Giving us your location might help. Every headend has channels on different frequencies. Schaumburg headend has WLS-HD and WGN-HD on 92. I have Fusion usb and get it without any problems.

I am in Woodridge and I think my headend is Elmhurst.

TIA

be careful when you call and ask them to send out a "hit"; during my recent cable card nightmare with them, I did the same thing, and some moron in customer service sent one out to my Digital Voice phone modem, and fried it and left me without home phone service for a day...

be careful when you call and ask them to send out a "hit"; during my recent cable card nightmare with them, I did the same thing, and some moron in customer service sent one out to my Digital Voice phone modem, and fried it and left me without home phone service for a day...

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek: :eek:

Got a message that said they are moving NFL Network to the sportspack. What a bunch of bs.

i agree that moving nfl network to sports pkg is BS.

what about adding NFL network HD? they are quiet.

That is exactly what they did and it is fixed now!! I spoke with a guy named "Greg" and he say he specifically works on CableCARD issues. He was suprised that after two years with my card this problem occurred. He says that usually this problem occurs within the first year or so. He is interested in whether or not this happens again to me.

Coincidentally or not, this happened to me again tonight...probably the fourth or fifth time in the last couple of months after not experiencing an issue before (about a year and a half). Luckily the person I spoke to sent the hit right away after I explained that this has happened before and the hit fixes it.

This hasn't happened to me yet on my other set with CableCard (yes I have two, along with a set top box), but I have had the second one for only a few months. I agree cable cards have been a hassle, but I like not having the extra box and cables in some set ups, e.g. secondary TVs.

Got a message that said they are moving NFL Network to the sportspack. What a bunch of bs.

When is it effective?

It certainly is BS but I'm stuck with Comcast because so many HD Sox games are on CSN and D-TV/D*sh doesn't have it.

When is it effective?

It certainly is BS but I'm stuck with Comcast because so many HD Sox games are on CSN and D-TV/D*sh doesn't have it.

Actually I was surprised to learn recently that DirecTV does have Comcast SportsNet HD.

This is the first season that this change affected the Sox:

http://chicago.comcastsportsnet.com/view_content_0p.asp?ID=37407

Coincidentally or not, this happened to me again tonight...probably the fourth or fifth time in the last couple of months after not experiencing an issue before (about a year and a half). Luckily the person I spoke to sent the hit right away after I explained that this has happened before and the hit fixes it.

This hasn't happened to me yet on my other set with CableCard (yes I have two, along with a set top box), but I have had the second one for only a few months. I agree cable cards have been a hassle, but I like not having the extra box and cables in some set ups, e.g. secondary TVs.


Neck3609,

How much do you pay for your 2nd cable card? I understand the first one has no monthly fees (outside of installation charge). Per Comcast CSR the second cable card is also free of monthly charge. Is that true?

Thanks.

Comcast is currently encrypting all non-local digital channels and there is no reason to think that this will change. Therefore, if you want more than local channels you will need a box or a cablecard enabled TV.


hi, I'm new - and live in Aurora. I was just about to buy an AverTV PCI-E card for my computer that has a QAM tuner. if I understand the QAM thing right, the above quote basically shoots down any hopes I had of watching digital cable on my PC - is that correct?

I currently pay for a Comcast Digital Cable package and HSI - and planned on splitting the cable going to my modem into two: one for the modem and one to the TV/QAM tuner card. will I need to purchase a different tuner card and rent yet another cable box to be able to watch TV on my PC?

Coincidentally or not, this happened to me again tonight...probably the fourth or fifth time in the last couple of months after not experiencing an issue before (about a year and a half). Luckily the person I spoke to sent the hit right away after I explained that this has happened before and the hit fixes it.

This hasn't happened to me yet on my other set with CableCard (yes I have two, along with a set top box), but I have had the second one for only a few months. I agree cable cards have been a hassle, but I like not having the extra box and cables in some set ups, e.g. secondary TVs.

Great!!! I am glad I have a DVR as well. But, a lot of times we are recording two programs at once. so the CableCARD comes in handy

BTW, I am paying nothing for my card :D

Actually I was surprised to learn recently that DirecTV does have Comcast SportsNet HD.

This is the first season that this change affected the Sox:

http://chicago.comcastsportsnet.com/view_content_0p.asp?ID=37407The article doesn't mention that the D* HR20 DVR also receives CSN HD
(with the 5 LNB dish). Reception is excellent.

Neck3609,

How much do you pay for your 2nd cable card? I understand the first one has no monthly fees (outside of installation charge). Per Comcast CSR the second cable card is also free of monthly charge. Is that true?

Thanks.

The second card is free, but then they added on a $5.99/month digital access fee, i.e another outlet with digital cable. I am not sure if they would charge this if I had an additional set top box instead, on top of the box rental, but it is still less than an HD box. But, I had a DVR/HD box and a cable card (free) before I got the second cable card, and they weren't charging me for an additional digital outlet.

I was going to try to negotiate this fee away but haven't bothered yet. It seems a little ridiculous to charge for something that is totally transparent to them, but at least I am getting my moneys worth in support :rolleyes:

The article doesn't mention that the D* HR20 DVR also receives CSN HD
(with the 5 LNB dish). Reception is excellent.

Are you able to compare the quality of CSN HD on Directv to its quality on Comcast cable? I understand Directv is generally poorer than cable as far as HD goes. That might be my only reservation to switching to Directv when I move in a few months. Also, does that DVR allow you to get the major networks OTA and record that source? I have an antenna to get WCIU OTA for Sox games, but there's no way to record it with the Comcast/Moto DVR. Thanks!

At this point D* has 7 channels in the new MPEG4 system: CSN HD is one, and the other 6 are HD locals. These are indistiguishable from OTA quality. The older MPEG2 HD channels vary in quality; sometimes their bitrate is compromised ("HD Lite").

The HR20 has dual ATSC OTA tuners, so yes, it can record 26-1 from an antenna.

Am I the only one that got a message yesterday about A&E / NGC HD coming to channels 206 & 208?

Am I the only one that got a message yesterday about A&E / NGC HD coming to channels 206 & 208?


I haven't seen that yet.

I know people post deals they get every once in a while. Current customers offers are not often (ever) advertised, but I have been able to get them in the past thanks to people posting here.

Few months ago (since Dexter season finale :) ) I canceled all premiums. I called today to see if they have any offers for existing customers since I wanted to add HBO to catch up with the Sopranos and Entourage. I was able to get HBO and Sho for 6 months for the same price I am paying now for Digital Preferred (with no premiums).

Anyway. Just thought I'd pass it along.

Am I the only one that got a message yesterday about A&E / NGC HD coming to channels 206 & 208?

I have it too.

I have it too.

When is A&E And National Geo HD Coming? I didnt get the message? Is it only coming to those people in certain areas of the city that got the message?? I live in Palos HIlls, IL

Nothing here in Schaumburg about them either. 206 and 208 are open, though.

I received the message about NGHD and AEHD here in Naperville a few days ago. No indication of when the channels will actually be up and running, though...

It Said The New Hd Channels Would Be In Mid July, Cant Remember The Exact Date...

Uh-oh. FOX 190 and ABC 187 have been breaking up this morning downtown. Now the video appears to be OK, but there is no audio at all.

I hope they fix this for the Sox-Cubs game.

Same here in Palos HIlls!!! i was just about this post this.

Still no audio on fox(190) and game is about to start.

It Said The New Hd Channels Would Be In Mid July, Cant Remember The Exact Date...

July 18th.

Uh-oh. FOX 190 and ABC 187 have been breaking up this morning downtown. Now the video appears to be OK, but there is no audio at all.
Well early this morning (around 2am) all channels from 185 - 194 were out. When they came back on, the Showtime-HD 185 feed of Varisty Blues was on WGN-HD 192. At first I didn't think anything of it until one of the characters sweared, that's when I realized that WGN wasn't airing the movie. But as of 3am all is back to normal.

I came on here to see if anyone else was having trouble and see I'm not the only one. So, something was going on with Comcast and not just our boxes.

Well early this morning (around 2am) all channels from 185 - 194 were out. When they came back on, the Showtime-HD 185 feed of Varisty Blues was on WGN-HD 192. At first I didn't think anything of it until one of the characters sweared, that's when I realized that WGN wasn't airing the movie. But as of 3am all is back to normal.

I came on here to see if anyone else was having trouble and see I'm not the only one. So, something was going on with Comcast and not just our boxes.
Maybe they re-arranged some of the frequencies the channels are broadcast on? It may have taken a few minutes for your box to get the new configuration information.

Or maybe they mixed up a few cables while fixing something else. At least it's better than the people who saw porn on the Disney Channel a few weeks ago.

I just had a Motorola HDTV compatible box installed. I have a Samsung 720p TV.
I had a couple of questions I wonder if anybody could answer.

Does it make more sense to have the cable box output said to 720p or 1080i? I know that some local channels broadcast at each.

The installer provided component cables. The box doesn't have an HDMI output; he said only a DVR does. (I'd rather not pay extra for a DVR). Is there going to be reduced signal quality, compared to OTA or the DVR box, by using the HD box with component cables? Are there any other solutions?

Thanks.

I just had a Motorola HDTV compatible box installed. I have a Samsung 720p TV.
I had a couple of questions I wonder if anybody could answer.

Does it make more sense to have the cable box output said to 720p or 1080i? I know that some local channels broadcast at each.

The installer provided component cables. The box doesn't have an HDMI output; he said only a DVR does. (I'd rather not pay extra for a DVR). Is there going to be reduced signal quality, compared to OTA or the DVR box, by using the HD box with component cables? Are there any other solutions?

Thanks.
Depending on which box you have, you may have a DVI port, which you can use with an adapter for HDMI. When it comes down to it, the normal HD receiver boxes that Comcast has been giving out are quite a few years old for their technology. Personally I would love Comcast to come out and give me a better and smaller box, but I don't think we're going to see that happen anytime soon.

For 720p vs. 1080i output, it depends on the scaler in your TV. Test and see which looks better. If you have a good scaler that doesn't bob and weave and all that great stuff, then supposedly, 1080i will look better. Otherwise, 720p is the better choice.

And yeah. My whole family let out such a terrific cry of despair when Desperate Housewives' season finale's sound cut out for a good portion of the show. And then we got some of those lovely other sound issues where the voice track completely cuts out and all we have is background noises. Comcast really needs to get a stronger signal out here west of Elgin. It's ridiculous.

I'm not from the Chicago area, but am wondering about the precedent that Comcast is setting with turning off analog on the 38 expanded basic channels that are not basic.34 on July 1 in Chicago.

In my area Comcast transmits the digital versions of these channels in QAM with encryption off on the basic 34, but encryption on for the 38 others. Of course all are available in analog as well.

After July 1 when the analog is turned off is Comcast actually going to encrypt the digital expanded basic 38? That would mean that even TV's with QAM/ATSC tuners but no cablecard capability (which is most of them) would need a cable box for expanded basic. It also means that none of the computer analog tuner cards and almost none of the digital tuner cards would work on these stations. The few computer digital cable card solutions, are Vista only, quite restrictive, and not available on OS upgrades.

Is Comcast really going to encrypt them?

I'm not from the Chicago area, but am wondering about the precedent that Comcast is setting with turning off analog on the 38 expanded basic channels that are not basic.34 on July 1 in Chicago.

In my area Comcast transmits the digital versions of these channels in QAM with encryption off on the basic 34, but encryption on for the 38 others. Of course all are available in analog as well.

After July 1 when the analog is turned off is Comcast actually going to encrypt the digital expanded basic 38? That would mean that even TV's with QAM/ATSC tuners but no cablecard capability (which is most of them) would need a cable box for expanded basic. It also means that none of the computer analog tuner cards and almost none of the digital tuner cards would work on these stations. The few computer digital cable card solutions, are Vista only, quite restrictive, and not available on OS upgrades.

Is Comcast really going to encrypt them?

Worse, none of my vcr/dvd recorders will work!

Is Comcast really going to encrypt them?Yep.

Worse, none of my vcr/dvd recorders will work!

You won't need them anymore. For only $xx per month, you could be renting their HD-DVR! There's a reason they're called ComCO$T.

You won't need them anymore. For only $xx per month, you could be renting their HD-DVR! There's a reason they're called ComCO$T.

How is that any different than any other provider?

How is it different from what you would need if you were subscribing to satellite?

I am for one pleased with all the changes and digital transition. They are freeing up bandwidth so we can see more HD channels in the future.

Does anyone know if ABC-HD is compressed on Comcast? I am having problems with one my TVs with integrated tuner on this, I am wondering if this particular TV may have some issues with whatever encoding is used.

Worse, none of my vcr/dvd recorders will work!Sure they will. Unless they're broken or something, they'll work fine.

The tuner compatibility may be another story, though :).

I recently got a Panasonic EH75, and the TVGOS works great with my 322 SD Dish dual-tuner receiver. Supposed to work with D* and digital cable, too. If you're gonna be forced to rent a box, maybe consider getting one of these DVD/VHS/HDD's, while there's still some available (from Circuit City).

Anyone else see this in Teddy Greenstein's colum in today Tribune:

Comcast Chicago and South Bend will add CSTV to their channel lineups on June 27. The college sports network, which will be available on Comcast's Sports Entertainment Package, has boosted its subscriber total to 21 million homes.

Now they just need to add ESPNU!
I inquired of Comcast when the BIG TEN Network will be added and received the usual reply"WE have no plans to add the Big Ten network at this time" All Big Ten alumni in the Chicago area need to bombard Comcast to add this channel by September or jump to Direct Tv!!!!!!!!!!!

Does anyone know if ABC-HD is compressed on Comcast? I am having problems with one my TVs with integrated tuner on this, I am wondering if this particular TV may have some issues with whatever encoding is used.
As far as it is known, all of the broadcast HD is passed on with no additional compression. If they receive a genuine ATSC air signal, then it is decoded, and then recoded as 256QAM. If it's received through some dedicated connection, it's just converted to 256QAM.

Does anyone know if ABC-HD is compressed on Comcast? I am having problems with one my TVs with integrated tuner on this, I am wondering if this particular TV may have some issues with whatever encoding is used.

FusionHDTV5 is not picking up this channel for some time now. Nobody else seems to have any issue with the channel. My zip code is 60517, may be there is some issue with this head end which I beleive is Elmhurst.

Question:

I live in Arlington Heights (60004). If I were to purchase the Hauppauge HVR-1600 with QAM, would I be able to tune any digital channels through QAM?
I would also like to know if this tuner will be able to tune in the all digital channels that Comcast is planning on implementing in the future here.

I subscribe to Comcast Internet as well as some cable TV package that includes HBO, On Demand, History etc...

Anyone have a listing of Clear QAM channels that Comcast currently supports?

Question:

I live in Arlington Heights (60004). If I were to purchase the Hauppauge HVR-1600 with QAM, would I be able to tune any digital channels through QAM?
I would also like to know if this tuner will be able to tune in the all digital channels that Comcast is planning on implementing in the future here.

I subscribe to Comcast Internet as well as some cable TV package that includes HBO, On Demand, History etc...

Anyone have a listing of Clear QAM channels that Comcast currently supports?

No. You should be able to pick up all HD locals, SD locals, OnDemand streams and few other channels.

Majority of channels are encrypted.

No. You should be able to pick up all HD locals, SD locals, OnDemand streams and few other channels.

Majority of channels are encrypted.

