Originally posted by vj9999
what are you using as an outgoing mail server?

It should be "smtp.comcast.net"

That's the one.

Based on Fsugino's post, I'll try again tonight.

tim

Just got home and tried again - email seems to be working fine. Give it another shot.

Originally posted by FSugino
Just got home and tried again - email seems to be working fine. Give it another shot.

It works now.

Now I have to figure out why the Comcast home page won't load in either IE or Firefox on my home pc. It works fine on my work laptop.

tim

Originally posted by mck024
http://*******.com/26wjs

That speed meter is not accurate, try the "Line speed meter" which is much more accurate and detailed. http://www.tcpiq.com/tcpIQ/LineSpeed/Default.aspx

Originally posted by timdgibson
It works now.

Now I have to figure out why the Comcast home page won't load in either IE or Firefox on my home pc. It works fine on my work laptop.

tim
Comcast recently redesigned their web page. It is now one giant Flash file. Make certain you have Flash player installed properly, and try temporarily turning off any ad blockers and similar to try and narrow things down. Also, flush out the caches of both browsers.

Originally posted by andyross63
Comcast recently redesigned their web page. It is now one giant Flash file. Make certain you have Flash player installed properly, and try temporarily turning off any ad blockers and similar to try and narrow things down. Also, flush out the caches of both browsers.

Done all that many times. I also can't get to the Yahoo mail page for either myself or my wife's account. All other pages on Yahoo load fine. And all of those pages work fine on both of our work computers.

Aren't computers fun? :(

tim

Originally posted by timdgibson
Done all that many times. I also can't get to the Yahoo mail page for either myself or my wife's account. All other pages on Yahoo load fine. And all of those pages work fine on both of our work computers.

Aren't computers fun? :(

tim

I find that when I can't get a page to load, if I add it to my Trusted Sites, and restart IE, I can get the page to load.

Good Luck

Hey guys I just finally got the 6412 installed. I LOVE it so far, it's much much better than the 6208.

HOWEVER, the second tuner isn't working at all. When I go into the system menu it says that the second tuner is not active. How can I fix this? :(

Originally posted by Lee K
HOWEVER, the second tuner isn't working at all. When I go into the system menu it says that the second tuner is not active. How can I fix this? :(

Where exactly are you checking? The In-Band Status screen? What does it say for Tuner 2?

And what happens when you hit the swap button on the remote?

I have no swap button. The installer didn't have any of the new remotes. :(

And when the box is off if I go to the Diagnostics screen, under In-Band Status it says..

IN-BAND TUNER 2
MODE: NOT AVAILABLE

This is so frustrating, my sound is working off and on. Right now I have no sound, yippie!

Also another fun thing that it's doing is that it's not tuning to anything sometimes. I just get a black screen. I can navigate the menus and such, but that's it.

By the way, why is it that we can't just get an intuitive box that actually responds normally to commands? Every time I press a direction key in the menu, or click a selection, it takes awhile to actually do it. Sometimes it doesn't even respond at all. I feel like I'm using my girlfriends Sony Ericsson phone.

I gotta tell ya, it sounds like you got well and truly hosed on this install. I can't believe that the installer left with your system in this condition. As a quickie fix, try unplugging the box for a few seconds and plugging it back in. If/when my box loses audio like that I do a hard reset by yanking the power cable and that usually fixes things.

If I were in your shoes I'd call Comcast and schedule a box swap and insist that the installer bring the correct remote (make sure it has a black ON DEMAND button near the top, as well as My DVR and Swap buttons). And of course, make sure that both tuners are active by hitting the Swap button.

Originally posted by Lee K
I have no swap button. The installer didn't have any of the new remotes. :(

And when the box is off if I go to the Diagnostics screen, under In-Band Status it says..

IN-BAND TUNER 2
MODE: NOT AVAILABLE
Is your remote silver and does it have the big OnDemand button? If so, try hitting the TV/VCR button. Comcast has been mapping that as the Swap button, but may not always be putting the little overlay on it.

Alternatively, try this:
Hit the setup key (don't hold it, just press and release it as a normal key), then 00236. This is the swap code.

If the TV/VCR button was not mapped as Swap, do this:
Hit the Cable button to make it the default.
Press and hold Setup until 2 blinks, release key
Type 994, you should get 2 blinks
Press and release Setup (don't hold), then 00236
Press the TV/VCR key
You should get 2 blinks.

Pressing TV/VCR should now send the Swap command.

Originally posted by andyross63
Is your remote silver and does it have the big OnDemand button? If so, try hitting the TV/VCR button. Comcast has been mapping that as the Swap button, but may not always be putting the little overlay on it.

Alternatively, try this:
Hit the setup key (don't hold it, just press and release it as a normal key), then 00236. This is the swap code.

If the TV/VCR button was not mapped as Swap, do this:
Hit the Cable button to make it the default.
Press and hold Setup until 2 blinks, release key
Type 994, you should get 2 blinks
Press and release Setup (don't hold), then 00236
Press the TV/VCR key
You should get 2 blinks.

Pressing TV/VCR should now send the Swap command.

Dude you just made my day!! Everything you said worked perfectly. And the second tuner works!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to type that all out, I really appreciate it. You just saved me a lot of time dealing with Comcast.

The installer said that I can take my pink reciept to the comcast building in Schaumburg and get a new remote. I'm going to try that today just in case it works.

Thanks again!!

Ok now I have another problem. I seem to be having a lot of sound issues with this box. First loosing the sound all together at times, and now my girlfriend is watching tv and it's cutting out and making digital sounding blips and scratch sounds.

:(

Originally posted by Lee K
Ok now I have another problem. I seem to be having a lot of sound issues with this box. First loosing the sound all together at times, and now my girlfriend is watching tv and it's cutting out and making digital sounding blips and scratch sounds.
Sounds like a weak signal, unless it was only on one show. You can use the diagnostics menus to check the signal levels of the problem channel(s).

I've decided to jump to Comcast (from Dish) after reading much of the comments about the Motorola 6412 and it's capabilities. Problem is, they are telling me that none are available now (in Chicago at least) and they don't know when they will become available. Has anyone else heard this message and is their any way around this problem (local stores that hold stock, etc...). I can't wait to get into the HD/DVR game (especially with the NCAA tournament coming up). Any help is appreciated.

Tim

Someone I know heard the same thing about the 6412. However no reason to switch just for the NCAA tourney since CBS isn't broadcasting it in HD. :(

Originally posted by lorloff
Someone I know heard the same thing about the 6412. However no reason to switch just for the NCAA tourney since CBS isn't broadcasting it in HD. :(

They aren't? Which CBS are you talking about?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=509515


tim

Here is Ch 2 schedule for 1st round:

What Games Will Be On CBS 2?

Mar 15, 2005 4:16 pm US/Central
CHICAGO (CBS 2) CBS 2 is your official Illini station and will be bringing you all their games during the March to the Arch! Here is the most updated schedule of other games you will be able to see on CBS 2.

Thursday, March 17th
Div. I Men's Basketball First Round games

11:25 am
Standard: Wis.-Milwaukee #12 vs. Alabama #5
HD: Wis.-Milwaukee #12 vs. Alabama #5

1:45 pm
Standard: Iowa #10 vs. Cincinnati #7
HD: Penn #13 vs. Boston Coll. #4

6:10 pm
Standard: Nevada #9 vs. Texas #8
HD: Nevada #9 vs. Texas #8

8:30 pm
Standard: Fair. Dickinson #16 vs. Illinois #1
HD: Fair. Dickinson #16 vs. Illinois #1


Friday, March 18th
Div. I Men's Basketball First Round games

11:30 am
Standard: Iowa St. #9 vs. Minnesota #8
HD: Iowa St. #9 vs. Minnesota #8

1:50 pm
Standard: St. Mary's (Ca.) #10 vs. Southern Ill. #7
HD: St. Mary's (Ca.) #10 vs. Southern Ill. #7

6:10 pm
Standard: Northern Iowa #11 vs. Wisconsin #6
HD: Vermont #13 vs. Syracuse #4

8:30 pm
Standard: Old Dominion #12 vs. Michigan St. #5
HD: Old Dominion #12 vs. Michigan St. #5


(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc., All Rights Reserved

Is 5C currently turned off? I haven't played with connecting my 6412 to my laptop for couple of months. I remember that 5C was turned on and I couldn't see HBO-HD, INHDs and ESPN-HD.

I recently installed a new version of TSReader (best software, well worth the money :) ). The laatest release supports meidvhs devices. I turned the 6412 to channel 186, expecting to see nothing, but to my surprise HBO HD was comming in fine and clear. It is reallly nice to be able to analyze the stream using TSReader.

I streamed it to VLC and it played perfect on my 1.4 GHz Centrino laptop. Not a single glitch.

I know it won't last, but it was a nice surprise :)

Another question, I noticed that m OnDemand menu hasn't been updated for last two weeks. Most of the stuff is LC and no "New" stuff at all. Anyone else notice this?

I am ready to make the switch from Dtv to Comcast. I like Dtv and Tivo but the cost of HD Tivo is crazy and locals will not be here for a few months. I know they have the dish buy back program, but I was wondering if anyone got a better sign-up deal? I know someone mentioned in another thread not to Comcast directly but to call a dealer and they will give a better deal. Who are the dealers of comcast? I thought they sell their cable alone. Any help will be appreciated.

With dish buy back I got $25 / month off my Digital Silver for 16 months. I guessing you'll be hard pressed to beat that. Plus - you'll get $15 / month off high-speed internet if you bundle it as well.

Thanks for the info. One more question. What is the best HD DVR comcast box to order? Does this area use the same unit for every house?

Thanks

Originally posted by llzink
Thanks for the info. One more question. What is the best HD DVR comcast box to order? Does this area use the same unit for every house?

In the Chicago area, I beleive everybody gets a Motorola DCT series box.

For non-DVR, it's either the 5100 or the 6200. The only difference is that the 6200 has FireWire (IEEE1394) outputs.

