Get a Dish and a DSL line and fire comcast.

For future reference, when Comcast tells you, "I am going to escalate this to Dispatch to see if they can get you on the schedule sooner. They will call you back within 2 hours to confirm," it is actually their internal code for, "Sorry I am not willing to help you anymore. I'd rather get you off the phone now and let you call back so someone else can deal with you."


If you're in the city of Chicago, I recommend you file a complaint through the City. Comcast does react when that happens. I'm sure they'd be particularly interested where Comcast wound up messing with the Ameritech box.

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0368182102.11983 65804@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdaddmlfhmlmgcefecelldffhdfhg.0&contentOID=536912044&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&blockName=Consumer+Services%2FForms%2FI+Want+To&context=dept&channelId=0&programId=0&entityName=Consumer+Services&deptMainCategoryOID=-536889929

It's still laughable at this point. We'll see what happens tomorrow. For now it's no big deal. Good thing about having Wideopenwest around is that hopefully Comcast is a little more responsive. I did have to file a report a couple years ago when it took them half a year to trench a cable. It was trenched within a few days. The rep today did waive the $30 reconnect fee for the hassle, at least.

The other good thing about Wideopenwest is that Comcast is only $39.99 for 12 months to get digital preferred plus with sports package and HBO with no commitment. Directv has similar prices for 12 months (after mail in discount) but it goes up another $20 a month for the second year of the required term... Of course Directv has a lot more stuff in HD too.

Hi guys, this thread is a bit too large to look through...

Anyway,

1. Does anyone have the mapping for the clear QAM channels? I can't seem to get the locals

and

2. In Zap2it, there are ~7 different choices for Comcast. there is (1,4,&5), (2&3), (1,4,&5 digital), (1,4,&5 digital rebuild), etc.

How do you tell which one you have? Specifically, does anyone know where to find what regions those comcast companies cover? Thanks

I live in Mundelein IL and have a Motorola DCT3416 I through Comcast. I have HD service, but have noticed something disturbing. My TV says that the cable box is only sending it a 720p signal. As I was typing this I realized that I did connect the TV and Cable box via Component, which may be the problem. Are there any settings or anything else I should be aware of for Comcast? I'm sure that I was getting 1080 with the same cable from TWC before I moved.

Does anyone have a better idea why I would only be able to get 720p from my cable box?

Thanks

Of course Directv has a lot more stuff in HD too.Well, actually - most of it's really upscaled SD.

I live in Mundelein IL and have a Motorola DCT3416 I through Comcast. I have HD service, but have noticed something disturbing. My TV says that the cable box is only sending it a 720p signal. As I was typing this I realized that I did connect the TV and Cable box via Component, which may be the problem. Are there any settings or anything else I should be aware of for Comcast? I'm sure that I was getting 1080 with the same cable from TWC before I moved.

Does anyone have a better idea why I would only be able to get 720p from my cable box?
You just need to configure it. It's in an odd location:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup

Don't panic about 720p. What type of TV do you have? If it's native vertical resolution is closer to 720, then 720p may be better than 1080i.

I live in Mundelein IL and have a Motorola DCT3416 I through Comcast. I have HD service, but have noticed something disturbing. My TV says that the cable box is only sending it a 720p signal. As I was typing this I realized that I did connect the TV and Cable box via Component, which may be the problem. Are there any settings or anything else I should be aware of for Comcast? I'm sure that I was getting 1080 with the same cable from TWC before I moved.

Does anyone have a better idea why I would only be able to get 720p from my cable box?

Thanks
You can change it to 1080i by going to the setup menu - hit the power button on you comcast remote followed by the menu button (whithin 2 secs) - that should take you to the box setup options
for more details go to http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

I've got a Sony KDS60A200, native 1080p. Since I tend to sit within a few feet, with the TV on to the side of my at my computer, the difference between 270p and 1080p is rather pronounced.

Thanks for the help and the link to even more info. That's one of the best presents I could get right now.

Happy holidays.

It's still laughable at this point. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

The tech that came today got the feed issue resolved pretty quickly and was surprised how the previous crew got the wrong box when it was clearly labeled and apparently it's also obvious on the inside.

On the minus side, there's still an issue with my setup. I'm getting all the locals in SD and HD, but nothing else. The TV is recognizing the entire list of channels from the cablecard, but nothing else is coming through yet. He said the cablecard expert would be back tomorrow...

If I had to guess, Darren, I'd say that they didn't do the correct hit on the card. That happened every time they installed one for me, as well. Good luck tomorrow. BTW, is the CC for a Tivo? If so, it's worth it in the end.

No the CC is for my Pioneer TV. Just being cheap and saving $7 a month on the HD box since we never used On Demand all that much.

Called at 9AM. Escalated issue to the Cablecard group who will call me within 4 hrs. When I have I heard that before?

Called at 1:30 PM. Explained I hadn't been called back on issue. Transferred me to Cablecard group who then told me someone would call me back soon. I explained I'd been given the "call back" promise about 4 times already and never received one call back.

So, the person put me on hold, came back, had me explain the issue and within about 15 seconds all was working correctly. Once the TV Guide feature on the TV updates, we'll be good to go.

That's good to hear, Darren. Congrats!

I just realized here in Schaumburg that Comcast Central is gone (channels 960-963). I was wondering why the mini-menu seemed different after the various reboots a few weeks ago, and why the main menu was a button shorter. I was at my parent's house in Wheeling, and Comcast Central is still active there.

I've updated the frequency list and channels for Schaumburg:
http://home.att.net/~andyross/Schaumburg_Cable_Channels.zip

I found 2 triple-HD frequencies:
HGTV, Starz, A&E on 483MHz (analog 67)
Food, NatGeo, UHD on 663MHz (analog 102)

Showtime HD is shared with 9 SD's (mostly Fox College Sports).

If anyone in the area with a QAM tuner can verify some of the non-encrypted channels for the 'digital tuner' column (usually the xxx.x numbers), and maybe what channels they find OnDemand on, it might help, as I've been guessing on most.

I just realized here in Schaumburg that Comcast Central is gone (channels 960-963). I was wondering why the mini-menu seemed different after the various reboots a few weeks ago, and why the main menu was a button shorter. I was at my parent's house in Wheeling, and Comcast Central is still active there.

I still have Comcast Central here on 960, and it's still on the main menu guide.


A quick update: I just checked the channel status page in the diagnostics and it reports that channel 960 has a tuned frequency of 213 MHz. Dunno if that helps...

Very odd. It's definitely gone from mine (DCT-6412 DVR). The mini-menu just has a 'menu' icon instead of the house icon.

I have a simple question. Now I have a basic analog cable, and my tuner picks up a couple HD channels. When comcast moves to all digital, will they make all channels available on HD, so the TV tuner would be able to pick them up or no? I don't want to go through all that comcastic digital hassle just to get the damn box, and a bunch of channels I don't need. I just want to get Discovery HD and a couple more channels, but looks like that the comcast is asking too much for it.

I've updated the frequency list and channels for Schaumburg:

If anyone in the area with a QAM tuner can verify some of the non-encrypted channels for the 'digital tuner' column (usually the xxx.x numbers), and maybe what channels they find OnDemand on, it might help, as I've been guessing on most.

Thanks for the help you've given me with this spreadsheet. I'm in Mount Prospect and I can add 86.15 Weather Channel to it. I'll try and spend a little time soon checking the rest of the channels but 92 is mapping to 7.1. Which brings up a question I have for you. I've recently (last week or two) lost 7 and 9 HD channels. I get a "No Signal or Weak Signal" message from my Samsung DLP. The rest of the HD channels seem to be there.

Any thoughts?

Edit: Nevermind, I read back through and saw your comment about 130. The tuner must not see the remap of the channel until I try the new exact channel. Once I tried 130 it automatically remapped to 7.1 and added .2,.3 and 9.1 as well. For some strange reason it still has the old remap of 9.1 showing that doesn't give me a signal, but the next channel up is 9.1 again and has it. Thanks again Andy.

I have a simple question. Now I have a basic analog cable, and my tuner picks up a couple HD channels. When comcast moves to all digital, will they make all channels available on HD, so the TV tuner would be able to pick them up or no? I don't want to go through all that comcastic digital hassle just to get the damn box, and a bunch of channels I don't need. I just want to get Discovery HD and a couple more channels, but looks like that the comcast is asking too much for it.You will need their box or a CableCARD from them, and also have to pay for the HD Package to get Discovery HD, which is encrypted.

Hi,

First time posting here. I've been reading this forum nonstop for the last couple days and have found a lot of useful information here. I'm still a little confused by QAM and am looking for some clarification. To start with, I'm in Wheaton, in the western suburbs of Chicago, on standard Comcast cable (no STBs of any kind nor digital tier). I just purchased a Panny 42PZ700U today, and got a Sharp LC-9SK24U for Christmas. Both have QAM tuners. Every online source I have found says that the HD local channels on QAM on Chicago-area Comcast should be in the 90-120.x range. Yet both my TVs are showing them as 2.1, 5.2, 7.1, 32.1, i.e. equivalent to the OTA analog #s for those networks. What gives?

1) Are my TVs mapping the physical QAM channels (is that the right word?) to the "fake" numbers I am seeing?

2) If so, is there any way to see the "real" QAM channels on either of my sets?

3) Am I correct in understanding that digital 7.1, 7.2, etc. can't actually be on the same frequency as analog 7?

4) Does anyone have a listing of QAM channels for Wheaton Comcast? I've printed out the Schaumburg spreadsheet, but it doesn't seem to jive with my lineup at all.

5) In general, are the major QAM numbers supposed to represent the equivalent analog frequency in which they reside?

I appreciate any help you guys can offer. Thanks!

In many areas, Comcast is putting in PSIP information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSIP
This lets the TV remap the channel number you type in into the real channel and subchannel. It's a bit like the way a cable box remaps channel numbers to the real frequency (and for digital, the frequency and subchannel).

The QAM channel numbers are the analog channel numbers that carries the digital signal(s).

In many areas, Comcast is putting in PSIP information:

This lets the TV remap the channel number you type in into the real channel and subchannel. It's a bit like the way a cable box remaps channel numbers to the real frequency (and for digital, the frequency and subchannel).

The QAM channel numbers are the analog channel numbers that carries the digital signal(s).

Do you mean this would map something like (fake example) 111.2 into 7.1? And that if I hit 111.2 it would go to 7.1?

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a Samsung LNT4071f, previously I was using an old (non digital) CRT with a Comcast box that I received for free. I have standard/basic cable (the one with channels 2 to 100).

Is there any way to get the same channel lineup without using the box with my new HDTV? I tried connecting the coaxial cable straight from the wall into the ANT input in the new TV but I only got a few channels (mostly the ones from chnl 2 to 40). I want to do this since now I moved my old CRT to my bedroom and that TV won't get any of the higher channels without the box (and Comcast changes extra for additional cable boxes and I wouldn't want to pay for that), but I was counting on the new HDTV to be able to get all the channels from 2 to 100 without having to use the cable box.

Granted I only tried it with the new TV for a few minutes since I had relatives over and didn't want to be playing with the LCD TV while they were sitting on the living room but couldn't make it work during that time.

Is this possible (not having to use the cable box to view the first 100 channels with a new HDTV)? If so, do you guys have any clue why I couldn't make it work at first.

Thanks a lot

Anyone know what date Comcast will be launching Sci-Fi HD and TLC HD in Chicago? I know it's January, but any more details available?

-dave

Hi,

First time posting here. I've been reading this forum nonstop for the last couple days and have found a lot of useful information here. I'm still a little confused by QAM and am looking for some clarification. To start with, I'm in Wheaton, in the western suburbs of Chicago, on standard Comcast cable (no STBs of any kind nor digital tier). I just purchased a Panny 42PZ700U today, and got a Sharp LC-9SK24U for Christmas. Both have QAM tuners. Every online source I have found says that the HD local channels on QAM on Chicago-area Comcast should be in the 90-120.x range. Yet both my TVs are showing them as 2.1, 5.2, 7.1, 32.1, i.e. equivalent to the OTA analog #s for those networks. What gives?