Thanks for the info. Is there any way to get a list of the SD locals that are available to my area. I've extensive google searching with no luck unfortunately. My search terms were likely way off or something :)

It is my understanding that the only HD news broadcast out of Chicago is NBC for network and ABC for local news

The Comcast guide lists 2, 5 and 7 all showing HD for network and local news

What gives?

Several messages over the weekend about channel changes.

On 6/27, the following are being added to the Sports package:
416 - Sportsman Channel
417 - Tennis Channel
418 - CSTV (I don't know what this is)

On the same day, Outdoor channel (406) will move to the sports package.

On the same day, Ovation (182) will be dropped.

On 7/18, BETJazz (481) will be dropped.

418 - CSTV (I don't know what this is)College Sports Television (http://www.cstv.com/) perhaps?

Originally Posted by bammo
I just had a Motorola HDTV compatible box installed. I have a Samsung 720p TV.
I had a couple of questions I wonder if anybody could answer.

Does it make more sense to have the cable box output said to 720p or 1080i? I know that some local channels broadcast at each.

The installer provided component cables. The box doesn't have an HDMI output; he said only a DVR does. (I'd rather not pay extra for a DVR). Is there going to be reduced signal quality, compared to OTA or the DVR box, by using the HD box with component cables? Are there any other solutions?

Thanks.[/COLOR]

[QUOTE=Mr. Wonderful]Depending on which box you have, you may have a DVI port, which you can use with an adapter for HDMI. When it comes down to it, the normal HD receiver boxes that Comcast has been giving out are quite a few years old for their technology. Personally I would love Comcast to come out and give me a better and smaller box, but I don't think we're going to see that happen anytime soon.

For 720p vs. 1080i output, it depends on the scaler in your TV. Test and see which looks better. If you have a good scaler that doesn't bob and weave and all that great stuff, then supposedly, 1080i will look better. Otherwise, 720p is the better choice.

QUOTE]

Does it make sense to use a DVI to HDMI cable to go from the cable box into the Samsung? Would that be higher picture quality than the component cable? If I do that, will it increase the chance that the sound and video will be out of sync?

Thanks again

Does it make sense to use a DVI to HDMI cable to go from the cable box into the Samsung? Would that be higher picture quality than the component cable? If I do that, will it increase the chance that the sound and video will be out of sync?

Thanks again
DVI/HDMI "supposedly" gives better picture quality to the discerning eye. As for audio syncing to the picture, I have never had an issue with that in my setup, but I'm only one scenario.

College Sports Television (http://www.cstv.com/) perhaps?

CSTV is College Sports Television. Now we need them to add both ESPNU & the Big Ten Network! The Big Ten Network will be showing most games in HD!

Any word on when the analog channels will be shut off in the Chicago suburbs? I live in Cary and I think my main Comcast center is McHenry. Is it July 1 for me as well or later?

Any word on when the analog channels will be shut off in the Chicago suburbs? I live in Cary and I think my main Comcast center is McHenry. Is it July 1 for me as well or later?

I talked to a knowledgeable Comcast rep. All they have been told is that it has been done in Chicago, of course, but the suburbs haven't been given an exact date yet. I have heard rumors of early 2008, but those are unofficial.

Anyone else have problems with the Comcast HD-DVR? I've got one that is driving me insane. If it has to turn itself on to record, it freezes up completely until the recording is done, or we power cycle, and If i leave it on all the time, when I turn the TV on, I get fuzz, and have to turn the box off and back on to clear it up. Comcast seems utterly worthless regarding the issue. They replaced the box, same issue. I'm using HDMI-DVI into my Westinghouse 42W2 1080P LCD.

The second card is free, but then they added on a $5.99/month digital access fee, i.e another outlet with digital cable. I am not sure if they would charge this if I had an additional set top box instead, on top of the box rental, but it is still less than an HD box. But, I had a DVR/HD box and a cable card (free) before I got the second cable card, and they weren't charging me for an additional digital outlet.

I was going to try to negotiate this fee away but haven't bothered yet. It seems a little ridiculous to charge for something that is totally transparent to them, but at least I am getting my moneys worth in support :rolleyes:


Thanks for your reply. My PC died and finally getting back on. That is the same information I got from the installer for an additional card. Hopefully, someday Comcast will come out with a box (with multiple tuners and built in DVR) that I can put in the basement and have it connected to various TVs around the house and watch any of the encrypted channels(that I pay for) or recorded programs and just pay one fee for that box. Of course I do not want to even think what Comcast would charge for a box like that. ;)

Anyone Watching the CUBS Game right now on 192? (WGN-HD) The Video is the Cubs Game, but we have the audio track from something else, cant tell what sounds like a movie with really bad acting.

Anyone else have this issue? It just started about 10 minutes ago.

I just started up with Comcast today and was messing around with all the odds and ends of the tv guide and noticed an option to set shows to record to a VCR. I was wondering if anyone one has used this function at all and if you can use a DVD recorder in place of the VCR. If so how would you go about linking the components? Just wondering if this was possible. Hopefully it is.

On a similar note would I need a recorder with a tuner to record tv shows or can I plug the digital receiver into the recorder.

Anyone Watching the CUBS Game right now on 192? (WGN-HD) The Video is the Cubs Game, but we have the audio track from something else, cant tell what sounds like a movie with really bad acting.

Anyone else have this issue? It just started about 10 minutes ago.

On my 192, it seems to be synched just fine, however, the video is stuttering a bit.

In the 4th & 5th inning, the bogus audio track was heard on both OTA 9-1 and the MPEG-4 feed from DirecTV. Maybe that was the audio track from WGN superstation.

In the 4th & 5th inning, the bogus audio track was heard on both OTA 9-1 and the MPEG-4 feed from DirecTV. Maybe that was the audio track from WGN superstation.

It was audio from the regular Wednesday CW programming. It was One Tree Hill.

Anyone Watching the CUBS Game right now on 192? (WGN-HD) The Video is the Cubs Game, but we have the audio track from something else, cant tell what sounds like a movie with really bad acting.That WAS the Cubs - badly acting like a Major League Baseball team ;).

Is Comcast my only choice in Chicago? I have been looking hard to find another choice for HD TV and high speed cable, it appears that Comcast is my only true choice. AT&T has that package but I really do not need a land line and the dish would be hangging out the porch. I want FIOS but that will never happen, any word on lightspeed?

Has anyone else tried something other than Comcast and just ended back there?

Kevin

I just started up with Comcast today and was messing around with all the odds and ends of the tv guide and noticed an option to set shows to record to a VCR. I was wondering if anyone one has used this function at all and if you can use a DVD recorder in place of the VCR. If so how would you go about linking the components? Just wondering if this was possible. Hopefully it is.

I'm reminded of my flush of excitement when I first noticed that feature. As nice of a feature as it is, there is no actual communication between the devices. All it does is turn the cable box on and tune it to the set channel at the appointed time. You'll still need to program your VCR to run at the specified time. Just make sure the VCR (or other recording device) is set to record channel 4.

I'm reminded of my flush of excitement when I first noticed that feature. As nice of a feature as it is, there is no actual communication between the devices. All it does is turn the cable box on and tune it to the set channel at the appointed time. You'll still need to program your VCR to run at the specified time. Just make sure the VCR (or other recording device) is set to record channel 4.
Or better, from one of the A/V outputs.

I noticed here in Schaumburg that there is a channel 92. It's just the analog feed for channel 17, the Schaumburg village channel. This is only on the cable box. There is no real analog 92.

I'm sure the answer to this question can be found somewhere in this long thread, but I thought it would be easier to just ask the Comcast experts.

I've been a DirecTV customer for several years. We recently moved into a condo building that offers DirecTV through an MDU service (where the whole building shares a single dish). Unfortunately, this set-up does not allow for the most recent DirecTV MPEG4 technology that offers local HD channels.

I want to keep DirecTV for NFL Sunday Ticket, and I'm considering adding Comcast at the cheapest possible price point that will get me the local HD channels and the HD feed of Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Can anyone tell me what that price point is? And can I do it with a CableCard? I tried to look it up on Comcast's website, but the site doesn't provide very much information.

I don't really care about getting anything other than the HD channels from Comcast, but I'm sure they'll force me to subscribe to more than just HD. Any info that the board can provide is appreciated.

Thanks,
MJC

All you would need to get the locals in HD would be the $12.00 - $15.00 limited basic analog package, and either a clear-QAM tuner in your TV, or in a standalone box like the Samsung DTB-H260F ($180.00 at Circuit City) - or their HD box or CableCARD.

But to get CSN-HD, you'll need extended basic (or digital "enhanced"), the first tier digital package, and the HD package - and of course, their HD-capable HD box or a CableCARD. The website should give you the current prices for your area (you kind of have to dig a little to get at them - maybe someone here from your area can tell you). Might total $70.00 or more w/tax. You may find an initial "deal", though. I believe they have digital cable for only $9.99 for a few months (3?) right now (according to a flyer I received in the mail recently).

At least, this is the way I understand it. I haven't actually had Comcast myself for over a couple of years. Someone else here can correct me if need be.

(Remember, though, that there are quite a few of the local pro team's games in HD on the locals. And the home games on Comcast generally look very good, even in SD, as they are using the HD cameras, and it's just downscaled to 480i - they actually look quite good on my Pioneer plasma - nearly as good as the Saturday 480p ballgames on Fox.)

It's too bad you couldn't just get CSN-HD from Direct.

All you would need to get the locals in HD would be the $12.00 - $15.00 limited basic analog package, and either a clear-QAM tuner in your TV, or in a standalone box like the Samsung DTB-H260F ($180.00 at Circuit City) - or their HD box or CableCARD.

But to get CSN-HD, you'll need extended basic (or digital "enhanced"), the first tier digital package, and the HD package - and of course, their HD-capable HD box or a CableCARD. The website should give you the current prices for your area (you kind of have to dig a little to get at them - maybe someone here from your area can tell you). Might total $70.00 or more w/tax. You may find an initial "deal", though. I believe they have digital cable for only $9.99 for a few months (3?) right now (according to a flyer I received in the mail recently).

At least, this is the way I understand it. I haven't actually had Comcast myself for over a couple of years. Someone else here can correct me if need be.

(Remember, though, that there are quite a few of the local pro team's games in HD on the locals. And the home games on Comcast generally look very good, even in SD, as they are using the HD cameras, and it's just downscaled to 480i - they actually look quite good on my Pioneer plasma - nearly as good as the Saturday 480p ballgames on Fox.)

It's too bad you couldn't just get CSN-HD from Direct.

Thanks for the info, Rammitinski. Between the time that I posted my message and you're reply, I called Comcast and -- after 15 minutes on hold -- was told by a very unknowledgeable and unfriendly CSR that CableCards do not support HD. I was pretty sure this wasn't true, but even after I pressed her on it she insisted it was. The whole experience reminded me why I left Comcast years ago. I've never once had a good customer service experience with them.

It won't be worth it for me at that price point just to get CSN-HD. If I can't get the locals via antenna at my building, I might consider subscribing to the limited basic package to pick up the OTA stations in HD. Thanks again.

Definitely try for OTA. If you need any advice or help, feel free to join in on the local Chicago OTA thread :).

From my understanding, comcast subscriber is eligible to get one cable card without charge. However, only way to get this is have installer install it by paying $24.95 ( at least that is what I have been told). I went to Romeoville office and they told me, it must be done by installer on the other hand, they are able to give HD boxes from office.

I would like to hear from someone who has cable card from comcast and what is best way to get it?

Is comcast discouraging their customers to avoid using CC ( indirect way but legally they can't it)?

I have TV with cable card and I was thinking about getting rid of DVR box and get control of my cable bill and still get HD.

Thanks!

Thanks for the info, Rammitinski. Between the time that I posted my message and you're reply, I called Comcast and -- after 15 minutes on hold -- was told by a very unknowledgeable and unfriendly CSR that CableCards do not support HD. I was pretty sure this wasn't true, but even after I pressed her on it she insisted it was. The whole experience reminded me why I left Comcast years ago. I've never once had a good customer service experience with them.

It won't be worth it for me at that price point just to get CSN-HD. If I can't get the locals via antenna at my building, I might consider subscribing to the limited basic package to pick up the OTA stations in HD. Thanks again.

I also don't think you will get CSN-SD with the basic package. But again you will get any HD games on WGN and FOX. Also if you get an OTA antenna you can get 26.1 WCIU-HD for any games which are shown on 26. I don't think WCIU-HD is on any Comcast cable channel.

Yes, the reps can be useless. if it's not in their training they will say you can't do it. They also wouldn't xfer me to a higher tier. I was asking them about QAM and they didn't know what it was. They told me HD was only available with a DVR or CC. When the guy came to install my DVR, he even kept telling me that the QAM channel I was showing him wasn't HD!

Also make sure you get a UHF/VHF antenna for OTA if you want CBS-HD. Channel 2.1 is actually a VHF frequency. All the others are UHF.

From my understanding, comcast subscriber is eligible to get one cable card without charge. However, only way to get this is have installer install it by paying $24.95 ( at least that is what I have been told). I went to Romeoville office and they told me, it must be done by installer on the other hand, they are able to give HD boxes from office.

I would like to hear from someone who has cable card from comcast and what is best way to get it?

Is comcast discouraging their customers to avoid using CC ( indirect way but legally they can't it)?

I have TV with cable card and I was thinking about getting rid of DVR box and get control of my cable bill and still get HD.

Thanks!

There is no charge for the first cable card, but unfortunately they do require a technician to come out and install it. Honestly, there is no reason this couldn't be a self install, especially since some of the people I have dealt with at Comcast are not very knowledgable about Cable Card anyway.

Well, in my case the guy brought several different types of cable cards. My Sony DVR didn't like the first one he tried. The second one though worked just fine. I suspect this is very common and a big part of the reason they don't allow self installs.

There is no charge for the first cable card, but unfortunately they do require a technician to come out and install it. Honestly, there is no reason this couldn't be a self install, especially since some of the people I have dealt with at Comcast are not very knowledgable about Cable Card anyway.

Understandably, there might be some issue(s) with install but I honestly think, they offer Cable Card just for legal compliance reason(s).

They could simply issue CC at the service center with disclaimer that any service call regarding installtion of CC will inccur service charge but they don't since they don't even want their customers to have CC and open up door (Wider) for their DVR rival such as TiVo. Unfortuantelly, there is not much HD-DVR with integrated menu options available at this time.

Above and beyond, one must subscribe to digital service to lease comcast HD-DVR. If they would let people lease DVR with limited basic, consumer sure can reduce cable bill. Watching LIVE TV is not practical now-a-days therefore DVR sure comes handy and comcast knows it. Not many HD DVR choices ( at least in reasonable price range) are out there at this time. So, I guess, we just wait :-)

I just read in a blog that Comcast Tivo would be launched in Boston area this August. Let us hope it comes out in Chicago area, might be interesting to see how much comcast would charge for it?

Full article can be found here http://gigaom.com/2007/06/03/tivo-comcast-boston/

I just read in a blog that Comcast Tivo would be launched in Boston area this August. Let us hope it comes out in Chicago area, might be interesting to see how much comcast would charge for it?

Full article can be found here http://gigaom.com/2007/06/03/tivo-comcast-boston/

Yea, people have been posting about it here. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=682350&page=1&pp=30

I wish that since Chicago is the "test area" to take away extended basic that we would see some benefit.

