I have been told that the addition of UHD has been "put on the back burner" for now. Good news, I have been told, is they are in the process of freeing up bandwidth for 5 HD channel additions before the end of the year. HGTV HD, Food HD, and NG HD were specifically mentioned.

-b

I have been told that the addition of UHD has been "put on the back burner" for now. Good news, I have been told, is they are in the process of freeing up bandwidth for 5 HD channel additions before the end of the year. HGTV HD, Food HD, and NG HD were specifically mentioned.
Still no WCIU?

Do Alton Brown's props on Good Eats look any better in HD? :D

Still no WCIU?

Is there any HD on WCIU except for a baseball game every couple of weeks? I'm not sure if we're really missing anything.

Is there any HD on WCIU except for a baseball game every couple of weeks? I'm not sure if we're really missing anything.
We offer nothing other than sports for now. There's not really much else out there in the way of syndication in HD.

I have been told that the addition of UHD has been "put on the back burner" for now. Good news, I have been told, is they are in the process of freeing up bandwidth for 5 HD channel additions before the end of the year. HGTV HD, Food HD, and NG HD were specifically mentioned.
Comcast to Add Universal HD
High-def channel features NBC produced programs.
Special to TVPredictions.com

Washington, D.C. (August 4, 2006) -- Comcast this month is scheduled to add Universal HD in Philadelphia and several other cities, TVPredictions.com has learned.
The high-def channel, which features sports, movies and TV programs produced by NBC Universal such as Quantum Leap and Century City, was added to Comcast's lineup prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics in February.

However, in most markets, the channel was pulled after the Olympic coverage was completed. (Universal HD aired HD broadcasts of the Olympics from its sister network, NBC.)

But Comcast is planning to bring the channel back in selected markets as early as August 15. At presstime, other than Philadelphia, the names of the selected markets could not be determined,

Comcast last month began rolling out MHD, MTV's new high-def channel, in selected cities.

We offer nothing other than sports for now.

HVS,

Isn't that the #1 reason why one would want HD, for the most part? :)

Just give us those WCIU Sox games in HD --- PLLEEEASE!!

I'm for new HD content whatever those stations may be but I would think Comcast should put priority on carrying local stations that are already broadcasting in HD (WCIU and WPWR being the most frequently mentioned). Cable should give me no reason to keep any rabbit ears.

I just looked at the Cubs TV schedule and they have a grand total of 5 home games this year on WCIU. Assuming that it is the same for the Sox, we're talking about 10 games per year and NOTHING ELSE in HD on this channel. I'm all for additional HD channels, but this has to be at the bottom of the list if you ask me.

HVS,

Isn't that the #1 reason why one would want HD, for the most part? :)
LOL, yeah sitcoms just wouldn't have the same effect. :D

I just looked at the Cubs TV schedule and they have a grand total of 5 home games this year on WCIU. Assuming that it is the same for the Sox, we're talking about 10 games per year and NOTHING ELSE in HD on this channel. I'm all for additional HD channels, but this has to be at the bottom of the list if you ask me.
I believe we carry more sox than cubs. Naturally WGN leans towards the Cubs side.

I'm for new HD content whatever those stations may be but I would think Comcast should put priority on carrying local stations that are already broadcasting in HD (WCIU and WPWR being the most frequently mentioned). Cable should give me no reason to keep any rabbit ears.
I could give you a couple of reasons to keep the rabbit ears.
1: Its free.
2: The quality is a LOT better.

What more could you ask for??

In principle, I believe that if the OTA stations are broadcasting in HD, then cable should carry the HD signal. Of course, reality sets in and Comcast short changes us a bit on the bandwidth but at least they are carrying it.

I know the U and my50 don't carry much HD but one reason I pay for cable is so I don't have to switch tuners.

That's not to say I won't be happy to see reruns of Hasselhoff in HD though. LOL

Comcast to Add Universal HD
High-def channel features NBC produced programs.
Special to TVPredictions.com

Washington, D.C. (August 4, 2006) -- Comcast this month is scheduled to add Universal HD in Philadelphia and several other cities, TVPredictions.com has learned.
The high-def channel, which features sports, movies and TV programs produced by NBC Universal such as Quantum Leap and Century City, was added to Comcast's lineup prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics in February.

However, in most markets, the channel was pulled after the Olympic coverage was completed. (Universal HD aired HD broadcasts of the Olympics from its sister network, NBC.)

But Comcast is planning to bring the channel back in selected markets as early as August 15. At presstime, other than Philadelphia, the names of the selected markets could not be determined,

Comcast last month began rolling out MHD, MTV's new high-def channel, in selected cities.
still no US Open Tennis for Comcast subscribers (Chicago) this year it looks like. fyi, US Open begins in a couple weeks (8/28) and UHD broadcasts the night games in HD.

I just looked at the Cubs TV schedule and they have a grand total of 5 home games this year on WCIU. Assuming that it is the same for the Sox, we're talking about 10 games per year and NOTHING ELSE in HD on this channel. I'm all for additional HD channels, but this has to be at the bottom of the list if you ask me.

There will also be Bulls games this fall, winter & spring.

I don't know about anyone else, but CBS was blaringly loud last night in HD. I don't have any kind of sound check on my system, but man, it was obnoxious. I usually have my volume around 40 or so on my reciever, and it was still loud at 14 last night.

What happened to the CSN SD widescreen broadcasts of Sox road games? Did someone steal their SD truck?

Anyone else in Downers Grove experiencing problems with 6412?

Analogs (46, 47, 48...) are unwatchable, I unplugged the box to no avail, and it seems that the box is not receiving the guide/time/etc. nor am I able to perform any DVR operations (pause, RW, FW). HD stations are fine - sans guide/DVR operations.

Did my box decide to quit or are there other problems?

EDIT: The guide/time/DVR functions are back, but 41, 42, 43, 46, 47, 48 are still bad.

I just looked at the Cubs TV schedule and they have a grand total of 5 home games this year on WCIU. Assuming that it is the same for the Sox, we're talking about 10 games per year and NOTHING ELSE in HD on this channel. I'm all for additional HD channels, but this has to be at the bottom of the list if you ask me.

INHD2 has been dropped, let's hope WCIU-HD and/or Universal-HD will be added later. My 2007 wish list is for Comcast to carry Cub and Sox ROAD games in HD. From what I've seen the majority of NESH [Red Sox] and YES [Yankees] road telecasts are HD, would be nice if Comcast made this commitment in '07.

Of immediate need is for Comcast to add NFL Network-HD. The first of eight regular season telecasts start 23-November but select pre-season contests will air this month and weeknight replays of Sunday games commence in mid-September. Hopefully we'll see this channel added soon, otherwise can get by with NFL Network-SD [Ch 168].

After months of average~poor HD reception and getting no satisfaction from Comcast I purchased a Motorola signal booster [+15 db] for $50 [after rebate]. This boosted [my estimate] HD reception aprox 20~25%. The weak channels [ch 188 thru 191] now come in good, others good+ to excellent & well worth the investment.

Of immediate need is for Comcast to add NFL Network-HD. The first of eight regular season telecasts start 23-November but select pre-season contests will air this month and weeknight replays of Sunday games commence in mid-September. Hopefully we'll see this channel added soon, otherwise can get by with NFL Network-SD [Ch 168].
Last year Comcast did show NFL Network's game of the week in HD, but they used the HD-SE channel (formerly 208). Wonder if they'll attempt something like that this year by cutting in on INHD?

INHD2 has been dropped, let's hope WCIU-HD and/or Universal-HD will be added later.
We wont be carried anytime soon.

That stinks imho.....you should be begging Comcast to carry WCIU's HD signal since the analog version[even in SD digital]looks like crap.[always has and most likely always will....especially the whitesox/cubs telecasts]

That stinks imho.....you should be begging Comcast to carry WCIU's HD signal since the analog version[even in SD digital]looks like crap.[always has and most likely always will....especially the whitesox/cubs telecasts]
It's not a matter of begging, its kinda hard to explain. Lets just say that there are politics involved with getting a channel added to Comcast's line-up.

since the analog version[even in SD digital]looks like crap.[always has and most likely always will....especially the whitesox/cubs telecasts]
That's comcast's deal. What they do with our signal after it leaves the antenna is beyond me. We have a WHOLE new SD/HD plant in place. Nothing but superior quality leaving our building. :D

Until something's done i'll stop watching WCIU[that's how pathetically bad it looks on Comcast....then again every SD digital channel on Comcast looks bad]....i might just call Comcast and tell em to stop dragging their feet and get the HD feed[it's been too long in coming....slowpokes :mad: ].

Until something's done i'll stop watching WCIU[that's how pathetically bad it looks on Comcast....then again every SD digital channel on Comcast looks bad]....i might just call Comcast and tell em to stop dragging their feet and get the HD feed[it's been too long in coming....slowpokes :mad: ].
Or, buy a ChannelMaster 4228 UHF antenna, hoist it into the attic and roof, and see the game as us over at the Chicago over-the-air board see them...beautifully.

And just to air community access programs out here in DeKalb is a mammoth undertaking. I know, I tried. Wasn't worth the runaround hassle.

And even though I dislike Comcast greatly, to be fair, their SD digital looks better than anything SD on DirecTV. No one thinks at these companies that we can't tell what *good* (note: that does NOT mean absence of snow or artifacts) NTSC/downcoverted ATSC is. Try again...

Until something's done i'll stop watching WCIU[that's how pathetically bad it looks on Comcast....then again every SD digital channel on Comcast looks bad]....i might just call Comcast and tell em to stop dragging their feet and get the HD feed[it's been too long in coming....slowpokes :mad: ].

Now that comcast has ads, the once analog channels look noticebly better. Unfortunately, my darn cablecard keeps giving me problems

Originally Posted by kevin j
That stinks imho.....you should be begging Comcast to carry WCIU's HD signal since the analog version[even in SD digital]looks like crap.[always has and most likely always will....especially the whitesox/cubs telecasts

It's not a matter of begging, its kinda hard to explain. Lets just say that there are politics involved with getting a channel added to Comcast's line-up.

No rap against WCIU, but I agree with Kevin, WCIU-SD baseball broadcasts look lousy. It's annoying to hear on every WCIU SoxNet or CubNet telecast...."tonites game in HD on WCIU is brought to you by Comcast" when WCIU-HD on Comcast is NOT AVAILABLE.

Politics [and I'm sure money] are involved, but as subscribers we need WCIU-HD. And NFL Network-HD. Sox and Cub road games in HD on Comcast in 2007 would be nice too.

I already told you guys, nfl net hd is coming they took down the hdse channel to restructure the frequency and nflnhd should be up in its place if all goes as planned in time for the preseason games. however some person on here wanted to argue and say the uhd was coming at the end of the month and there would be no nfl net hd blah blah blah

Or, buy a ChannelMaster 4228 UHF antenna, hoist it into the attic and roof, and see the game as us over at the Chicago over-the-air board see them...beautifully.

If you are in a location similar to my near north condo, there is NO CHANCE of getting a stable WCIU OTA signal. My only option is via Comcast.

No rap against WCIU, but I agree with Kevin, WCIU-SD baseball broadcasts look lousy. It's annoying to hear on every WCIU SoxNet or CubNet telecast...."tonites game in HD on WCIU is brought to you by Comcast" when WCIU-HD on Comcast is NOT AVAILABLE.
Politics [and I'm sure money] are involved, but as subscribers we need WCIU-HD. And NFL Network-HD. Sox and Cub road games in HD on Comcast in 2007 would be nice too.
I don't have Comcast so I cannot see our SD broadcasts. Is it purely Comcast or have you noticed bad quality elsewhere? Can you describe the "lousyness"? Any way of capturing a good quality screen shot?

If you are in a location similar to my near north condo, there is NO CHANCE of getting a stable WCIU OTA signal. My only option is via Comcast.
Analog or DTV?? What type of antenna did you try? Do you have a clear view of the Sears tower/what direction do you face?

Analog or DTV?? What type of antenna did you try? Do you have a clear view of the Sears tower/what direction do you face?

I'm on Wells facing east. No view of Sears Tower. Back in the day (before we got Comcast), I used to pick up CBS, NBC, and PBS HD OTA with some multipath dropout problems that were nearly eliminated using dual Radio Shack double-bowtie antennas and the LG 3410A HD tuner (and sometimes standing on my head with an aluminum foil hat).

I still have this equipment and can get a picture on WCIU-HD, but audio and video dropouts/freezes occur every few seconds making the games impossible to watch.

So Comcast is my only hope.

I'm on Wells facing east. No view of Sears Tower. Back in the day (before we got Comcast), I used to pick up CBS, NBC, and PBS HD OTA with some multipath dropout problems that were nearly eliminated using dual Radio Shack double-bowtie antennas and the LG 3410A HD tuner (and sometimes standing on my head with an aluminum foil hat).

I still have this equipment and can get a picture on WCIU-HD, but audio and video dropouts/freezes occur every few seconds making the games impossible to watch.

So Comcast is my only hope.
Have you tried a paperclip antenna yet??? J/K Yeah sounds like multipath to me. It's and unfortunate setback to living in a big city. Any other stations with the same issue or just us??

If you are in a location similar to my near north condo, there is NO CHANCE of getting a stable WCIU OTA signal. My only option is via Comcast.

Oh, yes there is! Just one rub: You need a 5th generation tuner, which handles all that much better than the 1st-4th generation tuners. Otherwise, I agree...it is very difficult to lock stations in that area.

