Originally posted by DenR
One thing to note is that Comcast will be simulcasting all of the existing analog channels in digital this year. That should improve PQ.
That depends on how much they compress them. I have TCM as both digital and analog. The analog is a bit noisy, but noticeably SHARPER than the digital.

Originally posted by andyross63
That depends on how much they compress them. I have TCM as both digital and analog. The analog is a bit noisy, but noticeably SHARPER than the digital.

It's just the opposite for me. The analog channel is noisy and fuzzy; the digital channel is clean and sharp. It's really noticeable on those old B&W movies like Casablanca.

Originally posted by DenR
One thing to note is that Comcast will be simulcasting all of the existing analog channels in digital this year. That should improve PQ.


Does this mean we will need a converter box for all outlets then?

I currently have a Model 6200 cable box for which I'm being charged an extra $5.00/month (HDTV Equipment Fee).
I am thinking of switching to a 6412 DVR for which the fee is listed as $9.99/month (DVR Fee).
If I swap boxes, will I pay $9.99 more (for the upgraded STB) or $4.99 more (the net increase for the DVR over the HDTV box) per month?

Originally posted by glowkiss
The Analog channels on Comcast are definitely inferior to most of the DirectTV channels as well as the Comcast digital channels. I don't watch many of the Analog channels though. MTV and UPN(Enterprise) are probably the only exceptions. Hopefully UPN HD will be on Comcast soon. Check the Comcast Digital channel line-up to see if there are any important channels missing for you. That may help in your decision. Considering I watch mostly the network channels and ESPN, so It was a no-brainer for me.

can someone please explain about the digital vs analog channels. am i to understand that there is a digital and analog version of the same station located on different channels numbers? someone was talking about digital vs analog tcm. what is this about?

I am going to be upgrading to the dvr soon from just a regular comcast hd box. Do I still need to request a dual tuner box or does everyone get a 6412 now?

Originally posted by andyross63
That depends on how much they compress them. I have TCM as both digital and analog. The analog is a bit noisy, but noticeably SHARPER than the digital.

Unless something has changed recently, Comcast has always stated that they do not compress at all - they pass through the same signal they receive.

Originally posted by jcr74
can someone please explain about the digital vs analog channels. am i to understand that there is a digital and analog version of the same station located on different channels numbers? someone was talking about digital vs analog tcm. what is this about?

Here in Schaumburg, TCM is on both analog 16, and digital 501.

Channels below 100 are analog. Comcast is soon going to put duplicates of them as digital. Whether or not they will program the box to remap to digital, or make them unused channels (like the 300's or 900's by me) is unknown. I hope I at least will have the ability to switch between the two.

The tricky question is what will happen to picture quality. Most 'analog' channels are actually transmitted to the cable head end digitally, including many of the broadcast channels. It's unkown whether or not they will compress it further or not, or just pass it through. Broadcast channels may pass uncompressed, but little-watched channels may be compressed to make room for more channels. Once you start to put more than 6-8 digital channels in one analog space, the resolution will typically drop below broadcast quality and/or more noticeable pixelation.

Digital simulcast won't mean you MUST have a box, at least not for awhile. Most likely they will start reducing the number of analog channels until all that is left is Basic.

Originally posted by kblee
Unless something has changed recently, Comcast has always stated that they do not compress at all - they pass through the same signal they receive.
Is that for all channels, or just HD broadcast? The only way to prove it would be to see a DIRECT feed from the satellite, vs from the cable feed.

Originally posted by kblee
Unless something has changed recently, Comcast has always stated that they do not compress at all - they pass through the same signal they receive.

Comcast defiantly compresses their signal. Have you ever looked at some of the digital channels (Multiplex's of HBO, or Starz). You can often see compression artifacts, and color depth is well below what it actually should be. I often compare the quality to that of a VHS. Hopefully, if Comcast does begin to simulcast the analog channels in digital they keep them at broadcast quality, otherwise I will be looking at just having my DirecTV system active.
While I realize that I have said this before, DirecTV, even though they are running out of bandwidth seems to do a better job at retaining color information on each channel, however, compression artifacts can sometimes be overwhelming. Could it be better compression techniques?

They compress thier channels yes, except for the HD channels, at least that is ehat they claim

Originally posted by andyross63
Here in Schaumburg, TCM is on both analog 16, and digital 501.

Channels below 100 are analog. Comcast is soon going to put duplicates of them as digital. Whether or not they will program the box to remap to digital, or make them unused channels (like the 300's or 900's by me) is unknown. I hope I at least will have the ability to switch between the two.


okay, you may not know this, but are we transversing different packages here, or are you just talking about the standard cable (46.95) package from comcast?

Originally posted by jcr74
okay, you may not know this, but are we transversing different packages here, or are you just talking about the standard cable (46.95) package from comcast?
If you only have Standard cable, you won't notice anything different. Digital users will see cleaner pictures, but resolution quality is unknown. But I assume over time you will have fewer and fewer channels. Odds are, they won't reduce the price, either.

so, in your opinion, to future proof i should get the basic digital package?

Originally posted by jcr74
so, in your opinion, to future proof i should get the basic digital package?
It's up to you. You can wait until they start deleting channels, as this will be digital SIMULCAST for awhile, with the possibility of digital boxes reprogrammed to remap analog channel numbers to the digital frequencies. Unless you have an old anlog-only cable box, you will lose some convenience if your TV and/or VCR are directly connected. PIP on your TV will not really work as you expect, for example. You MUST use the box for any digital channels.

upon further review, the info on the comcast website sez you must have digital cable to use the dvr. but, the guy on the phone sez i can get the standard package (apparently non-digital cuz there is a package called digital classic) AND the dvr.

if only i could find an affordable hd dvr to just buy myself i could live with all OTA and this would all be much easier.

Originally posted by jcr74
upon further review, the info on the comcast website sez you must have digital cable to use the dvr.
You can get the DVR with any package. You might have to call back repeatedly to get a csr who is smart enough to set it up, but it can be done. I pay $16.00 for the "locals only" package (not to be confused with "basic cable") and $10 for the DVR.

I need some input here if I can. I added Cinemax in Oct 2004 for $5 per month for a year. Anyways, since then, channel 195 Cinemax HD, has been a problem for me. I have been having on going "lip sync" problems and occasional channel "freeze ups".
It appears that no one else in my area has reported similar problems. I have reported the problem to Comcast on four different occasions, to no avail.
I called this weekend again and was told my a CSR that they reason I am having this problem with channel 195 is because it was added as an "al a cart" and not part of a package??? Confused with this statement, and since the CSR was unable to explain why this is occuring, I asked to speak with someone else who could elaborate. After holding another 10 minutes or so, I was disconnected.

So is this a possiblity? If so, I find it interesting. ANd if so, others have got to be having the same problem. I am sure a lot of subscribers added Cinemax in October for $5 extra bucks a month for a year.


Thanx, Gov

Originally posted by HD Rookie
You can get the DVR with any package. You might have to call back repeatedly to get a csr who is smart enough to set it up, but it can be done. I pay $16.00 for the "locals only" package (not to be confused with "basic cable") and $10 for the DVR.

is the locals only that you have just that, "locals" only (i.e. no espn, tcm, amc, comediy)? your base cable bill is $26/month? that is one smart csr.

Originally posted by jcr74
is the locals only that you have just that, "locals" only (i.e. no espn, tcm, amc, comediy)? your base cable bill is $26/month? that is one smart csr.
On the surface, you are correct - but it gets better...
I also get my internet through Comcast. This combination of services gets me the locals in HD plus channels 2-99 analog. Which includes analog hbo and showtime.

I believe this combination of service is the reason comcast wants all of the channels to be in the digital tier. IE. They don't currently have the ability to block channels 2-99 from entering my house.

BTW, It is not a smart csr. It is the knowlege I've gained from this site that allowed me to ignore the BS and lies that the first two CSRs tried to hand me.

Just a heads up that they added Shrek 2 HD to HDTV On Demand section and for us on Schaumburg head end it seems to be free of charge :) Nice picture quality.

Originally posted by Gov
I need some input here if I can. I added Cinemax in Oct 2004 for $5 per month for a year. Anyways, since then, channel 195 Cinemax HD, has been a problem for me. I have been having on going "lip sync" problems and occasional channel "freeze ups".
. . .
I called this weekend again and was told my a CSR that they reason I am having this problem with channel 195 is because it was added as an "al a cart" and not part of a package??? Confused with this statement, and since the CSR was unable to explain why this is occuring, I asked to speak with someone else who could elaborate. After holding another 10 minutes or so, I was disconnected.

I've had intermittent problems with Cinemax HD, too. Maybe it's just coincidence, but after major storms I've had channel 195

[list=1]
play audio only but display no video
picture lock up until I change channels and come back,
Had bad pixelation and broken audio,
show the top half of the screen only.
[/list=1]

I should say that I usually don't have problems with the channel - it's just after storms roll through the area that it acts up. I think it's a Comcast issue because I don't have this problem with any other channel.

In any case, it's not just you.

..my cinemaxhd also acts up from time to time with audio synching and video freezing. I agree with the previous poster that the weather seems to affect this channel to a large degree.

If the analog on Comcast is fuzzy, would an "up converting" receiver give me better PQ?

Originally posted by johnedelux
If the analog on Comcast is fuzzy, would an "up converting" receiver give me better PQ?
No. The simple rule of thumb is garbage in, garbage out.

..I've had some small success with sony's DRC, which is a type of upconversion, with comcast analog. Is it awesome?, no..but it does improve the PQ to my eyes at least. This DRC mode is adjustable and a huge improvement over my last year's HDTV which had a only a preset conversion input which resulted in awful artifacts. My suggestion is to try upconversion, and if you don't like the results you can always decide not to use it.

Originally posted by FSugino
I've had intermittent problems with Cinemax HD, too. Maybe it's just coincidence, but after major storms I've had channel 195

[list=1]
play audio only but display no video
picture lock up until I change channels and come back,
Had bad pixelation and broken audio,
show the top half of the screen only.
[/list=1]

I should say that I usually don't have problems with the channel - it's just after storms roll through the area that it acts up. I think it's a Comcast issue because I don't have this problem with any other channel.

In any case, it's not just you.


I just wish Comcast would do something about it then!! I guess I will keep calling on it

Is anybody in the Naperville area having trouble with the analog channels? Starting yesterday about 6pm they became so snowy as to be almost unwatchable. It lasted the rest of the evening and was the same way this morning. Fortunately the digital channels were ok.

Channel 194 is now showing the WMAQ Weather Plus channel (5.2). The program guide doesn't list the channel and the program blocks all say "To Be Announced."

Did anyone hear about Comcast adding this channel?

Yeah i noticed that too, right in the middle of all the HD channels, great placement, but then again we all already know how bad Comcast is with making channel lineups that make any sense at all so i guess it is to be expected. Maybe they think its an HD channel since it is a digital sub-channel. Now they have a reason to raise prices since they gave us a new channel. Oh happy day. OK I'm done, sorry i just couldn't help it.

Yea I seem to remember someone on chicagoavforum.com mentioned that this channel would be added.

But still no TNT-HD, Universal HD, HDNet, or ESPN2-HD (well noone has that yet).


tim

Originally posted by Mr.Victor
Is anybody in the Naperville area having trouble with the analog channels? Starting yesterday about 6pm they became so snowy as to be almost unwatchable. It lasted the rest of the evening and was the same way this morning. Fortunately the digital channels were ok.

Are you near rt 59 and N Aurora rd? My buddy had a 6412 installed today and is having the same problem. He went home to meet the Comcast guy and he was pretty upset when he got back to work. The installer tried 2 boxes, and couldn't get rid of the problem. He scheduled a trouble call for next week.

I suggested he try eliminating the splitter he has connected. I was pretty sure that would help, but now I wonder if it's a bigger problem. He said the installer never tried removing the splitter.

Originally posted by FSugino
Channel 194 is now showing the WMAQ Weather Plus channel (5.2). The program guide doesn't list the channel and the program blocks all say "To Be Announced."

Did anyone hear about Comcast adding this channel?

I have it here too. What a crock. They could at least add another discrete channel instead of an existing sub channel...:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Originally posted by FSugino
Channel 194 is now showing the WMAQ Weather Plus channel (5.2). The program guide doesn't list the channel and the program blocks all say "To Be Announced."

Did anyone hear about Comcast adding this channel?

I get this 5.2 channel at channel 117.6 through QAM. It's been there since I got my hdtv some weeks ago.

I am in Naperville (near rt. 59 and N. Aurora actually) and I am having no problem with my analog stations. Well, lets just say they don't look any worse than usual.

Originally posted by AVjam
I get this 5.2 channel at channel 117.6 through QAM. It's been there since I got my hdtv some weeks ago. It's on 115.6 in Mount Prospect, but UPN/WPWR 50.1, that has been requested many times and has actual HD programming, is nowhere to be found.

I see Chicago has gotten METV on channel 223. Anybody know if the suburbs will get it? I tried calling and asking about it and they never even heard of it.

I'm north of North Aurora at Diehl. Service is scheduled for tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to remove the splitter and hook up a TV directly to the incoming cable. This problem just popped up Tuesday night. Before that everything had been ok since I got the digital package in October.

Originally posted by vj9999
Just a heads up that they added Shrek 2 HD to HDTV On Demand section and for us on Schaumburg head end it seems to be free of charge :) Nice picture quality.

