Originally posted by adee6
Do what I did last year. Go to Best Buy and buy an OTA receiver and nice indoor antenna. Watch the SuperBowl in HD and promptly return the equipment the next day.

Nuff said.......at least for those who could get a signal indoors.

... and don't have a moral problem with abusing the return policy like this.

In browsing around http://www.broadbandreports.com, it doesn't appear that we have our speed upgrade yet.

Interesting. I ran the CNET test which currently put me at 2.3 and the two DSL Reports test which put me at 1.7 (up speed of about 240). Both tests are the first time that I have seen anything above the cap of 1.5 since Comcast took over. I thought Comcasts plan was to charge (even more) for the bandwidth above 1.5.

On a related note, I just set up my grandmother on a cable modem down in Longview. Adelphia cable is up to 3mbit for a introductory price about about $25 for the entire first year. Too bad Comcast doesn't have any competitive reason to offer something similar.

Originally posted by adee6
Do what I did last year. Go to Best Buy and buy an OTA receiver and nice indoor antenna. Watch the SuperBowl in HD and promptly return the equipment the next day.



http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/images/smilies/nono.gif

Wow, great idea! Then I guess you won't mind if I come eat some of your food and leave the wrappers for you. Maybe I can "borrow" some power tools from you too.....

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/images/smilies/jpshakehead.gif

Originally posted by Babula
brente,
I must say however that I checked my speed using Cnet site and it is 2.5 or above, so perhaps I really have it already. The 29.99 is to entice newbies probably.
I got the same results at Cnet this morning. I checked because I was having some connection problems earlier this morning, and quite often over the last week pr two.

I have also been seeing connection issues lately, seems the system will die for a little while then comes back on it's own. Acts like someone is working on a line somewhere. First couple times, I'd unplug the power to the modem for a minuyter and that wouldn't solve anything, then I left it unpluged for about 10 minutes, it started to work, so the next time I just watched the clock, and sure enough, about 10 minutes after it disconnected it reconnected on it's own. Today have seen no disconencts...

I have noticed that periodically, things "stop" and eventually "start" again. Very annoying.

I just got my comcast HD installed yesterday and I'm very pleased. I watched a bunch of crap on INHD that wasn't even interesting, just because it looked so good....

I pulled this list off of a post by jeremyfr from september.. is this still all the HD channels we get?

Chl 100 - Mariners HDTV - 1080i
Chl 104 - KOMO HD - 720p but the box will upconvert to 1080i - 24 hours
Chl 108 - KCTS HD - 1080i - 5pm - 12am
Chl 109 - KCTS Digital Simulcast - 480p - 24hours
Chl 110 - KCTS Kids Digital - 480p - 12am - 5pm
Chl 112 - KCTS Learns Digital - 480p - 12am - 5pm
Chl 173 - ESPN HD - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 549 - HBO HD - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 574 - Showtime HD - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 664 - INHD 1 - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 665 - INHD 2 - 1080i - 24hours

Bloodzombie, I'm getting mine installed Wednesday. Are you in the Seattle city limits? Which box did they give you? I was told that only the 5100 was available (instead of the 6200). According to Friday's paper, you should get King on 105, Kong 106, Q13 113, and WB 114. Not much HD on the latter two. How are your SD channels? Any hookup advice?

Art in Seattle

Actually not much on the latter THREE. I've never seen any HD on KONG (although SD upconversion is decent), FOX is still 480p when it shows widescreen content, and WB has a spattering of shows (the most of all three though) in 1080i.

Originally posted by artseattle
Bloodzombie, I'm getting mine installed Wednesday. Are you in the Seattle city limits? Which box did they give you? I was told that only the 5100 was available (instead of the 6200). According to Friday's paper, you should get King on 105, Kong 106, Q13 113, and WB 114. Not much HD on the latter two. How are your SD channels? Any hookup advice?

Art in Seattle

Honestly, I didn't pay attention to which box it was. I did almost no research on this before I did it, then spent half the night flipping through the 5 billion channels searching for some HD content.

as for hookup advice, I don't reallly have any, the guy hooked it up (he was an idiot, btw... he hooked the cables up, and hte screen only showed the color blue, so he started messing with my tv's color settings to find the other colors, he didn't think that maybe he had the cables hooked up wrong until I politely suggested it). he also unhooked the cable from my monster surge protector, which I put back after he left. I don't yet have a DVI cable, but supposedly that makes a big difference, if your tv has that input.

my SD on the movie channels seems stronger than it the locals, but last night I found it hard to watch the SD stuff, even if it was better programming. Maybe the 'awe' factor will wear off in time, but for now, I'll watch anything that's in HD.

yes, I'm in the seattle limits (west seattle), and I'll check which box they gave me when I get home, and let you know.

what difference does the box make?

Originally posted by bloodzombie
I just got my comcast HD installed yesterday and I'm very pleased. I watched a bunch of crap on INHD that wasn't even interesting, just because it looked so good....

I pulled this list off of a post by jeremyfr from september.. is this still all the HD channels we get?

...



Updated list for Redmond as follows:

Chl 104 - KOMO HD (ABC) - 720p but the box will upconvert to 1080i - 24 hours
Chl 105 - KING HD (NBC) - 1080i - 24 hours
Chl 106 - KONG HD - 1080i - 24 hours
Chl 108 - KCTS HD (PBS) - 1080i - 5pm - 12am
Chl 109 - KCTS Digital Simulcast - 480p - 24hours
Chl 110 - KCTS Kids Digital - 480p - 12am - 5pm
Chl 112 - KCTS Learns Digital - 480p - 12am - 5pm
Chl 113 - KCPQ HD (FOX) - 480p - 24hours
Chl 114 - KTWB HD (WB) - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 173 - ESPN HD - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 549 - HBO HD - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 574 - Showtime HD - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 664 - INHD 1 - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 665 - INHD 2 - 1080i - 24hours

Originally posted by Roto
I got the same results at Cnet this morning. I checked because I was having some connection problems earlier this morning, and quite often over the last week pr two.
Just to update my previous post, Cnet's bandwidth test doesn't seem to be very thorough. I tried several different test sites and most came in between 1.7 and 1.8 Mbps. Cnet and one other one came in at 2.5, which apparently isn't correct.

Originally posted by scorpi0
Updated list for Redmond as follows:

Chl 104 - KOMO HD (ABC) - 720p but the box will upconvert to 1080i - 24 hours
Chl 105 - KING HD (NBC) - 1080i - 24 hours
Chl 106 - KONG HD - 1080i - 24 hours
Chl 108 - KCTS HD (PBS) - 1080i - 5pm - 12am
Chl 109 - KCTS Digital Simulcast - 480p - 24hours
Chl 110 - KCTS Kids Digital - 480p - 12am - 5pm
Chl 112 - KCTS Learns Digital - 480p - 12am - 5pm
Chl 113 - KCPQ HD (FOX) - 480p - 24hours
Chl 114 - KTWB HD (WB) - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 173 - ESPN HD - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 549 - HBO HD - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 574 - Showtime HD - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 664 - INHD 1 - 1080i - 24hours
Chl 665 - INHD 2 - 1080i - 24hours

Chl 173 - ESPN HD is 720p (but VERY little of its programming is HD)

Originally posted by Roto
Just to update my previous post, Cnet's bandwidth test doesn't seem to be very thorough. I tried several different test sites and most came in between 1.7 and 1.8 Mbps. Cnet and one other one came in at 2.5, which apparently isn't correct.

I have found the most consistent speed test to be downloading a 100MB service pack or the like from Microsoft and checking the transfer rate in Kb/sec. When I first signed up for service via AT&T and @home I could download at 500kb/sec (5 Mbps) from Microsoft. Other sites were slower due to limitations on the sending end. As soon as AT&T took over from @home I was throttled down to 1.5 Mbps. I have not checked lately to see how fast things are running.

While is was a blast to download at 5Mbps, I don't think it really matters for most web surfing. Other factors like local caching on the Comcast machinces probably make more difference.

Marcus

Originally posted by artseattle
Bloodzombie, I'm getting mine installed Wednesday. Are you in the Seattle city limits? Which box did they give you? I was told that only the 5100 was available (instead of the 6200). According to Friday's paper, you should get King on 105, Kong 106, Q13 113, and WB 114. Not much HD on the latter two. How are your SD channels? Any hookup advice?

Art in Seattle

I took a good look at my box yesterday, and I still have no idea what kind it is. it doesn't say 5100 or 6200 on the box. I guess you'll be finding out tomorrow anyway. Hope you don't get the same stoner cable guy that I had.

Well it appears that KOMO/KCTS HD have launched today for those in Gig Harbor, Bremerton, and Hansville.

Yay! I'll have to check when I get home. Does one need to do anything in particular, or do the new stations get automatically added to the box?

How does it look for HD PVR in time for the Olympics? With that and CBS HD, I'd be a really contented camper.

They're automatically mapped into the box nothing you need to do.

Jeremy, is there any chance you could ferret out the general DVR outlook in the Seattle area? In the recorder forum, Ken H was of the confident opinion that some markets would be rolling out the 6208 in a month or so, while others will be waiting for the 6408.

I guess ultimately it doesn't matter; we'll get it when we get it. If it's going to be a while, I can experiment with recording at a friend's house in Seattle. If not, I won't go to the effort.

Thanks,

--Mike

I honestly and whole heartedly can say I haven't got a clue and I wish I knew anything even having a muscle twitch about it would make me happy.

Honestly I'd say that they'd wait for the 6408 in this area the biggest reason why is they never announced DVR in this area so there is no "promises" to keep unlike other areas that were told they would get the product by now.

Does anyone know how to get into the setup menu on my cable box to change the input or tv type?


right now it's set to 1080i/16:9 which is what I usually want, but since the superbowl isn't in HD, I'd like to change it to 4:3 because right now my tv won't let me use the "4:3 expanded" because my tv senses a 16:9 input.

power off the unit. then press the menu button. this will display the setup menu.

btw - this link will help... http://cjhengineering.com/DCTHDFAQ.htm

Home, waiting for the installer to show up. I've given up on waiting for the 6208 to roll out before signing up, now that the networks (minus Cox's CBS) are available.

I've got component cables, toslink, and stereo RCA cables hooked to the switchbox and receiver, and hanging out of the rack. The old sat gear taken out, and waiting to be traded in.

Tonight, I'll be able to bitch about something I have, rather than about something I wish I had.

Is the DVI port active (I assuming/hoping for a 6200), yet (need to search)? I may need to buy another switchbox...

--Mike

Originally posted by Llamas
Home, waiting for the installer to show up. I've given up on waiting for the 6208 to roll out before signing up, now that the networks (minus Cox's CBS) are available.

I've got component cables, toslink, and stereo RCA cables hooked to the switchbox and receiver, and hanging out of the rack. The old sat gear taken out, and waiting to be traded in.

Tonight, I'll be able to bitch about something I have, rather than about something I wish I had.

Is the DVI port active (I assuming/hoping for a 6200), yet (need to search)? I may need to buy another switchbox...

--Mike

Comcast provides the component cables. You may want to use theirs, since they'll probably forget you own the cables if and when you need to return all their equipment upon service termination.

Originally posted by wareagle
Comcast provides the component cables. You may want to use theirs, since they'll probably forget you own the cables if and when you need to return all their equipment upon service termination.

And they are actually decent quality cables. I was pleased with what they provided when they did my install.

Ron

Originally posted by wareagle
Comcast provides the component cables. You may want to use theirs, since they'll probably forget you own the cables if and when you need to return all their equipment upon service termination.

that's what I was gonna say.

Originally posted by brente
power off the unit. then press the menu button. this will display the setup menu.

btw - this link will help... http://cjhengineering.com/DCTHDFAQ.htm

great info, thanks! I had no idea that there were so many people who were so passionate about hdtv. (it's all completely new to me).