Oh, yes there is! Just one rub: You need a 5th generation tuner, which handles all that much better than the 1st-4th generation tuners. Otherwise, I agree...it is very difficult to lock stations in that area.There's still no guarantee of that. It might work better or it might not. His situation might be beyond hope.

PhillyC - Did you try finding an antenna that's EXTREMELY directional and rejects multipath well, and just find a sweet spot to aim it at where a strong signal is reflected from? (It could be in any, God knows which direction). I assume you've probably tried everything, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

PhillyC - Did you try finding an antenna that's EXTREMELY directional and rejects multipath well, and just find a sweet spot to aim it at where a strong signal is reflected from? (It could be in any, God knows which direction). I assume you've probably tried everything, but I thought I'd ask anyway.
That has its possibilities. Directionals usually have some gain to them so you may want some antenuation as well. That's how we monitor DTV.

Hm. So in general, what would be our highest quality HD channel that we're getting from Comcast?

Have you tried a paperclip antenna yet??? J/K Yeah sounds like multipath to me. It's and unfortunate setback to living in a big city. Any other stations with the same issue or just us??

Can't get ABC or WGN either. I'm just in a bad spot.

Rammitinski and sebenste: Yep, I've tried everything, including a Silver Sensor, amps, attenuators, etc. It was odd that dual combined RS double-bowties and the LG 3410A tuner worked best and got 3 stations. In each case the combined bowties had to each face in different directions --- and each station needed a different orientation. Yikes! Kind of like Snoopy sitting on the TV trying to adjust his ears for a better signal...

Anyway, this is old news since Comcast came into the building. It only came up because of the lack of WCIU-HD.

I was really mystified why Comcast didn't carry WCIU-HD at first, and even contemplated getting an OTA HDTV tunner so as to pick up the station, but really looking at what we would get vs. the fuss going around, it doesn't seem to be worth it.

As my colleagues have mentioned, and in particular the best resource for this matter, hvs10trk, WCIU apart from the occasional Cubs, Sox, and Bulls home games doesn't broadcast any HD programming at all. After coming to the realization that even the fall college football games have no chance of being broadcast in HD, I can't see how Comcast can really justify the addition of WCIU-HD as far as satifying the majority of its viewers. The overall HD content offering on this station is very limited in relation to many others that would be possibly competing for a spot.

Besides, even for this, most of the Cubs, Sox, and Bulls home games will be/are/were broadcast on beautiful Comcast Sportsnet in high definition, (impecable), or WGN-HD, (equally as beautiful, IMO.). So, we're talking only a few high definition games that one is missing in not having WCIU-HD.

From my non scientific online research the numbers are far slanted toward Comcast Sportsnet HD and WGN-HD as far as Chicago sports offerings in high defintion.

Sox
Sox on Comcast Sportsnet HD: 44 games
Sox on WGN HD: 11 games
Sox on WCIU-HD: 12 games
Sox on ESPNHD only (no blackout): 2 games

Cubs
Cubs on Comcast Sportsnet HD: 34 games
Cubs on WGN HD: 42 games
Cubs on WCIU-HD: 4 games
Cubs on ESPNHD (no blackout): Didn't look up

Bulls
Bulls on Comcast Sportsnet HD: 22
Bulls on WGN-HD: 13
Bulls on WCIU-HD: 5
Bulls on TNT-HD (no blackout): Didn't look up
Bulls on ESPNHD (no blackout): Didn't look up

Those poor Blackhawks only had 1 game broadcast in HD on Comcast Sportsnet HD last season.

So, for all the games that WCIU-HD offers, (21), and considering 3 hours each game on average, (even though the Bulls will probably average 2-2.5 hours, but giving the benifit of the doubt), were only talking about 60 hours of HD programming here for roughly 1 year.

Considering WCIU-HD to be negligible for reasons mentioned above, going the way of Comcast with the Digital Classic package one would have access to ESPNHD, TNT-HD, WGN-HD, and Comcast Sports Net HD giving all, (well, most), of the HD home games covered for Chicago sports. Also, note, we haven't talked about the Bears here either, and their games, which may in the future be on ESPN HD.

Are we straining over pebbles here? I'm a big Chicago sports fan, but I would personally much rather prefer the National Geographic Channel in high definition or TBS in high definition. For the National Geographic HD channel, all of the broadcasts are in HD. And as far as TBS HD, your sports pleasure would be increase substancially with the Atlanta Braves games, and the college football games, (potentially big 12 and pac 10 games on Saturday nights), as well as the movies they show.

For what we'd get with WCIU-HD, we would be giving away so much more in passing up the opportunity to get a more substancial HD channel. WCIU-HD, would be good to have for those games missed with the other stations, but I'd hope its well lower on the priority list.

The "Uz" doesn't have it here!

References:
Comcast HDTV Bulls, Sox, Cubs, & Blackhawks Schedule
http://chicago.comcastsportsnet.com/shows-hdtv.asp

Bulls home games
http://wgntv.trb.com/about/site/other/wgntv-sports-bulls-2005-06,0,5115458.htmlstory?coll=wgntv-sports-1

Sox WGN/WCIU & Comcast Schedule
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cws/schedule/broadcast.jsp
http://wgntv.trb.com/sports/wgntv-sports-sox2006,0,7133069.htmlstory?coll=wgntv-home-3

Cubs WGN/WCIU Schedule
http://wgntv.trb.com/sports/wgntv-sports-cubs2006,0,5103780.htmlstory?coll=wgntv-home-3

Originally Posted by kevin j
Politics [and I'm sure money] are involved, but as subscribers we need WCIU-HD. And NFL Network-HD. Sox and Cub road games in HD on Comcast in 2007 would be nice too.


Dear Charles,

WCIU-HD is fine just where it is now, off the Comcast line up! :) It doesn't really seem like we are losing to much by not having it. Seems like more HD channels are on the way, so lets hope for National Geographic HD or TBS HD. NFL Network-HD would be good to if Comcast will include it in thier Digital Classic offering. Currently you have to go to Digital Gold to get the SD NFL Network channel now.

Honestly if the college football games were offered in HD to us we would probably consider them. But as I see it right now, regional games as of last year weren't even offered in HD to stations like us.

HVS,

Isn't (sports) the #1 reason why one would want HD, for the most part? :)

Well, since I seem to be in the tiniest of minorities, I'll just speak up, or is that squeak up?

I just want more movies on free HD channels. Taking away INHD2 hurts - not that they were showing many movies any more, mind. As far as I'm concerned, if I could buy a cable package with no sports programming whatsoever, I would jump at the chance. It's an enormous waste of good bandwidth to me. So yeah, there ARE other reasons out there, as unpopular as they may be.

Until something's done i'll stop watching WCIU[that's how pathetically bad it looks on Comcast....then again every SD digital channel on Comcast looks bad]....i might just call Comcast and tell em to stop dragging their feet and get the HD feed[it's been too long in coming....slowpokes :mad: ].
Have you called Comcast to complain about our SD feed yet. The problem is very likely in one of their head-ends.

It's not just WCIU it's pretty much every channel since they went to ADS imho.....ADS= a bad joke pq wise.[looks kind've like the sunday night football game did on WLS....kind've blurry].

It's not just WCIU it's pretty much every channel since they went to ADS imho.....ADS= a bad joke pq wise.

That's weird. I like the quality of SD channels much better now that they are all digital. Even WCIU is much more watchable now than it was before when it was analog.

Comcast added channel 193 today. It is the 3rd subchanel of WLS. ABC News Now/Weather.

This has been there for a while (if tuned using QAM tuner), but they never mapped a channel for it until now.

I just want more movies on free HD channels. Taking away INHD2 hurts - not that they were showing many movies any more, mind. As far as I'm concerned, if I could buy a cable package with no sports programming whatsoever, I would jump at the chance. It's an enormous waste of good bandwidth to me. So yeah, there ARE other reasons out there, as unpopular as they may be.
Some of INHD2's programming was merged with INHD, so there are still some HD movies. Also, check OnDemand. There are a few free HD movies, even where you don't think they are. I was able to watch 'Mark of Zorro' from Starz, which was listed as 'complementary', even though I don't subscribe to Starz. My only issue is that it seemed to be running at a slighly reduced frame rate. There was some jittery movement on pans and people walking. At least it's in 5.1 audio. The other free HD movies ('Men in Black' and others) are only 2/0 (probably ProLogic), but I didn't notice any other problems.

Comcast added channel 193 today. It is the 3rd subchanel of WLS. ABC News Now/Weather.

This has been there for a while (if tuned using QAM tuner), but they never mapped a channel for it until now.
It's on 633MHz, shared with WLS-DT, WGN-DT, WGN 9.3 (Tube), WLS 7.2.

It's not just WCIU it's pretty much every channel since they went to ADS imho.....ADS= a bad joke pq wise.[looks kind've like the sunday night football game did on WLS....kind've blurry].

ADS is a big improvement here (not that I watch much non-HD). The channels are even better through tuners other than the 6412.

Comcast added channel 193 today. It is the 3rd subchanel of WLS. ABC News Now/Weather.

This has been there for a while (if tuned using QAM tuner), but they never mapped a channel for it until now.

Great to have another channel, but this is the same type of channel as the NBC weather one, 194. What gives? I was hoping for National Geographic HD or TBS HD.

Those weather channels are a waste of bandwidth imho since we already have The Weather Channel.

With the 5C encryption flag being imposed for Comcast customers in the Mount Prospect Area, I'd like to record the High definition content to my PC via IEEE 1394 firewire connected to my comcast cable box using Cap DVHS. I know people in Schaumburg don't have a problem recording anything they want. I have friends over the Chicagoland area, and in an attempt to circumvent my current difficutly in Des Plaines I'm thinking about having them do the recording for me, (if they can record freely), and having them give me the recording, via DVD data disc, portable hard drive, or a IDE one.

Can anyone comment if they can copy everything freely, other than the over the air channels in their area. I'd really be interested in knowing about all of Chicago land, (i.e. University Park, Olympia Fields, Country Club Hills, Flossmore, Chicago, Skokie, Evanston, etc.)

I really wanted to record INHD's Fields of Glory last year, but I didn't get them all before Comcast imposed the 5C protection flag on all but over the air stations last year. I'm really hoping I can get them all this year.

I have all of the Cathedrals Of The Games on my DVR, but have no way of getting them off without losing the quality.

Those weather channels are a waste of bandwidth imho since we already have The Weather Channel.

I agree with you 100%!

Well, since I seem to be in the tiniest of minorities, I'll just speak up, or is that squeak up?

I just want more movies on free HD channels. Taking away INHD2 hurts - not that they were showing many movies any more, mind. As far as I'm concerned, if I could buy a cable package with no sports programming whatsoever, I would jump at the chance. It's an enormous waste of good bandwidth to me. So yeah, there ARE other reasons out there, as unpopular as they may be.

Hey buddy,

You are not alone! I'd love to see other high def. stations also. More variety would be really good. I was kinda bummed to see INHD2 go as well, and understand your disappointment.

I'm a big sports fan, and enjoy my ESPNHD, ESPN2HD, CSNHD, TNT sports, and the pro football games that will come on FoxHD, and NBC HD, as well as the college games on ABC in HD this fall but I agree that there is more to life than sports programming.

All we need now is a CBS weather station. The Weather Channel and Wheatherscan are enough.

cthame1

I am in the city. I can copy everything freely.

All we need now is a CBS weather station. The Weather Channel and Wheatherscan are enough.
If WBBM had a weather subchannel, nobody would be able to see it anyways. :D

If WBBM had a weather subchannel, nobody would be able to see it anyways. :DPlus, it'll degrade the main OTA channel.

I, for one, don't want to see any more of that. We can do witout a third weather subchannel in this town. Or a second for that matter.

Buy a stinkin' $15.00 weather radio for that. I want the best local HD possible.

Those weather channels are a waste of bandwidth imho since we already have The Weather Channel.

Well, that would make sense if The Weather Channel still reported on the weather. Those were the days. Every time I turn on The Weather Channel they're playing Storm Stories or some other program, even during severe weather. Plus, not everyone has cable.

Any update on when we are going to get NFL Network HD? Replay of the Bears game at 2am on Friday night/Saturday morning is supposed to be in HD. I wouldn't mind recording it to watch on Saturday. As well as other games.

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/schedule/0812

I'd imagine we might see it by this weekend[hopefully].....that is if 208's ready for NFLHD by then.[unless they put it on INHD temporarily]

Did Comcast actually sign an agreement to carry NFL-HD? I've seen many messages speculating that it's one of the upcoming HD channels, but I don't think I've seen any confirmation from Comcast.

Plus, it'll degrade the main OTA channel.

I, for one, don't want to see any more of that. We can do witout a third weather subchannel in this town. Or a second for that matter.

Buy a stinkin' $15.00 weather radio for that. I want the best local HD possible.
I gotta admit though, I like having 5.2 NBC weather plus around. I have Direct TV so I dont have access to local radar like others on the WX channel. So its kinda handy. Also if I'm watching DTV, it's one less button I have to punch.

Anybody in here actually work for Comcast??? PM me if you want to be annonomous.

Are any Bears preseason games going to be in HD other than next weeks game vs the Chargers?

Not according to this guide (http://www.hdsportsguide.com/nfl.php). However, it does say that CBS and Fox games get added on a weekly basis.