From my understanding, comcast subscriber is eligible to get one cable card without charge. However, only way to get this is have installer install it by paying $24.95 ( at least that is what I have been told). I went to Romeoville office and they told me, it must be done by installer on the other hand, they are able to give HD boxes from office.
Actually, I think you get one free CC 'per device'. So if you have 2 devices, you don't pay extra. On the other hand, if you have a multi-tuner device, you will have to pay a monthly fee for the extra card(s) required.

I noticed that "The Tennis Network" has shown up early on channel 417. Even more, it is unencrypted right now and is on analog 72 for those with QAM tuners.

This is in Schaumburg, although nearby areas may also have it.

I noticed that "The Tennis Network" has shown up early on channel 417. Even more, it is unencrypted right now and is on analog 72 for those with QAM tuners.

This is in Schaumburg, although nearby areas may also have it.

I received a message a couple of weeks ago and it mentioned a "free preview" - so I wouldn't guess that it'll remain unencrypted.

I noticed that "The Tennis Network" has shown up early on channel 417. Even more, it is unencrypted right now and is on analog 72 for those with QAM tuners.

This is in Schaumburg, although nearby areas may also have it.

Due to the fact that the Tennis Channel carried live coverage of the French Open.

Hello, Everyone I have the news thtat the FCC is now requiring Comcsat to allow you to buy your Set Top Boxes.

I have a couple questions i hope you can help.

1. Will this option be available for an HD DVR?

2. Will i still be able to have mulitple Boxes in my home for the same charges (Not double my bill) For Example I have digital Perferred with Comcast, I Want to make sure they are not going to charge mt he 67.99 twice because of this new ruling.

Please write back
Thanks!
Carmine

Are you sure you have to BUY the boxes? I think this may be some FUD going around. All I know is that they are supposed to separate security (cablecard) from navigation. Essentially, all their NEW boxes must use the same cable cards (or a future download system) as CAN be bought at retail.

I did see a story on WLS about this, and wonder how correct it is.

I was told by the last 4 nit-wit techs who came here, who tried un-successfully to install a stupid cable card, that, YES, indeed, they will soon be seliing set top boxes, but NOT the HD DVR...

Are you sure you have to BUY the boxes? I think this may be some FUD going around. All I know is that they are supposed to separate security (cablecard) from navigation. Essentially, all their NEW boxes must use the same cable cards (or a future download system) as CAN be bought at retail.

I did see a story on WLS about this, and wonder how correct it is.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118118124794127334-search.html?KEYWORDS=Rent+or+Own%3F+The+New+Cable-TV+Dilemma&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month
Rent or Own? The New Cable-TV Dilemma - WSJ.com

The question is how much will we be required to pay monthly to operate an owned box, and what will be the policy on repairs and trading up to newer models?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118118124794127334-search.html?KEYWORDS=Rent+or+Own%3F+The+New+Cable-TV+Dilemma&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month
Rent or Own? The New Cable-TV Dilemma - WSJ.com
As I read it, WLS was wrong. You will not be forced to buy a box. You can still rent one from Comcast.

As I read it, WLS was wrong. You will not be forced to buy a box. You can still rent one from Comcast.
Right. What's WLS BTW?

Right. What's WLS BTW?

Chicago ABC station.

Chicago ABC station.
Ah, okay, thanks.

I've been following this thread as what Comcast is doing in the Chicago area seems to be the plan for the SF bay area as well.

hey guys, will the sony KDSR60XBR2 decode the hd locals thru my comcast line automatically? It says it has a atsc / ntsc tuner but no qam, im thinking about buying, thanks...................

yes, Mike, I have the 70 inch, and you can get all local channels without a box in hd..you just have to remember their numbers; CBS is 2.1, nbc is 5.2, etc....

sweet, im going to buy it ..........it looks like the best projection i can get.....

there are tons of posts on this board about them,so read away...btw, I have had 6 hdtv's so far, and this one is as awesum as my pioneer elite plasma, only bigger..if you have room and the $$$, get the 70 incher!

For some reason, I can't get channel 96 ( Leased Access) via my digital box(comcast)... it says, "Please wait....channel will be available shortly". I can see the channel via analog tuner fine.

I had a tech come out today. He checked everything but could not find anything in terms of singnal or box..... His supervisor seems to think, it is an "head end" issue. I don't know much about "head end" issue.

Can someone living this area check this channel and let me if they are receiving this channel or they have same message but no picture and audio.

Thanks!

For some reason, I can't get channel 96 ( Leased Access) via my digital box(comcast)... it says, "Please wait....channel will be available shortly". I can see the channel via analog tuner fine.

I had a tech come out today. He checked everything but could not find anything in terms of singnal or box..... His supervisor seems to think, it is an "head end" issue. I don't know much about "head end" issue.

Can someone living this area check this channel and let me if they are receiving this channel or they have same message but no picture and audio.

Thanks!
The Head End always has issues. :eek: Obviously the RF is getting to your house. Sounds like a box issue.

Sounds like a box issue. They changed the box while they were here but no result. I called them again and they setup another appointment despite I told them that tech and his supervisor gave up. We will see.....

New message this morning here in Joliet. On 7/18 we're getting A&E HD (208), Food Network HD (181), HGTV HD (182), and NGC HD (206).

New message this morning here in Joliet. On 7/18 we're getting A&E HD (208), Food Network HD (181), HGTV HD (182), and NGC HD (206).
That is great news! I was wondering when we'd finally start seeing those new channels appear on our systems here in the Chicago area.

yes, Mike, I have the 70 inch, and you can get all local channels without a box in hd..you just have to remember their numbers; CBS is 2.1, nbc is 5.2, etc....


This whole thing has been a mistery to me. I have a 32in. Sondy KDS32010 that has the ATSC tuner, and I haven't been able to get the locale channels by attaching the attena or hooking up the coaxial line to it. I do a channel scann and it doesn't pick anything up. My cable box works phenomenal, but I'd love to be able to pick up the local WCIU HD broadcasts of the cubs and sox games over the air. As far as I know this is the only high def broadcasting that WCIU even does.

This is really the only local High definition channel that I can't get from my comcast subscription that. How can this be done? Are you suppose to hook up the coaxial line to the TV, (cable in), have the TV perfrom the search, and then is it just suppose to pop up?

That is great news! I was wondering when we'd finally start seeing those new channels appear on our systems here in the Chicago area.


Great news on the 4 channel addition. I was really interested in seeing if HGTV would go High Def. on Comcast. I can't wait.

Every new channel that they have added since the Olympics last year has had the 5C encryption flag turned off, meaning you could copy the broadcasts to the PC via the IEEE 1394 firewire. Hopefully these channels will be no different. My PC has been busted the last 2 months, so I've got to get it fixed in again in time for the July 18th roll out. If not I'll catch all the reruns.

OK, keep it coming comcast, we were suppose to have close to 40 channels in HD by years end.

Now if comcast could just fix their channel mappings so that they made some kind of sense or at least moved the random SD channels out from the HD block, boy would that be nice

Anyone else experceiving Outages of Cable tonight about once every 5 minutes. then it comes back right away? I Live in Palos HIlls.

nope, but lots of audio drop outs, as usual...

Well - our old analog bedroom TV bit the dust and I placed an order last night for a new one that has integrated ATSC / Clear QAM / NTSC Tuners. From what I have read here and elsewhere, the only HD channels I will receive are HD locals (ie - no ESPN HD, TNT HD, etc). I believe that I should still be able to receive the SD channels that I now get on 2-99. But, once Comcast is done with their "digital transition" will this change and force me to get a box?

Anyone else experceiving Outages of Cable tonight about once every 5 minutes. then it comes back right away? I Live in Palos HIlls.

Same thing in Worth right next to you - except a lot more often than every 5 min. - ruined both broadcasts of Rescue Me last night. Not happy, but my service is usually solid (with minor audio drop outs from time to time)

Well - our old analog bedroom TV bit the dust and I placed an order last night for a new one that has integrated ATSC / Clear QAM / NTSC Tuners. From what I have read here and elsewhere, the only HD channels I will receive are HD locals (ie - no ESPN HD, TNT HD, etc). I believe that I should still be able to receive the SD channels that I now get on 2-99. But, once Comcast is done with their "digital transition" will this change and force me to get a box?

Yes, you will get all the locals in hd, and you should get everything else up to about channel 125 or so...NO ESPN HD, NO TNT HD, etc, unless you have a cable card slot on that tv, and you are lucky enough to get a technician intelligent enough to get it working properly,,,

Yes, you will get all the locals in hd, and you should get everything else up to about channel 125 or so...NO ESPN HD, NO TNT HD, etc, unless you have a cable card slot on that tv, and you are lucky enough to get a technician intelligent enough to get it working properly,,,

Thanks - that was what I was figuring.

When they finish the digital transition and drop the bulk of the analog channels, do we know for sure whether the digital version of the former analog channels will be encrypted?

dont really know, but I noticed on my new Sony XBR2 TV, with the built in TV guide, the guide now shows ALL the comcast higher end channels(170-800), which it never did before; I can't recieve them without my DVR box connected, but, it was interesting to see they now show up in that guide..It may be a indicitive of what the future holds for ATSC/Clear QAM/NTSC tuners....

Anyone else experceiving Outages of Cable tonight about once every 5 minutes. then it comes back right away? I Live in Palos HIlls.
I've been having this a LOT, and for several weeks. But only on the digital version though Comcast's STB. On a TV and a DVD recorder picking up the analog NTSC version there are NO problems. BTW, the digital version is delayed about 5 seconds from the analog signal. (I'm on the near north side.)

Thanks - that was what I was figuring.

When they finish the digital transition and drop the bulk of the analog channels, do we know for sure whether the digital version of the former analog channels will be encrypted?

They are encrypted now. Since most areas are ADS (analog digital simulcast) all those channels are sent as digital as well as analog. Digital are encrypted for pretty much everything except locals and few other channels.

Anyone else experceiving Outages of Cable tonight about once every 5 minutes. then it comes back right away? I Live in Palos HIlls.

I've noticed the outages... It also hurting cable modem service. I believe it is the heat doing it.

Same thing in Worth right next to you - except a lot more often than every 5 min. - ruined both broadcasts of Rescue Me last night.
Just watched my DVRed Rescue Me and I had no audio or visual dropouts during the show. Perhaps because I'm in the far south suburbs.

When I got my TV last year, a channel scan ended up with the HD local clear QAM channels between 108.x and 117.x. I've read some people do the scan and their TV puts these same channels at 2.1, 5.1, 7.1, etc., just like OTA.

I really do not have a preference, but just curious why would some sets come up one way and some sets the other. Does Comcast sometimes play around & change the
portion of the signal that controls this? IOW, if I re-scanned is it possible my set might come up with 2.1, 5.1, etc?

Mike

So I wake up today to this message on my cable box:

Great News! On 7/18 our HD lineup expands to include A&E HD (ch 208), Food Network HD (181) HGTV HD (182) and Natl Geo HD (206) . Minimum service level required.

The last channel makes me especially happy. :p

Ok, so still not near DirectTV's 150 channels but guess what, I've seen DirectTV's HD feeds and they are compressed and artifacted to hell - whereas my comcast channels are pristine.

There aren't even 50 HD channels available let alone 150. That's just marketing BS though Comcast is far from innocent. They are now stating 400 by the end of 2008 and 800 by the end of 2009. Of course they are counting VOD channels and all the HD locals nationwide combined to come up with those figures. That said the four new channels being added are excellent choices. With the Food Network being added we get to see Giada De Laurentiis in HD. This is long overdue. :)

Well I think a big part of it will be from when all the premiums make all their channels HD instead of just their main east and west feeds, but its good to see more regardless of what they are

There aren't even 50 HD channels available let alone 150. That's just marketing BS though Comcast is far from innocent. They are now stating 400 by the end of 2008 and 800 by the end of 2009. Of course they are counting VOD channels and all the HD locals nationwide combined to come up with those figures. That said the four new channels being added are excellent choices. With the Food Network being added we get to see Giada De Laurentiis in HD. This is long overdue. :)

Great point..
When I had VOOM, back in the good ole days, I think they had 20 hd channels, which, even though they looked great, they weren't really HD...

The way Comcasts rates keep going up, and with their ****** and spotty service, I may just go back to DIsh Network, at least for my main TV, and at least get the 30 or so "HD" channels that they offer..Free install, and free HDDVR, is tough to beat, and after dropping all the premiums, and the useless hddvr's from Comcast, my bill is over 50 bucks a month less, so with what I saved, I can get Dish on 1 tv, and still be ahead of the game. Gotta keep comcast Internet/Digital Voice/Basic cable to at least keep my internet and phone service at a decent price, although if the pending communications bill gets approved in the Illinois senate this week, it wont be long till ATT comes to town in a big way and starts wiping Comcasts ASS, which they sorely deserve...Here in Un-Incorp. Dupage County, my choices are comcast or nothing, as far as HSI is concerned..no DSL, no nothing..

The way Comcasts rates keep going up, and with their ****** and spotty service, I may just go back to DIsh Network, at least for my main TV, and at least get the 30 or so "HD" channels that they offer..Free install, and free HDDVR, is tough to beat, and after dropping all the premiums, and the useless hddvr's from Comcast, my bill is over 50 bucks a month less, so with what I saved, I can get Dish on 1 tv, and still be ahead of the game.I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be doing that when their extended basic analog gets cut off, and they find out how much cheaper Dish will be once they really look into it.

You will actually get SD service to another TV for no extra charge (when continuously connected to a telephone line) with the 622 DVR. Plus, you can get more SD dual-tuners for the fee of one. They're coming out with a new dual-tunered HD (DVR-less) model soon, too (I'm guessing that the second tuner will only be SD - but I'm not sure on that).

my problem is I have a big house with 6 rooms of wired tv's, all connected with comcast's cable coming into the house. If I totally cancell their video service, I am afraid that the Satalite installers will have to run all new wire through my house and walls, and I dont feel like letting them start drilling and running more cable through the walls and stuff.
If I could dump comcast video AND HSI, and have a solution, I would do it in a heartbeat, because then Dish Net would just use the existing cable wiring that is all throughout the house...bu where am I at, there is NO DSL, just comcrap HSI..

Yeah, that's the thing. They might not have to drill any new holes, but they very well might have to run some new coax through the walls. If you have any of those dual-tuners, they'll definitely have to do that.

Might be good then to just keep the Comcast limited basic for all the TV's, and just get Dish for the main one - sans the locals - you can just either use the QAM tuner in your set (if it has one), or maybe go out and get one of them there Samsungs from CC. I just got one myself (for OTA), and it's got a great picture. They just dropped the price 14 bucks online, and I went over there and they refunded the difference - even though it wasn't marked down in the store.

You'll get a lot more of the local channels and subchannels on Comcast (Dish only gives you CBS, NBC, ABC & Fox in HD) - and you'll still get the info for them from the Comcast guide (at least I think you will - maybe not). You won't get guide info for the locals from Dish if you don't subscribe to them. You'll have to get used to having only limited basic on the other TV's anyway, after they eventually drop extended basic analog - unless you do ever decide to run the Dish signal to them - but then, you'll have to rent extra tuners. They will most likely be keeping limited basic analog around, though.

For the main TV, just have them run the Dish coax into the same outlet where the cable comes in (using a two-input plate).

You can't get AT&T there? What unincorporated DuPage area are you in? I'm only familiar with the area near Grand and York (Elmhurst), because I lived not far from there most of my life. And I'm pretty sure that they're up to date with that kind of stuff around there. Or are you way out in the sticks in a very rural area, like near Warrenville or something?

