I wish we could get Comcast to do this.
It'll happen - just not as soon as us HD-lovers would like. As quarque posted about six weeks ago, a local Comcast VP said "We have a separate project or effort next year to begin to convert a number of analog channels into digital. It is important to know that we have no plans to digitize what we call limited cable (the first 13 analog channels). We are planning to do is to digitize a large percentage, but by no means all, of what we now call expanded basic. Of the approximately 50 or so expanded basic analog channels (which sit above the 13 limited basic channels), we will digitize about 35 of those."The good news is that Comcast has now signed up enough new linear HD channels that we should actually get a bunch of new HD channels once Comcast reclaims the bandwidth. Up until very recently, we had almost all of the HD that Comcast had to offer.

That's the one silver lining about falling behind other Comcast markets (Boston and Chicago) in the push to HD - at least when we see Comcast going to to 60+ HD channels elsewhere we know that we will EVENTUALLY see it here - typically about six to nine months later. In the meanwhile, having Verizon push FiOS into our market should incentivize the local Comcast folks to try and keep up on the HD front. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Verizon is in a hurry to upgrade their infrastructure in the north half of Sammamish where I live.

I actually get close to the adverteised rates (usually 10-13 Mbps down, 1-2Mbps Up). Do you have a router connected to your modem? Does it have any speed restrictions or QoS settings? I had to modify my QoS settings on my router to get those rates.

Well, per your advice I went into my modem and adjusted my Qos to 15000/800. Using Speakeasy I now get 6000 kbps and 600 kbps. That's an improvement, but still not 16000 kbps. Thanks. Got any other ideas about how to get it closer to 16000?

http://www.speedtest.net/result/320711965.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Check your modem log file to see what level the modem is provisioned for. For example, logging onto my Motorola 5120 with http://192.168.100.1/logs.htm I see that my modem has is provisioned as d11_m_sb5120_silver_c01.cm -- which indicates 6mbps.

I went to my modem's log file (DD-WRT) but all it showed were incoming and outgoing logs (dropped, rejected, and accepted). Couldn't find any provisioning info. Wonder is WW-DRT shows that info?

I went to my modem's log file (DD-WRT) but all it showed were incoming and outgoing logs (dropped, rejected, and accepted). Couldn't find any provisioning info. Wonder is WW-DRT shows that info?

Is that the router, rather than the modem? What modem do you have?

Did you notice that speedtest is using speakeasy for their Seattle test?

They use speakeasy's server, yes, but I still prefer Speedtest's interface.

Thinking about getting a TivoHD;

I'm a Tivo noob, but I've had comcast HD since day 1, and currently have the HD DVR. What do I need to know? I've read that a multistream card is the way to go, do I just stop by the comcast office and pick one up or do I have to schedule a service call? I'll probably be dropping off a standard cablebox for now and replacing it with the tivoHD box.

Does comcast use SDV in the seattle area? I've read that there's a fix in the works for that, but it's not quite ready.

Anybody with a TivoHD and seattle area comcast have any horror/good stories to share?

I use TivoHD (have since three days after we switched to SARA). If we do use SDV, it is on none of the channels I watch.

Yes, all you need to do is stop by Comcast and pickup a Cablecard. The card should be "paired," but you may need to "validate" the card.

One tip while installing the card is that you need to be very patient. Do not rerun guided setup just because everything doesn't work right at first.

Thinking about getting a TivoHD;

I'm a Tivo noob, but I've had comcast HD since day 1, and currently have the HD DVR. What do I need to know? I've read that a multistream card is the way to go, do I just stop by the comcast office and pick one up or do I have to schedule a service call? I'll probably be dropping off a standard cablebox for now and replacing it with the tivoHD box.

Does comcast use SDV in the seattle area? I've read that there's a fix in the works for that, but it's not quite ready.

Anybody with a TivoHD and seattle area comcast have any horror/good stories to share?

I have had a Series 3 (original HD) since Oct. 06. Get the multi-stream CableCard from the "Cable Store". Plug it into the TiVo using the TiVO instructions. You may still have to call to get it "activated" but it didn't require a truck roll even in my day.

TiVo is the way to go if you don't mind the extra cost. I've had lifetime forever so I don't mind at all. Just do it!

Thanks for the info and the encouragement. I'm buying one from a buddy who went directv for the nfl package, and I'm really looking forward to it. The comcast DVR has been driving me nutso with the remote lag / delays, odd interface workflow, etc.

Hi everyone. I'm new here; in fact, what started out as a necessity has now become more curiosity on my part to learn more about this stuff. Hope to learn lots and contribute eventually. I just moved to Pittsburgh, but I'm from Seattle, and thought I'd get some help from my hometown.

For now, I'll give you my situation, and hopefully someone can point me in the right direction.

I just moved to Pittsburgh (address is 5701 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206), and live on the 13th floor (total of 16 floors). The apartment building is the tallest in this area btw, especially on the 13th floor where I don't have any obstacles from my window view. I just bought my first TV set in my life, and it's due to arrive in less than a week. Very excited. It's a Samsung LNS4041D (40 inches) and has a ATSC tuner embedded in it. I am currently subscribed to Comcast's basic cable (~$15/month), and am interested in getting OTA HD channels. After looking around a lot of forums and websites, I came across the atennaweb website, and had some questions.

As you can see below, the digital stations available are plentiful (CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC being the most important ones).

https://jshare.johnshopkins.edu/mhwang4/public_html/Availability.JPG

The problem is where my window is located. I live on the side of the apartment such that my balcony windows face southeast-ish, parallel to line C.

https://jshare.johnshopkins.edu/mhwang4/public_html/Map.JPG

From this viewpoint, the only feasible channel I can get seems to be ABC; maybe FOX but 45.4 miles seems a bit far away. All the channels I want to watch are on the other side of the building, for which I have no view of. I'm wondering if there's a solution to this, and what I can do. I was thinking if there was a tall building right across from my view, I could get some signals bouncing off, but that doesn't seem feasible (the apartment across from my view is about 10 stories high). Is it possible to still get a signal originating from the Northwest direction even if I don't have a line of sight? I really hope so, and hope that I am overthinking this. There is a big enough hill about four miles from my view (South) where I can't see what is on the other side. Does anyone think it's enough to deflect some signals to my apartment?

And finally, all the digital signals in my area are UHF. I do remember seeing something about how certain stations may change to VHF come around Feb next year. Should I get a UHF/VFH combo antenna?

Thanks for your help!!

MpeterH --

The tuner on your TV can receive unencrypted QAM channels using the Comcast cable. That should allow you to get OTA channels without bothering with an antenna.

MpeterH --

The tuner on your TV can receive unencrypted QAM channels using the Comcast cable. That should allow you to get OTA channels without bothering with an antenna.

Hi wareagle! Thanks for your advice. However.. I am pretty sure that my TV (Samsung LN-S4041D) only has an NTSC and ATSC tuner in it. :(

Hi wareagle! Thanks for your advice. However.. I am pretty sure that my TV (Samsung LN-S4041D) only has an NTSC and ATSC tuner in it. :(

Have you tried it? According to the manual there are separate "air" and "cable" inputs to the tuner.

MpeterH - while we do appreciate the sentimentality of posting in the Seattle Comcast thread, you would be better helped by Pittsburgh locals in their OTA thread. It does not appear your set has a QAM capable tuner from my brief net search so you are stuck with OTA or getting a QAM capable tuner box and using your cable as wareagle suggested. You *might* be able to pick up more stations using a high-quality directional indoor antenna and aiming for bounced signals off large buildings nearby. Don't hold your breath.

What website did MpeterH use? Thanks

What website did MpeterH use? Thanks

www.antennaweb.org

But I prefer

www.tvfool.com

It was more accurate for me. they use the same dataset though, so I'm sure you could tweak the antennaweb options to be more accurate for your location.

Up until now, KCTS-HD and KCTS-analog did not broadcast the same programming schedule. OTA, the low-def simulcast of the analog channel got the ".1" slot on the OTA broadcast, while the HD signal got one of the sub-channels.

As KCTS says on its web site, analog is disappearing, so they're getting ready for that by broadcasting only one schedule from now on - the HD and analog programming schedule will be identical from now on. Going forward the HD signal gets the ".1" slot on the OTA broadcast and there is no low-def simulcast of the analog signal on any subchannels. And in just a few months, the analog signal disappears altogether.

I'm surprised that people aren't up in arms about this. We essentially lost our dedicated PBS HD channel, which had nothing to do with the analog switch. They just relabled the useless simulcast digital channel as KCTSHD, and eliminated the full time HD channel.

It's like when Food HD went simulcast and we lost a great HD channel and gained an abomination. Thankfully, we still have HDT.

Well, I certainly hate losing the HD channel. There were shows that didn't show up on the basic channel, second showings of some shows, and HD versions that just were shown in SD on the basic channel. It was full-time HD. I've watched KCTS over the years as it seemed to get better, then worse. In my opinion, they consistently make poor programming decisions. Pushing great shows to the middle of the night, or simply passing on PBS shows that looked good to me. Showing HD shows in SD/letterboxed, which for me look like mini video on my HD screen. Then the decision a few months ago to make 9.1 all SD because they wanted to make it easier on their backcountry, east-of-the-mountains translators and rebroadcasters. Video and audio dropouts galore on some shows. HD shows squeezed. I dropped my KCTS membership several years ago and subscribed to HBO...they never seem to have the kinds of issues KCTS has.

. . . the decision a few months ago to make 9.1 all SD because they wanted to make it easier o . . .

According to the KCTS link above, "every show is now broadcast in native or up-converted HD."

The few times I have looked at KCTS since 9.1 became the HD channel, the content was neither broadcast in native HD or up-converted HD. This means that KCTS will be removed from my favorites lists, and I can't see watching unless I hear that it has improved. This is exactly what I did with ABCFamily, which is also a complete waste of bandwidth. IMO.

I, too, have noted programs this week that were not HD nor upconverted. They're off my list, except for Washington Week. I'll keep an eye on them, though.

I'm surprised that people aren't up in arms about this. We essentially lost our dedicated PBS HD channel, which had nothing to do with the analog switch. They just relabled the useless simulcast digital channel as KCTSHD, and eliminated the full time HD channel.

It's like when Food HD went simulcast and we lost a great HD channel and gained an abomination. Thankfully, we still have HDT.

Hmmm... I'm going to have to check this out tonight. I switched to FiosTV about 2 weeks ago and back then the channel was already set to 509-KCTS9-HD... at first I was wondering what happened to the "108" version of the channel we had on Comcast, but looked it up and saw they were going to be switching over in Sept, but for some reason on Fios it was already set that way even in Aug.

I do remember running thru the HD channels just the other night and coming upon a Nature show, it looked stunning in HD like something you'd see on HDT, no macroblocking, amazing pq, etc... I was thinking how much this channel has improved in quality since they switch to 9... but maybe that must have been before the offical switch I guess? I'm not certain because the channel has been 509 to me and didn't change in number. If the channel is as crappy now as you all are saying, I hope this is just a temporary regression.

Well I admit that, at the moment, it has not been a huge loss for me, but that is mainly because the shows I did watch on 108 (Everyday Food, Nova, Secrets of the Dead) had all gone into re-runs so I had no new content being recorded from that channel for months.

Just called Comcast and told them Fios was in my neighborhood (Kenmore) and asked them if they could give me a better deal to keep from switching. They offered me 16 Meg internet and 30 additional channels for $78 instead of the $118 I'm currently paying. Also got rid of that $5.10 additional outlet charge that showed up the last couple of months. Deal good for 12 months. Comcastic!

I am in Kenmore also...Fios bundle of tv net and phone will be here on Oct 12th for $99 a month dvrhd free for a year...Comcast will match that but why bother with them anymore when I can get over 100 REAL CHANNELS including TBS HD so I can watch the MLB Playoffs in HD

I am in Kenmore also...Fios bundle of tv net and phone will be here on Oct 12th for $99 a month dvrhd free for a year...Comcast will match that but why bother with them anymore when I can get over 100 REAL CHANNELS including TBS HD so I can watch the MLB Playoffs in HD

Baseball on TBS-HD looks stunning btw, you won't be disappointed one bit. Nothing against Comcast, who knows I may be going back someday, but for me, right now and for the money, and especially if you have a nice 1080p TV or home theater, Fios is the way to go for HD if you can get it.