Looks and sounds good. They just added The Terminal, too.

Originally posted by FSugino
Looks and sounds good. They just added The Terminal, too.

I am experiencing VOD problems again. Getting 215 and 206 messages since yesterday? I am assuming you haven't had any problems with your VOD in past 24 hours? I'm almost certain they goofed up something on my account again.

Thanks.

Originally posted by vj9999
I am experiencing VOD problems again. Getting 215 and 206 messages since yesterday? I am assuming you haven't had any problems with your VOD in past 24 hours? I'm almost certain they goofed up something on my account again.

No problems here. I was watching portions of the inauguration in HD and checked out VOD during a commercial break. Everything was working fine.

channel 194's kind've a waste of bandwidth...it's no better than the weather channel imho

I'm having a little "WTF" moment, here. I'm in Evanston, and I watch HD over Comcast with my FusionHDTV card. WLFD and WMAQ always used to be on 117-1 and 117-2, but tonight when I tried to watch the OC, there was no signal on either of these channels. My card doesn't find anything on channel 117 now at all. I did a channel scan, and they don't appear to be on a new channel, either.

Anyone have any clue what's going on?

Hi guys, I am new to this site and need a little info. Six weeks ago I purchased a Mits 52825 and signed up for Voom after having dish and dtv for years. Todays announcement that voom is shutting down I need to do some research on the PQ of Comcast HD compared to satellite HD. I was one of the lucky ones who did not have problems with Voom. I live in Alsip and the OTA reception was great and the HD PQ was awesome and the SD PQ was better than both dish and dtv on most channels. How does Comcast stack up against SAt in PQ for bothHD and SD? I can compare channel line up online. Thanks

How can I regulate signal strength?
I have Comcast in Chicago and I have been experiencing distortion in my low band frequencies. The many, many, many Comcast techs that have been to my house have stated that my signal is to high. The signals are as follows:


High 14.3
Low 21.2

Optimum is supposedly

High 11.3 - 12.5
Low 14.4 - 16.8

Is this accurate? How can I get Comcast to properly regulate this. They are now telling me that the signal I have is good enough and that they will not do anything. They sent a line tech and he said the signal was fine, 20 Db at the pole.

1) What is the difference between the pole strength and the low and high band strength?
2) What do I need to tell Comcast to do to fix the situation they might know but are refusing to tell me so that they do not create a monster, in that every other customer could request signal modifications.
3) What equipment can I buy that will fix the problem?
4) Are there amplifiers that can only boost the high bands and not the low? I ask this because if I use an attenuator it might bring the high bands down too much.

Thank you for any direction.

Originally posted by kevin j
channel 194's kind've a waste of bandwidth...it's no better than the weather channel imho
Here in Schaumburg, 194 is using 741MHz. That is also used by WMAQ-DT (1080i) and WFLD-DT (720p). It's like 217 (ABC News Now), which shares 633MHz with WLS-DT (720p) and WGN-DT (1080i).

I'm guessing they added it due to 'must carry' rules (like the recent addition of WYIN)? Just how will those rules work as digital broadcasting expands and many stations use multi-casting? Will they be forced to carry all of the feeds of a channel like WCPX? In checking something on WCPX, I found this rather odd statement:
http://www.pax.tv/stations/eeo.cfm?sti_id=14
Only 5 employees???

Or maybe it was part of some contract requirement for the privilege of Comcast carrying NBC/Universal channels.

Originally posted by jscuras
3) What equipment can I buy that will fix the problem?
4) Are there amplifiers that can only boost the high bands and not the low? I ask this because if I use an attenuator it might bring the high bands down too much.
I think what you want is an RF tilt compensator. It reduces signal strength on lower frequences more than higher ones. Basically a form of high-pass filter.
http://www.smarthome.com/7820.HTML

Thank you. That does look like a good solution. The only challenge I see is that it does not appear adjustable and it compensates for 12 dB which is 7 -8 too much. I phoned in to the company to see if they have any adjustable. We will see. If not, I was going to go with a 3 dB or 6Db Attenuator from Radio Shack. Any thoughts on that?

WOW cable is advertising HD with DVR anybody in the Chicago area any opinions on picture quality?


Robert

HAs anyone else noticed that they have been playin NFL Network on 208 all nght long? They are showing NFL Total Access in HD right now. I thought that they only show Game of the week on Wed and Thu!?!

What level of service do you need to get 208? I have OnDemand Silver with HBO, and my 208 shows not authorized?

Marc

I have digital silver and i get 208 so if i were you i'd call Comcast and complain.

Originally posted by vj9999
HAs anyone else noticed that they have been playin NFL Network on 208 all nght long? They are showing NFL Total Access in HD right now. I thought that they only show Game of the week on Wed and Thu!?!

Comcast seems to mess up every once in a while after they do their channel shifting. When the Bulls have a home game in HD, Comcast Sports broadcasts the game on 175, and they broadcast INHD on 208. Sometimes they don't switch back until hours after the game ends.

I don't know what INHD feed they use, though - it doesn't seem to match the INHD or INHD2 schedules. Is there a separate East/West coast feed that they use?

Originally posted by Gov
I need some input here if I can. I added Cinemax in Oct 2004 for $5 per month for a year. Anyways, since then, channel 195 Cinemax HD, has been a problem for me. I have been having on going "lip sync" problems and occasional channel "freeze ups".
It appears that no one else in my area has reported similar problems. I have reported the problem to Comcast on four different occasions, to no avail.
I called this weekend again and was told my a CSR that they reason I am having this problem with channel 195 is because it was added as an "al a cart" and not part of a package??? Confused with this statement, and since the CSR was unable to explain why this is occuring, I asked to speak with someone else who could elaborate. After holding another 10 minutes or so, I was disconnected.

So is this a possiblity? If so, I find it interesting. ANd if so, others have got to be having the same problem. I am sure a lot of subscribers added Cinemax in October for $5 extra bucks a month for a year.


Thanx, Gov



I just called again today. Has anyone else call yet? If not, please do. It seems that according to the CSR I spoke to today, that they are NOT aware of any problem on their end!!

The only thing the CSR was interested in was either sending out another tech (yea, just what I want!!) or crediting my account for the fourth time. I did take the credit, but told them I am more interested in them addressing the problem, not the credit. The CSR was going to leave a message with some boss to call me back. I am not holding my breath.

So please, everyone experiencing these problems with channel 195, please call. I plan on calling every month.

Gov

Gov - I called yesterday and the CSR said she would forward the issue to their Cinemax broadcast representative (whoever that is).

Yesterday the video kept freezing during Devil's Advocate, but the audio was perfectly fine. I watched a few minutes of Father of the Bride and had no issues at all. It's very strage.

Originally posted by kblee
Gov - I called yesterday and the CSR said she would forward the issue to their Cinemax broadcast representative (whoever that is).

Yesterday the video kept freezing during Devil's Advocate, but the audio was perfectly fine. I watched a few minutes of Father of the Bride and had no issues at all. It's very strage.


Cool......the more customers that call on it, the quicker they will address it.

Thanx

Does anyone know the timeframe for digital simulcasting of the analog channels? The sooner the better of course...

Any idea if the digital versions of the analog channels will be in the clear, like the HD networks? That is, will I be able to tune them with my FusionHDTV card, just like I can the digital networks?

I live in Carol Stream and want to just get the local channels in HD. Current subscription is the analog cable from Comcast. Can I simply buy an HD receiver (I understand Walmart sells one for $200) and get the HD channels or do I have to upgrade to digital cable ? I am already paying ~ $50 for my analog cable and don;t want to pay Comcast any more. As I understand it, local channels are supposed to be sent unencrypted by the cable companies.
Help !

Originally posted by Bharat-N
I live in Carol Stream and want to just get the local channels in HD. Current subscription is the analog cable from Comcast. Can I simply buy an HD receiver (I understand Walmart sells one for $200) and get the HD channels or do I have to upgrade to digital cable ? I am already paying ~ $50 for my analog cable and don;t want to pay Comcast any more. As I understand it, local channels are supposed to be sent unencrypted by the cable companies.
Help !

A couple pages ago, someone talked about their "Locals-Only" package. They get analong channels 2-96 and the local HD channels for $26/month. The tricky thing is getting a CSR who knows what you're talking about; it might take a few phone calls.

HTH,

tim

Originally posted by timdgibson
A couple pages ago, someone talked about their "Locals-Only" package. They get analong channels 2-96 and the local HD channels for $26/month. The tricky thing is getting a CSR who knows what you're talking about; it might take a few phone calls.

HTH,

tim
What Tim said. In addition, you can simply add an HD cable box to your existing service for $5 month or an HD PVR for $10 month. The difficulty with your "buying an HD box" idea is that you need a special HD tuner to extract the HD channels from a cable line. It is called a QAM tuner, which I doubt a $200 box will give you. I think there are only a handfull of QAM tuners on the market, most of which are built in to newer TVs. I have a QAM tuner built-in to my RPTV ($800 option two years ago) and I don't use it.

An additional upside to leasing your box is that you can upgrade when technology dictates - for free. I'm going to be upgrading to my 3rd comcast HD box in the very near future.

If you get a csr who forces you to upgrade to digital service, hang up and call back until you get a knowlegable rep.

Comcast is getting on my nerves :) I started having issues with my VOD last Wed. I am getting 215 and 206 errors. They sent x amount of hits without any success. On Friday they told me I will get a callback within 24-48 hours (never happened, but I didn't expect it either). I called on Saturday and this time the guy told me we might as well try to replace the box. I said sure and he scheduled a guy to come out on Sunday and replace it. New box didn't fix anything.

Yesterday I got thes same story, they sent few hits, nothing new. I saw two Comcast trucks come out yesterday and try to do something with the outside cable box in my backyard. I don't know if that was anything related or not, but I haven't heared anything back from Comcast.

Today I called again, just for fun to see what response I will get, and a guy who claims to ba a "DVR specialist" is trying to blame it all on the DVR box and he said that Motorola is working on a firmware fix for the issue. I would buy that as an answer only if I haven't been using VOD successfully for over 2 months with my 6412 and the fact that people that are also on Schaumburg headend have no problems.

Gotta love Comcast :)

Originally posted by HD Rookie
What Tim said. In addition, you can simply add an HD cable box to your existing service for $5 month or an HD PVR for $10 month. The difficulty with your "buying an HD box" idea is that you need a special HD tuner to extract the HD channels from a cable line. It is called a QAM tuner, which I doubt a $200 box will give you. I think there are only a handfull of QAM tuners on the market, most of which are built in to newer TVs. I have a QAM tuner built-in to my RPTV ($800 option two years ago) and I don't use it.

An additional upside to leasing your box is that you can upgrade when technology dictates - for free. I'm going to be upgrading to my 3rd comcast HD box in the very near future.

If you get a csr who forces you to upgrade to digital service, hang up and call back until you get a knowlegable rep.

I called up Comcast and you are correct - they can install a HD receiver for $16 service call + $5/month. This is better than sinking $200 myself because, as you say, I can upgrade for free anytime as opposed to being locked in.
My plan is to get this installed for one outlet and run the output via component cables to my DLP projector. I do know that the pj's resolution is not as good as a true 1080i capable HDTV, but it will be significantly better than the SD broadcast I am getting now.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
On the surface, you are correct - but it gets better...
I also get my internet through Comcast. This combination of services gets me the locals in HD plus channels 2-99 analog. Which includes analog hbo and showtime.

I believe this combination of service is the reason comcast wants all of the channels to be in the digital tier. IE. They don't currently have the ability to block channels 2-99 from entering my house.

BTW, It is not a smart csr. It is the knowlege I've gained from this site that allowed me to ignore the BS and lies that the first two CSRs tried to hand me.

Do you think I can get this Locals only package if I don't get cable internet from Comcast ? If yes, what should I call and change my package to ?

Originally posted by vj9999
Today I called again, just for fun to see what response I will get, and a guy who claims to ba a "DVR specialist" is trying to blame it all on the DVR box and he said that Motorola is working on a firmware fix for the issue. I would buy that as an answer only if I haven't been using VOD successfully for over 2 months with my 6412 and the fact that people that are also on Schaumburg headend have no problems.

My 6412, since I got it late December, hasn't worked properly with VOD. I get the menus, but no video/audio. I haven't called about it yet, and am nervous about it with all this talk of soon-to-be-out firmware and iGuide updates.

Originally posted by Bharat-N
Do you think I can get this Locals only package if I don't get cable internet from Comcast ? If yes, what should I call and change my package to ?
Yes you can, it has nothing to do with internet. With no internet service I believe you will get abc,cbs,nbc,fox,pbs (maybe one or two others) in both SD and HD format. I believe the package is called "locals only", but I'm not sure. The cost is $15 month, give or take a buck.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Yes you can, it has nothing to do with internet. With no internet service I believe you will get abc,cbs,nbc,fox,pbs (maybe one or two others) in both SD and HD format. I believe the package is called "locals only", but I'm not sure. The cost is $15 month, give or take a buck.
I just took a look at my bill. As you know Comcast upped their prices and seem to have changed their package names. The locals only package is now called "Basic Service" for 15.99. It includes several channels (more than just local channels) in the 2-96 range.