For DVR, it will be the 6412, which is a 6200 with double the memory (128M), two tuners, a 120G drive, and no RF output. There used to be a 6208 (80G, single tuner), but that was an interim, unadvertised DVR, that is no longer available.

Hi guys, I'm about to buy a TV with that HD/QAM Tuner built in. I am thinking of getting basic cable and hooking that up with it with the hope of at least getting the locals in HD. Would anyone be kind enough to post their results when trying to connect a tuner without the settopbox? Or does Comcast protect everything and I would not be able to see any HD/digital channels?

You should have no trouble receiving the HD locals as they are unencrypted (except for WPWR 50-1 which Comcast doesn't carry yet). You should also get a bunch of music-only channels, assuming that your QAM tuner has the selectivity to tune densely-packed subchannels (in our system, over 60 Music Choice subchannels are squeezed onto QAM channel 103).

I have an order in for Comcast cable and am awaiting arrival of the DVR before I let them come out and un-install my Dish DVR (my wife would kill me if I didn't replace it with a DVR). I have wireless internet access for $50 a month through a local company. What is the base price for Comcast internet? Also, does the Dish buy-back program for 16 month include the $15 per month rebate for the internet for 16 months as well?

Originally posted by tstall2
I have an order in for Comcast cable and am awaiting arrival of the DVR before I let them come out and un-install my Dish DVR (my wife would kill me if I didn't replace it with a DVR). I have wireless internet access for $50 a month through a local company. What is the base price for Comcast internet? Also, does the Dish buy-back program for 16 month include the $15 per month rebate for the internet for 16 months as well?

Base price for internet is $57.99 / mo (I think) and the $15 / mo discount brings it down to $42.99 mo. This is not a rebate, but a bundled discount that you'll continue to receive as long as you have both services. They usually run specials for new internet customers, so you can probably get it for $19.99 / mo for a few months while you try it out.

Doh, problem solved, nevermind...

Anyone else notice the billing games that Comcast has been playing recently?

My January bill indicated that my Digital Silver Package would increase from $64.99 / month to $69.99 / month. In reviewing my February 2005 billing statement I noticed that I was charged $71.99 from my package. Where did this additional $2 come form? The CSR I spoke with indicated that everyone was "upgraded" to On-Demand packages and that represented the $2 increase.

I NEVER requested an "upgrade" to my Digital Silver Package. What's even more interesting is that all current Comcast advertising is promoting On Demand as a "free service" they are providing to their customers. What am I missing here??

I don't have extra $2 charge. Here is my statement for this mont (3/1 - 3/31)

03/01 - 03/31 Digital Silver Package 69.99
Includes: Basic and Expanded Basic, Digital Basic, Digital Basic 2, Digital Music, Encore Encore Plex, HBO and HBO Plex.
03/01 - 03/31 Additional Outlet .00
03/01 - 03/31 Cable Guard 1.49
03/01 - 03/31 Dual Tuner DVR Service 9.99
03/01 - 03/31 Premier Tier 5.00

Monthly Charge(s)
03/01 - 03/31 Stnd Cable + Dgtl Plus 61.98
03/01 - 03/31 Additional Outlet .00
03/01 - 03/31 DVR Service 9.95
Subtotal 71.93

I have two boxes...a 6208 and an older General Instruments/Motorola DCT-2000

Jack G

After playing CSR roulette, I finally got to the bottom of my issue:

Early this year I was having the same Cinemax-HD issues that GOV had posted about here earlier. After several calls related to those issues, a "helpful" CSR offered to swap the STARZ! channels for the Cinemax channels. Unfortunately, she didn't tell me that would kill my grandfathered Digital Silver package. Thanks to Carla in the Tinley Park call center, I am finally being put back to where I was.

Scary thing is that one CSR actually told me the $2 increase in my bill was for the use of On-Demand.

Although Comcast can be a pain to deal with, I have found that if you keep calling back you'll eventually get someone who is willing to straighten things out.

Originally posted by kblee
After playing CSR roulette, I finally got to the bottom of my issue:

Early this year I was having the same Cinemax-HD issues that GOV had posted about here earlier. After several calls related to those issues, a "helpful" CSR offered to swap the STARZ! channels for the Cinemax channels. Unfortunately, she didn't tell me that would kill my grandfathered Digital Silver package. Thanks to Carla in the Tinley Park call center, I am finally being put back to where I was.

Scary thing is that one CSR actually told me the $2 increase in my bill was for the use of On-Demand.

Although Comcast can be a pain to deal with, I have found that if you keep calling back you'll eventually get someone who is willing to straighten things out.


Unfortunately, Cinemax-HD is still problematic, but atleast I am only paying $5 a month for it (well supposed to be that is!)

I'm looking to rent the HD box from Comcast for $5 p/mth. Do they allow self installs or do they have to come out to do it? I'd like to go pick it up and do it myself as I have a very erratic schedule.

Originally posted by slapshot
I'm looking to rent the HD box from Comcast for $5 p/mth. Do they allow self installs or do they have to come out to do it? I'd like to go pick it up and do it myself as I have a very erratic schedule.
They don't allow it in my area. They want their $16 install fee and $16 upgrade fee. They wouldn't even allow me to stop by to swap one hd box for another. THEY WANT THE $16 INSTALL FEE!

The kicker is that I don't let these guys touch my equipment (even though I am hospitable) when they enter my house. I essentially pay them $16 to hand me the box.

Did anyone else wake up to a message on their box this mourning? It appears International News will be turning into AZN an Asian channel, and the part I'm real excited about, Channel 200 will be Comcast Sports Net HD. It appears they are going to a full time channel, just in time for baseball season.

That install fee is a rip off. I downgraded from their 6208 HD-DVR to just basic cable with HD and they charged me $15.99 "change of service fee" AND then a $15.99 HDTV install fee. I called them and asked them how they could charge a $15.99 HDTV install fee when I already had HDTV and was just downgrading to a non-DVR version. They willingly credited both install charges (and another misc. charge for my dish buy back)

Has anyone in the Chicago area received the 9.15 update on their 6412? I'm ready getting tired of this analog channel lockup problem.

Originally posted by DenR
Has anyone in the Chicago area received the 9.15 update on their 6412? I'm ready getting tired of this analog channel lockup problem.
Still 9.12 here. My box has worked relatively flawlessly, except that I don't get VOD. My neighbor with a standard digital box does get vod.

I'm getting a 6412 installed in Hoffman on Saturday. Supposedly from their "new" shipment. Will let you know when I know what firmware is on it.

Originally posted by lorloff
I'm getting a 6412 installed in Hoffman on Saturday. Supposedly from their "new" shipment. Will let you know when I know what firmware is on it.
it won't matter what firmware will be on that box. once it connects and downloads from the headend, it will get what everyone currently has (9.12).

So, do you need digital cable to get HD? Can I just get the basic $10 /month sevice and then the HD box for $5 extra?

Also, let's say I want digital cable in the living room (no HD), but just HD in a bedroom, would I have to pay as an additional receiver?

Since there's discussion of firmware versions, I'll jump in with a question. I have a 6200 that is still on 7.07. Shouldn't I be on a newer version? Should I be upset? Will a CSR have a clue what I am complaining about?

While we're at it, anybody know when I can expect to see the new user guide? I hate the current one.

Thanks.

Originally posted by Da Truth
So, do you need digital cable to get HD? Can I just get the basic $10 /month sevice and then the HD box for $5 extra?

Yes, you can get the cheapest/basic service and lease the hdbox for 5. You may have to talk to a few CSRs before you get what you want, but many people (including me) have this exact setup.
Also, let's say I want digital cable in the living room (no HD), but just HD in a bedroom, would I have to pay as an additional receiver?
This would make your first question obsolete. You would now be paying for digital cable service (which will include a non-hd digital box free), plus $5 for hd box lease. I highly recommend paying 10/month and getting the hd dvr.

Originally posted by LaxStar18
the part I'm real excited about, Channel 200 will be Comcast Sports Net HD. It appears they are going to a full time channel, just in time for baseball season.

Yes - I received that message last night. Very good news. It only makes sense - now they won't have to interrrupt one of the INHD channels to show a game. I was doubtful that this would happen, but Comcast came through.

Wow only one person as excited as i am huh? Must not be to many baseball fans in here

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Wow only one person as excited as i am huh? Must not be to many baseball fans in here

I think it's more likely that most of us haven't seen the message just yet. As of last night it didn't show up on my box - maybe by the end of the week.

Msg still not on any of my boxes.

Weird it always seems like I'm one of the last ppl to get anything from Comcast. Oh well maybe they are tying to make it up to me. Hah yeah I know I'm dreaming, oh well.

I just got a message on my STB saying that as of April 1st Comcast Sportsnet HD will be available on Comcast (at least here in Chicago) on Channel 200. Well, it's not the HD announcement I was hoping for....but it is another HD channel.

CSN has really good HD picture quality baseball for the O's, and I guess we'll get some Nats games too, Angelos and MLB are still working on that. We also get some Wizards home games in HD (would have had Caps if...).

So that's great, you should get some good stuff.

Rich N.

Yeah, we've been getting all of the Bulls home games in HD but they've been playing them on INHD2 instead of their own channel. Once baseball starts we'll have Cubs, Sox, and Bulls in HD....Woo Hoo!

I care a lot about baseball (esp. HD & Cubs), although no message here.

Also, been too busy to even read the thread much this week: working at a church, this tends to be one of our busy times. ;)

tim

And blackhawks when the season if ever starts :D

CSN provides the best PQ among all sports channels, at least in my area.

Threads merged.

I wonder if CSN HD getting it's own channel means they'll do Sportsnite or something in HD too. I know they got that new studio, but I'm not sure if it's an HD studio

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Yes, you can get the cheapest/basic service and lease the hdbox for 5. You may have to talk to a few CSRs before you get what you want, but many people (including me) have this exact setup.