1) Are my TVs mapping the physical QAM channels (is that the right word?) to the "fake" numbers I am seeing?

2) If so, is there any way to see the "real" QAM channels on either of my sets?

3) Am I correct in understanding that digital 7.1, 7.2, etc. can't actually be on the same frequency as analog 7?

4) Does anyone have a listing of QAM channels for Wheaton Comcast? I've printed out the Schaumburg spreadsheet, but it doesn't seem to jive with my lineup at all.

5) In general, are the major QAM numbers supposed to represent the equivalent analog frequency in which they reside?

I appreciate any help you guys can offer. Thanks!


I'm not too far away in Darien & get my Comcast from Elmhurst.
Here's what I get for the HD Clear QAM on my Sony HDTV.

CBS 116.1
NBC 117.5
ABC 108.1
WGN 108.2
WTTW-D 116.2
FOX 117.2

My Panasonic DVD recorder works differently & originally kept 4 of these as is but mapped 2 to the lower channels. Then a few weeks ago the 4 upper real channels did not work. I re-scanned and all 6 are now mapped to the lower numbers. And manually entering the actual channels (116.1, etc) does not work. In the DVD Recorder Forum some units will not tune in any digital channel that was not picked upon scanning. And some will. Perhaps your sets are behaving like my recorder & will only get the mapped digital channels that it received when doing a scan. Try the above channels & see if they work for you. Or try manually entering 116.1, 116.2, etc and see if you get anything. That's what I did with my TV for some of the channels. But again yours may behave differently. Let me know what you find.

Is there any way to get the same channel lineup without using the box with my new HDTV? I tried connecting the coaxial cable straight from the wall into the ANT input in the new TV but I only got a few channels (mostly the ones from chnl 2 to 40). I want to do this since now I moved my old CRT to my bedroom and that TV won't get any of the higher channels without the box (and Comcast changes extra for additional cable boxes and I wouldn't want to pay for that), but I was counting on the new HDTV to be able to get all the channels from 2 to 100 without having to use the cable box.


You should be able to receive all analog channels without a box. Just a point of clarification: What you need from Comcast is *Expanded* Basic cable to get all channels 2-100. With just Basic cable, you will only get the lower channels, which (on mine in Wheaton) is 2-28 and 96-98.

Do all channels 2-100 work on your old CRT without the box?

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a Samsung LNT4071f, previously I was using an old (non digital) CRT with a Comcast box that I received for free. I have standard/basic cable (the one with channels 2 to 100).

Is there any way to get the same channel lineup without using the box with my new HDTV? I tried connecting the coaxial cable straight from the wall into the ANT input in the new TV but I only got a few channels (mostly the ones from chnl 2 to 40). I want to do this since now I moved my old CRT to my bedroom and that TV won't get any of the higher channels without the box (and Comcast changes extra for additional cable boxes and I wouldn't want to pay for that), but I was counting on the new HDTV to be able to get all the channels from 2 to 100 without having to use the cable box.

Granted I only tried it with the new TV for a few minutes since I had relatives over and didn't want to be playing with the LCD TV while they were sitting on the living room but couldn't make it work during that time.

Is this possible (not having to use the cable box to view the first 100 channels with a new HDTV)? If so, do you guys have any clue why I couldn't make it work at first.

Thanks a lot

While I have a completely different set than yours I would make sure I was using the ATSC tuner and then have your set scan for the digital channels. I do not subscribe to Comcast Video at all, but I do have their cable internet and from that line with a splitter I get a fair number of channels through my ATSC tuner on my set including multiple local HD channels. I'm not sure how Samsung does it, but I had to specifically tell my JVC set how to search the analog tuner and how to search the atsc/qam tuner.

^^What do you use to scan for digital channels? STD, HRC or IRC?

When I use STD as you say I get a bunch of digital channels, when I use IRC it seems to detect like 5 more but haven't find out which ones are those. Do you also get a buch on what seems to be OnDemand or PPV channels from someone else? Yesterday I was watching a movie on one of these channels and someone would pause, rewind and ffwd the movie a few times and also for a few hours I had porn on my TV (club Jenna) :confused:

Also, when I scan for channels I get a few that are cataloged as "Cable" and other are cataloged as "DTV Cable" (including the on demand channels). Is thisnormal or I'm somehow stealing cable from a neighbor?

You should be able to receive all analog channels without a box. Just a point of clarification: What you need from Comcast is *Expanded* Basic cable to get all channels 2-100. With just Basic cable, you will only get the lower channels, which (on mine in Wheaton) is 2-28 and 96-98.

Do all channels 2-100 work on your old CRT without the box?

Yes, I do receive channels 2 - 28 and 96-98 without the box on both my old CRT and the new HDTV, I now moved the box to my bedroom to keep using it with my old CRT to get all channels from 2-100 (I get the expanded cable service for free where I live).

I scanned for digital channels while connecting directly the coax from the wall to my new Sammy and it seems I do get a bunch of digital channels but mostly I get the same channels in both analog and digital formats not many new ones, except from the ones I stated in my previous post.

Yesterday I was watching a movie on one of these channels and someone would pause, rewind and ffwd the movie a few times and also for a few hours I had porn on my TV (club Jenna) :confused:

Free porn, what are you griping about!:cool:

If you are now getting analog and digital channels over your cable line, as it sounds like you are, but the analog is limited to channels 1-34, it sounds as if there is a "filter" of some type on your line. If you are paying for extended basic, you should see all available analog channels in the 1-100 range. Have a cable guy come out and check your line.

Just found this board as a referral from tivocommunity dot com and am happy to find local people who may be able to help.

I live in Bolingbrook and subscribe to Comcast. I have Basic Cable (Basic and Expanded) and the Digital Silver Package.

I just purchased a Tivo HD and connected it directly to the cable. No cable cards yet. Those are supposed to come on Saturday.

All I receive are analog channels 2 - 99.

From reading this board, and others, I should be able to see some of the unencrypted digital channels.

Not sure what other info to add so will close with a quest for help.

How do I get digital channels? And maybe even HD channels?

THanks

Just found this board as a referral from tivocommunity dot com and am happy to find local people who may be able to help.

I live in Bolingbrook and subscribe to Comcast. I have Basic Cable (Basic and Expanded) and the Digital Silver Package.

I just purchased a Tivo HD and connected it directly to the cable. No cable cards yet. Those are supposed to come on Saturday.

All I receive are analog channels 2 - 99.

From reading this board, and others, I should be able to see some of the unencrypted digital channels.

Not sure what other info to add so will close with a quest for help.

How do I get digital channels? And maybe even HD channels?

THanks
I may also go TivoHD and have been following another thread. If you don't find what you are looking for on this thread, try: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=879469&goto=newpost

SciFi HD has appeared with no warning. It's on channel 177. Here in Schaumburg, it's on 447MHz (analog 61), shared with USA-HD and Discovery-HD.

There are some audio issues. It keeps cutting out for a second or so every once in awhile. Video is fine and there are no signal errors in the diagnostics. The other two channels appear to be OK. Hopefully, they'll get it fixed.

No sign of TLC-HD, which was the other channel we are supposed to get in January.

SciFi HD is confirmed on 177, in Chicago (Wrigelyville area)
No audio drops here
SciFi HD has appeared with no warning. It's on channel 177. Here in Schaumburg, it's on 447MHz (analog 61), shared with USA-HD and Discovery-HD.

There are some audio issues. It keeps cutting out for a second or so every once in awhile. Video is fine and there are no signal errors in the diagnostics. The other two channels appear to be OK. Hopefully, they'll get it fixed.

No sign of TLC-HD, which was the other channel we are supposed to get in January.

A nice new year's present. Now if they could get the Big Ten Network, I'd stop considering the competition.

Just so long as they put it in the sports tier :D
A nice new year's present. Now if they could get the Big Ten Network, I'd stop considering the competition.

SciFi HD has appeared with no warning. It's on channel 177. Here in Schaumburg, it's on 447MHz (analog 61), shared with USA-HD and Discovery-HD.

There are some audio issues. It keeps cutting out for a second or so every once in awhile. Video is fine and there are no signal errors in the diagnostics. The other two channels appear to be OK. Hopefully, they'll get it fixed.

No sign of TLC-HD, which was the other channel we are supposed to get in January.

Yeah, I noticed that - the audio drops out for a brief instant every 25 seconds or so, even during commercials. Very odd. At least the picture is steady.

Also, there's a posting in the HD Programming section that says TLC-HD is coming next week on the 10th, and WCIU-HD is coming on the 30th.

Also, there's a posting in the HD Programming section that says TLC-HD is coming next week on the 10th, and WCIU-HD is coming on the 30th.

Good for you guys! You're gonna love WCIU-DT's SOX/Cubs/Bulls image quality and 5.1 audio when they carry the games at the United Center, the Cell and Wrigley. Looks like hvs10trk and the engineers got the new mansion, Porsche, $500,000 a year raise and Jacuzzi they wanted. ;) ;) :D :D

Hi,

I'm in Wheaton, on standard Comcast cable (no STBs of any kind nor digital tier). I just purchased a Panny 42PZ700U today, and got a Sharp LC-9SK24U for Christmas. Both have QAM tuners. Every online source I have found says that the HD local channels on QAM on Chicago-area Comcast should be in the 90-120.x range. Yet both my TVs are showing them as 2.1, 5.2, 7.1, 32.1, i.e. equivalent to the OTA analog #s for those networks. What gives?

1) Are my TVs mapping the physical QAM channels (is that the right word?) to the "fake" numbers I am seeing?

2) If so, is there any way to see the "real" QAM channels on either of my sets?

3) Am I correct in understanding that digital 7.1, 7.2, etc. can't actually be on the same frequency as analog 7?

4) Does anyone have a listing of QAM channels for Wheaton Comcast? I've printed out the Schaumburg spreadsheet, but it doesn't seem to jive with my lineup at all.


A family member who resides in Lombard has Comcast with the same standard type of package you have. I scanned the channels in for them on their new Panny plasma 75U for the first time about a month ago and all but one or two of the half dozen free HD channels had some typically high #'d QAM channel settings. Then about 2-3 weeks ago, for some reason these channels were lost (probably from messing around incorrectly within the tv menu settings or something). I rescanned the channels, and suddenly, most of these channels were now automatically appearing in their more familiar numerical locations, i.e., 2.1, 7.1, 32.1, etc., and most of the former QAM locations were empty. I'm not sure what happened, but there's a local data point for you.

3.) if I'm understanding your question correctly and I might not be, yes, you are correct. Any channel with a decimal point extension number: ".1", ".2", etc., represents the digital version of a standard analog channel. And never the twain shall meet.

4.) I don't have a listing and I too found the Schaumburg one to be virtually useless for this further western suburban area. I'd love to know if there are any other free HD or digital channels being passed through by Comcast that we are missing (besides the usual suspects: CBS, NBC, ABC, WGN/WB, WTTW, UPN and the other PBS station who's call letters I am forgetting (for channel 20.1)

I don't have cable or satellite service myself, so I've been at a loss at trying to help them figure out the best/cheapest Comcast upgrade path (or switch to dish?) to gain at least a few more HD/digital channels, plus, an hd-dvr for recording since their old vcr won't cut it anymore. As expected, the analog cable channels look like garbage on the digital tv when they were formerly passable on their old analog crt.

Good for you guys! You're gonna love WCIU-DT's SOX/Cubs/Bulls image quality and 5.1 audio when they carry the games at the United Center, the Cell and Wrigley.

I did like the picture quality when I saw a few games last summer (I get OTA, too). It's a shame they don't have more HD programming available.

Does anyone know when WYCC will have their HD channel running?

They've had it running for a couple of months now.

SciFi HD has appeared with no warning. It's on channel 177. Here in Schaumburg, it's on 447MHz (analog 61), shared with USA-HD and Discovery-HD.
Just in time for the return of Atlantis tonight. Hopefully they'll have the sound problem fixed by then. I'll have to check tonight if it has shown up in Oswego yet.