Originally posted by bloodzombie
great info, thanks! I had no idea that there were so many people who were so passionate about hdtv. (it's all completely new to me).

Too bad none of the passionate ones have any influence over Cox/KIRO.

Too bad none of the passionate ones have any influence over Cox/KIRO.

Wareagle, you beat me to it. Couldn't agree more.

Andy

Had my HDTV install yesterday for my 34XBR800. Very smooth. Got the 5100 box in the Seattle area. Not much to watch but what there is looks great. I was watching the Australian Open on ESPNHD and it looked very good. Colors were vibrant and the picture was sharp. I'm assuming that it wasn't true HDTV but was a rather good stretch job. It looked much better than the digital or the analog ESPN. The ESPN basketball game in HD looked fantastic.

I've got a great workaround for using my VCR. I thought this was going to be a big problem with timeshifting. Here's how it goes. The cable is split at the wall, one end into the box, the other into the SVHS VCR. The VCR is connected through the S cable to Video 1. Box is connected to Video 6. The box is connected to the SVHS through the L2 inputs. I can timeshift all I want through the analog channels and I can also record any ONE cable station including HBOHD through the L2 line. With my VCR, I can just select the direct Channels for the analog stations or L2 for the digital stations. I have to leave the box turned on to the correct station. Seems to work great. HBOHD on SVH looked great. It is windowboxed but could be stretched to a correct aspect ratio with the Zoom mode.


Thanks for all of the help from this group.

Art in Seattle

Yesterdays Wall Street Journal had an article outlining the conflice between Comcast (and other Cable Cos) and Viacom/CBS. It basically confirms what has been discussed here....CBS is trying to extort money for the HD channels and the cable companies are balking. Don't hold your breath for CBS any time soon from the sound of it...some markets may get the CBS signal earlier than others though.

Originally posted by elb2000
Yesterdays Wall Street Journal had an article outlining the conflice between Comcast (and other Cable Cos) and Viacom/CBS. It basically confirms what has been discussed here....CBS is trying to extort money for the HD channels and the cable companies are balking. Don't hold your breath for CBS any time soon from the sound of it...some markets may get the CBS signal earlier than others though.

What about Cox? There seems to be more involved there than just CBS. At any rate, the more daylight shining on this, the better.

I hate that they stretch that ESPNhd station. Why can't they just broadcast it right?

all I can say is it looks like Directv is now sending out the east & west coast HD feeds of CBS and I'm getting both... so, scr*w kiro & cox... :p

Originally posted by brente
all I can say is it looks like Directv is now sending out the east & west coast HD feeds of CBS and I'm getting both... so, scr*w kiro & cox... :p Shhhhh.... don't tell anyone-- you shouldn't be getting it since KIRO is not owned by Viacom.

If you are lucky, it will stay on until the Super Bowl (maybe they are allowing everyone access until then on purpose), but there is no way it can last (unless there is an agreement between Viacom and Cox that allows it-- which is very doubtful).

yeah, it's probably too good to last...

here is the link with the details...subscription required though:

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB107533253839514516,00.html?mod=mm%5Fhs%5Fentertainment

And a caption from the article:

HIGH-DEF DISAPPOINTMENT

Some areas where cable companies have struck deals to carry the Super Bowl on HDTV, or not.*

• Comcast
Yes: Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and Dallas
No: Portland, Ore., Cleveland, Seattle, Sacramento

• Time Warner Cable
Yes: New York, Houston, San Diego
No: Albany, N.Y., parts of Ohio, Portland, Maine

• Cox
Yes: Las Vegas, Phoenix, Orange County, Calif.
No: New Orleans, Omaha, Neb., Wichita, Kan.


*Some cities have more than one cable operator

Source: the companies

From http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/business/7834474.htm

Some HDTV users on losing side of Super Bowl

"Cox Communications Inc. is going to be able to show the Super Bowl in HDTV in 11 of its top 20 markets. That number would have been 12, but in Omaha, tensions were so high earlier this month that the CBS affiliate, KMTV, stopped providing Cox its high-definition signal. Some 2,500 Cox subscribers have HDTV sets in that area. "We can't give away everything we have," says Jeff Smulyan, chairman of Emmis Communications Corp. of Indianapolis, which owns KMTV and 15 other TV stations."

Hmm... Jeff Smulyan, where have I heard that name before?

This probably explains how KIRO Radio (owned by Emmis) lost the Mariners. Now he's doing to Cox what KIRO TV is doing to Comcast.

Smulyan funny how even though spelled differently thats a word that is used as slang for money:) hehe sorry I notice the dumbest things

Jeremy

I also have the CBS HD East & West feeds on D* as well. HD Superbowl yaay!

Ron

I hate KIRO.

Oh, well, since I'm hosting a Super Bowl party, I'll be too busy to actually watch...

I'm getting ready for my party to.. Have my hptc ready to go with my Silver Sensor antenna sitting atop my CBS deficient cable box.. :-)

Those of you in OTA range...I hate you all...

--Mike where'd that voodoo doll get to?

Yesterday I gave up my last hope on KIRO and Comcast getting it together for at least the Superbowl. As a last ditch attempt, I picked up a Terk TV55 antenna and have been scrambling all over outdoors this morning trying to get any kind of OTA signal at all.

Absolutely no joy here in Sammamish. Not even a single bar on the signal meter on my Toshiba 57HX93.

I guess it's no HD for my Superbowl party. This sucks.

It's really too bad that the Superbowl is on CBS. Even if we get KIRO the day after the Superbowl it will be too little too late for me. This has really soured my attitude toward KIRO and will affect my viewing habits.

I stopped watching David Letterman and am enjoying Leno. KOMO's news in hd is fantastic - don't miss the KIRO newcast at all....

That’s really what I don’t understand. Don’t they realize that by not giving this to Comcast that they are losing viewers? I guess we are too insignificant to matter, but personally I never turn on KIRO at all because I refuse to watch SD programming. Now I have an antenna and will watch the game using that, but it’s sort of a pain to switch over to the antenna and it’s not something I do for day to day viewing.

Originally posted by markhs
It's really too bad that the Superbowl is on CBS. Even if we get KIRO the day after the Superbowl it will be too little too late for me. This has really soured my attitude toward KIRO and will affect my viewing habits.

I stopped watching David Letterman and am enjoying Leno. KOMO's news in hd is fantastic - don't miss the KIRO newcast at all....

Most of what I watch on CBS seems to have been created by people with very few, dark crayons in their boxes (e.g., CSI shows), so HD would probably be wasted on them, anyway. (Perhaps it's a reflection of my taste, too!) Maybe I'll try the same approach toward the Super Bowl as I used for the Sugar Bowl -- forgot it was on.

I agree with you about the KOMO news -- is there any way we could get the KING producers to watch it and grab a clue? The crude way KING does its switch from SD to HD is very annoying, as is the audio volume changing.

Leno vs. Letterman is definitely no contest now, too. HD really does add to the studio shows. (Not sure I'd want to see Dave's ill-fitting shiny double-breasted suits in HD, either.)

CSI looks great in HD, with all those Vegas exteriors. I haven't watched CSI Miami (because I don't like it at all), but the Miami exteriors should look just as good. CBS does have the better looking HD, and all I can say is I'm glad I bought my OTA set up a long time ago.

Originally posted by kurthu
Yesterday I gave up my last hope on KIRO and Comcast getting it together for at least the Superbowl. As a last ditch attempt, I picked up a Terk TV55 antenna and have been scrambling all over outdoors this morning trying to get any kind of OTA signal at all.

Absolutely no joy here in Sammamish. Not even a single bar on the signal meter on my Toshiba 57HX93.

I guess it's no HD for my Superbowl party. This sucks.

I don't know if it would make a difference or not, but the Terk antennas are not held in very high regard. If you still feel like trying, see if any of the Radio Shack's around have a either a 15-2160 or 930-0998 (aka double bow tie). I think that the double bow tie is actually an indoor antenna, but putting it outdoors for at least the game shouldn't hurt it.

Radio Shack will accept returns if they don't work for you.

Just wanted to share...

Aside from a few graceless 4:3/16:9 transitions, the Super Bowl pre-game has looked amazing, so far. I'm wondering, though, if I'm missing any of the year's best commercials... EVERY commercial break seems to feature the "You're watching CBS in HDTV! It's all here!" loop.

Apologies tho those of you with no OTA HD. :-)

Originally posted by pastiche
I'm wondering, though, if I'm missing any of the year's best commercials...

Bud Light has had two good ones - "Dog" and "Bikini Wax".

So far, the crowd favorite here is Budweiser's "Nagging Wife" one. That's a classic.

Yea...those are not bad. The AOL ones are a waste of time and money. (Much like AOL Is)

Originally posted by kurthu
Yesterday I gave up my last hope on KIRO and Comcast getting it together for at least the Superbowl. As a last ditch attempt, I picked up a Terk TV55 antenna and have been scrambling all over outdoors this morning trying to get any kind of OTA signal at all.

Absolutely no joy here in Sammamish. Not even a single bar on the signal meter on my Toshiba 57HX93.

I guess it's no HD for my Superbowl party. This sucks.

It's too late to help you for the superbowl, but give the Channel Master 4228 antenna a try. I'm over in Bellevue in a location deemed unreachable to HD transmissions, but I'm watching the superbowl in HD with that antenna as we speak. Give it a try!

I've been using an Antiference Silver Sensor (indoor swept-wing set-top) on my SIRT-151 and a ChannelMaster Allegro (indoor double bow-tie set-top) on my WinTV-D with great results on both. I'm at the very top of Capitol Hill, though, so that might my "dumb luck."

Anyone else think the half time show was lame, really lame. In addition the Kiro engineers do not know how to reduce the signal level to get rid of clipping (happened during the half time show). Plus, the commericials before the show said they were broadcasting Dolby Digital. Did we get this from Kiro? No way. Kiro sucks.
(Comments based on OTA reception)

Rant off

I noticed this as well. KIRO is lame....

We noticed that FLOOD of CBS commercials too. We were wondering if we were missing the commercials so we grabbed a 12" portable and tuned to channel 7. All the good commercials weren't missed...so you have nothing to worry about.

BOY could you tell the difference between an angle shot with a HD camera vs. a SD camera in Widescreen. Pretty pathetic that they spent $$ on promoting HD and the Superbowl in HD only to offer many angles in SD (atleast it wasn't the most important angles).

Still waiting on COX/Comcast rebroadcast agreement so I can get rid of the rooftop antenna! :(

The CM4228 works great in Sammamish. We have on a 10-foot mast, pointing directly into a grove of trees. Get signals in the 70-90's for all six networks, including Fox in Bremerton -- and I don't have to ever rotate the antenna . . . .

After one week of Comcast HDTV, not much to rave about. Service works fine. Hardly anything worth watching. So far, HDTV seems more like a "showoff" emperor with no clothes. "Isn't this cool. Now let's watch a DVD.

My pet peeves so far are:

1) Why does HBOHD waste so much time on Sports commentary programs that don't benefit from a 16x9 HD broadcast? How about more movies!

2) The Komo lip synch problem makes most movies unwatchable. "Notting Hill" in 5.1 was horrible. I'm thinking of unplugging the Toslink cable and switching to analog sound. Would that help? What a waste of 5.1.

3) Some INHD shows are also out-of-synch

4) Am I missing something with KONG and WB? I haven't caught anything on HD yet except the news on KONG.

5) On many HDTV stations the picture is particularly dark. I'm using the VIVID mode on my XBR for this. This is way too bright for other shows

Any ideas on addressing these issues?

Sounds like a good summery off all the issues to me, except I can usually find something worth watching, but then I don’t watch a ton of TV.