Thanks so much for the response! This is such great news, now that I know it's possible, those CSRs better watch out :D

Originally posted by surf_fun85
And blackhawks when the season if ever starts :D

Doubtful - Wirtz still doesn't allow the home games to be televised in Chicago.

People scoffed at me a month or so ago, when I suggested, based on information from a very reliable source, that a dedicated CSN HD channel was on the way. Looks like my source was correct :D .

Mike K.

Mike,
Does your source have info on the what and when of additional HD channels?

Originally posted by mikek747
People scoffed at me a month or so ago, when I suggested, based on information from a very reliable source, that a dedicated CSN HD channel was on the way. Looks like my source was correct :D .

Mike K.

I don't think anyone "scoffed" at you. Your original post said that we should not be surprised if a dedicated HD channel shows up in time for baseball season. As you didn't originally mention your "reliable source", I merely asked if this was speculation or if you actually had heard something that the rest of us had not.

Having just got my HDTV delivered and the 6412 DVR hooked up, does anyone know when/if Comcast broadcasts a test pattern for me to help calibrate my set?

Thanks.

Originally posted by pdubyu
Having just got my HDTV delivered and the 6412 DVR hooked up, does anyone know when/if Comcast broadcasts a test pattern for me to help calibrate my set?

They don't broadcast test patterns. You'll have to go buy/rent the AVIA or Video Essentials DVDs to do the calibration yourself.

Originally posted by FSugino
They don't broadcast test patterns. You'll have to go buy/rent the AVIA or Video Essentials DVDs to do the calibration yourself.
Absolutely, these disks are the best all around calibration route. Then copy your 480p settings to your hd input to put you in the ballpark. But, I believe you can further fine tune your HD settings with a pattern that INHD broadcasts on Monday or Tuesday mornings at 7:00am-ish.

FSugino and HD Rookie,

Thanks for the advice. I have both disks and was looking for some fine tuning on the colors.

Does anyone have the specifics of the INHD patterns? My INHD (ESPN, Discovery also) doesn't work yet so hopefully the cable guy will be able to come out and fix it soon. I'm "not authorized" even though I get everything else on my box that I'm supposed to. :(

Did anyone notice problems with the CBS broadcasts of the NCAA basketball games this past weekend. I noticed more picture break-ups than normal. No problem with the sound but the picture would break up very briefly every 5-10 minutes. I haven't noticed any issues with my other HD channels, just CBS.

I also had more picture breakups than usual during the tournament games.

Originally posted by mck024
I also had more picture breakups than usual during the tournament games.

Same here.

I noticed tomorrow nights bulls-bobcats game's scheduled to be on channel 175....a road game in HD?hmmmmm

Did anyone else have their programming interrupted due to last night's storms? I had American Idol and King of Queens recording last night at the same time. We watched Idol live. Several times the storm warning came on. When we watched our scheduled recording of King of Queens, we found it was broken up into 3 separate recordings (18 min., 1 min., and 11 min.). Is this what we have to look forward to during the storm season???

Originally posted by jrodbbrook
...programming interrupted ...broken up ...look forward to ?
Yes & Yes & Yes

I just noticed that Comcast SportsNet is now broadcasting on channel 200. The odd thing is there was no message from Comcast announcing this, although a different poster mentioned getting a note earlier this month. Go figure.

Yeah i also noticed it is now up and running. I did recieve a message about though, i wonder why everyone didnt. Maybe they sent other ppls messages to boxes in other states like some of the wierd messages we have gotten in the past.

Originally posted by FSugino
I just noticed that Comcast SportsNet is now broadcasting on channel 200. The odd thing is there was no message from Comcast announcing this, although a different poster mentioned getting a note earlier this month. Go figure.

CSNHD is now on channel 200 in Palatine as well.

Anyone know when Comcast will start carrying ESPN2 HD? Sunday Night Baseball's opening night (Yankees vs. Red Sox) will be on ESPN2 HD this year.

Originally posted by 2muchtv
Anyone know when Comcast will start carrying ESPN2 HD? Sunday Night Baseball's opening night (Yankees vs. Red Sox) will be on ESPN2 HD this year.

If you look over in the Programming forum you 'll find quite a bit on this topic (and other potential HD channels). That being said, it sounds like we won't see it any time soon as Comcast apparently thinks they don't have enough content to support the use of additional bandwidth. Also, it seems like they are using ESPN2HD as leverage to make Comcast carry ESPNU (which they don't seem too thrilled about).

Channel 200 has not appeared near downtown Chicago yet (as of last night).

I wonder if I'll get Monday's Sox opener in HD.

Originally posted by jrodbbrook
Did anyone else have their programming interrupted due to last night's storms? I had American Idol and King of Queens recording last night at the same time. We watched Idol live. Several times the storm warning came on. When we watched our scheduled recording of King of Queens, we found it was broken up into 3 separate recordings (18 min., 1 min., and 11 min.). Is this what we have to look forward to during the storm season???

There were probably several weather warnings during the programs. On the analog channels, you get the red screen and a message to tune to channel 3 (at least here in Schaumburg.) On digital channels, it just freezes for a few seconds. This probably confuses the DVR, causing it to 'close' one recording and start up a fresh one.

On a related note, does WLS receive their HD feed from satellite or high-speed land lines? Alternatively, how does Comcast get it's feed from WLS? Lost was breaking up often last night, and I assume it was the big storms over downtown Chicago screwing up any satellite and/or microwave feeds.

CSNHD has shown up here on channel 200.

Although I'm guessing we're going to lose it now, because we need to cut back from the digital to the "locals-only" plan. We're in a financial bind for the next several months. :(

When we watched Lost last night the breakups were also on our recording.


tim

I received the message about CSN HD on channel 200 a week or so ago. As I was leavig for work today, I noticed that the message light was on again and didn't have a chance to see what it was. Anyone know??

Originally posted by timdgibson
CSNHD has shown up here on channel 200.

Although I'm guessing we're going to lose it now
Yes, you probably are. I have the basic/locals-only package. I tried CSNHD last night and I couldn't get it.

I was surprised to see that CSN studio shows (I only saw Chicago Tribune show) were 16:9 (I don't want to say it was in HD, because it almost looked like an upconvert). Also, when they did pre Bulls game report from the United Center, it was in HD.

Originally posted by vj9999
I was surprised to see that CSN studio shows (I only saw Chicago Tribune show) were 16:9 (I don't want to say it was in HD, because it almost looked like an upconvert). Also, when they did pre Bulls game report from the United Center, it was in HD.

Yes I saw this too. Losing this channel in HD really bums me out; but with financial problems, I've learned that there are more important things in life (my wife, the health of our baby-to-be). I'll still be able to see the games on the SD channel.


tim

Go Cubbies!!

Since CSN HD could be considered a local HD channel, I was hoping Comcast might give us a break and leave it unencrypted like the local HD stations. I haven't had any luck so far in finding it on a QAM channel. Anyone else?? Fortunately the SD version on Ch. 37 has excellent PQ, amazingly better than we were getting from FSC last year, so it won't be too bad if the HD is encrypted and we have to view the 30 Cub home games on CSN in SD.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Yes, you probably are. I have the basic/locals-only package. I tried CSNHD last night and I couldn't get it.

I think you said earlier you had the basic cable set up while leasing the box for $5, this wouldn't be included in it? Do you get ESPN, the inHDs, etc? If not, then it would be no use for me to get the box since my TV has the Clear QAM tuner for the unencrypted channels. So it is not possible to get Discovery, ESPN, inHds, CSN, with that set up?

Originally posted by Da Truth
I think you said earlier you had the basic cable set up while leasing the box for $5, this wouldn't be included in it? Do you get ESPN, the inHDs, etc? If not, then it would be no use for me to get the box since my TV has the Clear QAM tuner for the unencrypted channels. So it is not possible to get Discovery, ESPN, inHds, CSN, with that set up?
Basic cable + $10 for the HD-DVR.

I get the cable guide, locals in hd and the dual tuner recorder, which we could now not live without.

Do you get ESPN, the inHDs, etc? No
So it is not possible to get Discovery, ESPN, inHds, CSN, with that set up? No

I also have a builtin qam tuner on my Mits 65869. The PQ thru this tuner is excellent, like most other HD tuners. But besides the PQ, this tuner is a POS. I have successfully used it with the cable feed, but the software is so buggy and inconvenient to use, I abandon it. Not to mention the cable company does its best to make sure you can't do a channel scan to find any channels. They load the feed with hundreds of fakes.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Yes, you probably are. I have the basic/locals-only package. I tried CSNHD last night and I couldn't get it.

So it only took me 2 tries, but I believe I got a CSR to put me on the locals-only package with the high speed internet. We'll see when I get home later tonight.

tim

Here in Schaumburg, channel 501 (TCM) has been deleted. We still have it on analog 16, though.

I can also now get channel 240 (was IC, now AZN) for some reason.

I noticed Encore and Showtime channels have been renamed in the guide. For example, Encore Mystery used to be MYST and MYSTW, are now E-MYS and E-MSw. Many of the Starz! channels are just S-xxx.

Finally, a reminder that the Starz! channels will have a free preview April 7th-10th.

So the CSR that I talked to didn't configure my account right, because when we came home a while ago, I was getting no channels and no guide. I called, talked to another one and she did it right.

Thanks HD Rookie for the info about the locals only package.


tim

Since DirecTV is dragging their feet about adding new 'national' HD channels (they seem to find room for NBA basketball games that I can never see) I'm looking at giving Comcast another shot. However I have a problem, I want to put multiple 6412's in the same location (basement) and control them from other rooms in ths house via IR extenders. I do this now with three D* Tivo's since they allow for each box to have a different remote ID assigned to them

I don't see where the 6412 has the same capability, or am I missing something. If the 6412 can't have different IR ID's assigned to them is anyone else doing something similar to what I need to do?? Thanks

Currently, the 6412 (and related on-DVR Models) do NOT have multiple remote ID's. The closest workaround some people have done is have a cardboard divider between the units. You carefully aim the remote one way or the other to pick which box!!