Hopefully this will finally, get Comcast Seattle to get moving in terms of HD... I wonder if they were anticipating that FiosTV would only bring the 30 something HD channel service to our area like they have in Portland right now, but bamm, they hit us with 100!

Congrats on getting FIOS, ABHD. I'm also in Woodinville and so far I've stayed with Comcast.

Could you tell me if you can get CBUT through FIOS? That's been a reason we've stayed with Comcast so far, though now that the Olympics are over it's less important for us to see a Canadian channel.

I called comcast to see what they can do to keep me as Verizion is knocking on my door. I'm already on promotion for one year for internet and cable tv so rep couldn't give me any more discount. I have HD Dvr and he gave me 1 year promotion for free hd dvr. That's additional saving of 13.95 per month.

You should all call in to get that deal.

...
You should all call in get that deal.

When Verizon takes over from Qwest in my neighborhood perhaps I will.

Congrats on getting FIOS, ABHD. I'm also in Woodinville and so far I've stayed with Comcast.

Could you tell me if you can get CBUT through FIOS? That's been a reason we've stayed with Comcast so far, though now that the Olympics are over it's less important for us to see a Canadian channel.

I'd be interested in the answer to this as well. Verizon is currently carving up my area installing their cabling (in fact, they accidentally ruptured a water line today and had to shut off water to a few houses, including mine, while they repair it). So I'm hoping FIOS will be an option for me soon, but I'd have to think twice if they don't carry CBC.

How about MSNBC on FiOS? I don't see that on their list at all, I gotta have my Hardball!
I see yellow stripes in front of all the houses on my street in Sammamish right where the Comcast cable lines are, so I'm wondering if there is some installations planed soon.

Over the years we've switched around from Comcast to DirectTV to Dish and now back to Comcast, primarily because we've moved and only have a single outlet at each TV.

Two channels I immediately miss coming from Dish are Bravo HD and Travel Channel HD. Any ideas if/when Comcast might add these?

Congrats on getting FIOS, ABHD. I'm also in Woodinville and so far I've stayed with Comcast.

Could you tell me if you can get CBUT through FIOS? That's been a reason we've stayed with Comcast so far, though now that the Olympics are over it's less important for us to see a Canadian channel.

No CBC yet, but this channel is listed on the channel lineup brochure they gave me during installation. I asked the tech about this and he said they were still in the process of adding some channels like FSN-HD for instance on Oct 1st. If CBUT gets added, I'll let you know.

How about MSNBC on FiOS? I don't see that on their list at all, I gotta have my Hardball!
I see yellow stripes in front of all the houses on my street in Sammamish right where the Comcast cable lines are, so I'm wondering if there is some installations planed soon.

Yes, MSNBC is on channel 103, but not in HD. The only HD news besides all the locals currently are CNN-HD, CNBC-HD, FoxNews-HD, FoxBuisness-HD and TWC-HD. I'm sure they will add an HD version of MSNBC at some point.

So have the DVR's for Comcast gotten any better in the last year? I moved to DirecTV this year and am pretty fed up with the VERY poor quality of their DVR's (I just lost all of the shows recorded in the past week because of their poor software which recorded them all as black). However, I remember comcasts also sucking pretty bad. I had the Tivo Series 3, but that of course didn't do on demand. It seems you can't have it all in this world.

So have the DVR's for Comcast gotten any better in the last year? I moved to DirecTV this year and am pretty fed up with the VERY poor quality of their DVR's (I just lost all of the shows recorded in the past week because of their poor software which recorded them all as black). However, I remember comcasts also sucking pretty bad. I had the Tivo Series 3, but that of course didn't do on demand. It seems you can't have it all in this world.

Can't speak for all DVR's but my Comcast unit has a senility attack about once a month. The problems vary from recordings all black to recordings going forever to recording not made at all. I used to do the complete reset outlined in Wikipedia but nowadays I just pull the plug, wait a minute, plug back in, wait for Guide to replenish and all is fine for another several weeks. Perhaps cycling power on your DVR would work. It is hard to believe in this day and age you can't get a decent DVR. We can put a man on the moon but we can't record a stupid TV show reliably. Tivo still seems the most reliable but lacks some basic functions. Really, how tough could it be to make a DVR that does it all and does it reliably? I work in industrial controls and if our stuff was this bad we'd be out of business.

Can't speak for all DVR's but my Comcast unit has a senility attack about once a month. The problems vary from recordings all black to recordings going forever to recording not made at all. I used to do the complete reset outlined in Wikipedia but nowadays I just pull the plug, wait a minute, plug back in, wait for Guide to replenish and all is fine for another several weeks. Perhaps cycling power on your DVR would work. It is hard to believe in this day and age you can't get a decent DVR. We can put a man on the moon but we can't record a stupid TV show reliably. Tivo still seems the most reliable but lacks some basic functions. Really, how tough could it be to make a DVR that does it all and does it reliably? I work in industrial controls and if our stuff was this bad we'd be out of business.Our Comcast DVR has the same problem. My wife usually complains about once a month that her programs won't play. I pull the plug on the back and wait a few seconds and plug it back in. After it reboots it works fine. I was wondering if a different box would help.

Our Comcast DVR has the same problem. My wife usually complains about once a month that her programs won't play. I pull the plug on the back and wait a few seconds and plug it back in. After it reboots it works fine. I was wondering if a different box would help.

I have two DCH3416's and they have never lost a program. In fact, I just completed the BSG in HD which I recorded last year. There is one thing I do, I never ever turn off the DVR. I've never has to reboot to get the DVR to work.

That said, it's not flawless. I hate how sometimes it queues a bunch of commands and then runs them all at once. There are other things but that's nit picking. It is functional (for me).

I do really love the 30 second skip. No need to watch commercials on recorded stuff. Overall I'm happy with the box but disappointed in the parltry storage and would like to see room to room streaming. Oh well...

I have two DCH3416's and they have never lost a program. In fact, I just completed the BSG in HD which I recorded last year. There is one thing I do, I never ever turn off the DVR. I've never has to reboot to get the DVR to work.

That said, it's not flawless. I hate how sometimes it queues a bunch of commands and then runs them all at once. There are other things but that's nit picking. It is functional (for me).

I do really love the 30 second skip. No need to watch commercials on recorded stuff. Overall I'm happy with the box but disappointed in the parltry storage and would like to see room to room streaming. Oh well...

It never loses any programs. For some reason it freezes up when first trying to playback a program. After the reboot it works fine. We also get the problem with commands.

It never loses any programs. For some reason it freezes up when first trying to playback a program. After the reboot it works fine. We also get the problem with commands.

Weird, never freezes on playback for me. Perhaps you do need a new box?

I have a question hopefully you guys can help me with. I live in Issaquah and my parents are down in Portland. I have a Comcast HD Box and they do not. I believe they just have a standard DVR box from Comcast even though they have an HD TV. Long story..... I'll be travelling to Portland in early October and want to watch NFL games at their house in HD. Can I bring my HD DVR box I'm currently using in Issaquah down to Portland? Can I swap out their receiever with mine for the weekend?


Thanks...

...Can I swap out their receiver with mine for the weekend?
...

I'm sure the answer is no, since each box is attached to a specific account. I don't think you can even take your DVR to another location and play back programs recorded on it.

I'm sure the answer is no, since each box is attached to a specific account. I don't think you can even take your DVR to another location and play back programs recorded on it.

Actually, I have used both my Tivo (with Cablecards) and my Cable Modem at my parent's house. I spoke with a Comcast Business Account Tech before doing so, and was told to just "give it a try. . . sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't . . . but the closer you are to the 2nd location, the better chance of success."

... I don't think you can even take your DVR to another location and play back programs recorded on it.

You're right! They are watching your house and will jump out of the bushes and force you to take your DVR back into the house. Devious little devils... :D

You're right! They are watching your house and will jump out of the bushes and force you to take your DVR back into the house. Devious little devils... :D

Well, they are watching the box electronically.

I have a question hopefully you guys can help me with. I live in Issaquah and my parents are down in Portland. I have a Comcast HD Box and they do not. I believe they just have a standard DVR box from Comcast even though they have an HD TV. Long story..... I'll be travelling to Portland in early October and want to watch NFL games at their house in HD. Can I bring my HD DVR box I'm currently using in Issaquah down to Portland? Can I swap out their receiever with mine for the weekend?

Thanks...
I have no cable boxes, I subscribe to Limited Basic Comcast cable ($16 per month less $10 discount for having Comcast internet service) and I watch all of the local HD stations with my QAM internal tuners on two of my digital TVs.

If your parents' HDTV has a built-in QAM digital tuner, you should be able to connect directly to the incoming cable (without their cable box) and tune in the local HD stations. If your football is on the local channels, you should not need your HD DVR box to watch. But to time shift, you need some kind of DVR box.

I would guess that your HD cable box from home would probably not work on the Portland system, not due to compatibility issues, but rather due to being on a different Comcast local system. Just a guess on my part.

Well, they are watching the box electronically.


Well where's the fun in that?!?!

I don't think you can even take your DVR to another location and play back programs recorded on it.I've done that a couple of times, actually.

What happened to the cornucopia of HD Seattle-area Comcast customers were supposedly getting this year? There's been nothing since the addition of Disney and ABC Family, which barely show any content that's actually, you know, in hi-def.

Every time the message light comes on the box I think it's good news only to get endless messages about phone services I don't want, PPVs I don't care about and crappy locally-produced stuff for On Demand.

Where's TBS-HD? It was bad enough to miss the MLB playoffs last year and now it would seem we're going to miss them a full year later. Meanwhile, TBS is showing more and more stuff in HD, like the Office.

There are certainly plenty of HD options out there to add, all of them guaranteed to add more real HD to our TVs than the Disney/ABC Family additions.

So Comcast, where are some new channels? Save the misleading garbage about "more HD via On Demand" for your ad campaigns.

What happened to the cornucopia of HD Seattle-area Comcast customers were supposedly getting this year? There's been nothing since the addition of Disney and ABC Family, which barely show any content that's actually, you know, in hi-def.

Every time the message light comes on the box I think it's good news only to get endless messages about phone services I don't want, PPVs I don't care about and crappy locally-produced stuff for On Demand.

Where's TBS-HD? It was bad enough to miss the MLB playoffs last year and now it would seem we're going to miss them a full year later. Meanwhile, TBS is showing more and more stuff in HD, like the Office.

There are certainly plenty of HD options out there to add, all of them guaranteed to add more real HD to our TVs than the Disney/ABC Family additions.

So Comcast, where are some new channels? Save the misleading garbage about "more HD via On Demand" for your ad campaigns.

Per Steve Kipp (VP) we won't be getting any new hd channel until next year.

I've always wondered about this and now that the topic has been discussed, my question is:

Let's say I've recorded several episodes of "24" on my 3416. Can I bring it to another location, hook it up to a TV and watch the shows? Specifically, I would be hooking it to a TV that has no cable connection. I'm guessing that I wouldn't get a menu because I wouldn't be hooked up.

Has anyone tried this?

It's been a while now since we've received any new HD stations in the area...any word out there of anything? I would love CNN-HD or FOXNEWS-HD during the run up to the election.

I've always wondered about this and now that the topic has been discussed, my question is:

Let's say I've recorded several episodes of "24" on my 3416. Can I bring it to another location, hook it up to a TV and watch the shows? Specifically, I would be hooking it to a TV that has no cable connection. I'm guessing that I wouldn't get a menu because I wouldn't be hooked up.

Has anyone tried this?

I believe the answer is yes. I was able to watch my DVR recordings while my cable was out, ripped from the pole due to construction activity. The box's menu continued to work.

Well wish me luck - TivoHD arrived yesterday and I have the m-card in my car ready for me to install. The very nice customer service agent told me I will have to call to get the card activated, but that it should be simple (we'll see) =D

It's been a while now since we've received any new HD stations in the area...any word out there of anything? I would love CNN-HD or FOXNEWS-HD during the run up to the election.

We won't get anything new this year. Might have to wait until feb of next year.

We won't get anything new this year. Might have to wait until feb of next year.

unbelievable that the baseball playoffs will be on TBS and we don't get hi-def...Fios they said, will be available on Oct 12 in my area...not soon enough

I believe the answer is yes. I was able to watch my DVR recordings while my cable was out, ripped from the pole due to construction activity. The box's menu continued to work.