BTW, the 49ers game already aired on NFL-HD and the guide doesn't show it , although it could simply be that they've removed past games.

I have a HD TV coming in the next couple days and will call Comcast soon to get a new cable box. Any recommendations on what model I can expect or ask for in the Palatine area?

Also, I have a homebuilt PVR that I have been using for SD channels. I have a DVICO FusionHDTV 5 card that works with OTA channels, but is not in my PVR yet. Or, I could hookup Firewire if the cablebox supported. Would either of these work with the Comcast boxes in our area?

Thanks,
George

Did Comcast actually sign an agreement to carry NFL-HD? I've seen many messages speculating that it's one of the upcoming HD channels, but I don't think I've seen any confirmation from Comcast.

I believe they have an agreement to show the games, but are still working on an agreement to show the whole HD channel itself. That's why we see games on the HD special events channel or INHD.

Rich N.

I have a HD TV coming in the next couple days and will call Comcast soon to get a new cable box. Any recommendations on what model I can expect or ask for in the Palatine area?

If you get a DVR version, it would probably be the 3412 or maybe a 6412 Phase III (both have HDMI). For a non-DVR, possibly an old 5100 or 6200, unless there is a new model out.

hola

I really hope they get HDNET or something to replace INHD2, that was a bummer to see they took that channel away. What did we get instead...TUBE TV? :p .

It's craptastic! :D

I'd even go for UHD or NFL-HD in the place of INHD2.

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forums.

I live in Schaumburg and i have Comcast and i think its great. Their digital TV
service is amazing, i love OnDemand, and especially the "Infobar". Their internet
is pretty awesome too.

Only thing i have a problem with is The Weather Channel. that being my favorite channel
(I love weather and i like chasing severe storms), they have lots of screwups with it
at the Comcast Headend. Some of it is TWC's fault, but They dont pay enough attention
to whats goign on. Not that they should drop eevrything and have someone watchign TWC
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

-Gil

Any info as to when we will see the TIVO software rollout?

I'm moving into an apartment in Evanston soon, and I'm trying to figure out my options for cable...

If I get the 7.99 basic cable package, the trap they install won't filter out the unencrypted HD channels, correct? I plan on using a QAM tuner card for my PC, which I know works fine with Comcast in Evanston. The only problem will be if the trap filters out the HD channels.

Anybody notice that the analog Animal Planet (32 here in Schaumburg) has a short pause once a second? The pauses disappear when local commercials, presumably inserted by Comcast, are playing. The ADS version through the cable box doesn't have the issue.

Comcast really seems to be doing everything they can to piss off analog users. Once or twice a month, one channel will have stuttering audio for a day or two, and now we have stuttering video. Doesn't ANYBODY monitor these things?

NTSC Tuner and Comcast
------------------------------------

I am planning to purchase a Media Center PC with NTSC tuner card in it. I was wondering, when I hookup my camcast cable whether it will get digital ( above 100) as well just like I get it when using Cable Box.

Thanks!

NTSC Tuner and Comcast
------------------------------------

I am planning to purchase a Media Center PC with NTSC tuner card in it. I was wondering, when I hookup my camcast cable whether it will get digital ( above 100) as well just like I get it when using Cable Box.

Thanks!

You'll have to use a cable box to get the digital channels. Luckily, you can configure Media Center to work with your cable box. It uses an IR blaster to control the box, and you'll be able to use Media Center as if the box isn't even there.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/using/setup/settop.mspx

Anybody notice that the analog Animal Planet (32 here in Schaumburg) has a short pause once a second? The pauses disappear when local commercials, presumably inserted by Comcast, are playing. The ADS version through the cable box doesn't have the issue.

Comcast really seems to be doing everything they can to piss off analog users. Once or twice a month, one channel will have stuttering audio for a day or two, and now we have stuttering video. Doesn't ANYBODY monitor these things?
At quick glance, the techs see a picture, hear audio, and move on. Welcome to analog hell. I wish analog cable would die a quick death, but many of the more seasoned subscribers would be ticked and would have the time to go to city hall and complain. Still, I wish Comcast would have the guts to pull the plug on it.
In the short term, it will make their life difficult, but after that, it would be easier and better for all of us. Except the techs. :)

If I were a Comcast head-end techie, I would check all my channels, once in the AM and PM. I know they aren't like D* or E* with a huge room of monitors, so it makes their life considerably harder to see problems quickly. And, they have tons of other stuff to worry about...new channels, equipment, servers, VOIP...etc. Digital is now feeding the analog, and that makes things more complicated if a modulator or related equipment starts having problems.

My gosh, I can't believe I just defended (for the most part) Comcast. The world is ending!

Originally Posted by FSugino
Did Comcast actually sign an agreement to carry NFL-HD? I've seen many messages speculating that it's one of the upcoming HD channels, but I don't think I've seen any confirmation from Comcast

I believe they have an agreement to show the games, but are still working on an agreement to show the whole HD channel itself. That's why we see games on the HD special events channel or INHD.

Rich N.

Sunday morning INHD [ch 174] broadcast an NFL Network HD replay [from Ch 8 Tampa] of Saturday night's Dolphins-Bucs pre-season game. NFL Network-SD [ch 168] had identical feed. After halftime NFL-SD switched to SD feed [from Ch 4 Miami] while INHD stayed with the NFL-HD broadcast.

Does anyone know, will NFL-HD be added or will upcoming HD games be a 'special event' only? Special events are OK, but unless Comcast posts a schedule we'll never know where or when to find them.

Right now, INHD guide showing tennis, But NFL HD game is on, Redskins/Jets game. On 174 here in Waukegan.

Same thing over here in NW Indiana.

Sunday morning INHD [ch 174] broadcast an NFL Network HD replay [from Ch 8 Tampa] of Saturday night's Dolphins-Bucs pre-season game. NFL Network-SD [ch 168] had identical feed. After halftime NFL-SD switched to SD feed [from Ch 4 Miami] while INHD stayed with the NFL-HD broadcast.

Does anyone know, will NFL-HD be added or will upcoming HD games be a 'special event' only? Special events are OK, but unless Comcast posts a schedule we'll never know where or when to find them.
It's too bad the HD-SE channel is gone. Comcast used this last year and didn't interrupt the INHD channel. Also, I noted that the HD version lagged the analog channel by at least 10 seconds.

I looked on here but could not find anyone else that saw this. I was at a customers house in Deerfield on monday 8-14-06 and they had HGTV-HD on channel 202. I have since been to friends houses and customers houses and never found channel 202 accept up in Deerfield. Was comcast supposed to get this? was this an error?

I looked on here but could not find anyone else that saw this. I was at a customers house in Deerfield on monday 8-14-06 and they had HGTV-HD on channel 202. I have since been to friends houses and customers houses and never found channel 202 accept up in Deerfield. Was comcast supposed to get this? was this an error?

It's not HGTV-HD, it's HGTV-SD. Been there for a long time.

but on channel 202? and every other SD channel was stretched...........this one was not...........and sure looked HD. I dont live in that area at all but it sure surprised me to see it there.

HGTV-SD is channel 71 here in Schaumburg. 202 is currently empty, so if Deerfield is showing the HD version on 202 then that may be a preview of things to come.

Can anyone in the Deerfield area confirm this?

We've had HGTV on 202 & Discovery Home on 201 since I got Comcast 2 almost 2 yrs ago. This was when their was only 1 HD channel above 200, Discovery Theatre on 205. Comcast has no clue how to group their channels together. Other Comcast systems have done this and they seem to be trying to make there systems universal. Here is our areas current lineup:


1 COMCAST ON DEMAND ON DEMAND HD ON
2 WBBM-TV (2) CBS
3 WJYS-TV (62)
4 WSNS-TV (44) TEL Multicultural
5 WMAQ-TV (5) NBC
6 WGBO-TV (66) UNI Multicultural
7 WLS-TV (7) ABC
8 WPWR-TV (50) UPN
9 WGN-TV (9) WB
10 WMVS-TV (10) PBS
11 WTTW-TV (11) PBS
12 WFLD-TV (32) FOX
13 WCIU-TV (26)
14 QVC Lifestyle
15 WCPX-TV (38) i Children & Family
16 ABC Family Children & Family
17 Public Access
18 Access
19 Public Access
20 WYCC-TV (20)
21 ESPN Classic Sports Sports
22 WXFT-TV (60)
23 FX Lifestyle
24 CNBC News & Info
25 Comcast Network
26 Celebrity Shopping Network
27 HSN Lifestyle
30 Comedy Central Lifestyle
31 The Golf Channel Sports
32 TBS
33 Discovery Channel
34 AMC Movies
35 The Weather Channel News & Info
36 Headline News
37 Comcast SportsNet Chicago
38 Cartoon Network Children & Family
39 Hallmark Channel Movies
41 ESPN Sports
42 ESPN2 Sports
43 Spike TV Lifestyle
44 CMT
45 MTV Music
46 BET Lifestyle
47 Disney Channel
48 Nickelodeon Children & Family
49 TLC Children & Family
50 A&E Lifestyle
51 USA Network
52 TNT Lifestyle
53 CLTV
54 Fox News Channel
55 CNN
58 Court TV News & Info
59 VH1
60 E! Lifestyle
61 Food Network Lifestyle
62 Travel Channel Lifestyle
63 Oxygen
64 TV Land Children & Family
65 MSNBC News & Info
67 ShopNBC Lifestyle
68 Animal Planet Children & Family
69 Lifetime
71 Cable Marketplace
72 Galavision Multicultural
73 Bravo Movies
74 The History Channel Children & Family
75 TLN
76 OLN Lifestyle
77 CSPAN 2
95 CSPAN News & Info
96 EWTN Lifestyle
99 TV Guide Channel Help & Services
100 Leased Access Help & Services
101 Weatherscan Local News & Info
107 Current News & Info
120 NOGGIN Children & Family
121 DIY
122 Toon Disney Children & Family
124 Fine Living Lifestyle
125 Current News & Info
126 Nicktoons Network
127 PBS Kids Sprout Children & Family
128 Bloomberg Televison
130 Discovery Kids
132 Nick Too Children & Family
135 MTV 2
136 G4
138 Lime
141 MTV en Espanol
142 MTV Jams
143 LOGO Lifestyle
149 MOVIEplex Movies
160 Sci-Fi Channel
161 Game Show Network
162 BBC America Lifestyle
168 NFL Network
168 NFL Network
172 TV One
173 ESPN HD High-Definition TV
174 iN DEMAND HD 1 High-Definition TV
178 CNBC World
182 Ovation
183 Style
185 Showtime HD High-Definition TV
186 HBO HD High-Definition TV
187 WLS-DT (ABC) High-Definition TV
188 WMAQ-DT (NBC) High-Definition TV
189 WBBM-DT (CBS) High-Definition TV
190 WFLD-DT (FOX) High-Definition TV
191 WTTW-DT (PBS) High-Definition TV
192 WGN-DT High-Definition TV
193 ABC 7 News Now News & Info
194 NBC Weather Plus News & Info
195 Cinemax HD High-Definition TV
196 Starz HD High-Definition TV
197 WGN The Tube Music
200 Comcast SportsNet HDTV High-Definition TV
201 Discovery Home Lifestyle
202 Home & Garden
203 ESPN2 HD High-Definition TV
204 TNT in HD High-Definition TV
205 Discovery HD Theater High-Definition TV
209 MHD Music
215 Nick Games & Sports
217 ABC News Now News & Info
220 Discovery Health News & Info
222 FitTV
223 WWME (via WCIU-DT)
230 Trinity Broadcasting
231 Inspirational Life
240 AZN Television Multicultural
242 WTTW Create Lifestyle
248 WFBT (via WCIU-DT)
260 TV Games
262 FCS Atlantic Sports
263 FCS Central Sports
264 FCS Pacific Sports
267 Fox Soccer Channel Sports
268 Gol TV Sports
271 Discovery Times Channel
272 The Science Channel
273 National Geographic News & Info
274 Military Channel News & Info
275 The Biography Channel News & Info
276 History Channel Int'l.
282 Jewelry Television

Nothing in the 300's, then sports, Movies & foriegn language.