Otherwise, you would need separate repeater circuits for each, and somehow switch them on and off as needed.

Originally posted by andyross63
Currently, the 6412 (and related on-DVR Models) do NOT have multiple remote ID's. The closest workaround some people have done is have a cardboard divider between the units. You carefully aim the remote one way or the other to pick which box!!

Otherwise, you would need separate repeater circuits for each, and somehow switch them on and off as needed.

I have done this using a Xantach RT8 IR router.

b

My 6412 did not adjust it's clock to Daylight Saving Time. The program listings times are also one hour early, so things do record properly.

I don't recall having this probelm last summer. :confused:

Thanks to all of you AVS folks who have trained some of our local Comcast CSR's!

The girlfriend got a new HDTV Saturday, so I called Comcast for her. She has Comcast extended basic which is built in to her condo assessments. I asked the CSR (Marcus) for the DVR as an additional service. He immediately said OK, that the DVR would arrive Tuesday, would include reception of the local HD channels, and the total monthly charges for the girlfriend would be $9.99. No baloney about having to get a digital package.

I had been ready for several aggravating calls, but instead had instant success on the FIRST call. Amazing. :cool: :cool: :cool:

A toast to all those who have gone before...

Still no sign of CSN-HD on unencrypted QAM today. However, MLB Extra Innings is "in the clear" (evidently an intentional freebie) on Ch. 106 in our system. The PQ is poor as you would expect with 10 video subchannels on one frequency. I'll check again for CSN-HD on Saturday when they have their first Cub HD game, but I'll probably have to watch it on the SD channel (which is looking very good on the Sox game right now stretched to 16:9 with a progressive stretch mode).

HD game on ch. 200 looks even better. I don't understand why they didin't add it everywhere and yet stopped pre empting INHD2?! Another question is.... Why is 208 still there? Not liekely that it will be used that much anymore.

Channel 200 appeared near downtown Chicago in the last couple of days.

My LG LST-3410A DVR picked up 114 unencrypted QAM channels this afternoon. I think 93 of these are music channels, and 10 are in the MLB Extra Innings package, so that leaves 11 channels of interest.

Sox game looked great. A few camera men focusing their cameras from time to time and there was a lip sync issue on the pre-game. Go Sox!!!

Originally posted by timdgibson
So the CSR that I talked to didn't configure my account right, because when we came home a while ago, I was getting no channels and no guide. I called, talked to another one and she did it right.

Thanks HD Rookie for the info about the locals only package.

tim
Hey Tim,
Did your On Demand work before you went to locals only? Does it work after you went locals only? I'm still not getting VOD, but my neighbor with a standard digital cable box does. I'm beginning to think I have a signal strength issue.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Hey Tim,
Did your On Demand work before you went to locals only? Does it work after you went locals only? I'm still not getting VOD, but my neighbor with a standard digital cable box does. I'm beginning to think I have a signal strength issue.

It did work before I switched. I've been one of the lucky ones; ever since it launched here in Chicagoland, I've been able to receive it.

The first day that my plan was switched it did not work. Although I have not checked back since then. My wife and I almost never use it.


tim

Well, ladies & gentlemen my time here will be coming to an end. My wife just dropped off the security deposit at our new apartment place in Schaumburg. We have to move because of financial reasons (although we get a bigger place).

Unfortunately, the new place does not have Comcast. They have SBC for phone & DSL and Directv for tv service. I am bummed because I like Comcast a whole lot more, but we get a bigger apartment, full size washer/dryer in the apartment, and we're 5 minutes away from Jen's parents. Which with the baby coming in Sept. will be extremely helpful.

So thanks all of you for your help and tips. I'll miss this thread.

But God is good, and Jen and I are just walking faithfully with Him each day.

God bless,


tim

I hate it when they make exclusive deals that keep out competition. I was strongly considering an apartment in Bloomingdale last year, until I found out they didn't have Comcast, but some other service. Also, DSL wasn't even available (I think an RT was installed in that area a few months ago.)

Originally posted by timdgibson
Well, ladies & gentlemen my time here will be coming to an end. My wife just dropped off the security deposit at our new apartment place in Schaumburg. We have to move because of financial reasons (although we get a bigger place).

Unfortunately, the new place does not have Comcast. They have SBC for phone & DSL and Directv for tv service. I am bummed because I like Comcast a whole lot more, but we get a bigger apartment, full size washer/dryer in the apartment, and we're 5 minutes away from Jen's parents. Which with the baby coming in Sept. will be extremely helpful.

So thanks all of you for your help and tips. I'll miss this thread.

But God is good, and Jen and I are just walking faithfully with Him each day.

God bless,


tim

Best of luck and stop by every once in a while and say hello ;)

Tim,
be sure to chime in from time to time. Take care, God bless.

Anybody else notice a big difference in quallity between comcast sportsnet coverage of the cubs and WGN? Both are very good pictures for the most part but WGN games have a fair amount of what I would describe as noise in the picture, especially white shots like the cubs uniforms. Its not there all the time but is kind of distracting.

Originally posted by gtcharlie
<snip> WGN games have a fair amount of what I would describe as noise in the picture, especially white shots like the cubs uniforms. Its not there all the time but is kind of distracting.

I noticed some of this as well, but I saw it during the CSN coverage too. iRecord on my Mac was showing the bitrate to be hovering around 13-14Mbps on Sunday, for what it's worth.

Originally posted by vj9999
Why is 208 still there? Not liekely that it will be used that much anymore.

It will still be used for things like NFL Network's GOTW I suppose.

Is anyone else seeing a lot of audio sync problems on CSN-HD?

On saturday before the Cubs game, CSN wasn't even broadcasting sound. I thought it was my box at first, but as soon as I changed channels I was getting audio. It was just CSN.

Originally posted by jolietconvict
It will still be used for things like NFL Network's GOTW I suppose.

Is anyone else seeing a lot of audio sync problems on CSN-HD?

Yup. I think you are right. Actually few days ago they were showing some special from NFL Network HD on 208.

Originally posted by vj9999
Yup. I think you are right. Actually few days ago they were showing some special from NFL Network HD on 208.

Also, when there is an NBA-TV game on INHD, the regularly scheduled INHD programming shows up on 208. It happened one night over the weekend.

As a sidebar, Here's hoping TNT-HD does show up on Comcast in Chicagoland as part of the first wave of Comcast rolling out TNT-HD later this month (per the Magic 8 Ball).

Did anybody have their Mitsubishi shut down last night with about 5 minutes left in CSI Miami? This is known as a "rogue signal" in other forums and hasn't appeared for a year or two on CBS-DT in Chi. I was hoping to confirm that somebody else had their Mits shutdown at the same time, to rule out anything more major on my set.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Did anybody have their Mitsubishi shut down last night with about 5 minutes left in CSI Miami? No problem with my Mits 46807. Al

Thanks for the response Al - I was hoping to see a bunch of "yeah, me too" responses. Its not looking good for me :(. Is your model HD or HD-ready? I think the bad signal effects HD models. The flaw seems to be in the DM module's (hd board) software.

I ordered an additional 6412 box for our household and the sales rep told me that starting tomorrow there will be a $75 deposit for new DVR boxes. I am not sure on the details of this, like when they will give your deposit back.

Starz-HD ch 196 now on our system in Waukegan.

Is anyone having sound problems? I am getting no sound on most channels and partial sound on others and some seem fine.:confused:

Seems to be back to normal this morning.

I was watching the TV Guide channel, and they said on May 5th, they are adding WOCK-TV (a low-powered analog in Chicago) on Channel 599. Now since this is a local station, will it be in the clear? If so, I could just pick up a QAM tuner and be able to tune this station. It comes in really snowy on good days on Channel 13 OTA at 30 miles, I'm curious to see what it actually looks like. :)

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Thanks for the response Al - Is your model HD or HD-ready? I think the bad signal effects HD models. The flaw seems to be in the DM module's (hd board) software.

It's an HD Ready model. Can't help you on the flaw, sorry. Have you posted in the Mits section at Home Theater Spot? Someone there may be able to help. Al

Does anyone know how much room our Comcast system has to add HD channels? If by some miracle, Comcast were to add 3 channels (TNT, ESPN2 and Universal HD) could out system accommodate all 3 now?
If not, could we take on 2 now? Thanks

I think the system size depends on your specific area, as some areas in the chicago region have been upgraded while some have not. I too was wondering how to find out the size of the system I'm on, as the magic 8 ball has spoken, and the rumor is TNTHD in time for the NBA playoffs, as long as the system has the room

Is anyone else having audio sync problems on SD baseball broadcasts on CSN-HD?

OK, I can't get INHD tonight for the HD broadcast of the Sox / Twins game. Anyone else? The INHD website says it may be subject to local blackout. I've got the game on Comcast sportnet though.
I'm pretty new to this. Please clue me in.

BTW, I have 2 HD STB in the house and one went nuts a week ago when I tweaked my subscription. I finally got a working box Sat a.m. after 3 tries.

Originally posted by WebTalk
OK, I can't get INHD tonight for the HD broadcast of the Sox / Twins game. Anyone else? The INHD website says it may be subject to local blackout. I've got the game on Comcast sportnet though.
I'm pretty new to this. Please clue me in.

BTW, I have 2 HD STB in the house and one went nuts a week ago when I tweaked my subscription. I finally got a working box Sat a.m. after 3 tries.

Tonight's game was not in HD. IT was shown on CSN+ (CLTV).

Sorry I wasn't aware that the game was on INHD independently from CSN broadcast. I thought you were refering to not being able to se CSN HD broadcast. If the game is on INHD, blackout rules apply (someone can correct me if I am wrong). Bad thing about this is that if the game is played away and it is not available in HD on any of our local station, if INHD is showing that same game in HD, it will be blacked out to us.

Just FYI, CSN HD (channel 200) is replaying the game in HD right now.