Additionally, When I looked at "Expanded Basic", it contains nearly all channels in the 2-96 range. These are the extra channels that come into my house after ordering cable internet.

My bill looked like this:
CHSI W/CBL 42.95
Basic 15.99
DVR Service 9.95
Total 68.89

70.35 after taxes

Anyone else record 24 on FoxHD last night? My recording turned out fine, but I was unable to do anything with it other than Play and Stop. Any other 'transport' functions (FFW, Pause, Rew, etc.) would not do anyting put put the bar up on the screen with a null or No (i.e. picture No Smoking sign) symbol.

What happened here? Of course this was annoying in not being able to FF through commercials, but what was even more annoying was the inability to Rewind to hear a line that I missed (kids in bed, so volume was fairly low).

Was this the box, the recording, or can the network or Comcast actually prohibit transport functions during these shows? This never has happened to any other show that I've recorded.

Originally posted by dbernhard
Anyone else record 24 on FoxHD last night? My recording turned out fine, but I was unable to do anything with it other than Play and Stop. Any other 'transport' functions (FFW, Pause, Rew, etc.) would not do anyting put put the bar up on the screen with a null or No (i.e. picture No Smoking sign) symbol.

What happened here? Of course this was annoying in not being able to FF through commercials, but what was even more annoying was the inability to Rewind to hear a line that I missed (kids in bed, so volume was fairly low).

Was this the box, the recording, or can the network or Comcast actually prohibit transport functions during these shows? This never has happened to any other show that I've recorded.

I didn't have this problem, but a friend in Orland Park told me he had the exact same problem.

Originally posted by jolietconvict
I didn't have this problem, but a friend in Orland Park told me he had the exact same problem.

Sounds suspiciously like they may be experimenting with locking down the ability to FF/RW. If this becomes widespread, I'll be the first one to dump Comcast.

Originally posted by dbernhard
Anyone else record 24 on FoxHD last night?
Take a look at this thread instead:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=5100062#post5100062

I've seen several "24" posts.

Originally posted by dbernhard
Anyone else record 24 on FoxHD last night? My recording turned out fine, but I was unable to do anything with it other than Play and Stop. Any other 'transport' functions (FFW, Pause, Rew, etc.) would not do anyting put put the bar up on the screen with a null or No (i.e. picture No Smoking sign) symbol.

What happened here? Of course this was annoying in not being able to FF through commercials, but what was even more annoying was the inability to Rewind to hear a line that I missed (kids in bed, so volume was fairly low).

Was this the box, the recording, or can the network or Comcast actually prohibit transport functions during these shows? This never has happened to any other show that I've recorded.

I had the same problem. I recorder it and strted watching 40 minutes into the show. I didn't have any problems with ff/rev and skip. My wife tried watching it little later on and ff/rev/skip didn't work. I did notice quite a bit of breakups for 30 seconds or so towards the end. Maybe that corrupted the transport stream.

Originally posted by dbernhard
Anyone else record 24 on FoxHD last night? My recording turned out fine, but I was unable to do anything with it other than Play and Stop. Any other 'transport' functions (FFW, Pause, Rew, etc.) would not do anyting put put the bar up on the screen with a null or No (i.e. picture No Smoking sign) symbol.

I recorded the show last night. I'll check tonight to see if my 6412 does the same thing.

I had the same issue with 24. I picked up the show about 45 minutes into it, and I could FF/RW/30-second skip with ease. However, at the very end of the show, I accidentally skipped past next week's preview straight into the "delete recording?" dialog box. I selected no, and then restarted the recording - knowing I'd have to FF thru the whole freakin' show to see the last 30 seconds. (Why can't iGuide let you start at a specified time?).

Only now, anything other than "play" and "stop" would bring up the international "no" (circle with a slash) sign. I figure there must be a signal of some sort that can be sent to the iGuide that tells it to disallow FF/RW (for future use to lock us into watching commercials) - and that this signal was sent at the end of the show (perhaps at the beginning of Fox News at 9?). It had to be something other than a glitch that happened to match this signal if all of us had the same experience.

Whatever it is, it doesn't bode well for the future. If a feature exists, it will be used...

p.s. Just talked to a buddy of mine who watched it on buffer (i.e. wasn't recording it, but picked it up from the buffer about 15 minutes into it). He said that right about 8:59 the buffer suddenly jumped to 9:05 (five minutes into the Fox newscast) and when he rewound, it simply jumped back to 8:59. Curiouser and curiouser... I wonder if Fox HD just shut down for 6 minutes and the box has some issues with a lack of signal...

Originally posted by Derf
I wonder if Fox HD just shut down for 6 minutes and the box has some issues with a lack of signal...

I think they did go off the air. I tried to switch to the news at 9 (I bounce between WGN and WFLD), and the box just sat there when I tried to go to 190 (WFLD-DT). All other channels worked. I did NOT record 24, as I don't watch it. I was watching/recording Monster House and recording something on the History channel up until 9.

I only pray that they don't get cute and use this feature during the Superbowl!

I can understand removing the FF functions, but to remove all other transport functions seems like a violation of some fair use act.

Does anyone know if we have a legal right to be able to rewind information recorded on our legally rented PVR which contains content for which we pay a fee to receive?

Seems to me like we should have the right to manipulate the content in any maner we like provided we do not obstruct the providers right to run advertising.

What consumer agency needs to be contacted to investigate our rights in this matter?

Sorry for the rant,
Steve

Happened to me with 24 last night too. I'm in Plainfield.

No problems here with 24, that is wierd though. Anyways look at on the bright side at least most ppl can get VOD, Comcast still apperently thinks i dont need it, oh well

Live in Downers Grove I and had problem with watching 24 Live. The box locked up just as previews for next week were about to come on. I did not try to FFWD or Rewind during the program. Once I switched to second turner and then switched back I was able to change the channel. All other HD channels were viewable at the time. Fox became viewable around 10:15.
Glad to here it was not just my box.

Well I decided to call them to see what they say about this as well as why On Demand is telling me to press ok to activate, and then not activating. I called at 5:33. It's been 20 minutes and I still haven't talked to a human. I guess they don't really care about the FCC 90% of calls answered in 30 seconds rule. :)

25 minutes on hold, talked to someone for a minute and they just disconnected me!!!!!!!!!!!

Bastards!

My wife and I are watching American Idol right now, and the friggin thing won't let me do anything but play and stop (as mentioned before). This is the first time though. Last week it was fine, now this. What the hell is going on?

A comment on the Monday "24" problem: I used my LG 3410A instead of the 6412 (big mistake) to record 24 last night while I was out. This evening I discovered that only the first 37 minutes were recorded.

That means the LG box lost the signal and could not recover. So I'd say Comcast Chicago definitely had transmission problems last night. At least the 6412 seems to have handled it for all of you without failing completely.

BTW, what did happen in the last 20 minutes?!? :confused:

I recorded American Idol tonight and I have no DVR functionality other than play / stop. I'm on hold w/ Comcast right now, so I'll see wht their explanation is (if any) for this. This is ridiculous...

Anyone else lose HD signal on Fox at the end of American Idol then have it come back as SD? Now House, supposed to be in HD, is in SD. I have all my other HD channels. This better not happen on Sunday!

kblee, please be so kind as to update with anyting they say. This is making me furious. What the hell is a DVR for if you can't use it. I want to call, but my wife and I are half way through, and I can't friggin' pause it to call.

BTW, I had the same HD to SD issue that you mentioned above JCF.

Originally posted by dbernhard
Anyone else record 24 on FoxHD last night? My recording turned out fine, but I was unable to do anything with it other than Play and Stop. Any other 'transport' functions (FFW, Pause, Rew, etc.) would not do anyting put put the bar up on the screen with a null or No (i.e. picture No Smoking sign) symbol.

What happened here? Of course this was annoying in not being able to FF through commercials, but what was even more annoying was the inability to Rewind to hear a line that I missed (kids in bed, so volume was fairly low).

Was this the box, the recording, or can the network or Comcast actually prohibit transport functions during these shows? This never has happened to any other show that I've recorded.

I too had the same problem in Westmont, IL (western suburb of Chicago) that gets its feed from Elmhurst, IL. Couldn't fast forward, rewind, pause, skip ahead 30 seconds or "instant replay" - kept getting the circle with a line thru it symbol. Totally frustrating. Then the recording cut off just before next weeks previews! These functions work ok on older recordings as well as watching delayed live shows so it isn't the unit.

I just hope Fox and other networks haven't figured out how to disable these features.

BTW, I'm in Chicago in the city on Comcast with the 6412.

I talked to a very nice CSR last night and explained what was happening. His supervisor had just left, so he said he would discuss it with her today.

While I was on the phone with him, he put me on hold for a few moments. I flipped to FOX and hit the record button to start recording part of the show "House". After a few minutes I went in and played back what I had recorded and all DVR functionaity was available. What this tells me is that, if FOX is sending out something to disable DVR functionality, it's not affecting all shows. Or...it has something to do with setting up a recording in advance, as just hitting the record button doesn't cause the same issue.

If anyone out ther experienced this issue with "House" - please chime in.

In any case - very weird...

I don't believe the FOX 24/AI problem is Chicago specific. This has been an active topic on the Official Comcast 6412 w/ iGuide Discussion (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=464986) thread for at least the last couple weeks. You guys are just rehashing the same information here.

I don't have Comcast, but I lost HD on the OTA feed at the end of AI and for House. Luckily I realized it at the end of AI and switched the Tivo to record the National Fox HD feed on D*, got it in HD :)

Originally posted by bakerfall
I don't have Comcast, but I lost HD on the OTA feed at the end of AI

If this is the case on Comcast as well (sorry - I was on the phone and didn't pay attention to end of AI), it seems to support the theory that a break in the data stream may be the cause of this. VJ mentioned something similar happened during "24" in his post above.

for what it's worth, I HD Tivo'd 24 on Monday night OTA and got the whole thing without issue, FF and all. So, I don't believe any issues you had with Comcast's DVR regarding 24 were necessarily WFLD related.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
I don't believe the FOX 24/AI problem is Chicago specific. This has been an active topic on the Official Comcast 6412 w/ iGuide Discussion (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=464986) thread for at least the last couple weeks. You guys are just rehashing the same information here.

The problem with that is that this appears to be a somewhat local problem. Only people in Chicago and Ohio are reporting this problem, so it appears to be "local", not a generic issue/bug with the 6412.

Ironically, there's a member over in the iGuide discussion thread berating people for discussing what's "obviously a local problem". ;)

I checked my recording of 24 and wasn't able to FF, rewind, pause, or skip. I did notice that the very end of the recording was hosed, and the recording was listed as 61 minutes instead of 60. Go figure.

My recording of House was fine, aside from the fact that it was SD and not HD. I am able to use all the control buttons without a problem.

Originally posted by Derf
The problem with that is that this appears to be a somewhat local problem. Only people in Chicago and Ohio are reporting this problem, so it appears to be "local", not a generic issue/bug with the 6412.

Ironically, there's a member over in the iGuide discussion thread berating people for discussing what's "obviously a local problem". ;)
I thought some california people were also having the problem with Fox and others also having it on SciFi, but you certainly may be correct, it may only happen in a couple markets. It just seems counterproductive to rehash all of the same issues/problems here after there is already a lengthy discussion of the same topic over there.

I had the same no transport functions problem with AI recorded last night as well. This afternoon I noticed that the FOX-HD channel (190) was not working. I'm located in Schaumburg. Anyone else notice ch 190 was out?

Not sure what to make of this, but AI in HD tonight was fine, with all transport functions working fine. Not sure if it was a fluke like a bad feed, or if it was a test of something bigger.

I've been seeing WFLD come and go a lot lately in Evanston with my FusionHDTV card. I see it on its real channel, 117-1. WMAQ is on 117-2, and their new weather channel is on -3 or -4. Sometimes all of channel 117 disappears, sometimes only 117-1 drops out. I've definitely found it to be the least reliable of the HD channels.

I wasn't recording 24 this week, but it did stutter a lot throughout the hour. In fact, the channel was off the air until about the first commercial break. It dropped out again right after 24 ended.

No problems with AI live last night.

tim

I recorded AI OTA last night and the HD cut out and went to SD for the last 15 minutes. Not sure if this was OTA only or if cable had the same issue.

Same for me but over comcast. I recorded AI HD and it worked fine, although it did switch to SD for the end. I'm still woried that someone over at fox is sitting in an office thinking, "wow, it worked....they couldn't even pause it! Now we can implement it everywhere making all DVR people misserable." .....or something like that.

I wouldn't worry about it. I guarantee you the DVR problems with 24 were caused by some serious glitches in the signal, which the FCC would never allow to fly as any sort of permanent fixture, whatever the purpose.

Could someone give me the actual QAM channel number for Starz HD and Cinemax HD? I don't subscribe to either, but would like to watch when they have freebie weekends (Starz has one Feb. 18-20 I believe) and are carried unencrypted so that any QAM tuner can receive them.

To All,

I don't have a definite answer to the reception problems I see in all these messages (particularly WFLD), but I have some clues that might explain some of what you are experiencing.

First of all, FOX has not implemented any sinister scheme to inhibit your DVR from FF/RW mode. I suspect that is a 'bug' issue with your DVR, being triggered by changes we've instituted. Read on.