Originally posted by artseattle
After one week of Comcast HDTV, not much to rave about. Service works fine. Hardly anything worth watching. So far, HDTV seems more like a "showoff" emperor with no clothes. "Isn't this cool. Now let's watch a DVD.

My pet peeves so far are:

1) Why does HBOHD waste so much time on Sports commentary programs that don't benefit from a 16x9 HD broadcast? How about more movies!

2) The Komo lip synch program makes most movies unwatchable. "Notting Hill" in 5.1 was horrible. I'm thinking of unplugging the Toslink cable and switching to analog sound. Would that help? What a waste of 5.1.

3) Some INHD shows are also out-of-synch

4) Am I missing something with KONG and WB? I haven't caught anything on HD yet except the news on KONG.

5) On many HDTV stations the picture is particularly dark. I'm using the VIVID mode on my XBR for this. This is way too bright for other shows

Any ideas on addressing these issues?

I would add the annoying KING inability to handle HD/SD camera switches smoothly, along with the audio level changes when they switch (in news programs). This seems like incompetence.

Also, the scant HD programming on ESPN -- it looks great when it's there, but they only have four events scheduled during this week. They have to pass the limited number of remote trucks around. This situation should improve with time.

As for WB, KTWB has posted this information online, but I haven't checked them out, since not one of them interests me=>

KTWB WB22 - 1080I 16 x 9 PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Monday: 9PM Everwood
Tuesday: 8PM Gilmore Girls
9PM One Tree Hill
Wednesday: 8PM Smallville
9PM Angel
Thursday: 9PM What I like About You
9:30PM Run of the House
Friday: 8PM Reba
8:30PM Like Family
9:30PM All About the Andersons
Saturday: NO HD Programming @ this time
Sunday: 5PM Tarzan
6PM Everwood
7PM Smallville Beginnings
9PM Tarzan

Copyright © 2004, KTWB

I’ve mostly given up on ESPN as a serious HDTV channel. I’d probably watch it if they at least fixed the stretch-o-vision, but that combined with very rarely having anything in HDTV format it’s not even worth turning it on.

Originally posted by jameskollar
Anyone else think the half time show was lame, really lame. In addition the Kiro engineers do not know how to reduce the signal level to get rid of clipping (happened during the half time show). Plus, the commericials before the show said they were broadcasting Dolby Digital. Did we get this from Kiro? No way. Kiro sucks.
(Comments based on OTA reception)

Rant off

The clipping was almost as annoying as the "pop" when they went into and out of some commercials.

Hey guys just wanted to let you know I'm gonna be on here a-lot less now, I'm working 2 jobs both of them stuff I love. I just took up a position DJing at a local night club so thats gonna keep me pretty busy on top of my normal life. I'll try to stop in from time to time.

Jeremy

the best part of the superbowl was the part where I won $50.

the fedex commercial with the alien was cool too.

Originally posted by jameskollar
Anyone else think the half time show was lame, really lame. In addition the Kiro engineers do not know how to reduce the signal level to get rid of clipping (happened during the half time show). Plus, the commericials before the show said they were broadcasting Dolby Digital. Did we get this from Kiro? No way. Kiro sucks.
(Comments based on OTA reception)

Rant off

FWIW, the halftime clipping was there on the D* broadcast as well. I'd say network feed problem. But it does not change the fact that KIRO does indeed suck.

Ron

Although I don't check it out as often as I used to, when did NBA in HD start on INHD? I know they're not live, but it something to kill some time.

Originally posted by artseattle
My pet peeves so far are:

2) The Komo lip synch program makes most movies unwatchable. "Notting Hill" in 5.1 was horrible. I'm thinking of unplugging the Toslink cable and switching to analog sound. Would that help? What a waste of 5.1.

Any ideas on addressing these issues?

Nope, wouldn't help. The broadcast is in 5.1, so converting it to analog stereo isn't going to make the audio magically sync up. The broadcast of 'Cast Away' was horribly off sync, almost a full second, but I haven't noticed problems on their HD primetime programming other than movies.

Just let KOMO know about it!

-Lance

If you want to impress someone with the quality of your HDTV, I recommend "Smart Travels with Rudi Maxa" on KCTS-HD (108). The photography & resolution are super. Too bad I can't record it (yet):

Mon. 2/2 8:30PM Athens and the Peloponnese
Mon. 2/9 11:30PM Greek Islands
Thu. 2/12 7:00PM Greek Islands

Originally posted by wareagle
If you want to impress someone with the quality of your HDTV, I recommend "Smart Travels with Rudi Maxa" on KCTS-HD (108). The photography & resolution are super. Too bad I can't record it (yet):


I concur! That show is a showcase for HDTV, for sure.

-Lance

Originally posted by Malcolm_B
Although I don't check it out as often as I used to, when did NBA in HD start on INHD? I know they're not live, but it something to kill some time.


For whatever reason, I am not getting the INHD NBA games. When I change the channel to INHD1, either the screen goes black or I get a freeze frame of the last show I was watching (similar to changing to KCTS-HD when it is not broadcasting). Anyone else having this problem or know what is causing it?

Originally posted by HD1201
For whatever reason, I am not getting the INHD NBA games. When I change the channel to INHD1, either the screen goes black or I get a freeze frame of the last show I was watching (similar to changing to KCTS-HD when it is not broadcasting). Anyone else having this problem or know what is causing it?

Yep, Comcast does not have a broadcast agreement with NBA TV. Even though they are using INHD as a delivery mechanism those of us who get INHD through Comcast have the NBA games blacked out. Why they can't put a message on the screen is beyond me however.

Originally posted by lkinley
I concur! That show is a showcase for HDTV, for sure.

-Lance

I have to third this one. My wife, who resists any new tech I bring into the house, was sitting with mouth open while watching a recent show about visting Denmark. One scene that had the host standing in front of a cathredral, with a dramatic sky in the background, brought out the "It looks 3d!" Comment. She's warming up to it. :-)

Hey Guys just wanted to let you know I cant give an exact date for obvious reason's but Firmware 7.07 is gonna launch statewide within the near future.

Aaaarrggh!! Law and Order SVU is not widescreen like it's supposed to be on channel 105 again! I compared images with the analog channel and it's obviously a squished 16:9 broadcast and not a 4:3 repeat or anything.

Who wants to complain wth me?

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
Hey Guys just wanted to let you know I cant give an exact date for obvious reason's but Firmware 7.07 is gonna launch statewide within the near future.

Jeremy - what does 7.07 do/give us?

Redhook,
Some of these shows are old and perhaps not filmed in HD. It happens.

So when 7.07 launches soon will I be able to use this fancy DVI cable that I bought yesterday? That's all I want comcast, just make my DVI work!

7.07 just like in other areas activates DVI & Firewire.

Firewire? Are there any boxes being deployed here in Puget Sound with Firewire installed? If so, how do I get one?

Jeremy, what does activating firewire mean for us HTPC users? Is there going to be some sort of feed available from that port that can be recorded on hard disk and played later? Just what can and cannot be done via firewire?

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
7.07 just like in other areas activates DVI & Firewire.

great! how about VOD? also, what's the latest on DVR?

I do not think that having DVI will have an impact on the quality, this has been discussed prev.
The only thing that will happen is that your SD will be locked in, and you will not be able to stretch anything!
imho

It won't have an impact on quality, but it will allow me to re-connect my all-region DVD player directly, instead of passing the signal through my DVD recorder as I have to do now (with the cable box using the other component input).

So who wants to be the first to write a dirty letter to Kiro 7 for not broadcasting the super bowl in HD?

I was talking to Comcast rep the other day and she mentioned HBO On Demand was coming. Does anyone know how much this will cost? Is it a flat monthly fee and you can view all the movies you like OR do they charge per movie? It'll be great if its the same HBO fee and you can watch any movie any time otherwise they're just copying Charter Cable, they've had it for a long time now. Anyone know any more details?

xxxfubar (for short)
KIRO DT broadcast the game in HD....KIRO-TV can't. Comcast can't. DirecTV subscribers in the Seattle area who have waivers due to lack of good reception can. I watched DirecTV KCBS (LA) and switched to WCBS (NY) and switched to KIRO-DT (no Comcast due to their ongoing negotiations).

By the way, IMHO there was no difference in perceived picture quality between the three.

Hang in there, it will eventually come to Comcast.

Originally posted by xxxfubar187xxx
I was talking to Comcast rep the other day and she mentioned HBO On Demand was coming. Does anyone know how much this will cost? Is it a flat monthly fee and you can view all the movies you like OR do they charge per movie? It'll be great if its the same HBO fee and you can watch any movie any time otherwise they're just copying Charter Cable, they've had it for a long time now. Anyone know any more details? What? You didn't read all 1837 previous posts here to find the answer? A couple months ago, JeremyFr implied in this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2970979#post2970979) that HBO/Show/etc VOD would be no additional charge beyond your regular premium subscription.

I received the following from Rick Lang (Regional VP or Marketing and Sales at Comcast):


Thanks Jason, glad you are enjoying the service!

We will be launching the two tuner version, which might push our timeline
out a bit. There have been some slight 'bugs' to work out, but we are
excited about the fact the product will be HD capable.

On the KIRO front, negotiations continue...and quite frankly, with the
Superbowl over, I don't know the urgency on both sides at this point; but
certainly we will continue to pursue adding them to the line-up.

As an aside; Rick Germano & I have been reassigned to Northern California,
so you should probably address future inquiries to Tom Pierce the interim VP
of Marketing in the Northwest. Tom will have more current/accurate
information as these products move forward.

Thanks again.

Rick Lang


I guess this means the Seattle area probably won't see DVR until the end of summer....

Originally posted by IssaquahHD
I received the following from Rick Lang (Regional VP or Marketing and Sales at Comcast):


Thanks Jason, glad you are enjoying the service!

We will be launching the two tuner version, which might push our timeline
out a bit. There have been some slight 'bugs' to work out, but we are
excited about the fact the product will be HD capable.

On the KIRO front, negotiations continue...and quite frankly, with the
Superbowl over, I don't know the urgency on both sides at this point; but
certainly we will continue to pursue adding them to the line-up.

As an aside; Rick Germano & I have been reassigned to Northern California,
so you should probably address future inquiries to Tom Pierce the interim VP
of Marketing in the Northwest. Tom will have more current/accurate
information as these products move forward.

Thanks again.

Rick Lang


I guess this means the Seattle area probably won't see DVR until the end of summer....

If he thinks the Super Bowl's passing relieves the urgency of getting KIRO-HD, then it's just as well that he's leaving town.

Let's see .... how about other programs that we would like to see in HD. Degree of urgency since Superbowl hasn't gone down for me and I sincerely doubt it has gone down for others. Sure it stinks that they couldn't kiss and make up before the game, how about giving us a break and doing it now.

Originally posted by drbenson
Jeremy, what does activating firewire mean for us HTPC users? Is there going to be some sort of feed available from that port that can be recorded on hard disk and played later? Just what can and cannot be done via firewire?

Firewire allows you to record on a DVHS recorder as long as the firewire signal is not encrypted (broadcast flag?). You could also hook it up to a Mac and use some software tools to record.

-Lance

We will be launching the two tuner version, which might push our timeline out a bit.

I'm not sure whether to cry or scream. Short of cancelling my service, I don't feel like I have a way of effectively expressing my displeasure.

Of course, I can always see a 6208 when I go back to visit family and friends in the D.C. area...

On another subject, is there a listing of KIROs advertisers anywhere? I wouldn't mind sending a nastygram to KIRO with their advertisers on the cc: line.

--Mike

You can try sending a email to the GM at Kiro TV, John Woodin (jwoodin@kirotv.com). I doubt he has much control over the negotiations but it can't hurt.

That's why I started thinking about advertisers. If the money starts asking what's going on...