Thanks vj...I did catch it on CLTV, but I'll tune it in now anyway...guess that makes me a baseball junkie or something. Go Sox....Go Cubs...Go Cards... go Red Sox...you get it.

Originally posted by jolietconvict
Is anyone else having audio sync problems on SD baseball broadcasts on CSN-HD?

Yes!! I think the 5.1 audio on this channel sucks!!! Hopefully it will get better

Anyone have any word on when TNT-HD'S coming to the area?....my prediction we'll get it by christmas...lol

For the past 2 or 3 years we've been paying for HSI and basic cable and have been getting the locals in HD with my own QAM tuner. During that time I've been getting all of the extended basic channels (2-96). A few days ago I saw a Comcast tech working on the pole behind my house. Now I'm only getting what I'm actually paying for (channels 2-25). All good things come to an end I guess but at least I'm still getting the locals in HD. btw, I still get HSI through Comcast so that hasn't changed.

Originally posted by ned215
For the past 2 or 3 years we've been paying for HSI and basic cable and have been getting the locals in HD with my own QAM tuner. During that time I've been getting all of the extended basic channels (2-96). A few days ago I saw a Comcast tech working on the pole behind my house. Now I'm only getting what I'm actually paying for (channels 2-25). All good things come to an end I guess but at least I'm still getting the locals in HD. btw, I still get HSI through Comcast so that hasn't changed.
Drag! I wonder if you rented one of their hd boxes for 5-10 month you would find that all of your channels reappear??? I hope your cable man doesn't show up in my area!
BTW, you don't need any cable service to get the HDs on your qam tuner. As long as you have hsi, the digital channels will be on the line - at least thats the way it use to work when I was using my qam tuner.

Woke up this morning to a new message on my box, looks like they are removing some of the PPV channels. With OnDemand its not like they need that many anyways. But anyways, i wonder if this means they are trying to make room to get TNTHD on before the playoffs, and seeing as I'm an optimist maybe something else, like say HDNET, or UniversalHD. Oh well a man can hope right?

Ahh but, if I cancel the basic cable then my HSI charge goes up so I wouldn't be saving anything.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Drag! I wonder if you rented one of their hd boxes for 5-10 month you would find that all of your channels reappear??? I hope your cable man doesn't show up in my area!
BTW, you don't need any cable service to get the HDs on your qam tuner. As long as you have hsi, the digital channels will be on the line - at least thats the way it use to work when I was using my qam tuner.

Originally posted by ned215
Ahh but, if I cancel the basic cable then my HSI charge goes up so I wouldn't be saving anything.
You just can't get an honest "something for nothing" deal anymore!

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Woke up this morning to a new message on my box, looks like they are removing some of the PPV channels. With OnDemand its not like they need that many anyways. But anyways, i wonder if this means they are trying to make room to get TNTHD on before the playoffs, and seeing as I'm an optimist maybe something else, like say HDNET, or UniversalHD. Oh well a man can hope right?
They did that here in Schaumburg a month or so ago. I think it's mainly to free up space for the forthcoming digital simulcast of the analog channels.

Is anyone in the area getting TNT-HD yet?

Originally posted by kevin j
Is anyone in the area getting TNT-HD yet?

Not here in Elk Grove. I was hoping to see the playoffs on TNT in Hd. Here's hoping by tommorow. :(

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Woke up this morning to a new message on my box, looks like they are removing some of the PPV channels. With OnDemand its not like they need that many anyways. But anyways, i wonder if this means they are trying to make room to get TNTHD on before the playoffs, and seeing as I'm an optimist maybe something else, like say HDNET, or UniversalHD. Oh well a man can hope right?

Sure, you can hope. Actually, UniversalHD is something possible in the semi-near future. Maybe ESPN2HD in the not-so-near future.

My favorite, HDNET? Not even on the radar screen yet.

So we'll take the others as they come, but except for NBA I won't be watching TNT-HD (although the PQ on Ali tonight is quite good, but edited for content and time? Yucch), just like I haven't watched FoxHD since it came on (but wait till MLB and NFL start, then it will be great).

Rich N.

TNT-HD will be showing up on Channel 204 by Monday or Tuesday. This inofrmation is not rumor. It is from a trusted and reliable source. There is ongoing work to add more HD channels, but nothing else in the near future.

Down the road, there are efforts to make all the channels available as digital channels if you subscribe to a digital package. This would improve PQ across the board.

Mike K.

I'll keep checking 204 and hope it comes a little sooner.

For some reason I doubt it will. I have never seen them add a channel over the weekend. Since it wasn't added on Frida, my next guess would have been Monday.

Bulls game will be on CSN HD tomorrow, so we won't miss out too much :)

I am watching the Bulls/Wizards game on Comcast-HD and have had to turn my sound off. The sound is going in and out nonstop. Is anyone else in the Chicagoland area having this problem w/ comcast?

Yea, I switched to TNT.

I did too.

Threads merged.

TNT-HD should be on later tonight or tomorrow morning btw.

Originally posted by kevin j
TNT-HD should be on later tonight or tomorrow morning btw.

I did watch it on TNT-HD, on E*. Picture quality wasn't as good as CSN-HD, but since there was sound I stayed with it. I like Steve Kerr & have a feeling that Scottie Pippen didn't add too much.

TNT HD or channel 204 is on for me, although they haven't labeled it on the guide yet.

TNT here in Elk Grove..no labels here either..204

Comcast Sports Net really has to get their **** together. I'm sick of the horrible audio they have been having. It's almost if they are like a cable access channel, and not a real cable channel. Anyone else experience the constant audio problems? I was very patient at first when the channel was new, but they have to fix this problem for the playoffs.

Originally posted by Iwgmr
Comcast Sports Net really has to get their **** together. I'm sick of the horrible audio they have been having. It's almost if they are like a cable access channel, and not a real cable channel. Anyone else experience the constant audio problems? I was very patient at first when the channel was new, but they have to fix this problem for the playoffs.
It sucked during the Bulls game last night. Sometimes no audio, sometimes distortion.

My apologies if this has been discussed before, but this thread is huge.

I am in the city of Chicago and just bought a TV with a QAM tuner. Right now, I only have digital, but non-HD, STBs through comcast. We've been subscribing to digital cable for some time.

My TV (Sharp LC-45GX6U) has cable fed directly into an analog input and a digital input on the TV, and I've split another feed off to my digital STB (where I have non-HD tivo as well).

The TV, when searching for channels, asked what type of digital cable the system used (there were 3 choices which I have now forgotten except for the one called "STD"). I guessed and used STD. I have found some channels, though it seems like only 3 or 4, which are scattered among 52.XX up to 118.XX. There are a huge number of blank channels, and lots of music channels. Does this sound consistent with what others experience. I'm new to the HD game, and new to looking at anything other than what comes after the STB, so I thought it worth trying to confirm I'm going at this right.

Is there a list anywhere where people have ID'd the unencrypted HD channels that can be picked up outside the STB? Or is it worth making one?

Finally, can anyone advise regarding the pros and cons of getting a cable card, which my TV will accept, or a Comcast STB that can handle HD, and I suppose overall, whether it is worth paying for the HD stuff comcast will offer (is there much HD content)?

Thanks for the help.
Bryan

Originally posted by bhales
My apologies if this has been discussed before, but this thread is huge.

Finally, can anyone advise regarding the pros and cons of getting a cable card, which my TV will accept, or a Comcast STB that can handle HD, and I suppose overall, whether it is worth paying for the HD stuff comcast will offer (is there much HD content)?

Thanks for the help.
Bryan

IMO it's totally worth getting the HD package as well as a DVR, esp. if you're already paying a Comcast bill. There's a decent amount of HD content (assuming you enjoy documentaries :D ). The DVR rounds it all out, putting the HD stuff on YOUR schedule. It works pretty well, see the huge Motorola 6412 thread for more.

I actually got a CableCard on the same set I run the DVR- the CC is free (after install) so if your set has the slot, I'd definitely tell them you want one. It's nice to have the ability to watch live HD on the TV's tuner if the DVR is busy with 2 recordings. sigh... so much TV, so little time.. :rolleyes:

-Jeff

Originally posted by bhales
Is there a list anywhere where people have ID'd the unencrypted HD channels that can be picked up outside the STB? Or is it worth making one?

Here's what I've got on my Fusion3 card on my PC, in Evanston:

108.1 ABC
108.2 WGN
108.3 ABC News Now
116.1 CBS
116.2 WTTW-D
117.1 FOX
117.2 NBC
117.4 channel 5's silly weather channel

There are obviously a bunch of other channels out there but they either crash my software when I try to tune them, or they just have PPV info on them, or etc.

Sure enough just checked and I've got TNTHD on channel 204, although the guide shows the channel but with TBA for the channel name and all of the scheduling. Cant wait to watch some HD playoffs. Well i guess this means now i get to rant about wanting the HDNets and UniversalHD, oh and ESPN2HD would be nice.

Got TNT-HD here in Rolling Meadows. But I can't add it to favorites just like CSN-HD. Pretty annoying but gladly neither of those channels are exciting to me.

Got TNT-HD in Buffalo Grove. What's next? any speculation.

I posted earlier about a channel list for chicago on the digital cable feed with no box. Here's what I have found:

92.1 ABC-HD
109.12 ?
115.2 FOX-HD
116.3 NBC weather channel
117.3 ABC (d/n seem to be HD)
118.1 E

There are a few other channels that I haven't figured out what they are yet, and I have yet to see CBS or NBC in HD. Anyone found these and on what channel.