Beginning about 2/1/05 we began sending out the EPG. This is a change in the content of the data stream. Some of your boxes and maybe even the Comcast headend equipment that translates the 8VSB/ATSC OTA signal to QAM could have reacted negatively to this change. I am aware of a past incident a year and a half ago where another broadcaster in Chicago updated the software in their HD encoder that feeds their transmitter. It was a minor rev., but it caused all kinds of problems for the Comcast viewers. The broadcaster had to uninstall the rev until the problem between their encoder mfgr and the Comcast's translator mfgr became "software compatible". Transmitting these FCC mandated program guides might have triggered something.

In conjunction with the start of transmitting Program guides, there was another change we had to do to the numbering of the PIDs. This change we suspect has caused splicer lockups. That's why you lost the last part of American Idol, and I understand from the discrepancy reports on previous nights we had splicer lockup issues also. On Thursday we conferenced with FOX Corporate Engineering on this splicer lockup and discovered we're not the only station having a problem. Some stations are having no problems. Under further investigation, we disabled a Closed Caption PID to eliminate a piece of data in the stream, and we'll see how Thursday night goes. Just in case, we have a backup splicer on its way for Superbowl.

When the splicer locks up, we bypass the splicer and send our upconverted encoded signal out direct, like we did before we got the splicer. Obviously, the content of the data stream changes somewhat. I think what we're all discovering is that these digital boxes are sensitive to unexpected changes. It's called "field testing":D

Again, I repeat that I don't know if this will solve your problems, but I wanted you to know that we were making changes in our transmitted stream to include the mandated EPG and that we've had some hardware lockup problems. I would suspect some of the other Chicago stations have been getting their EPG's online about now also.

My boss and I will try and check into this forum again tomorrow to see how things are going. Please understand we can't account for what the Comcast converter or the Comcast DVR box might do, that is a Comcast issue. We're responsible for transmitting a valid OTA signal only. I will try and contact Mark W. over at Comcast headend and see if he is having any problems reprocessing our current signal's data content. The OTA viewers don't seem to be having this sort of problem.

Bob - I really appreciate you telling your contact at Comcast all this. No matter how many times I tell them about the DVR functions being disabled on Fox programs, and that I'm not the only one, they are insisting it's my box, which they are swapping out tomorrow. Them swapping it out is fine with me because the hard drive is ridiculously loud, but I don't think it'll fix the DVR problems. I just checked Point Pleasant (live, not recording) and it's disabled as well.

Any help you provide would be great because they think I'm nuts :)

Originally posted by acm25
I had the same no transport functions problem with AI recorded last night as well. This afternoon I noticed that the FOX-HD channel (190) was not working. I'm located in Schaumburg. Anyone else notice ch 190 was out?

I have my TiVo set up to record 24 off the Fox HD channel on Comcast, and Monday night I got no signal at all. TiVo never changed to Fox, so I ended up recording whatever was on the last channel TiVo used. I noticed this when I got home a little later that night and tried to watch 24. Nada. So I tried to change the cable box directly to Fox HD, and the cable box wouldn't accept the channel. The regular SD Fox channel was still available.

I'm in Bloomingdale.

Bob - Have you received any complaints about the closed captions lagging the video image? The delay is often several seconds, to the extent that the CC are virtually useless. I have observed this on WFLD-DT both OTA and via Comcast. The effect is the same whether I employ my RCA DTC-100 or one of my LG STBs or DVRs.

Bob - thanks for the great info.

It appears that times when WFLD experienced the splicer lockup issue coincide with the times that we experienced the DVR issues. I haven't had any further issues since Tuesday's AI episode. I'm hoping that this means that the problem has been corrected.

Hi. This is my first post so please be gentle.

Did anyone watch Joey last night? We had a 16:9 HD signal when the show started but the sound was all messed up. We were barely able to hear the actors voices and the laugh track was unbearably loud. The commercials were fine and after about 20 minutes, the 16:9 HD signal switched over to a 4:3 HD signal (black bars on the sides). After it switched the sound problem corrected itself. Anyone know if this was a local or national problem?

Also, does anyone know if Comcast is planning on making boxes with larger hard drives in them? We watch A LOT of TV and we keep filling up our drive and we have to put stuff on tape. :(

Keith
Oswego, IL
Comcast HD Subscirber

Originally posted by keithj
Hi. This is my first post so please be gentle.

Did anyone watch Joey last night? We had a 16:9 HD signal when the show started but the sound was all messed up. We were barely able to hear the actors voices and the laugh track was unbearably loud. The commercials were fine and after about 20 minutes, the 16:9 HD signal switched over to a 4:3 HD signal (black bars on the sides). After it switched the sound problem corrected itself. Anyone know if this was a local or national problem?
Same here in Bolingbrook. For the record, I was not watching Joey. My wife was :D .

Originally posted by jrodbbrook
Same here in Bolingbrook. For the record, I was not watching Joey. My wife was :D .

Same in Downers Grove

Originally posted by keithj
Hi. This is my first post so please be gentle.

Did anyone watch Joey last night? We had a 16:9 HD signal when the show started but the sound was all messed up. We were barely able to hear the actors voices and the laugh track was unbearably loud. The commercials were fine and after about 20 minutes, the 16:9 HD signal switched over to a 4:3 HD signal (black bars on the sides). After it switched the sound problem corrected itself. Anyone know if this was a local or national problem?

Also, does anyone know if Comcast is planning on making boxes with larger hard drives in them? We watch A LOT of TV and we keep filling up our drive and we have to put stuff on tape. :(

Hi Keith, and welcome. We're not that bad... really :)

It appears that NBC had problems in at least several markets - I came across this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=505243) in the HDTV Programming section. For the record, I think NBC has more incidents like that happening on their HD channel than any other network. The debut episode of LAX last fall went the entire show without the center (voice) channel - all you could hear was background sounds from the left, right, and surround speakers. They're often late "throwing the switch" to HD. Unfortunately, it's not that unusual to see these things on that network.

...anyone else experiencing audio problems with the 6412. Specifically, the audio being 48 pcm instead of the DD...sometimes it will revert to DD if I power on and off the stb, although half the time I do this I end up with no pic and then have to playback the dvr to get a pic back...thanks in advance for any suggestion.

BC

Originally posted by keithj
Hi. This is my first post so please be gentle.

Did anyone watch Joey last night? We had a 16:9 HD signal when the show started but the sound was all messed up. We were barely able to hear the actors voices and the laugh track was unbearably loud. The commercials were fine and after about 20 minutes, the 16:9 HD signal switched over to a 4:3 HD signal (black bars on the sides). After it switched the sound problem corrected itself. Anyone know if this was a local or national problem?

It wasn't just Joey. Will and Grace was messed up, too. In fact, it looks like the video isn't true HD anyways. There was NO loss of resolution when they appeared to switch to upconverted SD. I wonder if the shows are actually recorded in widescreen SD with ProLogic audio. Somewhere, they tried to upconvert and convert the audio to 5.1, but the center channel appeared to be missing or misconfigured.

Originally posted by BloatedCorpse
...anyone else experiencing audio problems with the 6412. Specifically, the audio being 48 pcm instead of the DD...sometimes it will revert to DD if I power on and off the stb, although half the time I do this I end up with no pic and then have to playback the dvr to get a pic back...thanks in advance for any suggestion.

If you have no video/audio when you turn it on, the only fix is to pull the plug for a minute. Don't worry. All you will lose is the guide information. None of your programs will be lost. In fact, I did this once only a few minutes before a recording. The recording started on time, even though the guide hadn't yet loaded anything.

In Schaumburg, did the eliminate the HD OnDemand, or did they hide it somewhere else?

I don't think there are any onDemand HD channels avail on Comcast yet. Infact, I don't believe any on demand work on my 6412.

Originally posted by andyross63
In Schaumburg, did the eliminate the HD OnDemand, or did they hide it somewhere else?

If they are on in your area, you will see them in the OnDemand menu.
I have them in Elmhurst. But they come and go sometimes.
Also, they all seem to be $5.99 each. Not worth it to me.

They did seems to disappear from our OnDemand menu. They used to be hidden in Lifestyles menu, but they seem gone now. I wonder if Schaumburg headend finally realiezed that some titles were available for free (like Shrek 2) and took it off until they can fix it :)

My OnDemand troubles continue. Two weeks ago I had 215 error which in the end turned out to be a problem in my neighbouhood node. That was fixed, but now for a week I can get to OnDemand menu, browse and select but I always get a no video/audio when I play something. I'm not sure if it might be my new box this time around (when I had problems with 215 originally, before they realized it was a neghborhood problem, they replaced my 6412) or something else.

Like aways you can never get a straight answer form CSRs. I have heard about work being done on VOD that should be done by 2/10, I heard that originally they had 2 vendors prviding VOD and they are transferring to one vendor and while this is being done some people might not be able to get VOD and of course most popular answer is that VOD doesn't work with dual tuner box and that they are waiting on otorola firmware fix for this.

I'm thinking about calling back and see if they can replace my box again, just for heck of it to se if it helps.

Well - I finally got tired of waiting for someone to fix the Cinemax-HD issues that many of us have been noticing. So, I called on Friday and had them switch me to Starz. I went into VOD yesterday and tried to access a Starz item and was instructed to call Comcast and subscribe. Finding that odd, I went to the Cinemax section and was still able to access all of their content.

Does anyone have an idea if there is a delay in swicthing VOD access after an account change? If not, it's almost like having a subscription to both sets of channels.

Does anyone have any idea when Evanston will be getting ON Demand? It seems like everyone else has it and every time I call Comcast they say next month or something vague. I also am looking forward to getting iGuide on my HD box, any clue when that might be arriving? Thanks.

Originally posted by vj9999
My OnDemand troubles continue. Two weeks ago I had 215 error which in the end turned out to be a problem in my neighbouhood node. That was fixed, but now for a week I can get to OnDemand menu, browse and select but I always get a no video/audio when I play something. I'm not sure if it might be my new box this time around (when I had problems with 215 originally, before they realized it was a neghborhood problem, they replaced my 6412) or something else.

Ever since I had my 6412, OnDemand doesn't work right either. I normally have no video or audio, but the menus work. I did find out a few weird things:
If I send the box's MUTE command twice, I DO get audio. Also, when exiting from OnDemand, I can briefly see the last frame of the preview video before it's replaced (it's most obvious if you go to a Music Choice channel, then start OnDemand from there.)

Basically, it seems as if the box is receiving and processing OnDemand, but is blocking it. Now that I noticed the above, I was going to try one of the HD movies to see if it would work.

I think this is due to some weird bug or something in the current software. I keep reading about an update coming soon that is supposed to fix things like the freezup when you have two analog channels recording. I hope that might fix OnDemand. I did call once, and they reset my box, but no change. I wonder if this related to the 'turn on box and have no video/audio until you play a recorded program' bug. I had that happen once, too.

Originally posted by andyross63
I wonder if this related to the 'turn on box and have no video/audio until you play a recorded program' bug. I had that happen once, too.


I had this problem, along with a few others... I finally got frustrated enough to pull the power plug for a few seconds, then plugged it back in. Voila! Instant audio/video when I turned the box back on.

Just for the hell of it, I unplug the box once a month before I go to work. By the time I get home for lunch the program schedule has reloaded, and I'm ready to go.

Hey guys...

Just called comcast about getting a 6412 to replace my 6208 and they said that it's no problem, but they are out of the new boxes and that I should call back in about a week.

Should I trust this information? Or should I just call back?

..you could try calling back...make sure you get the right remote too....they're infamous for teling you they're out of those too!

Originally posted by Lee K
Hey guys...

Just called comcast about getting a 6412 to replace my 6208 and they said that it's no problem, but they are out of the new boxes and that I should call back in about a week.

Should I trust this information? Or should I just call back?

You may want to hold off until the 6412's VOD starts to work in Rolling Meadows. I call all the time asking when this supposed bug will be fixed. The only answer I ever get is "they're aware of the problem and they're working on it."

Honestly I have little to no interest in Video on Demand. :)

neither do i...i wish comcast would dump vod and focus in on adding more HD channels...since i now have VOD i'm liking it so don't dump it Comcast

I actually like VOD, but I wish

[list=1]
Comcast would put HD VOD on the system... permanently (it keeps disappearing from the Schaumburg system)
Put it in a conspicuous place in the VOD menu. The last time it was available here the HD VOD stuff was buried a couple of menus off the main menu screen.
They would add more HD content. Last time it was available here there were a couple of movies and a few things from INHD or Discovery HD Theater (not free).
[/list=1]

Just adding my two cents.

Originally posted by FSugino
I actually like VOD, but I wish

[list=1]
Comcast would put HD VOD on the system... permanently (it keeps disappearing from the Schaumburg system)
Put it in a conspicuous place in the VOD menu. The last time it was available here the HD VOD stuff was buried a couple of menus off the main menu screen.
They would add more HD content. Last time it was available here there were a couple of movies and a few things from INHD or Discovery HD Theater (not free).
[/list=1]

The main issue is available bandwidth. With the forthcoming digital simulcast, there will be even less available. That is probably one of the reasons they are eliminating some PPV channels soon here in Schaumburg (and possibly elsewhere.)

Is anyone aware of issues with faulty or disabled DVI ports on the Comcast HD box?

First, a quick summary of my setup. I have my DVD player hooked up to an Infocus 4805 via component and a Comcast HD box hooked up via DVI cable w/ adapter. This has worked flawless for the past 4 months. When I want to watch a DVD, the 4805 senses the component. When I want to watch HD, it senses the DVI.