I think that was only true because your box had previously connected via cable and had not lost power since getting the guide etc. If I unplug my DVR I can't do anything with it (including use DVR functions) until it downloads a minimum of info from the head end. So my guess is NO, you can't take your box elsewhere and use it because once the power is lost it has to start from scratch. With no cable or valid account/service it will do almost nothing useful.

I think that was only true because your box had previously connected via cable and had not lost power since getting the guide etc. If I unplug my DVR I can't do anything with it (including use DVR functions) until it downloads a minimum of info from the head end. So my guess is NO, you can't take your box elsewhere and use it because once the power is lost it has to start from scratch. With no cable or valid account/service it will do almost nothing useful.As I said, I've taken my box elsewhere a couple of times to view material on my DVR. Worked just fine. DCT-3416.

I've always wondered about this and now that the topic has been discussed, my question is:

Let's say I've recorded several episodes of "24" on my 3416. Can I bring it to another location, hook it up to a TV and watch the shows? Specifically, I would be hooking it to a TV that has no cable connection. I'm guessing that I wouldn't get a menu because I wouldn't be hooked up.

Has anyone tried this?

Pretty easy to test... just disconnect the coax cable, unplug the box, wait 10 minutes (or whatever), plug power back in, see if you can play stuff. The box won't know that you haven't actually traveled to your uncle Morty's house :)

I've always wondered about this and now that the topic has been discussed, my question is:

Let's say I've recorded several episodes of "24" on my 3416. Can I bring it to another location, hook it up to a TV and watch the shows? Specifically, I would be hooking it to a TV that has no cable connection. I'm guessing that I wouldn't get a menu because I wouldn't be hooked up.

Has anyone tried this?

If you hit the "My DVR" button on your remote, it should take you straight to your list of recorded shows.

It looks like Comcast has raised rates again. Packages have gone up $1.00-2.00 and DVR Service is now $15.95 a month, which after taxes is about $200 a year. Time to get a Tivo. Fios needs to get their ass to Renton.

I tried using my DVR on my projector, but if the box isn't connected to cable, it wouldn't play anything; wanted to watch the JAWS in HD I had recorded.

I tried using my DVR on my projector, but if the box isn't connected to cable, it wouldn't play anything; wanted to watch the JAWS in HD I had recorded.

Exactly what I found. If you do not allow the box to get the minimum of data downloaded from Comcast it will not let you do much of anything. I had to wait several minutes after a restart before it would even let me go to the DVR menu. Perhaps older boxes allowed this stand-alone operation, but my 3416 does not.

What does everybody use for a channel guide? The cable box guide is clearly inaccurate (no WSU-UO game in HD on 664).

What does everybody use for a channel guide? The cable box guide is clearly inaccurate (no WSU-UO game in HD on 664).

Look at Channel 30 (FSNW) and ask yourself if you think the game is in HD. If your answer is "yes" (the game is in HD), then turn to Channel 664.

I think this is what everyone else does.

Anyone else in Seattle suddenly missing their unencrypted cable channels? I'm in the Bellevue area and am no longer receiving the local channels in HD. When I scan for new channels the TV does recognize the standard range of QAM channels, but is unable to receive any of them. It was (and should be) recognizing and tuning in the local channels.

Comcast (of course) says it's my TV, but since this has been working fine for years I think Comcast is having a problem or has started encrypting them.

Anyone else in Seattle suddenly missing their unencrypted cable channels?
...

It's probably unique to your area, if not to your TV. I can still receive them in Bellevue.

Per Steve Kipp (VP) we won't be getting any new hd channel until next year.

Hmm. I already have a dish1000 setup installed two years ago. Getting tempted to make the switch. Only problem is I have two tivo3 with one of them lifetime. I guess I could just downgrade my comcast to the digital basic from the silver and get the hd package from dish.

Look at Channel 30 (FSNW) and ask yourself if you think the game is in HD. If your answer is "yes" (the game is in HD), then turn to Channel 664.

I think this is what everyone else does. This is what I usually do. But yesterday FSN had 2 games: Oregon-WSU and UW -Stanford. I found neither game broadcast on 664. Did anyone else have the same issue? :(

This is what I usually do. But yesterday FSN had 2 games: Oregon-WSU and UW -Stanford. I found neither game broadcast on 664. Did anyone else have the same issue? :(

Same for me, no Husky game on 664. Don't know about the Cougs, didn't try to watch that game. I really wish Comcrap would dedicate a channel to Fox Sports NW in HD, this sharing with Mojo never seems to work out for stuff I want in HD.

Same for me, no Husky game on 664. Don't know about the Cougs, didn't try to watch that game. I really wish Comcrap would dedicate a channel to Fox Sports NW in HD, this sharing with Mojo never seems to work out for stuff I want in HD.

I'm with you on this one and wish FSNW had a dedicated HD channel. Though with the way the M's season went, there were times when I wish I could watch MOJO instead!!!

Same for me, no Husky game on 664. Don't know about the Cougs, didn't try to watch that game. I really wish Comcrap would dedicate a channel to Fox Sports NW in HD, this sharing with Mojo never seems to work out for stuff I want in HD.
I suspect the problem is not that Comcast didn't put FSN on 664 for the games, rather the problem is that FSN didn't broadcast the games in HD. FSN carries very little HD other than the Mariners (and formerly the Sonics). Comcast seems to do a good job of pre-empting FSN whenever FSN actually has HD content. Unfortunately, that's not very often.

I suspect the problem is not that Comcast didn't put FSN on 664 for the games, rather the problem is that FSN didn't broadcast the games in HD. FSN carries very little HD other than the Mariners (and formerly the Sonics). Comcast seems to do a good job of pre-empting FSN whenever FSN actually has HD content. Unfortunately, that's not very often.


Actually, FSN NW has been broadcasting most college football games in HD the past year or so. Not sure what the sked was for this past Saturday but if you look on FSN NW website, you'll see that their sked lists 3 games this coming Saturday in HD.

Per Steve Kipp (VP) we won't be getting any new hd channel until next year.

Well that sucks. Here's hoping Verizon and Fios come to Juanita soon, then it will be time to jump the Comcast ship.

Well that sucks. Here's hoping Verizon and Fios come to Juanita soon, then it will be time to jump the Comcast ship.

Fios should already be there for internet, and tvshould be there this month (Oct) I am in Kenmore and scheduled internet, phone, and tv hookup in 2-3 weeks....hopefully in time for the baseball playoffs on TBS...2nd year no hi-def, I'm done....

Well that sucks. Here's hoping Verizon and Fios come to Juanita soon, then it will be time to jump the Comcast ship.

New channel 179 just started airing but I don't know if it is HD channel.

Comcast Sportsnet NW which will show us Portland basketball games.

New channel 179 just started airing but I don't know if it is HD channel.

Comcast Sportsnet NW which will show us Portland basketball games.


And 60 NHL games too!!!! Good news! :-) I heard it on KJR last night and was pleasantly surprised. I assume it is the SD feed but I haven't caught it yet.

New channel 179 just started airing but I don't know if it is HD channel.

Is it a HD channel in Portland?

Fios should already be there for internet, and tvshould be there this month (Oct) I am in Kenmore and scheduled internet, phone, and tv hookup in 2-3 weeks....hopefully in time for the baseball playoffs on TBS...2nd year no hi-def, I'm done....

Called Verizon, was told that my area (Juanita) hasn't been built out yet. Hey Comcast, how about some REAL choices...not OnDemand choices?

CNN, TBS, AMC, Travel, FX, Speed, Fox News, Fox Sports, Bravo, CNBC, The Weather Channel, Fox Business Network, IFC, BBCA, etc

Is it a HD channel in Portland?

Yes it is. They are going to air 28+ home games in HD this year.

Well, most SD sports channels are in the 400s, and ESPNHD 1&2 are 173 &174. . . concluding that 179 is . . . actually, I don't know if 180 (NFL) is in HD. If so, I expect 179 is HD too.

Called Verizon, was told that my area (Juanita) hasn't been built out yet. Hey Comcast, how about some REAL choices...not OnDemand choices?

CNN, TBS, AMC, Travel, FX, Speed, Fox News, Fox Sports, Bravo, CNBC, The Weather Channel, Fox Business Network, IFC, BBCA, etc

I've had FiosTV service for about a month now, and so far I cannot even tell you how happy I am with this service after coming from Comcast, especially in terms of HD. Currently the OnDemand choices seem to have much more network shows and other On Demand content than Comcast from what I remember. However, currently Fios has less HD movies on demand, but that will eventually change I'm sure. But, I'm getting like 25 HD movie channels free for a month and another 16 or so in the Movie package, so I have more than enough HD movies I can watch or record than I can possibly deal with.

Having so many HD choices now is a completely different TV experience for me... no longer am I frustrated from waiting for years for Comcast to add just a channel or 2. Also the pq is noticably better, no more laggy guide, no asking me if I'm sure I want to change the channel while recording another one, etc, etc..

We are supposed to get FSNNW-HD added soon, here is a list of HD's we currently get if you haven't checked out what they offer in terms of HD, I made a local thread. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1061867 For those of you who cannot get Fios, I only hope this will push Comcast to eventually bring you all better HD service in Seattle sooner.

Well, most SD sports channels are in the 400s, and ESPNHD 1&2 are 173 &174. . . concluding that 179 is . . . actually, I don't know if 180 (NFL) is in HD. If so, I expect 179 is HD too.

180 is HD, but 179 doesn't seem to be.

180 is HD, but 179 doesn't seem to be.

Just got home & checked. I agree that 179 seems to be SD. :(

180 is HD, but 179 doesn't seem to be.

I've never seen anything on 180 that was in HD. 417 is the NFL-HD channel.

I've never seen anything on 180 that was in HD. 417 is the NFL-HD channel.

We're both wrong. 180 and 417 are SD; 418 is the HD NFL channel. It's been so long since I watched it that I had to go back and check.

Looks like mojo will stop airing by end of this year:

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/10/02/mojo-hd-gets-canceled-should-vanish-by-months-end/

Looks like mojo will stop airing by end of this year:

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/10/02/mojo-hd-gets-canceled-should-vanish-by-months-end/

My vote is that it gets replaced by FXHD, with unfortunately is owned by Comcast's enemy. FX is however the only SD channel I watch regularly.

My vote is that it gets replaced by FXHD, with unfortunately is owned by Comcast's enemy. FX is however the only SD channel I watch regularly.

Some areas have added FX, Fox News, and Speed (probably as an HD 3-pack).

Dang. I really enjoy MOJO, especially Three Sheets - and I don't even drink!

However, if it allowed me to get SPEED in HD....

I see from my cable bill that Comcast has raised rates again. :( All I want is the HD DVR plus the HD local channels plus a very few HD cable channels (e.g, TNT, Sci-Fi). It doesn't seem like it should cost $105 per month for that... any comments if it's worthwhile to switch to DirecTV, Dish, or perhaps swap out my Comcast DVR for an HD Tivo? Just trying to save some money, but still want HD DVR capability...

I see from my cable bill that Comcast has raised rates again. :( All I want is the HD DVR plus the HD local channels plus a very few HD cable channels (e.g, TNT, Sci-Fi). It doesn't seem like it should cost $105 per month for that... any comments if it's worthwhile to switch to DirecTV, Dish, or perhaps swap out my Comcast DVR for an HD Tivo? Just trying to save some money, but still want HD DVR capability...

I'm dumping comcast finally....Getting FIOS installed on Tuesday. There deal is going be cheaper then comcast for internet and tv.

You can call up comcast and get free dvr for a year. That should save ya 13.95 per month.

I switched to direcTV for my primary TVs but still have cable for the rest of the house and my HTPCs (Their currently giving me digital cable and an HD receiver for less than basic cable right now because I called to cancel). So for I much prefer direcTV -- many more HD stations. The DVR is a little slow, but works. It downloads onDemand content from the Internet so you have to wait a bit before you watch "OnDemand" content, and the selection isn't quite as good as Comcast onDemand. But they have a music/photo/video share client that can stream your home media from a PC to the DVR.

Overall, I'm happy I "switched." They plan on rolling out Tivo Powered units again next year...

I've got a couple of discounts going so after the initial cost it's cheaper than the comparable cable package for me. But you are locked in for 2 years and if you can't find the right discounts you have to pay up front for the DVR...

I see from my cable bill that Comcast has raised rates again. :( All I want is the HD DVR plus the HD local channels plus a very few HD cable channels (e.g, TNT, Sci-Fi). It doesn't seem like it should cost $105 per month for that... any comments if it's worthwhile to switch to DirecTV, Dish, or perhaps swap out my Comcast DVR for an HD Tivo? Just trying to save some money, but still want HD DVR capability...