Wow. I thought all of the Comcast systems in the Chicagoland area had the same channel lineups, but I guess I'm wrong. Here's what my lineup looks like:


1 COMCAST ON DEMAND
2 WBBM-TV (2) CBS
3 Comcast Network
5 WMAQ-TV (5) NBC
6 WCIU-TV (26)
7 WLS-TV (7) ABC
8 WPWR-TV (50) UPN
9 WGN-TV (9) WB
10 WGBO-TV (66) UNI
11 WTTW-TV (11) PBS
12 WFLD-TV (32) FOX
13 Access
14 WYIN-TV (56) PBS
15 Access
16 Turner Classic
18 WCPX-TV (38) i
19 WSNS-TV (44) TEL
20 WYCC-TV (20)
21 Discovery Channel
22 QVC
23 WXFT-TV (60)
24 Access
25 Food Network
26 Access
27 CSPAN 2
28 VH1
29 CSPAN
30 TV Guide Channel
31 TLC
32 Animal Planet
33 WJYS-TV (62)
34 TBS
35 Access
36 AMC
37 Comcast Net Chicago
38 MTV
39 The Weather Channel
40 CNN
41 CLTV
42 Disney Channel
43 Spike TV
44 Nickelodeon
45 Headline News
47 Comedy Central
48 Lifetime
49 BET
50 FX
51 TNT
52 Cartoon Network
53 The History Channel
54 USA Network
55 A&E
56 EWTN
57 ABC Family
58 ESPN
60 ESPN 2
62 Hallmark Channel
63 CNBC
64 MSNBC
65 TLN
66 Fox News Channel
67 Oxygen
68 TV Land
69 The Golf Channel
70 ESPN Classic
71 Home & Garden
73 Court TV
74 E!
75 Travel Channel
76 OLN
95 HSN
96 Access
100 Leased Access
101 Weatherscan Local
107 Current
120 Noggin
121 DIY
122 Toon Disney
124 Fine Living
125 Current
126 Nicktoons Network
127 PBS Kids Sprout
128 Bloomberg Television
130 Discovery Kids
132 Nick Too
135 MTV 2
136 G4
138 Lime
141 MTV Español
142 MTV Jams
143 LOGO
146 Country Television
149 MoviePlex
160 Sci-Fi Channel
161 GSN
162 BBC America
164 ShopNBC
168 NFL Network
168 NFL Network
172 TV One
173 ESPN HD
174 iN DEMAND HD 1
178 CNBC World
180 Bravo
182 Ovation
183 Style
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
193 ABC 7 News Now
194 NBC Weather Plus
195 Cinemax HD
196 Starz HD
197 WGN The Tube
200 Comcast Net HDTV
201 Discovery Home
203 ESPN2 HD
204 TNT in HD
205 Discovery HD Theater
209 MHD
215 Nick Games &
217 ABC News Now
220 Discovery Health
222 FitTV
223 WWME (via WCIU-DT)
230 Trinity Broadcasting
231 Inspirational Life
240 AZN Television
242 WTTW Create
248 WFBT (via WCIU-DT)
260 TV Games Network
262 FCS Atlantic
263 FCS Central
264 FCS Pacific
267 Fox Soccer Channel
268 Gol TV
271 Discovery Times
272 The Science Channel
273 National Geographic
274 Military Channel
275 The Biography Channel
276 History Channel International
282 Jewelry Television
401 Fox Soccer Channel
402 ESPNews
406 The Outdoor Channel
408 Speed Channel
408 Speed Channel
413 FCS Atlantic
414 FCS Central
415 FCS Pacific
421 - 426 ESPN PPV 1-6
439 NBA TV
439 NBA TV
440 NBA Preview Channel
441 - 449 TEAM PPV
453 - 460 Latin DMX
461 - 470 GAME PPV 1-10
471 CMT Pure Country
472 MTV Hits
473 VH1 Classic
474 VH1 Soul
476 Fuse
481 BET J
482 Black Family Channel
484 Great American Country
486 The Word Network
502 WE
503 Independent Film Channel
504 Lifetime Movie Network
505 Sundance Channel West
506 Fox Movie Channel
516 Encore Wam
517 Encore East
518 Encore West
519 Encore Love East
520 Encore Love West
521 Encore Mystery East
522 RetroPlex
523 Encore Westerns East
524 Encore Westerns West
527 Encore Drama East
528 IndiePlex
529 Encore Action East
530 Encore Action West
533 Starz East
534 Starz West
535 Starz Edge East
536 Starz Edge West
537 Starz InBlack
538 Starz Cinema
539 Starz Kids & Family
540 Starz Comedy
543 Playboy TV
550 HBO East
551 HBO West
552 HBO 2 East
553 HBO 2 West
554 HBO Signature East
555 HBO Signature West
556 HBO Family East
557 HBO Family West
558 HBO Latino
559 HBO Comedy
560 HBO Zone
561 Cinemax West
562 Cinemax East
564 MoreMax East
565 MoreMax West
566 ActionMax
567 ThrillerMax
575 Showtime East
576 Showtime West
577 Showtime Too East
578 Showtime Too West
579 Showtime Showcase East
580 Showtime Showcase West
581 Showtime Extreme East
582 Showtime Extreme West
583 Showtime Next
584 Showtime Family Zone
585 Showtime Women
586 FLIX
590 The Movie Channel East
592 The Movie Channel Xtra East
593 The Movie Channel Xtra West
595 Playboy TV en Español
599 WOCK-TV (Azteca América)
600 Vene
601 Discovery en Español
602 Fox Sports en Español
603 Canal 52MX
604 Cine Latino
605 The History Channel en Español
606 MTV Español
608 CNN en Español
609 Toon Disney en Español
610 Cine Mexicano
619 Docu TVE
622 Gol TV
623 Infinito
624 Video Rola
628 Canal SUR
634 Sorpresa
635 Sí TV
635 Si TV
635 Sí TV
652 Canal 52MX
655 RTN (Russian Int'l Channel)
665 TV Asia
668 TV 5 (French)
668 CTI-ZTC (CTI-Zhong Tian Channel)
669 SBTN (Saigon Broadcasting Television Network)
670 TFC (The Filipino Channel)
671 CCTV-4 (Mandarin)
674 TV Japan
679 RAI (Italian)
684 ART (Arabic)
701 - 746 Choice
801 - 807 iN DEMAND PPV
844 Hot Network
851 Spice
852 Spice 2
853 Playboy TV
854 TEN

UP north, we get 1 Milwaukee PBS channel, but we don't get WYIN. Other than that, alot of the analog's are in different places and a few analog in one place in digital somewhere else. Comcast in Naples, Fl had a realignment last year & told us that Comcast was going to look to realign similarly throughtout the country. Why in the world would they put 7.2 on 217 & 7.3 on 193? & Why not use the channels in the 300's?

HGTV-SD is channel 71 here in Schaumburg. 202 is currently empty, so if Deerfield is showing the HD version on 202 then that may be a preview of things to come.

Can anyone in the Deerfield area confirm this?
I can confirm that 202 in Deerfield is still HGTV-SD, unfortunately.

anyone know if we will be getting UHD in time for the start of the US open?

Looks like comcast.com finally decided to completely redesign their website.

UHD'll probably pop up unannounced just like most other HD channels they've added.

For the last few days channel 203 in Deerfield has been ESPN-HD, not ESPN2-HD. Anyone else seeing this?

It's still Espn2HD on 203 here.

Over here in NW IN, INHD1(174), has that damn music playing with the INHD screen, just like NFLHD/HDSE(208) was for the last seven months. What the heck is going on now?

What is Comcast doing differently with some of the Cubs recent road games? The picture has been head and shoulders better than it used to be. Is it 480p widescreen? Something similar (but better) than what FOX used to do? I like it...and my 57" display shows plenty of ugly on a lot of non HD channels.

What kind of on demand is channel 888? I hit it by accident trying for channel 188 for the Bears game tonight.....it's a whole new set of on demand options....anyone know what this is all about?

Tom

Damn, it looks very good, much better than fox widescreen. It looks better than the 480i widescreen they've been using for roadgames

14 hours later, and their is still nothing showing on INHD 1 (174) except their logo and some music. Are there any other Chicagoland communities experiencing the same.

14 hours later, and their is still nothing showing on INHD 1 (174) except their logo and some music. Are there any other Chicagoland communities experiencing the same.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is playing here... your local head-end must be having a problem. What did Comcast customer service say?

Fruitless attempt. First CSR said I didn't have the package I've been paying for the last year. Then told me the old line of what I couldn't receive with a cablecard. Then stated that INHD was an on-demand channel, not available with a cablecard. Couldn't get to a csr with any knowledge concerning HD and cablecard, so they are waisting time by sending out a tech. All I wanted to know is why 174 was just INHD with music.

Fruitless attempt. First CSR said I didn't have the package I've been paying for the last year. Then told me the old line of what I couldn't receive with a cablecard. Then stated that INHD was an on-demand channel, not available with a cablecard. Couldn't get to a csr with any knowledge concerning HD and cablecard, so they are waisting time by sending out a tech. All I wanted to know is why 174 was just INHD with music.

INHD Ch 174 working fine here in Darien with cablecard. Last time I spoke w/Comcast CSR on signal problem the gal I spoke with was in Canada, they're clueless trying to resolve tech issues.

An NFLHD game aired on Ch 174 today, replay of last nite's Giants-Jets game....will NFLHD get a dedicated channel or will these games continue to be a 'special event' only?

Giants, Redskins, Buccaneers & other US markets have aired pre-season games in HD. No luck here in Chicago, Friday's Cardinals-Bears game on Ch 188 was SD.

What is the minimum package one has to buy with Comcast in order to get the HD package?

Obviously, you can not just get the HD package...or can you?

can anyone confirm/deny whether Comcast will let me bring a stuttering/busted 3412 or 6412 DVR box to their North Ave. office for exchange?

this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8140663) implies you can at least rent an additional box by going to their brick & mortar office..

I've been told all along by the phone CSR's that the DVR's require installation by a technician :rolleyes: Am really tired of sitting here for a tech every time this 3412 starts to go bad, which is about every 5 months.

I've been told all along by the phone CSR's that the DVR's require installation by a technician :rolleyes: Am really tired of sitting here for a tech every time this 3412 starts to go bad, which is about every 5 months.

That's interesting -- they let me self-install my 3412 back in January. Of course, that was for what amounted to a service upgrade (since I had regular cable but no DVR or cable box at the time). I'd imagine when you're buying additional services from them, they're a lot more receptive to that sort of thing.

What is the minimum package one has to buy with Comcast in order to get the HD package?

Obviously, you can not just get the HD package...or can you?
Go to the comcast website and enter your zipcode for specifics. In the past, many of us only had to purchase basic service ($16) to get HD/DVR box. I am still paying $26 total a month for basic service and the HD DVR. I've heard that lately you are forced into a Digital package to get the HD box.

What with the US Open being in HD on UHD you'd think Comcast would've added it by now....what gives?.....anyone know?.....when you know that other Comcast areas have it and you don't makes me think Comcast in this area's a bit slow on the uptake[if you get my drift]. :(

Has anyone else seen this perpetual banner ad that is running on the bottom of the Guide? It just showed up today and it takes up 2 channel rows! Way to go Comcast. :(

Yeah.. that banner advertising is sooooo bad... it sucks

Has anyone else seen this perpetual banner ad that is running on the bottom of the Guide? It just showed up today and it takes up 2 channel rows! Way to go Comcast. :(

I agree. Bad, bad idea. There has got to be better way to do this. Aren't I paying enough? If you are going to subsidize by showing me ads, lower my bill.

I really dislike it when ads are put on things. My AOL email has a big and a small add at the bottom of my mailbox, and it's pretty anoying. I pay for AOL for Broadband, yet there are still adds.

Haven't seen the ad on Comcast yet, but I'll check it out. I would expect ads on a TV guide site, but not on my On Screen Guide I'm kind of paying for.

The banner is really annoying, I called to complain but the CSR said they didn't make any changes... :(

I'm pretty steamed about the banner. I just spent about a half-hour waiting on hold to complain to a CSR about this. I took the civil approach and asked if there was any way to make the banners go away. She said there wasn't, and I asked her who I should complain to. After I held for awhile, she came back and told me that the banners were "done by TV Guide" and not by Comcast. I'm highly skeptical of this, I have a feeling the guide info is actually handled by Comcast's servers and the banner ads are probably hosted on those same servers.The TV Guide branding is probably just a license agreement, plus that TV Guide channel at Channel 3 or so.

Anyway, she made some vague comments about clicking on a comments button on the website but it sounds like there's not much of an avenue for feedback other than voting with your dollars. And crazy as it sounds, I'd consider cancelling my service if these ads are around past a week or two. I pay too much to Comcast to see banner ads when I'm trying to channel-surf.

As bad as it is, they are not as bad as the ads they used to have long time ago on the old guide.

I wonder if this was added nationally or just in Chicago. I'd think it is a national thing.

Has anyone else seen this perpetual banner ad that is running on the bottom of the Guide? It just showed up today and it takes up 2 channel rows! Way to go Comcast. :(

I just saw this when I turned on the TV for the 1st time today. Time to fire off a very angry email to them. Everyone should bombard them with email complaining about it.

Sent an email in, now mine's gone. I'd bet it's a coincidence, but is it still there for everyone else?

Gone here too, hope it stays gone!

Mine, too!

Behold...The power of the internets!

Wow - it looks like it's gone for me as well. Maybe enough feedback got through?

I could have sworn that the banners were taking up two out of six slots, but now that the banner's gone I count five slots. There's almost room for another slot at the bottom. Seems like the banner could fit there without interfering with browsing too much.

I wonder if this was added nationally or just in Chicago. I'd think it is a national thing.

I just checked some of the other Comcast local threads and it looks like it was on everywhere...and it also looks like the nationwide concensus is that it's VERY ANNOYING!!! Hopefully it was only a few hours of poor judgement on Comcast's part. ;)

I just checked some of the other Comcast local threads and it looks like it was on everywhere...and it also looks like the nationwide concensus is that it's VERY ANNOYING!!! Hopefully it was only a few hours of poor judgement on Comcast's part. ;)

Knowing Comcast, they were probably testing it and to decision makers it looked too small so they took it off while they rethink a bigger, more annoying solution :)

CSN Chicago reaches agrrement with FSN:

Comcast SportsNet to Carry FSN's College Football, Basketball and National Shows

Comcast SportsNet Chicago, the television home of the Chicago White Sox, Cubs, Bulls and Blackhawks, has reached a programming agreement with Fox Sports Net to begin carrying FSN’s national college football and basketball telecasts on its fall schedule, along with a number of FSN’s popular national sports talk shows. Comcast SportsNet will start airing FSN programming in early September with Pac-10 and Big 12 football games with additional national shows, including the Best Damn Sports Show Period, beginning in October. The announcement was made by James J. Corno, Senior Vice President/General Manager for Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Bob Thompson, President, Fox Sports Networks.