Sunday, I went to fire everything up prior to the Superbowl. To my horror, I had no picture on the 4805 although it detected the computer connection and the right resolution. I had sound via my receiver, so clearly the HD box was recieving a signal. I cycled the 4805, same thing. I then cycled the Comcast box. When it came on, I had a brief flash of picture, then nothing again. I checked all the dvi connections and they were solid. Eventually, I moved the component cables from the DVD player to the HD box and watched the game that way.

Checked again last night, same symptoms

So my question is, how can I determine if the problem is the DVI input of the 4805 or the DVI output of the Comcast box? I don't have another DVI monitor. I checked on the projector forum and no one has ever heard of a faulty DVI port on an Infocus projector. Ideas?

I just toured the Comcast HD master command and studio. I can't reveal much but over all I was not too impressed. Real sloppy set, looks much better on TV. They broadcast out of the Oak Brook CLTV studio.

Originally posted by Kipp Jones
I just toured the Comcast HD master command and studio. I can't reveal much but over all I was not too impressed. Real sloppy set, looks much better on TV. They broadcast out of the Oak Brook CLTV studio.

Kipp, I am assuming you are talking about Comcast Sportsnet?

Originally posted by jvos
So my question is, how can I determine if the problem is the DVI input of the 4805 or the DVI output of the Comcast box? I don't have another DVI monitor. I checked on the projector forum and no one has ever heard of a faulty DVI port on an Infocus projector. Ideas?

Check the Diagnostics menu. Turn the box off, then within 2-4 seconds, hit OK/Enter. Scroll down to d11 - Interface Status. Hit down-arrow to get to the second page. That gives the DVI information.

Originally posted by vj9999
Kipp, I am assuming you are talking about Comcast Sportsnet?

Yes.

Why are there so many audio problems with HD? Last night we were watching Wednesday's shows on DVR. Lost was fine but when Alias came on, the sound level dropped considerably. We practically had to have the TV volume up all the way just to hear what they were saying. Then we put CSI: NY on (different channel) and the sound was fine until right after the opening credits. It dropped way down again and we had to turn the volume up all the way again. Could this be a problem with our box or was this a broadcast problem (again)? :(

Originally posted by keithj
Why are there so many audio problems with HD? Last night we were watching Wednesday's shows on DVR. Lost was fine but when Alias came on, the sound level dropped considerably. We practically had to have the TV volume up all the way just to hear what they were saying.

I watched my recordings of Lost and Alias last night and didn't notice any major changes in audio volume. I can't comment on CSI:NY because I didn't record it; however, I can say that I usually don't have a problem with audio levels between different HD channels. It's usually HD vs. analog where I notice the difference.

Originally posted by keithj
Why are there so many audio problems with HD? Last night we were watching Wednesday's shows on DVR. Lost was fine but when Alias came on, the sound level dropped considerably. We practically had to have the TV volume up all the way just to hear what they were saying. Then we put CSI: NY on (different channel) and the sound was fine until right after the opening credits. It dropped way down again and we had to turn the volume up all the way again. Could this be a problem with our box or was this a broadcast problem (again)? :(
Is the sound from the TV itself, or through an A/V receiver? Try disabling any fancy audio processing. I've noticed on my Sony receiver that if I have one of the Digital Cinema settings on, all sorts of weird things happen. When one audio channel is out of phase, it really confuses it and the volume can sound much louder, and the rear channels can suddenly be deafening, while losing so much center that it's inaudible. I usually just keep it on basic 5.1 now.

Hey guys what is the necessary package my dad needs to sign up for to get all the HD channels (minus HBO and stuff)? He doesn't care about any of the weird digital channels like the golf channel or anything, he just wants it to have speedvision, vh1, etc -- and then of course all the HD channels (locals + discovery HD, InHD, ESPN, etc).

What is the lowest package he can get and how much will it cost? I'm looking at the comcast site and it looks insanely expensive. How much is he going to have to pay on top of the $5 cost for HD service and the $10 for the DVR box?

It's sad that I trust the answers I will get here over what comcast will tell me.

If you just want the bare minimum HD channels, IE just the networks, you can do that with their absolute cheapest cable plan. I watch the HD networks using what is I believe the second cheapest plan, it includes all the analog channels (approximately 1-100). I don't rent an HD box from them, though, so that may change things. If you need an HD cable box, they may require you to subscribe to a much more expensive package.

Originally posted by Lee K
Hey guys what is the necessary package my dad needs to sign up for to get all the HD channels (minus HBO and stuff)? He doesn't care about any of the weird digital channels like the golf channel or anything, he just wants it to have speedvision, vh1, etc -- and then of course all the HD channels (locals + discovery HD, InHD, ESPN, etc).

What is the lowest package he can get and how much will it cost? I'm looking at the comcast site and it looks insanely expensive. How much is he going to have to pay on top of the $5 cost for HD service and the $10 for the DVR box?
You need to start with Digital Classic if SpeedChannel is digital only (it was analog and part of standard cable when I lived in Elk Grove Village). Here in Schaumburg, SpeedChannel is part of several different packages that are $5 extra (Digital Premier or Digital Sports). That would be roughly $42.99 for standard cable (all non-premium analog channel), $9.99 for Digital Classic, and at least $5 for the digital premier or sports package, plus the extra for the DVR and/or HD. I'm not certain if HD is merged into the DVR cost or not now. Digital Classic adds in stuff like National Geographic, VH1 country , VH1 classic, MTV2, etc.. Digital Plus ($14.99, which includes Digital Classic) adds in more Discovery channels and the various Encore channels. A rough guess would be about $72.97 (standard/dig classic/dig sports/HD/DVR) plus taxes and local fees, or $57.98 if you drop HD and DVR.

The broadcast HD channels are part of basic cable, but you do need at least the $5 for the HD box, or a TV with a cable-compatible (QAM) digital tuner.

I have standard/Digital Classic/Digital Plus, but also get a few channels that are supposed to be part of the premier/sports packages (NBA TV, Fox Movie Channel, NFL Network.) I also have a cable modem ($42.95 + $3.00 modem rental), so my final bill is around $126+.

What minimum level will be required to get the Cubs & Sox HD games on Comcast SportsNet? Will these games be carried on INHD1 & INHD2 or on other channels? Is it possible to subscribe to digital packages without the expanded basic analog (2-99) service?

Originally posted by andyross63
The main issue is available bandwidth. With the forthcoming digital simulcast, there will be even less available. That is probably one of the reasons they are eliminating some PPV channels soon here in Schaumburg (and possibly elsewhere.)

Presumably the digital simulcasting will free up available bandwidth, since it's probably the 1st phase of eliminating/reducing analog TV. Since about 8-10 digital channels can be carried in place of 1 analog(varies widely depending on compression, but always more digital channels can be carried in the same bandwidth as an analog channel), I imagine analog channels will slowly be reduced as they have a need for bandwidth. Apparently there is a new device that converts digital cable signals-analog for MUCH cheaper than a standard digital cable box (thou likely doesn't have the added features) and probably makes the TV think it's receiving an analog cable signal so you can use the TV tuner (I would guess). It's expected at some point the cable industry will begin deploying these to further drop analog signals (the idea being the huge amount of bandwidth they could get by eliminiating /reducing analog would more than offset the cost of deploying the devices en mass. Also, cable theft for digital signals is much less common and more difficult than analog theft.

I don't see analog going away fully anytime soon - too many people like the convenience of stringing it all over the house.

I think some PPV channels are being phased out as OnDemand moves forward. Most people (at least those without the DVR) would prob. prefer OnDemand for its greater selection and availability.

The digital simulcast should be a good thing in the long run. Since Comcast has every incentive to reduce analog I expect it to begin soon, and hopefully make room for a few more HD channels!

Vod just arrived today[hd movies are $5.95]i'm wondering how do the HD movies look compared to what you see on HBO etc?and are they cropped or oar?

I saw in Broadbandreports that they added VOD to Evanston and a bunch of other suburbs this week. It wasn't working until tonight, when around 10:30 while I was watching a DVD I saw my box downloading. Once it was done, I started playing around with it, and it is pretty cool. There seems to be a lot offered in the HDTV section. My only question is how come when I hit the on demand key nothing happens still. It just flashes 001. To get to OnDemand I have to go through the menu. Oh well, at least it is here finally. Now all we need is I-Guide.

AN update on my VOD problem. I had a problem with no video/audio when trying to play on demand (mute/unmute would bring audio back). I had a working 6412, but after it was replaced because of an unrelated VOD issue(which turned out to be a local issue) new box had the no video problem.

I had a technician come out Friday morning. Probably the best tech I had so far. Seemed knowledgable, and determined to figure out the problem. HE said that they have been having a lot of problems like mine. He tried putting in a new box, we waited 25 minutes for the download and still the same thing. Most other techs would leave at that point, but this guy was different. He said that he has few more 6412s on his truck and we can give them a try too. He brought in another box, it went through the download and on that one VOD was working just fine.

He wrote down the serial numbers and FG numbers and said he likes to do research and see if they can figure out a common link between the boxes.

Also, when they called me to confirm the appointment (it was a call from a local office) they asked me to check my VOD just to make sure hat the problem is still there. The lady on the phone said that on 2/16 there will be a firmware ugrade (9.15 I am assuming) that might fix the issue.

Hey guys -- quick question....

anyone know the channel numbers for ABC and WGN through a comcast basic cable setup (into a built in HD tuner)? Please tell me these are available!!

We found CBS, NBC, FOX, and PBS -- but we can't find the others.
The ones we found are like 116.5, 114.4, etc (or something like that) - so those are the ones we're looking for. Not the 187, 188, 191, etc

Thanks a lot!!

Check here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4903856#post4903856) and the following page for details on the QAM channels. It seems to vary by location so you may have to experiment a bit.

Originally posted by vj9999
AN update on my VOD problem. I had a problem with no video/audio when trying to play on demand (mute/unmute would bring audio back). I had a working 6412, but after it was replaced because of an unrelated VOD issue(which turned out to be a local issue) new box had the no video problem.

I had a technician come out Friday morning. Probably the best tech I had so far. Seemed knowledgable, and determined to figure out the problem. HE said that they have been having a lot of problems like mine. He tried putting in a new box, we waited 25 minutes for the download and still the same thing. Most other techs would leave at that point, but this guy was different. He said that he has few more 6412s on his truck and we can give them a try too. He brought in another box, it went through the download and on that one VOD was working just fine.

He wrote down the serial numbers and FG numbers and said he likes to do research and see if they can figure out a common link between the boxes.

Also, when they called me to confirm the appointment (it was a call from a local office) they asked me to check my VOD just to make sure hat the problem is still there. The lady on the phone said that on 2/16 there will be a firmware ugrade (9.15 I am assuming) that might fix the issue.

That firmware update can't come soon enough. All of a sudden, my box HATES SciFi. Last Friday, it locked up THREE times while watching it, but NOT recording. Overnight, a recording of 'Buck Rogers' at 3am was only 33 minutes long (it should be 60). A Science Channel recording (digital) at the same time was the full 60 minutes. Last night, when I recorded 'Slipstream', t ended up only 56 minutes long. On the other hand, the full 3-hour Adult Swim block on Cartoon Network recorded fine. And, VOD does not work properly on mine. No video, and only audio if I mute/unmute.
If the firmware update doesn't fix this, I'll probably dump the DVR, and even start looking at satellite. I don't like being used as a guinea pig.

Originally posted by Lee K
Hey guys -- quick question....

anyone know the channel numbers for ABC and WGN through a comcast basic cable setup (into a built in HD tuner)? Please tell me these are available!!

We found CBS, NBC, FOX, and PBS -- but we can't find the others.
The ones we found are like 116.5, 114.4, etc (or something like that) - so those are the ones we're looking for. Not the 187, 188, 191, etc

Thanks a lot!!


108.1 ABC 7.1
108.2 WB WGN 9
108.3 ABC 7.2
114.1 CBS
114.2 WTTW 11.1
115.5 NBC 5.1
116.1 CBS
116.2 WTTW 11.1
117.2 FOX
117.5 NBC 5.1
117.6 NBC 5.2

Here's my updated QAM listing (I previously had problems getting all the channels because of bad coax cable). Notice how some networks take up two channels. Anyone know why? I don't get the rest of OTA like UPN, PAX, WTTW 11.2, and Spanish channels.

Originally posted by AVjam I don't get the rest of OTA like UPN, PAX, WTTW 11.2, and Spanish channels. [/B]

Comcast doesn't carry those digital channels so it makes sense that you won't find them on a QAM scan.

Anyone know the QAM numbers for INHD1, INHD2, Starz HD, Cinemax HD
in case they remove the encryption for a promo like a freebie weekend?

Especially considering that VOOM went caput about two weeks ago.

Oh happy day, Comcast finally worked out whatever bug was keeping on demand from working in my area. I cant wait to try it out, especially the HD on demand section

Originally posted by UncD2000
Especially considering that VOOM went caput about two weeks ago.

You need to check again - Voom's far from "caput" at this point...

Agreed. Even allowing for a little hyperbole, "caput" was a poor choice,
even more so considering it's actually spelled "kaput."