It's too bad you couldn't drop Comcast altogether, then you could put up an antenna. I basically just have an antenna for local HD, and Dish SD otherwise - and AT&T for internet. I pay under $60.00 for the two combined (I could get it down even $5.00 more by dropping the locals from Dish, but CBS + OTA = unreliability way out here.)

Can you get comcast limited basic, and still get their HSI and Digitalvoice? How much is their most "limited" basic, and will it void the discounts I get for having HSI and DV?(triple play)
I used to have their limited basic a few years ago, and it was only 7 bucks a month..most of my TV's have a QAM tuner, and recently I dumped all my comcast hd/hddvr's,except one in my main family room tv, a 70xbr2, so I am used to just basic cable in all the other rooms..we are not big tv watchers, but I want an hd-dvr for the big tv....

I can get ATT's version of low price phone service in my area now, so I could dump Comcast for everything except HSI, since I have no other choices where I live..Believe it or not, I live a few blocks from Burr Ridge, in un-incorporated Hinsdale, around Route 83 and 91st street, and there is NO DSL or anything else here!
I'm hoping ATT will expand stuff here soon, and I read in the paper today that the Governor has the Cable reform bill on his desk today, after senate approval yesterday, so maybe help will be here shortly..FIOS would be awesum, but I cant see them bringing it here soon..

A very high end area, but the video/hsi choices here are pathetic...

Limited basic is is usually around $15.00 now.

I think you can still get limited basic with the others. I think some people even get more, if they leave the filters off.

I would think they will try to charge you the full price for the other services if you drop the cable package down, but maybe you can dicker with them over that. Maybe threaten to drop them altogether.

I've just got the lowest speed for AT&T, but it's still pretty fast because I just mainly use my PC for internet surfing and e-mail, and I really don't clutter it up otherwise.

Also, you will get the capability with the 622 DVR to run the second tuner to another set, whether you want it or not. They don't HAVE to run it for you if you don't really want to use it, and there won't be any difference in price whether you do or don't, but as long as it's there, I'd use it. Maybe run it to your bedroom or a den or something - or to wherever's easiest for them do do (I'm pretty sure the HD channels will also be available through the 2nd tuner, too - but in SD).

yeah, when I went to limited basic 3 years ago, for 7 bucks a month, they "forgot" to take the filters off, and I stll got almost everything, except for the premiums..

threats usually work well with them, and with all the changes happenning in the video/telecom world all of a sudden, I bet they are willing to do alot more to keep someones business now than they used to be..you are right though, the only way to know is to call and ask..We watch so little TV, especially in the summer, and now that the Sopranos are done, I really only watch sports and the news...Although these damn Cicadas have pretty much forced us inside for the last 2 weeks!!!

We are spoiled with 8 meg HSI, so it would be tough going to 1.5 meg DSL, but, as of now, I dont even have THAT as an option!

I guess I will talk with the WARLORD when she gets home, and see what she thinks!

Have you ever considered putting up an antenna? You shouldn't have too much trouble getting all of the Chicago channels reliably from where you're at.

Heck, I can get them all at 41 miles out, plus all of Rockford's and most of Milwaukee's from here in C.L. I can actually get WBBM-DT - but I currently have a UHF-only antenna on the roof. In fact, I can reliably get all of the Chicago and Rockford channels except for WBBM-DT with just an indoor antenna.

Between all the channels and subchannels you'd get, you might find that to be plenty enough for the summer at least.

All you'd have to do is attach it to the incoming cable coax (I'd use a pre-amp, with all those splits).

Something to consider, anyway. (I know a lot of people don't want to break any H.A. "rules", but legally they can't prevent you.)

well, there is an old antenna stuffed into the garage attic that doesnt attach to anything..actually buying an new one for the roof would probably work, although can you connect a roof top antenna to all the incoming cable coax? I am sure the cable is RG 6 and I dont know if a mast will transmit through that...
Its been awhile since I dealt with rooftop masts!I'm afraid of heights, so I would hire someone to install it..how much is a decent roof top mast, installed now a days, that will grab signals from 30 miles or so?

Actually, that would probably make the warlord the happiest, as she was getting sick paying the $200 per month comcrap bill..

And since we are in "unincorporated", there are NO HA rules here to worry about!

Yeah, that's the thing. They might not have to drill any new holes, but they very well might have to run some new coax through the walls. If you have any of those dual-tuners, they'll definitely have to do that.

Might be good then to just keep the Comcast limited basic for all the TV's, and just get Dish for the main one - sans the locals - you can just either use the QAM tuner in your set (if it has one), or maybe go out and get one of them there Samsungs from CC. I just got one myself (for OTA), and it's got a great picture. They just dropped the price 14 bucks online, and I went over there and they refunded the difference - even though it wasn't marked down in the store.

You'll get a lot more of the local channels and subchannels on Comcast (Dish only gives you CBS, NBC, ABC & Fox in HD) - and you'll still get the info for them from the Comcast guide (at least I think you will - maybe not). You won't get guide info for the locals from Dish if you don't subscribe to them. You'll have to get used to having only limited basic on the other TV's anyway, after they eventually drop extended basic analog - unless you do ever decide to run the Dish signal to them - but then, you'll have to rent extra tuners. They will most likely be keeping limited basic analog around, though.

For the main TV, just have them run the Dish coax into the same outlet where the cable comes in (using a two-input plate).

You can't get AT&T there? What unincorporated DuPage area are you in? I'm only familiar with the area near Grand and York (Elmhurst), because I lived not far from there most of my life. And I'm pretty sure that they're up to date with that kind of stuff around there. Or are you way out in the sticks in a very rural area, like near Warrenville or something?

It's too bad you couldn't drop Comcast altogether, then you could put up an antenna. I basically just have an antenna for local HD, and Dish SD otherwise - and AT&T for internet. I pay under $60.00 for the two combined (I could get it down even $5.00 more by dropping the locals from Dish, but CBS + OTA = unreliability way out here.)

Hey! What do you mean calling Warrenville the sticks! ;)

It's too bad you couldn't drop Comcast altogether, then you could put up an antenna. I basically just have an antenna for local HD, and Dish SD otherwise - and AT&T for internet. I pay under $60.00 for the two combined (I could get it down even $5.00 more by dropping the locals from Dish, but CBS + OTA = unreliability way out here.)


You have what I'm thinking about getting.

I currently have Comcast Expanded Basic, no STB, and I get the local clear QAM channels with my TV tuner. I also have ATT DSL.

AT&T keeps extending their one year free Dish promotion. One needs to have a 2 year commitment. Of course the 1st yr there still is a $49 one time fee for activation or something like that, plus $5.98/month for their 2 channel DVR. And their promo gives 1 yr free of the HD package. That all sounds good. But to get WGN and WTTW I still need an OTA antenna. I'm in a townhouse and have no idea what obstacles will have to be overcome to install an OTA antenna. A couple units have DirectTV dishes installed at ground level & I'm presuming these are on real short posts. Maybe an indoor antenna will do the job for the local HD channels.

How is the PQ of your Dish channels? If you have their DVR, has it been reliable?

Mike in Darien

You have what I'm thinking about getting.

I currently have Comcast Expanded Basic, no STB, and I get the local clear QAM channels with my TV tuner. I also have ATT DSL.

AT&T keeps extending their one year free Dish promotion. One needs to have a 2 year commitment. Of course the 1st yr there still is a $49 one time fee for activation or something like that, plus $5.98/month for their 2 channel DVR. And their promo gives 1 yr free of the HD package. That all sounds good. But to get WGN and WTTW I still need an OTA antenna. I'm in a townhouse and have no idea what obstacles will have to be overcome to install an OTA antenna. A couple units have DirectTV dishes installed at ground level & I'm presuming these are on real short posts. Maybe an indoor antenna will do the job for the local HD channels.

How is the PQ of your Dish channels? If you have their DVR, has it been reliable?

Mike in Darien

I'm in Warrenville and pick up all the OTA channels with the Zenith antenna
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006FXR9/002-2809504-8456022
only CBS-HD doesn't come in since it's vhf, sometimes you have to adjust direction but over all I get all the hd channels. multiple ch 11 and 26.1 (some Sox home games are hd here!)

Hey! What do you mean calling Warrenville the sticks! ;) :D

Yeah, I guess it's pretty built up now, especially being so close to the Naperville/Aurora area. I really haven't been out that way in years. Like since the 80's.

It was just the furthest suburb on the western border of DuPage that I could think of off the top of my head. I worked with a guy who was from there years ago, and he was a real hayseed. But that was in the early 80's. He was a good guy, though.

Don't take it personally - where I'm at right now there's still plenty of 'em around, and some areas are still pretty rural. When I moved here 12 years ago, everybody from Cook County where I grew up thought it was the sticks out here, too. And it pretty much WAS until the mid-90's. Now, there's all types - although most of 'em live on the outskirts now. The older parts of town (pre-90's) have pretty much been taken over by, for lack of a better term, the "illegal types" ;).

We had our share where I grew up, too, in the near-west suburbs.

:D

Yeah, I guess it's pretty built up now, especially being so close to the Naperville/Aurora area. I really haven't been out that way in years. Like since the 80's.

That was just a town I thought of off the top of my head - mostly just for it's distance - it was about the furthest suburb on the border of DuPage due straight west from downtown Chicago that I could think of. I worked with a guy who was from there years ago, and he was a real hayseed. But that was in the early 80's. He was a good guy, though.

Don't take it personally - where I'm at right now there's still plenty of 'em around, and some areas are still pretty rural. When I moved here 12 years ago, everybody from Cook County where I grew up thought it was the sticks out here, too. And it pretty much WAS until the mid-90's. Now, there's all types - although most of 'em live on the outskirts now. The older parts of town (pre-90's) have pretty much been taken over by, for lack of a better term, the "illegals types" ;).

We had our share where I grew up, too, in the near-west suburbs.

No offense taken! I moved out here in early 80s from Oak Lawn since I work in Naperville. My folks used to say it was a suburb of Naperville to people. Still small comparable to others, I guess...

You have what I'm thinking about getting.

I currently have Comcast Expanded Basic, no STB, and I get the local clear QAM channels with my TV tuner. I also have ATT DSL.

AT&T keeps extending their one year free Dish promotion. One needs to have a 2 year commitment. Of course the 1st yr there still is a $49 one time fee for activation or something like that, plus $5.98/month for their 2 channel DVR. And their promo gives 1 yr free of the HD package. That all sounds good. But to get WGN and WTTW I still need an OTA antenna. I'm in a townhouse and have no idea what obstacles will have to be overcome to install an OTA antenna. A couple units have DirectTV dishes installed at ground level & I'm presuming these are on real short posts. Maybe an indoor antenna will do the job for the local HD channels.

How is the PQ of your Dish channels? If you have their DVR, has it been reliable?

Mike in DarienYeah, I totally forgot that AT&T has package deals that include Dish. That's a good thing for anyone considering a change to both.

I already had Dish when I got the DSL, but I had a pretty good startup deal through Radio Shack a couple of years back.

I only have SD Dish, but I would say, if you're gonna watch it on something larger than a 36" CRT, make sure your display does decent upscaling. The only real problem I see on my 50" plasma is some annoying "mosquito" noise at times. But I can usually adjust much of it out by turning down the sharpness and/or applying a bit of noise reduction. I can't really comment on their HD, though. You should probably check out the Programming forum for that.

The SD is basically like anything else in that it depends on the particular program or channel. But in general, it's perfectly acceptable (to me, at least). Probably a tad below Comcast's SD all-digital channels, though - more compression.

As far as the DVR, if you read the Hardware forum enough, you'll find that the 622 gets the most good comments out of all of them. In fact, it's about the only one that really doesn't get any negative comments.

I'm waiting to see what kind of cable offering AT&T (and any other new companies) have when the new legislation kicks in.

did our wonderful governor actually sign the bill yet?
I read it was on his desk yesterday...

Anyone else having OnDemand problems?

ESPN2-HD, TNT-HD, & UHD were not coming in last night/this morning for me so I called Comcast. Apparently it was fixed this afternoon, but now OnDemand doesn't want to appear. Is it just me or are you guys having OnDemand problems too?

Thanks - that was what I was figuring.

When they finish the digital transition and drop the bulk of the analog channels, do we know for sure whether the digital version of the former analog channels will be encrypted?

I recently discovered this but Local HD channels through QAM is significantly better than local HD channels through cable box. I think comcast reduces quality. I remeber back awhile ago in this thread that someone received an e-mail from comcast that they dont reduce quality. That is certainly not true. At least not anymore.

Try splitting the cable signal. Have one go to the cable box and the other go straight to the tv (your TV must have QAM). And flip back and forth between two sources during HD local channel.

You can also do this w/o QAM. Try using OTA and cable box of the same local HD channel.

Im a comcast user and I'd like to stand up for my preference.
Here's a comcast setup that could work for some people.

I have tried this in the past. Get limited basic (?, the one thats $15/month). I'd get local QAM digital and HD channels. comcast forgot to take the filters off and so I'd get SD espn and SD golf etc.. For 6 months $20 high speed internet and afterwards $45?. However there's no contract with comcast, so I could have switched to DSL. With comcast internet, I would download all premium channel shows. DVR. 1 hr HD shows was about 700mb. can't really do this with DSL (@1.5mb). I dont need no stinking DVR with its rental fee. In the last year or so, I've noticed that I'm spending more and more time in front of a computer than TV. I'm watching more and more video through computer. So I'm seriously considering getting a media servers so that I could watch downloaded/streaming video through a TV. RIght now, I have to burn it and take the disc over to watch the downloaded contents.
What about Phone you say - I dont have a land line and I dont' miss it at all. especially the fees/charges/taxes. If I have to get a land line, I'd consider skype or equivalent.

Since then I have moved to a condo that provides extended basic for free and I signed up for another 6 mos of $20/mos internet. Unfortunately no DSL is available in the condo. at least not yet. come on ATT, please make a deal with my condo.

I recently discovered this but Local HD channels through QAM is significantly better than local HD channels through cable box. I think comcast reduces quality. I remeber back awhile ago in this thread that someone received an e-mail from comcast that they dont reduce quality. That is certainly not true. At least not anymore.

Umm - I'm not sure what you mean. The QAM signal you are receiving is also from Comcast. So, if you're seeing a difference in PQ between QAM and the cable box, then it's the cable box that's causing the difference. Motorola would be at faut, not Comcast.

Has anyone noticed a problem with Cartoon Network? Since at least Sunday, every minute or so, the video will freeze for about a second. The audio is not affected. This occurs on both the analog and digital (ADS) feeds.

Back around February, it was posted in various forums that Comcast had announced that it was going all digital in April. Subsequently, there were conflicting reports that claimed that the Lifeline tier would still be analog. Can anyone tell me how much of Comcast Chicago's bandwidth is still analog?

They dropped most of the analogs in my building in the last week or two. My analog tuners pick up 2-25 and 2 or 3 single channels above that. I didn't do a precise check, but besides the locals I noticed FX and some cable access channels. That's about it.

Comcast did leave analogs for TVGOS devices and our lobby camera.

Phil - My friend in Plainfield has an outside antenna & still has some problems with CBS-HD.