Originally posted by IssaquahHD
We will be launching the two tuner version, which might push our timeline




Would I need this to make my PIP work? or is there a way that I don't know about? (both channels change when I try to change 1)

Originally posted by Llamas
On another subject, is there a listing of KIROs advertisers anywhere? I wouldn't mind sending a nastygram to KIRO with their advertisers on the cc: line.

--Mike Just a guess here, but the CBS "It's all here" spot that runs incessantly seems to fill the time slots used for local ads on the NTSC channel.

So, complaining to local advertisers might not have any effect - KIRO probably isn't selling any local ads on HDTV.

Lance, would firewire recording work with a PC? I record data off my camcorder via firewire.

CBS not allowing its HD signal on Comcast is a national problem, so we should boycott the company's national advertisers. AVSForum has close to 100,000 members. Since most of us are relatively affluent consumers I think they would take notice.

Originally posted by JasG
Just a guess here, but the CBS "It's all here" spot that runs incessantly seems to fill the time slots used for local ads on the NTSC channel.

So, complaining to local advertisers might not have any effect - KIRO probably isn't selling any local ads on HDTV.

Probably because KIROs try to charge an arm and a leg for eh same ads just becuase it's in HD.

I'd have no problem complaining to all of their advertisers, HD or SD. Here's my reasoning: I am not watch ANY CBS programming, SD or HD, because I am offered HD alternatives on other networks.

Now, I admit that's only a glancing blow to some, since there isn't much difference between not watching their SD commercials and them not having HD commercials. However, perhaps the advertisers would buy HD commercials if they thought people would be watching them, and more people would watch them if Comcast carried KIRO, which might pressure KIRO into coming to terms. It's a stretch...

Of course, we (the HD viewing public) may only get taken seriously once a certain threshold number of HD STBs and/or Comcast HD installs is reached, no matter how loudly we complain.

--Mike

This was a stupid post.

Does anybody know if the NBA All Star Game going to be on HD this year in Seattle?

INHD is advertising that they're showing the All-Star Game this year - but who knows if it'll be blacked out on Comcast like other NBA games on INHD?

The all-star game will be on INHD and not blacked out on Comcast systems.

This is a TNT production not an NBA-TV HD production.

I'm in E-mail contact with Don Wilkinson at KOMO. He wants me to provide him with a little more information about my setup and audio results. I'd like to hear from others to confirm what I've seen and heard. I have a 5100, Yamaha receiver, and 34XBR.

Audio Synch

KOMO-HD programming, news, NW afternoon: Slightly delayed, watchable but still off

KOMO-DT programming: Also slightly delayed

KOMO-analog programming: Slightly delayed (I never noticed this before!)

KOMO-HD ABC programming 5.1: Delayed, unwatchable at times, Gladiator was way off.

KOMO-DT ABC: Delayed, didn't seem quite as bad but still off.

KOMO-analog, ABC: Slightly off. With my television set to analog sound and receiver to Digital sound, the digital sound seemed just a bit later.

Am I imagining things? I'm not going to respond to Don until I test this out a little more.

Any feedback from others?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by IssaquahHD
[B]I received the following from Rick Lang (Regional VP or Marketing and Sales at Comcast):

...On the KIRO front, negotiations continue...and quite frankly, with the
Superbowl over, I don't know the urgency on both sides at this point; but
certainly we will continue to pursue adding them to the line-up.

As an aside; Rick Germano & I have been reassigned to Northern California,
so you should probably address future inquiries to Tom Pierce the interim VP
of Marketing in the Northwest. Tom will have more current/accurate
information as these products move forward.

Thanks again.

Rick Lang]

Do either KIRO or Comcast think that the urgency is over? Does this imply that KIRO thinks their programs are worthless except for the Superbowl? Since I got HDTV, I'm watching much less KIRO/CBS. Doesn't KIRO know that the picture quality of analog 7 is horrible compared to 104 and 105 even on non HD shows? Letterman versus Leno is no contest in terms of viewing pleasure (although I prefer Letterman for content). I believe non-HD shows like 60 minutes and Survivor would look much better on 107 than 7.

Should we contact someone or is the Lang message meaningless? Is Tom Pierce the man?

The experience of watch CSI is just unbelievable in 1080i HD. Now that I'm forced to watch SD, it's just another show!

I'm not a lawyer - but we should organize a holdback of the new monthly charges for HD until they complete the national lineup which includes CBS.
Pay our fees into an escrow account till we're satisfied!

-Stuarts

From what I gather the ball is in KIRO court.

I have heard that CSI looks good in hd but I never watch it (probably because I don't get it in hd). I really don't watch anything on CBS anymore. It galls me that KIRO has taken this hard nosed stand. BTW from all the hype over CSI in hd it better look damn fantastic. Letterman isn't broadcasted in hd so CBS doesn't offer much for me.

I think Leno looks great, KOMO news looks really good and CBS would be nice but at this point it would be anti-climatic (unless CSI really IS god's gift to hdtv).


PS Why yes, I am bitter that KIRO didn't give us the superbowl in hd.....

CSI is beautiful in HD, and at times I wish the exteriors of Vegas lasted a little longer, because the casino lights are fantastic in HD.

Yesterday I called Comcast to inquire about upgrading my basic cable to include HDTV. "Steve" gave me the information about channels, costs, etc., and I asked him about the availability of their Hard Disk Recorder set-top box. He said that it probably wouldn't be available out in Issaquah until later in 2005. I then told him that I have DirecTV, and that I probably wouldn't make the switch until I had a replacement for my Tivo, and Steve said, 'No problem - the Tivo will work just fine with their set-top box."

Now, I believe that Steve was really shining me on, trying to make a sale! Does anyone have any information about the Tivo working with the Comcast HD cable box? I suspect that when I unhook the phone line from the Tivo (and stop paying for satellite), that the box would just go dead. What is the truth, here?

Thanks for the info.

Melmoth

I know that a standard TiVo box will work fine (but not record HD of in true HD of course), but I don't know about an integrated DirectTivo system....

Rich

Originally posted by Melmoth
Yesterday I called Comcast to inquire about upgrading my basic cable to include HDTV. "Steve" gave me the information about channels, costs, etc., and I asked him about the availability of their Hard Disk Recorder set-top box. He said that it probably wouldn't be available out in Issaquah until later in 2005. I then told him that I have DirecTV, and that I probably wouldn't make the switch until I had a replacement for my Tivo, and Steve said, 'No problem - the Tivo will work just fine with their set-top box."

Now, I believe that Steve was really shining me on, trying to make a sale! Does anyone have any information about the Tivo working with the Comcast HD cable box? I suspect that when I unhook the phone line from the Tivo (and stop paying for satellite), that the box would just go dead. What is the truth, here?

Thanks for the info.

Melmoth

Later in 2005??? Jeez, I'm not used to writing 2004 on checks yet! We may even get KIRO-HD before 2005 (nahhh!)

Apparently Comcast intends to wait and deploy the dual tuner 6408 in this area. This will undoubtedly delay it, but I'd hope not into 2005.

I don't really know much about Tivo, but you certainly won't be able to record HD. If you're like most of us, HD will spoil you for anything in SD.

Originally posted by boykster
I know that a standard TiVo box will work fine (but not record HD of in true HD of course), but I don't know about an integrated DirectTivo system....

Rich

No go on the DirecTiVo, it works with DirecTV only.

Since the 6408 is primarily intended for HD recording, I wonder why they didn't add a bit more storage capacity, in addition to the extra tuner. I saw something about the 6208 being "MSO-scalable" (whatever that implies). It doesn't seem like 7 to 10 hours is enough. Of course, it's a lot better than the 0 we have now.

Any news about StarzHD launching any time soon?

What's up with 105 KINGD these days? NBC's HD shows do not look like true HD for the last week or so. Tonight Las Vegas is not widescreen, last week Whoopi was not widescreen, ER was letterboxed, all of which usually are.

Our friends in the Portland, OR, area just got their cable modem service speed upgrade for no additional cost. Anyone receive notification from Comcast of such here in the Seattle area recently? Their instructions said unplug the modem for 60 seconds and it wil restart at the higher speed.

I sent an E-mail to KIRO through their website to encourage them to aggressively pursue their negotiations with Comcast. I outlined for them the reasons why they are quickly losing viewers. I pointed out to them that no one with HD Comcast would ever watch KIRO news again due to the highly inferior visuals. I also explained to them that all shows broadcast on the HD channels of 104 and 105 are much clearer than those broadcast on 7 regardless of their native formats.

I received two brief messages in return:

Thanks for your comments. Hopefully it will all be cleared up soon. We'd sure like to keep you as a viewer.

Thanks again,

Wayne Havrelly
Anchor/Consumer Investigator
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News
(206) 728-2988
whavrelly@kirotv.com


"Thank you for your message. KIRO-TV and Comcast are currently in negotiations regarding the carriage of KIRO-HD via cable. No specific air date has been set."

(From the Programming Department)



So folks. I urge everyone to write Comcast and KIRO. Let's get this moving!

Originally posted by scorpi0
What's up with 105 KINGD these days? NBC's HD shows do not look like true HD for the last week or so. Tonight Las Vegas is not widescreen, last week Whoopi was not widescreen, ER was letterboxed, all of which usually are.

You can thank NBC for the non-HD showings of ER and Las Vegas. Not sure about Whoopi but NBC seems to drop the ball quite a bit where HD is concerned.

Originally posted by artseattle
[.

I received two brief messages in return:

Thanks for your comments. Hopefully it will all be cleared up soon. We'd sure like to keep you as a viewer.

Thanks again,

Wayne Havrelly
Anchor/Consumer Investigator
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News
(206) 728-2988

Exact same messages I rec'd from the several months ago. You'd think they would at least change their answers a little bit. Too much trouble I guess, end result stays the same. NO CHANGE.
whavrelly@kirotv.com


"Thank you for your message. KIRO-TV and Comcast are currently in negotiations regarding the carriage of KIRO-HD via cable. No specific air date has been set."

(From the Programming Department)



So folks. I urge everyone to write Comcast and KIRO. Let's get this moving! [/B]

Here is the response from a JWoodin at Kiro....I was bitching about dolby digital and he only responded about the HD.....

Thanks for the note. We continue to negotiate with Comcast and expect a resolution in the near future. As an owner of an HD set and a Comcast subscriber myself, I share your frustration. Hang in there and we hope the corporate folks involved for us and Comcast come to a deal very soon.
Hi,
I have been an avid watcher of KIRO/CBS for a couple years now. Well,
since the day I bought my high Defiinition tv and noticed primetime cbs
had HD. Well because you were the only station at that time showing HD
during primetime I have become a big fan of many shows. My question to you
is if/when you will have the ability to pass along dolby digital on your
digital channel? I live in Bonney Lake, Washington but I get your feed
from ExpressVu in Canada as they offer your HD station where Comcast does
not. The problem is I have to turn to the Boston CBS on Bell ExpressVu
during any major sporting events (i.e. superbowl) because they offer dolby
digital and it greatly enhances the full experience when adding to an HD
presentation. I sure hope that you soon will add dolby digital to your
broadcasts when offered and that you work out an agreement with Comcast. I
subscribe to Comcast, DirecTv and Bell ExpressVu just so I can get the
full load of HD. If you reread above you will see that I mentioned CBS won
me over in the beginning of the HD offerings and I sure hope you don't
decide to fall now. Once someone sees HD they pretty much only want to see
HD and the same goes with quality sound.
Thanks for your time with this,

Buckley, WA 98321

One last tidbit: You guys also lose me on all newcasts because the other
two stations (KOMO/KING) offer the local news in HD. You may not think HD
would cause this but believe me it does. If there is a tossup of what
program to watch I would speculate that about 95%of us HD tv owners would
choose an HD program over a standard definition one.

