far as pro sports, are the Mariners the only game in town for FSN NW? Which local station shows Sonics games? Does the local station ever show them in HD?

I noticed that FSN NW does the Blazers games, but do you get those in Seattle? If not, are they blacked out or are there two different FSN NW feeds?

Ok I have to do a little braging here, I was having problems with my 5100 so I had a tech come out on Saturday to take a look at it. The tech replaced it with what I was to beleive was another 5100. Low and behold I get to looking at it tonight and its a brand spanking new 6200!!!!!

I thought it was tad bit faster and now I know why, also after realizing it was in fact a 6200 I took a better look at that back and guess what 2 1394 ports right there installed in the back of course not active I'm sure since there is no PVR functionality in the guide but hey I'm pretty happy though the 6200 seems to have the same locking problem as the 5100 where the guide all of a sudden runs slow and you power the box off and it works fine after that.

Also Rumor has it that KING HD will be launching very soon. I'll let you know if I hear any other rumors regarding this.

Jeremy

BTW to answer one question I know will come up...........

Yes the analog picture quality seems to be noticeably better than my old 5100.

Jeremy, you are the first Comcast subscriber anywhere who has reported getting a 6200. Sure it didn't have something to do with your employment? ;-)

Jeremy, you are the first Comcast subscriber anywhere who has reported getting a 6200. Sure it didn't have something to do with your employment? ;-)

Positive they \ just started getting them up here but I was unaware they had started issueing them.

Heck it only took my 3 days to realize it was one. The 2 box's look exactly the same only external difference is the firewire ports and I didn't look at the back of the box when he installed it and he didn't mention it was a 6200 heck I dont know if he even knew it was.

Jeremy

The 6200 has been being installed for about 2 weeks now so he isn't the first but these are definately just being launched. I just installed one at my Fathers house on a Sony RPTV (argh!!!) And so far I'm happy with it....

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
Also Rumor has it that KING HD will be launching very soon. I'll let you know if I hear any other rumors regarding this.
Jeremy

That makes sense since it is currently on the wire but just not mapped into the guide as reported by folks on this thread with the LG QAM capable STB. I guess they must be close to solving the signal breakup issues the LG STB users were talking about.

We're getting uncomfortably close to the Superbowl to not have rumors about KIRO...oh well. What would we get with KING anyway? ER and The West Wing I know are in HD. Ed? Law and Order Platinum Edition? I just realized I don't watch NBC much anymore. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the only days I tune in to it. Please don't tell me Fear Factor is HD :p Dog Eat Dog might be ok though :D

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher

However, as far as pro sports, are the Mariners the only game in town for FSN NW? Which local station shows Sonics games? Does the local station ever show them in HD?

I noticed that FSN NW does the Blazers games, but do you get those in Seattle? If not, are they blacked out or are there two different FSN NW feeds?
There must be two different feed because they never show Blazer games and there wouldn't be any reason to black them out. FSN used to show Sonics games, but it looks like this year it's exclusively on KONG.

If the KING rumor above is true, I would expect we'd also get KONG in HD, but I don't think they have any actual HD content other than the local news. I don't expect any Sonics game in HD this year :( They'd probably try it if someone could convince them it would help them win. They've been stinkin it up lately. Hurry back, Ray Allen!

Did anybody get the Lakers game on INHD1 tonight? Whenever I tried to tune it in, the 5100 would show 664 on the display but the video was a frozen screenshot of the last tuned channel. Why is that?

Tim

tluxon thats because the games are blacked out on Comcast as they do not have a carriage agreement with NBA-TV at this time which is actually who is providing those games over INHD.

Newbie here. Been lurking for a long time.

I have had a Motorola Box with the 2 IEEE 1394 ports for more than 2 WEEKS now. Is this a 6200 or a 5100? Is there any other way to identify the 6200 box?

The box freezes up once in a while (not only in the guide but while tuning). The remote stops working and all the buttons on the front panel don't work. The only cure is to power cycle the box by yanking the power cord.

ANALOG PQ STILL SUCKS.... I have tried using composite, component, S-Video but do not see any major difference in PQ. Any ideas on how to cure this? Is it the 61" TV that amplifies the bad PQ?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,
Jay.:confused:

Originally posted by Roto
If the KING rumor above is true, I would expect we'd also get KONG in HD, but I don't think they have any actual HD content other than the local news. I don't expect any Sonics game in HD this year :( They'd probably try it if someone could convince them it would help them win. They've been stinkin it up lately. Hurry back, Ray Allen!