Hello, does anyone know what the current minimum package you need to get all of the non-premium HD channels (with a box/dvr)? Up until now I always assumed you needed Digital Preferred, but when I checked the channel lineup on the Comcast website just recently I saw this:

HD channels 184, 187-192 are available with Basic Service. HD channels 173, 174, 181, 199, 200, 203, 204, 205, 207, 208, 209, 216, 218, 219 and 221 are available with Digital Starter. HD channels 177, 179 and 206 are available with Digital Classic. HD channel 169 is available with Sports Entertainment Package. A subscription to HBO, Showtime, Cinemax or Starz is required to receive their HD channels.

So it seems now only Digital Classic is required? Also does anyone know
the current price for Digital Classic? The Comcast website doesn't even list this anywhere... Thanks!

Saw a message on the box this morning. Did they mention the recently added HD channels? OF COURSE NOT! Just another stupid PPV ad.:rolleyes:

Saw a message on the box this morning. Did they mention the recently added HD channels? OF COURSE NOT! Just another stupid PPV ad.:rolleyes:


Yea, that suprised me too. Anyone know what date we are supposed to get Fox Business on 106? I read it should be this month as well. If they do add Animal Planet HD, & could then get Big Ten & ESPNU, I'd be pretty happy for awhile.

Another message this am reminding about CNN-HD, Dicsovery-HD, & USA-HD, but nothing about Sci-Fi HD or any upcoming additions.

Yea, that suprised me too. Anyone know what date we are supposed to get Fox Business on 106? I read it should be this month as well. If they do add Animal Planet HD, & could then get Big Ten & ESPNU, I'd be pretty happy for awhile.
Fox Business should show up on the 10th. It seems as if they have set Thursdays as the 'new channel' day of the week.

I wonder why I waste my money on HD!:mad:

I wanted to w---- Flash Gordon and Stargate ------ on SciFi HD, but had -- gi-- up due to the audio cu---- problem.

I wanted to watch Shockwave on History HD, but it was in stretched SD again. A few days ago, I saw a REPEAT that was in HD!

I wonder why I waste my money on HD!:mad:

I wanted to w---- Flash Gordon and Stargate ------ on SciFi HD, but had -- gi-- up due to the audio cu---- problem.

I wanted to watch Shockwave on History HD, but it was in stretched SD again. A few days ago, I saw a REPEAT that was in HD!

I feel your pain Andyross... I feel your pain.

SciFi is solid in the city.
Watched Atlantis, a late night showing of BSG, and part of a movie. No cut offs. Not been watching much History lately.
I wonder why I waste my money on HD!:mad:

I wanted to w---- Flash Gordon and Stargate ------ on SciFi HD, but had -- gi-- up due to the audio cu---- problem.

I wanted to watch Shockwave on History HD, but it was in stretched SD again. A few days ago, I saw a REPEAT that was in HD!

SciFi is solid in the city.
Watched Atlantis, a late night showing of BSG, and part of a movie. No cut offs. Not been watching much History lately.

I live in in the City in Lakeview close to Addison and Lakeshore. SciFi HD audio has been constantly cutting out here since it went live. Very frustrating.

I've noticed the same about History HD as some other people have too. They have a lot of original HD programming that was obviously downconverted to SD and letterboxed for the SD channel, then apparently that is being upconverted to the HD channel for many programs instead of using the original HD programming. It's sad that they think we'll be too stupid to notice.

Huh. I am in Lakeview too.
I will have to take another look later today. Will leave SciFi on in the background.
I live in in the City in Lakeview close to Addison and Lakeshore. SciFi HD audio has been constantly cutting out here since it went live. Very frustrating.

I've noticed the same about History HD as some other people have too. They have a lot of original HD programming that was obviously downconverted to SD and letterboxed for the SD channel, then apparently that is being upconverted to the HD channel for many programs instead of using the original HD programming. It's sad that they think we'll be too stupid to notice.

I just confirmed first hand from a Comcast Customer Service Representative that a launch of "Speed HD" will occur by the end of the first quarter of this year in the Chicago area. Given that it is offered to cableco's starting March 1, and given that the end of the first quarter is March 31, and that it's being offered in other Comcast markets on March 1...I'll let you read into it what you will.

is there a list of channels for Tinley Park that the QAM tuner will get in HD?

I just confirmed first hand from a Comcast Customer Service Representative that a launch of "Speed HD" will occur by the end of the first quarter of this year in the Chicago area. Given that it is offered to cableco's starting March 1, and given that the end of the first quarter is March 31, and that it's being offered in other Comcast markets on March 1...I'll let you read into it what you will.

It's a shame that Speed HD won't be coming up this week. The Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction starts January 15th. I would love to see those classics in HD. Hopefully, they will record it in HD, so we can see re-braoadcasts later in the year.

Mike K.

I had a tech come out today to do some fixes on my cable line. The tech mentioned a new policy coming in Feb. 2009, the policy will require a cable box to watch any channels besides the local ones. He said you won't be able to hook your line directly to your TV or to tivo units without going through a box first. I know this effects me greatly as I have htpc tuners and a tivo box. He did mention they might be decreasing the price of the boxes. Just wanted to give a heads up for the future. =(

Wish they had a different cable provider in my area.

I had a tech come out today to do some fixes on my cable line. The tech mentioned a new policy coming in Feb. 2009, the policy will require a cable box to watch any channels besides the local ones. He said you won't be able to hook your line directly to your TV or to tivo units without going through a box first. I know this effects me greatly as I have htpc tuners and a tivo box. He did mention they might be decreasing the price of the boxes. Just wanted to give a heads up for the future. =(

Wish they had a different cable provider in my area.

What is your location? This is already the case for Chicago proper. You will be able to get some additional channels if you have a qam tuner in your htpc.

What is your location? This is already the case for Chicago proper. You will be able to get some additional channels if you have a qam tuner in your htpc.

Aurora. Right now I can get channels 1-99 except 67 through my ATI 650. And then some HD channels through my HDhomerun. The tech said I don't get channel 67 because they've already put that policy on that channel. So he's saying when they put that policy I shouldn't be able to get any channels. Maybe he's misinformed or he's right.

I had a tech come out today to do some fixes on my cable line. The tech mentioned a new policy coming in Feb. 2009, the policy will require a cable box to watch any channels besides the local ones. He said you won't be able to hook your line directly to your TV or to tivo units without going through a box first. I know this effects me greatly as I have htpc tuners and a tivo box. He did mention they might be decreasing the price of the boxes. Just wanted to give a heads up for the future. =(



I seriously doubt that they will make their basic subscribers to rent a cablebox. In Feb 2009, the analog transmission has to stop. So I would believe that QAM tuners will be required for basic subscription. Many people already use open QAM tuners. Probably the tech guy didn't knew of the open QAM channels.

Aurora. Right now I can get channels 1-99 except 67 through my ATI 650. And then some HD channels through my HDhomerun. The tech said I don't get channel 67 because they've already put that policy on that channel. So he's saying when they put that policy I shouldn't be able to get any channels. Maybe he's misinformed or he's right.

I wouldn't call it just a 'policy' change. They're probably planning to move most SD channels from analog to digital which will free up bandwidth for more HD channels. Only analog channels can be tuned by conventional tuners.

I wouldn't call it just a 'policy' change. They're probably planning to move most SD channels from analog to digital which will free up bandwidth for more HD channels. Only analog channels can be tuned by conventional tuners.

Yep after thinking about it, it makes sense when they go digital. Just wasn't thinking. Just hurts us consumers since we won't be able to get many channels through QAM. =( I guess when we are able to buy the boxes instead of leasing them it will be better.

I seriously doubt that they will make their basic subscribers to rent a cablebox. In Feb 2009, the analog transmission has to stop. So I would believe that QAM tuners will be required for basic subscription. Many people already use open QAM tuners. Probably the tech guy didn't knew of the open QAM channels.
Stopping analog only applies to broadcast. Cable can continue analog for as long as they want. They can downconvert any HD digital broadcast as needed.

Stopping analog only applies to broadcast. Cable can continue analog for as long as they want. They can downconvert any HD digital broadcast as needed.

Your right, they can. They can also change SD digital broacasts to analog. But, the issue that will drive cable co's to go to all digital systems is bandwidth. They need the bandwidth to compete with the satellite companies. You will see cables companies only using analog for their most basic level of programming. The extended basic and above levels with be digital on most systems.

Your right, they can. They can also change SD digital broacasts to analog. But, the issue that will drive cable co's to go to all digital systems is bandwidth. They need the bandwidth to compete with the satellite companies. You will see cables companies only using analog for their most basic level of programming. The extended basic and above levels with be digital on most systems.
I guess I see both sides of the argument, but have yet to hear any official announcements from comcast.
Here are the facts as I remember them:
1) As mentioned above, the cable company is not required to stop transmitting analog, the broadcasters are. So comcast could continue as is.
2) The cable company has already converted all analog channels to digital last year during their Analog to Digital Simulcast (ADS) change. They just never shut off the analog versions of the channels. Cable boxes that start with a 3 in the model number no longer have an analog tuner in them.
3) They want to get rid of analog to gain bandwidth.
4) They also want to get rid of analog so they have more control over what signals/channels get sent to our homes. Many of us only pay for the locals-only package, but get channels 2-99. When they remove my analog, I'll be forced to upgrade to a digital tier.
5) The last CSR I talked to in November tried upselling me to a digital tier. I told her no thanks. She responded with "you know that you won't get any channels without a cable box in 2009". I responded that I'll stick with my $15 package until that happens.

well, our 15 dollar package is being raised to 17.99, at least here in the burr ridge/darien area..

And, dont you love how the CSR's spend more time trying to upsell you when you call in, than trying to actually solve the problem/issue you called about? Who cares about February of 2009? I have a problem in January, 2008!

well, our 15 dollar package is being raised to 17.99, at least here in the burr ridge/darien area..

And, dont you love how the CSR's spend more time trying to upsell you when you call in, than trying to actually solve the problem/issue you called about? Who cares about February of 2009? I have a problem in January, 2008!

Now that you mention it, I think I recall seeing a fee increase notice in my bill last month - I tried to mentally block it out, because they just raised my dvr fee a few months back also.

yeah 2 bucks isnt alot of money, but it is almost a 15% price increase..how in the world could they possiblly justify that, except for trying to annoy people like us off the one plan they arent making tons of money off us on..

Hello, does anyone know what the current minimum package you need to get all of the non-premium HD channels (with a box/dvr)? Up until now I always assumed you needed Digital Preferred, but when I checked the channel lineup on the Comcast website just recently I saw this:

HD channels 184, 187-192 are available with Basic Service. HD channels 173, 174, 181, 199, 200, 203, 204, 205, 207, 208, 209, 216, 218, 219 and 221 are available with Digital Starter. HD channels 177, 179 and 206 are available with Digital Classic. HD channel 169 is available with Sports Entertainment Package. A subscription to HBO, Showtime, Cinemax or Starz is required to receive their HD channels.

So it seems now only Digital Classic is required? Also does anyone know
the current price for Digital Classic? The Comcast website doesn't even list this anywhere... Thanks!

good questions.

sometimes the prices are a bit different depending on exactly where you live, so you may want to call..I believe the Digital Classic was 55.98 in my area (burr ridge/willowbrook)

Looks like Scifi HD is now live on 177. I just got a Tivo message regarding channel line-up change, and the guide data is reflecting correctly now instead of TBA.

-fate

Looks like Scifi HD is now live on 177. I just got a Tivo message regarding channel line-up change, and the guide data is reflecting correctly now instead of TBA.

-fate

Did you notice that it took Tivo a little longer than usual to reflect the change this time around? I already put in a missing info request for TLC HD on 176. Hopefully guide data will be available shortly after it comes live that way.

Well, frankly, the only reason I even KNEW about 177 was this forum. I tuned it in a few days ago and was cautiously optimistic. Then, out of curiosity, I kept checking the guide and tonight, finally, the data was there.

As for TLC HD on 176, I still can't tune that one. No channel, no guide data.

-fate

As for TLC HD on 176, I still can't tune that one. No channel, no guide data.

I believe that channel goes live this Thursday, so give it another couple of days.

can someone please help me with the QAM channels for HD please?