Rammitinski - The AT&T promo price sounds good. But I still need an OTA antenna since they only have local CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX. I reviewed their top 100 pkg, which is what they promote for $29.99/mon plus $5.00 more for locals. However it does not have some of the channels I watch. I need at least the top 200 pkg for $42.99/ mon plus $5.00 for locals. And the DVR is extra. While cheaper than Comcast, the gap is narrowing. My concern with Dish or DirecTV is the PQ. Most postings still say that Comcast is better. I'm going to have to find a Dish setup to see what the picture looks like.

Mike

Yeah, normally Comcast is the best of the three.

On that "Top 100" from Dish, you do know that they also offer it with CSN for $5.00 more, right? It's called "The Top 100 Plus" package.

Just curious - what were the channels you wanted that it didn't have?

Yeah, normally Comcast is the best of the three.

On that "Top 100" from Dish, you do know that they also offer it with CSN for $5.00 more, right? It's called "The Top 100 Plus" package.

Just curious - what were the channels you wanted that it didn't have?


I sometimes watch Animal Planet, Hallmark, FX, Speed Channel. Any one of them is not that important, but all are missing from the Top 100 pkg. Even with the Top 200 pkg it would be cheaper than Comcast. But the difference is not as great as initially perceived. So with Dish Network I obviously need a dish and an OTA antenna and end up with what seems will be slightly lower PQ than Comcast. I don't know if the few dollars savings is worth it. The 1st yr free sounds good, other than any upgrades I have to pay for. But I'm then locked into a 2 yr contract. If the PQ is less than desirable I'm stuck with it for 2 yrs. I dunno at this point in time. Hopefully I can find a Dish Network that I can view.

Umm - I'm not sure what you mean. The QAM signal you are receiving is also from Comcast. So, if you're seeing a difference in PQ between QAM and the cable box, then it's the cable box that's causing the difference. Motorola would be at faut, not Comcast.

Now that you mentioned it. I guess it could have been the cable box. Unfortunately I dont have the same setup anymore. However, a friend of mine who lives on top floor in west loop area has comcast HD and OTA (small indoor antenna). Over there, the local HD programming via OTA is much better than local HD through comcast cable box. I don't know if it's because he lives so close to downtown or that comcast service (or cable box) is just crappy. Something to think about...

I sometimes watch Animal Planet, Hallmark, FX, Speed Channel. Any one of them is not that important, but all are missing from the Top 100 pkg.Check out the Latino Dos package. It gives you all of the channels you mentioned except Hallmark, and about 115 other, standard English-language channels, including the Sirius music channels - all for $6.00 less than the Top 200 package.

You can just block out the 35+ Spanish Language channels if you don't want to see them (although you might want to leave Playboy Espanol in there ;)).

I actually have it myself.

Is it just me, or are the ads gone from the Guide??

Is it just me, or are the ads gone from the Guide??

They gone!

Yes! I hope it stays that way.

Don't know if Comcast is considering this or not but Time Warner is rolling out Switched IP for service. It's pretty cool technology and offeres more bandwidth. It works kinda like On Demand. Instead of sending the whole channel line-up to every house, you send a stream (one for each TV) to a converter box and whenever you change the channel its changed at a switch in the Head End. It's very promising. Cable companies would virtually have an Unlimited channel capacity. I can see the "Sat" companies sweating already.

Don't know if Comcast is considering this or not but Time Warner is rolling out Switched IP for service. It's pretty cool technology and offeres more bandwidth. It works kinda like On Demand. Instead of sending the whole channel line-up to every house, you send a stream (one for each TV) to a converter box and whenever you change the channel its changed at a switch in the Head End. It's very promising. Cable companies would virtually have an Unlimited channel capacity. I can see the "Sat" companies sweating already.

Comcast is already testing it as well:

http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/84592

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=122733&site=cdn

Well hopefully they dont charge and arm and a leg for it.

Well hopefully they dont charge and arm and a leg for it.
I don't think it will be an extra cost item, although it will render CableCard devices useless for those channels.

regarding that new ip television technology, in theory, it should be transparent to the end user. wherever I read about it, it said that at any one time, only something like 14% of the channels are being watched in a neighborhood. So as long as they keep their neighborhood nodes small enough, the number of channels could be unlimited.

That's how on demand works, right? I'd bet that cable card devices will have this capability soon.

And yeah, this will be a satellite killer, I think. They'll have to put up a toiletload of new birds...

regarding that new ip television technology, in theory, it should be transparent to the end user. wherever I read about it, it said that at any one time, only something like 14% of the channels are being watched in a neighborhood. So as long as they keep their neighborhood nodes small enough, the number of channels could be unlimitedWell with IP they wont have to worry about that 14%. The target Comcast has for node distribution should give them no problem.

That's how on demand works, right? I'd bet that cable card devices will have this capability soonYeah thats OnDemand for ya. I'm sure they'll have a cable card down the line for it. I mean they have 8gb USB flash memory and who'd ever thunk they'd get that far. :eek:


And yeah, this will be a satellite killer, I think. They'll have to put up a toiletload of new birds...
Satellite could in theory use the switched IP but they are pretty limited to bandwidth. It's getting better but still limited.

They gone!


They were still there on my guide this AM. Also, got a message that Hallmark & CMT are being moved off of analog & into a Digital package.

regarding that new ip television technology, in theory, it should be transparent to the end user. wherever I read about it, it said that at any one time, only something like 14% of the channels are being watched in a neighborhood. So as long as they keep their neighborhood nodes small enough, the number of channels could be unlimited.

That's how on demand works, right? I'd bet that cable card devices will have this capability soon.

And yeah, this will be a satellite killer, I think. They'll have to put up a toiletload of new birds...

It's not so much the CableCARD but the box the CableCARD is in. The latest Motorola DVRs (DHT Series) now use CableCARDs (M-Card) but they work the same as the older intergrated boxes because the box still does all the communicating back and forth. They have built-in cable modems. The CableCARD just handles the security/decryption.

They were still there on my guide this AM. Also, got a message that Hallmark & CMT are being moved off of analog & into a Digital package.
The ads came back last evening. I wonder if it was due to network issues from the power outage near NYC. Wednesday evening, I lost my VPN to work, which is located near Albany. A TRACERT showed it stopping at Cleveland (the next hop is to Albany.) I also noticed last night that I didn't have Guide data for 7/13, which I would normally have by Thursday afternoon. (The Guide typically holds about 15 days.) It wasn't until the ads came back, and around 8pm, which is when the Guide starts updating, that I started getting 7/13 information.

I'm not saying the cable box itself was affected, but I assume there is a local copy of a master database that may have not been able to update itself.

Two messages today in Schaumburg:
Another notice that NFLTV is moving to the Sports Entertainment package. This time, on 7/26. I thought it was supposed to have been moved on June 26 or 27?

The other was about the 4 new HD channels mentioned earlier coming 7/18, except that HGTV-HD will be on channel 179, not 182. 182 is currently Ovation, which was supposed to have been dropped 6/27, but appears to still be there (it's not part of my subscription, but the channel is still listed and I can try and tune to it.)

DCH3416 Help?

Just exchanged a dead 6412 and got the new DCH3416. Plugged it in and the guide boots up, but no picture. Keeps saying "This channel should be available shortly."

I've tried unplugging a few times and called Comcast, but they were no help. They want to send a tech out to check my signal (which was working fine before I plugged the new box in).

Any ideas?

Are you using any kind of inline signal amplifier? I have that problem when the power to the signal amplifier goes off. Usually has to do with the fault reset switch on the outlet.

Just a thought. Good luck.

Mike K.

No inline amp. The whole box is really messed up.

I'm getting like 5 channels, but they are all on weird channels. Like MTV2 in the 500s, etc.

I guess I will wait for the guy to come tomorrow.

No inline amp. The whole box is really messed up.

I'm getting like 5 channels, but they are all on weird channels. Like MTV2 in the 500s, etc.

I guess I will wait for the guy to come tomorrow.
Sounds like it is not properly configured and authorized. You could try the Authorization reset procedure in the Wikibook:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Resets

Just got a cablecard installed in a tivo series 3 and I'm having some problems. I only get the local channels, nothing else. I do get local HD channels. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Sounds like it is not properly configured and authorized. You could try the Authorization reset procedure in the Wikibook

I tried that, but I could not get the "n dl" to come up. Not sure if the DCH is configured the same way as the DCT. I got "boot", "disp" and "diag" when I tried it, but no "n dl".

No inline amp. The whole box is really messed up.

I'm getting like 5 channels, but they are all on weird channels. Like MTV2 in the 500s, etc.

I guess I will wait for the guy to come tomorrow.

They might not do "self-installs" for these yet. Since this is one of the new Motorola DCH boxes check to see if they bothered to include a CableCARD (M-Card) with it. The installer will need to bring one if it's missing.

I'm getting a new TV and it won't take my cablecard so I need to turn it in for a box. I have a couple of questions;

Will comcast let me exchange the cablecard for an HD-DVR box and do a self install?

What boxes are they using now and do they have a HDMI output?

Thanks.

I'm getting a new TV and it won't take my cablecard so I need to turn it in for a box. I have a couple of questions;

Will comcast let me exchange the cablecard for an HD-DVR box and do a self install?

What boxes are they using now and do they have a HDMI output?

Thanks.

I just upgraded to an HD-DVR box last week and they gave me a DCT-3416 box which has an HDMI output. They let me do a self-install. When I called to upgrade, the CSR specifically asked if my TV had an HDMI input. If they don't ask, you might want to request a box with HDMI, I don't know what they would have given me otherwise.

Anyone using TVGOS with CableCard on the Carpentersville headend notice a lot of missing channels lately? There were always a handful that did not show up, but now it seems like about half of the channels in the 2-99 range are gone from the listings. Not sure if it is a Comcast or Gemstar issue, or has anything to do with upcoming lineup changes.

Anyone using TVGOS with CableCard on the Carpentersville headend notice a lot of missing channels lately? There were always a handful that did not show up, but now it seems like about half of the channels in the 2-99 range are gone from the listings. Not sure if it is a Comcast or Gemstar issue, or has anything to do with upcoming lineup changes.Have you looked in the "channel editor" listings to see if they are still there?

If they are, turn them on (add the channel numbers if they're not already there first), and see if they fill in with info in the next day or so.

If they're not there, then I don't know what to tell you. I'd call Comcast - although I wouldn't expect any kind of decent answer :rolleyes:.

Sounds like they need to fix the lineup for your cable card. I'm using a cable card and everything in the 2-99 range is digital. The only analog channel left is 94 which is a duplicate of WTTW for TVGOS data.

Anyone using TVGOS with CableCard on the Carpentersville headend notice a lot of missing channels lately? There were always a handful that did not show up, but now it seems like about half of the channels in the 2-99 range are gone from the listings. Not sure if it is a Comcast or Gemstar issue, or has anything to do with upcoming lineup changes.

I'm in the same headend.

If he was getting the guide info with the card before, why would it have stopped now? And if he's not getting the analog host channel, then why is he still getting half the channels in his guide?

Not that this necessarily has anything to do with it, but as far as I know, they haven't cut out the limited, or even the extended basic analogs yet. (If they had, I'd probably have heard about it from my b.i.l. by now - even though he doesn't use a card, only the box. But he still gets extended basic analog on his other TV's.)

It is possible that they're making some lineup changes, but half the channels? That doesn't sound right.

It does sound more like it might be a particular issue with his CableCARD, though.

I don't have Comcast cable myself, or I could check my guide out. Maybe I'll just go into the channel editor list for the heck of it, and see if they're all there as usual, even though I get the info for them OTA (I currently don't even have TVGOS set up. I'll have to do that - it's in my TV, and I have the OTA coax currently passing through my Samsung tuner into it).

Have you looked in the "channel editor" listings to see if they are still there?

If they are, turn them on (add the channel numbers if they're not already there first), and see if they fill in with info in the next day or so.

If they're not there, then I don't know what to tell you. I'd call Comcast - although I wouldn't expect any kind of decent answer :rolleyes:.

Good idea, I checked and at least some are there but turned off, haven't checked for them all. I turned a few on and I'll see tomorrow if they start to populate listings correctly. I never had to do this before, all of the available channels were turned on.

The same thing has happened on both of my TVs that have the TVGOS, so it doesn't seem to be anything specific to either set or Cablecard. It is strange that this only started in the last couple of weeks.

Of course listings for Versus, CSN-HD, UHD, and MHD have never been available on TVGOS, brought it up to Comcast before but never really got anywhere... I wonder if any of the new HD channels in couple of weeks will show up.

Of course listings for Versus, CSN-HD, UHD, and MHD have never been available on TVGOS, brought it up to Comcast before but never really got anywhere...I know that CSN (SD) is available on my 8th and 9th generation guides (OTA), but not on my 7th gen. ones.

Is the programming the same as on CSN-HD? If so, you can always change the channel number to the HD channel's.

Message today on the box: On 8/15, Hallmark Channel is moving from 'analog' 62 to digital 131.

Ramm,

I think I misunderstood the problem. I was under the impression that he was getting nothing on channel 2-99. Sounds like they are there and just not showing up in the guide though from the reply above.

No idea why channels would suddenly just disappear from the guide, I actually had the whole guide disappear at one point pre-cablecard. I had to do a factory reset and start all over again.

Ramm,

I think I misunderstood the problem. I was under the impression that he was getting nothing on channel 2-99. Sounds like they are there and just not showing up in the guide though from the reply above.

No idea why channels would suddenly just disappear from the guide, I actually had the whole guide disappear at one point pre-cablecard. I had to do a factory reset and start all over again.

Missing channels (probably about 20-30 of them in the 2-99 range) reappeared late last week. No idea why, but at least they are there again. Of course it was a pain to manually reorder the channels after they reappeared on my set with the older guide (my other set automatically sorts - 9th generation).

Chicago area recently converted to almost all digital SD channels so now the # of ClearQAM channels has greatly increased.

They also seem to have moved them around quite a bit. Does anyone have a labeled list of all the channels with their ClearQAM versions? My short list so far:

2.1 WBBMHDT (CBS)
5.2 WMAQHD (NBC)
5.3 NBCWthr
7.1 WLSHDTV (ABC)
9.2 WGNHDTV
29.8 my guess is on demand
30.4 TBS

31.6 on demand
48 TV Guide Channel
54.5 WTTW
54.7 WCIU
55.22 CLTV

57.201 CSPAN
57.202 CSPAN2
57.209 HSN
70.10 MTV2

Thanks!
Scott

Anyone in the Buffalo Grove area having trouble with CBS-HD, Wttw-HD and HBO-HD? 189 and 191 just say "Channel should be available shortly" and 186 pixilates. Called Comcast and insisted on a line tech not just the usual home tech. Had this problem before and it was a problem in the outside lines. If anyone calls comcast, don't fall for "we will send a tech to your house, lets schedule an appointment" routine.

Anyone in the Buffalo Grove area having trouble with CBS-HD, Wttw-HD and HBO-HD? 189 and 191 just say "Channel should be available shortly" and 186 pixilates. Called Comcast and insisted on a line tech not just the usual home tech. Had this problem before and it was a problem in the outside lines. If anyone calls comcast, don't fall for "we will send a tech to your house, lets schedule an appointment" routine.
If BG is set up like Schaumburg, then 189 and 191 are both on the same frequency (735MHz, analog 114), along with 241 (v-Me) and 242 (Create). It could have been very weak, or just temporarily dead.
HBO-HD (186) and Showtime-HD (185) are both on 717MHz (analog 111).