Oh please, like anybody watches KING 5 news for HD :rolleyes: You should've left them off your note. I'd watch the standard KING broadcast over their digital one with the constant switching back and forth.

KIRO loses me on newscasts because of Steve Raible. I just can't get over that he was their sports anchor and literally had a black eye when he got promoted to news anchor. :p

All the local stations news "bites". The word "exclusive" drives me nuts. Who watches this drivel?

Couldn’t agree more with that. I gave up watching the news when I got internet access and could read the press releases and found out the news was totally inaccurate. I’d be thinking none of that was in the statement I read. They just make this stuff up?

Haven't missed it since.

Does thread mean it helps us get CBS? I couldn't tell.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=324812&pagenumber=6

Originally posted by Tom_Oliver
Does thread mean it helps us get CBS? I couldn't tell.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=324812&pagenumber=6

Probably the only thing of significance in there is the projected carry date for the SF Cox station of April Fool's Day: Fox/KTVU HD April 1st, 2004.

lol

[RANT MODE ON]
Why do I even bother?!? I phoned Comcast (formerly AT&T Broadband) to follow up on things, and got variations of the same excuses ... Aaarrrggghhh!!!:mad:

So, I'm asking ... AGAIN!!!
* Where are our F'n DCT5100 software/firmware updates?!?
* Enable DVI/Firewire/aux inputs ... why give us a lobotomized box
* Comcast responds with VOD ... Where is our VOD?!?
* Comcast responds with rebuild ... I don't give a F':mad:
* Comcast responds with new DCT6204, but not avail ... doesn't help me
* Why the HSI speed upgrade delay in deployment ... when When WHEN
* I grumble about missing (2)Superbowls/Janet's piercing in High Definition
[/RANT MODE PAUSE]

Well, now we know why Comcast is too busy to bother giving us any promised upgrades:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4239739/

If this goes thru, we'll probably never get CBS. Just ABC & ESPN on every channel...

Originally posted by jimre
Well, now we know why Comcast is too busy to bother giving us any promised upgrades:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4239739/

If this goes thru, we'll probably never get CBS. Just ABC & ESPN on every channel...

But they might be able to convince ESPN not to stretch the non-HD shows, so the basketballs would be round again.

They really should buy Cox instead...

KIRO's reply to my email:

Thanks for your email. We are not asking any fee for retransmission of our digital signal. If Comcast is saying that, it's absolutely not true. The issue is their negotiation tactics in other markets where we own stations, where we also are not asking for any fee. Please contact Comcast to apply the pressure to them as the ball is in their corporate court in Philadelphia. I do believe we will have an agreement soon, so be patient.


My Email:

Why is it that the Puget Sound TV audience cannot get a straight answer as to why KIRO does not provide Comcast with a HD signal.

KOMO and KING, and Q13 and PBS and WB are all being transmitted by comcast via HD signal, why is KIRO holding out?

The rumor has it that KIRO and CBS want to jack up the price, beyond what the market is offering. If you succeed, then the other outlets will demand more, and the price of cable will go up.

Does KIRO really want to be associated with causing the price of cable to go up? Comcast has shown its dedication to its customers by providing the best technology to its customer, why is it that KIRO has the technology in place, and is holding back.

If they are not asking for a fee, in this market or the others, what's there to negotiate? I don't mean that there aren't other factors, I'm just wondering what they are, since they seem big enough to block this deal.

If CBS is not asking for a retransmission fee what sort of negotiation hang-up is Comcast causing? If its free why turn it down? If we can believe CBS's reply the ball is in Comcasts court, let's get with it....

KIRO/CBS definitely wants SOMETHING from Comcast....maybe not an explicit fee, but in the end they are trying to extract some sort of concession from Comcast which will end up putting more money in their pocket.

Read the WSJ article posted a while back.

I don't believe it's actually folks at KIRO or CBS holding things up - it's really KIRO's owner: Cox Communications. This seems to be the same problem with other Cox-owned affiliates (CBS, ABC, FOX - the network doesn't matter) in every Comcast market.

Cox, of course is one of Comcast's biggest rivals (#2 or #3 largest cable company).

There is probably some market in the country where Cox owns stations X, Y, and Z, and wants all three of them on, while Comcast only wants station X, but not Y and Z.

They probably had to put KONG on in order to get KING, even though KONG has no HD content whatsoever. Same with KTWB and KCPQ, although KTWB is actually a desirable station with HD content, and KCTS and those 3 digital channels that were added along with KCTS HD.

Of course, Comcast could also be playing hardball with Cox on HGTV, Golf, and other channels Comcast owns. The final agreement with Cox will probably be a major deal, like the Comcast/Viacom deal for the CBS and UPN O&O's.

Interesting - I hadn't realized that Comcast owns Golf Channel & HGTV. No wonder those were recently moved from digital cable back down to analog channels (much larger advertising base)...

I just read this...

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/hdtv/

Does Comcast have any plans to add CBC's HD feed in addition to the analog one? Hockey Night in Canada in HD would be enough to make me finally bite-the-bullet and go with Comcast instead of OTA. (Or, really, maybe in addition to. I like KIRO, and the HD movies on KSTW are great!)

lmao

I'd think it more likely for Comcast to make an offer to buy Canada than to add CBC HD.

i hear they actualy want to move Disney to Canada.... and with the Canadian $ so low, it will be a smart move!

I'd think it more likely for Comcast to make an offer to buy Canada than to add CBC HD.
So you're saying there's a chance!

--Mike

Originally posted by wolfy
i hear they actualy want to move Disney to Canada.... and with the Canadian $ so low, it will be a smart move!

Low? It's the highest it's been in a decade. If you want a laugh check out the US dollar versus the Euro. Just 3 years ago a Euro cost only 92 cents, now it costs $1.28. It's the American dollar that's currently hurting.

And count me in the camp that would love to have HNIC in HD, but I'm not expecting to see it within a year or two. There's just not enough demand, I would assume.

Here's my estimate for when we will get KIRO-HD over Comcast cable:
Dec 25, 2005! I can't wait for Christmas next year!

This is ridiculous...they just keep pointing the finger at each other.
Comcast: 'The ball is in KIRO/CBSs court - stop bugging us'.
KIRO/CBS: 'Lies, precious, lies...go bug Comcast'

Newsflash to KIRO/CBS AND Comcast:
We, your customers, don't care who's the hold-up. Just work it out before you embarass yourselves any further.

This is my first time reading through this thread. Sorry to change the (recent) topic. I'm soon to have a Mitsubishi HDTV with the QAM tuner built in. I'm also planning on getting Comcast. Should I get the digital package and box? Or just basic cable? I've asked several sales people at Comcast, and none of them have a clue what I'm talking about when I say my TV will have a QAM tuner. Are all of the local HDTV broadcasts available to me with basic cable with the QAM tuner?

I'm in Edmonds; Comcast's website (sometimes) says I would be in the Comcast Snohomish County area (not Edmonds area). Is the 6200 box being deployed here? What do I gain by adding digital services?

I'd love a pointer to an explanation, or help. Sales people have not been particularly knowledgeable.

Thank you.

Gary

I have a question for TiVo owners with Comcast HD: Is the $5.10/month worth the trouble of watching the occasional HDTV broadcast Live?

My wife and I, after 2 years of TiVo, and with a 18month old Son have gotten very used to being able to pause and timeshift and watch at our leisure, but with the big TV I'd like to see something "more".

My wife argues against it because it means watching shows live. My argument is that most of the stuff we would watch would just be stuff she would watch (Angel and Everwood, for instance). She is a die-hard TiVo fanatic, though, and is still not convinced HDTV is worth the switch to live TV for certain shows.

What do you think?

G's man. It's five bucks. If you watch one show a month in HD it's worth it IMO. I feel bad for you if you have to argue with your wife over five bucks. :)

Plus, if you don't have the 5100 box it's worth the switch anyway just because the guide menus work more quickly. Again my opinion.

I also suggest getting the box. At first I thought I would just occasionally tune into the digital and HD channels and mostly watch my XBR through the analog inputs. After two weeks, I finally reprogrammed my wonderful MX-500 and now my system is set up for the 5100. I also set up my SVHS to tape the 5100 through the "Line 2" input and the analog stations through the regular tuner. That way I can timeshift and choose one HD station for recording. For example, Law and Order at 10:00 on 105, Letterman on 7, Conan on 5. The HD recordings on SVHS look great and fill the entire 16x9 screen. (Have to change the box channel to tape another HD station but analog taping is easy)

My two cents.

I'm transitioning from DirecTivos to Comcast HD plus SageTV for SD timeshifting. In the last two or three weeks, I've watched exactly two shows in HD. I just can't get back to watching shows live. It doesn't work for me. I'm just not around when my shows are on. Then, on top of that, the analog station quality (that I'm recording) isn't as good as the DirecTV feed.

I am one dissatisfied Comcast customer. Pushing the rollout of the 6x08 4-6 months makes it even worse. It may not happen for a few years, but I will go back to satellite in a heartbeat if they can offer me network feeds in HD.

Now, it sounds like aressa already has Comcast + SA Tivo(s). In that case, the $5/mo is worth it, even if you are only catching a show or two a week in HD. The widescreen (if you have a 16:9 display) picture alone is worth it. It's like watching a DVD.

--Mike

Thanks for the input. Sorry if that was not clear, but yes, I have Comcast digital, HBO, Showtime, and a Stand-Alone TiVo (modded to 195hours, you can see we are serious about TiVo! ;) )


I'm kind of in the "Jeez, it's just $5" category right now.


Another question: Does the HDTV tuner replace my Comcast motorola Digital Cable box? Again back to TiVO: I have the TiVo controlling the Motorola box with serial, so no dropped IR-blast channel changes.

It does replace the box. You will probably get the silver colored motorola 5100, or possibly one of the 6xxx models. Also, there is a new remote available, my parents had their box replaced and didn't the new remote for some reason.

Llamas,

I also feel VERY disappointed about Comcast postponing the release of the 6208 (and thus making us wait for another 6-12 months for the dual tuner unit), especially knowing that other areas in the country enjoy their 6208 right now.

You may want to do like me and start considering other options instead of waiting forever for the Mot6x08 to be available in our area. I recently read about some HD PVR boxes supporting QAM (unscrambled only), like the LG LST-3410A that just came out.

http://www.lge.com/catalog/prodmodeldetail?actType=search&page=1&modelCategoryId=CTG1000472&categoryId=CTG1000442&parentId=ROOT&modelPrefix=40AVSD&globalCode=LST-3410A&globalSuffix=000000&model=NOTHING
(Check the manual, there's a lot of info in there)

Here's a thread about it:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=337424

Sure, you wouldn't be able to get premium content with this box, but you would be able to "tivo" local HD channels as well as analog and some unscrambled SD channels. And best of all, you would get it NOW and you wouldn't have to deal with the NASTAY Comcast TV-Guide UI ever again.

Did anybody order one of those? I'm definitely tempted... :/

-eric

It's another one of those delayed since last year products, and at $999, I'm not sure I can talk myself into one. If it were CardBus units that could tune premium channels, maybe, but...we'll see.

will we ever see discovery HD or is it a pay channel or whats the deal?

and would these new 6028 or whtever boxes cost more to rent or are they the same as the current boxes price wise?

There, I ordered one! Are you happy now?! See what you made me do, Eric?

The 6208 is being rolled in other areas for something like $9.95 or $12.95 a month (as opposed to $5 a month). It remains to be seen if the 6408 will be the same price or a little more. We've got months to worry about it, here...

--Mike

:) Mike, please let me know where you got it (pm if you want), maybe I'll order one too. :)

From what I read on other threads in the HDTV PVR forum, the $9.95 is on top of the $5/mo that we're currently paying (that's for the 6208). And who knows what it will be by the time we get access to the Comcast PVRs... :(

-eric

Originally posted by ericjut
Llamas,

I also feel VERY disappointed about Comcast postponing the release of the 6208 (and thus making us wait for another 6-12 months for the dual tuner unit), especially knowing that other areas in the country enjoy their 6208 right now.