Not sure about TLCHD but this shows 106 Fox Business.......
http://tv.msn.com/tv/guide

Both 106 FBN & 176 TLCHD are showing up here this AM. Hoping that Animal Plannet HD is soon (180 would seem to be the spot they would put it.)

As an FYI Oxygen is still showing up on ch 63 analog as well as 123 Digital here. As is the analog version of CN100 on ch 25. I thought both of these would be gone by now.

Both 106 FBN & 176 TLCHD are showing up here this AM. Hoping that Animal Plannet HD is soon (180 would seem to be the spot they would put it.)

As an FYI Oxygen is still showing up on ch 63 analog as well as 123 Digital here. As is the analog version of CN100 on ch 25. I thought both of these would be gone by now.

Are you looking on your digital box when you say Oxygen is still on analog?

Here they have removed it from analog, but they have the channel mapped on the digital box to 67. So analog is indeed gone, but it only looks like it is still there if you are using the box.

Are you looking on your digital box when you say Oxygen is still on analog?

Here they have removed it from analog, but they have the channel mapped on the digital box to 67. So analog is indeed gone, but it only looks like it is still there if you are using the box.

Ahh, you are correct. If I go to a tv that has no box, Oxygen is gone. If I look at a digital box, Oxygen is listed on both 63 & 123 & showing up on both. Thanks for the info. I don't look on the TV's without a box too often.

Did you notice that it took Tivo a little longer than usual to reflect the change this time around? I already put in a missing info request for TLC HD on 176. Hopefully guide data will be available shortly after it comes live that way.

No TLC HD channel update on my TivoHD today, but Tivo did add Fox BN to the channels yesterday.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/comcasthdvod011008.htm

This is exactly what the customers think too...

If Comcast really wants to compete with DIRECTV, it should add about 50 HDTV channels -- ASAP.

Message on STB today about added Hd channels SCFI and TLC.
Also adding WCIUHD on Jan 30th.

Not sure if everyone got the message or not.

Nothing like a message after the fact but hey at least they are alerting the customers who dont scour the internet for news of channel additions anyways nice to hear we are getting another HD channel in WCIU but what do they have? wouldnt the bandwith be better spent on something else?

nice to hear we are getting another HD channel in WCIU but what do they have? wouldnt the bandwith be better spent on something else?

No, no, no! We need those WCIU-HD White Sox games. :)

Heck, if you really plan on watching them this coming season, you must be a masochist or something. They are practically assured last place after trading away one of the few, decent pitchers (starters and relievers) they actually still had, and should be even worse than last season. They are a team just loaded with dead weight.

That will effectively take away your right to make fun of Cubs fans.

(And yes - I'm actually a lifelong Sox fan - just a realistic one, and I refuse to support them until they get some general and field management that actually knows what they are doing.)

I've noticed weird issues with SciFiHD and USAHD, both of which are on the same frequency. I haven't noticed these issues with Discovery HD, which is also on the same frequency.

Since it was added, SciFiHD has had intermittent audio issues. Yesterday, I noticed that if I pause my Comcast DVR for a few seconds, then play (not watching 'LIVE') it eliminated the audio problem. Despite that, I noticed the video would stutter every once in awhile.

While watching Monk and Psych on USAHD, I had many of the same issues. I don't remember having any problems with USAHD before SciFiHD was added.

On SciFi, there was obvious resolution reduction and stuttering during some rapid movements. I have a feeling the compression they are using to squish 3 HD's on a frequency are affecting the others. When one channel has rapid movement, it seems to overload something, affecting the other channel(s).

Heck, if you really plan on watching them this coming season, you must be a masochist or something. They are practically assured last place after trading away one of the few, decent pitchers (starters and relievers) they actually still had, and should be even worse than last season. They are a team just loaded with dead weight.

That will effectively take away your right to make fun of Cubs fans.

(And yes - I'm actually a lifelong Sox fan - just a realistic one, and I refuse to support them until they get some general and field management that actually knows what they are doing.)

Agree 100%. The Garland trade made me nuts, even before the rest of the GM's bust of a trading season.

However, the habit (after 50+ years as a Sox fan) of starting out each year with impractical hope can't be broken. I will be watching all of the games early on, and I want them in glorious HD, including on WCIU. Hey, it paid off in '05 when I got to see almost every game of that winning season.

And as far as harassing Cubs fans --- well the Sox won it all FIRST in our lifetime, and that gives us permanent harassing rights!

[Sorry for the off-topic post.]

Nothing like a message after the fact but hey at least they are alerting the customers who dont scour the internet for news of channel additions anyways nice to hear we are getting another HD channel in WCIU but what do they have? wouldnt the bandwith be better spent on something else?

Good the cat's finally out of the bag. :D At the moment we only have games in HD. As the syndicated programming we carry and commercials become available they will be HD as well. (There's not much out there in the syndicated world yet)

And as far as harassing Cubs fans --- well the Sox won it all FIRST in our lifetime, and that gives us permanent harassing rights!Well, yeah, I guess you can't - or shouldn't - change something like that. Probably on either side. After all, it's tradition. ;)

But they really need to get it together to compete in that division.

They don't have the luxury of "The Cubbies" - of being in the weakest division in MLB.

I am located in NW Indiana and have recently tuned in some HD channels via my QAM tuner. However, I would like to compare against a list of those channels to ensure that I am getting all I possibly can. Where can I find such a list specific to my area?

Hi, I'm in the southloop in Chicago. Does anyone have a list of what the local QAM channels are? I can't find this anywhere, and my tuner isn't picking them up. Are they encrypted?

Got the electronic link for my latest bill, and found this information:

On January 30, most of the movie channel west feeds will be removed. Only HBO and Cinemax west feeds will remain.

Some of the Encore channels (Love, Mystery, Westerns, Drama, Action) will move to Digital Classic from Preferred.

There is also a channel and price list. The channel list is already out out of date. It shows the HD's added in December as 'coming soon'. It doesn't list any of the new channels this month, and doesn't take the package changes and dropped channels above into account.

Digital preferred is only $1 more than Digital Classic. You get quite a bit more for that $1.

Heck, if you really plan on watching them this coming season, you must be a masochist or something. They are practically assured last place after trading away one of the few, decent pitchers (starters and relievers) they actually still had, and should be even worse than last season. They are a team just loaded with dead weight.

Did I miss the memo that hell just froze over? ;) :D

Since the WWE Royal Rumble is broadcasting in HD, I was wondering if anyone in the Chicagoland area had a live HDPPV channel yet? I've heard some do but I have yet to find a channel lineup listing it.

I live in NW Indiana and have regular Comcast (not Digital or HD service). I am now picking up some clear QAM (6 HD channels, CBS, NBC, ABC, WGN, WTTW and FOX). There are more channels that I have picked up but they are not HD.

Where can I go to verify this line as I want to know if there is any other HD channels that I might be missing. If so, then I would make efforts to try and get those (remove splits, get amps, etc...)

WPWR HD is avail on the dvr in west Chicago suburbs so I think it should also be avail on QAM but I haven't checked. It should be unscrambled since it's a local channel, I think. I tried 8.1 and 50.1 but neither came in.

Just saw this in the OTA thread

The February 2008 issue of Chicago Magazine has an interesting article about how the local news stations are dealing with declining viewership, and in it there's this little blurb:

Quote:
...WGN-Channel 9 has been broadcasting Chicago Cubs, White Sox, and Bulls home games in HD since 2004 and intends to include the teams' away games starting with the 2008 baseball season, says Tom Ehlmann, WGN-TV's general manager.

Right now, I am enjoying 6 local clear QAM HD channels. If I upgrade my Comcast to the HD package, what happens to my clear QAM HD channels that I am getting now?
Are they replaced by the Comcast STB? If so, is the quality the same?

Right now, CBS and WTTW HD for me, appears to be the most stunning. Again, depending on the source, but seems tht CBS and WTTW are providing better HD source. When the source is right for HD, will the extra channels I receive from Comcast HD package be just as good?


Also, when calling Comcast for this upgrade, should I be requesting any specific equipment (so I dont get some old box that is not good for HD)? I have a Panny TC-32LX700

And lastly, it appears that for 7.00/month, in addition to Digital Service, you can get HD channels, What are these channels?

Right now, I am enjoying 6 local clear QAM HD channels. If I upgrade my Comcast to the HD package, what happens to my clear QAM HD channels that I am getting now?
Are they replaced by the Comcast STB? If so, is the quality the same?

You'll continue to get the QAM channels - those don't disappear. You'll get additional channels via the Comcast STB.

Right now, CBS and WTTW HD for me, appears to be the most stunning. Again, depending on the source, but seems tht CBS and WTTW are providing better HD source. When the source is right for HD, will the extra channels I receive from Comcast HD package be just as good?

CBS is very good, but I'm surprised you like the WTTW picture. The quality has gone downhill quite a bit since they first started broadcasting in HD. That's because in addition to their 720p main channel, they added three sub-channels which use up some of the bandwidth that used to be dedicated to the main channel. As for the other channels, the quality will vary a bit but overall they're pretty good.

Also, when calling Comcast for this upgrade, should I be requesting any specific equipment (so I dont get some old box that is not good for HD)?

I don't think you get a choice. You basically tell them if you just want HD, or the HD+PVR combo and they'll bring the appropriate box to your home.

And lastly, it appears that for 7.00/month, in addition to Digital Service, you can get HD channels, What are these channels?

Dunno off the top of my head - hopefully someone else can answer for you.

When the source is right for HD, will the extra channels I receive from Comcast HD package be just as good?

I would say both my qam quality and HDbox quality are about the same. But I get a more consistent (less breakups) signal through qam.

Also, when calling Comcast for this upgrade, should I be requesting any specific equipment (so I dont get some old box that is not good for HD)? I have a Panny TC-32LX700
I think they only have one HD box, the 6200. If you go for the dvr they have now have model 3416, which has a bigger harddrive than previous models.

And lastly, it appears that for 7.00/month, in addition to Digital Service, you can get HD channels, What are these channels?
Not sure if I'm reading your post correctly, but 7.00 is the HD cablebox charge, which will give you hd versions of many of your existing channels. If you have one of the comcast hd boxes, you automatically get the hd programming. You'll have to check their site for all the specific hd channels. You will not get any extra qam HD channels unless your tv has a cablecard slot.

You'll continue to get the QAM channels - those don't disappear. You'll get additional channels via the Comcast STB.



CBS is very good, but I'm surprised you like the WTTW picture. The quality has gone downhill quite a bit since they first started broadcasting in HD. That's because in addition to their 720p main channel, they added three sub-channels which use up some of the bandwidth that used to be dedicated to the main channel. As for the other channels, the quality will vary a bit but overall they're pretty good.



I don't think you get a choice. You basically tell them if you just want HD, or the HD+PVR combo and they'll bring the appropriate box to your home.



Dunno off the top of my head - hopefully someone else can answer for you.

Ok, I just called Comcast and this is what they told me.
The cheapest package to get more HD is to get Digital Starter. This is (1.99/Month + 7.00 Box Rental/Month + 35.88 One time installation/activation) in addition to Basic Entended service I already have.
This includes onDemand, + additional HD channels(see below)
- ESPN, ESPN2, Discover, FoodNetwork, Golf, TNT, A&E, MTV, CNN, TDC, TBS, USA, + local HD)

I did ask if there was anything better she could do. She ended up charging only 1/2 for installation/activation and 5.00 off/per month for rental of the digital box. So for 6 months, I can try all this out for about 5.00/extra per month, plus an 18 dollar installation/activation. I guess that is not bad.


Can someone post a pic of what the STB will look like with dimensions...I need to plan on where to put it.

Can someone post a pic of what the STB will look like with dimensions...I need to plan on where to put it.
You can see pictures of current models here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Identifying_your_model
The DCT's are all about 17" wide and 3" tall (leave an extra 1" per side for cooling.) My 6412 Phase II is about 13" deep. The 34xx series are 11" deep.

You can check the links here for Motorola's brochures:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Online_help

I would say both my qam quality and HDbox quality are about the same. But I get a more consistent (less breakups) signal through qam.