Comcast SportsNet’s first game from Fox Sports Net’s 2006 college football schedule will air live on Saturday, September 2 at 6:00 PM featuring Utah at UCLA in HD. Later that evening on a delayed basis, Comcast SportsNet will carry Louisiana Tech at Nebraska at 1:00 AM. There are 21 scheduled live Pac-10 and Big 12 Conference games on this year’s schedule from FSN. Outside of the FSN national games, there will be six Comcast SportsNet-produced Northern Illinois University match-ups, five of which will be live telecasts. Comcast SportsNet’s full 2006 college football schedule, highlighted by FSN’s Pac-10 and Big 12 games, is attached at the end of this release.
Comcast SportsNet’s college basketball schedule will have approximately 49 live men’s games from two of the nation’s top conferences: the ACC featuring powerhouses North Carolina, Duke, Boston College, Georgia Tech and Florida State and the Pac-10 highlighted by UCLA, Washington and Arizona. Comcast SportsNet’s college basketball schedule will also feature top women’s games from the ACC, Big 12 and Pac-10 Conference. The network’s full men’s and women’s college basketball schedule will be announced later this fall.

“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Fox Sports Net to begin carrying their impressive schedule of national college football and basketball match-ups, along with additional non-event programming, including the Best Damn Sports Show Period, from their schedule,” said Corno. “The addition of these national college games and other programming will serve as a perfect complement to our current roster of locally-produced sports news and talk shows.”

“It’s really great to have FSN’s national programming available to Chicago sports fans in time for the busy fall sports season,” added Thompson. “Comcast SportsNet Chicago becomes our outlet for college football and basketball schedules and shows like Best Damn Sports Show, FSN Pro Football Preview and FSN Final Score, our new fast-paced highlights show. We, in turn, have these events and shows back on the nation’s third largest market. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Beginning in October, Comcast SportsNet viewers will begin to see additional non-event programming from Fox Sports Net including the Best Damn Sports Show Period (Monday through Friday at 11:00 PM), CMI: The Chris Myers Interview (Sundays at 5:30 PM), In Focus (Sundays at 6:00 PM), FSN Pro Football Preview (dates/times TBA) and FSN Final Score (dates/times TBA).

I'm glad that it's gone. That was quite a short time for them to have it. Hope it stays gone.

The ads are back again. Maybe they're just putting them there when people check the primetime listings. There are 3 that rotate every time t=you change the view on the guide. & it is annoying as all hell.

back here too.
I'm moving in a month, let's see if they respond when I tell them that I'll use RCN in my new place instead of comcast if the adds are still up..

Well, I'm calling in and complaining every day these ads are up.

The CSR I just talked to said customers are calling in about the banners and that "they" are seeing what they can do about it.

Did Comcast totally loose it with its banner?
Most annoying is that it is actually a scroll step and uses real estate.
The STB menu wasn't all that great to begin with.

Please tell me there is someone here that know to hack the box to get rid oft !

The channel guide ads are very annoying. I have been on hold for ten minutes now as I wait for my turn to complain about it.

9:15 & it's gone again. They myst just be tryng in during the time people are looking for primetime shows

Can anyone tell me if ESPNU is carried by Comcast in the Chicago area(especially Evanston) or can I add it? I would love to catch the NU football game tonight.

Can anyone tell me if ESPNU is carried by Comcast in the Chicago area(especially Evanston) or can I add it? I would love to catch the NU football game tonight.


Comcast doesn't carry ESPNU anywhere in the Chicago area that I am aware of. That & CSTV are 2 of the channels I would really like to see them add.

Off to the bar I guess. Sacrifices I make to watch football.

I've seen nothing here on the northside of the city, in Lakeview. No ads anywhere in the guide, any time of day. I agree with all the outrage though and sympathize. If I see them, I'll let the group know and certainly complain to Comcast.

Jeebus. When I first went into the Guide and saw the advertisement bar, I just about lost it. What the heck was Comcast thinking? I don't care. Put a ad in there somewhere. BUT DON'T MAKE IT GET IN MY FRICKING WAY!

I blocked out channel 4 from the cable feed, and re-inserted HBO here, so I can't see the banners on their Guide Channel, Channel 4!

I blocked out channel 4 from the cable feed, and re-inserted HBO here, so I can't see the banners on their Guide Channel, Channel 4!

The ads we are talking about are not on a channel, it is on the digital guide.

Are you guys connecting the digital cable box to your pre/pro or directly to your front projector for the best picture without a hd box???? To clarify that would be composite to pre/pro then component to projector.

Larry

I just wanted to share this. I have reported this to comcast customer care but no positive outcome so far now. So I am venting and sharing comcast horrible experience..

I had technician appt scheduled between 1-3 PM for outlet installation. I waited from 12-6 PM, no calls received from techical department despite several calls to customer service. I guess, it is extreamly hard for customer rep to get in touch with dispatch unit. I was told they, they will arrive and made me wait until 6:30 PM on nice day. Not to mention, this was second appt that they had missed.

If there was a problem at technician end then all that was needed was give me a call and update the situation so we could workout a solution but they never happened. Well, if customer reps themselves can't get in touch with technician then I guess, we as a customer have no hope.


I guess, it is time to switch. We moved to Nashville to Chicago. In Nashville area, I never had bad experince like this. It is hard enough to get appt from Comcast and if they don't show up without any courtesy.

Frustrated comcast customer... will be switching to another option SOON

I live in Aurora and have Comcast Digital Classic and just got the 6412 this week for the DVR. But it never seemed to work, and it appeared something was wrong with the recording function. So, I took it back in to exchange for another one, and was given the 3412. The CSR said it was a newer upgraded unit. I hooked it up and the recording function worked correctly, but I don't get channels 2-99. On the guide, it doesn't even show those channels. If you input the channel, it just ignores it. I looked up the 3412 and see that it is all digital. So, I called Comcast and the CSR didn't seem to know what I was talking about when I asked if my area had ADS. She said someone would call me back in 4-6 hours, and of course no one did. My question is, does anyone know if Aurora, IL is completely on ADS, if I need to request it be added to my service, or if the analog channels not showing up on the guide means that there is no ADS service present in my area? I can't run the diagnostic on the analog channels to see if it's coming in digital since I can't get to those channels. Should I just return the 3412 and request a 6412, or is there something that Comcast can adjust for the 3412 to work for the analog channels?

OK, this question really pertains to RCN cable but it's more of the concept that I'm interested in.

My buddy has RCN digital cable at his condo in the city. I am wondering, would it be possible, if he orders an extra cable box, to use that extra box at my condo (I also live in the city)? Would I receive all the digital channels? Would RCN know that one of the boxes is not being used at the address it is being billed to? Do they "ping" the cable boxes?

Just curious.

Hey, wondered if anyone else noticed this, prison break has almost double the bitrate this week! Was 8ish last week
1280 x 720, 59.94 fps, 25.00 Mbps (14.08 Mbps Average)

I live in Aurora and have Comcast Digital Classic and just got the 6412 this week for the DVR. But it never seemed to work, and it appeared something was wrong with the recording function. So, I took it back in to exchange for another one, and was given the 3412. The CSR said it was a newer upgraded unit. I hooked it up and the recording function worked correctly, but I don't get channels 2-99. On the guide, it doesn't even show those channels. If you input the channel, it just ignores it. I looked up the 3412 and see that it is all digital. So, I called Comcast and the CSR didn't seem to know what I was talking about when I asked if my area had ADS. She said someone would call me back in 4-6 hours, and of course no one did. My question is, does anyone know if Aurora, IL is completely on ADS, if I need to request it be added to my service, or if the analog channels not showing up on the guide means that there is no ADS service present in my area? I can't run the diagnostic on the analog channels to see if it's coming in digital since I can't get to those channels. Should I just return the 3412 and request a 6412, or is there something that Comcast can adjust for the 3412 to work for the analog channels?

Aurora is on ADS. You just need to ge them to activate it on your account. Knowing the competence level of the CSRs, it may take a few calls to get one that will be able to get it right for you. If the one you're talking with isn't helping, just hang up and call back.

OK, this question really pertains to RCN cable but it's more of the concept that I'm interested in.

My buddy has RCN digital cable at his condo in the city. I am wondering, would it be possible, if he orders an extra cable box, to use that extra box at my condo (I also live in the city)? Would I receive all the digital channels? Would RCN know that one of the boxes is not being used at the address it is being billed to? Do they "ping" the cable boxes?

Just curious.

The concept that you are interested in is cable theft. Moderators here at AVS do not look favorably upon discussions regarding illegal activities.

OK, this question really pertains to RCN cable but it's more of the concept that I'm interested in.

My buddy has RCN digital cable at his condo in the city. I am wondering, would it be possible, if he orders an extra cable box, to use that extra box at my condo (I also live in the city)? Would I receive all the digital channels? Would RCN know that one of the boxes is not being used at the address it is being billed to? Do they "ping" the cable boxes?

Just curious.

Cable boxes are EXTREMELY territorial. Once authorized to a location it is not good anywhere else without them knowing. And yes they DO ping the boxes. Quite frequently in fact. I wouldn't even attempt it if I were you. It's not worth the jail time and fines.

Cable boxes are EXTREMELY territorial. Once authorized to a location it is not good anywhere else without them knowing. And yes they DO ping the boxes. Quite frequently in fact. I wouldn't even attempt it if I were you. It's not worth the jail time and fines.

Well, alrighty then. I was just interested in the feasibility of such a thing. I'm a tech guy so I'm always interested in what can and can't be done with the latest technology. I've heard of such a thing being done with satellite boxes in which multiple boxes were on one account but shared between a family's main home and their vacation home multiple states away so I was curious if there was a parallel concept in the digital cable world.

I'm perfectly happy with my analog cable and OTA HD feed that I am receiving legally from the local broadcasters.

OK, this question really pertains to RCN cable but it's more of the concept that I'm interested in.

My buddy has RCN digital cable at his condo in the city. I am wondering, would it be possible, if he orders an extra cable box, to use that extra box at my condo (I also live in the city)? Would I receive all the digital channels? Would RCN know that one of the boxes is not being used at the address it is being billed to? Do they "ping" the cable boxes?
Cable systems, even in a town/city, are split up into areas (nodes.) If the box is on the same node, they probably wouldn't notice it. If it's put on another node, it would probably be de-authorized and shut-down.

I have been checking out Comcast's online TV Guide beta version for the last few days, (TV Planner application). This would offer competion to Titan TV, once all the bugs are ironed out. Today for my area, the HDTV channels showed as being re numbered, and a few additional channels added. Yesterday night when I was looking at this the online guide was consistant with my channel line up. I closed everything down and logged back on again, and the channels are fine now. Does anyone know if this was a glitch, or is something brewing in comcast land with trying to get us more HD channels?

From my memory, the guide displayed a realignment of all the HD channels, including placing ESPN and ESPN 2 in numerical order, (252 and 253 if I remember right), and an addition of Universal HD, a Comcast INHD channel, and a Hispanic broadcast channel in HD. There were a few other goodies to, including a recessitation of INHD2, and a combined Comcast Sports net and INHD2 channel if that makes any sense.

Maybe someone else has some inside information they'd like to share?

I took a Comcast 6412 DVR from my Bolingbrook home to a home in Chicago... got two channels I can watch. one was PBS HD another one was SD Porn.. didn't know what channel.. since there was kids around and had to quickly change.

My wife and I will be moving to Geneva, IL this week. We currently own a Samsung 63" plasma, but are interested in also purchasing a 40 or 50 inch screen for the bedroom, and a couple of smaller flatscreens for other rooms in the house.

In addition to the above new purchases (and installation), we'd like to have someone do a bit of wiring for our rear speakers for the big TV, and maybe have that same person run some extra cable and cat5 connections throughout the house.

Does anyone have a Home Theater sales/installation/service place they'd recommend?

Thanks in advance,


Eric

Call Sound Decisions in St. Charles.

Mike K.

WARNING: long, questions at the end

I've had an absolutely brutal experience so far with Comcast in Orland Park, IL.

After I got my new HDTV, I called Comcast to make sure I could simply pick up a new box rather than wait for a scheduled appointment just so they could hook up a box that requires zero know-how. They said sure, that's fine, and there was a Comcast office about 5 mins from my apartment.

I drive down to pick one up, but the women in the office tell me that they're all out of HD/DVR boxes, as are all offices in the vicinity. So, they say I can schedule a service appointment, or they can call me when they get them in, likely within a few days. I have them take my # and they call me in a few days,

So, I pick it up and bring this box home (Moto DCT3416 I) and it doesn't work at all. It behaved as if I didn't even have the coax plugged, giving me the "Please wait.." black screen on every channel. I waited a few hours, unplugged it, all the usual bs, and I still get nothing. So I bring that back, and they say they have no more boxes available, again, and my best shot now is to schedule an appointment and she'll specify that I need the guy to bring an HD/DVR box, which they apparently have access to. So, I say fine, and luckily they had one on a saturday, which was 2 days later. I take that one, and eagerly await my HD box.