This is the comcast in the city.

in regards to the Comcast Sound issue on comcast sports net channel.

calling directv, will get you an $5.00 discount off your bill, for the next 6 months :)

I decided to get a CableCARD thru Comcast and keep my 6412 STB. I got it for a $15.99 install charge (down from $23.99) and was quoted NO monthly fee. It works great! I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. SD is a lot better thru CableCARD than the STB. HD looks about the same to me. For $15.99 and no monthly fee, couldn't pass it up. Now I will have the ability to record two programs and watch another :D

Gov

I decided to get a CableCARD thru Comcast and keep my 6412 STB. I got it for a $15.99 install charge (down from $23.99) and was quoted NO monthly fee. It works great! I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. SD is a lot better thru CableCARD than the STB. HD looks about the same to me. For $15.99 and no monthly fee, couldn't pass it up. Now I will have the ability to record two programs and watch another :D

Gov

I noticed last night that the sound on the Bulls game was lower than on the TNT-HD game anyone else notice this?

Originally posted by kevin j
I noticed last night that the sound on the Bulls game was lower than on the TNT-HD game anyone else notice this?

I typically only watch Cubs / Bulls games on CSN, but I've noticed that the audio is always much lower than the rest of my channels. I like to flip alot and it makes it quit annoying some times.

Is there an official HD Channel List for Comcast in Chicago? I am downtown, so I don't know if that changes the channel numbers, but here is what I have:

173 ESPNHD :D
174 INHD1
175 INHD2
187 ABC
188 NBC
189 CBS
190 FOX
191 PBS
192 WGN
200 CSN :D
204 TNT
205 Discovery

I don't have a movie package, so I didn't list any movie channels. Also, has anyone noticed that the Guide is usually wrong for the programs shown on INHD1 and INHD2? Any idea when other local stations (WCIU) will be in HD? It's no fun when the White Sox get put on WCIU...

WCIU cancelled their plans to do their Sox games in HD this season. We were hoping for Comcast to add WPWR-HD to the lineup, but with Star Trek: Enterprise finishing up its 5-year run this month, it's no longer a big priority. I hope they go after Universal HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, & ESPN 2-HD instead.

I just got a Samsung HLP 5663 and the 6412 box. I can output 1080i and all other resolutions over component from the 6412 to the TV but 720p (native res of the Samsung DLPs) gives essentially no picture with lots of interference.

Is 720p output supported by the 6412 over component on Comcast in Chicago? I'm wondering whether there's something wrong with the TV. I have nothing else that outputs 720p to test it. (I know that I may want to use 1080i anyway and I will also try DVI when I get a cable, but I'm concerned that something is wrong on the TV.)

Originally posted by DanielPZ
I just got a Samsung HLP 5663 and the 6412 box. I can output 1080i and all other resolutions over component from the 6412 to the TV but 720p (native res of the Samsung DLPs) gives essentially no picture with lots of interference.

Is 720p output supported by the 6412 over component on Comcast in Chicago? I'm wondering whether there's something wrong with the TV. I have nothing else that outputs 720p to test it. (I know that I may want to use 1080i anyway and I will also try DVI when I get a cable, but I'm concerned that something is wrong on the TV.)

It's a compatibility between Motorola and Samsung. You can't do 720p over component. I just got a HLP5063 a little over a month ago and ran into the same problem. 720p will work over DVI.

When you use DVI, you will have to change the default resolution from 480i to 480p. The only draw back is it forces the standard def stations into wide screen, so the picture is streched. The streched picture annoyed me, so I am still using the component cables with 1080i. I honestly can't tell much of a difference.

Originally posted by jimbo75
It's a compatibility between Motorola and Samsung. You can't do 720p over component. I just got a HLP5063 a little over a month ago and ran into the same problem. 720p will work over DVI.

Is this a new issue? I have the previous series Sammy DLP (HLN) and have had no compatibility issues at all. My 6412 outputs 720p / 1080i over component and DVI and can do SD in 480i / 480p. This seem strange that the newer technology would've taken a step backward.

Originally posted by kblee
Is this a new issue? I have the previous series Sammy DLP (HLN) and have had no compatibility issues at all. My 6412 outputs 720p / 1080i over component and DVI and can do SD in 480i / 480p. This seem strange that the newer technology would've taken a step backward.

I am not sure how new the issue is. All I know was I was in the same boat a month ago. There are several posts on this subject. I think it's a Motorola issue regarding no 720p over component. Or at least that was the impression I got in the previous posts.

I don't think there is a problem with SD, I think it's just a matter of preference. On my Sammy, when you change the defaul output to 480p (required for DVI), I lose half of my screen size options on my TV. At 480p, there is only 4:3 and wide screen. Samsung puts 480p, 720p, and 1080i all in the same category, so whatever you pick will be used for SD channels and HD channels. I picked wide screen for the HD channels and that causes the screen to be stretched on the SD channels.

I'm also having a problem with the audio and video being out of sync. I've tried turning off the picture enhancements (DNIE etc) on the Samsung DLP to minimize processing, but since I'm inputting 1080i that presumably still has to be converted to 720p. I'm going to see whether 720p over DVI makes a difference when I get a cable. I also realize the TV may be to blame.

But have others noticed this on Samsung DLPs or other displays? It's of course most noticeable when you have a close up of someone talking, such as on the Tonight Show.

I am just noticing tonight that I'm not getting the Comcast 6412 HD audio in DD5.1 on any of the HD stations. I checked my dvd audio input and that is in 5.1 so I know its not an issue with my receiver. I was always getting digital dolby on INHD for example, but not tonight.

IS anyone else having this problem? I am not aware of a setting on the 6412 to set to dig. dolby vs pro logic. I'm stumped! Thanks

Drifty,

This is a know "issue" with the 6412. To resolve, simply unplug the unit from wall / surge protector for 3 - 5 minutes and then plug back in. It is essentially the same as rebooting a PC. When it comes back your guide will take several hours to catch back up, but any recordings you have already set up will still record and your DD5.1 should be back.

I too have experienced this "known issue" a number of times including last night and it is a pain in the butt. Anybody know if a fix is in the works?

Originally posted by kblee
Drifty,

This is a know "issue" with the 6412. To resolve, simply unplug the unit from wall / surge protector for 3 - 5 minutes and then plug back in. It is essentially the same as rebooting a PC. When it comes back your guide will take several hours to catch back up, but any recordings you have already set up will still record and your DD5.1 should be back.

Thanks Kblee,
Before I read your reply, i simply powered the 6412 off and on. The result of that was NO sound at all for any of the channels. I thought...this is weird, I wonder if my recorded shows going back weeks have no sound as well? I went to my recordings and played one, and there was sound. I returned to live tv and bada bing...the sound was coming thru, in 5.1.
Iam good to go!

The muting is a known problem. It occurs for me when I turn the box on and it is already recording a channel. There is a macro that has been posted before to un-mute the box. See below.

1) Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3) Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice
4) Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button
5) Type in the code 00173 (for 30 second Skip) or 00236 (for Swap) or 00141(un-mute).
6) Press whatever button you want to map the skip, swap, or un-mute function to.

Originally posted by Drifty
I am just noticing tonight that I'm not getting the Comcast 6412 HD audio in DD5.1 on any of the HD stations. I checked my dvd audio input and that is in 5.1 so I know its not an issue with my receiver. I was always getting digital dolby on INHD for example, but not tonight.

IS anyone else having this problem? I am not aware of a setting on the 6412 to set to dig. dolby vs pro logic. I'm stumped! Thanks

Here's another potential solution (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4208842#post4208842) that came up last year.

well, less than one week as a new subscriber and the one night i want to watch a lot of hd stuff and it doesn't work.

espn audio is out of sync

and

i can't tune to fox to watch rush hour 2 on fox.

great job.

if you tell me i have to restart my box, already done it and still nothing.

i have restarted the stupid thing at least 10 times since i got it.

this is why ota is so much more popular.

thx comcast.

Originally posted by jcr74
well, less than one week as a new subscriber and the one night i want to watch a lot of hd stuff and it doesn't work.

espn audio is out of sync

and

i can't tune to fox to watch rush hour 2 on fox.

great job.

if you tell me i have to restart my box, already done it and still nothing.

i have restarted the stupid thing at least 10 times since i got it.

this is why ota is so much more popular.

thx comcast.

It's not a Comcast problem. See the OTA thread for information on the FOX outage.

Originally posted by jcr74
well, less than one week as a new subscriber and the one night i want to watch a lot of hd stuff and it doesn't work.

espn audio is out of sync

and

i can't tune to fox to watch rush hour 2 on fox.

great job.

if you tell me i have to restart my box, already done it and still nothing.

i have restarted the stupid thing at least 10 times since i got it.

this is why ota is so much more popular.

thx comcast.

rescinded, just this once.

Anybody else getting an interference pattern on Channel 7 in the Schaumburg area? It's a double-bar slowly scrolling up. It's ONLY on 7, not 6 or 8. It's on both the box and two TV's directly connected.

Originally posted by andyross63
Anybody else getting an interference pattern on Channel 7 in the Schaumburg area? It's a double-bar slowly scrolling up. It's ONLY on 7, not 6 or 8. It's on both the box and two TV's directly connected.

Yeah, I have that too. The white lines are almost half the screen height apart and take about 15 seconds to cross the screen.

I noticed that we're now getting TNT in HD in Chicago. We watch Charmed on WGN HD on Sunday nights and it is in 4:3. However, I noticed that the repeats on TNT HD are in 16:9. What's up with WGN? Why would they not be broadcasting it in 16:9?

Also, does the Sci-Fi channel broadcast in HD anywhere? Since I watch 3 shows on it (Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica) it would be really nice if Comcast could get it in HD (if possible).

The interference is gone now.

Originally posted by keithj
I noticed that we're now getting TNT in HD in Chicago. We watch Charmed on WGN HD on Sunday nights and it is in 4:3. However, I noticed that the repeats on TNT HD are in 16:9. What's up with WGN? Why would they not be broadcasting it in 16:9?

Also, does the Sci-Fi channel broadcast in HD anywhere? Since I watch 3 shows on it (Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica) it would be really nice if Comcast could get it in HD (if possible).