So, is it possible then to have both locals via Clear QAM as well as via HDBox from comcast? That way you can switch between the 2 if needed?

Hi, I'm in the southloop in Chicago. Does anyone have a list of what the local QAM channels are? I can't find this anywhere, and my tuner isn't picking them up. Are they encrypted?

I checked one of my old tuners (LG 3410A), and can find only 74-2 FOX and 74-5 NBC. CBS, WTTW, WGN, and ABC are nowhere to be found. They used to be there, but have moved around several times in the last year until we have the current situation. I see no sign of WCIU, either.

I almost never use this tuner, so I've lost track of what's going on. Other people are saying that Comcast is mapping some channels to their OTA #'s, like ABC to 7.1. Maybe this is confusing the LG, since it thinks that 7.1 is OTA ABC.

This is in Old Town.

I just ordered Comcast Digital with HD STB. Question, will Comcast provide the cables (Component or HDMI)?

I just ordered Comcast Digital with HD STB. Question, will Comcast provide the cables (Component or HDMI)?

Component, maybe. HDMI, no. When I ordered HD, I was told I would have to buy the HDMI.

I just ordered Comcast Digital with HD STB. Question, will Comcast provide the cables (Component or HDMI)?

I believe they still provide component cables. If you want to use HDMI you'll have to provide them yourself.

I seem to be getting email notifications about posts here, but for some reason they're not showing up here in the thread.

Anyone else having this problem? The last message (before this one) that I see in this thread is mine, posted at 8:12pm Tuesday.

Did I miss the memo that hell just froze over? ;) :DHeck, no. If you've been paying attention, you'd have noticed I've always been nothing if not totally realistic in my assessments of both the Sox' and Cubs' chances every year.

So, is it possible then to have both locals via Clear QAM as well as via HDBox from comcast? That way you can switch between the 2 if needed?
Sure.

I was asked to hold on the news, but now I can spew my guts. Comcast will air all Cubs/Sox away games in HD shown on CSN Chicago. The news was just released:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12823332#post12823332

Heck, no. If you've been paying attention, you'd have noticed I've always been nothing if not totally realistic in my assessments of both the Sox' and Cubs' chances every year.

LOL! I know. You have been pretty good at that. I am somewhat amazed at your blunt assessment of the Sox, as rabid as a fan as you are. You really think there's no chance for improvement? I mean, you can't improve on the picture. :D

So. I check on my tv.. and guys what SCIFIHD and TLCHD came up! Nice!

I am in Bolingbrook, IL

So. I check on my tv.. and guys what SCIFIHD and TLCHD came up! Nice!

I am in Bolingbrook, IL

SciFi's been there 2 weeks, TLC's been there for a week. Old News.

LOL! I know. You have been pretty good at that. I am somewhat amazed at your blunt assessment of the Sox, as rabid as a fan as you are. You really think there's no chance for improvement? I mean, you can't improve on the picture. :DNope. Their pitching was bad last year, and it's even worse as a whole this year - so I fully expect them to be worse as a team, since pitching is really where it's at.

Unless they surprise the heck out of everyone and pull off some kind of great trade that greatly improves their staff. But they need practically a whole new staff, outside of maybe 3 or 4 pitchers, tops.

I was asked to hold on the news, but now I can spew my guts. Comcast will air all Cubs/Sox away games in HD shown on CSN Chicago. The news was just released:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12823332#post12823332

Are you serious! I've been waiting for them do to this!!!!

Is there a way to add external hard drive for more storage on DCT 3416? There sure are plenty of inputs, but are they actually enabled? Comcast rep had no clue.

Is there a way to add external hard drive for more storage on DCT 3416? There sure are plenty of inputs, but are they actually enabled? Comcast rep had no clue.
No external storage is currently supported. The USB ports supply power, but are otherwise disabled/inactive. The SATA and Ethernet ports are also disabled.

Why are they there? The boxes are designed to be generic, so have many options that are not always enabled. The HD boxes have DOCSIS tuners, but only the Tivo software is using it, and that only internally. The external Ethernet port is still disabled.

Are you serious! I've been waiting for them do to this!!!!

Yes I am, and WCIU-DT will, at some point this season, also have their Cubs/Sox away games in HD as well.

I was asked to hold on the news, but now I can spew my guts. Comcast will air all Cubs/Sox away games in HD shown on CSN Chicago. The news was just released:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12823332#post12823332

Thanks for the verification. I'm reading a week and half worth of posts and just read the other one regarding that issue a page or two back but until this post saw no more mention of it. I was just going to bump the first post to see if we could get confirmations...but no need!

I won't shoot the messenger when the message is bad but I'll say thanks when the message is good, so thanks for the news! And to the first guy/gal that dropped it on this thread!

With the recent additions to the HD lineup I've lost track a bit. Haven't had much time for TV these pas six months...

Would it be too much trouble for someone to post the current HD channel list and their numbers for the Schaumburg head end? I'll buy you a virtual beer :D

Thanks.

Comcast Chicago HD Stations

01 - 169 NFL Network
02 - 173 ESPN
03 - 174 MOJO
04 - 175 History
05 - 176 TLC
06 - 177 Sci-Fi
07 - 179 HGTV
08 - 181 Food Network
09 - 184 WPWR (My Network)
10 - 185 Showtime
11 - 186 HBO
12 - 187 WLS (ABC)
13 - 188 WMAQ (NBC)
14 - 189 WBBM (CBS)
15 - 190 WFLD (Fox)
16 - 191 WTTW (PBS)
17 - 192 WGN (CW)
18 - 195 Cinemax
19 - 196 Starz
20 - 199 Versus/Golf
21 - 200 Comcast SportsNet
22 - 203 ESPN2
23 - 204 TNT
24 - 205 HD Theater
25 - 206 National Geographic
26 - 207 Universal
27 - 208 A&E
28 - 209 MHD
29 - 216 CNN
30 - 218 Discovery Channel
31 - 219 TBS
32 - 221 USA

Upcoming:
33 - Animal Planet; scheduled for Jan 23 or 30
34 - WCIU (local independent); scheduled for Jan 30

Is there anyone in the Chicago-land area, who has received the new DVR software with enhanced search?

I have lots of trouble with automatic recordings getting duplicates, and I am hoping the upgrade will fix it.

Basically, if I select "new episodes only", it will only grab Nova episodes (for example) which are brand new.

If I select "new and repeats" it will grab Nova episodes from 3 years ago (what I want it to do) but it will also grab multiple copies of this week's episode (what I don't want it to do)

Any tips?

Not yet, but it can't come soon enough for me. I've been getting all kinds of new (and some old) problems. The most annoying being how programs I've set to record inexplicably vanish out of the future recordings.

The auto record thing is crap. I tried to record an episode of Survivorman the other night and it recorded a completely different episode of what I had chose.

Anyone know if MSNBC will be going HD in the near future?

Anyone know if MSNBC will be going HD in the near future?

I don't believe anything official has come out, but I keep hearing that the plan is to go HD by the '08 Summer Olympics.

For the record, this is the software I am asking about:
http://www.comcast.com/newguide/#
Not yet, but it can't come soon enough for me. I've been getting all kinds of new (and some old) problems. The most annoying being how programs I've set to record inexplicably vanish out of the future recordings.

Comcast Chicago HD Stations

01 - 169 NFL Network
02 - 173 ESPN
03 - 174 MOJO
04 - 175 History
05 - 176 TLC
06 - 177 Sci-Fi
07 - 179 HGTV
08 - 181 Food Network
09 - 184 WPWR (My Network)
10 - 185 Showtime
11 - 186 HBO
12 - 187 WLS (ABC)
13 - 188 WMAQ (NBC)
14 - 189 WBBM (CBS)
15 - 190 WFLD (Fox)
16 - 191 WTTW (PBS)
17 - 192 WGN (CW)
18 - 195 Cinemax
19 - 196 Starz
20 - 199 Versus/Golf
21 - 200 Comcast SportsNet
22 - 203 ESPN2
23 - 204 TNT
24 - 205 HD Theater
25 - 206 National Geographic
26 - 207 Universal
27 - 208 A&E
28 - 209 MHD
29 - 216 CNN
30 - 218 Discovery Channel
31 - 219 TBS
32 - 221 USA

Upcoming:
33 - Animal Planet; scheduled for Jan 23 or 30
34 - WCIU (local independent); scheduled for Jan 30

Thanks for posting this. I am getting upgraded service to get some HD. These seems like a lot more than what the CSR said I would get with Digital Starter. Am I missing something here?

Also, of these, which provide the most HD content and which is the worst by faking it?

I am in NW Indiana watching the Patriots and Chargers game and I am seeing what appears to be a great picture using QAM HD. I just hope the Super Bowl looks this good.

However, by the time Super Bowl comes around, I will have a new STB to get all HD channels Comcast has to offer.

Should I split my cable and continue to feed the TV Source on my display AND have a feed via STB to HDMI source? I am concerned that Comcast over STB may have problems. If so, I can always go back to basic cable and pickup HD via QAM.

Is this a normal setup? Any other suggestions? Or should I not split my cable at all and just feed my display via STB?

If splitting is suggested, do you all watch your local HD via QAM or just via STB?

Is there anyone in the Chicago-land area, who has received the new DVR software with enhanced search?

I have lots of trouble with automatic recordings getting duplicates, and I am hoping the upgrade will fix it.

Basically, if I select "new episodes only", it will only grab Nova episodes (for example) which are brand new.

If I select "new and repeats" it will grab Nova episodes from 3 years ago (what I want it to do) but it will also grab multiple copies of this week's episode (what I don't want it to do)

Any tips?
I've got the new search feature, and no - the recordings still act as you describe. It gets to be a pain because so many cable stations run repeats that conflict with other first-time programs that I want recorded. Usually I just wind up taking the time to review the upcoming recording list and editing manually as needed.

Thank you
I've got the new search feature, and no - the recordings still act as you describe. It gets to be a pain because so many cable stations run repeats that conflict with other first-time programs that I want recorded. Usually I just wind up taking the time to review the upcoming recording list and editing manually as needed.

Thanks for posting this. I am getting upgraded service to get some HD. These seems like a lot more than what the CSR said I would get with Digital Starter. Am I missing something here?

According to Comcast's web site, here's the channel breakdown by package:

HD channels 184, 187-192 are available with Basic Service. HD channels 173, 174, 176, 181, 199, 200, 203, 204, 205, 207, 208, 209, 216, 218, 219 and 221 are available with Digital Starter. HD channels 177, 179 and 206 are available with Digital Classic. HD channel 169 is available with Sports Entertainment Package. A subscription to HBO, Showtime, Cinemax or Starz is required to receive their HD channels.

Also keep in mind that Comcast added quite a few HD stations in the past couple of months. Comcast CSRs have a somewhat poor reputation when it comes to knowledge about HD stations, so it wouldn't surprise me if you spoke to someone who wasn't aware of the latest additions.

QAM HD here... i watched the early game on CBS and both Picture and Sound were phenomenal. However, FOX sound is not very good. Kind of low and not as "full" if that makes sense. I dont have any way to determine whether its DD 5.1 (not even sure if thats possible over QAM HD). But it is no where near as good as CBS.

Is this normal?

QAM HD here... i watched the early game on CBS and both Picture and Sound were phenomenal. However, FOX sound is not very good. Kind of low and not as "full" if that makes sense. I dont have any way to determine whether its DD 5.1 (not even sure if thats possible over QAM HD). But it is no where near as good as CBS.

Is this normal?

I would go checkout the gameday threads in the programming area. You can get a lot of info there about the telecasts.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=34

However, by the time Super Bowl comes around, I will have a new STB to get all HD channels Comcast has to offer.

Should I split my cable and continue to feed the TV Source on my display AND have a feed via STB to HDMI source? I am concerned that Comcast over STB may have problems. If so, I can always go back to basic cable and pickup HD via QAM.