Just a note that somebody has created a dedicated site, more focused on the DVR's, and more broken up by subject than the monstrous 6412/iGuide thread:
http://www.**********.com

I just recently aquired a new CRT RPTV that has HDMI. I have the 6412 STB and was wondering if I invested in the HDMI/DVI cable will I see a noticable difference in PQ versus component.

Thanx

..it's hard to say gov, as I think a lot of it is up to your own peepers and taste. I prefer the hdmi. To me there is just a touch better clarity and color definition. I have heard some ppl remark that the hdmi pic is a bit too dark for them. Try it and see. My cable cost around 50 smackers on-line and I've had no problems with it.

Originally posted by BloatedCorpse
..it's hard to say gov, as I think a lot of it is up to your own peepers and taste. I prefer the hdmi. To me there is just a touch better clarity and color definition. I have heard some ppl remark that the hdmi pic is a bit too dark for them. Try it and see. My cable cost around 50 smackers on-line and I've had no problems with it.

Thanks, I forgot to ask. Is the SD picture any better with the HDMI/DVI cable? I know with my current component set up, I have to set the STB 4:3 override to 480p to get the SD picture looking somewhat decent. If I have it set at 480i, it looks much brighter and washed out than HD material. Basically, black levels on SD are for crap with a 480i setting.

Thanx

For all the Cub fans out there, this should be a great HD year. All home games on WGN & CSN will be in HD. I've included the FOX and ESPN games (**) as there is a good chance those will be in HD as well.

Fri 4/8/2005 Cubs vs Milwaukee 1:10 PM WGN
Sat 4/9/2005 Cubs vs Milwaukee 1:10 PM CSN
Sun 4/10/2005 Cubs vs Milwaukee 1:10 PM WGN
Mon 4/11/2005 Cubs vs San Diego 1:10 PM WGN
Tue 4/12/2005 Cubs vs San Diego 1:10 PM CSN
Wed 4/13/2005 Cubs vs San Diego 1:10 PM WGN
Fri 4/22/2005 Cubs vs Pittsburgh 2:10 PM WGN
Sat 4/23/2005 Cubs vs Pittsburgh 1:10 PM CSN
Sun 4/24/2005 Cubs vs Pittsburgh 1:10 PM WGN
Tue 4/26/2005 Cubs vs Cincinnati 7:00 PM CSN
Wed 4/27/2005 Cubs vs Cincinnati 1:10 PM WGN
Fri 5/6/2005 Cubs vs Philadelphia 2:10 PM WGN
Sat 5/7/2005 Cubs vs Philadelphia 1:10 PM CSN
Sun 5/8/2005 Cubs vs Philadelphia 1:10 PM WGN
Tue 5/10/2005 Cubs vs NY Mets 7:00 PM CSN
Wed 5/11/2005 Cubs vs NY Mets 1:10 PM WGN
Fri 5/20/2005 Cubs vs White Sox 1:10 PM CSN
Sat 5/21/2005 Cubs vs White Sox 12:10 PM FOX **
Sun 5/22/2005 Cubs vs White Sox 1:10 PM WGN
Mon 5/23/2005 Cubs vs Houston 7:00 PM CSN
Tue 5/24/2005 Cubs vs Houston 7:00 PM WGN
Wed 5/25/2005 Cubs vs Houston 6:00 PM CSN
Thu 5/26/2005 Cubs vs Colorado 1:10 PM WGN
Fri 5/27/2005 Cubs vs Colorado 1:10 PM CSN
Sat 5/28/2005 Cubs vs Colorado 12:00 PM CSN
Sun 5/29/2005 Cubs vs Colorado 1:10 PM CSN
Mon 6/6/2005 Cubs vs Toronto 7:00 PM WGN
Tue 6/7/2005 Cubs vs Toronto 7:00 PM CSN
Wed 6/8/2005 Cubs vs Toronto 1:10 PM WGN
Fri 6/10/2005 Cubs vs Boston 1:10 PM WGN
Sat 6/11/2005 Cubs vs Boston 2:05 PM FOX **
Sun 6/12/2005 Cubs vs Boston 7:00 PM ESPN **
Mon 6/13/2005 Cubs vs Florida 7:00 PM CSN
Tue 6/14/2005 Cubs vs Florida 7:00 PM WGN
Wed 6/15/2005 Cubs vs Florida 1:10 PM WGN
Tue 6/28/2005 Cubs vs Milwaukee 7:00 PM CSN
Wed 6/29/2005 Cubs vs Milwaukee 1:10 PM CSN
Thu 6/30/2005 Cubs vs Milwaukee 1:10 PM WGN
Fri 7/1/2005 Cubs vs Washington 1:10 PM CSN
Sat 7/2/2005 Cubs vs Washington 3:00 PM WGN
Sun 7/3/2005 Cubs vs Washington 1:10 PM WGN
Fri 7/15/2005 Cubs vs Pittsburgh 1:10 PM CSN
Sat 7/16/2005 Cubs vs Pittsburgh 3:00 PM WGN
Sun 7/17/2005 Cubs vs Pittsburgh 1:10 PM WGN
Mon 7/25/2005 Cubs vs San Francisco 7:00 PM CSN
Tue 7/26/2005 Cubs vs San Francisco 7:00 PM WGN
Wed 7/27/2005 Cubs vs San Francisco 1:10 PM WGN
Thu 7/28/2005 Cubs vs Arizona 1:10 PM CSN
Fri 7/29/2005 Cubs vs Arizona 1:10 PM WGN
Sat 7/30/2005 Cubs vs Arizona 3:00 PM WGN
Sun 7/31/2005 Cubs vs Arizona 1:10 PM WGN
Mon 8/8/2005 Cubs vs Cincinnati 7:00 PM WGN
Tue 8/9/2005 Cubs vs Cincinnati 1:10 PM WGN
Wed 8/10/2005 Cubs vs Cincinnati 1:10 PM CSN
Thu 8/11/2005 Cubs vs St. Louis 1:10 PM CSN
Fri 8/12/2005 Cubs vs St. Louis 1:10 PM WGN
Sat 8/13/2005 Cubs vs St. Louis 12:10 PM FOX **
Sun 8/14/2005 Cubs vs St. Louis ESPN **
Mon 8/22/2005 Cubs vs Atlanta 7:00 PM CSN
Tue 8/23/2005 Cubs vs Atlanta 7:00 PM CSN
Wed 8/24/2005 Cubs vs Atlanta 1:10 PM WGN
Fri 8/26/2005 Cubs vs Florida 1:10 PM WGN
Sat 8/27/2005 Cubs vs Florida 3:00 PM CSN
Sun 8/28/2005 Cubs vs Florida 1:10 PM WGN
Mon 8/29/2005 Cubs vs Los Angeles 7:00 PM CSN
Tue 8/30/2005 Cubs vs Los Angeles 7:00 PM WGN
Wed 8/31/2005 Cubs vs Los Angeles 1:10 PM WGN
Mon 9/12/2005 Cubs vs Cincinnati 7:00 PM CSN
Wed 9/14/2005 Cubs vs Cincinnati 7:00 PM CSN
Thu 9/15/2005 Cubs vs St. Louis 7:00 PM WGN
Fri 9/16/2005 Cubs vs St. Louis 2:10 PM CSN
Sat 9/17/2005 Cubs vs St. Louis 12:10 PM FOX **
Sun 9/18/2005 Cubs vs St. Louis 1:10 PM WGN
Fri 9/23/2005 Cubs vs Houston 2:10 PM WGN
Sat 9/24/2005 Cubs vs Houston 1:10 PM CSN
Sun 9/25/2005 Cubs vs Houston 1:10 PM WGN
Wed 9/28/2005 Cubs vs Pittsburgh 1:10 PM WGN

I might be moving to DeKalb, IL and am wondering which cable provider services that area and if HD service is available. Could anyone in this area with cable help me out?

Ok so this On demand seems pretty cool, but i have to ask does everyone else have about a 25% success rate when trying to watch something. I mean i usually either get the error message about not being able to retrieve my video, or if i get lucky enough to get the video to work its all pixalated and broken up. Oh well i guess my normal response fits here, its comcast

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Ok so this On demand seems pretty cool, but i have to ask does everyone else have about a 25% success rate when trying to watch something. I mean i usually either get the error message about not being able to retrieve my video, or if i get lucky enough to get the video to work its all pixalated and broken up. Oh well i guess my normal response fits here, its comcast

I've never noticed that on SD On Demand. The times that I've tried it, it seemed to work as advertised. Never tried HD On Demand though, it costs too much.

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Ok so this On demand seems pretty cool, but i have to ask does everyone else have about a 25% success rate when trying to watch something. I mean i usually either get the error message about not being able to retrieve my video, or if i get lucky enough to get the video to work its all pixalated and broken up.

When VOD first rolled out here in Schaumburg, I had problems connecting to the VOD server. Sometimes I wouldn't even get to the VOD menu - I'd just get some sort of error number to report to the customer service rep. Other times I'd make it to the menus but selecting a movie or show would give me a different error number.

Happily, those problems were resolved fairly quickly and I haven't had any problems since. Except for the fact that HD VOD keeps appearing then disappearing from the Schaumburg system...

Anyone take a look at the Dating on Demand section?

Originally posted by BrianEK
I might be moving to DeKalb, IL and am wondering which cable provider services that area and if HD service is available. Could anyone in this area with cable help me out?

Comcast is the cable provider in DeKalb and I believe they offer all the same channels as the rest of Chicagoland area.

173 ESPN HD
174 iN DEMAND HD 1
175 iN DEMAND HD 2
185 Showtime HD
186 HBO HD
187 WLS-DT (ABC)
188 WMAQ-DT (NBC)
189 WBBM-DT (CBS)
190 WFLD-DT (FOX)
191 WTTW-DT (PBS)
192 WGN-DT
195 Cinemax HD
196 STARZ! HD
205 Discovery HD Theater

Originally posted by Gov
Thanks, I forgot to ask. Is the SD picture any better with the HDMI/DVI cable? I know with my current component set up, I have to set the STB 4:3 override to 480p to get the SD picture looking somewhat decent. If I have it set at 480i, it looks much brighter and washed out than HD material. Basically, black levels on SD are for crap with a 480i setting.

Thanx


..sd pq for me is somewhat better for me with hdmi. I have the 6412 output 480i and let the tv upconvert to 540p for sd with ok results. SD looks pretty poor regardless though...hopefully simulcast and newer compression solutions will help make these channels noticeably better in pq.

Originally posted by vj9999
Comcast is the cable provider in DeKalb and I believe they offer all the same channels as the rest of Chicagoland area.

173 ESPN HD
174 iN DEMAND HD 1
175 iN DEMAND HD 2
185 Showtime HD
186 HBO HD
187 WLS-DT (ABC)
188 WMAQ-DT (NBC)
189 WBBM-DT (CBS)
190 WFLD-DT (FOX)
191 WTTW-DT (PBS)
192 WGN-DT
195 Cinemax HD
196 STARZ! HD
205 Discovery HD Theater

And don't forget 208, the HDSE (Special Events) channel. Where else can you stare at the same title screen in HD for hours at a time? :p

Hum well i suppose it could just be issues since it just rolled out on my headend. Im willing to give it time to get the wrinkles ironed out, i mean after all its not like im paying extra money for the survice, its just something that adds more value to the already to much money im paying

anyone in the city limits have VOD working yet? I have the update but i still get error messages when i try to connect via the button or from the menu...

@Brian, I live in Dekalb and can verify that the above information about provider and service is correct. HSI is also available, and last I checked it was running about 4MB/s download. However, I think we have a lower upload limit than the rest of the burbs, only 125KB/s. Since Comcast has taken over I can count the number of primetime outages on less than one hand! I have had no problem with the knowledge base of local tech's and feel that this is a plus over the rest of the area.

YMMV,
Steve

Hey All,

First time poster.

I have a Sony KLV-32M1, live in Chicago and have Comcast Moto 6412. TV only has one set component in connections, but it does have an HDMI input. Can I use the Comcast DVI output to get the video signal to the TV? What type of a cable do I need.

The HD reception is great so far. The 480i reception looks terrible. Is this a function of the LCD TV combined with standard def or do I have a problem of some sort? I thought digital cable box would improve the picture, but I can't say that I notice a difference.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Just got a long 10+ minute "update" on my box when I got home tonight (about 2am). It said "dl" when I got home and took about 10 minutes for the box to finish and reset. Who knows how long it was going before I got here.

Going to check now to see if there are any differences -- I'll post again if I notice any changes. :)

Originally posted by Lee K
Just got a long 10+ minute "update" on my box when I got home tonight (about 2am). It said "dl" when I got home and took about 10 minutes for the box to finish and reset. Who knows how long it was going before I got here.

Going to check now to see if there are any differences -- I'll post again if I notice any changes. :)

They were removing a good chunck of PPV channels.

b

Or they could have been adding on demand if you did not already have it

Wow..vod is now working on my 6412 (hasnt been since I got it) Elk Grove area

Originally posted by M_Ross124
Wow..vod is now working on my 6412 (hasnt been since I got it) Elk Grove area

That's very good news. I can't wait to get home tonight to see if mine works. I've had the 6412 since November without it working. I tried and tried to get some kind of credit on my bill but they kept insisting since it's a free service they could not issue a credit. I finally got in touch with the right person who was kind enough to take off the two 15.00 service charges or whatever they're called, for "installing" the 6412.