TNT-HD started about 2-3 weeks ago. For some reason, Comcast never sent out messages about it (the same for Comcast SportNet on 200). Since then, they've been sending messages for all sorts of little channel changes. As far as I can tell, TNT-HD is doing a Zoom/Stretch on SD. It's not true 16:9 or HD. The top and bottom is cut off. Try switching between the analog (51 by me) and the HD to see the differences. Not as bad as WLS's simple stretch, but still annoying.

There is no SciFi-HD, yet. There is UniveralHD (they own SciFi/NBC/etc..) and I think I read that BG was being aired on there. A 3hr edit of the mini-series/pilot aired on NBC just before the main series started on SciFi.

Is anyone else getting break ups on 173 and 205 from Comcast?

I've had some pixelization this past week on various channels and their internet service also seems to be having some stability issues lately...

I've noticed that the signal strength seems to have dropped recently. Many of the HD channels are way up in the 700+MHz area, and are starting to show 70%+ AGC and 33db or less in the diagnostics menus. I've been having problems with TNT-HD breaking up on tuner 2.

I ordered the Motorola signal booster from Amazon. I hope it doesn't weaken the return signal too much, as my box is already at the maximum 60db. I tested a basic non-broadband booster, and it did reduce the AGC and slightly increased the SNR. The Motorola should be a bit better, as it's more powerful (15db vs 10db of my cheap booster.)

Hi,

I am going to be moving into a new place in around a month, and I was wondering if the Motorola 6412 is still the way to go for a HD box with DVR from Comcast. Is there a newer model, or is this still the one?

Also, not sure this is the correct forum for this question, but which cable modem do most people have (those that get HSI from Comcast as well).

Thanks!

The 6412 is the only DVR Comcast is using in the Chicago area, at least for new users. There was a 6208 (80G, single tuner), but that was just a temporary test.

I have a rented modem. It's an RCA DCM315. All I can say is that it works. I used to have one of the 3COM 'sharkfin' modems, but I ended up with this RCA when I moved. I liked the 3COM as it had a speaker that gave tones when it was ready and when it was connected.

Great, thanks very much for the reply!

How can you get a reading on signal strength? Last night was bad. No HD and no Internet and the pq on the other channels was awful.

Originally posted by hogues
How can you get a reading on signal strength? Last night was bad. No HD and no Internet and the pq on the other channels was awful.
Tune into one or two digital channels. Turn off the box, then quickly hit the OK/ENTER button. This gives the diagnostics menus. Use the up-down keys to scroll up and down, and right to enter and left to exist a setting.

d03 OOB is the OutOfBand status, how it downloads the guide and channel info.

d04 Inband Status is the main one you want to look at. You want SNR to be 33.0 or higher, and AGC below about 75 or so. It will show GOOD, FAIR, or POOR. You can also check the correctable and uncorrectable error counts. Some correctable errors are OK, and you will probably have some on the HD channels. Uncorrectable errors will cause video and/or audio glitches.

d05 Current Channel status gives the frequency and other information for each tuner. Once in this menu, use up/down to switch between the two tuners.

d07 Upstream Modem is the frequency and strength for the return signal (OnDemand and similar.)

The HDD/DVR status gives you information on the hard drive, and it's temperature (a rough guide to the box's temperature, but not reliable as it will be higher during high activity, and low when the box is 'off'.)

To exit, either choose E, or just hit POWER.

Originally posted by andyross63
I ordered the Motorola signal booster from Amazon. I hope it doesn't weaken the return signal too much, as my box is already at the maximum 60db. I tested a basic non-broadband booster, and it did reduce the AGC and slightly increased the SNR. The Motorola should be a bit better, as it's more powerful (15db vs 10db of my cheap booster.)
I received an odd email from Amazon. They were refunding my money. After getting more details, the package had been returned as 'undeliverable.' Odd as it's the same address I've had items shipped to, from Amazon, before. I guess I'll have to re-order it.

So far, no obvious problems since rearranging my cabling so the box only goes through 1 splitter (my modem now goes through 2.) Some channels still tend to bounce around GOOD/FAIR for AGC and SNR.

Cable card folks:

My cable card was dropped off today. The guy plugged it into the tv, said it would take a few minutes to an hour to download some stuff, called in the number, and left. (This was actually fine, cause I don't want these guys touching my stuff generally)

But I can get no digital channels on the feed to the TV now. The cable card status on my tv shows that all necessary stuff is downloaded, and the status of the cable card shows "Waiting to start".

My TV (Sharp) says that to start the service, call my provider and give them the cable card ID, and the Host #, both of which I find on my tv screen when I go to "CableCard Pairing" . I spent an hour on the phone with Comcast's tech (no)support, and they could not fix. They said the cable card was listed on my account. The tech had called in the serial number physically printed on the cable card, but she did not have the two numbers my TV says to give them, and she said she did not need them--just the serial number.

Is this right? I can't help but think that this should be working if I had a support rep that knew what they were talking about. Anyone know if Comcast needs the host # and card #, or whether comcast is just running these off the serial number?

Any other ideas to help sort this out?

I can't get NBC or CBS HD on my direct cable feed, and I can't get anything on the cable card. THis is nonsense.

I had a similar problem when my card was installed. I called Comcast and they sent a "hit" to my card and all the digital channels began working.

I had the same problem as well; a call to the tech support, and another "hit" sent to my card fixed it all!
I ended up exchanging it for a hd dvr, since you cannot get any TV guide or ON DEMAND with just a cable card...

Thanks for the answer, andyross63. For the last week the pq has been less than great and the HD and Cable modem goes in and out.

Originally posted by wase4711
I had the same problem as well; a call to the tech support, and another "hit" sent to my card fixed it all!
I ended up exchanging it for a hd dvr, since you cannot get any TV guide or ON DEMAND with just a cable card...



You should have kept the CableCard it carries no monthly charge. I have both a STB and CableCard.

Originally posted by Gov
You should have kept the CableCard it carries no monthly charge. I have both a STB and CableCard.

Yeah, you are right, but everything works pretty good now, so I am hesitant to call Comcast for any reason!
although I know the analog stations would come in alot clearer if I had the cable card and used it just for analog reception...

Hello:

For the past 3 weeks my 6412 has been freezing quite regularly around 4.20-4.30 (AM and PM). I basically have to unplug it and then back in to get it running right. I have called Comcast at least 5 times on it and last week they sent a guy out and he said the problem was weak signal. He tightened all of my connections and he ordered some signal increase in my area. It didn't freeze for about three days, but now for the last 2 days it is back to regularly freezing.

My thought is I need a new box but that doesn't seem to be happening. What are the merits of this weak signal causing the freezing? FWIW, it freezes on it's own sometimes and then sometimes when I am using the DVR functions it will freeze as well.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

A few other people have been reporting the same thing at about the same times as you. I don't recall their location.

Search this thread for the posts I'm referring to: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=5642399#post5642399

There is a long thread going on at the 'other' DVR-oriented forum site. There is no solid idea as to what is going on. It is odd that it's always the same time, for multiple people. Sometimes it will do it for several days, then be fine for awhile. It makes no difference whether something is recording or not, or if the box is on a UPS. Heat doesn't seem to be an issue, either.

UPDATE: Just checked and there might be a clue. Somebody talked to some tech, and that time is about when the box checks/adjusts series recordings. You may want to check your series list and see if there are any odd issues (like missing sequence numbers). At the worst, consider deleting all of them and starting from scratch....

my wife is quite annoyed by it. we just switched from d* to comcast to get the cable HD channels (primarily csnch). she isn't sure the extra channels are worth the hassle of babysitting a dvr.

i have had to start using my ota pc dvr again as an emergency backup. last week we missed both alias and lost cuz is froze while we were gone. not this week.

thanks for the commiseration.

I would suggest calling and getting another box. I know this is a hassle, but I've had the 6412 ever since it was available here in Chicagoland and have never had a problem with it.

However, as posted a few pages back, this will be my last day with the 6412. We are moving to a new apartment, and they do not have Comcast service. It's really disappointing. The 6412 is the only 2 tuner HD DVR out there. And it's only $10/month.


tim

the comcast guy is now at my house and is suggesting to replace the box so i guess that is how we are going.

i have read other posts that say a new box still did the same thing so we will see. my guess is that comcast has a big problem with a simple solution and it will come out in time. fortunately we are about to head into summer re-runs so not much new will be missed if the thing doesn't work.

i hope the download and everything is done in time to still record the sox/cubs game this afternoon.

Anyone else have v9.17 on their 6412?

I got a 6412 installed on Monday. It has the 9.17 firmware.

Still 9.12 downtown. And no VOD. :(

Has 9.17 changed anything obvious?

I have not noticed anything outstanding changes. Firewire seems a bit more stable.

On another note I had 2 cable cards installed today. I only get channels 187-194. Is there a fix? One is on a Mits 52725 and a Sharp 26" LCD. Forgive me if this has been covered. I have not been able to keep up with the thread.

Kipp. When did you get 09.17? Last night? It is still 9.12 here.

On 5/20.

The funny thing is I have 5 6412s and only one has 9.17.

That's odd, Kipp. Could Comcast be doing some stealth selective beta testing?

I just got comcast installed on Sat. and I not impressed with the picture quality of the analog channels 2-99. I understand they are analog and not digital but the picture is pretty fuzzy. Is that what it is supposed to look like? I do have the HD DVR comcast box because I am getting a Panny 42 ED Plasma in a couple weeks. The HD channels and channels above 100 look good on my current non-hd tv. Can anyone shed some light on the pq I should be getting from the analog channels?

Thanks

Unfortunately, bad analog quality is one of the problems with the 6412 box, it lies within the software for the analog decoders. This problem, however, will be eliminated when Comcast begins to roll out Digital Simulcast in the area, unfortunately, no one knows exact dates as to when this is going to happen. In the mean time, if your Panny has a cable card slot you might want to think about using that for the analog channels, since it does not carry a monthly charge.

I had a 6412 installed Saturday, and have encountered an unusual problem. When I turn on the box, the audio (digital and analog) do not work. If I unplug the box and restart it, the audio is restored.