I do. On busy nights when I am recording 2 shows, but want to watch a 3rd at the same time, I go with the raw cable feed to watch the 3rd show. Not to mention my analog chanels look better on the raw cable feed than they do through the cable box.
If splitting is suggested, do you all watch your local HD via QAM or just via STB?
On my main tv I use the box. I use mostly qam in my bar. The dvr box doesn't appear to degrade hd signals.

QAM HD here... i watched the early game on CBS and both Picture and Sound were phenomenal. However, FOX sound is not very good. Kind of low and not as "full" if that makes sense. I dont have any way to determine whether its DD 5.1 (not even sure if thats possible over QAM HD). But it is no where near as good as CBS.

Is this normal?
Can't comment on the sound, as I have no HD this weekend. I lost all hd when chi went into a deep freeze on Thursday.

What I can say is that if you are watching qam and run a digital audio feed from your tv to your tuner as I do, you will get dd5.1.

I just had the Samsung LNT-4665F delivered yesterday. I still have the old cable box and the picture does not look all that hot. Dealing with Comcast reps and being railroaded into going into both their Aurora office and a Best Buy in hopes of getting the HDTV HDMI box was laughable. I actually have a technician coming over on Friday to deliver/install the HDMI box at no charge.... with $17.89 for activation.

Anywho, the pic doesn't look that great right now. Just finished watching the Bulls win on CSN. Will the overall picture improve just by changing out the cable box? This TV has 1080p and I was hoping that it would look great right out of the box... unfortunately actually getting the HDTV box from a local Comcast location turned out to be downright impossible.

Currently having Comcast's Digital Starter package, the Comcast CSR tells me that I will only get HD channels in the local stations. Is that the case or will I be able get such channels as CSN in HD once I have the new box? Will the channels such as Oxygen and Hallmark which have been moved up be available in the Digital Starter Package?

Oh, one more thing... Thanks a bunch from an HDTV newbie.

I just had the Samsung LNT-4665F delivered yesterday. I still have the old cable box and the picture does not look all that hot. Dealing with Comcast reps and being railroaded into going into both their Aurora office and a Best Buy in hopes of getting the HDTV HDMI box was laughable. I actually have a technician coming over on Friday to deliver/install the HDMI box at no charge.... with $17.89 for activation.

Anywho, the pic doesn't look that great right now. Just finished watching the Bulls win on CSN. Will the overall picture improve just by changing out the cable box? This TV has 1080p and I was hoping that it would look great right out of the box... unfortunately actually getting the HDTV box from a local Comcast location turned out to be downright impossible.

Currently having Comcast's Digital Starter package, the Comcast CSR tells me that I will only get HD channels in the local stations. Is that the case or will I be able get such channels as CSN in HD once I have the new box? Will the channels such as Oxygen and Hallmark which have been moved up be available in the Digital Starter Package?

Oh, one more thing... Thanks a bunch from an HDTV newbie.

Look at post 6634 above, it has broken down what HD channels you will get with Digital Starter.

I just had the Samsung LNT-4665F delivered yesterday. I still have the old cable box and the picture does not look all that hot. Dealing with Comcast reps and being railroaded into going into both their Aurora office and a Best Buy in hopes of getting the HDTV HDMI box was laughable. I actually have a technician coming over on Friday to deliver/install the HDMI box at no charge.... with $17.89 for activation.

Anywho, the pic doesn't look that great right now. Just finished watching the Bulls win on CSN. Will the overall picture improve just by changing out the cable box? This TV has 1080p and I was hoping that it would look great right out of the box... unfortunately actually getting the HDTV box from a local Comcast location turned out to be downright impossible.

Currently having Comcast's Digital Starter package, the Comcast CSR tells me that I will only get HD channels in the local stations. Is that the case or will I be able get such channels as CSN in HD once I have the new box? Will the channels such as Oxygen and Hallmark which have been moved up be available in the Digital Starter Package?

Oh, one more thing... Thanks a bunch from an HDTV newbie.
I'm not sure what "old cable box" means? A non-hd box?
You have a couple of things working against you with a non-hd box. 1st, your new tv is stretching the picture to fit the screen, which is degrading the picture. 2nd, your samsung definitely has at least one, if not more than one "picture enhancement" setting turned on. I believe samsung calls their edge enhancement DNIE??? It amplifies any artifacts that might be in the picture.

Before the new box comes in, there are a couple of things you might try...
1) Turn off any samsung picture enhancement settings.
2) For tv input, test the picture using s-video. Which is the best signal your box has to offer.
2b)You can also test the picture using the raw cable feed, bypassing the box. You'll get less channels, but you can at least assess the picture quality.

As far as 1080p goes, comcast boxes only go up to 1080i.

Thanks for the advice. I'm not sure what these channels equate to because Comcast's channel lineup is not that user friendly.

HD channels 184, 187-192 are available with Basic Service. HD channels 173, 174, 176, 181, 199, 200, 203, 204, 205, 207, 208, 209, 216, 218, 219 and 221 are available with Digital Starter. HD channels 177, 179 and 206 are available with Digital Classic. HD channel 169 is available with Sports Entertainment Package. A subscription to HBO, Showtime, Cinemax or Starz is required to receive their HD channels.

Yes, my box is a non-hd box. It is the box that I received with the old tube television when I signed up for Comcast's service about a year ago (with Digital Starter package). Darn trees are overgrown in my neighbors back yard and I had to give up DirecTV. Ok, now I understand why the picture looks the way it does. I'm a photographer by passion and I'm used to a certain quality of picture. I just wasn't seeing that in the analog? settings that the box/TV was delivering. I'll work with the settings that you've described, although I'm happy as a clam that I'll be getting the HDTV box (albeit 1080i...hmmmm....why?) on Friday afternoon. I'm a hockey nut (I am a hockey photographer on an amateur level) and am looking forward to the day that I can watch the Hawks in HD. I just hope that can be done with the current package.

Thanks for the advice. I'm not sure what these channels equate to because Comcast's channel lineup is not that user friendly.

HD channels 184, 187-192 are available with Basic Service. HD channels 173, 174, 176, 181, 199, 200, 203, 204, 205, 207, 208, 209, 216, 218, 219 and 221 are available with Digital Starter. HD channels 177, 179 and 206 are available with Digital Classic. HD channel 169 is available with Sports Entertainment Package. A subscription to HBO, Showtime, Cinemax or Starz is required to receive their HD channels.

Yes, my box is a non-hd box. It is the box that I received with the old tube television when I signed up for Comcast's service about a year ago (with Digital Starter package). Darn trees are overgrown in my neighbors back yard and I had to give up DirecTV. Ok, now I understand why the picture looks the way it does. I'm a photographer by passion and I'm used to a certain quality of picture. I just wasn't seeing that in the analog? settings that the box/TV was delivering. I'll work with the settings that you've described, although I'm happy as a clam that I'll be getting the HDTV box (albeit 1080i...hmmmm....why?) on Friday afternoon. I'm a hockey nut (I am a hockey photographer on an amateur level) and am looking forward to the day that I can watch the Hawks in HD. I just hope that can be done with the current package. The digital starter pkg will give you the local stations in HD plus USA, TNT, ESPN, Sportschannel and some others. Hallmark isn't in the digital starter pkg.

My wife just gave me the breakdown:
173=ESPND, 174=MOJHD, 176=TLCHD,181=FOODD, 199=VSGLF, 200=CSNHD, 203=ES2HD, 204=TNTHD, 205=HDT, 207=UHD, 208=A&EHD, 209=MHD, 216=CNNHD, 218=DISHD, 219=TBSHD, and 221=USAHD. Then 184, 187-192 are the local channels.
HD channels 184, 187-192 are available with Basic Service. HD channels 173, 174, 176, 181, 199, 200, 203, 204, 205, 207, 208, 209, 216, 218, 219 and 221 are available with Digital Starter. HD channels 177, 179 and 206 are available with Digital Classic. HD channel 169 is available with Sports Entertainment Package. A subscription to HBO, Showtime, Cinemax or Starz is required to receive their HD channels.

Just wondering if any of you have run into this..

Over the past weeks, I have noticed once in a while (I usually do not watch much on TBS-HD), that when viewing this HD feed that the top of the TV has two horizontal lines that span the sides of the set. The lines look like sign-wave lines as they oscillate (about 1/8" in width).

I have an LN-T5721 set that supports AMP (OFF - HI)..

I tried setting AMP=OFF thru HI and this did not solve this. This is the only station that does this so I am expecting it to be the feed itself.

Anyone run into issues with TBS-HD in the Chicago Comcast Cable area?



PS -> Hey Phil - howz it going?

Help. I may be moving to Wadsworth Illinois (near Gurnee north of Chicago) and need to know what the make and model #s for the HD receivers Comcast provides. Does anyone know out there? Also, do they have IR remotes or RF remotes? Thanks.

So I've got 2 problems maybe some can help with.

Recently the last few months every so often on HD channels my picture studders non stop. The picture that is studders and can get really bad at times. This only happens on the HD channels and no others. If I unplug the set top box for a minute and plug it back in it works...comcast told me that. The problem is, it keeps happening. Is this a bandwidth issue or is my box maybe not working correctly?

Second problem is the delay with the set top box. Sometimes I'll be trying to click through channels, it will stop, jam and then freeze. I'll then have to turn the whole thing off to fix it.

Just thought I'd vent a bit cause it gets quite irritating for this for something which is so expensive.

Help. I may be moving to Wadsworth Illinois (near Gurnee north of Chicago) and need to know what the make and model #s for the HD receivers Comcast provides. Does anyone know out there? Also, do they have IR remotes or RF remotes? Thanks.
HD BOX is the 6200.
HD PVR Box is generally the 3412 or 3416, or the older 6412.
Ir remotes.

If it is the Motorola DCT6200 then it does not have HDMI output to the TV, just component. Is that true?

Do the PVR models Comcast provides have active HDMI outputs? IF or RF remotes?

If it is the Motorola DCT6200 then it does not have HDMI output to the TV, just component. Is that true?
I don't recall if it has hdmi. It may only have DVI. There was a 6200 thread some time ago. You should be able to find more info there.

This doesn't help you with an hd only box, but it might help if you decide to use a dvr instead.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Identifying_your_model

If it is the Motorola DCT6200 then it does not have HDMI output to the TV, just component. Is that true?

We are on the all digital system up here. The standard HD box is the DCH3200 and it does have an HDMI port.

I am in Lincoln Park and have been having intermittent issues with only two HD channels the past few days. TLCHD and HBOHD. When I turn to these two channels I will more than likely get the "One Moment Please..." text and either the channel will pop up after 5 or 10 seconds or it will not come up at all. Other times I can turn it to the channels and everything works a-ok. Problem happens both when I am cycling through the channels or I go to the channel directly.

Thought it may be a faulty box so I switched it out with another in the home. Same issue. To add to the confussion, I do not have this issue on the other television (even using both boxes).

Only things that have changed over the past week or so are the deep freeze here and the addition of TLCHD and SCIFIHD.

Any suggestions or ideas on what the issue may be? Others having similar problems?

Does the DCH3200 have an infrared or RF remote control???

Does the DCH3200 have an infrared or RF remote control???

The cable company hands out IR remotes. RF remotes are too expensive.

Hello all. Western burbs here.

Anyone notice an audible pop on HD channels when returning from commercials to tv shows? It starting happening about a week ago.


Also got this response from Communitstcast when asking about the new DVR search feature:
http://www.comcast.com/newguide/Search.html

The "New Guide" launch has been put on hold until further notice.
You will be notified in advance when this feature is ready to be
launched in your area. We appreciate your patience.

has anyone noticed that there is no CC coming thru over ABC-HD lately?

Also got this response from Communitstcast when asking about the new DVR search feature:
http://www.comcast.com/newguide/Search.html

The "New Guide" launch has been put on hold until further notice.
You will be notified in advance when this feature is ready to be
launched in your area. We appreciate your patience.

I've had new search since November.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12142206#post12142206

SciFi HD has appeared with no warning. It's on channel 177. Here in Schaumburg, it's on 447MHz (analog 61), shared with USA-HD and Discovery-HD.

There are some audio issues. It keeps cutting out for a second or so every once in awhile. Video is fine and there are no signal errors in the diagnostics. The other two channels appear to be OK. Hopefully, they'll get it fixed.