I called Comcast yesterday after reviewing my new bill online and seeing 2 x $15.99 charges for installation and activation of my second STB in my bedroom. I've had the service since Oct when I got my first HDTV in the livingroom. I told the CSR that I thought the charges were rediculous and that when I ordered it I was not informed of these charges. I'm no techy by any means, but come on, I can plug in a STB and connect component cables, LOL. Actually the "installer" admitted he worked almost exclusively installing HSI and was pretty unfamiliar with these STBs.

Well, after a brief check with a supervisor she came back to advise me they would credit back those charges.

Other observations:

I see no difference using my DVI connection over the component cables from comcast.
I split the cable and connect one line directly into the HDTV to get the best SD PQ.
Important to note that I'm watching from 15' with a pair of 55 yr old eyes, LOL! Hey, at least they don't require corrective lenses.:D

Originally posted by vj9999

Also, when they called me to confirm the appointment (it was a call from a local office) they asked me to check my VOD just to make sure hat the problem is still there. The lady on the phone said that on 2/16 there will be a firmware ugrade (9.15 I am assuming) that might fix the issue.

Well, the firmware upgrade on 2/16 that this Comcast employee was referring to did not take place yesterday because I checked my box this morning and I still have v9.12.

Originally posted by Gov
I just called again today. Has anyone else call yet? If not, please do. It seems that according to the CSR I spoke to today, that they are NOT aware of any problem on their end!!

The only thing the CSR was interested in was either sending out another tech (yea, just what I want!!) or crediting my account for the fourth time. I did take the credit, but told them I am more interested in them addressing the problem, not the credit. The CSR was going to leave a message with some boss to call me back. I am not holding my breath.

So please, everyone experiencing these problems with channel 195, please call. I plan on calling every month.

Gov


Update, I called again today and reported the same problem. Lately, this channel has become almost unwatchable! They still claim that they have no reports of this problem, but will look into it...whatever.......

Originally posted by Skarpachi
Well, the firmware upgrade on 2/16 that this Comcast employee was referring to did not take place yesterday because I checked my box this morning and I still have v9.12.

2/16 may be the beginning of the rollout - not all areas necessarily update at the same time. I'm in Schaumburg and I still have 9.12 firmware as of noon today. The last time Comcast pushed a major upgrade the Schaumburg area was one of the last to receive it (that was the FireWire fix).

Ok here is what we are finding on basic comcast HD here in Palatine:

115.1 cbs
115.2 pbs
116.2 fox
116.5 nbc

Does anyone know what #'s are abc(7) or wgn(9)? Someone else posted some channels but they didn't match what we found.

Originally posted by Lee K
Ok here is what we are finding on basic comcast HD here in Palatine:

115.1 cbs
115.2 pbs
116.2 fox
116.5 nbc

Does anyone know what #'s are abc(7) or wgn(9)? Someone else posted some channels but they didn't match what we found.

Your numbers match the channels on my LG 3410A. ABC = 82.1 and WGN = 82.2 here.

This may have been asked before, so forgive me if it has. I am a D* subscriber but a huge Cubs fan and am interested in adding Comcast just for Comcast Sports Net HD. What is the bare minimum that I would need to subscribe to in order to get it? I do have Comcast Broadband if that would effect pricing.

Thanks in advance..

Ask for the Dish Buyback promotion.

But beware, these guys are idiots. I called to sign up about two weeks ago and they gave me an appt. on the 12th. I said I couldn't make that, how about the 21st. No problem. So I call in on the 14th to confirm my appt. on the 21st, and they say they went out on the 12th and nobody was home. Of course I wasn't home. They didn't even call!

So I made an appt for yesterday, between 8-12. No problem. It's another day off work but who's counting. I wait and wait and finally I call in. We show your appt. was on the 12th. Doh! So I made another appt. for Tue. We'll see.

I just wish DirecTV had an affordable option for HD DVR...cable sucks already.

I'm not getting rid of DirecTV and I have an HDTivo. I just want Comcast for April-September and only for Comcast Sports Net HD

Originally posted by bakerfall
This may have been asked before, so forgive me if it has. I am a D* subscriber but a huge Cubs fan and am interested in adding Comcast just for Comcast Sports Net HD. What is the bare minimum that I would need to subscribe to in order to get it? I do have Comcast Broadband if that would effect pricing.

Thanks in advance..

Assuming that the CSN HD games are shown on one of the INHD channels, I believe you'll need the Digital Classic package and an HD box. Adding cable will save you $15 on your Broadband service.

Hey all,

I live in the Lakeview area of chi-town and just got Comcast HD, etc.

No Ondemand service? Comcast support told me that they are "between" providers and that the problem should be fixed by the end of the month.

Can anyone confirm if this is true?

If I have comcast come out to test the signal on my line do I have to worry about the amount of tv's or computers that I have hooked up to the line? I have been getting slight interruptions while watching tv, like a second or two of blank screen. Not so much on my GW, which has the 6412 hooked up to it as well as a feed from just cable, but on the other tv's in the house. I have one 6412, two standard digital boxes, five other tv's getting just analog signal, and a modem and router hooked to four computers. I have a coaxial signal amplifier in the line after the first four way splitter. I was curious if there might be a limit as to how many things can be connected or not.

Originally posted by bakerfall
This may have been asked before, so forgive me if it has. I am a D* subscriber but a huge Cubs fan and am interested in adding Comcast just for Comcast Sports Net HD. What is the bare minimum that I would need to subscribe to in order to get it? I do have Comcast Broadband if that would effect pricing.

Thanks in advance..

I just Switched most of my programming from E* to Comcast, mainly for CSN-C HD. (But not , God forbid to watch the Cubs!) It's been great wtching the Bulls run and can't wait for the Sox to start.

You have to get the bare minimum Digital package here to get HD. I just went farther and got most of my package with Comcast, keeping just HD, my grandfathered distant nets, & the sports pack with E*. I was still in a programming requirement until 10/05 due to getting a 510 receiver and having a 2 yr commitment when I did. E* HD gives me HD Net, HD Net movies and TNT HD that Comcast doesn't.

If you get Comcast Digital, your Broadband price will drop. THe special I got gives me 3 free months of programming in the 1st yr.

Originally posted by marvincbr
If I have comcast come out to test the signal on my line do I have to worry about the amount of tv's or computers that I have hooked up to the line? I have been getting slight interruptions while watching tv, like a second or two of blank screen. Not so much on my GW, which has the 6412 hooked up to it as well as a feed from just cable, but on the other tv's in the house. I have one 6412, two standard digital boxes, five other tv's getting just analog signal, and a modem and router hooked to four computers. I have a coaxial signal amplifier in the line after the first four way splitter. I was curious if there might be a limit as to how many things can be connected or not.

Every split degrades your signal a little. In general, it is recommended that you put the amp as close to the point where cable enters your house as possible. In most cases you should be amplifying your signal before the splitter, not after. I also split my cable to many different areas of the house. My cable enters the house at two different points. I only use 1ghz splitters or better and I do my best to minimize the number of splits. I ended up adding a ratshack amp to both incoming lines before any splits. The setup works pretty well.

Originally posted by bakerfall
This may have been asked before, so forgive me if it has. I am a D* subscriber but a huge Cubs fan and am interested in adding Comcast just for Comcast Sports Net HD. What is the bare minimum that I would need to subscribe to in order to get it? I do have Comcast Broadband if that would effect pricing.

Thanks in advance..

I may be wrong, but I don't think there is an HD version of Comcast Sports Net. As somebody else mentioned, some of the games might be on iNHD. I also thought I recently heard that all home games would be in HD, but I don't remember the specifics on that. It may be all home wgn games are in hd???

As far as requirements go:
- To get local channels in HD (including wgn), you only need Basic Service $16 plus the $5 HDBox (or $10 PVR HD Box) rental fee. Although the comcast site doesn't show it, you will get Comcast Sports Net with this package (because you have cable internet, channels 2-99 will work).
- To get iNHD1/2, ESPN HD and Discovery HD you need one of the Digital packages. I think the cheapest is Digital Classic - don't know the price.

The upside to comcast is that there is no equipment to buy or contracts to sign, so you can use their equipment for the season, then give it back.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
I may be wrong, but I don't think there is an HD version of Comcast Sports Net. As somebody else mentioned, some of the games might be on iNHD. I also thought I recently heard that all home games would be in HD, but I don't remember the specifics on that. It may be all home wgn games are in hd???

All home games on WGN & CSN will be in HD (CSN games on INHD just as the Bulls games are currently). There are 6 home games on ESPN / FOX that may be in HD and 4 home games on WCIU that will not be in HD. If interested, I posted a full season schedule in this thread last week.

Originally posted by kblee
All home games on WGN & CSN will be in HD (CSN games on INHD just as the Bulls games are currently). There are 6 home games on ESPN / FOX that may be in HD and 4 home games on WCIU that will not be in HD. If interested, I posted a full season schedule in this thread last week.
Thanks for the clarification. I knew I heard the info somewhere!
Cub tix on sale this Friday!

Don't be surprised if there is a dedicated CSN HD Channel by the time the baseball season rolls around. With the volume of Cubs and Sox games in HD, it makes more sense than to continually pre-empt INHD.

Mike K.

My 6412 just went into dl at 3:00 am.

Update: It downloaded for 25 minutes, froze, displayed e601, turned on and went back into dl. Around 3:50 it was finally finished and the firmware is still 9.12 . I wonder if they tried pushing the new firmware and then rolled back because of the error ?!

I think that dl was VOD related. They added HDTV OnDemand back for us here on Schaumburg headend and in Get local section there is CSN and CLTV.

No 9.15 just yet :)

Originally posted by mikek747
Don't be surprised if there is a dedicated CSN HD Channel by the time the baseball season rolls around. With the volume of Cubs and Sox games in HD, it makes more sense than to continually pre-empt INHD.

I have never heard a mention of a dedicated CSN HD channel. The pre-empted INHD programming simply flips over to channel 208. Is this merely speculation or have you actually heard something?

At the top of the Cubs Comcast HDTV schedule there is a note that Comcast SportsNet HDTV can be found locally on Ch. 175. Since this is the INHD2 channel, it doesn't sound like a separate HD channel is in the works.

Originally posted by vj9999
I think that dl was VOD related. They added HDTV OnDemand back for us here on Schaumburg headend and in Get local section there is CSN and CLTV.

The good news is the HDTV On Demand is back. The bad news is every offering now costs $$$ to watch - no more freebies. :(

Originally posted by FSugino
The good news is the HDTV On Demand is back. The bad news is every offering now costs $$$ to watch - no more freebies. :(

Well there are few music videos from INHD that are complimentary :) Good thing I watched Shrek 2 in HD before they"fixed" the problem.

Originally posted by kblee
I have never heard a mention of a dedicated CSN HD channel. The pre-empted INHD programming simply flips over to channel 208. Is this merely speculation or have you actually heard something?

I have it from a very reliable source that there is a good chance this will happen for the baseball season. I believe it may still be under discussion. I would think that 208 would be the most likely place for it.

It makes sense that the Cubs schedule would indicate channel 175 at this time. There has been no official announcement that this will happen.

Mike K.

I wonder if I have a problem with my comcast box. I no longer seem to get any shows in Dolby. My DVD is still fine. Both DVD and Comcast go thru my Denon 3803.

Anyone else notice anything?

:confused:

Originally posted by Lee Heytow
I wonder if I have a problem with my comcast box. I no longer seem to get any shows in Dolby. My DVD is still fine. Both DVD and Comcast go thru my Denon 3803.

Anyone else notice anything?

:confused:

This is a known "bug" with the 6412 (happened to me a few weeks ago). All you have to do is unplug the box for awhile (I left mine for about 5 minutes - probably don't need that long) and plug back in. You won't lose any scheduled recordings, but your on-screen guide may take awhile to re-load. Someone here indicated that they do this on a monthly basis as a preventative measure. I think I may consider doing this as well...

Thanks, I'll give that a try and report back. I've still got the earlier box but it is probably the same issue.

Is anyone else having issues with the CSNHD and/or WFLD bugs? The CSNHD logo appeared slightly off the screen during last nights Bulls game, and the WFLD logo appears a little low during American Idol.

Not sure if the problem is on my set (Mits 55907) or with Comcast.

My apologies if this has been covered before.

The WFLD bug looks low on my Mits set, too. And sometimes during basketball games on INHD the score will be placed too high along the top of the screen, so I can only see the bottom half of the letters and numbers.

I have a hunch I need to reduce the overscan setting on my set by a percent or two, but the INHD problem is intermittent (most of the time the entire text is visible) and I've learned to ignore the WFLD bug.

I was referring to the CSN Bug in the upper right hand corner of the Bulls broadcast. Last nite it seemed that the 'V' from HDTV was off the screen on the right side.
It's not a huge deal, I was just wondering if I needed to adjust my set, since there were 2 different Bugs with problems last night.

Did WFLD change the location of their bug? For me, the bug is just inside my set in the corner.

We didn't watch AI last night and Monday night we watched it in SD in our bedroom.

As for the CSN HD bug, sorry no help. Don't watch too many Bulls games.


tim

Just an FYI. For those of you that have Comcast HSI. Looks like they increased the speed this morning like promised. I am getting 4mbps right now. You might need to reboot your modem to see the change.