Has anyone encountered this problem? Any recommended solutions? I suppose I could keep the box powered up all the time, but seems kind of a backwards way of resolving the issue.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Mike

I had a 6412 installed Saturday, and have encountered an unusual problem. When I turn on the box, the audio (digital and analog) do not work. If I unplug the box and restart it, the audio is restored.

Has anyone encountered this problem? Any recommended solutions? I suppose I could keep the box powered up all the time, but seems kind of a backwards way of resolving the issue.
Basically, leaving it on all the time seems to be the best fix for many of the bugs. I do turn mine on and off, but the no video/audio bug only happens every 4-6 weeks or so. You can get it back by briefly playing a recording, or by rebooting (pulling the plug). I usually do it in the morning before going to work. That way, the guide is all filled up by the time I'm home.

Anyone else suddenly having problems with channel 192? The last week or so The audio has been experiencing 1-2 sec dropouts every once in a while and the video can get "jerky" sometimes when the camera is doing a pan across a scene. This just started recently and I dont see it on any other channels.

Has anyone else lost their local HD channels? I am getting the one moment please message on all of them(ABC, CBS, NBC, and WGN). I hate to call Comcast and go through that whole deal if it is a system wide problem.

Has anyone else lost their local HD channels? I am getting the one moment please message on all of them(ABC, CBS, NBC, and WGN). I hate to call Comcast and go through that whole deal if it is a system wide problem.


Sorry, OK with Comcast out in Mundelein for all the HD channels.

I talked with Comcast awhile ago and they said a cable got cut in the city. Experiencing problems in a lot of places but I regained my locals not long after.

Anyone know when the analog channels will be digitally simulcast in the chicago area?[i've heard they're aiming to have it by the end of the month nationally]

They'll really have to be compressed while the analog tier is taking so much of the available bandwidth. It will be interesting to see what kind of PQ will result.

A friend near Lawrence and Cicero was told he had to replace his analog box with a digital box, otherwise he would "soon" be losing many channels. He's a non-techie and had only basic service, so I'm not sure exactly what Comcast said to him. There was no charge and he picked the box up himself.

Maybe this has something to do with the coming digital simulcast?

Probably that just means they're dropping HBO and any other remaining encrypted channels from the analog spectrum.

Edit: Well I guess if he just has basic service, it can't be regarding HBO. Interesting.

Anyone in the Chicago area (I'm in Oak Park specifically) experiencing any issues with cable boxes rebooting recurringly the last two days, or is it just me?

Probably that just means they're dropping HBO and any other remaining encrypted channels from the analog spectrum.

Edit: Well I guess if he just has basic service, it can't be regarding HBO. Interesting.

Comcast told my friend he had to switch boxes or he would be losing about 40 channels. I'll bet you are correct --- they are talking about all the movie channels. Even though he only had basic cable, they are probably doing a blanket replacement of all analog boxes.

Thanks to FSugino for pointing me to this thread.

I live in a townhome in Palatine, IL and am thinking about getting a panny HD plasma. Currently I have comcast analog at home. Does anybody have some experience using Comcast digital signal on their plasmas? How do they look? What options do I have to get the signals to my TV? Or should I try some other provider like direct TV? Thanks a lot.

Simple answer;
Best Picture= Satalite (Direct Tv or Dish Net)
Easiest, lowest initial cost= Comcast

Comcast signal is ok on a plasma in the Digital Channel spectrum (channels 100 and above)
but the analog channels are terrible; Satalite offers a far superior picture, but higher up front costs and you usually have to buy some of the equipment..

If there only was a simple answer!

I would agree, that yes comcast's analog channels look like garbage, but with a pretty picture like the one you should have do you want HD? or HDlite from satellite? Also another thing to look at is what channels are you looking for in HD? Do you want the HDNETS, or the INHD's? CSNHD? WGNHD? i mean it really depends on your viewing. At least thats my 2cents

The analog that I get out in Mundelein aren't that bad, cable and DBS each have their trade offs. On cable I'll get a bit more noise on some channels where on DBS I can get macroblocking/over compression, IMHO no clear winner at least on our Comcast system. That's the problem with comparing cable and DBS, DBS everyone gets the same signal, cable, my signal can be different then my neighbors, there's no way to do a fair comparison unless you are doing a side by side at your home.

New to the HDTV market place. I'll initially be limited to OTA reception for my new plasma, a Samsung. I wanted to ask, I've seen on sites like antennaweb that the channel listings sometimes show two listings, for example, NBC is 5 and 5.1. One appears to be UHF, the other VHF. Are you able to set your television to these different channels? Is it a matter of which kind of antenna you are using? Any help or clarification would be much appreciated.

New to the HDTV market place. I'll initially be limited to OTA reception for my new plasma, a Samsung. I wanted to ask, I've seen on sites like antennaweb that the channel listings sometimes show two listings, for example, NBC is 5 and 5.1. One appears to be UHF, the other VHF. Are you able to set your television to these different channels? Is it a matter of which kind of antenna you are using? Any help or clarification would be much appreciated.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=444398

Frankly, I'm not all that unhappy with my analogs. Sure, the digitals and the HD are lightyears ahead, but my analogs are very watchable. I have a CRT RPTV (Hitachi 51S500), some light power conditioning and very nice quality silver cables (Outlaw).

I thought I remember reading that microdisplays had a tougher time with the analog channels than the Analog CRT's so maybe that accounts for it.

Frankly, I'm not all that unhappy with my analogs. Sure, the digitals and the HD are lightyears ahead, but my analogs are very watchable. I have a CRT RPTV (Hitachi 51S500), some light power conditioning and very nice quality silver cables (Outlaw).

I thought I remember reading that microdisplays had a tougher time with the analog channels than the Analog CRT's so maybe that accounts for it.

I'm using a 50" Sony plasma not a CRT.

Thanks to FSugino for pointing me to this thread.

I live in a townhome in Palatine, IL and am thinking about getting a panny HD plasma. Currently I have comcast analog at home. Does anybody have some experience using Comcast digital signal on their plasmas? How do they look? What options do I have to get the signals to my TV? Or should I try some other provider like direct TV? Thanks a lot.
I just moved into a townhome in Palatine and purchased the Panny ED plasma. 6412 was installed yesterday and the analog channels are mediocre at best. However, the HD channels are simply incredible. I'm using the component cables that were provided by Comcast and will be trying some better cables to see if that helps the PQ on the analog channels. I'll let you know if it helps.

Rad,

That was my point, your plasma is a microdisplay which tends not to handle analog as well as my CRT RPTV

Well, being a former VOOm and Direct TV member, I can tell you that the analog stuff on comcast is HORRIBLE compared to the same channels that were is "SD" on the satalite networks, ESPECIALLY since I went from a Samsung 56 inch DLP to a Pioneer Elite Plasma 50"...the digital and HD channels on Comcast are pretty nice, but the lower 100 channels are poor to very poor, compared to how they were with satalite. As has been mentioned here before, Comcast signal quality totally depends on your particular home, and how the signal/cable/conditions are will make it impossible to compare your signal to anyone elses...

Maybe I am missing something here, but of course analog channels on Comcast do not look as good as SD channels from directv.

The analog channels on Comcast have the potential to look better than D*. They receive the full 6 MHz bandwidth, while D* compresses them to squeeze as many as possible on each transponder. Whether this potential superiority is realized depends on the condition of amplifiers, splitters, cables, etc. between your TV and the cable headend.

I have both Comcast & DirecTV, and I have compared many times the PQ on Comcast SportsNet (analog), and can detect no difference between Comcast Ch. 37 and D* Ch. 640. D* may be giving this channel a little extra bandwidth, because on many other channel comparisons, Comcast looks a bit better. There are also some channels where Comcast shows a bit of video noise, so D* winds up looking better. Overall, it's pretty much of a tossup at my location.

I should mention that all my monitors except one are CRT direct view, so my judgments come from that perspective.

Simple answer;
Best Picture= Satalite (Direct Tv or Dish Net)
Easiest, lowest initial cost= Comcast

Comcast signal is ok on a plasma in the Digital Channel spectrum (channels 100 and above)
but the analog channels are terrible; Satalite offers a far superior picture, but higher up front costs and you usually have to buy some of the equipment..

Thre are many people in many threads who place Comcast's HD picture above the satellites' HD picture. So the PQ answer is very muddy and you may want to address the cost difference and channel difference (Comcast has local HDs but no HDNETs, Satellite has HDNETs but no INHDs and no local HD yet etc.).

(Note: I'll bet you'll watch less SD than you think once you see HDTV - then analog SD PQ won't mean very much).

Rich N.

(Note: I'll bet you'll watch less SD than you think once you see HDTV - then analog SD PQ won't mean very much).
Rich N.
Not to mention that I've been hearing a lot of chatter about Comcast simulcasting many of their SD channels (2-99) on digital channels, making the SD problem a moot point.

I got a message on my box from Comcast stating that SCIFI will be moving to the digtal channel 160, and everyone will need a digital box to receive it.

I have not heard of them doing this to a major channel before.

Has anyone else received this message?

I got a message on my box from Comcast stating that SCIFI will be moving to the digtal channel 160, and everyone will need a digital box to receive it.

I have not heard of them doing this to a major channel before.

Has anyone else received this message?

That's where it is on our Comcast system.

I got a message on my box from Comcast stating that SCIFI will be moving to the digtal channel 160, and everyone will need a digital box to receive it.

I have not heard of them doing this to a major channel before.

Has anyone else received this message?

Nope, didn't get that message here in Schaumburg. Did they say when the change will occur?

Nope, didn't get that message here in Schaumburg. Did they say when the change will occur?

They didn't say when it would start on 160. But they did say it would be off of 63 on 8/9

This is a reversion to the original situation in the mid-90s when the Comcast predecessor of that era first offered Sci-Fi Channel. It was available only on the digital tier. Several years later it was added here on analog Ch. 72 when new channels up to Ch. 75 came into the lineup.