No sign of TLC-HD, which was the other channel we are supposed to get in January.


How do you find out the real channel/frequency? I do not have a Comcast STB or DVR, but my neighbor might. I have expanded basic and use my TV's QAM tuner. But maybe there's a digital channel out there that I am not aware and that I somehow missed. For example I've heard WPWR is HD in some areas, but I've searched up & down and cannot find it. Either I've missed it or it's not in my area.

Is there a status menu or something something similar on the STB or DVR that displays the QAM channel?

Tune to the channel you want to know the frequency of, then power off and quickly press ok/select. Arrow down to d06 and press ok. You'll see a screen with the STB channel number and a frequency ending in .75 (arrow down to see the 2nd tuner's channel if it's a dual tuner DVR). Subtract 1.75 from the frequency, that gives you the channel's base frequency. This should be a multiple of 6. Divide by 6 and depending on the number you come up with:

if 108 or higher: subtract 8
if 36-107: subtract 13
(all HD channels should be in that range, otherwise I'll give you the rest of the formulas)

The result is the channel number you're looking for. Press power twice to turn the box back on.

Tune to the channel you want to know the frequency of, then power off and quickly press ok/select. Arrow down to d06 and press ok. You'll see a screen with the STB channel number and a frequency ending in .75 (arrow down to see the 2nd tuner's channel if it's a dual tuner DVR). Subtract 1.75 from the frequency, that gives you the channel's base frequency. This should be a multiple of 6. Divide by 6 and depending on the number you come up with:

if 108 or higher: subtract 8
if 36-107: subtract 13
(all HD channels should be in that range, otherwise I'll give you the rest of the formulas)

The result is the channel number you're looking for. Press power twice to turn the box back on.


Thanks for the information. I follow the math, but what is the frequency ending in .75? Looking at frequency charts it appears this is not the carrier freq. Or my listings do match up with Comcast freqs. Am I misinterpreting something?

Thanks for the information. I follow the math, but what is the frequency ending in .75? Looking at frequency charts it appears this is not the carrier freq. Or my listings do match up with Comcast freqs. Am I misinterpreting something?
For INBAND channels, the frequency given by the box is the center of the 6MHz allocation (analog 2 is 54-60, box shows 57MHz). It is always a whole number (57.000MHz). The only time fractions show up is for the OOB (Out-Of-Band, where the guide data and other forms of data are read) and Upstream (where your box talks back.) OOB is typically 75.25MHz, which is in a 4MHz gap between channels 4 and 5. The Upstream is a very low frequency, such as 9.056.

Converting frequencies to their analog numbers is very tricky. They are not sequential:
2-4,5-6,95-99,14-22,7-13,23-94,100+

I'm getting fed up with this DVR crap I'm pay for with Comcast. AGAIN I record something in HD and it records the Non HD channel. I then recorded an episode of American Chopper and I go to hit Play and nothing happens. It comes up with a screen to Delete Recording or Don't Delete Recording. Is there any discount I can get for this crap? This has to be the worst technology I've ever used.

Do other people have frequent audio and video dropouts on Sci-Fi HD and USA HD? Most of the HD channels seem pretty solid, especially the major networks, but some break up now and then and a few almost make me want to switch to the SD feed.

I'm getting fed up with this DVR crap I'm pay for with Comcast. AGAIN I record something in HD and it records the Non HD channel. I then recorded an episode of American Chopper and I go to hit Play and nothing happens. It comes up with a screen to Delete Recording or Don't Delete Recording. Is there any discount I can get for this crap? This has to be the worst technology I've ever used.

Go get a Tivo. You will never be able to look at a regular cable DVR again.

Do other people have frequent audio and video dropouts on Sci-Fi HD and USA HD? Most of the HD channels seem pretty solid, especially the major networks, but some break up now and then and a few almost make me want to switch to the SD feed.

Mine studders at least once a week on HD channels and I have to un plug the stb to fix it.

andyross63,

Thanks for the information.

Do other people have frequent audio and video dropouts on Sci-Fi HD and USA HD? Most of the HD channels seem pretty solid, especially the major networks, but some break up now and then and a few almost make me want to switch to the SD feed.
Here in Schaumburg, SciFi, USA and Discovery are all tripled onto one frequency. I've heard Comcast is using a form of compression (they call it something else) to do this. It's obvious that during fast movements it cannot handle it and starts stuttering or showing major breakup. Worse, this seems to affect the other two. So far, Discovery only seems to stutter, but I haven't seen it pixelate.

In some other forums, people in Michigan and elsewhere have also seen these issues. It's possible it's uplink issues (USA and SciFi are both part of NBC/Universal). We'd need some satellite users to compare against. Another possibility is Comcast is using a master site to compress them, then distributing that feed nationally.

For the audio issues, if you have a DVR, you can try one of these 'fixes':
Pause for a few seconds, then play so you are buffering
Use Review to jump back 15 seconds, then LIVE again.

I think with the new software we got in November that LIVE is pretty much LIVE (anybody with both a DVR and non-DVR to compare?) I've noticed that when I do a pause on many channels, it seems to back up a second before finally pausing. I think when you then go back to LIVE it's actually the old 0.5-1 second buffering.

.

In some other forums, people in Michigan and elsewhere have also seen these issues. It's possible it's uplink issues (USA and SciFi are both part of NBC/Universal). We'd need some satellite users to compare against. Another possibility is Comcast is using a master site to compress them, then distributing that feed nationally.

.

USA HD and SCI-FI HD are both fine via DirecTv. No video or audio problems at all.

Sci-fi=audio Dropouts Every 30 Secs To A Min.
Usahd - Horrific Choppiness - Especially During Wrestling Last Week
JOLIET AREA

Sci-fi=audio Dropouts Every 30 Secs To A Min.
Usahd - Horrific Choppiness - Especially During Wrestling Last Week
JOLIET AREA

After improving some here on the northside of the city (Lakeview), SciFi is horrible again, audio drop outs can be as frequent as 15-30 seconds. Absolutely unwatchable now. I had to finally turn to SciFi SD to watch Enterprise last night. What in the world is Comcast doing? They have to know about it; people have reported it across the whole service territory. Even a message to subscribers acknowledging there's a problem and that they're working on it would be nice.

Come on AT&T, speed up that rollout and show me what you got. I've never been so tempted to make a switch as I am now. It's one thing if this happens to a useless channel like A&EHD (just how many times can you watch Law & Order?), but don't mess with my SciFi.

After improving some here on the northside of the city (Lakeview), SciFi is horrible again, audio drop outs can be as frequent as 15-30 seconds. Absolutely unwatchable now. I had to finally turn to SciFi SD to watch Enterprise last night. What in the world is Comcast doing? They have to know about it; people have reported it across the whole service territory. Even a message to subscribers acknowledging there's a problem and that they're working on it would be nice.

Come on AT&T, speed up that rollout and show me what you got. I've never been so tempted to make a switch as I am now. It's one thing if this happens to a useless channel like A&EHD (just how many times can you watch Law & Order?), but don't mess with my SciFi.

I just submitted a feedback for poor picture at:

http://www.comcast.com/Corporate/Customers/contactus/ContactUs.html

I am on the north side of Chicago and my SciFi HD is and has been coming in perfectly!

(albeit 1080i...hmmmm....why?)

cause there are no 1080p broadcast sources..
only recent blu ray and HD DVD players (or computers) can do 1080p, and that's assuming the title is encoded in a manner that allows the DVD player to reformat the video stream and reconstruct it as a 1080p signal.
That being said, unless you have a huge TV or are sitting too close, you probably won't even notice the difference between the formats, especially with Comcast HD compression..

I am on the north side of Chicago and my SciFi HD is and has been coming in perfectly!

I'm in Oak Forest and Sc-Fi HD was fine last night as well.

Anyone else have their cable go out at about noon?.......looks like it might be out for 12-24 hours......it just came back on.

Sci-fi=audio Dropouts Every 30 Secs To A Min.
Usahd - Horrific Choppiness - Especially During Wrestling Last Week
JOLIET AREA
If you have the DVR, let it play for a minute, then do a Review, then Live. If that doesn't fix it, just pause, wait a few seconds, then play so it is now buffered.

This fixes the audio problem, but the video is due to Comcast compression to cram 3 HD's into one frequency. The audio is probably a side effect of that, too.

I've heard Comcast is using a form of compression (they call it something else) to do this.

All broadcast mpeg video is compressed. Then are then "encoded" for broadcast over the analog airwaves. What this does is take the digital signal and modify it to travel over the analog radio waves. Over the air uses ATSC, which allows for a data stream of 19 megabits per second. But cable uses QAM, versions of which can support 40 mbps per channel. So putting three HD channels into one QAM channel isn't really compressing it too much. That's why cable wants to end analog just as quick as they can, because they can get all kinds of content into that bandwidth.

I read a study that, in a perfect world, cable tv can support basically an infinite number of channels. Since the number of channels actually being watched in any neighborhood is fairly small, those channels would be "always on". Then when a couple of viewers want to stray, those channels would be turned on by the headend. Sort of like the OnDemand feature. Basically, the math works out that there's always going to be enough bandwidth to support the choices of the neighborhood. Pretty neat.

WCIUHD is up and running.............183 here in Glendale Heights........

I am not getting SCIFI HD. I only have Digital Starter with "first tier?" HD channels. Do I have to pay more for SCIFI HD?

I also wish HGTV HD came in under this "first tier?"

:(

WCIUHD is up and running.............183 here in Glendale Heights........


Here too. Style has moved from 183 to 118.

I am not getting SCIFI HD. I only have Digital Starter with "first tier?" HD channels. Do I have to pay more for SCIFI HD?

I also wish HGTV HD came in under this "first tier?"

:(

Both SCIFI & HGTV are in Digital Classic. $14.99/mo higher than Digital Starter. Digital Preferred is $1 more than Digital Classic & includes 16 more channels than Digital Classic.

Both SCIFI & HGTY are in Digital Classic. $14.99/mo higher than Digital Starter. Digital Preferred is $1 more than Digital Classic & includes 16 more channels than Digital Classic.

BOOOOOOO! :rolleyes:

WCIUHD is up and running.............183 here in Glendale Heights........

Thanks, we have it in Chicago (Lakeview) now, too.

Go get a Tivo. You will never be able to look at a regular cable DVR again.

I just switched to Comcast from Directv, and I suddenly miss my Tivo. It's only been a few days, but I'm not too happy with the Motorola HD-DVR functionality.

Couple of dumb questions:
If I were to buy an HD-Tivo, what models should I look for?
But then I'd have to pay Tivo a monthly fee, correct?
And would I then downgrade to a Comcast HD non-DVR set top box?


thx

I just switched to Comcast from Directv, and I suddenly miss my Tivo. It's only been a few days, but I'm not too happy with the Motorola HD-DVR functionality.

Couple of dumb questions:
If I were to buy an HD-Tivo, what models should I look for?
But then I'd have to pay Tivo a monthly fee, correct?
And would I then downgrade to a Comcast HD non-DVR set top box?


thx
You could buy either the TiVo Series 3 or TiVo HD.
Yes you would have to pay TiVo a monthly fee.
You would downgrade to a CableCard which is far cheaper than any of the boxes.

You could buy either the TiVo Series 3 or TiVo HD.
Yes you would have to pay TiVo a monthly fee.
You would downgrade to a CableCard which is far cheaper than any of the boxes.

And I'm assuming the CableCard cancels out the use of features like On Demand?