Does anyone know when we are supposed to get firmware v9.15?

Originally posted by vj9999
Just an FYI. For those of you that have Comcast HSI. Looks like they increased the speed this morning like promised. I am getting 4mbps right now. You might need to reboot your modem to see the change.

How are you checking your download speed?

Thanks

Originally posted by JKJ95
How are you checking your download speed?

Thanks

http://*******.com/26wjs

I unplugged my comcast box for about 5 minutes but still did not get my Dolby sound back.

I called comcast and the CS I talked to didn't even know what Dolby was :(

Had to schedule a service call.

Any other suggestions?

Originally posted by vj9999
AN update on my VOD problem. I had a problem with no video/audio when trying to play on demand (mute/unmute would bring audio back). I had a working 6412, but after it was replaced because of an unrelated VOD issue(which turned out to be a local issue) new box had the no video problem.

I had a technician come out Friday morning. Probably the best tech I had so far. Seemed knowledgable, and determined to figure out the problem. HE said that they have been having a lot of problems like mine. He tried putting in a new box, we waited 25 minutes for the download and still the same thing. Most other techs would leave at that point, but this guy was different. He said that he has few more 6412s on his truck and we can give them a try too. He brought in another box, it went through the download and on that one VOD was working just fine.

He wrote down the serial numbers and FG numbers and said he likes to do research and see if they can figure out a common link between the boxes.

Also, when they called me to confirm the appointment (it was a call from a local office) they asked me to check my VOD just to make sure hat the problem is still there. The lady on the phone said that on 2/16 there will be a firmware ugrade (9.15 I am assuming) that might fix the issue.

I have never had OnDemand work on my 6412. Menus would work, but video and audio didn't. Today, I happened to try it, and it worked!! I don't know what is different. The only minor clue is that it seems as if the software version listed in the d08 section of the diagnostics menus changed. I swear it was 53.09, but it is now 49.10, with a tcas4910 in front of it.

I have a slightly different VOD issue. My showtime and HBO VOD dosen't work but the rest does, unless I have a Showtime or HBO show saved. It hasen't really bothered me that much.

I am having problems with Bulls games on Channel 175 on my 6412. Whenever they come back from commercial, the picture freezes for 5-7 seconds. This happens after every commercial break and I have noticed it during the last 5 or so Bulls telecasts. All other channels are okay. Is anyone else having the same problem?

Originally posted by Lee Heytow
I unplugged my comcast box for about 5 minutes but still did not get my Dolby sound back.

I called comcast and the CS I talked to didn't even know what Dolby was :(

Had to schedule a service call.

Any other suggestions?

Did you try doing Power off->Menu->Restore All Defaults ? I never had Dolby roblem, but I believe I read somewhere that that is a fix for it.

Wierd things you notice when you are still awake at 3:45 AM :)

On ABC (Ch. 187) there is a movie "The Locket". It is filling up the whole screen (not the usual 14:9) and it is obviously zoomed in (a lot of cut off heads).

Fox seems to be running through the splicer since there is the red fox logo outside the 4:3 area.

I should really go to bed :)

Originally posted by vj9999
On ABC (Ch. 187) there is a movie "The Locket". It is filling up the whole screen (not the usual 14:9) and it is obviously zoomed in (a lot of cut off heads).

Channel 7 'zoom-stretches' all SD material on their HD broadcast, turning everybody into munchkins. The only time you see pillarboxes on the sides is when a NETWORK HD feed does it, usually only on commercials. SD network shows are shown 'zoom-stretched'. I often watch the analog 7 instead, or 217 for news, because I find it annoying.

vj9999,

Thanks for the idea. I got another one from klbee in a pm. He suggested going into the onscreeen menu and resetting audio to matrix.
That did the trickand I have my dolby back.

ABC is still completely zoomed in.

andyross63. I was refering to where normally ABC is zoomed in, but small pillar boxes are left on either side (not like regular 4:3 pillar boxes, but more lie 14:9 kind of look). As of last night it completely fills the screen and the amount of zoom is much more anoying (peopleheads are alot more cut off).

Originally posted by vj9999
ABC is still completely zoomed in.

andyross63. I was refering to where normally ABC is zoomed in, but small pillar boxes are left on either side (not like regular 4:3 pillar boxes, but more lie 14:9 kind of look). As of last night it completely fills the screen and the amount of zoom is much more anoying (peopleheads are alot more cut off).

I noticed this too the other day. ABC7-HD is zoomed in more than usual. Although for me I never had pillar boxes. I have a CRT, so overscan most likely was the cause of that.


tim

Remember that WLS-TV is owned by Disney/ABC. This is the company that calls full-screen P&S movies 'Family Friendly.' ESPN-HD used to zoom-stretch until a few months ago.

Originally posted by vj9999
ABC is still completely zoomed in.

andyross63. I was refering to where normally ABC is zoomed in, but small pillar boxes are left on either side (not like regular 4:3 pillar boxes, but more lie 14:9 kind of look). As of last night it completely fills the screen and the amount of zoom is much more anoying (peopleheads are alot more cut off).


Yes..the small pillar boxes are gone! Also, the bottom crawl on the morning news is unreadable now :mad: There is definately some zooming going on

Just curious. Did people get the Oscars in DD 5.1 last night? I only got dolby pro logic. Do I need to reset my box?

Originally posted by gtcharlie
Did people get the Oscars in DD 5.1 last night? I only got dolby pro logic. Do I need to reset my box? My receiver indicated 5.1 :cool: Al

Originally posted by gtcharlie
Just curious. Did people get the Oscars in DD 5.1 last night? I only got dolby pro logic. Do I need to reset my box?

DD5.1 here - it was really noticeable during the audience applause.

I definitely was receiving programs in DD 5.1 before. Anyone else have this problem? I thought I read it might be fixed by powering the DVR box off and then back on. Why would this fix anything?

Does anyone else have a problem with the audio on Video On Demand where the sound level is way higher than watching normal cable channels? Everytime I go into the VOD menu, the sound from the preview window is very loud it makes me jump. I connect the sound using the digital coaxial output into my receiver, NOT the analog outputs. Anyone else with this kind of setup have a similar issue with VOD sound output?? I tried playing with the audio settings in the cable box setup menu (with no improvement), but i really thought these stereo settings were just for the analog outputs, not the digital audio outputs. Thanks.

Originally posted by timmo
Does anyone else have a problem with the audio on Video On Demand where the sound level is way higher than watching normal cable channels? Everytime I go into the VOD menu, the sound from the preview window is very loud it makes me jump. I connect the sound using the digital coaxial output into my receiver, NOT the analog outputs. Anyone else with this kind of setup have a similar issue with VOD sound output?? I tried playing with the audio settings in the cable box setup menu (with no improvement), but i really thought these stereo settings were just for the analog outputs, not the digital audio outputs. Thanks.

I too connect the sound using digital coaxial output into my receiver and have the same sound output issue with VOD. I just turn the volume down before I switch over to VOD to compenstate for the higher sound output. I'm not sure if there is a fix.

Originally posted by Gov
Yes..the small pillar boxes are gone! Also, the bottom crawl on the morning news is unreadable now :mad: There is definately some zooming going on


And now it seems that the zooming is gone.


tim

Originally posted by vj9999
Just an FYI. For those of you that have Comcast HSI. Looks like they increased the speed this morning like promised. I am getting 4mbps right now. You might need to reboot your modem to see the change.
At least someone is getting a high speed. Out here in Oswego, after the speed increase, I'm pulling a whopping 1.9mpbs. Of course, the Comcast techs always want to blame my slow speed on spyware (which I don't have on my PC).

Originally posted by gtcharlie
I definitely was receiving programs in DD 5.1 before. Anyone else have this problem? I thought I read it might be fixed by powering the DVR box off and then back on. Why would this fix anything?

This came up recently in this thread - the solution was in the audio settings. I believe someone set the audio to Matrix format and got their 5.1 signal back.

To get by 5.1 sound back I simply unplugged the box, let it sit a minute, then replugged it back in. Everything seems to be back to normal. Strange. I will check to see about the matrix setting.

Originally posted by radarblip
Voom (http://www.voom.com/index.shtml) fails to make it. Shutting down the end of this month.

I finally decided to drop Comcast and go with Voom and now this.

Google News stories here (http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=voom&btnG=Search+News).

Who else can I turn to for more HDTV movies? I am in Evanston IL so WOW is not available to me.

Check out the Voom message threads in the HDTV Programming section. It isn't as bleak as it seems...

I've noticed recently, while watching Stargate on Sci-Fi channel, that the aspect ratio seems to be 2.35:1 (letterbox). I have a comcast two tuner dvr and a Replay dvr. The comcast box is connected via DVI. The replay, via component. I have a samsung dlp (hlp 5685).

Most shows recorded on the SD channels appear as 4:3. In fact, with a component input, the TV is normally set to 4:3 (my replay is only recording analog channels 2 through 99). But, I've noticed some shows, including Stargate, appear letterboxed in the TV's 4:3 display. While watching Stargate, when I switch to "Wide" picture size on the TV, I get a nice "aspect ratio correct" view.

My question is: Is this a precursor to a High Def sci-fi channel? Any thoughts? Anyone else notice this? When is comcast going to go digital on all the analog channels?

Sci-Fi does present a lot of movies and a few series in letterbox format. They've actually been pretty good about presenting material in its OAR version.

What's really fun is watching Bravo (I think) when they broadcast the Cirque du Soleil shows. They sometimes use the anamorphic widescreen version which looks very compressed on a standard 4:3 television, but looks normal when shown on a widescreen 16:9 display. I don't know if that was by accident or on purpose, but I was pretty thrilled when I first saw that a few years ago.

Originally posted by jrodbbrook
I've noticed recently, while watching Stargate on Sci-Fi channel, that the aspect ratio seems to be 2.35:1 (letterbox). I have a comcast two tuner dvr and a Replay dvr. The comcast box is connected via DVI. The replay, via component. I have a samsung dlp (hlp 5685).
My question is: Is this a precursor to a High Def sci-fi channel? Any thoughts? Anyone else notice this? When is comcast going to go digital on all the analog channels?

Current season Stargate SG1 episodes have always been widescreen (16:9, 1.78:1) on SciFi, and I think have been since it was on Showtime. Older episodes in repeat are aired using 4:3 versions.

Battlestar Galactica appears to be filmed/recorded in HD. An edited 3-hour version of the mini-series/pilot aired in HD on NBC just before the series premiere on SciFi (both are owned by NBC/Universal.) I would guess Atlantis and later SG1's are originally HD, too.

This is a good reason to get widescreen TV's. More and more shows are widescreen/letterboxed. Not just major network shows but also stuff on Science Channel, National Geographic, etc... Too bad it's the movie channels that are letterbox-phobic.

On my bill last month it advertised a Starz! free preview for this past weekend. I already subscribe to Starz!, but I was plesantly surprised to find that I also received Showtime over the weekend.

I know (from other forums) that D* was having a Showtime free preview, but didn't think it was going to run on Comcast. Anyone else out there get this as well?

Originally posted by andyross63
Current season Stargate SG1 episodes have always been widescreen (16:9, 1.78:1) on SciFi, and I think have been since it was on Showtime. Older episodes in repeat are aired using 4:3 versions.

Battlestar Galactica appears to be filmed/recorded in HD. An edited 3-hour version of the mini-series/pilot aired in HD on NBC just before the series premiere on SciFi (both are owned by NBC/Universal.) I would guess Atlantis and later SG1's are originally HD, too.


Yes, Atlantis is aired in HD (somewhere) I have most of the first season in HD. Stargate SG1 is not though.
I wish they would air SG1 in HD though!

Originally posted by kblee
I know (from other forums) that D* was having a Showtime free preview, but didn't think it was going to run on Comcast. Anyone else out there get this as well? I noticed that the encryption was removed from the Showtime SD channels so that my QAM tuner was able to receive them. Couldn't find Showtime HD though, nor any Starz channels at all.

Does anyone know when we are supposed to get firmware v9.15 on the 6412's?

Originally posted by Skarpachi
Does anyone know when we are supposed to get firmware v9.15 on the 6412's?

I hope it is soon. I missed SG-1 again on Friday because of the analog freezing problem.

Originally posted by UncD2000
I noticed that the encryption was removed from the Showtime SD channels so that my QAM tuner was able to receive them. Couldn't find Showtime HD though, nor any Starz channels at all.

There is a 'free preview' of digital Showtime channels March 3-10. Unlike the previous HBO previews, SHO-HD is also available on my box.

Starz! channels will have a free preview April 7-10.

Apparently 88-2 & 88-10 are not part of the Showtime freebie. They both ran a brief XXX film clip early this afternoon, and then went blank. Perhaps a porno channel that should have been encrypted.

Edit: Last night these two channels were carrying PBS Kids. One extreme to the other it seems.

I'm trying to set up my Comcast e-mail in Outlook 2003, but whenever the Outlook e-mail set-up wizard tries to send a test e-mail, it gets an error.

I've gone on the comcast.net site and looked at the FAQ, but I'm doing everything it says to do.

Any guesses?

tim

what are you using as an outgoing mail server?

It should be "smtp.comcast.net"

The Comcast mail server seems to be a bit out of whack this morning (I'm getting error messages right now trying to send out test emails to my other accounts). Try the test again later today.