You may want to do like me and start considering other options instead of waiting forever for the Mot6x08 to be available in our area. I recently read about some HD PVR boxes supporting QAM (unscrambled only), like the LG LST-3410A that just came out.

That LG unit will become a doorstop when Comcast encrypts all their digital content. And they will. When open cable compliance comes most if not all cable operators will secure all digital content and if your STB is not Cable Card ready then it'll be useless. Don't take todays in the clear content as a sign of the future, it is not.

That said, if Comcast delays the deployment of their PVR box until next year there will be other options for us. Mot will not be the only game in town, finally. I think within a few years Motorla will be shipping very few STBs and those will be very low end boxes for folks who don't care about features and what not. Eveyone else will have a Sony, or whatever box.

IMHO of course.

maybe it's a different LG unit, but I believe I read elsewhere on the forums that you can't record a program while watching a pre-recorded one - seemed very limiting...

The LG unit will become an OTA HD DVR for a sibling or parent, or sold to someone as such, when it becomes less useful to me. Depending on how long it takes them to encrypt their content, this may be a particularly expensive stop-gap, but I can live with that.

I believe that the record and watch limitation does pertain to this unit.

So I'm weak, and easily tempted...

--Mike

Originally posted by aressa
I
My wife and I, after 2 years of TiVo, and with a 18month old Son have gotten very used to being able to pause and timeshift and watch at our leisure, but with the big TV I'd like to see something "more".

My wife argues against it because it means watching shows live. My argument is that most of the stuff we would watch would just be stuff she would watch (Angel and Everwood, for instance). She is a die-hard TiVo fanatic, though, and is still not convinced HDTV is worth the switch to live TV for certain shows.

What do you think?

as much as i hate admitting it, i think your wife is right. i am in the exact same situation (i had dishplayer) with a 18month baby and we are finding the same issue .... HD is cool but PVR is much more practical. this has nothing to do with the extra 5$ its just that is so much needed ...

i am about to lose this battle to my wife, she was OK as long as she thought Comcast is coming soon with its PVR service, well, it doesn't even show the slightest sign of life ..

Originally posted by r_e_l
as much as i hate admitting it, i think your wife is right. i am in the exact same situation (i had dishplayer) with a 18month baby and we are finding the same issue .... HD is cool but PVR is much more practical. this has nothing to do with the extra 5$ its just that is so much needed ...

i am about to lose this battle to my wife, she was OK as long as she thought Comcast is coming soon with its PVR service, well, it doesn't even show the slightest sign of life ..

Yep. I get HD, but rarely ever watch it other than maybe Leno and the news, and not regularly. When we get reliable cable friendly time shifting then it'll get more use.

I know of several products comming that are not Motorola that will do this when Comcast supports Open cable. NDAs and what not prevent me from talking about them, but there is cool stuff comming and both the cable oeprators and CE vendors are excited. The cable guys want other to build and sell boxes becuase that means they don't have to deal with set top box rentals and inventory.

I'll try to keep my Rant Mode on STUN instead of KILL.

I am currently a DirecTV subscriber with a Samsung T160 receiver connected via DVI. I have 8 months left on my 1 year commitment for getting the T160 for $399. I just purchased a Mitsubishi HS-HD1100U D-VHS recorder to hook up to the firewire port on my 4 month old Mitsubishi WS-55613 TV. I was thinking it would record whatever was on the screen at any given time. After hours of reading the user manuals over and over again, switching input after input and reconfiguring settings with zero results (the manuals are very nebulous), I consulted the AVSForum and discovered, the source must have firewire out. It will record the antenna inputs on the TV, however, I already have a HTPC that records OTA HD via the MyHD 120 card.

So I search for yet another DirecTV receiver that has firewire. The only off the shelf model I found is the Samsung T165. Based on the reviews I've read, the firewire output is pretty glitchy. The only other alternative is to have 169Time.com upgrade my old DTC-100 with firewire for an insane $1,499.

So, since Comcast is now offering quite a bit of HD content, I decide to consider bailing on DirecTV (6 months of free basic cable for being a cable modem subscriber and a $400 trade-in for my dish sounds very attractive). So I e-mail Comcast and ask if their converter boxes have firewire out. The reply I received was, "Our converter boxes do have a Firewire output. You will be able to use your recorder to record your HDTV programming".

Awesome, so I call Comcast to place my order. But just to make sure, I ask for the tech support department. The guy there tells me they have the 5100 and the 6200, it has firewire and DVI outputs but they're not activated. No service anywhere has active firewire outputs. I start arguing with the guy saying that there are parts of the country on Comcast that already have the 6200 and 6208 with firewire active. He says there's no way, and i hang up...

What is going on here? If there's no firewire out there, why do D-VCRs even exist? I refuse to use analog video connections and all I want to do is record HDNet or INHD for later viewing. Is this possible?

Patfaram: Firewire will be active in less than a month on the 6200's in Washington as well the DVI port.

Also the T165 is OTA anyway.

Hello Jeremyfr,

What in the world?!? You're just yank'n us. You've inhaled too many fumes & partaken in RAVE X substances in your DJ'n sideline. April Fools isn't in February.

If you're telling us the truth, then how do I exchange my DCT5100 for a STB with FIREWIRE & DVI ports enabled & active? The Comcast (formerly AT&T Broadband) phone reps & tech support don't know about any deployment of new STBs with Firewire & DVI ports installed & enabled. They also haven't heard of any software/firmware updates being pushed anytime soon.

r0bErT4u

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
Patfaram: Firewire will be active in less than a month on the 6200's in Washington as well the DVI port.

Jeremy

Will the DVI ports be active on the 5100's also? If not is there a reason to get the upgrade to the 6200?

Brian

Hey robert4u,

Your questioning of Jeremy's varacity is "tasteless" (in bold type yet?) My goodness, get a life!

Originally posted by r0bErT4u

If you're telling us the truth, then how do I exchange my DCT5100 for a STB with FIREWIRE & DVI ports enabled & active?

I'll take a wild stab here, but I'd wait atleast a month like Jeremy is predicting, and give Comcast a call then?

So firewire will be activated but I'm not sure what it does for me.

Is the following right?

1) If I have a firewire capture card on my computer I will be able to use standard DV capture software to get the raw signal including Dolby Digital.

2) The output us whatever the box is currently tuned to.

3) Will not output HD signals, SD at best.

4) Serial port still not activated so unless you have an IR blaster on your computer you cannot change channels automatically.

Further question, if firewire is made available, is there any one out there who plans to use it and what would you use it for?

Jeremy has never steered us wrong before, so I'd take his word for it on the upgrades. That's good enough for me.

Ron

I'm not gonna give exact dates but the firmware push is straight down from corporate there was no local decision involved it was handed down from the top so trust it will happen very soon. And most CSR's know of it they're just choosing to keep there mouths shut about it.

If it doesn't happen within a month then you can say whatever you want about me but I have never taken "X" as you call it and I'm not some little punk that knows jacks*** about what he's talking about.

Sorry life doesnt move at the pace of Robert's but you just have to deal with it.

With personal attacks like your's Robert its enough for me to leave and let you guys live without information and see how you like it.

Originally posted by aressa
I have a question for TiVo owners with Comcast HD: Is the $5.10/month worth the trouble of watching the occasional HDTV broadcast Live?

It is for me. I watch everything I can in HD, even if it means staying up late.

TiVo is now mostly for non-HD shows and CBS (which is not available in HD over Comcast in Seattle thanks to COX owning KIRO).

Is anybody getting the All-Star game on INHD without terrible pixellation? I've rarely had any problems with either of the INHD channels, but this is practically unwatchable.

Tim

[edit] - I switched channels and then went back and that seemed to clear it up.

With personal attacks like your's Robert its enough for me to leave and let you guys live without information and see how you like it.

Jeremy,

If you remember me, I think you know how I feel about what you're doing here. I wouldn't let one bad apple spoil all this for you. You're passionate about Comcast and truly believe in what you're doing. Comcast needs more employees like you. That said...

When I read robs post I didn't quite know what to make of it. At first I took it as a poor attempt at humor and not a personal attack. However, you took it that way and that is enough to warrant an apology. Bad thing about these message boards is you can't read a persons body language to help determine their intent. I hope Robs intent was innocent. But even if it wasn't, Don't let it get to you. I'm sure I am speaking for a lot of us, you have earned our respect and I personally thank you for being on this thread.

Jim Kollar

r0bErT4u, you are out of line. The only contribution you have made to this thread is to whine and insult.

There's been far too many whiners and ranters; you guys can take your business elsewhere if you are that unhappy. Nobody is making you use cable. I'm sick of listening to all the babies; I'm here to find out news, who cares how unhappy you guys are; take it to a shrink.

Firewire, DVI, new HD stations will all come in time. A year ago we had nothing, and finally there is a decent number of HD stations to choose. Just chill out and wait, nothing you say is going to make it happen any sooner.

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
With personal attacks like your's Robert its enough for me to leave and let you guys live without information and see how you like it.

Hmmm. I didn't read it that way. I thought he was just being over the top with his surprise.

I personally don't care about firewire or DVI (my HTPC runs via DVI) I'm curious to know when Comcast will be ready to issuesCableCards for folks with OpenCable capable hardware.

Oh, and when we'll get CPS and UPN, but we already know the answer to that... :-)

Please don't leave us Jeremy. I'm excited about the DVI. If the difference is anything like what I got when I switched to dvi with my computer and DVD player I will be more than happy. I watch this thread intently primarily waiting for the news you share with us. I don't think Robert intended his post to be an attack.

ianken - check out the Gefen 4-1 dvi switcher. It works pretty good.

Brian

Originally posted by ianken
Hmmm. I didn't read it that way. I thought he was just being over the top with his surprise.

Me either, while personal attacks shouldn't be tolerated, people need to have thicker skins and not be so sensitive. This is the Internet after all and there is going to be a variety of opinions (this is a good thing). While some may think someone is 'whining' there may be plenty of others who are likewise upset or frustrated.

Jeremy: I have a question, will this firmware update enable VOD?

Thanks!

Wow, I don't check this site for a day and a real @#$%storm comes down!

Firewire will output HD. We're still waiting on a firewire capture solution for the PC, though.

Jeremy: I have a question, will this firmware update enable VOD?

VOD is not really firmware dependent. VOD is still on schedule for rollout and has launched so far in Everett with the rest of Sno county not too far down the road, after that you'll shortly see other areas in Pierce/King County.

I'd say that most everyone in Western Washington will have VOD by the end of summer.

BTW what I took as a personal attack was this statement

You've inhaled too many fumes & partaken in RAVE X substances in your DJ'n sideline

for 1 I dont do any illegal drugs, and secondly I find it very predujice to make a statement based on a belief that if you're a DJ you must take Ecstasy.

At any rate whats said is said and done is done if I took it the wrong way I'm sorry.

Jeremy

Hello Jeremyfr,

Surprize & doubt, rubbing eyes, cleaning glasses, and making sure I read your post correctly was what I wanted to convey. No malice or personal attack. If you read it that way, I apologize for offending you.

If you & others don't like my way to venting my concerns (ie. Software/Firmware updates, Picture & Sound Quality issues, No Superbowl in HD ... blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda), then I shall vent via other venues.

Please don't leave on my account.

Ciao,

r0bErT4u


QUOTE]Originally posted by Jeremyfr
I'm not gonna give exact dates but the firmware push is straight down from corporate there was no local decision involved it was handed down from the top so trust it will happen very soon. And most CSR's know of it they're just choosing to keep there mouths shut about it.