You're paying too much, if you don't want expanded basic. I have limited basic ($14.45), digital preferred ($16,99), HBO ($17.99), 2nd Cablecard ($1.79), and internet ($42,95). With tax and fees (for 2 cablecards etc), this totals $96.65.

You're paying too much, if you don't want expanded basic. I have limited basic ($14.45), digital preferred ($16,99), HBO ($17.99), 2nd Cablecard ($1.79), and internet ($42,95). With tax and fees (for 2 cablecards etc), this totals $96.65.

As I understand it, you have to have Digital Classic to have an HD DVR, and you have to have Expanded Basic to have Digital Classic. I can do without Expanded Basic, but there are some HD channels (660-675) that I like to watch which are part of Digital Classic... it seems like switching to satellite is the only way to save money if you want an HD DVR...

...
You can call up comcast and get free dvr for a year. That should save ya 13.95 per month.

Actually, it's now $15.95/month. Getting better and better.

. . . and you have to have Expanded Basic to have Digital Classic....there are some HD channels (660-675) that I like to watch which are part of Digital Classic

huh? I have Digital Classic without Expanded Basic and watch the HD channels you referenced.

huh? I have Digital Classic without Expanded Basic and watch the HD channels you referenced.

Hmmm, well I live in Seattle, and I just got off the phone with the Comcast rep, and they indicated that the only way to have Digital Classic was to also have Expanded Basic. So maybe it depends on who you talk to! :)

They did offer me the Digital Starter package (no Digital Classic) with the HD DVR, which reduces my monthly bill, but loses the handful of cable HD channels I was interested in keeping (although maybe not -- I'll have to check and see what I've got left when that change goes through)

They did offer me the Digital Starter package (no Digital Classic) with the HD DVR, which reduces my monthly bill, but loses the handful of cable HD channels I was interested in keeping (although maybe not -- I'll have to check and see what I've got left when that change goes through)

Okay, now that I've checked... most of the channels in the 660 - 680 range survived the cut from Digital Preferred to Digital Starter. Only National Graphic HD got cut, and I'm happy to live without that for $17 less per month. :)

I guess satellite is needed to go cheaper than this...

Hmmm, well I live in Seattle, and I just got off the phone with the Comcast rep, and they indicated that the only way to have Digital Classic was to also have Expanded Basic. So maybe it depends on who you talk to! :)

They did offer me the Digital Starter package (no Digital Classic) with the HD DVR, which reduces my monthly bill, but loses the handful of cable HD channels I was interested in keeping (although maybe not -- I'll have to check and see what I've got left when that change goes through)

Actually, Comcast wouldn't let me have Digital Classic without Expanded Basic, until I added HBO. For me, this is still cheaper than Expanded Basic - N.B, I have 2 Cablecards in a Tivo and no Cablebox, so there may different requirements for you.

Actually, Comcast wouldn't let me have Digital Classic without Expanded Basic, until I added HBO. For me, this is still cheaper than Expanded Basic - N.B, I have 2 Cablecards in a Tivo and no Cablebox, so there may different requirements for you.

Yes, it appears that the TIVO has given you some added flexibility that is not possible with the Comcast DVR. Definitely worth considering for saving money, although we certainly might miss "On Demand"

I was just setting up a new Harmony Remote, and decided to add the 30 second skip feature. I tested it, and the box accepts the command, but doesn't do anything. Has Comcast disabled this in the box software?

Message on box indicates a s/w upgrade on all HD boxes coming at 3AM Tuesday, 10/14.

I was just setting up a new Harmony Remote, and decided to add the 30 second skip feature. I tested it, and the box accepts the command, but doesn't do anything. Has Comcast disabled this in the box software?

Not yet.

Yes, it appears that the TIVO has given you some added flexibility that is not possible with the Comcast DVR. Definitely worth considering for saving money, although we certainly might miss "On Demand"


On the brighter side, the FCC is considering prohibiting cable companies from requiring certain packages once everything goes digital. Hopefully, this will go through in Feb 09 when OTA goes digital and not in 2011, the year cable providers are required to offer local cables in analog.

I was just setting up a new Harmony Remote, and decided to add the 30 second skip feature. I tested it, and the box accepts the command, but doesn't do anything. Has Comcast disabled this in the box software?The 30-second skip works just fine on my Harmony 880 remote. Your "Skip Forward" button should be programmed with the "Advance" command. I think that's the default anyway, but it's been so long since I programmed my Harmony 880, that I can't recall for sure.

The advance and replay seem work just fine on the remote, but they don't seem to be a full 30 seconds.

I've had FiosTV service for about a month now, and so far I cannot even tell you how happy I am with this service after coming from Comcast, especially in terms of HD. Currently the OnDemand choices seem to have much more network shows and other On Demand content than Comcast from what I remember. However, currently Fios has less HD movies on demand, but that will eventually change I'm sure. But, I'm getting like 25 HD movie channels free for a month and another 16 or so in the Movie package, so I have more than enough HD movies I can watch or record than I can possibly deal with.

Having so many HD choices now is a completely different TV experience for me... no longer am I frustrated from waiting for years for Comcast to add just a channel or 2. Also the pq is noticably better, no more laggy guide, no asking me if I'm sure I want to change the channel while recording another one, etc, etc..

We are supposed to get FSNNW-HD added soon, here is a list of HD's we currently get if you haven't checked out what they offer in terms of HD, I made a local thread. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1061867 For those of you who cannot get Fios, I only hope this will push Comcast to eventually bring you all better HD service in Seattle sooner.

Would love it if Verizon would ever bring it to Sammamish, but so far, no go.

The advance and replay seem work just fine on the remote, but they don't seem to be a full 30 seconds."Advance" seems to be about 30 seconds on my DVR (two clicks on Advance uses up a minute on my DVR), but "Replay" seems to be about 15 seconds. If I overshoot using the "Advance" it takes two clicks on Replay to go back to where I was.

Message on box indicates a s/w upgrade on all HD boxes coming at 3AM Tuesday, 10/14.

Yes, but their liberal use of the word "upgrade" has me cringing. Some of their supposed upgrades were downgrades. Anyone know what exactly they are going to change/add/delete/fix/ruin this time?

"Advance" seems to be about 30 seconds on my DVR (two clicks on Advance uses up a minute on my DVR), but "Replay" seems to be about 15 seconds. If I overshoot using the "Advance" it takes two clicks on Replay to go back to where I was.

That's how they have always worked. When a commercial comes up I advance until it's gone, then replay once (rarely twice) to catch the beginning of the resumption of the show.

Yes, but their liberal use of the word "upgrade" has me cringing. Some of their supposed upgrades were downgrades. Anyone know what exactly they are going to change/add/delete/fix/ruin this time?

Only two things you can be sure of:

We won't know what it is until it shows up.

Once we have it, we'll probably be stuck with it for a long time. (The only exception I can recall was the "upgrade" to the MSFT guide that kept rebooting the boxes, and which you could have them back out.)

If only it were the TiVo software...anyone try calling in and asking what they're doing? I might brave the depths of their IVR out of curiosity...plus I think I owe them money.

So as long as you set the remote's "Skip Forward" button to Advance in the Logitech software it should work or is there an extra step. Mine is not working for some reason.

I've got question that I'm hoping someone can help me with. I've tried looking around for a quite a bit; but just can't find anything.

I have a LCD TV with a TV Tuner + Comcast normal cable.

I get King on Ch 5. and King-HD on Ch. 5-1, this is similar for Kiro (Ch. 7 and 7-1) and Fox (Ch. 11 and 11-1). My question is for ABC / Komo...I get channel 4 (but no 4-1)...where should be I be looking for my HD ABC content?

Thanks!

I've got question that I'm hoping someone can help me with. I've tried looking around for a quite a bit; but just can't find anything.

I have a LCD TV with a TV Tuner + Comcast normal cable.

I get King on Ch 5. and King-HD on Ch. 5-1, this is similar for Kiro (Ch. 7 and 7-1) and Fox (Ch. 11 and 11-1). My question is for ABC / Komo...I get channel 4 (but no 4-1)...where should be I be looking for my HD ABC content?

Thanks!

See this post:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14396998&highlight=#post14396998

So as long as you set the remote's "Skip Forward" button to Advance in the Logitech software it should work or is there an extra step. Mine is not working for some reason.

Using the original Comcast remote do the following:
1) Press the “Cable” button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2) Press and hold the “Setup” button until the “Cable” button blinks twice.
3) Type in the code 994. The “Cable” button will blink twice
4) Press (do not hold) the “Setup” button
5) Type in the code 00173 (for 30 second Skip)
6) Press whatever button you want to map the skip to, usually "Advance"

Now pressing the "Advance" key you assigned on your Harmony remote will work.

Message on box indicates a s/w upgrade on all HD boxes coming at 3AM Tuesday, 10/14.

Of course, that will only happen if my power comes back on before then.

No new s/w here, yet. Still 74.58-3061 with firmware 16.35. Comcastic.

I haven't checked the firmware version, but it seems the handshake through HDMI is greatly improved. I have a cable box connected via HDMI to a JVC receiver and then on to the TV. It used to take minutes for the picture to come up on the TV, or never - I would sometimes have to turn the set top box on and off one or two times to get picture. Today the picture comes up after a few seconds. Might be due to a software upgrade, or maybe the temperature or sunspot activity or wishful thinking...but it seems like now it works like it was always supposed to.

I haven't checked the firmware version, but it seems the handshake through HDMI is greatly improved.
...

Check the versions. If they haven't changed, then it's probably wishful thinking or a coincidence. (I was looking forward to digging into new bugs today.)

SW74.53-3321 FW18.34 here in Lakewood. Don't know if this is the same as yesterday but that's what I have today. So far, haven't noticed any differences.

BTW: the three on .53 kinda looks like a cut off 8 so I'm kinda wondering if Wareagle actually has 74.53, not 74.58.

SW74.53-3321 FW18.34 here in Lakewood. Don't know if this is the same as yesterday but that's what I have today. So far, haven't noticed any differences.

BTW: the three on .53 kinda looks like a cut off 8 so I'm kinda wondering if Wareagle actually has 74.53, not 74.58.

No, it's 74.58-3061 and 16.35. Some differences could be attributed to mine being DCT and yours DCH.

Just got the update on my DCH-3416. Firmware was updated to 18.43 and guide software to 75.59.

For the DCT3416 it's 75.59 and 16.53. Let the fun begin.

Goodbye comcast.....I got FIOS installed yesterday....and all i can say is WOW...

Looks like y'all up North are the guinea pigs. No change here and there is no message about about a change. Like to know what y'all see as having changed with the new SW.

Looks like y'all up North are the guinea pigs. No change here and there is no message about about a change. Like to know what y'all see as having changed with the new SW.

It has the features described here: http://www.comcast.com/newguide/

There is also a 5-minute skip forward (page up) and a 5-minute skip backward (page down). The former 15-second rewind and 30-second skip still work for me. I haven't had a chance to try everything, but nothing seems to be broken, so far.

Did it fix the annoying 20-second remote control button push to cable box response lag time?

Thanks Wareagle! I'm now officially jealous! Improved confilict resolution is something I really want. The 5 min forwards and back looks cool. And, looking at the screen shot, it looks like they got rid of the annoying ads at the bottom of the guide. I am also really, really happy to hear that the 30 skip foward is not gone. I really use that feature a lot.

I also noticed that the recording light now works on my DCH-3416!

Thanks Wareagle! I'm now officially jealous! Improved confilict resolution is something I really want. The 5 min forwards and back looks cool. And, looking at the screen shot, it looks like they got rid of the annoying ads at the bottom of the guide. I am also really, really happy to hear that the 30 skip foward is not gone. I really use that feature a lot.

The ads are still there (I had to go back and look again, since I ignore them). The response to remote commands seems to be better -- no hangups so far. I haven't tested the overlapped recordings yet, but I did try a live event to verify that it gives you the option (when you set it up) of adding time.

new guide here in Lake City area - BFD. I see nothing so far that is "significant" enough to get excited about. If it solves the requirement to cleanse the system once a month, then it is worth something. So, check back in 30 days...

I live in Normandy Park and just got the red light on my DVR this morning. The message states that a software upgrade is coming next week (10/21).