In my report on the LG QAM capabilities, KING and KONG are both on the wire right now. KONG upconverts all content to 1080i, so you get a 4:3 aspect ratio SD screen with a HUGE KONG bug in HD overlayed on it and into the side borders.

I'd expect to see KING/KONG announced before Christmas.

-Lance

Not sure what is meant by 'on the wire'. I assume also that we're talking about Comcast cable when saying KING and KONG will be up soon. CBS is a must for Superbowl, any good rumors or thoughts??
Will the 6200 be replaced by a 6208 or is it the equivelant without the PVR capabilities. Will it, and the 5100's automatically be replace or must we order or carry in our old for a replacement?

Beside 1394 connections, did the DCT-6200 show up in your living room with a DVI connector?

Not sure what is meant by 'on the wire'

Comcast is currently outputing them over the cable network however due to technical issues at KING 5's end they have not been mapped into the lineup yet so they show up on our box's.

However if you have something like the LG STB it will find them as an available HD channel on cable and let you watch them though reports are its very pixelated and basically unwatchable right now.

I assume also that we're talking about Comcast cable when saying KING and KONG will be up soon. CBS is a must for Superbowl, any good rumors or thoughts??

Yes we are talking about Comcast when we say KING and most likely KONG will be available in the very near future.

As for CBS this of course is a national negotiation with VIACOM so when ever that concludes we'll probably see CBS right after that. It's still rumored these negotiations will be complete around the 1st of the year.

Will the 6200 be replaced by a 6208 or is it the equivelant without the PVR capabilities. Will it, and the 5100's automatically be replace or must we order or carry in our old for a replacement?

The 6200 is the replacement for the 5100 essentially, The 5100's will of course remain in use and circulation for quite some time as there is no reason to outright replace a working box.

The only way that they would replace the box is in the field meaning you cant take it to a Comcast location to swap a tech has to come out and look at it and if he finds that the box needs to be replaced then they would replace. This does not however guarantee a 6200 I ended up being lucky.

Beside 1394 connections, did the DCT-6200 show up in your living room with a DVI connector?

Yes it did only the very first batch of 5100's did not include a DVI connector all future HD DCT's will have this as a standard feature.

Jeremy

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
Comcast is currently outputing them over the cable network however due to technical issues at KING 5's end they have not been mapped into the lineup yet so they show up on our box's.

However if you have something like the LG STB it will find them as an available HD channel on cable and let you watch them though reports are its very pixelated and basically unwatchable right now.

Yes we are talking about Comcast when we say KING and most likely KONG will be available in the very near future.

What kind of time frame are we looking at for changes to the channel lineup (once the issues have been worked out) to propagate to our boxes? In other words, let's say everything is fixed and Comcast decides to let us all see it -- is this immediate or is there some delay?

Yes, I'm very impatient. ;)

I would say it would be pretty immediate.

Hey,

King TV just announced that Comcast will be broadcasting KING TV in HD starting tomorrow. Excellent!

What channel????

I didn't catch the channel number.

Where did you hear this?

At the very end of the 6:30 newscast.

BTW, it looks like Comcast is going to start charging $5.10 for HDTV.

The news said that KING will be channel 105 and KONG will be channel 106.
Definately good news. Come on KIRO we want the Superbowl.

Originally posted by brunopc
BTW, it looks like Comcast is going to start charging $5.10 for HDTV.

:mad:

King TV just announced that Comcast will be broadcasting KING TV in HD starting tomorrow. Excellent!

I'll believe it when I see it I haven't heard anything yet about this but I'm gonna check on it.

Originally posted by brunopc
At the very end of the 6:30 newscast.

BTW, it looks like Comcast is going to start charging $5.10 for HDTV.

Yep, on TOP of the $5.10 they already charge you for a second box. Note the $5.10 is for INHD and ESPNHD, I think. Locals are not encrypted and are free if you have your own equipment.

I called and asked, and my response was "What?! Really? Over $10 a month is not worth it to me to get HD over cable."

-Lance

I just check around KING jumped the gun on the announcement sorry guys.

They'll make a liar out of you every time :)

KINGD Channel 105 is on the air this morning. It looks good, although the morning news is SD.

SWEET!!!

Rich

Closed caption was on 105 this morning, not an HD program but nevertheless it was there. Komo has no CC, is this a sign that King will be carrying CC on all channel 105 programs?? Sure is a big plus to have them join HD, now we wait for CBS and Comcast to shake hands and get over whatever hurdles they are placing for each other.