If it doesn't happen within a month then you can say whatever you want about me but I have never taken "X" as you call it and I'm not some little punk that knows jacks*** about what he's talking about.

Sorry life doesnt move at the pace of Robert's but you just have to deal with it.

With personal attacks like your's Robert its enough for me to leave and let you guys live without information and see how you like it. [/QUOTE]

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
Patfaram: Firewire will be active in less than a month on the 6200's in Washington as well the DVI port.

That is awesome news Jeremy. Based on your previous posts, I believe you know what you're talking about. I apologize if I started an uproar with the tone of my post. It's just very frustrating to sink a ton of money into a home theater only to find that companies are holding back releasing technology. I know most people feel they are early adopters of this technology, but I've been watching HDTV since early 2000 when the only channels available were HDNet and HBO. I've been talking about HDTV since 1990. So to me, it's been a very slow crawl just to get where we are.

Originally posted by jameskollar
So firewire will be activated but I'm not sure what it does for me.

Is the following right?

1) If I have a firewire capture card on my computer I will be able to use standard DV capture software to get the raw signal including Dolby Digital.

2) The output us whatever the box is currently tuned to.

3) Will not output HD signals, SD at best.

4) Serial port still not activated so unless you have an IR blaster on your computer you cannot change channels automatically.

Further question, if firewire is made available, is there any one out there who plans to use it and what would you use it for?

James - Currently firewire is the only connection that transfers true digital HD information for recording, including Dolby, identical to the original. It will also limit recordability if a copy protection flag is present. I haven't seen any posts that mention firewire recording on a PC. I have seen posts where Macs are recording with VirtualDVHS software. I just purchased a D-VHS VCR that records via firewire.

The only way I see anyone being able to record premium sat or cable content on a PC is when either someone comes out with a DirecTV or Cable decoder card for the PC or VirtualDVHS software that emulates a D-VHS deck.

FYI - DVI is also pure digital but it is for monitors only and there is no audio.

So there's still the question - is Comcast now deploying 6200 boxes instead of 5100s here in Puget Sound? If so, how can we swap our 5100 for a 6200?

The only way I see anyone being able to record premium sat or cable content on a PC is when either someone comes out with a DirecTV or Cable decoder card for the PC or VirtualDVHS software that emulates a D-VHS deck.

Thanks patfaram. The D-VHS pointed me in the right direction. Turns out MS has an example program / source to take the bitstream from a D-VHS deck and render it. Although this isn't VirtualDVHS, it does give one some hope that a PC version of a dumbed down VirtualDVHS (no transport control, no channel changing) could be developed to capture the raw bitstream from the 6200 STB and store it on a PC. Also, I would think that the raw stream is decrypted even for encrypted channels. Else what good is it. (Firewire output). BTW: The bitstream from a D-VHS deck is standard mpeg, nothing special about it. Again, I am asuuming that the same is true for the firewire bitstream.

I asked the same question. The answer was soon, but no specific date.

Originally posted by jimre
So there's still the question - is Comcast now deploying 6200 boxes instead of 5100s here in Puget Sound? If so, how can we swap our 5100 for a 6200?

I just called as a "potential customer" (which I am), and was told here in Edmonds the 6200 is not being deployed, only the 5100. They couldn't tell me when the 6200 would be available, but did say it is available in Everett. However, when the 6200 is available, they would swap it for the 5100 at my request without any problems. (I think I would ask to have that in the signup contract. :) )

Gary

Originally posted by jimre
So there's still the question - is Comcast now deploying 6200 boxes instead of 5100s here in Puget Sound? If so, how can we swap our 5100 for a 6200?

When I got hooked up in Centralia right after Xmas, I got a 6200. That's what they showed up with, I didn't ask for any particular box.

Ron

I am in Edmonds and have a 6200, they even exchanged it with another 6200 to try and solve a CC problem. So they definitely are available. Incidentally the CC problem is lack of transmission from Comcast on KOMO, KCPQ< and 114 ( I forget its acronym). CC is great on KINGHD and HBOHD and all analog channels.

I'm getting CC on my 6200 on all the HD channels including 104, one thing I notice is that there are times where line 21 goe's inactive on 104 suddenly and then goes active again (yes I can see line 21 on my set). Its being transmitted in the feed. I was told on many sets you have to use the internal CC decoder on the 6200 and not the CC decoder on the TV.

Jeremy

I'm getting a 2nd HDTV unit, and I just learned that it would cost me $10.10 / mo extra to get a 2nd Receiver. I was ready to pay my $5.10 extra, but $10/mo seems expensive for what I pay already. Is that the norm? Anybody else with 2 tuners around?

-eric

Jeremyfr- Anything new on StarzHD? Stopped seeing the commercials form Comcast stating the channel would be coming soon.

Anything new on StarzHD? Stopped seeing the commercials form Comcast stating the channel would be coming soon

I have not heard anything yet, I know they are doing this software update and launching some VOD area's so that may have the STARZ/Cinemax on hold temporarily.

Eric, is it $5.10 extra for an HD box over the standard $5.00 for a digital box? Ah, the joy of being nickeled and dimed to death.

Llamas,

I guess it makes sense, I just thought they wouldn't swindle me twice for the HD service, but I guess it's a per box surcharge... (sigh)

Oh well, I guess I'll cough up the money... :/

Thanks for the info.

-eric

Hi, while I have been reading through this board on a semi-regular basis, I still have a few questions that may be a little novice:

1) NoDrog2 talks about a CC problem with his 6200 box. Could some explain what this is please? Additionally, if you could also elaborate about the line 21 issue.

2) There has been talk about the firewire ports being active on the 6200 boxes as well. People have mentioned the potential of recording HDTV content with their computers. However, someone mentioned that there isn't any sort of firewire capture devices for the computer yet. I was searching around and came across the Adaptec FireConnect 4300 (you'll have to search on your own as I can't post URL's yet). This is basically a PCI card with firewire ports that are meant to capture data. Could this be used to record HDTV shows?


And while I'm on the topic of the 6200, I just had one installed over the weekend. I am in Bellevue. Yes, I tried using the DVI connection, and Yes, it does work!

I want to warn you all about using the DVI connection. Before I hooked up the DVI connection, I had gone into the menu to set the tv mode to 16:9, 720P output with 480I override. After I plugged in the DVI connection, it seemed to reset all of those settings. It had changed back to 4:3, 480I output and no override. At first, I didn't know why my picture quality was so poor compared to using the component video output. I had even reverted back to only component video cables. Once the PQ didn't improve, I realized that it was a setting problem and then discovered that the settings werer reset. I'm not sure if this is a known issue, but Jeremy, if you could please follow up on this, that would be great. For those that do hook up the 6200 via DVI, you will be able to verify that your connection is working because the word DVI will flash on the display when you power on the 6200 box.

In terms of comparing the overall PQ, I haven't come to conclusion as to which is better. My setup is this -- I have the 6200 hooked up to a Samsung HLM507W using both component and DVI cables (both AudioQuest). Over the weekend, I watched a variety of HD content (NBA All-Star game, movies on HBO HD, and a bit of InHD) and here's what I found so far. The PQ using DVI is sharper, cleaner, and is smoother on the edges. But it's also a much brighter picture that at times, looks as if the color is a little washed out. Compared to the component where the color is much richer. I intend to conduct more tests with hopes to conclude it with the Oscar Awards as my final test. Also, the DVI picture doesn't completely fill up my screen -- it has very thin black bars all around the picture. The same as when I'm using my computer via the PC input.

This actually has led me to a third question. Since DVI is a complete digital connection (and signal), is there still a need to buy an expensive cable, or is it OK to go with slightly cheaper cables? Currently, I'm using an AudioQuest cable that costs $100 for 2 meters. But if it's possible to use a cable that costs half that much without losing any quality, then I would go for that.

Thank you in advance to everyone for your time in responding to my questions.

Cheers,
--Nishant

As for CC (closed captioning) in my area - Edmonds- it isn't available on KOMOHD,KCPQHD or KTWBHD. My CC decoder is active as I do receive CC on HBOHD and KINGHD. I know its available in Everett and don't understand what the hang up is in Edmonds. I have been in contact with Comcast people and they are going to get back to me. I hope with a positive result as hearing loss makes it a poor watch without CC. This is just a follow up, not a complaint, as I believe they are trying to help.

Nishant, surprised and pleased to hear that you have DVI enabled. Could you share with us your firmware version? Thanks.

"Check the Firmware Ver. through the Internal Diagnostics Menu. This is accessed by powering the 6200 "off" & pressing the “select” button within 2 seconds of powering off. After accessing this, Arrow “Down” to “08 Code Modules” and press “select”: This will give you the version of the SW & Firmware"

I still have 5.03 on my 5100 here in Bellevue and the DVI port remains inactive.

@nishant:
$100 for a 2m DVI cable is excessive. You do need to pay attention to quality on DVI cables, particularly if you are looking at long runs (long being 7 - 10m).

I run 720p from my HTPC to my projector on a 10m DVI cable I got from digitalconnection for $125. Other well respected brands/sources are RAM electronincs and Lindy.

I emailed a local Comcast VP about channel launches and received the following reply:Joe,

No new news on KIRO. On 2/26 we will be launching CinemaxHD and StarzHD. Beyond that, we are always looking at other HD programming options.

Hope all is well.

Steve

Nishant Line 21 is simply the raster line of the picture that CC data is transmitted in, its part of the typical overscan of a tv so you dont see it but from time to time you might see it creep down into your picture if it has it will simply be a line accross the top with various white bars intermittently flashing in it. I'm using my HD box on a 4:3 SD set so when watching some HD material I can clearly see line 21 channel 104 being one of those channels. My set will internally decode the CC on HD channels just fine as will my 6200.

What I was saying though was while watching channel 104 when I was checking to see if I could get CC or not I noticed that for no reason line 21 will go inactive (stop flashing) and all CC will go away and then 5 to 10 seconds later it becomes active again.

Originally posted by jhachey
I emailed a local Comcast VP about channel launches and received the following reply:
Joe,

No new news on KIRO. On 2/26 we will be launching CinemaxHD and StarzHD. Beyond that, we are always looking at other HD programming options.

Hope all is well.

Steve

Thanks for the update. Even without KIRO it sounds good to me! Hopefully Starz is starting to show more actual HD content, because there have been a lot of complaints about the lack of it. It's nice to have the option of an HD movie during weeknights with these two channels. Hopefully the date turns out to be true.

Nishant,

Thanks for the info. I have the same tv, so this is very interesting to me. Please keep us up to date. If this works out, I'll have to get a DVI switcher box.

I'm sure there is a cheaper DVI cable that would be acceptable. When I got my Bravo D1 DVI DVD player, it came with a cheaper cable, but I can't recall how much it was. They have a 6m cable for about $130.

Looks like Pacific Cable (http://www.pacificcable.com/DVI.htm) has them a lot cheaper, and they are local.

If you're planning to order from Pacific Cable, make sure you order exactly what you need (call them if needed). Last time, I ordered a DVI <-> M1-DA that had all the pins showing for both Digital and Analog to find out that the cable was a DVI-A only! When I called them to try to return it, they told me I would have to pay a 15% re-stocking fee (and I was responsible for both shipping). Kinda expensive experience when the mistake was not enough information on their website.

Anyways... I ordered from them several times and the cables are good quality and all, so I would order from them again. But I'll always give them a call before I put my order. :)

-eric

I am very late to this thread so pardon any lapse.
I got my 6200 on Feb 8th.
Cable Guy said he thought DVI "might" be working, unsure.
I didn't really watch anything until last weekend.
Shrek & Jurassic Park III.
Just now I connected the DVI to my HS-20 and BAM! Ocean's 11 in HD on HBOHD.
MUCH better than component to my eyes, and 5.1.
If this is not news than please excuse this but I am a bit pleased.