This "upgrade" seems pretty lame to me. What I want most for the lag be gone, or at least greatly reduced.

This "upgrade" seems pretty lame to me. What I want most for the lag be gone, or at least greatly reduced.

Have you tried it? The response to transport commands seems pretty good to me.

Have you tried it? The response to transport commands seems pretty good to me.

Mine hasn't upgraded yet. Is ON Demand fast-forwarding/rewinding more responsive? If it is, then I might be happy. I hate pressing fast-forward and trying to press play again 5 seconds in advance to "hopefully" get it to play from where I want it to.

Mine hasn't upgraded yet. Is ON Demand fast-forwarding/rewinding more responsive? If it is, then I might be happy. I hate pressing fast-forward and trying to press play again 5 seconds in advance to "hopefully" get it to play from where I want it to.

Be glad you don't have it yet. I wish I could downgrade to the previous version. This version has some pretty well-known bugs which are effecting me. On my non-overscanning HDTV, I've now got a vertical "green line" going down the right side of the screen on the high-def channels, plus there seems to be a single vertical line of distortion near the left edge the picture. What's the point of 1:1 pixel mapping if the cable box is distorting the image? I can get rid of the green line using the standard workaround (in the setup, switch my HDMI output to RGB instead of YCC), but the image isn't as crisp this way. And that doesn't get rid of the line of distortion.

Which I guess brings me back to an earlier question.... DirecTV? TIVO?

Be glad you don't have it yet. I wish I could downgrade to the previous version. This version has some pretty well-known bugs which are effecting me. On my non-overscanning HDTV, I've now got a vertical "green line" going down the right side of the screen on the high-def channels, plus there seems to be a single vertical line of distortion near the left edge the picture. What's the point of 1:1 pixel mapping if the cable box is distorting the image? I can get rid of the green line using the standard workaround (in the setup, switch my HDMI output to RGB instead of YCC), but the image isn't as crisp this way. And that doesn't get rid of the line of distortion.

Which I guess brings me back to an earlier question.... DirecTV? TIVO?

I rarely put my HD set in "1:1" mode, but you're right, there is a green line on the right and a distorted section on the left. I guess I'll be using "16:9" (overscan) mode until the next "upgrade". Thanks for confirming that this is not a fault of the TV.

Regarding the LAG issue, it does not appear any better on my setup.

I suppose I lucked out, since I don't see any green line and the lag appears to be gone.

I suppose I lucked out, since I don't see any green line and the lag appears to be gone.

I think you only get a green line if you're using HDMI, 1080i, the color space is set to YCC 4:4:4, and you have no overscan.

That describes my preferred setup... :)

I think you only get a green line if you're using HDMI, 1080i, the color space is set to YCC 4:4:4, and you have no overscan.

That describes my preferred setup... :)

I'm using HDMI and 720p.

I've been experiencing what I call "color lines" going through the image on certain channels, including foxnews (48), msnbc (47), mtv (63), comedy central (60). These are vertical lines that show about an 1/8" apart through certain colors (always yellow and also white when it's light off a lamp on the wall or someone's face.) DVD's look perfect, as do HD Channels and blu ray movies. The issue is the same whether the feed is through the cable box or directly to the television. I have an LCD t.v. I am pretty sure this is an issue with Comcast, most likely compression, or maybe a bad connection. Anyone else experience this, or know of the effect I'm talking about. Also, the KSTW SD and HD channel has god awful feeds of King of Queens and Seinfeld. Any thoughts? Thanks!

I found this out last night when I went to go record the Seahawks game. After I pressed the record button a new window came up letting me know I was going to record a live event and it gave me the option to extend the recording if I wanted to. I almost always used to have to go back and extend recording of football games manually, now with this window that comes up it's much easier and takes less time. It's nice to see a new useful unexpected feature come from the upgrade.

I rarely put my HD set in "1:1" mode, but you're right, there is a green line on the right and a distorted section on the left. I guess I'll be using "16:9" (overscan) mode until the next "upgrade". Thanks for confirming that this is not a fault of the TV.


Y'know, that green line thing happened to me on my old box, turned out my tv does a picture centering. I just had to hit left arrow (right for you) to center the picture and that green arrow went away. oddly, it only happened on one channel (ABC, iirc), all the other HDs were fine.

I found this out last night when I went to go record the Seahawks game. After I pressed the record button a new window came up letting me know I was going to record a live event and it gave me the option to extend the recording if I wanted to. I almost always used to have to go back and extend recording of football games manually, now with this window that comes up it's much easier and takes less time. It's nice to see a new useful unexpected feature come from the upgrade.

That's actually documented, so not a surprise: http://www.comcast.com/newguide/DVR.html

Random question I am hoping someone here can help me with. I see that this has been asked before but those discussions are pretty dated, so I want to make sure nothing has changed.

I am looking to put a small flat panel TV in a bathroom.....want it to receive at least CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX High Def channels. Cablecard TVs aren't sold anymore, and I don't want to hassle with a cablebox (and the rental fee for a bathroom TV). I am already a Comcast digital package subscriber with a $170/month bill (in other words, plenty of other boxes around the house getting Comcast HD content).

Can I just buy a any TV with a built-in HD (AKA QAM) tuner and be OK? I realize I wouldn't get HBO, Showtime, etc on that TV.....but would I at least get HD locals?

Thanks.

...Can I just buy a any TV with a built-in HD (AKA QAM) tuner and be OK? I realize I wouldn't get HBO, Showtime, etc on that TV.....but would I at least get HD locals?
...

Yep. You could probably even pick up what you want with an antenna. See this for OTA and unencrypted QAM channels:
http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels

I think you only get a green line if you're using HDMI, 1080i, the color space is set to YCC 4:4:4, and you have no overscan.

That describes my preferred setup... :)

I used to sometimes lose the audio while skipping (30-sec) through a recording which could be remedied by exiting the recording (back to live tv) and jumping back to the recording. Since the upgrade, I now have to power down the cable box to get the audio back. My setup is HDMI through a receiver. Changing receiver inputs and/or powering down the receiver do not have an effect. Anyone else have similar problems?

I used to sometimes lose the audio while skipping (30-sec) through a recording which could be remedied by exiting the recording (back to live tv) and jumping back to the recording. Since the upgrade, I now have to power down the cable box to get the audio back. My setup is HDMI through a receiver. Changing receiver inputs and/or powering down the receiver do not have an effect. Anyone else have similar problems?

I used to get that problem on occasion, tho with a slightly different setup. I was running HDMI to the TV but optical to the receiver. I never thought to check the sound coming out of the TV.

I've yet to see it with the new guide but now I'm not looking forward to it.

I haven't had the sound go off after FF, in quite a while. When I did, pressing the mute button that controls the DVR always fixed the problem. I had to program a button to control the mute on my Harmony remote.

New Question!

After getting the new firmware, I'm noticing that my recordings are lower in volume than my live shows. When I switch back from a watching a recorded show to a live one, often the volume is much louder on the live show. I'm not sure if this is consistent or if there is a pattern. Anyone?

I haven't had the sound go off after FF, in quite a while. When I did, pressing the mute button that controls the DVR always fixed the problem. I had to program a button to control the mute on my Harmony remote.

New Question!

After getting the new firmware, I'm noticing that my recordings are lower in volume than my live shows. When I switch back from a watching a recorded show to a live one, often the volume is much louder on the live show. I'm not sure if this is consistent or if there is a pattern. Anyone?

I will try the mute trick.

I haven't noticed any significant volume differences unless you switch to 104 (KOMO) which is much louder than any other channel.

Y'know, that green line thing happened to me on my old box, turned out my tv does a picture centering. I just had to hit left arrow (right for you) to center the picture and that green arrow went away. oddly, it only happened on one channel (ABC, iirc), all the other HDs were fine.

I get different effects on almost every HD channel and also between YCC and RGB. On occasion one color space will work with one station but 95% of the combinations have some sort of line or distortion on one side or both. RGB moved the line over to the left side. At any rate, this is a definite downgrade from what I had before (almost zero problems in 1:1 mode when I used it). Thanks Comcrap...

I get different effects on almost every HD channel and also between YCC and RGB. On occasion one color space will work with one station but 95% of the combinations have some sort of line or distortion on one side or both. RGB moved the line over to the left side. At any rate, this is a definite downgrade from what I had before (almost zero problems in 1:1 mode when I used it). Thanks Comcrap...

I am going to post on my local (DC) trhread but I want to tell you you are not uncorrect.

I just got off the phone with comcast. The only thing worse than their "upgrades" is their support. I have verticle green lines on both our sets which are two different models with two comcast Moto DVRs. They told me a) no changes have been made; and b ) there are NO reports of any vertical Green line. (mine is on the right side)

I worked in support for years. That was over a decade ago. But really Comcast is the worst.

WQith no help from comcast, Reading these forums I tried going from 1080 to 720. this did not fix the issue on most channels. I changed to RGB. Now with RGB and 720 the green line is gone on most but not all channels.

Be glad you don't have it yet. I wish I could downgrade to the previous version. This version has some pretty well-known bugs which are effecting me. On my non-overscanning HDTV, I've now got a vertical "green line" going down the right side of the screen on the high-def channels, plus there seems to be a single vertical line of distortion near the left edge the picture. What's the point of 1:1 pixel mapping if the cable box is distorting the image? I can get rid of the green line using the standard workaround (in the setup, switch my HDMI output to RGB instead of YCC), but the image isn't as crisp this way. And that doesn't get rid of the line of distortion.

Which I guess brings me back to an earlier question.... DirecTV? TIVO?


I'm glad I'm not the only one. I have the exact same problem on my samsung ln 4695 in just scan mode. Pretty disappointing. I wasn't even aware that a new firmware had been applied to the cable box. A notice would have been nice. How do we go about getting this resolved? Customer support? Can we roll the firmware back?

I wasn't even aware that a new firmware had been applied to the cable box. A notice would have been nice. How do we go about getting this resolved? Customer support? Can we roll the firmware back?

Humm..

I had a message show up in my Messages from Comcast on my DVI giving the date and time of the update.

It was updated last night on my boxes as scheduled and so far no problems

I live in the Renton Highlands, and have been a Comcast customer for almost 8 years now. I travel to the east coast 4 days a week for work, and when I get home, all I want to do is watch my DVR'd shows and sports on the weekend. What can I say? I'm a simple man! :)

HOWEVER.....for the last little while (can't really give you a timeframe - sorry) most of the shows I watch live or have recorded are borderline unwatchable. Sound cuts out, the video pixelates or sometimes just outright freezes for a few seconds.

I tried to call Comcast - big mistake. Told them that absolutely nothing had changed in my home or outside where the cable terminates (i.e. no new TV's, etc...); their answer was "There's no problem with our service; we'll bill you to have someone come out; blah blah blah....".

I'm looking to the experts on this. Do I really need to pay someone to come out (which is hard considering I'm in the Carolinas when they'd want to show up) or is there a systemic problem with Comcast locally? Is this caused by bandwidth vs. infrastructure issues? Anyone have any tips/tricks to offer so I can watch an entire DVR'd episode of House, a little Hockey Night in Canada and be disappointed in another Seahawks debacle without wanting to set my box on fire?

Thanks for your time!

TM

before paying for a tech to come out, maybe try going to a service center and swapping out the box... which model do you have?

I'm not at home, but I'm thinking it's probably the DCT6208.

The audio dropouts on KCTS-HD (Channel 109) were so bad last night (on Independent Lens, "The Chicago 10") that I called Comcast. We have had audio dropouts on PBS's high-def programs, I think since we got HD more than a year ago. Dropouts on other channels are very infrequent, but on KCTS they are common with Nova, American Experience, and the like. However it doesn't seem to affect The News Hour.

Comcast scheduled a service visit for next week. Is there anything I should tell them or have them do? I really doubt the problem is in our house but the service rep obviously couldn't think of anything else. We won't be able to reproduce the problem either - it's an 8 - 11 pm problem, and doesn't affect the SD programs that KCTS shows during the day.

The audio dropouts on KCTS-HD (Channel 109) were so bad last night (on Independent Lens, "The Chicago 10") that I called Comcast. We have had audio dropouts on PBS's high-def programs, I think since we got HD more than a year ago. Dropouts on other channels are very infrequent, but on KCTS they are common with Nova, American Experience, and the like. However it doesn't seem to affect The News Hour.