Well, 179 and 181 are both showing paid advertising in amazing stretch-o-vision (and their channels aren't labeled in the program guide). National Geographic HD on 206 is showing paid advertising in 4:3 mode, and A&E HD on 208 is showing The District in 4:3 mode.

Where's the HD?

Update: 24 just started on A&E - this is also in 4:3. Pretty disappointing so far...

I got new channels, but now there is no signal on MHD, HBO-HD and SHO-HD and bunch of other SD channels.

edit: it just came back on.

Well, 179 and 181 are both showing paid advertising in amazing stretch-o-vision (and their channels aren't labeled in the program guide). National Geographic HD on 206 is showing paid advertising in 4:3 mode, and A&E HD on 208 is showing The District in 4:3 mode.

Where's the HD?


That's exactly what I saw this morning - very disappointing.

What would you expect at 6am? :) Food and HGTV are showing HD programming now.

I'm trying to help someone I work with who lives in Plainfield, IL. They are having difficulty getting their new TV to tune in the clear QAM channels. The TV suppose to have a QAM tuner, but he said that doing a scan only picked up 4 digital channels which looked like advertising.

Does anyone know what the major (CBS, ABC, etc) HD clear QAM channels are?
Thanks in advance,
Mike

One thing I noticed up here, Hallmark was supposed to be removed from analog ch 39 and moved to 131 I believe. It is still on 39. CMT, ch 44 is gone, moved to ch 146. All of the HD new HD channels were in our guide this AM, didn't get a chance to see them.

I'm trying to help someone I work with who lives in Plainfield, IL. They are having difficulty getting their new TV to tune in the clear QAM channels. The TV suppose to have a QAM tuner, but he said that doing a scan only picked up 4 digital channels which looked like advertising.

Does anyone know what the major (CBS, ABC, etc) HD clear QAM channels are?
Thanks in advance,
Mike

there is a post like 4 up from this one where a guy lists them...

Well, 179 and 181 are both showing paid advertising in amazing stretch-o-vision (and their channels aren't labeled in the program guide). National Geographic HD on 206 is showing paid advertising in 4:3 mode, and A&E HD on 208 is showing The District in 4:3 mode.

Where's the HD?

Update: 24 just started on A&E - this is also in 4:3. Pretty disappointing so far...

I haven't seen these yet, but I assume the new channels are an HD simulcast of the regular SD versions of these channels (i.e. same programming)?

there is a post like 4 up from this one where a guy lists them...


I was looking for the actual channels, such as 108.1, 114.2, etc.

One thing I noticed up here, Hallmark was supposed to be removed from analog ch 39 and moved to 131 I believe. It is still on 39. CMT, ch 44 is gone, moved to ch 146. All of the HD new HD channels were in our guide this AM, didn't get a chance to see them.
Hallmark is supposed to move on August 15, so you still have a month yet.

Here in Schaumburg, the new HD's are on:
179 - HGTV-HD (HGTVD) = 663MHz, analog 102
181 - FoodTV-HD (FOODD) = 663MHz, analog 102
206 - National Geographic-HD (NGCHD) = 447MHz, analog 61
208 - A&E-HD (A&EHD) = 261MHz, analog 30

Universal HD (207) has moved to 447MHz, analog 61.

Here in Schaumburg, the new HD's are on:
179 - HGTV-HD (HGTVD) = 663MHz, analog 102
181 - FoodTV-HD (FOODD) = 663MHz, analog 102
206 - National Geographic-HD (NGCHD) = 447MHz, analog 61
208 - A&E-HD (A&EHD) = 261MHz, analog 30

Universal HD (207) has moved to 447MHz, analog 61.

I saw this.. though i could have sworn that we'd also be getting History Channel HD... or maybe that was just my mind wishing for Ice Road Truckers in HD to much..

Hallmark is supposed to move on August 15, so you still have a month yet.


Maybe on your system. On the Waukegan system, both Hallmark & CMT were due to be pulled on 7/18. CMT was pulled today, many people here were complaining in the local paper, etc about Hallmark being moved.

I saw this.. though i could have sworn that we'd also be getting History Channel HD... or maybe that was just my mind wishing for Ice Road Truckers in HD to much..

History Channel HD is only available OnDemand right now.

I haven't seen these yet, but I assume the new channels are an HD simulcast of the regular SD versions of these channels (i.e. same programming)?

HGTV and Food Network are alternate programming from the SD versions. A&E is same.

Maybe on your system. On the Waukegan system, both Hallmark & CMT were due to be pulled on 7/18. CMT was pulled today, many people here were complaining in the local paper, etc about Hallmark being moved.


Is Hallmark now encrypted after the change?

A year or two ago Sci-Fi was moved to digital, which should not have been a problem if you have a QAM tuner. But they also encrypted it. So I had to get a digital package with a digital STB in order to watch what previously was included with my expanded basic package.

I can see people getting upset for paying an extra $12/month to watch what they've been getting for years. Even if not encrypted, a lot of people do not have QAM tuners.

My concern is when my area goes all digital, what's to stop Comcast from encrypting most or all channels? Then a QAM tuner won't mean too much if you still need a box.

Here in Schaumburg, the new HD's are on:
179 - HGTV-HD (HGTVD) = 663MHz, analog 102
181 - FoodTV-HD (FOODD) = 663MHz, analog 102
206 - National Geographic-HD (NGCHD) = 447MHz, analog 61
208 - A&E-HD (A&EHD) = 261MHz, analog 30

Universal HD (207) has moved to 447MHz, analog 61.


Are the above channels clear QAM or encrypted?

How did you find out what freqs they were on? If clear QAM you could find out by searching or scanning. But it sure would be nice if there was database somewhere.

I currently have expanded basic & every so often I'll just use the up-channel button on the remote to see what's out there. I did have a SD digital STB at one time, but I don't recall anything like a menu that let you access a service mode in order to find out what the real freqs were.

BTW, your Schaumburg freqs don't match what's in Darien. I don't get anything on 102 QAM, but that could be encrypted. Channel 61 is analog CSPAN2 and 30 is analog VH1.

Is Hallmark now encrypted after the change?

A year or two ago Sci-Fi was moved to digital, which should not have been a problem if you have a QAM tuner. But they also encrypted it. So I had to get a digital package with a digital STB in order to watch what previously was included with my expanded basic package.

I can see people getting upset for paying an extra $12/month to watch what they've been getting for years. Even if not encrypted, a lot of people do not have QAM tuners.

My concern is when my area goes all digital, what's to stop Comcast from encrypting most or all channels? Then a QAM tuner won't mean too much if you still need a box.


Hallmark didn't change, but since I don't have any QAM tuners and rely on the Comcast boxes, I wouldn't have a chance to find out.

Is Hallmark now encrypted after the change?

A year or two ago Sci-Fi was moved to digital, which should not have been a problem if you have a QAM tuner. But they also encrypted it. So I had to get a digital package with a digital STB in order to watch what previously was included with my expanded basic package.

I can see people getting upset for paying an extra $12/month to watch what they've been getting for years. Even if not encrypted, a lot of people do not have QAM tuners.

My concern is when my area goes all digital, what's to stop Comcast from encrypting most or all channels? Then a QAM tuner won't mean too much if you still need a box.

Where did you get $12/month price? When they go all digital you will be able to get a box for a minimal price (since Chicago went all digital, someone from the city can give the exact price). It is $12 dollars now for a HD-DVR not for basic digital box.

It would make sense for them to have it all encrypted (except for basic channels 0 which are unecrypted today already). All channels are already available in digital (because of ADS) and most are encrypted.

Are the above channels clear QAM or encrypted?

How did you find out what freqs they were on? If clear QAM you could find out by searching or scanning. But it sure would be nice if there was database somewhere.

I currently have expanded basic & every so often I'll just use the up-channel button on the remote to see what's out there. I did have a SD digital STB at one time, but I don't recall anything like a menu that let you access a service mode in order to find out what the real freqs were.

BTW, your Schaumburg freqs don't match what's in Darien. I don't get anything on 102 QAM, but that could be encrypted. Channel 61 is analog CSPAN2 and 30 is analog VH1.


Different headend use different frequency/channel mappings. With STB you can get to service menu which will give you frequency of the currently tuned in channel.

Where did you get $12/month price? When they go all digital you will be able to get a box for a minimal price (since Chicago went all digital, someone from the city can give the exact price). It is $12 dollars now for a HD-DVR not for basic digital box.

I spoke to a CSR about additional box pricing as soon as the all digital initiative was announced for Chicago. I already have an HD-DVR for my main TV, but I was inquiring about a 2nd box for the bedroom. I was told that the bottom of the line digital box would be $4.99/mo, an HD box (non-DVR) would be $6.99/mo and a 2nd HD-DVR would be $16.99 (apparently the first one is discounted, but not the 2nd one). YMMV.

Where did you get $12/month price? When they go all digital you will be able to get a box for a minimal price.You might've misunderstood his post.

No matter if they're all-digital or not, he'll still be paying 12 dollars more than he used to to get Sci-Fi.

When they go all digital, you don't realistically expect them to drop the price of the package he needs to get Sci-Fi back down to the price of where enhanced or extended basic is at now, do you?

I know that the first tier digital where I live is around the same price - about $12.00 more.

I already have an HD-DVR for my main TV, but I was inquiring about a 2nd box for the bedroom. I was told that the bottom of the line digital box would be $4.99/mo, an HD box (non-DVR) would be $6.99/mo....Yep. You will need a box for every TV in the house if you want to receive anything more than the limited basic channels on them.

The good news is (if you consider it good :rolleyes: ) that they will most likely be keeping the analog limited basic channels around, at least for awhile, if not for good, so you'll still be able to pick those up on any TV's analog tuner. (I believe they did leave those available within Chicago.)

But if they ever do decide to get rid of those, too, you'll definitely need QAM tuners to pick up the digital versions.

Sucks, I know.

You might've misunderstood his post.


I did. My bad :)

Where did you get $12/month price? When they go all digital you will be able to get a box for a minimal price (since Chicago went all digital, someone from the city can give the exact price). It is $12 dollars now for a HD-DVR not for basic digital box.

It would make sense for them to have it all encrypted (except for basic channels 0 which are unecrypted today already). All channels are already available in digital (because of ADS) and most are encrypted.


Comcast charged me an additional $11.99/month (on top of Expanded Basic) for their Digital Classic package, and this included a std def digital STB. This was the only way I could get the SciFi channel after they moved it to their digital tier. Going right off the Comcast price sheet, the DVR is another $11.99 on top of that. And I previously called them and confirmed this. So if I want to watch SciFi and want the HD DVR, that's $24/month on top of my Expanded Basic.

Their HD STB is $7/month on top of the $11.99 Digital Classic. I know someone who has this. However if I was going to spend the $7/mon, I'd go the extra $5/mon and get the DVR. I've seen several postings confirming Comcast will not let you get the DVR unless you do have a digital package in the first place.

Comcast said they moved SciFi in order to make room for some new channels. That's OK, but why encrypt it? Actually I know the answer - to get $12/more from people. So if they encrypt Hallmark after they move it, Comcast will be squeezing $12/month from some more families.

FWIW, I turned in my STB a few months ago. Figured I didn't need it for the summer so why pay for it.

Yes, I live in a highrise building in downtown River North Area and my HBO-HD and few other HD channels are having the same issues.. "One moment please..." but it never comes up.. called Comcast few times and keep sending useless technicians but problems keep coming back...

HGTV and Food Network are alternate programming from the SD versions. A&E is same.
It looks like at least FoodTV airs the same program, but a different episode if it's not available in HD. When I went to watch 'Good Eats', SD was showing a show about cake (the food, not the music group), and HD was a newer one about ice.

Is Hallmark now encrypted after the change?
Generally, only broadcast, local access, and advertising channels will be unencrypted. Any channels that require a package will be encrypted.

Yes, I live in a highrise building in downtown River North Area and my HBO-HD and few other HD channels are having the same issues.. "One moment please..." but it never comes up.. called Comcast few times and keep sending useless technicians but problems keep coming back...

I'm having the same problem out here in Lakeview, just installed two weeks ago, I hope thats not the case for me with the worthless techs, have one coming out Saturday..., it's only half the channels in the HD tier, keep giving me the "channel will be available shortly" but they never are. It's like certain channels have a weak signal (HBO periodically will give me short bursts of a pixelated mess)... off the top of my head its:

HBO
one of the Showtimes
CSN
Fox
WMAQ
ESPN1 (but not 2)
HGTV

Not sure if this has been posted, but just an FYI the new DCH3416 box should be available to most areas now. I have seen them in Highland Park/Lake Forest area over the past week. Faster channel changing, better physical cosmetics, etc..

-b

The link:

http://broadband.motorola.com/business/digitalvideo/product_dch3416_settop.asp

Comcast said they moved SciFi in order to make room for some new channels. That's OK, but why encrypt it? Actually I know the answer - to get $12/more from people. So if they encrypt Hallmark after they move it, Comcast will be squeezing $12/month from some more families.Hey Mike, can you get satellite where you live?

You'd certainly get more of what you actually want for less money. You can get an SD package from Dish that includes Sci-Fi (and the locals) for no more than $35.00/mo. And that would be to 2 TV's with no extra receiver fee, if you wanted it (with their 322 dual-tuner model).

Sci-Fi is also included in all the higher packages, too.

Not sure if this has been posted, but just an FYI the new DCH3416 box should be available to most areas now. I have seen them in Highland Park/Lake Forest area over the past week. Faster channel changing, better physical cosmetics, etc..
Out of curiosity, what is the text on the various lights on the sides of the display? The pictures are too fuzzy, although the bottom-left looks like it might say 'Standby'.
I added links to the page to the Wikibook.

Out of curiosity, what is the text on the various lights on the sides of the display? The pictures are too fuzzy, although the bottom-left looks like it might say 'Standby'.
I added links to the page to the Wikibook.

One is standby (left hand side), and the ones on the right indicate the incoming resolution (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i). This also says that the pip functions are operational (will check this when I get back in front of one) and it is ready for hosting.

-b

Carpenterville is broadscasting HGTV on 41 (480i) and HGTV-D on 179 (720p).
Anyone know when they will discontinue broadcasting on 41?

Here in Schaumburg, the new HD's are on:
179 - HGTV-HD (HGTVD) = 663MHz, analog 102
181 - FoodTV-HD (FOODD) = 663MHz, analog 102
206 - National Geographic-HD (NGCHD) = 447MHz, analog 61
208 - A&E-HD (A&EHD) = 261MHz, analog 30

Universal HD (207) has moved to 447MHz, analog 61.

Hey Mike, can you get satellite where you live?

You'd certainly get more of what you actually want for less money. You can get an SD package from Dish that includes Sci-Fi (and the locals) for no more than $35.00/mo. And that would be to 2 TV's with no extra receiver fee, if you wanted it (with their 322 dual-tuner model).

Sci-Fi is also included in all the higher packages, too.


I'm presuming I can get satellite. I'm in a townhouse & my back yard faces west. So if the dish needs to be aimed south-west I should be OK.

Animal Planet, Hallmark, FX, Speed Channel all are missing from the Top 100 pkg and appears I would need the Top 200 pkg. Therefore the price difference is not as great as initially perceived. And the dual tuner DVR is additional. The AT&T Dish promo included free locals and their HD pkg free. But did not include local WGN and WTTW-Digital. So I would still need an OTA antenna for these.