The guy that shows up on saturday was, unfortunately, not a comcast employee. He was one of these contracted dopes and pulls up in a crummy looking van. He asks me "What do you need?" which is odd since the woman said she specified on the service ticket exactly what I needed, an HD DVR box. So, I tell him, and this guy says "oh, I dont have any of those," but explains that he can get the non-functional box I have working in no time. After plugging and unplugging the box, he concludes that "I dont want to take the time messing with this one," and offers to give me an HD only box for the time being. He says that he can stop by on tuesday with an HD DVR box, and he can even come after I get home from work since he lives "right down the street." I say fine, thinking that this all sounds weird, but I was tired of waiting to use my HDTV.

As hes leaving he mentions that the HD box he gave me, which was pretty beaten up and obviously old, will turn itself off after an hour or so, then turn itself back on, after which point it will be "registered." Again, this sounds odd.

So, as I'm sure you've guessed, this box is garbage. It didn't wait an hour to turn itself off, it just turns itself off every few minutes or so, over and over. Obviously, this is unacceptable, but I decide to deal with it until tuesday, but at that point I'm doubting this guy shows up. Also, I noticed a lot of ghosting on most channels.

And naturally, he doesn't. I drive in to the Comcast office that day, tell them what happened and give them the crummy HD box, but they again have no boxes to give me. Again, they say they'll call me when they do.

So, yesterday, they finally call me again, telling me they've got a new shipment in, and I go and pick it up.

Guess what? Yep, this box isn't exactly working, either. It's the same model (DCT3416 I) as the first one, and I can see channels... but there's two problems: It randomly decides to stop outputting sound completely (not just being "muted") and channels 2-99 DON'T EXIST. The channel guide, channel up/down, and dialing in the numbers manually cannot get to those channels. And, again, I'm noticing ghosting on a lot of channels.

So, I go back to the office, AGAIN, and they say they ALREADY gave out all of the HD boxes that they had just gotten in yesterday. I'm on service appointment #2 now, this time on tuesday. I ended up keeping the box just so I could maybe watch the Bears game tomorrow in HD, which may or may have sound, and the service guy will pick it up on tuesday.


So, my questions:

1.) Anyone in the Orland Park area, or any suburb, experiencing issues getting an HD DVR box like this?
2.) Anyone have any experience with the moto DCT3416 STB? Anyone seeing the problems I've had with it?
3.) Any ideas on how I can get them to at least give me some kind of free service for hassling with all of this? I've driven to and from that office about 7 times at this point, and have been without HD/DVR service for 2 weeks. Should I threaten to switch to satellite, which, incidentally I can't actually get at my apartment ( :mad: )?

Guess what? Yep, this box isn't exactly working, either. It's the same model (DCT3416 I) as the first one, and I can see channels... but there's two problems: It randomly decides to stop outputting sound completely (not just being "muted") and channels 2-99 DON'T EXIST. The channel guide, channel up/down, and dialing in the numbers manually cannot get to those channels. And, again, I'm noticing ghosting on a lot of channels.

Not sure about your sound issue, but the 2-99 is due to ADS. The 3416 is a digital only box and is looking for a digital signal from Comcast. Your account is obviously still set up for analog channels on 2-99. Had you set up an appointment originally, the installer would have called to make this change. Call back and get a CSR / tech who is familiar with changing accounts to ADS.

Not sure about your sound issue, but the 2-99 is due to ADS. The 3416 is a digital only box and is looking for a digital signal from Comcast. Your account is obviously still set up for analog channels on 2-99. Had you set up an appointment originally, the installer would have called to make this change. Call back and get a CSR / tech who is familiar with changing accounts to ADS.

I actually did call Comcast this morning before bringing it in, and the CSR told me first to "autoprogram" my TV (seriously?), and then told me it was defective and to bring it back in and swap it.

I'll try calling in again and hopefully I'll get someone who can help. Thanks for the advice!

I am in Vernon Hills and I just hooked up my LTV-32w6 directly to the coax and did a channel scan. I have a digital plus package but there is no box hooked up to this HDTV. I am receiving the following HD channels:

CBS - 114.2 (1080i)
NBC - 115.2 (1081i)
ABC - 92.1 (720p)
WGN - 92.2 (1080i)
PBS - 114.3 (720p)
FOX - 115.3 (720p)

Should I be receiving any other HD channels via the QAM tuner, such as, TNT, Discovery or ESPN, without subscribing to their HD package?

You will need a cable card (if your TV has a slot) to pick up those channels because they are encrypted.

As of today at 3:30pm, WLS-DT 7.1 will broadcast Jeopardy and Wheel Of Fortune in HD.
Enjoy!

Jeopardy was not in HD for me today (Comcast), unless it is not 16:9. Maybe tomorrow then?

It was in HD then switched to SD at around 3:45 or so.

I'm in Hoffman Estates and I'm getting the Biography channel on 200. It also shows up where it is supposed to on 275. I'm using a cablecard instead of a box. Does anyone else have this problem. I figured I'd ask before I called.

I just wanted to share this. I have reported this to comcast customer care but no positive outcome so far now. So I am venting and sharing comcast horrible experience..

I had technician appt scheduled between 1-3 PM for outlet installation. I waited from 12-6 PM, no calls received from techical department despite several calls to customer service. I guess, it is extreamly hard for customer rep to get in touch with dispatch unit. I was told they, they will arrive and made me wait until 6:30 PM on nice day. Not to mention, this was second appt that they had missed.

If there was a problem at technician end then all that was needed was give me a call and update the situation so we could workout a solution but they never happened. Well, if customer reps themselves can't get in touch with technician then I guess, we as a customer have no hope.


I guess, it is time to switch. We moved to Nashville to Chicago. In Nashville area, I never had bad experince like this. It is hard enough to get appt from Comcast and if they don't show up without any courtesy.

Frustrated comcast customer... will be switching to another option SOON
Welcome to the big city. You have to remember that there are around 8 million people in the Chicago area, which means this kind of thing happens - like traffic. At least you didn't have ComEd come out to your house and sneak into the backyard (through a gated fence) and start spray painting your lawn and putting flags everywhere without any explanation other than "just doin' my job, you have to call Comcast." What would you do then? Move back to Tennessee? ;) Just messing with you. That happened to my parents and I had to help difuse the situation for them, as they're suddenly on the elderly side of life. Turned out their cable modem was down and upon further inspection by Comcast, they discovered that my parents outside lines were old and needed to be replaced. So, they ripped them up, came back and put new ones in the ground. That's pretty heads up for Comcast to go to all that trouble when they might have been able to blow my parents off. Plus I will admit that ever since they became Comcast (from the other cable companies around here they gobbled up), be it for cable or my internet they are very good with getting on the phone quickly. It also helps to have a Comcast store I could walk to if I need too.

To be honest, I am very curious and interested in the next technology using fiber optics (Verizon FiOS). This sounds like it will kick cable AND satellite in the ass. Any word on this coming to the Chicago area?

Good luck with the dish if you go that way.

I doubt you will see Verizon Fios anytime soon, Verizon is doing in that in markets were they are the local telco, though I have heard rumors of SBC im sorry i mean ATT planning something simular down the road. I think we will just have to wait for them to have some free cash which means they will need to stop gobbling up other telco's in their quest to take over the world

I have heard rumors of SBC im sorry i mean ATT planning something simular down the road. I think we will just have to wait for them to have some free cash which means they will need to stop gobbling up other telco's in their quest to take over the world
I think it's more an issue with exclusive local franchise rights which comcast has. ATT is trying to get into more municpalities using the same sort of sweet deals to local governments as comcast has been doing for years to keep other providers out. Hopefully ATT will be more successful over time as more competition would be good.

FYI. I have just been told that the Motorola DTC-3416 (160G hard drive) will become available very shortly.

-b

FYI. I have just been told that the Motorola DTC-3416 (160G hard drive) will become available very shortly.

-b


That sounds good, but I've got a 3412, which is suppose to have a 120 GB hard drive that only offers around 15 hours of HDTV recordiig. How much more HDTV recording ability would one see from the additional 40 GBs? 20 total hours of HD recording? I say if they are going to upgrade, then don't panzy around, really upgrade!

With the price of hard drive data storage devices dropping so fast within the last few years, I don't see why we can't have something more substantial on the order of 400-500 GB . Currently, unless you have the ability to off load the recordings onto a PC via IEEE 1394 firewire, (5C protection flag not imposed in your area), there is no way to retain high definition recordings without losing the great quality. And honely, if the quallity is lost, then we are back to VCRs here. Providing more hard drive space, (60-80 hours worth), would make recording space less of an issue.

My DVR reached its capacity a few times, and I had to do some prioritiization on the stuff I could do without and the things I really wanted to keep. The DVR is great because if offers pristine recording, and play back of HD content. There is absolutely no noticible difference form a recoridng or live TV. All original brilliance is retained. With recording via IEEE 1394 firewire playback on my PC is not as brilliant as the original, without some monkeying around.

Is this the only added benifit of the 3416 over the 3412? What ever happened to comcast going away from Motorola DVRs and going toward TiVo boxes instead? The TiVo boxes supposed do a little better in displaying nonHD programming on HDTVs, (upconverting issues).

As far as I know they never were moving away from moto boxes towards tivo boxes, they are going to offer 2 tiers of DVR service, 1 being what we have now a Moto box with iGuide software on it, and the 2nd tier "Enhanced DVR" was to be a DVR box, most likely a moto as it been said this can be done via software upgrade and no box swap required running Tivo software, Tivo will not be the ones making these boxes they will just be supplying the software, and the 34xx series boxes were supposed to be better on the analog channels as it is an all digital stb so it only works with the ADS areas and does not need to convert

FYI. I have just been told that the Motorola DTC-3416 (160G hard drive) will become available very shortly.

-b

As I mentioned in my previous post, they're already available in some areas. I have one right now. Apparently, the first shipment received by my local comcast office was entirely bad, but this second batch seemed to work out.

As I mentioned in my previous post, they're already available in some areas. I have one right now. Apparently, the first shipment received by my local comcast office was entirely bad, but this second batch seemed to work out.

Sorry missed your post. I have been also told they are beta testing the Tivo software in this area and it should be available shortly. They are also testing new DVR's from Pace and Panasonic, no word on when or if they will be available. Both offer additional hard drive space.

-b

Found this over on the Tivo Community site re: Tivo / Comcast.

Deployment of Tivo Software Delayed until 2007 (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=4363970&#post4363970)

Which would be a real bummer if it were true. I was hoping to hold off on buying a Tivo Series 3, but if I'm going to have to wait 6 months, I might just break down and go that route instead. Of course that's probably why they delayed the Tivo software - to get people like me to buy the Tivo box :rolleyes:

Welcome to the big city. You have to remember that there are around 8 million people in the Chicago area, which means this kind of thing happens - like traffic. At least you didn't have ComEd come out to your house and sneak into the backyard (through a gated fence) and start spray painting your lawn and putting flags everywhere without any explanation other than "just doin' my job, you have to call Comcast." What would you do then? Move back to Tennessee? ;) Just messing with you. That happened to my parents and I had to help difuse the situation for them, as they're suddenly on the elderly side of life. Turned out their cable modem was down and upon further inspection by Comcast, they discovered that my parents outside lines were old and needed to be replaced. So, they ripped them up, came back and put new ones in the ground. That's pretty heads up for Comcast to go to all that trouble when they might have been able to blow my parents off. Plus I will admit that ever since they became Comcast (from the other cable companies around here they gobbled up), be it for cable or my internet they are very good with getting on the phone quickly. It also helps to have a Comcast store I could walk to if I need too.
I had a very similar experience. I'm sorry skashyap had such a bad experience and it makes me feel more guilty.

When I had my service upgraded when I got my HDTV, the Comcast guy was right on time. When he got there, he said that the cables needed to be upgraded. So he took down all the cables and installed new ones. In doing so he also finished up all the cables he had (so if someone else needed it there would be none left). It took him about an hour and a half as he also installed a new outlet in the house.

So I had a great experience but I was left wondering if during all this there was someone waiting for their cable installation and just cursing out Comcast for not being on time. The guy did have some cellphones with him and was constantly giving his status so I know they do have contact with them.

I have a Sony DVR with Gemstar's TV Guide On Screen and was wondering if anyone else in the area with it has had the new remastered Star Trek showing up in their listings for Saturday at 6:00pm on MeTV. It's still showing up as Batman for me. Just wondering if it is a glitch from the channel broadcasting the listings data or if MeTV just forgot to update it. Perhaps someone with a Comcast box could check this as well? If it shows up correctly on the Comcast box then it must be the channel broadcasting the listings data.

I have a Sony DVR with Gemstar's TV Guide On Screen and was wondering if anyone else in the area with it has had the new remastered Star Trek showing up in their listings for Saturday at 6:00pm on MeTV. It's still showing up as Batman for me. Just wondering if it is a glitch from the channel broadcasting the listings data or if MeTV just forgot to update it. Perhaps someone with a Comcast box could check this as well? If it shows up correctly on the Comcast box then it must be the channel broadcasting the listings data.

Batman on the Comcast guide.

Batman on the Comcast guide.

Thanks. Looks like MeTV forgot to change it.

Just a note that Starz is having a free preview this weekend, through the 18th. This includes the HD channel, and I think OnDemand, too.

Showtime will be having a free preview October 6th through the 15th.

Can anyone move a movie/video from the DVR to a PC via ethernet?