Comcast scheduled a service visit for next week. Is there anything I should tell them or have them do? I really doubt the problem is in our house but the service rep obviously couldn't think of anything else. We won't be able to reproduce the problem either - it's an 8 - 11 pm problem, and doesn't affect the SD programs that KCTS shows during the day.The problem is not specific to you. Don't bother with a service visit. This has been a general problem with KCTS and Comcast for over a year now. This thread contains several previous discussions of the issue, including this one with a response from a KCTS employee (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=14110462&postcount=11979).

The problem ONLY seems to occur with certain national PBS HD programs on KCTS, and ONLY when received on Comcast's Motorola DVR box (not sure about non-DVR boxes). The problem does NOT occur with other HD receivers, eg. HD Tivos work fine. I also confirmed last night it does NOT occur with Vista Media Center + HD Homerun. I switched back to my Comcast 6412, and of course there it was - BIG AUDIO DROPOUTS.

KCTS claims the problem is specific bug in the software in the Comcast Guide software on the box, since no other receivers have this problem. Comcast of course says there must be something wrong with KCTS' signal, since no other stations have this problem.

As far as I can tell, this finger pointing will never be solved. The only solutions at this point are 1) don't watch PBS, or 2) if you do - don't use a Comcast DVR.

With the Sonics no longer in play, is there any chance we'll get Trailblazer games carried by FSN-HD on channel 664?

With the Sonics no longer in play, is there any chance we'll get Trailblazer games carried by FSN-HD on channel 664?Comcast SportsNet (Channel 179) has the rights to the TrailBlazers, so you will get a lot of their games. The question will be whether Comcast preempts MOJO to give you any of the games in HD.

The CSN-NW website indicates that they will show a lot of the Blazer home games (but none of the road games) in HD (http://northwest.comcastsportsnet.com/trailblazers.aspx).

The question will be whether Comcast preempts MOJO to give you any of the games in HD.

According to comcast, MOJO is going away (as in out of business) and will be removed from the lineup I believe late Nov. or early Dec.
I saw a notice in the classifieds / legal notices section of the local paper a couple days ago that listed a bunch of channel lineup changes too, I'll see if I can find it and post what it said.

Important HD notes: MOJO going away, FSN HD Events gets a new full-time channel, Science Channel HD moves to Digital Starter, Golf HD and Versus HD get their own full-time channels.

This was in the Kitsap Sun legal notices on Wed 10/22: (I have retyped it from the newspaper ad graphic).

************************************************************ ***********

Important Notice to Cable Customers serviced in Kitsap County
Comcast will make the following changes to its channel line-up on the following dates or shortly thereafter:

On November 24, 2008 or shortly thereafter the following channel is changing channel numbers:

Golf channel current channel # 69 new channel # 70

On December 1, 2008 or shortly thereafter the following channels (which currently time share on a single channel) will have the following changes made:

MOJO HD current channel # 664 (shared with FSN HD Events) CEASING BROADCAST
FSN HD Events current channel # 664 (shared with MOJO HD) new channel # 627

On December 8, 2008 or shortly thereafter the following channels (which currently time share on a single channel) will become full-time channels and change channel numbers:

Golf HD current channel # 665 (shared with Versus HD) new channel # 625 (full-time)
Versus HD current channel # 665 (shared with Golf HD) new channel # 626 (full-time)

On December 8, 2008 or shortly thereafter the following channels will move from the Digital Preferred level of service to the Digital Starter level of service:

PBS Kids Sprout ch 118
Discovery Kids ch 121
Bloomberg TV ch 128
G4 ch 136
C-SPAN 3 ch 150
Science Channel ch 272
BIO ch 275
History International ch 276
WE TV ch 502
LMN ch 504
Science Channel HD ch 696

On January 1, 2009 or shortly thereafter the following channel will be added to the Digital Preferred level of service:

MLB network ch 407

************************************************************ ***********

I used to get that problem on occasion, tho with a slightly different setup. I was running HDMI to the TV but optical to the receiver. I never thought to check the sound coming out of the TV.

I've yet to see it with the new guide but now I'm not looking forward to it.

Son of a ...

Jinxed myself. Got it last night, mid-recording of a show, so I couldn't even power the box off. I'll try pulling the input jack next time.

Has anyone tried pinging Comcast on this?

...

Comcast scheduled a service visit for next week. Is there anything I should tell them ...


Yes. Tell them their service is grossly overpriced and mostly unreliable and they should be ashamed of themselves.

As far as I can tell, this finger pointing will never be solved. The only solutions at this point are 1) don't watch PBS, or 2) if you do - don't use a Comcast DVR.

Or a third possibility is to file a formal complaint with the FCC. Carrying local channels in HD is not optional for Comcast. If they have a technical problem with a broadcast that does not occur with the over-the-air signal they MUST resolve it.

I wouldn't have thought so if I hadn't experienced it myself, but filing these kinds of formal complaints has a big impact on businesses like Comcast and is one of the few things they actually seem to understand.

You can file a complaint online here: http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

Important HD notes: MOJO going away, FSN HD Events gets a new full-time channel, Science Channel HD moves to Digital Starter, Golf HD and Versus HD get their own full-time channels.

This was in the Kitsap Sun legal notices on Wed 10/22: (I have retyped it from the newspaper ad graphic).

************************************************************ *************

Woo hoo, FSN HD gets a full time channel, that's so awesome! Thanks for posting this info.

I've been experiencing what I call "color lines" going through the image on certain channels, including foxnews (48), msnbc (47), mtv (63), comedy central (60). These are vertical lines that show about an 1/8" apart through certain colors (always yellow and also white when it's light off a lamp on the wall or someone's face.) DVD's look perfect, as do HD Channels and blu ray movies. The issue is the same whether the feed is through the cable box or directly to the television. I have an LCD t.v. I am pretty sure this is an issue with Comcast, most likely compression, or maybe a bad connection. Anyone else experience this, or know of the effect I'm talking about. Also, the KSTW SD and HD channel has god awful feeds of King of Queens and Seinfeld. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Yes, same thing. I see this at work as well. It's definately something on Comcast's end. I had a tech come out about 2 years ago to witness this problem. He said it was on comcast's headend and he'll try to fix it. Heard crickets after that as well as unreturned emails. They know this is a problem, but it appears they are unwilling to fix it. I noticied it was on certain frequencies and thought it might be a local radio station causing this on specific channels. However, I've since seen this only happen on certain quality of signals (IE: Some commercials won't have this, where as other lower produced commercials will on the same channel).

I'd suggest you notify comcast about this issue, if they want another contact after that to really fix this, I can give you my contact information.

BTW, I'm located in Issaquah.

Hi Everyone, I am new to the area (From IL), I used Wideopenwest cable there with Tivo HD (two SS Cards), So I thought I'd use Comcast here. I also thought to try FIOS when I found out about it, but it seems it is not available where I am moving (Downtown Redmond), so I might have to go with Comcast. I was just looking for online bundles, and it seems they charge something along $70 for an install, is this a normal install price ?

Also how are the HD in the seattle area, no pixelation I hope. I know a friend of mine in IL got a single M card for his Tivo, I assume it's the same thing here ?

Thanks,
Houman

I appreciate the pointer and advice on the PBS audio dropout issue. Comcast came out today - we found a bad coax cable and the tech also checked a bunch of connectors and replaced a few. But since the dropouts only occur at night on certain programs, we weren't really able to test anything. The tech took away jimre's message and the message from the KCTS guy and will ask around further - thanks for those. He offered me a new cable box but I declined - didn't want to lose everything I'd already recorded.

Could the problem have to do with conversion from film to HD? It seems like the broadcasts that pose problems (Nova, American Experience, Independent Lens, Nature) are filmed programs converted to HD. But The News Hour, which never has dropouts for me, (I assume) is recorded natively with HD equipment. Please don't beat up on me if I'm incorrect, I don't know anything about broadcast technology. Anyway, I will report back if further problems.

Well I emailed comcast about the new Green Line and screen interruptions on the HDMI connections & audio dropout requiring cable box power reset since the new firmware upgrade. Their response:

Thank you for contacting Comcast via e-mail.

I understand that you are currently having issues with your DVR. I
apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you.

If you have not tried to reset your DVR please do so at this time to see
if this will assist in resolving your issue. To reset your DVR, turn the
DVR off then unplug it from the electrical outlet. Let sit for 10
seconds, then plug it back in. It will take up to 45 minutes for On
Demand and the interactive guide to repopulate after doing this.

If this does not resolve the problem, please chat with customer care at:


http://www.comcastsupport.com/videochat

A technician may need to visit your home to rectify the issue.

Thank you for choosing Comcast.

Gee, it never occurred to me to reset the cable box. What was I thinking?

Any inkling of when Comcast is going to start reclaiming stations from analog to make room for new HD stations?

Hello, this is my first post here.

I need some info on some QAM channels for my list.

I have already made a list of the channels I get from Comcast on my TV's QAM turner in the Aberdeen, WA area (see attached list, sorry if it doesn't look right). But I would like to get the rest of my channels on my TV's QAM turner so I don't have to switch between the analog and QAM turners on my TV all the time.

These are the channels I am looking for QAM channel numbers for (I copied them off of Comcast's site is why they are in caps):

FSN NORTHWEST
ESPN
ESPN2
VERSUS
FOOD NETWORK
TRAVEL CHANNEL
HISTORY CHANNEL
TLC
ABC FAMILY
NICKELODEON
DISNEY CHANNEL
CARTOON NETWORK
ANIMAL PLANET
CNN
HEADLINE NEWS
CNBC
MSNBC
FOX NEWS CHANNEL
TRUTV
OXYGEN
LIFETIME
A&E
FX
TNT
TBS
BET
SPIKE TV
USA NETWORK
SCI FI
COMEDY CENTRAL
CMT
VH1
MTV
MTV2
E! ENTERTAINMENT
BRAVO
AMC
HGTV
GOLF CHANNEL

If anybody in the Seattle, WA area, using Comcast, gets these channels on their QAM list, could you please list the QAM channel numbers? I looked at other lists for the Seattle area posted in this thread, and most of the channel numbers are the same in the Aberdeen, WA area. I thought that QAM numbers for the channels I listed might be the same too.

If anybody in the Aberdeen, WA area, using Comcast, has these channels in their QAM list too, please list the numbers.

Thanks.

Hello, this is my first post here.

I need some info on some QAM channels for my list. .....

Have you tried the Silicon Dust (HD Homerun) web site? Put in your zip code and it will show the un-encyrpted QAM channels for your area.

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels

Also note that many of the channels you've listed are NOT available via un-encrypted QAM - that's mostly for "broadcast" channels. Many of these are available on analog; some are encrypted QAM and thus only available via Comcast box or CableCard tuner.

...
I have already made a list of the channels I get from Comcast on my TV's QAM turner in the Aberdeen, WA area (see attached list, sorry if it doesn't look right). But I would like to get the rest of my channels on my TV's QAM turner so I don't have to switch between the analog and QAM turners on my TV all the time.
...

The only way you can receive encrypted QAM channels is by having a cablecard capable TV or DVR (such as TiVo). So you probably have all you're going to get.

... Also note that many of the channels you've listed are NOT available via un-encrypted QAM - that's mostly for "broadcast" channels. Many of these are available on analog; some are encrypted QAM and thus only available via Comcast box or CableCard tuner.Just to clarify - all the channels you listed in your post are the "Extended Basic" tier (or whatever Comcast calls it these days). They are all still available on analog AFAIK, at least until Comcast starts phasing out analog one of these years. In most Comcast markets, only LIMITED Basic channels (plus local HD broadcast chanels) are sent as un-encrypted QAM. Digital SD or HD versions of these "Extended Basic" channels requires a Comcast box or CableCard tuner.

Looks like our neighbors down in Portland are getting an early Christmas present:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=166950

Looks like our neighbors down in Portland are getting an early Christmas present:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=166950

Also, consider the QAM implications of this part of that column:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comcast COO Steve Burke later downplayed concerns that the DTAs will provide access to the operator's expanded basic digital signals without encryption -- at least for the foreseeable future.

"In many senses, it (digital video fed through DTAs) will be more secure than the analog distribution," Burke said. "We will not be using encryption initially, and that's fine in terms of our programming contracts." Those DTAs, however, could activate so-called "privacy mode" encryption via a firmware upgrade, but doing so could force the operator to seek out a special set-top waiver from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Looks like our neighbors down in Portland are getting an early Christmas present:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=166950Sounds like very good news to me. It seems like we have typically trailed Portland by 2-3 months on most channel roll-outs. Assuming the Portland roll-out goes smoothly, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Seattle area doing the same thing early next year.