So I would need a dish and an OTA antenna and end up with what seems will be slightly lower PQ than Comcast according to several postings on this forum. I don't know if the few dollars savings is worth it. The promo's 1st yr free sounds good, other than any upgrades I have to pay for (Top200 and DVR). But I'm then locked into a 2 yr contract. If the PQ is less than desirable I'm stuck with it for 2 yrs.

I always thought satellite was the way to go. But one of my friends recently changed from Dish to Comcast. And someone at work just changed from DirectTV (with 3 dishes on their roof) to Comcast. They both seem happier. I'm all for saving some money, but I really don't want to compromise the PQ. It's summer and I'm not watching a lot TV right now. So I'll stick with my Comcast expanded basic until winter and see what path I'll want to take at that time.

Well, I just changed to Dish and couldnt be happier..With their current promotion, my first 12 months will cost me about 30 bucks a month, vs 52 plus tax from comcrap(no tax from Dish in Illinois), FREE dual tunerhd/DVR, and frankly better SD pq and at least equal HD pq that I can see, on my 70 inch sony xbr2...
I kept Comcast limited basic for 15 bucks a month for those 2 channels since my tv's all have the proper built in tuners for getting WGN/WTTW, and best of all, I am able to deal with Comcast a little less than before.
I am planning on getting ATT phone service soon; they now have an unlimited pkg in my area that will cost the same as Comcasts, and there wont ever be times when your phone service goes down, like Comcast does..Now, if I could just find a different high speed internet provider in my area with at least 8 megs D/L speed, I could finally get rid of them completely.
Oh, and BTW, the word is they are getting ready to raise fees again, about 3 bucks a month for their HD DVR...

Carpenterville is broadscasting HGTV on 41 (480i) and HGTV-D on 179 (720p).
Anyone know when they will discontinue broadcasting on 41?
The analog feed for everything other than Basic may shut down sometime in the near future, but I doubt they'll cancel the SD version anytime soon.

AT&T keeps extending their Dish promo, so they told me, but that was last month. It was 1 year free with a 2 year contract. What's free was $34.99/mon for the Top100 with locals and the $20/mon HD pkg. The DVR was an extra $5.98/mon. After the 1st year it is $60.97/month. I don't recall if local HD was included. But since their locals do not include WGN and WTTW-D, I would need an OTA antenna anyway. And I would need the Top200 pkg for what I want, which is an additional $13/mon. So that's $73.97 after the first year. Obviously the 1st year is a great deal and should be only $5.98 + $13.00 = $18.98. If average the 2 years it is $46.48/mon. Cheaper than what I'm paying now, but I have to add in getting an OTA antenna.

My big gripe with satellite or encrypted cable is having to deal with a STB. It defeats the purpose of have a cable ready TV or recorder in the first place. Right now I watch what I want and record what I want. No STB to deal with. I don't subscribe to any premium services like HBO so I really don't need a STB. Comcast moving channels to digital is not a problem in itself. I just need a new DVD recorder with a QAM tuner. The problem arises when they start encrypting channels which for years used to be part of basic cable. Then a QAM tuner starts losing its purpose. Having to start paying for SciFi or Hallmark is bad enuf. But encrypting them really ticks me off. Pretty soon they'll encrypt Animal Planet, USA, etc. End of rant.

Anyway, one friend I know had DirecTV and they had reception problems when it rained. They switched to Comcast. Another friend has a long handle broom to clean snow off his DirecTV dish because it affects reception. Another friend switched from Dish to Comcast with DVR. I'll have to discuss in detail what he likes/dislikes about both systems. Trust me, I'm not sticking up for Comcast, but so far the alternatives do not appear to be any better. We need some competition such as AT&T. But I won't hold my breath.

Well, you are right, at this point there is no PERFECT solution, but I guess you have to weigh the pros and cons for your individual situation..
I have friends who have said, that with both Direct and Dish, they never lose signal, even in the snow and rain..and, since it only snows heavily a few times a year lately, that wont bother me that much..Thats why I kept Comcast basic basic for 15 bucks a month; just in case something bad like that happens.
Yes, paying for a STB is what eventually put me over the edge with Comcrap; I mean, why spend extra money getting the proper tuner built into your new TV, when your miserable cable provider is going to force you to spend $$$ every month to see anything anyway..Why did the FCC allow this kind of crap to happen??

Verizon FIOS would shake up the entire marketplace in Chicago land if they would set it up here..Hopefully, the new law signed a few weeks ago will quickly change the lousy choices most folks in chicagoland have right now..Until then, I am going to run with my limited comcrap/Dish combo, and see how that goes..

My big gripe with satellite or encrypted cable is having to deal with a STB. It defeats the purpose of have a cable ready TV or recorder in the first place. Right now I watch what I want and record what I want. No STB to deal with. I don't subscribe to any premium services like HBO so I really don't need a STB. Comcast moving channels to digital is not a problem in itself. I just need a new DVD recorder with a QAM tuner. The problem arises when they start encrypting channels which for years used to be part of basic cable. Then a QAM tuner starts losing its purpose. Having to start paying for SciFi or Hallmark is bad enuf. But encrypting them really ticks me off. Pretty soon they'll encrypt Animal Planet, USA, etc. End of rant.
BASIC cable is just broadcast, local access, and advertising channels. EXPANDED Basic, such as AP, USA, etc... will always cost extra and will most likely be encrypted in the digital world. If you didn't pay for EXPANDED in the analog world, they typically put a trap on the line to block them. Encrypting them in the digital world is the equivalent. Unlike simply removing the trap and STEALING service, it's much harder to bypass encryption.

I've had Dish for almost 3 years, and I think it's only gone out once briefly because of ice/snow. It does occasionally go out during heavy downpours, though.

Where are you located, Mike? I'm 41 miles out, and I can receive everything rock solid (other than WBBM-DT) with just an amplified indoor antenna (I can get WBBM-DT with an outdoor one). Plus, I get WCIU in HD, something none of the others will give you.

Also, you CAN still get Dish with no commitment (unlike Direct), plus they have a 30-day trial period - and their usual commitment, should you go that route, is only 18 mos., compared to Direct's 24.

I think with the "no commitment" deal, you just have to pay the $75.00 (or whatever it is) activation, where with the commitment, you get it refunded.

I don't know if you saw my post awhile back, but check out the "Latino Dos" package. It gives you everything you mentioned except for Hallmark, for $6.00 less than the Top 200. You also get Natl. Geographic, which will qualify you to get NG-HD with the HD pack. You get most of the other standard English-language channels with it, plus the Sirius music channels. Also, Comcast Sports Net, IFC and free Playboy TV (partially in Spanish - but who cares? ;)). Check online to see the channels. I have it myself - I just block out the 35 or so Spanish-language channels. And you can also get the $10.00 off for X amount of mos. for new subs, just like with the "Top" packages.

Also, you will get the locals in HD (CBS, NBC, ABC & Fox).

BASIC cable is just broadcast, local access, and advertising channels. EXPANDED Basic, such as AP, USA, etc... will always cost extra and will most likely be encrypted in the digital world. If you didn't pay for EXPANDED in the analog world, they typically put a trap on the line to block them. Encrypting them in the digital world is the equivalent. Unlike simply removing the trap and STEALING service, it's much harder to bypass encryption.


I do have expanded basic. It is just nice, easy & convenient to watch the USA channel for example and record Animal Planet. I did have the Comcast Std Def digital pkg and STB for a while. But I only used the STB when needed, to watch encrypted SciFi for example. Otherwise I'd have to make sure the STB turned on at the same the recorder turned on. IOW, you'd have to essentially program two units. Yes you could program the STB to change channels, but only up to 3 days into the future as that's all the EPG displayed. But again it required double programming. I figured a new DVD recorder with a QAM tuner would do the trick, but not if a lot of stuff is encrypted. I am paying for the content, but cannot record some programs when I'm away on vacation. All I want to do is time shift & watch when I get home.

I figured a new DVD recorder with a QAM tuner would do the trick, but not if a lot of stuff is encrypted.

Are there DVD recorders that have CableCard? It seems like that is something that would fit your needs.

Are there DVD recorders that have CableCard? It seems like that is something that would fit your needs.No, unfortunately, there aren't.

Something like the Sony DHG-HDD500/250 would fit that bill, if you can still find one, AND, if it's reasonably priced. Some people are still finding them new at some Fry's Electronics at a discounted price. Otherwise, it's ebay or similar, and I doubt if they're going that cheap. It's got QAM/ATSC/NTSC tuners and a cablecard slot. No DVD recorder, but at least everything's outputted at full resolution.

Mike - just in case you're not aware, no current DVD recorder with a QAM tuner will pass through a full HD signal to your TV - only upscaled SD through HDMI at best. But if you don't mind that, the new Philips HDD/DVD recorder is about the only decent HDD model readily available (with QAM/ATSC/NTSC). It has no "guide" though (none currently do), so you'll have to set all timers manually.

You could split the cable signal to the TV if it's got a QAM tuner, so that you could at least watch live, local HD - but not from the recorder. Although the upscaled local digital stuff should still look pretty darned good.

There's also the Samsung DTB-H260F QAM/ATSC tuner (at CC and BB), that you could use for QAM & HD, if you wanted to work that into the equation.

I've currently got a Panny EH75 HDD/DVD/VCR set up with my Dish tuner, and the TV Guide on Screen feature works not only with analog cable, directly throught it's built-in analog tuner, but also with with satellite & digital tuners/services. It has no digital tuners built in, though. It usually runs about 100 bucks more than the Philips at it's clearance price, and it also has a smaller hard drive. It is a real nice, well built unit though, and can still be found in some CC stores, although they just recently took it off of their website.

But they do have the Philips listed as available on their site now (it's the DVDR-3575H).

The only reason I specifically mention these two models are because they have hard drives, and they're closer to what you're used to already. A strictly DVD recorder isn't gonna really give you much space to record on. And you'll forever either be checking the time left on DVD's, or erasing/changing them constantly. If you do get one, at least get one that uses DVD-RAM, because that will at least give you DVR-like capabilities (chase play, similar editing features, 16:9 recording). The Panny's are especially popular around here.

There are dedicated threads on all of the available units here in the DVD Recorders sub-forum if you want to check into them more.

I use the EH75 for Dish SD, and a DHG-HDD500 for HD/SD OTA, and it's nice to not have to pay that monthly DVR fee to those greedy money-grubbers and still not have to set any timers manually.

(Just trying to offer up some other ideas and options for you :).)

Rammitinski -

I'm about 20 miles from downtown Chicago. I'm in a townhouse which makes putting up a satellite dish or OTA roof antenna a bit more challenging. There are a few dishes here, but they're on the ground & I'm presuming on very short posts. I may need something a lot taller to clear some trees. The OTA antenna may be more of a problem. I don't know if it would be less of hassle to fight the Association and get one on the roof, or somehow get good reception with an indoor unit.

I am aware about the limitations of QAM tuner recorders. I mainly time shift and figure CSI Miami should look better if recorded from an HD source vs analog, even though not recorded in HD.

Having no EPG guide does not bother me. In fact the EPG that displayed when I had the std def digital STB was quite limited. If I recall it only displayed 90 minutes of programming across, and not too many channels vertically. So I spent a lot of time scrolling.

I do split my cable; one side feeds the TV & the other side feeds the DVD recorder, which in turn passes the RF signal thru to a S-VHS recorder. So I can record two programs at once, but I do not have an HDD in the DVD recorder so the capacity is quite limited.

I was thinking about the Philips DVDR-3575H, however:
If Comcast is going to encrypt a lot of channels, I may be better off getting their DVR.
If I go satellite I need either a receiver or DVR. So why not get the DVR.

I did see your previous posting about "Latino Dos". I'm just surprised that there is a lot of English content on a package with a Spanish name. But I'll check it out.

I did see your previous posting about "Latino Dos". I'm just surprised that there is a lot of English content on a package with a Spanish name.Yeah, they do seem to try to keep that info from the English-speaking among us ;). The only well-known, "basic" channels it really lacks are the ESPN's, "E!", & VH1. I do miss ESPN at times (Baseball Tonight, more specifically), but they often show some of the MLB games on ESPN Espanol, and the games are usually simulcast on the radio (there is a slight delay though). As far as the other two, I haven't had much use for them for a few years. The content just gets progressively crappier, and I'm just gettin' too old to have any interest anyway.

They also used to mention on the website and their pamphlets that you could add the HD pack to "Dos" or higher (just like with the "Top" packages), but for some reason, they recently took that off, and they just tell you to "call for more information" on adding HD now. As far as I can tell though, they still seem to offer it the same way. I found a few websites where they mentioned more specifically that they do.

As far as the amount of English-speaking channels, I think there are at least 60 or so of the most common, popular ones. There's over 35 Spanish ones, but I just block them out, except for ESPN Esp. and Playboy Esp.

They will ask you if you want Playboy included, and you just say yes and they'll turn it on for no extra charge. If you have kids though, you might wanna block that out - it's mostly just "airbrushed fluff" like the magazine, but it does occasionally get VERY explicit (usually very late at night). Lots of obviously fake boobs though, and that does get old pretty quick. And, as is the case with many of the channels, they just repeat stuff constantly.

How high up are you where you live? If you've got enough height, even with trees, 20 miles isn't a lot. Especially here, because the transmitting powers are pretty high. If your TV has an ATSC tuner, it wouldn't hurt to just try some of those cheapo RCA and Philips antennas they sell at Walmart, etc., where they're easily returnable. They're not the greatest, but at 20 miles they're not bad, and you should at least get an idea of what you could get if you decided to put more effort into it.

Just F.Y.I., I'll add that out of all the provider's DVR's Dish's is about the only one that never gets complaints, if you read the threads over in the hardware forum. It's the only one people are really most satisfied with and like the most.

Yes you could program the STB to change channels, but only up to 3 days into the future as that's all the EPG displayed.
Since the upgrade to I-Guide on all STB's, I believe even the non-DVR have 2-week program guides.
All the inconvenience is one way Comcast tries to push people into using their own DVR, for more $$$ of course. If you want to watch on multiple TV's, you can use a channel modulator to insert the signal for other TV's, and some form of remote repeater so you can control it from another room.

Rammitinski -

Of course just about everything under Dish's "Latino Dos" programming is in Spanish, but I finally found a channel lineup card in English. However the History Channel and Travel Channel were not part of this pkg, and I do watch these. "Latino Max" has these, but is $51.99/mon (with locals) as far as I can tell. This is only a few dollars less than what I'm now paying.

What I want never seems to be included in the low priced packages offered by Dish or DirecTV. And it's always been that way. I just keep hoping the channel lineups will expand to fit my needs/wants. So far they have not. Again, I'm not pro-Comcast. And I'd certainly like to save a few bucks. If I save only $10/mon for example, but eliminate channels that I like, then I feel it's not a good deal.

As previously mentioned, Comcast needs some competition from AT&T.

First post here, please be gentle...

My goal is to use a QAM tuner (Hauppauge HVR-1600 Model 74041) to watch local HD channels on my HTPC. I'm having no luck, and after a lot of researching I am still stumped. Hopefully someone here can offer a word of advice.

I subscribe to Comcast Basic Cable in Gurnee, IL. I rent from them a Motorola DCT6200 STB which allows me to tune the local HD channels (187-192) just fine. But when I connect the coax from the wall to my HTPC ATSC/QAM input, I get no signal at all. I get nothing when I scan for channels, nor when I manually type in a channel number.