Thanks. Looks like MeTV forgot to change it.
We didnt forget, 99% of the time its the service Comcast subscribes to.

With this talk of the updated FX on the new release of Star Trek, I remembered this is not the first time. Over 7 years ago, there was a website for some company that was proposing the same thing. They even had a few clips you could download. I saved them and still have them. The website itself is long gone. I've posted what I have here:
http://home.att.net/~andyross/trekb.mpg
http://home.att.net/~andyross/treke.mpg
http://home.att.net/~andyross/trekj.mpg

Discovery HD Theater is supposed to be channel 205 on Comcast's STB. What is the QAM channel if I want to tune it in using my TV's QAM tuner?

I do have the Digital Classic package with a STB. However most of the time I just use cable right out of the wall to get the local channels in HD.

Comcast's Price List states Digital Classic is required in order to get Discovery HD Theater, along with a few other HD channels. However there is no listing under Premium Services for Discovery HD Theater, TNT HD, etc. So this could be taken to mean these are not scrambled. If this is the case, then Discovery HD Theater should be able to be tuned in by the QAM tuner.

Can anyone help explain what is really going on Discovery HD Theater, TNT HD, etc?

Thanks in advance.

They do not fall under the catagory of "premium" channels. They are part of the separate "HD package", and if you are not paying extra for those, then they will be scrambled.

They do not fall under the catagory of "premium" channels. They are part of the separate "HD package", and if you are not paying extra for those, then they will be scrambled.


There is no listing on their Price List for a separate "HD package". I'll have to call Comcast again & hopefully get someone more knowledgeable than the last person I spoke with.

There is no listing on their Price List for a separate "HD package". I'll have to call Comcast again & hopefully get someone more knowledgeable than the last person I spoke with.

Comcast does not have "HD package". HD counterparts of local channels are unencrypted. All other HD channels are part of a digital package and are encrypted. To watch them you will need a STB or a Cable Card.

It is not like with analog channels that you can just plug it in your tv and receive those channels (even if you subscribe to the correct package).

I'm new to the forums -- this is all very informative. I just purhcased a Hitachi 42" S69 plasma and am enjoying it tremendously (for DVDs anyway) so far. I had my appointment with Comcast to install my HD service today. You can imagine my surprise when the technician informed me that HDTV wasn't available in my building because it hasn't been rebuilt. (I live east of the Loop right by the lake.) According to the technician, the building I live in hasn't yet upgraded the wiring to a two-way system and therefore, I can't get HD service.

Interestingly, after placing my order through Comcast some time ago and giving them my address, no one mentioned anything about HD not being available where I am. Ditto on Comcast website -- after I input my address, it offers me HDTV as an add-on.

I see some posts from other users about Comcast upgrading wiring for HDTV, so does the explanation I'm getting from Comcast about the wiring in my building make sense?

Thanks.

I live in an old building, and I haven't heard anything about a wire upgrade yet.

Comcast does not have "HD package". HD counterparts of local channels are unencrypted. All other HD channels are part of a digital package and are encrypted. To watch them you will need a STB or a Cable Card.

It is not like with analog channels that you can just plug it in your tv and receive those channels (even if you subscribe to the correct package).


I do have the digital classic pkg with its STB, however it is not an HD STB. I was wondering if these (Discovery HD, etc) were encrypted or not, or just out of reach of my TV's QAM tuner. So the answer is encrypted.

Octoman,

AFAIK, the entire Loop area and near north was upgraded by fall of 2004. We got Comcast in my building in Old Town in early 2004, and HD service was made available around August or September --- a bit earlier than they had promised us. Rebuilding began in outlying areas and got to us last.

Perhaps they are talking specifically about your building wiring. If it's not up to snuff, it will have to be rewired with RG6 or whatever is the current spec. Comcast will do it, but your building or condo association will have to pay for it. They inspected our wiring and fortunately it had been done right a few years earlier.

Thanks for the responses. Obviously it's bad news for me. I'll contact the management company here and let them know that at least one tenant wants them to make that investment in upgrading the wiring. It never really occured to me that this would be in an issue in a city like Chicago (just moved here from NYC).

Octoman,

If your Hitachi plasma has a built-in QAM (digital cable) tuner, it can't hurt to hook the cable line directly to it and see if it can find any channels. You won't be able to watch ESPN or TNT (the encrypted cable channels), but you may be able to get the local broadcast networks in HD, without a box (or support from Comcast).

There is no listing on their Price List for a separate "HD package". I'll have to call Comcast again & hopefully get someone more knowledgeable than the last person I spoke with.I stand corrected.

I was confusing it with the way the satellite companies offer it.

Octoman,

If your Hitachi plasma has a built-in QAM (digital cable) tuner, it can't hurt to hook the cable line directly to it and see if it can find any channels. You won't be able to watch ESPN or TNT (the encrypted cable channels), but you may be able to get the local broadcast networks in HD, without a box (or support from Comcast).


I live at Hammond, IN (near Chicago) and have expanded basic analog cable tv from Comcast and use my OnAir USB HDTV GT to view the free HDTV channels on my PC flat panel widescreen display.

I scanned for the channels using the OnAir software and these are the free HD QAM channels:

107-1 which is CBS 2.1 on the TitanTV listing
106-2 NBC 5.1
105-1 ABC 7.1
105-2 WGN 9.1
107-2 PBS 11.1
106-1 FOX 32.1

Those are the major channels. Here are the rest that I care for but unfortunately are not HD quality.

79-7 The U 26.1
13-9 The U 26.2
80-4 REL 36.1
79-2 i 38.1
79-8 MNT 50.1 (My Network TV)
79-6 PBS 11.2
107-3 PBS 11.3
105-5 TUBE 9.2
86-4 TV Guide Channel

Weather Channels in digital
106-5 NBC 5.2
105-4 ABC 7.3

Once you see your primetime shows in High Definition (1080i), you will never go back! The quality is phenomenal including the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio!! Woooooow! Especially from a guy whose been watching analog cable...lol.

79-8 MNT 50.1 (My Network TV) <- Wish I could find the QAM HD channel for this since 'House" is on this channel and I would like to see it in HD.




House is a FOX show, not a My Network TV show.

Yes it is! Sorry! I feel stupid. Was just so excited lost my mind. Thanks again. I will edit it.

I live at Hammond, IN (near Chicago) and have expanded basic analog cable tv from Comcast and use my OnAir USB HDTV GT to view the free HDTV channels on my PC flat panel widescreen display.

I scanned for the channels using the OnAir software and these are the free HD QAM channels:

107-1 which is CBS 2.1 on the TitanTV listing
106-2 NBC 5.1
105-1 ABC 7.1
105-2 WGN 9.1
107-2 PBS 11.1
106-1 FOX 32.1

Those are the major channels. Here are the rest that I care for but unfortunately are not HD quality.

79-7 The U 26.1
13-9 The U 26.2
80-4 REL 36.1
79-2 i 38.1
79-8 MNT 50.1 (My Network TV)
79-6 PBS 11.2
107-3 PBS 11.3
105-5 TUBE 9.2
86-4 TV Guide Channel

Weather Channels in digital
106-5 NBC 5.2
105-4 ABC 7.3

Once you see your primetime shows in High Definition (1080i), you will never go back! The quality is phenomenal including the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio!! Woooooow! Especially from a guy whose been watching analog cable...lol.You're in NW Indiana and they don't even include WYIN (a PBS channel) in SD? That's surprising.

I live way out in the NW Chicago suburbs and get it with E*.

ChiliBean -

Regarding the local HD channels, here in the Chicago area only 3 are 1080i, the other 3 are 720p. So your TV or PC is either going to upconvert half the locals or downconvert the other half. IOW, not all are native 1080i. I guess ABC and FOX went with 720p because of sports and the fast motion.

Either way, I do agree they look good in HD. And free!!

ChiliBean -

Regarding the local HD channels, here in the Chicago area only 3 are 1080i, the other 3 are 720p. So your TV or PC is either going to upconvert half the locals or downconvert the other half. IOW, not all are native 1080i. I guess ABC and FOX went with 720p because of sports and the fast motion.

Either way, I do agree they look good in HD. And free!!

Okay..here is the resolution straight from my software tv control panel now:

QAM
107-1 CBS 2.1 - 1920x1080
106-2 NBC 5.1 - 1920x1080
105-1 ABC 7.1 - 1280x720
105-2 WGN 9.1 - 1920x1080
107-2 PBS 11.1 - 1280x720
106-1 FOX 32.1 - 1280x720

CBS, NBC, and WGN are only 1080i.

Sorry for the misunderstanding!

I'm just learning this stuff.

cw takes over wgn at 7pm tonight.

I have a HD Panny plasma w/ a QAM tuner. I also have Comcast enhanced basic, not digital, so I do not have a STB. Is there anyway to get ANY Hd channels for free. I would just like to get the locals at least ???

I live in Lake Zurich BTW

Thanks for any help.

I have tried to do the channel scans but does not seem to work. At one time I did a scan and had 5 & & in HD on 5.1,7.1, but next time they were gone never to return.

Is there something I am doing wrong...or should try...

Garen

I have a HD Panny plasma w/ a QAM tuner. I also have Comcast enhanced basic, not digital, so I do not have a STB. Is there anyway to get ANY Hd channels for free. I would just like to get the locals at least ???

I live in Lake Zurich BTW

Thanks for any help.

I have tried to do the channel scans but does not seem to work. At one time I did a scan and had 5 & & in HD on 5.1,7.1, but next time they were gone never to return.

Is there something I am doing wrong...or should try...

Garen


You should be able to get 6 local HD channels. It's been a while, but I think scanning picked up some & the others I just kept manually entering all the channel numbers around the scanned ones until I got them all. So you may have to just keep punching in numbers, such as 116.1, then 116.2, etc. until you've got them all. I'm in the burbs & here is what I receive.

116.1 CBS
117.5 NBC
108.1 ABC
108.2 WGN
116.2 PBS (WTTW Digital - this has different programming than standard ch 11)
117.2 FOX

If you get a CableCard installed, what channel lineup is used? IOW, right now the TV's clear QAM tuner picks up CBS-HD on 116.1. The Comcast channel is listed as 189 if you use a STB. When a CableCard is installed, does CBS-HD stay at 116.1, or is mapped over to 189?

Since when did WGN change to 1080i?

Since when did WGN change to 1080i?
They've always been 1080i.

When a CableCard is installed, does CBS-HD stay at 116.1, or is mapped over to 189?

189. All channels are mapped the same as a cable box.

I have Comcast in the Chicago, IL area (Geneva, to be exact),
and I'm experiencing a problem with the audio feed.

I have a Motorola 3412, and my stereo receiver is a NAD-T763.
The problem seems to be that some channels are broadcast in
Dolby Digital, and some and in 5.1. I can't tell if this
problem is related to the 3412, or my receiver, or just a
configuration problem.

In any case..... if I use a digital coax cable to go from the
3412 to the receiver, sometimes the dialog comes from the
right front speaker, the ambient sounds come from the center
and left, and everything is muted so that coversations are
unhearable. If I flip to analog cables at that point (just
flipping the receiver inputs, not actually plugging and
unplugging), I get almost all the dialog from the front center
speakers, and small amounts of ambient from the front L/R.

However, during CBS's broadcast of Ark/Ala football yesterday,
both digital and analog worked flawlessly (dialog in correct
spot, ambient and dialog at correct levels, etc, etc).

So, is it the channels broadcasting the signal, is it Comcast
mucking it up, is it a configuration on the 3412, or a setup
on my receiver. I'd prefer *not* to have to flip back and
forth between audio feeds on a channel by channel (and sometimes
program by program) basis, but this is rather frustrating.

Thanks,


Eric.

Hi, I need to help a friend who has Comcast in Valparaiso, IN. He has a Toshiba HDTV and picks up the Chicago ABC, CBS, and NBS HD feeds via Comcast on his set, but for some reason cannot find WFLD. He's jonesing for his Bears in HD. I think he should put up an antenna and get WFLD-DT OTA, but he doesn't want to complicate his viewing experience.

I am in Chicago west suburbs. WFLD-HD is 190 on my DVR, for QAM it is 117.2 on my Sony SXRD set, but strangely it is 117.3 on my Sharp LCD. I have no idea why the 2 sets tune it on different channels. It used to show up as QAM 12.3 on my Sony (CBS was 2.1, NBC 5.5, ...) but it looks like Comcast removed these channels as I no long can tune them at these easier to remember ids.

It shows up as 190 on

http://tvplanner.comcast.net/?initView=schedule-grid&noLanding=true&cid=ILC-comcastnet&area=asstpromo

He may have to hunt for it. I don't have my qam channels memorized, but by me it is a subchannel of either 92, 114 or 115.

He may have to hunt for it. I don't have my qam channels memorized, but by me it is a subchannel of either 92, 114 or 115.
Here in Schaumburg, WFLD is on QAM 115 (115.2?), shared with WMAQ (115.5?) and NBC Weather + (115.6).

If I ordered a DVR which model would Comcast give me? I'm in Naperville. Would they convert me to ADS?

If I ordered a DVR which model would Comcast give me? I'm in Naperville. Would they convert me to ADS?

Two months or so ago when my 6412P2 broke, the Comcast tech gave me a 3416. I'd assume that that is what they are passing out since I'm in Chicago and we are usually the last to get anything (DVRs, ADS, etc.).