Sounds like very good news to me. It seems like we have typically trailed Portland by 2-3 months on most channel roll-outs. Assuming the Portland roll-out goes smoothly, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Seattle area doing the same thing early next year.

That would appear consistent with the information from a local Comcast VP in this post:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14396160

Anyone having issues with audio dropout on Ken Burns Baseball on KCTS over the past several weeks? I have not issues on any other channels but this show and the "Spain on the road again" on KCTS seem to be giving me issues. I happens once every couple of minutes for a second or so. Enough to be really annoying.

Anyone having issues with audio dropout on Ken Burns Baseball on KCTS over the past several weeks? I have not issues on any other channels but this show and the "Spain on the road again" on KCTS seem to be giving me issues. I happens once every couple of minutes for a second or so. Enough to be really annoying.Yes of course. It happens:

1) on nearly every nationally-produced bigtime PBS HD show that's
2) aired on KCTS, and
3) viewed or recorded with a Comcast HD DVR

KCTS blames Comcast (because the problem goes away when you use a different receiver, eg Tivo HD or Media Center + HD Homerun)

Comcast blames KCTS (because the problem goes away when you view any other channel).

See previous post #12411 just a few days ago, and my numerous posts in this thread dating back to Ken Burns' "The War" last year. Good luck...

Five more days and I get Fios installed...Can't wait...Comcast overall has been ok, I am just tired of their problems on PBS, lack of HD on TBS for baseball, so few channels in HD, etc ...hopefully the picture and sound are as good as everyone says...

Five more days and I get Fios installed...Can't wait...Comcast overall has been ok, I am just tired of their problems on PBS, lack of HD on TBS for baseball, so few channels in HD, etc ...hopefully the picture and sound are as good as everyone says...

You wouldn't miss comcast at all....PQ is much better then comcast and plus they just added FSNHD last nite and going to add NHL Netowrk and more hd channels by mid Nov..

Yeah, I think I'll just wait and use Comcast until FIOS becomes available... they're installing Comcast at my new place next week and they're bringing cable cards for the Tivo, (crossing fingers).

I have friends who are happy with Comcast in IL and their HD service and have never complained about PQ problems, though maybe this is different here in WA, and some of my friends also have been getting 22Mbps down on the internet with the boost.

The only complain I hear from them is the 6 months deals, which they usually call and get another 6 months, I never understood why Comcast does that... so the money aware conscious people can just get the same rate every 6 months, while other are basically SOL for not calling and asking for a rate change... :/

I wish Verizon would give more detail on their local fios build out plans. I live in Juanita and it seems we're surrounded by areas that have fios to some degree, but this neighborhood hasn't been. When you call Verizon, they just say 'watch for the trucks.'

I wish Verizon would talk about the when and where of local their fios build out plans. I live in Juanita and it seems we're surrounded by areas that have some aspect of the service, but we haven't been. When you call Verizon, they just say 'watch for the trucks.'

email city of kirkland cable rep and they will tell you when or that rep can provide to contact at fios you can give you the information.

I wish Verizon would talk about the when and where of local their fios build out plans. I live in Juanita and it seems we're surrounded by areas that have some aspect of the service, but we haven't been. When you call Verizon, they just say 'watch for the trucks.'
I went into the Verizon store in Woodinville last week and was told that they would start installing FIOS in my neighborhood November 23rd. I live just east of Cottage Lake off Avondale Road.

When KIRO outsources locally-produced news programs to its RTN Subchannel (Comcast channel 117), KIRO converts the video feed to a squeezed aspect ratio rather than to a standard-def cropped aspect ratio. This is also true when watching OTA on KIRO 7.2. It looks really awful.

Watching tonight's live election coverage on KIRO/RTN, the squeezed aspect ratio was in jarring contrast to the normal aspect ratio used on KONG (Comcast 6).

I've noticed this several times before when RTN carries the KIRO Morning News or when RTN carries other local KIRO programs. Does KIRO's video production team realize how bad this looks to the typical viewer, and how many viewers may "switch the channel" to watch news at another channel due to the weird picture appearance?

I kind of like it because you can set your picture to full screen and see it in true 16:9 SD instead of 4:3... just a different option compared to having to watch it in 4:3 on KONG.

Tonight I discovered that, while I am subscribed to Center Ice, and while it comes in just fine on the standard-issue Comcast digital box in my bedroom, I am unable to pull in Channels 467-470 (that's GAME11 through GAME13) via the CableCard in my TivoHD in my living room.

Has anyone else had this problem? Anyone in Seattle with the Center Ice / Cablecard combination receiving all of the channels?

You wouldn't miss comcast at all....PQ is much better then comcast and plus they just added FSNHD last nite and going to add NHL Netowrk and more hd channels by mid Nov..

Well, I'm on my second day of Fios.While I need to get the box changed so I can get output to my vcr, the picture and sound just seem better. The amount of channels on HD extreme is unreal. Got the football game last night which you couldn't get on Comcast. Also TBS in HD for baseball, although I think by next season Comcast will add it....Internet is really fast at 20/5...so far so good!

Well, I'm on my second day of Fios.While I need to get the box changed so I can get output to my vcr, the picture and sound just seem better. The amount of channels on HD extreme is unreal. Got the football game last night which you couldn't get on Comcast. Also TBS in HD for baseball, although I think by next season Comcast will add it....Internet is really fast at 20/5...so far so good!

"the football game" ?? What game are you referring to? I had access last night to a college game in HD and an NFL game in HD - not that I would tout Comcast over Fios, but lets get the facts straight. If you have the sports pkg at ~$5/mo you get lots of games plus NFL-HD.

There is no need to get a sports package with FIOS. All channels that you have to pay the extra $6 a month for with Comcast are part of the package with FIOS.
Plus BIG Ten is in HD along with Speed.

and we are about to get NHL and NBA channels in HD this month on Fios.

I've just recently got a new TV that I am hooking up to Comcast cable without a cable box. Can anybody point me in the direction of a listing of the HDTV digital channels you can pickup without a cable box? Thanks.

Try http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels

Pastiche posted a local list on this forum, but I can't seem to find it.

Try http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels

Pastiche posted a local list on this forum, but I can't seem to find it.

Seen that site. No help.

Seen that site. No help.

Seems fine to me. What are you expecting?

so I got Comcast today, I did not get the triple play, since I need a regular voice line. We had some problems, but the installer was great and we got everything working. The internet advertised is 6mbps down / 1 or 2 mbps up, but I am getting more like 14mbps down, 4 mbps up, and the cable hook up went fine though the M card and Tivo HD. I got the digital package + showtime, but probably will add the sport pkgs as well tomorrow. Also lot of HD channels, way more than what I used to have with WoW in IL... so I think as long as this work, I'll stay with them.

I've just recently got a new TV that I am hooking up to Comcast cable without a cable box. Can anybody point me in the direction of a listing of the HDTV digital channels you can pickup without a cable box? Thanks.

Here's what I am using- these are only the HD signals available via FREE QAM.

ABC 104 KOMO 82-4 1831 720p
PBS 109 KCTS 82-5 1832 720p
NBC 105 KING 85-2 1833 1080i
--- 106 KONG 110-1 1848 1080i
CBS 107 KIRO 110-2 1849 1080i
FOX 113 KCPT 111-1 1852 720p
CW 111 KTSW 111-2 1853 1080p

Here's what I am using- these are only the HD signals available via FREE QAM.

ABC 104 KOMO 82-4 1831 720p
PBS 109 KCTS 82-5 1832 720p
NBC 105 KING 85-2 1833 1080i
--- 106 KONG 110-1 1848 1080i
CBS 107 KIRO 110-2 1849 1080i
FOX 113 KCPT 111-1 1852 720p
CW 111 KTSW 111-2 1853 1080p

Thanks for that list, somehow I missed CW @ 111-2 on the little Sanyo 19" in my office. I would also like to add to your list... KMYQ MYQ20 @ 96-1 on my tuner, they do have some HD 16:9 programming during prime time. As I understand they also have some Fox sports content.

EDIT: I'm new in the area, wondering how often Comcast swaps the QAM channels around? Seems like it was about every 3 months in the Denver market.

There've been no changes to clear QAM in Seattle in 4 or 5 months, so I hadn't bothered to update. But, since it's nearly impossible to find a post that old, here's a re-post. (I think the last change was when they encrypted TVOne.)

Thanks pastichi, to you and whoever's responsible for the .pdf

sent you a private message.

Thanks pastichi, to you and whoever's responsible for the .pdf

Ditto that, and thanks for sharing the pdf even if you didn't create it. That's exactly what I was looking for.

There've been no changes to clear QAM in Seattle in 4 or 5 months, so I hadn't bothered to update. But, since it's nearly impossible to find a post that old, here's a re-post. (I think the last change was when they encrypted TVOne.)

What about PBS on 108? Isn't that gone now?

What about PBS on 108? Isn't that gone now?

I didn't even notice that when I glanced and re-posted. You're right.

The programming source that KHCV's running on 80-3 changed, 9-1/82-1 is now in HD, and 9-5/82-5 was deleted. Oh, and the League Pass barker on 118-1 was deleted, too. On some nodes, the 82-X multiplex is also on 135-1.

I'll post a proper update later on.

I didn't even notice that when I glanced and re-posted. You're right.

The programming source that KHCV's running on 80-3 changed, 9-1/82-1 is now in HD, and 9-5/82-5 was deleted. Oh, and the League Pass barker on 118-1 was deleted, too. On some nodes, the 82-X multiplex is also on 135-1.

I'll post a proper update later on.

80-3 is digital KHCV 45-1 which carries "America One" content currently. That used to be "Jewelery TV/Shop @ Home" until recently.

It's an actual update, not just a lame re-post, this time. :)

All of the things that everyone mentioned above were changed, plus notes about the MUXes on 117-X and 135-X. I also included the commercial channels from the 117-X MUX that occasionally get asked about by those up north and down south.

I think you have to have a Comcast box to get all of their HD channels.

Or something like TiVo with cablecard.

I think you have to have a Comcast box to get all of their HD channels.
Or a cable card in your TV which is free. Or a built in QAM tuner for all of the free HD stuff. Plus if you order premium channels you'll get them with the cable card. If you don't want a DVR, this may be the way to go for you but I personnaly wouldn't want to give up my DVR's. Timeshifting is VERY important to me.

essentially all TVs bought in the last several years have a QAM tuner, so you will get 15-20 free HD channels without box or cable card

essentially all TVs bought in the last several years have a QAM tuner, so you will get 15-20 free HD channels without box or cable card

Not accurate. Many TV's don't have QAM tuners, you really have to check the specs or do some research here. I have a two year old 32" Samsung with an ATSC but no QAM tuner.

Comcast currently provides 8 QAM HD channels, with the occasional PPVs that you have no control over or listings for.

Please educate me. I have a plasma tv with NTSC and ATSC tuners. I see some of the Comcast channels. I don't think I see any HD channels. Is a QAM tuner required for the HD channels? My plasma accepts a tuner card. If I get the Comcast tuner card can I see all the Comcast channels?

Please educate me. I have a plasma tv with NTSC and ATSC tuners. I see some of the Comcast channels. I don't think I see any HD channels. Is a QAM tuner required for the HD channels? My plasma accepts a tuner card. If I get the Comcast tuner card can I see all the Comcast channels?

NTSC is analog and ATSC is over the air digital. Neither is QAM. With the ATSC you *could* get an antenna for HD OTA reception but not worth it IMO. You should be able to get a cable card for free (I have one they are not charging me for) and that would get you ALL of the HD programming and all of the SD channels digitally which on my setup is much clearer than the analog stuff. Of course, you'll need to subscribe to the premium HD material to get that, but you will get it.

You need a DTV tuner to get HD stuff directly without a cable card or STB. If what you said about your plasma is correct (and I am suspect it is), you cannot get HD on cable without a cable card or an STB.

DTV tuners are "becoming" mandatory on any set that has a tuner and are being phased in by date and size of screen. The dtaes are relatively recent and they are for manufaturing dates, not date of sale so you'll still may see a lot of TV's without the require DTV tuner. This does allow tmanufacturer's to opt out of providing a tuner of any kind but someday all TV's that have a tuner will have a DTV tuner. Until then, confusion reigns.