DVI is BetterCables 9.5m, really surprised at the pq.

Doug

Milt99. Does the DVI cable pass a 5.1 singal as well?

A bit off topic, but I definitely got my bandwidth upgrade for the internet service after rebooting my modem today. I'm in Shoreline.

I'm not gonna give exact dates but the firmware push is straight down from corporate there was no local decision involved it was handed down from the top so trust it will happen very soon. And most CSR's know of it they're just choosing to keep there mouths shut about it.

Just got off the phone w/ a Comcast CSR who said there was going to be a firmware upgrade on the 18th. He was supposedly reading from a company email. He didn't have details about the update or if DVI will or won't be activated on existing cable boxes. Here's to hoping...

Milt99. Does the DVI cable pass a 5.1 singal as well?

DVI is video only.

A bit off topic, but I definitely got my bandwidth upgrade for the internet service after rebooting my modem today. I'm in Shoreline.

Me too!!!!! You do have to reboot the modem though. Wonder how long the upgrade has been there since I haven't rebooted my modem in over a month and never noticed the speed increase until I did. Way to go Comcast! BTW: I'm in Tacoma/Lakewood

Originally posted by alma321
Milt99. Does the DVI cable pass a 5.1 singal as well?

I know of no DVI implementation that passes audio. Not like I'd want to use the cheese speakers in a TV or my projector for audio.

Originally posted by ianken
I know of no DVI implementation that passes audio. Not like I'd want to use the cheese speakers in a TV or my projector for audio.

hdmi - superset of dvi that includes audio.

btw - the moto boxes only do dvi (no audio)

Rebooted the modem and I got my bandwidth upgrade too! Also in Tacoma/Lakewood area. Thanks for the tip guys.

Still no DVI though.

What's the new bandwidth cap for Comcast now?

3mb down, 256kbps up for standard internet service.

4mb down, 384kbps up for their home networking option config

Originally posted by Roto
A bit off topic, but I definitely got my bandwidth upgrade for the internet service after rebooting my modem today. I'm in Shoreline.

Off topic but, is that why my bandwidth seems faster? I just replaced my router, which required unplugging the modem, and thought it was faster than usual.

Here are the settings from my comcast box (DCT 6200):

Menu > Setup > Cable Box > See Configuration

S/W Ver: 51.42 - 2002
Firmware Version: 07.07

<OffTopic>
I also forgot to mention that I have not yet tweaked my Samsung DLP. If anyone has successfully tweaked their set, please let know which settings you used as well as how to get into the Service Menu.
</OffTopic>

As for outputting 5.1 sound, you can use the optical output. I have a cable that runs into my receiver and the surround sound is great when the HD channels are broadcasting it.

Cheers,
--Nishant

<off topic>

3mbps down here in south Everett/Lynnwood as well.

Jeremy

I didn't work for the last 2 days checked my work email and sure enough 3mbps launched today in most areas. though it can take up to 2/25 for you modem to get the config file push.

also appears there is a software update taking place on all 5100/6200's this morning, whether it just 5.03 or 7.07 I do not know.

It'll be like Christmas morning if the upgrade comes through. Well, at least it's something.

What should we notice with the upgrade besides DVI activation?

Thanks!

Just watched the download to my DTC. to early to tell what if does. the guide is not restored yet.

firmware 7.07

Hello, DVI. :) Now I have to get one of those DVI switchboxes...

Originally posted by nishant
<OffTopic>
I also forgot to mention that I have not yet tweaked my Samsung DLP. If anyone has successfully tweaked their set, please let know which settings you used as well as how to get into the Service Menu.
</OffTopic>

I think this may help you out:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=256065

7.07 Is Here!!!!!!! DVI active

7.07 Is Here!!!!!!! DVI active


Does this include the 5100 boxes? Or is it only the 6200s?

What's with Comcast? Something has to be wrong! They're actaully helpful.

Today I got the 7.07 firmware update. However, I only have a lowly 5100 so it does me no good. Called Comcast TODAY, explained my dilema and asked for a 6200. Not only did the service rep know what I was talking about, she scheduled an appointment to have the old box switched out and replaced, TODAY between 2 and 6PM.

This is wrong! Something must have happened. Did I wake up in an alternate Universe where the cable company is actually my friend? Service tech is probably going to show up with the wrong box. I mean, it just can't be that simple. Or maybe I'm still asleep and I'll wake up in a bit with the Universe restored to what it used to be.

Running out to buy an HD-VHS deck TODAY.

I just called and got mine set up for TOMORROW afternoon. Nice work Comcast.

Can the DVI out on the 6200 boxes be hooked directly into a DVI input on an LCD computer monitor for HD display? Or are the DVI's different?
Thanks.

J

Originally posted by bpgreen20
Does this include the 5100 boxes? Or is it only the 6200s?

DVI is ative on my 5100.

Still see 5.03 / Component Only here in Bellevue, but I'll give it a few days to propogate out.

Originally posted by jameskollar
Running out to buy an HD-VHS deck TODAY.

Perhaps I'm missing something, but this firmware update still doesn't activate any Firewire ports, does it? If not, then how are you planning to hook up a D-VHS deck? Any additional info is appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan

Great. Tried hooking up DVI yesterday. Picture would not come up, only flashing letters on the display of the Moto box. Tried box with another HD TV I have but once again, only flashing letters. Called Comast Tech Support. They tried sending a singal to the box, which did not fix the issue. Tech advised I would need my box exchanged for a new one. They also advised some sort of firmware upgrade would be sent out this morning. I asked if that would activate the DVI. They advised they had no idea what it would do but she did not think it would activate DVI. Because of my schedule my box will be delevired next week. Have been waiting so long for the DVI upgrade and it was only a matter of waiting 1 more day. Kind of funny I guess. Ironic, but funny.

DVI and Firewire were activated with this upgrade.

However the firewire is only Isychronis meaning you can hook up a DVHS deck to record but you cannot play back through the DCT likewise it will not support an external HDD yet.

Jeremy

Originally posted by Jeremyfr
DVI and Firewire were activated with this upgrade.

However the firewire is only Isychronis meaning you can hook up a DVHS deck to record but you cannot play back through the DCT likewise it will not support an external HDD yet.

Jeremy

Jeremy, as always, thanks for the info. Do you know if the Isycnronis issue a hardware limitation or is it software that could be changed if Comcast decided to do so?

Edit* - BTW, Happy 100th page the Tivolicious

Originally posted by nishant

<OffTopic>
I also forgot to mention that I have not yet tweaked my Samsung DLP. If anyone has successfully tweaked their set, please let know which settings you used as well as how to get into the Service Menu.
</OffTopic>

Cheers,
--Nishant

The other post refers to the HLN series. There is another thread for the HLM series. The following is a start that will help, it turns off the black enhancing circuitry which help shadows (I think). Be sure to save your original values:

Mute 182 Power (to get into the Service Menu)

sub menu 2 - MN82860
BLIM 0
BSTPO 0
BKAKOU 0
RMC 0

Still no updates in Kent. Has anyone got a straight answer on how to upgrade to a new DCT6xxx with Firewire & DVI installed & enabled?!?Originally posted by Nausicaa
Still see 5.03 / Component Only here in Bellevue, but I'll give it a few days to propogate out.

I just called and asked for it and had no problem. They are coming out tomorrow.

Well, a little bit of reality seeped into my new universe. Got a call from the service guy saying he knew nothing about a DCT6200, that he only had a DCT5100. But my luck held out. The guy said he'd call me back in 10 minutes after talking with his supervisor. Supervisor wasn't available so according to what he said, he pulled over and physically looked at his "DCT5100" and realized it had a DVI output (plus firewire) and asked if he should bring that over. Of course, I said YES!!!

To make a long story short, the out in the field guys are the last to hear of any improvements (hear that Jeremy, y'all should really be bringing them up to speed). Turns out the box he was calling a 5100 was indeed a 6200 so as I am typing this, I am recording in HD. As advertised, playback looks just like the original. The HD deck I have passes through the HD signal just fine so it's possible that I can just move the Toslink and component cables from my cable box to the D-VHS deck. Not sure I like the D-VHS deck I bought (bought it for $500 bucks on whim, probably way more than I should have paid). I have 30 days to take it back though so we'll see.

Comcast Rules!

Now, can we just get rid of that ugly guide? And can we please get Kiro? And can you quit compressing the 480i digital so much? And ..... :D

I am one happy camper. Thanks Comcast

Is the analog output of the 6200 better than the 5100? Or what would be the reason to upgrade if the 5100 has DVI.

Getting a clueful person on the phone can be luck-of-the-draw. The one I contacted thought I was talking about VOD and that it wouldn't be available to Redmond for another month. After I asked her if she knew what DVI was, she said they had no more 6200s available ... maybe I'll try a different one tomorrow, after I verify I don't have DVI. (I know my first 5100 didn't have it, I'm pretty sure my current one doesn't either.)

I'm glad to hear people are getting their DVI working, let us know how the picture quality compares!

Curtis: Its just a software issue and yes I would say 99% chance of in the future of having a Asynchronous firewire connection.

Robert: Being that they updated around 20,000 HD box's it may take a while for everyone to get the update.

I also can't seem to get any luck with the consumer reps. She said the only upgrade going on was for the bandwith, and that the DVI outputs shouldn't work. I made her set an appointment anyway for a 6200 since my 5100 doesn't have DVI anyway. It gets really frustrating when the consumer is better informed then the reps (thanks to Jeremy:). Hopefully everything will be running smoothly in a few days.

I've watched some other HD content via DVI and noticed all looked better except INHD2.
Lots of motion artifacts and pixelation.
Anyone else notice the big difference between component and DVI?
This must have been mentioned before but WHAT is the deal with huge volume difference between channels.
Holy Crap what an annoyance.

Since there have been some people who have said they have a 6200, out of curiosity I called Comcast to see if I could get one. The CSR was adamant about how they only have 5100's and nothing else. No big loss since my 5100 has an active DVI port anyway, but I just wish that everyone at Comcast was on the same page. :(

Total noob here on Comcast.
I've looked through the setup menu etc.,
and haven't been able to find out how to delete unwanted channels.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
BTW, firmware is 7.07.
Thanx.

I've watched some other HD content via DVI and noticed all looked better except INHD2. Lots of motion artifacts and pixelation.
Anyone else notice the big difference between component and DVI?


Only had it less than 1 day and you're complaining? (Just kidding). I noticed the same thing on the firewire output. Pixelation on the firewire that is not on the component. And so far I've only seen it on INHD2, not INHD1 or KING HD. (Viewing time: about 5 minutes on INHD1, 5 on INHD2 and 30 minutes on King, channel surfing on the other HDs). Gad, this is so new. Able to finally record HD including SHOWHD, HBOHD, etc. Very cool.

Ok, I've got mine hooked up via DVI now. Took me a while to figure out that I had to setup my projector correctly. I haven't watched too much yet, but I don't see any difference in picture quality yet.

BTW, I do have a 6200. I always thought I had a 5100. It's kind of hard to find the model number on these things.

Every Comcast person I've spoken to is on the same page. They all said that they only have DCT5100s and the DVI & Firewire ports aren't enabled. It's so frustrating ... Aaarrrggghhh!!! Even if the 7.07 software/firmware gets pushed to my stb ... it doesn't have the DVI & Firewire ports:mad:

I'll ask again ... How does a person get a new DCT6xxx with Firewire & DVI ports?!?Originally posted by mpestrada74
Since there have been some people who have said they have a 6200, out of curiosity I called Comcast to see if I could get one. The CSR was adamant about how they only have 5100's and nothing else. No big loss since my 5100 has an active DVI port anyway, but I just wish that everyone at Comcast was on the same page. :(