Two months or so ago when my 6412P2 broke, the Comcast tech gave me a 3416. I'd assume that that is what they are passing out since I'm in Chicago and we are usually the last to get anything (DVRs, ADS, etc.).

Is the 3416 a newer version of the old dual tuners out there? I have one of the first dual tuners that rolled out...I think it is a 6412 but I could be wrong. Anyway, it freezes frequently and I was hoping there was a box upgrade where they solved those issues.

Is the 3416 a newer version of the old dual tuners out there? I have one of the first dual tuners that rolled out...I think it is a 6412 but I could be wrong. Anyway, it freezes frequently and I was hoping there was a box upgrade where they solved those issues.Yes, the 3416 is a newer DVR with two digital only tuners. For all intents and purposes, it works just like your 6412. It has an extra 40GB for the HD but that doesn't really warrant lots of excitement.

If you're experiencing problems, you should definitely call Comcast. If the problem can be resolved over the phone, you win. If a tech comes out and determines it is a problem box, you win. You shouldn't settle for bad cable considering all the money you pay each and every month.

Anyone else gotten one of the new Series 3 TiVo's yet? I'm in love with mine! It was a pain getting Cablecards from Comcast, but all is well now and I'm in happy-land.

Anyone else gotten one of the new Series 3 TiVo's yet? I'm in love with mine! It was a pain getting Cablecards from Comcast, but all is well now and I'm in happy-land.


Haven't gotten one yet, but I'm planning on it. What were the CC costs?

I've noticed two channels have changed their names:
OLN is now Vs.
MTV Español is now MTV3 - Tr3s

My box operates perfectly, except for the fact that the ABC and WGN HD feeds are unwatchable -- lots of blocking and noise. From a quick search of the Net, it appears others have had this same problem. Has anyone found a solution or at least an explanation as to what causes the problem? It's driving me crazy.

Thanks - MM

Edit: I have the latest Motorola HD DVR box.

Haven't gotten one yet, but I'm planning on it. What were the CC costs?

They seem to vary wildly, from free on up. I imagine this will stabilie as Comcast figures out their policies re: series 3. The main issue seems to be whether you can talk them out of an 'additional outlet fee'

For me;
Install of each card $39.99 (i'm fighting this since it took 3 trips and several hours on the phone to get it working)
First card $0/mo
Second card - $1.99/mo

The monthly is cheaper than the HD DVR box rental, so that's good!

Just got home (Naperville) and no HDTV stations and most of the stations above 101 are not working as well. Worked fine before I left this morning. So far, I have been on hold with Comcast for only 12 minutes....

Just got home (Naperville) and no HDTV stations and most of the stations above 101 are not working as well. Worked fine before I left this morning. So far, I have been on hold with Comcast for only 12 minutes....
Last night my Comcast service (both cable and Internet) went out around 9:30 and didn't come back on until close to 3:00 am. Thankfully, I managed to catch the second half of Studio 60 via OTA.

I have the 3412 and lately have noticed two problems, and was wondering if any others are having similar issues

1. WGN HD has had very "tinny" sounding audio for the last week or so, doesnt seem to matter what program.

2. This is an issue related to the box. If I type in the channel number and then hit enter to change the channel, the audio will be fine, but the video will freeze for a split seconds every so often. It doesnt matter what channel i change to. To fix this I can simply do a channel up and then channel down to return to the same channel and the problem is solved. Anyone else with this quirk?

Just got home (Naperville) and no HDTV stations and most of the stations above 101 are not working as well. Worked fine before I left this morning. So far, I have been on hold with Comcast for only 12 minutes....
Most likely some equipment shut down or lost power due to the bad weather. I noticed alot of pixelation and frozen screens on several channels, even when using the TV's tuner on the analog channels (probably loss of satellite signal due to the very big storms.)

INHD has disappeared from my lineup (although it is still listed in the guide as channel 174) and has been replaced with NFL HD.

Any idea where I might find INHD? I am in Buffalo Grove.

INHD has disappeared from my lineup (although it is still listed in the guide as channel 174) and has been replaced with NFL HD.

Any idea where I might find INHD? I am in Buffalo Grove.


NFL HD is gone and INHD is back... Strange.

NFL HD is gone and INHD is back... Strange.


Not strange,
every Tuesday & Wed night since the NFL regular season started they have been showing the NFL replays in HD. Since they dropped INHD2 & the INHD Special events channel they are preempting INHD for the game replays. I would also bet that if they haven't give NFL-HD a full time channel by Thanksgiving that the NFL network games in HD will also be on in place of INHD.

Did anyone catch the "View From Space" program on PBS 191 today, (will replay tonight at 11pm)? It was awe inspiring!

This was the first time high definition cameras were taken into outer space, where footage was shot by astronauts aboard the space shuttle Endeavor, and aired on television. There were a few smudges on the windows, but what beautiful shots played to the sound track of classical music.

My cable's out and i'm having a Comcast technician come out and find out what's wrong but not til Tuesday....what a joke!....Comcast should do better than that imho.....anyone else have their cable go out tonight?[just wondering].....My cable came back on at 11:35pm last night btw.

Just a note that Showtime is running a free preview from now through the 15th. Lately, this usually includes OnDemand, too.

My cable's out and i'm having a Comcast technician come out and find out what's wrong but not til Tuesday....what a joke!....Comcast should do better than that imho.....anyone else have their cable go out tonight?[just wondering].....My cable came back on at 11:35pm last night btw.
How soon after it went out did you call? Sometimes if you call too fast, you end up being the first and they think it's just you. Since it came back on later, it was probably more widespread and they received several calls and had somebody fix it. You may want to verify your sevice call, as they may have canceled it if they believe it was due to a known outage. I had that happen when I was having modem issues back in May.

I called within 5 minutes but it took 10-15 to get a CSR to answer.

Since it did come back on i won't call back.

Just a note that Showtime is running a free preview from now through the 15th. Lately, this usually includes OnDemand, too.

Thanks for the heads up...would never have known!

have a 6412 dual hd dvr and cable internet from comcast. i notice when i switch pages or am looking at something with a lot of activity on the computer page, i effect the video quality of the cable tv picture with blockiness. any ideas? i did put a radio shack amplifier on the line to help picture quality.

thanks

mark

have a 6412 dual hd dvr and cable internet from comcast. i notice when i switch pages or am looking at something with a lot of activity on the computer page, i effect the video quality of the cable tv picture with blockiness. any ideas? i did put a radio shack amplifier on the line to help picture quality.

thanks

mark

I have no ideas, but do have the same set up as you and I've noticed some blockiness lately (more often than usual)....I'll experiment and see if the blockiness is related to any internet activity on my PC (never put the two together until your post). I play an online game that I occasionally let run while I watch TV...

Should they be related?

I have no ideas, but do have the same set up as you and I've noticed some blockiness lately (more often than usual)....I'll experiment and see if the blockiness is related to any internet activity on my PC (never put the two together until your post). I play an online game that I occasionally let run while I watch TV...

Should they be related?
Try to keep any cables from the computer away from the RF cables going to the modem/TV's. Also, if you are using your own cables from some outlets or something, make certain they are quality RG6, which is generally better shielded than cheap RG59 from WalMart.

From the first posters discription, it sounds like interference coming from the computer's monitor or the monitor cable. Be especially careful trying to keep RF and other cables separated.

Thanks for the heads up...would never have known!
They usually post mention of it in the bill, but usually 2 months or so ahead of time so that you can call them and block it if you have kids you don't want seeing inappropriate movies.

Just a note that Showtime is running a free preview from now through the 15th. Lately, this usually includes OnDemand, too.Yeah, thanks for the info!

I've got it with E*, also.!

Yeah, thanks for the info!

I've got it with E*, also.!
Did anybody actually try the free preview? I tried shoHD over the weekend and it did not work. I didn't try any of the other showtime channels.

Did anybody actually try the free preview? I tried shoHD over the weekend and it did not work. I didn't try any of the other showtime channels.

Worked for me. I loaded up the DVR with about three movies.

-b

What are the local clear QAM channels (CBS, NBC, etc) for the North side of Chicago? My friend just got a new TV and is having trouble finding these. I know what they are out in the suburbs where I am, but obviously he is in a different area. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Try to keep any cables from the computer away from the RF cables going to the modem/TV's. Also, if you are using your own cables from some outlets or something, make certain they are quality RG6, which is generally better shielded than cheap RG59 from WalMart.

From the first posters discription, it sounds like interference coming from the computer's monitor or the monitor cable. Be especially careful trying to keep RF and other cables separated.

I'm aware of magnetic interference from other cabling sources, but I'd gander that a lot of people have the same mangled, tangled, jangled, cabling mess behind their entertainment center as I do.

I think its pretty hard to separate some of these cables along the entire run of my coaxial from the line into the house. Anyone know of a alternative thats more practical to effectively shield the RF cable against magnetic interferance?

Also, does winding up unused lengths help to decrease interferance and increase quality?

I'm aware of magnetic interference from other cabling sources, but I'd gander that a lot of people have the same mangled, tangled, jangled, cabling mess behind their entertainment center as I do.

I think its pretty hard to separate some of these cables along the entire run of my coaxial from the line into the house. Anyone know of a alternative thats more practical to effectively shield the RF cable against magnetic interferance?

Also, does winding up unused lengths help to decrease interferance and increase quality?
Basically, try to keep any RF cables away from computer cables is what I was saying. Make certain all your computer cables are properly seated and any screws used to hold them in are threaded in.

I'll leave it to the real experts, but there could be issues coiling up cable which might create some form of inductor that might affect the signal. It could even act like an antenna and cause interference or let it in.

What are the local clear QAM channels (CBS, NBC, etc) for the North side of Chicago? My friend just got a new TV and is having trouble finding these. I know what they are out in the suburbs where I am, but obviously he is in a different area. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

SD
79.5 WTTW SD
79.7 WCIU
79.8 WPWR
79.11 METV
80.22 CLTV
82.201 C-SPAN
82.202 C-SPAN2
86.13 WEATHER
107.3 7.2
107.4 7.3
107.5 9.2 THE TUBE
115.3 CREATE
116.6 5.2


HD

107.1 ABC
107.2 WGN
115.1 CBS
115.2 WTTW HD
116.2 FOX
116.5 NBC

SD
79.5 WTTW SD
79.7 WCIU
79.8 WPWR
79.11 METV
80.22 CLTV
82.201 C-SPAN
82.202 C-SPAN2
86.13 WEATHER
107.3 7.2
107.4 7.3
107.5 9.2 THE TUBE
115.3 CREATE
116.6 5.2


HD

107.1 ABC
107.2 WGN
115.1 CBS
115.2 WTTW HD
116.2 FOX
116.5 NBC


Thanks for the info, I'll pass it along. My friend said he did a channel scan and no digital channels were located. I guess I'll have to take trek over there & find out what's going on.

Worked for me. I loaded up the DVR with about three movies.

-b
I went back and tried all ShowTime channels on the DVR - nothing. I also tried 111.2 on my qam tuner and got nothing. I'm wondering if I don't get the free preview because I only have "basic cable"???

I went back and tried all ShowTime channels on the DVR - nothing. I also tried 111.2 on my qam tuner and got nothing. I'm wondering if I don't get the free preview because I only have "basic cable"???
Probably. They keep the channel encrypted during the preview now (they used to simply broadcast unencrypted). My guess is they temporarily add the channels to the Digital Classic tier.

I have the 3412- lately my HD feed is somewhat inconsistent.

ABC and CBS look great, but NBC (especially Heroes) has a lot of pixellation (or is it "blockiness"? same difference?....), especially with fast-moving images.

Is this a source problem?

Also, I get random freezes in audio and video and heard a cable amplifier (found one by Motorola) would help. Is this true?

Thanks for the help!

I was wondering the same thing about NBCHD.

Did anyone else have an "echo" in the audio for Heroes? It went away on the commercials and wan't on any other programming, just Heroes.

?

Is anyone else experiencing a problem with ESPN2HD? For about a week now the channel has been virtually unwatchable for me as there is a constant "stutter" with both the video and audio. The picture and sound will play for a couple seconds, then pause for a second, then play for another couple seconds, then pause...

This is happening on my 6412 box in my family room. I also have a 6400 box in my bedroom that is NOT having this problem. None of the other HD channels are behaving this way...just ESPN2HD.

This only recently started happening. I first noticed it last Thursday and then kept checking back on it the last few days and it's still happening. Could I possibly need some sort of signal amplifier for the 6412? Could the box be starting to fail?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. I don't want to call Comcast and have them swap out the box for no reason...I'd hate to have to set up all my Series Recordings again ;)

Thanks,
Marc

Does anyone know when comcast is getting a new DVR? This old Motorola keeps freezing up on me, and sometimes it takes a full minute or 2 for button presses to go through.

I was wondering the same thing about NBCHD.

Did anyone else have an "echo" in the audio for Heroes? It went away on the commercials and wan't on any other programming, just Heroes.

?
Yep, it was horrible. There's a thread on it in the HD Progrmaming section.

Does anyone know when comcast is getting a new DVR? This old Motorola keeps freezing up on me, and sometimes it takes a full minute or 2 for button presses to go through.
There is new firmware and software that is slowly being implemented across the country. It seems to fix some problems.

There is a Panasonic (?) DVR in the works, but it probably won't be out until next year, and even then, only in areas that are updated to the new OCAP communications standard.