Yeah its there though the news seems to be in SD right now so we'll see what happens I guess.

To answer my own question, according to NBC's Schedule (http://www.nbc.com/nbc/header/TV_Schedule/index.html) these are their HD programs for the next week.

Tonight: just The Tonight Show, which is on every night (That's it?? :( )
Friday: Miss Match, Third Watch

Monday: Las Vegas
Tuesday: The Tracey Morgan Show, Whoopi, Frasier, Happy Family, Law and Order-SVU (That's more like it! :D)
Wednesday: Ed, Law and Order

Tonight show guests:
Tonight: Keanu Reeves and Sting
Friday: Jennifer Connelly:eek: and Ruben Studdard
Monday: Ewan McGregor, Nicole Richie and The Blind Boys of Alabama
Tuesday: David Arquette:confused: :p and Train
Wednesday: Elijah Wood and Liz Phair

And of course the local news and Evening Magazine will be the first test tonight.

With West Wing on Holiday, yeah, that's pretty much it...

Btw, KING 5 news (when I last saw them) was about 2% HD in evening (5-11pm), and it's usually only Cam1 or 2 shots w/o the over shoulder graphics. KING also (afaik) doesn't have any HD cameras in the filed like KOMO.

Evening Mag is fully HD though.

Roto-

I remember from OTA days that there's not a heck of a lot on NBC, but it's better than nothing (Fox). I know the KING 5 evening news, like KOMO's, is in HD.

Andy

Originally posted by Andy Anderson
Roto-

I remember from OTA days that there's not a heck of a lot on NBC, but it's better than nothing (Fox). I know the KING 5 evening news, like KOMO's, is in HD.

Andy

Yes, KING's news is in HD, but in 4:3 aspect ratio. KOMO is full 16:9.

-Lance

Originally posted by lkinley
Yes, KING's news is in HD, but in 4:3 aspect ratio. KOMO is full 16:9.

-Lance

Uh.. Uh... You know HD *is* 16:9. AFIAK, none of the 18 different specs have a 4:3 HD.

wasnt KONG HDTV suppposed to luanch yesterday as well?

I dont' think King5 does their news any longer in HD. At least when I view at 5pm the main camera is not longer HD. Of course KOMO is the way to watch news if you would rather see 16:9...I emailed KING5 about why and possibley when they quit doing the news in HD with no response. It may have just been both days I viewed that they had problems but a couple years ago they had those main Camera's as HD, not last week though...

Unless KONG has something worthwhile in HD, I'd just as soon keep it off there and leave the bandwidth for a channel with actual HD programming, like the WB.

Check out ER tonight, its supposed to be in HD. I've fingers crossed for CC. Nothing on 106 as yet, maybe KONG delayed for some reason.

I don't remember seeing king news in HD since before the olympics....after that, all I ever saw was SD...

But that was a while ago, and I took my antenna down...(crappy reception at best).

rich

Originally posted by Al Shing
Unless KONG has something worthwhile in HD, I'd just as soon keep it off there and leave the bandwidth for a channel with actual HD programming, like the WB.
Speaking of WB, any updates on when the other networks are due? I remember Jeremy posting in September that contracts had been reached with all the others (except CBS of course) and to expect them in 2-3 months, or before the end of the year. The end of the year is near and we've still yet to see KSTW, KCPQ, and KTWB... and I don't think I've heard any update on those for a while.

Yes, but Jeremy also said King5 wouldn't be on Comcast today, which it is. I think they will be hiding info from him now that they know he was helping a lot....

Yes, but Jeremy also said King5 wouldn't be on Comcast today, which it is. I think they will be hiding info from him now that they know he was helping a lot....

I dunno what happened here its not that I didn't get any info noone did, I have a feeling this was a very last minute thing since it had been pushed out a couple of times. As for the other networks I'm still hearing very soon but no dates yet.

Jeremy-

Thanks for the info. Seems like whomever on your end is responsible for rolling out is being very tight-lipped about dates. I guess it makes sense in a roundabout way--if you don't commit to an actual date, you aren't ever actually late. :)

At any rate, I gotta give Comcast a bit of credit. They said after KOMO that more locals will be coming. KING's here. I'm starting to feel more optimistic about others being added. I won't hold my breath until the end of the year, but things look pretty good for the future.

Again, thanks for giving us what info you have, Jeremy.

Andy

Has any HD content actually been shown on KING yet? I'd save my praise for Comcast until that happens. ;)