However, be assured that if you want your TV to tune cable channels, a cable card will work.

Am I the only one with this problem???

For the second week in a row my Friday night recording of StarGate Atlantis doesn't stop recording. When I get up in the morning I have over 500 minutes showing for the program.

Seems the program content is missing a marker...

Am I the only one with this problem???

For the second week in a row my Friday night recording of StarGate Atlantis doesn't stop recording. When I get up in the morning I have over 500 minutes showing for the program.

Seems the program content is missing a marker...

That happened to me but on Tuesday night when i recorded Summer Heights High the box erased everything else on my DVR and recorder 9 hours of HBOHD.

I had that happen to me a while back while recording one of the wife's shows on the Filipino channel. Just kept going and going, until I actually had to stop it myself when I discovered it that night.

VOD not working on either of my Moto DVRs today, something about error #4.
I'm in Shoreline, anyone else having a problem or is it just my installation?

Comcast adding more HD channels in December... Saw an ad in today's legal notices section of the Kitsap Sun:

************************************************************ *************
Important Notice to Comcast Cable Customers serviced in Kitsap County

On or about Decmber 16, 2008, Comcast will make the folowing changes to its Channel Line-up in parts of the following communities:
Bainbridge Island WA-0323, Hansville (Kitsap County) WA-0537, Kitsap County WA-0382
Neighborhoods in the aforementioned communities and other communities in Kitsap County that do not receive these changes on or about Decmber 16, 2008 will see these changes within 12 months.

Channels being added to the Digital Starter level of service:
WE HD 649
E! HD 651
Bravo HD 652
Lifetime HD 653
Travel HD 654
FOX News HD 655
CNN HD 657
CNBC HD 658
TBS HD 664
FX HD 665
Cartoon HD 680
QVC HD 692
G4 HD 693
BIO HD 694
AMC HD 697
LMN HD 698

Channels being added to the Digital Preferred level of service:
Encore HD 517
ESPNews HD 622
Style HD 650
Fox Business HD 656
Toon Disney HD 681
Fuse HD 690
TV One HD 691
Planet Green HD 695
IFC HD 699

Channels being added to the Sports Entertainment level of service:
Speed HD 620

Channels being added to the Premium Digital level of service:
Starz Kids & Family HD 530
Starz Comedy HD 531
Starz Edge HD 533

Channels being added to Pay-Per-View:
IN DEMAND Events HD 804

************************************************************ *************

Comcast adding more HD channels in December... Saw an ad in today's legal notices section of the Kitsap Sun:

************************************************************ *************
Important Notice to Comcast Cable Customers serviced in Kitsap County

On or about Decmber 16, 2008, Comcast will make the folowing changes to its Channel Line-up in parts of the following communities:
Bainbridge Island WA-0323, Hansville (Kitsap County) WA-0537, Kitsap County WA-0382
Neighborhoods in the aforementioned communities and other communities in Kitsap County that do not receive these changes on or about Decmber 16, 2008 will see these changes within 12 months.

Channels being added to the Digital Starter level of service:
WE HD 649
E! HD 651
Bravo HD 652
Lifetime HD 653
Travel HD 654
FOX News HD 655
CNN HD 657
CNBC HD 658
TBS HD 664
FX HD 665
Cartoon HD 680
QVC HD 692
G4 HD 693
BIO HD 694
AMC HD 697
LMN HD 698

Channels being added to the Digital Preferred level of service:
Encore HD 517
ESPNews HD 622
Style HD 650
Fox Business HD 656
Toon Disney HD 681
Fuse HD 690
TV One HD 691
Planet Green HD 695
IFC HD 699

Channels being added to the Sports Entertainment level of service:
Speed HD 620

Channels being added to the Premium Digital level of service:
Starz Kids & Family HD 530
Starz Comedy HD 531
Starz Edge HD 533

Channels being added to Pay-Per-View:
IN DEMAND Events HD 804

************************************************************ *************

Oh happy happy, we'll get the channels SOMETIME in the next 12 mos. LOL

Channels being added to the Sports Entertainment level of service:
Speed HD 620


Mixed emotions on this one. I've been waiting (seems like forever) for SpeedHD so I can finally watch F1 in HD. However, I'm not sure I want to pay more for the Sports Entertainment package all season just so I can watch 18 programs.

...changes to its Channel Line-up in parts of the following communities:
Bainbridge Island WA-0323, Hansville (Kitsap County) WA-0537, Kitsap County WA-0382

I don't think those of us on the Seattle side of the water are getting anything out of this press release.

I don't think those of us on the Seattle side of the water are getting anything out of this press release.

Duh, but you could certainly see it as a possible sign of a larger area upgrade, and go grab a copy of your local paper and see if there is a similar legal notice in the classifieds that does apply to your area. Kitsap is fairly rural; I doubt that we are going to be the only area in the state to see such a large increase in HD programming.

Sorry to have wasted your time.

Duh, but you could certainly see it as a possible sign of a larger area upgrade, and go grab a copy of your local paper and see if there is a similar legal notice in the classifieds that does apply to your area. Kitsap is fairly rural; I doubt that we are going to be the only area in the state to see such a large increase in HD programming.

Sorry to have wasted your time.

I definitely appreciate your posting this information.

Duh, but you could certainly see it as a possible sign of a larger area upgrade, and go grab a copy of your local paper and see if there is a similar legal notice in the classifieds that does apply to your area. Kitsap is fairly rural; I doubt that we are going to be the only area in the state to see such a large increase in HD programming.

Sorry to have wasted your time.Thanks for posting this!

I have been reading this forum for a couple of years now. A lot of channels have been launched in that time and I don't recall Kitsap County previously getting channel launches far in advance of the rest of us. I also can't imagine that you guys have way more bandwidth than the rest of us. If you guys are getting all of these channels, I'm sure the rest of us will follow shortly.

...at least I sure hope so!

Thanks for posting this!

I have been reading this forum for a couple of years now. A lot of channels have been launched in that time and I don't recall Kitsap County previously getting channel launches far in advance of the rest of us. I also can't imagine that you guys have way more bandwidth than the rest of us. If you guys are getting all of these channels, I'm sure the rest of us will follow shortly.

...at least I sure hope so!

Maybe after Comcast adds another 1000 "choices" they will get around to adding real channels...

All of those channels are already live in HD on FIOS. Plus, you do not pay extra for the sports channels. There are no tiers to price. Just 1 low price, with up to 98 channels in HD if you get all the movie channels. Without the movie channels, there are 63 channels in HD right now...not coming some time....maybe.

No FIOS in my little corner of Shoreline.

VOD not working on either of my Moto DVRs today, something about error #4.
I'm in Shoreline, anyone else having a problem or is it just my installation?

No OnDemand for me either, same error code. No DVR though just a Moto HD box. I'm in Bellingham BTW

No OnDemand for me either, same error code. No DVR though just a Moto HD box. I'm in Bellingham BTW

I believe I got that error code a couple days after I had comcast install my moto HD DVR last year. After 2 calls to tech support, they finally sent a remote reset signal to bash my box upside the head and get things working again. (First call was to clueless person who just told me to wait 24 hours to see if it cleared up, second time I got somebody who was at least willing to try SOMETHING).

If I recall correctly, sometimes I'd get the error, while occasionally onDemand would tune to the wrong dynamic channel and I'd be watching some show/movie in progress that was completely different than I what I ordered.

All of those channels are already live in HD on FIOS. Plus, you do not pay extra for the sports channels. There are no tiers to price. Just 1 low price, with up to 98 channels in HD if you get all the movie channels. Without the movie channels, there are 63 channels in HD right now...not coming some time....maybe.

Thanks for the sales pitch. I think many of us would love to have FiOS, but are not in a Verizon service area. I've got Centurytel phone and cropdusting service. My breakfast cereal has more fiber in it than the entire Kitsap Centurytel network.:)

P.S., hey Comcast, thanks for all the new HD channels you're adding, but QVC HD? Are you kidding me? That's almost as useful as the 5 minute video game trailers in HD on OnDemand.

P.S., hey Comcast, thanks for all the new HD channels you're adding, but QVC HD? Are you kidding me? That's almost as useful as the 5 minute video game trailers in HD on OnDemand.

Well in HD you can clearly see that it's a REAL cubic zyrconia!!!:p

No FIOS in my little corner of Shoreline.
It will be live in Shoreline soon!!! The City approved FIOS a few weeks ago....just a matter of time!

According to a friend at Comcast my area Buckley (98321) will be included in the release on December 17th. They have a huge release map on the wall in their offices.

Christmas is comong a week early.

According to a friend at Comcast my area Buckley (98321) will be included in the release on December 17th. They have a huge release map on the wall in their offices.

Christmas is comong a week early.Any chance your friend can share a list of zipcodes getting an early Christmas present? Or can he at least check on 98074 (Sammamish)?

It will be live in Shoreline soon!!! The City approved FIOS a few weeks ago....just a matter of time!

What about inside Seattle city limits? Anyone have info on that? I'd switch in a nanosecond (or even a femtosecond) if it was available.

My Comcast MOTO box is one minute slow. I've been wondering why, for the past 10 days or so, my recordings always seem to start late. I finally checked the clock and the box is one minute slow. I reset it by unplugging it for a minute and plugged it back in. No fix. I called Comcast and they sent a signal which reset it. Again, no fix. How strange. I guess it's time to get a new box.

Greetings, long time lurker. I will be visiting the friendly local Comcast branch today to pick up a new HD DVR for my new Plasma set up in my basement. Will also be bringing in my old HD DVR that I use upstairs. Which box and accessories should I request? Will be setting up HDMI in the basement and both HDMI and Component upstairs. Thank you for your help.

My Comcast MOTO box is one minute slow.
...

Mine has the same symptoms, and I just checked the time last night to verify that it is one minute slow. I see it as a system-wide problem, rather than individual hardware.

My Comcast MOTO box is one minute slow. I've been wondering why, for the past 10 days or so, my recordings always seem to start late.

It's always a good idea to record a little "pad" around your shows, as sometimes a channel will start something a little early or end it a little late. Just change the settings to record 5 minutes before and after the show, then it won't matter if the box if off by a minute.

It's always a good idea to record a little "pad" around your shows, as sometimes a channel will start something a little early or end it a little late. Just change the settings to record 5 minutes before and after the show, then it won't matter if the box if off by a minute.

The Microsoft guide s/w had a 1-minute "soft pad" at each end of recordings, which worked pretty well. Unfortunately, adding padding on an individual basis is labor intensive and can result in conflicts.

Mine has the same symptoms, and I just checked the time last night to verify that it is one minute slow. I see it as a system-wide problem, rather than individual hardware.

FWIW, I reset my computer time to one of the time servers and then watched the Mot box and my computer. There is only a 2 second difference here in Lakewood. Perhaps it's fixed?

It's always a good idea to record a little "pad" around your shows, as sometimes a channel will start something a little early or end it a little late. Just change the settings to record 5 minutes before and after the show, then it won't matter if the box if off by a minute.
Can't do that when recording multiple shows back-to-back. No way to set a recording to end one minute early.

Mine has the same symptoms, and I just checked the time last night to verify that it is one minute slow. I see it as a system-wide problem, rather than individual hardware.
I've talked to Comcast 'customer service' twice in the past two days... they swear their system time is correct. Hah!

FWIW, I reset my computer time to one of the time servers and then watched the Mot box and my computer. There is only a 2 second difference here in Lakewood. Perhaps it's fixed?
Not fixed here in Anacortes, as of noon.

Greetings, long time lurker. I will be visiting the friendly local Comcast branch today to pick up a new HD DVR for my new Plasma set up in my basement. Will also be bringing in my old HD DVR that I use upstairs. Which box and accessories should I request? Will be setting up HDMI in the basement and both HDMI and Component upstairs. Thank you for your help.


I am on my way to Comcast in a half hour. Any suggestions? Are there any boxes I should avoid?

Can't do that when recording multiple shows back-to-back.

I record shows back-to-back by setting the recording for the first show, then recording an extra 60/120/150 minutes afterwards. Not an ideal solution, but it works!

I record shows back-to-back by setting the recording for the first show, then recording an extra 60/120/150 minutes afterwards. Not an ideal solution, but it works!
You shouldn't have to do that. But, it IS a thought.

Not fixed here in Anacortes, as of noon.

In Bellevue it's 55 seconds slow, compared to http://www.time.gov