My problem is that I don't know if it's an issue with the tuner card, or a limitation set by Comcast. So here's a few questions maybe you can help me with:

1) I'm under the impression cable companies are supposed to provide unencrypted access to local HD channels as per the FCC. Is this correct?

2) Is it possible that my STB is receiving an encrypted signal of the local HD channels?

3) Could there be filters on my line that are preventing me from receiving clear QAM signals, but allow the STB to still function?

Sorry that I'm such a newb concerning this stuff, any help whatsoever is much appreciated.

First post here, please be gentle...

My problem is that I don't know if it's an issue with the tuner card, or a limitation set by Comcast. So here's a few questions maybe you can help me with:

1) I'm under the impression cable companies are supposed to provide unencrypted access to local HD channels as per the FCC. Is this correct?

2) Is it possible that my STB is receiving an encrypted signal of the local HD channels?

3) Could there be filters on my line that are preventing me from receiving clear QAM signals, but allow the STB to still function?

Yes, you should be able to tune the local HD channels with your QAM tuner. Although I have a different tuner, I can get them on my computer from Comcast in Chicago. Be aware that the frequencies the locals are on are not the same as the channel numbers that you see on your STB. I think the Motorola DVR Wiki has info on how to get your STB to tell you what frequency the currently tuned channel is on.

First post here, please be gentle...

My goal is to use a QAM tuner (Hauppauge HVR-1600 Model 74041) to watch local HD channels on my HTPC. I'm having no luck, and after a lot of researching I am still stumped. Hopefully someone here can offer a word of advice.

I subscribe to Comcast Basic Cable in Gurnee, IL. I rent from them a Motorola DCT6200 STB which allows me to tune the local HD channels (187-192) just fine. But when I connect the coax from the wall to my HTPC ATSC/QAM input, I get no signal at all. I get nothing when I scan for channels, nor when I manually type in a channel number.

My problem is that I don't know if it's an issue with the tuner card, or a limitation set by Comcast. So here's a few questions maybe you can help me with:

1) I'm under the impression cable companies are supposed to provide unencrypted access to local HD channels as per the FCC. Is this correct?

2) Is it possible that my STB is receiving an encrypted signal of the local HD channels?

3) Could there be filters on my line that are preventing me from receiving clear QAM signals, but allow the STB to still function?

Sorry that I'm such a newb concerning this stuff, any help whatsoever is much appreciated.


As mentioned, the local QAM freqs are not the same as the channel numbers that Comcast uses. For example, Comcast ABC-HD is channel 187, however by me the QAM channel is 108.1. This is where ABC-HD really is. The Comcast 187 does not relate to anything. All my local HD channels are between 108 and 118. Yours may differ, but I would suggest scanning that region. Or try manually entering every number in that range. IOW enter 108.1, 108.2, etc. Yes it will take a bit of time, but hopefully you'll end up finding them all. Unless someone in your are knows the clear QAM channels.

Here's an interesting problem for you. Probably with a easy solution, actually.

My grandparents just invested in a 32" Magnavox LCD with a built in DVD player. They subscribe to Comcast's basic analog cable, and get all the channels on their other two TVs. They have the coaxial cable running right from the wall to the TV in. However, on their new TV, I hooked it up, and they got nothing. Well duh, gotta search for the channels, right? I go through the TV's "Installation" menu, and select "Setup." It asks Cable or Antenna. I of course picked Cable. After a ridiculous 15 minute searching process, it found only 1 digital channel (it has a QAM tuner, as well as the NTSC and ATSC) and 7 analog channels. "WTF?," I'm thinking. So I then go to look at all the channels, and sure enough, it's only getting 7 of the local channels, all in terrible quality or not even coming in at all, as well as CBS's digital 2.1, which of course is great quality. So what's going wrong here?

I went back into the Installation menu and redid the setup, this time selecting "Antenna" for the source. This time I picked up all the 9 local channels, this time in ok/good quality, of course loosing 2.1 in the process. I last left it at that, saying that maybe they should have Comcast look at it, (as at the time, I really was not up for any more arguing with them. "Well you know what I think the problem is, it's this new HDTV thing or whatever it's called!!! That's why we're not getting all the channels!" Ugh.) so what do you think I should do? I'm probably going to go back over there to look at it again today, so any help as soon as possible would be great.

I think it would help if you post the location and the model number of the tv. That way someone from that area or someone who has that TV might give you a better answer.

It's usually the first reaction to blame Comcast, but alot of TV's QAM tuners are often to blame.

It's the Magnavox "32MD357B_37." (http://www.magnavox.com/index.cfm?event=main&cat_id=1&subcat_id=5&product=101)

And they're on the west side of Elgin.

Yeah, and I don't think it could be Comcast's problem when both of their other TVs pick up all the channels no problem.

I had a question about what I actually need to order from Comcast to get the hdtv channels. I tried ordering Digital Classic and a DVR from the website, but was not given any option of signing up for hd. I remember when I had to sign up previously a few years back, there was the option of getting hd for a fee. Do I have to call to sign up for HD or am I missing something?

And they're on the west side of Elgin.

Yeah, and I don't think it could be Comcast's problem when both of their other TVs pick up all the channels no problem.

Hi, I'm on (Carpentersville) Comcast and I'm in a similar situation -- purchased an HDTV (Sharp) with QAM tuner and I have basic cable (locals only). The initial scan takes about 15 minutes because it is going through hundreds of channels, but it's only going to find channels 2 through 20 and some digital channels.

If you are also on the Carpentersville system, you can try these channels to see if they come through:
116.001 WBBM-DT CBS -- this also appears for me at 002.001 (2-1)
116.002 WTTW-DT PBS -- this also appears for me at 011.002 (11-2)
117.002 WFLD-DT FOX
117.005 WMAQ-DT NBC
119.001 WLS-DT ABC
119.002 WGN-DT CW
One problem for me is that channel 119 carries about 5 channels in HD but none of them have sound -- so the tuner will not detect them and the Add/Delete will not allow me to add them.

I had a question about what I actually need to order from Comcast to get the hdtv channels. I tried ordering Digital Classic and a DVR from the website, but was not given any option of signing up for hd. I remember when I had to sign up previously a few years back, there was the option of getting hd for a fee. Do I have to call to sign up for HD or am I missing something?

The Comcast Price List does show an "HDTV Equipment Fee" for $7.00/month. However, from what I'm told, the $11.99/month HD DVR takes the place of and supersedes the HD fee. Perhaps you did not get the option of choosing the HD fee because the DVR already includes this.

When you signed up a few years back, did you sign up for the DVR? Perhaps a call to Comcast would confirm exactly what is needed.

Hi, I'm on (Carpentersville) Comcast and I'm in a similar situation -- purchased an HDTV (Sharp) with QAM tuner and I have basic cable (locals only). The initial scan takes about 15 minutes because it is going through hundreds of channels, but it's only going to find channels 2 through 20 and some digital channels.

One problem for me is that channel 119 carries about 5 channels in HD but none of them have sound -- so the tuner will not detect them and the Add/Delete will not allow me to add them.My sister (who also lives in C.L., as we do), has a Panasonic plasma, and she also has similar results. Maybe 3 or 4 of the HD channels. She did get quite a lot of the SD digital channels without the sound, too.

But I brought my Sony DHG-HDD500 DVR/tuner over there one time and ran a scan, and it picked up everything possible (that was unencrypted).

I bought a Samsung DTB-H260F QAM/ATSC tuner not long ago, and I wanted to take that over there sometime and try that, too.

It appears that all tuners are different when it comes to clear-QAM.

I had a question about what I actually need to order from Comcast to get the hdtv channels. I tried ordering Digital Classic and a DVR from the website, but was not given any option of signing up for hd. I remember when I had to sign up previously a few years back, there was the option of getting hd for a fee. Do I have to call to sign up for HD or am I missing something?

I just upgraded to an HD DVR about a month ago from standard definition and the options given to me were either a free (for one year) upgrade to an HD STB or an HD DVR for $11.99/mo. When I was looking on the website I also didn't see the price for and HD STB and these were the options given to me when I called Comcast.

This is worth the read...
Had been paying Comcast $79.47 for Dig Prefer and HD/DVR. Last month they started charging me for an old DCT-2000 box that I have had for years. $5.98. Around and around I went at Comcast with no satisfaction. My neighbor and I researched DishTV and he calls Comcast and asks if there are any fees if he cancels his service. The rep upgrades him to Dig Prefer from Dig Starter and HD/DVR (Even though he doesn't have an HD TV) and will only charge him $46.97 for the next 12 months.

I call in and go right to the "retention department" and initially all they will offer me is $10 off on my Dig Prefer and $10 off on my HD/DVR for 6 months. I say No, No. We get my neighbor on a conference call so the rep can look at his account, and now I am paying $46.97 per month for Dig Prefer and HD/DVR. A savings of about $34 per month when you add in taxes. This was all caused because they started charging me $5.98 for having an old box. (Three years ago, when HD first came to CL, they tried to charge me the $5.98 and after many calls it was grandfathered into my account. Now because of their greed, I am saving $34 per month. Yes, I returned the old DCT, so they got their box back and I get a savings of $34.)

This is worth the read...
Had been paying Comcast $79.47 for Dig Prefer and HD/DVR. Last month they started charging me for an old DCT-2000 box that I have had for years. $5.98. Around and around I went at Comcast with no satisfaction. My neighbor and I researched DishTV and he calls Comcast and asks if there are any fees if he cancels his service. The rep upgrades him to Dig Prefer from Dig Starter and HD/DVR (Even though he doesn't have an HD TV) and will only charge him $46.97 for the next 12 months.

I call in and go right to the "retention department" and initially all they will offer me is $10 off on my Dig Prefer and $10 off on my HD/DVR for 6 months. I say No, No. We get my neighbor on a conference call so the rep can look at his account, and now I am paying $46.97 per month for Dig Prefer and HD/DVR. A savings of about $34 per month when you add in taxes. This was all caused because they started charging me $5.98 for having an old box. (Three years ago, when HD first came to CL, they tried to charge me the $5.98 and after many calls it was grandfathered into my account. Now because of their greed, I am saving $34 per month. Yes, I returned the old DCT, so they got their box back and I get a savings of $34.)

Wow, fun times with CSRs!

It looks like we'll finally be making the move from Schaumburg to CL in the next few months (finally!).

Looking forward to HD and the DVR again (I think my wife will hug the DVR).


tim

Here's an interesting problem for you. Probably with a easy solution, actually.

My grandparents just invested in a 32" Magnavox LCD with a built in DVD player. They subscribe to Comcast's basic analog cable, and get all the channels on their other two TVs. They have the coaxial cable running right from the wall to the TV in. However, on their new TV, I hooked it up, and they got nothing. Well duh, gotta search for the channels, right? I go through the TV's "Installation" menu, and select "Setup." It asks Cable or Antenna. I of course picked Cable. After a ridiculous 15 minute searching process, it found only 1 digital channel (it has a QAM tuner, as well as the NTSC and ATSC) and 7 analog channels. "WTF?," I'm thinking. So I then go to look at all the channels, and sure enough, it's only getting 7 of the local channels, all in terrible quality or not even coming in at all, as well as CBS's digital 2.1, which of course is great quality. So what's going wrong here?

I went back into the Installation menu and redid the setup, this time selecting "Antenna" for the source. This time I picked up all the 9 local channels, this time in ok/good quality, of course loosing 2.1 in the process. I last left it at that, saying that maybe they should have Comcast look at it, (as at the time, I really was not up for any more arguing with them. "Well you know what I think the problem is, it's this new HDTV thing or whatever it's called!!! That's why we're not getting all the channels!" Ugh.) so what do you think I should do? I'm probably going to go back over there to look at it again today, so any help as soon as possible would be great.

It sounds to me that the 32" is plugged into an antenna jack, rather than a CATV jack.

If you have another TV that you can move to that jack, or a long enough cable to run from that jack to another TV, you can check and see if you're getting only the normal OTA channels on their broadcast channels (ie: Channels 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 26 & 32). If you're getting anything on 3, 4, 6, 8 etc. then it is a Comcast jack and you should have a tech out to troubleshoot it.

HTH!

Regards,

Randy

I saw on another thread that Comcast announced today that they'd be carrying NFL HD. Last year the HD games were on one of the INHD channels, but with the move to a sports tier, I'm guessing they'll need something else.

Any word on if/when we'll get it? I'm also hoping that we'll get the Big 10 channel by the end of August

I saw on another thread that Comcast announced today that they'd be carrying NFL HD. Last year the HD games were on one of the INHD channels, but with the move to a sports tier, I'm guessing they'll need something else.

Any word on if/when we'll get it? I'm also hoping that we'll get the Big 10 channel by the end of August

I am wondering if comcast would launch NFL HD. If the would then I might subscribe to sports pkg otherwise it won't be worth it.

I'm doing a little leg work for a buddy who has Comcast in Chicago and his HD channels get a lot of pixlation. What is the make and model for Comcast's HD-DVR and how can he check the signal strength?

model is motorola 6412 most likely..tell him to have a tech come out and measure his signal strength to see what the problem is; bad line into the house, bad signal strength, or something else..u pay for the service, so make them fix it!

Has anyone else gotten video signals that almost seem like its corrupted? The show will play for a little bit (a few seconds) then the video and the audio will get all blocky or freeze in weird positions and play again.
The tech came out yesterday and checked my signals, and he said they looked pretty low from outside at the box to where it connects to the cable box by my tv, but they will send someone out to fix it later.
I believe this is just a very local problem (like my subdivision) since the tech said that he has 4 other stops on my street alone, and that he saw another truck in the neighborhood when he went outside to get a new cable box. What would cause just this subdivision to be all weird?

I live in the Frankfort / Mokena area.

lousy initial installs, plus not maintaining their equipment.
they are notorius for ignoring their infrastructure, and usually wait until a whole area is affected before they actually replace outside equipment.
Keep calling and threaten to dump them if they wont quicly resolve your problem. There are plenty of other solutions, and you shouldn't have to pay for inferior quality video..

I'm having trouble with QAM- I get all the channels I subscribe to just fine on my converter, and I have a cable modem that works fine. I have a Samsung SIRT451 that will only get a few channels- there are a preview-like couple of channels and I get a few SD channels on 102.

Any tips? Why can I get everything but QAM?

Does anyone have a list of the QAM channels for Aurora?

I'm having trouble with QAM- I get all the channels I subscribe to just fine on my converter, and I have a cable modem that works fine. I have a Samsung SIRT451 that will only get a few channels- there are a preview-like couple of channels and I get a few SD channels on 102.

Any tips? Why can I get everything but QAM?
Not familiar with this specific tuner, but on mine, I had to enable the "Digital Cable" option or something similar in a setup menu. Does yours have something similar?

If you are also on the Carpentersville system, you can try these channels to see if they come through:
116.001 WBBM-DT CBS -- this also appears for me at 002.001 (2-1)
116.002 WTTW-DT PBS -- this also appears for me at 011.002 (11-2)
117.002 WFLD-DT FOX
117.005 WMAQ-DT NBC
119.001 WLS-DT ABC
119.002 WGN-DT CW
One problem for me is that channel 119 carries about 5 channels in HD but none of them have sound -- so the tuner will not detect them and the Add/Delete will not allow me to add them.

all of those work fine for me. i am in Algonquin. I also get sub-channels on 87, 88, 89, 91 these are feed of people who use 'on-demand'.