Comcast Chicago HD Stations

01 - 169 NFL Network
02 - 173 ESPN
03 - 174 MOJO
04 - 175 History
05 - 176 TLC
06 - 177 Sci-Fi
07 - 179 HGTV
08 - 181 Food Network
09 - 184 WPWR (My Network)
10 - 185 Showtime
11 - 186 HBO
12 - 187 WLS (ABC)
13 - 188 WMAQ (NBC)
14 - 189 WBBM (CBS)
15 - 190 WFLD (Fox)
16 - 191 WTTW (PBS)
17 - 192 WGN (CW)
18 - 195 Cinemax
19 - 196 Starz
20 - 199 Versus/Golf
21 - 200 Comcast SportsNet
22 - 203 ESPN2
23 - 204 TNT
24 - 205 HD Theater
25 - 206 National Geographic
26 - 207 Universal
27 - 208 A&E
28 - 209 MHD
29 - 216 CNN
30 - 218 Discovery Channel
31 - 219 TBS
32 - 221 USA

Upcoming:
33 - Animal Planet; scheduled for Jan 23 or 30
34 - WCIU (local independent); scheduled for Jan 30

I love that we have WCIU now (can't wait to watch the Cubs in HD), but I am waiting for Animal Planet. Has anyone seen it appear yet? I would love to see the Puppy Bowl in HD!

I am located in Uptown, haven't had any issues with Sci-Fi, but Discovery HD was acting up last night during a rerun of Dirty Jobs(juttering and pixelating), I figured it was the weather. I have a 3416 box hooked up via HDMI .

WCIU-DT is at 681MHz (analog 105), shared with WPWR-DT. Mojo was moved from 681Mhz to 729MHz (analog 113), shared with NFL-HD.

With the two recently dropped analogs, the removal of the western feeds tomorrow, and AP-HD, I'll probably have to do a full rescan next month.

I went AT&T Oakbrook Terrace show-room to see the demo of U-verse. It looks great. The "interactive menu" is awesome. The bad news is that it is not yet available in Naperville.

Does anyone know when it might come in Naperville area?

WCIUHD is up and running.............183 here in Glendale Heights........

It was here in Downers Grove too, but it wasn't in hd. I'm assuming cause the Bulls' were away?

I went AT&T Oakbrook Terrace show-room to see the demo of U-verse. It looks great. The "interactive menu" is awesome. The bad news is that it is not yet available in Naperville.

Does anyone know when it might come in Naperville area?

I don't know, but the second something better then comcast is available in Downers Grove I'm switching.

It was here in Downers Grove too, but it wasn't in hd. I'm assuming cause the Bulls' were away?


True. WGN produces these games for WCIU and they (along with CSN) only show home games in HD. CSN has shown some road games in widescreen SD.

I don't know, but the second something better then comcast is available in Dowenrs Grove I'm switching.I know that you hate Comcast's DVR with a passion, but I'd still wait to see the particulars first before deciding on that.

When comparing it to the Dish package (w/AT&T DSL) that I currently have, it was much more expensive. Actually, It would be a couple of dollars less for the closest comparable bundle, but NO CSN or Sirius music channels like I get now (also, one other channel that I HAVE to have that only Dish carries). There were a few more SD channels than I get now, but nothing I really watch anyway. The next higher up package with CSN was almost twice as much as I'm paying now.

Also, no CSN-HD with their HD package, although the lineup was more than sufficient enough for my tastes otherwise (no Sci-Fi HD either, but that doesn't matter to me like it would to a lot of others).

Can anyone else record Discovery HD with their comcast DVR? I tried recording Dirty Jobs and it ended up recording the SD channel. Maybe this is a problem with the discovery network?

Can anyone else record Discovery HD with their comcast DVR? I tried recording Dirty Jobs and it ended up recording the SD channel. Maybe this is a problem with the discovery network?

Works just fine for me. Are you sure you're selecting the programs on channel 218 when you tell it to record?

Works just fine for me. Are you sure you're selecting the programs on channel 218 when you tell it to record?

Yes, positive. It has happened more than once too. I called Comcast and they told me it was because Discovery HD wasn't in HD anymore...I was about to throw the phone through the wall.

How are you doing the recording? Is it a single recording, or a series? If it's a series, verify that the SD and HD channels have different names. If not, complain. If two channels have the same name, it usually defaults to the lower number.

Here in Schaumburg, the SD is named DSC, and HD is DISHD.

Just turned on USA HD, they are showing Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and it is stuttering and pixelating a lot. Anyone else having this issue?

How are you doing the recording? Is it a single recording, or a series? If it's a series, verify that the SD and HD channels have different names. If not, complain. If two channels have the same name, it usually defaults to the lower number.

Here in Schaumburg, the SD is named DSC, and HD is DISHD.

I always use single recording. The tech on the phone told me it was because Discovery wasn't in HD anymore...I had to resist laughing. Finally he came to the conclusion that they would have to send someone out to fix it. I said forget that so instead he said I can return the stb and get a new one. Who knows...

I don't know, but the second something better then comcast is available in Downers Grove I'm switching.

I'd check the U-verse threads. From what I've seen PQ is bad and you cannot watch more than 1 HD channel in the entire house at a time. The channel selection also didn't seem that great.

Supposedly the HD picture is not so hot, but the SD is pretty good. Someone said the SD is at least better than Dish.

I love that we have WCIU now (can't wait to watch the Cubs in HD), but I am waiting for Animal Planet. Has anyone seen it appear yet? I would love to see the Puppy Bowl in HD!

I am located in Uptown, haven't had any issues with Sci-Fi, but Discovery HD was acting up last night during a rerun of Dirty Jobs(juttering and pixelating), I figured it was the weather. I have a 3416 box hooked up via HDMI .

Any news on FX in HD? I really hope comcast adds it soon!

Those weather warnings are starting to get on my nerves. Sarah Connor Chronicles on Fox was impossible to watch!

Those weather warnings are starting to get on my nerves. Sarah Connor Chronicles on Fox was impossible to watch!
Yes, they are. It happened during Prison Break too. I don't have Comcast, but at one point during the show it cut away to a commercial when the show was clearly still running. The commercial was on for about 3 seconds and then it switched back to Prison Break. Did anyone else notice this? Maybe it was just my cable company.

Those weather warnings are starting to get on my nerves. Sarah Connor Chronicles on Fox was impossible to watch!

After the multiple snow warnings ruined last week's HD episode of Lost, I wrote WLS/ch7 about it and this is the response I received:

The Weather crawls we run are part of the requirements of our broadcast license to provide alerts and warnings to the public. The National Weather Service sends out the alerts and warnings and we pass it through. Unfortunately our HD crawl equipment burped last night and we had to use the up-converted standard definition feed for the events. Hopefully when we do the crawls in HD they will not be as obtrusive.

I don't know if their broadcast license also requires them to include the obnoxious map along with the text. I'm guessing they dreamed that part up all on their own.

As to tonight's Sarah Connor Chronicles, I only saw a weather warning once at the beginning of the show (on the HD feed). That seemed like an improvement over WFLD/ch32's usual breathless sensationalism when it comes to these kinds of warnings.

Here in Schaumburg, SciFi, USA and Discovery are all tripled onto one frequency. I've heard Comcast is using a form of compression (they call it something else) to do this. It's obvious that during fast movements it cannot handle it and starts stuttering or showing major breakup.

I read a few weeks back on the tivocommunity website that cable companies can use a type of variable dynamic compression to fit more data into a single "frequency"... if that's the correct term....

As I remember, the resultant quality is dependent on the hardware/software algorithms that determine which channel gets the most bandwith at a given moment....

It sounds like Comcast got it wrong. I don't watch USA or Discovery that much, but here in Bartlett, Sci-fi has audio drop outs and video tiling during dynamic scenes (like the "wormhole" in stargate).

As a tivo user, I'm happy to accept a couple of hiccups in exchange for NOT using a SDV solution that time warner seems to be implementing. If I was a comcast box renter, I'd be ticked off though.

-fate

Help. I live in downtown Chicago and have a Moto 3412 HDMI HD DVR. For the last few days I get a lot "Wait One Moment Your Channel Will Show Up Soon" a LOT on CNNHD, Starz HD, especially during the night. Comcast tried refreshing the box, it didn't seem to do much good?

Any thoughts? Should I get a replacement box?

Anyone have any problem with the internet? I been getting dropping packets for the last two days. I live in the Romeoville area.

50.47 56.31 242.21
8 pos-0-7-0-0-cr01.chicago.il.ibone.comcast.net 10% 54 60 51.56 52.38 59.85
9 pos-0-4-0-0-cr01.indianapolis.in.ibone.comcast.net 9% 55 60 55.76 56.43 56.97
10 pos-0-15-0-0-ar01.indianapolis.in.indiana.comcast.net 0% 60 60 56.80 57.63 58.84
11 te-2-2-ar01.area4.il.chicago.comcast.net 9% 55 60 57.09 57.75 60.27
12 te-3-2-ur02.romeoville.il.chicago.comcast.net 20% 48 60 58.93 59.70 71.03
13 ??? 100% 0 60 0.00 0.00 0.00

wow, I'd love to have a single clue as to what you just posted, but I don't. :o

I'm probably the last to know though, so nevermind me.


Yes, they are. It happened during Prison Break too. I don't have Comcast, but at one point during the show it cut away to a commercial when the show was clearly still running. The commercial was on for about 3 seconds and then it switched back to Prison Break. Did anyone else notice this? Maybe it was just my cable company.

I have Prison Break via free OTA FOX-HD channel 32.1, and yes, I encountered the very same thing. A commercial broke in for a few seconds when it wasn't supposed to. So no, you are not alone and it wasn't just a "cable thing". *commiseration hug*

Help. I live in downtown Chicago and have a Moto 3412 HDMI HD DVR. For the last few days I get a lot "Wait One Moment Your Channel Will Show Up Soon" a LOT on CNNHD, Starz HD, especially during the night. Comcast tried refreshing the box, it didn't seem to do much good?

Any thoughts? Should I get a replacement box?

Most likely a marginal signal. You can check the signal quality by:
tune into the channel
Turn the box off, then hit OK/Select within 1-2 seconds.
Scroll down to INBAND status and check the SNR level. It should say GOOD. FAIR means you may have problems. POOR means you WILL have problems. Also let it sit a bit and keep an eye on CORRECTABLE and UNCORRECTABLE error counts. Some CORRECTABLE are OK.

If you have a DVR, it's best to turn it off first, then turn it on before tuning the channel. This guarantees you are on tuner 1. Alternatively, you can tune both to the same channel (use the SWAP key to toggle between tuners.)

Anyone have any problem with the internet? I been getting dropping packets for the last two days. I live in the Romeoville area.

50.47 56.31 242.21
8 pos-0-7-0-0-cr01.chicago.il.ibone.comcast.net 10% 54 60 51.56 52.38 59.85
9 pos-0-4-0-0-cr01.indianapolis.in.ibone.comcast.net 9% 55 60 55.76 56.43 56.97
10 pos-0-15-0-0-ar01.indianapolis.in.indiana.comcast.net 0% 60 60 56.80 57.63 58.84
11 te-2-2-ar01.area4.il.chicago.comcast.net 9% 55 60 57.09 57.75 60.27
12 te-3-2-ur02.romeoville.il.chicago.comcast.net 20% 48 60 58.93 59.70 71.03
13 ??? 100% 0 60 0.00 0.00 0.00

Not unusual. Many routers give ping's (which is all a tracert does) very low priority, and may drop them if they are too busy. Try multiple web sites and see what you get for the full path, not just the routers on the way.

I have Comcast Digital Cable (Digital Starter). It seems that each morning around 6:30a I do not have access to On-Demand (or should I say my 2 kids dont).

What is causing this?

Anyone know why SCI-Fi HD isn't coming in full screen? All the other HD channels are fine. Last Saturday, the picture/sound were really bad and since then it seems to be coming in 4:3. I'm in Oak Forest.

Anyone know why SCI-Fi HD isn't coming in full screen? All the other HD channels are fine. Last Saturday, the picture/sound were really bad and since then it seems to be coming in 4:3. I'm in Oak Forest.

SciFi HD is a 'good' HD channel. If they are not broadcasting an HD program, they pillarbox it (black boxes on sides), and the on-screen logo just says SciFi. In many areas, SciFi is tripled with 2 other HD's (around here, it's USA and Discovery), and there are bandwidth issues as they try to multiplex them together. They are using variable bit-rate and some 'multi-pass' encoding to reduce the bit rate, but if all 3 need more than 2MHz each simultaneously, the result is pixelation.

Some channels such as TBS, History, A&E, TNT stretch SD material to widescreen. The result is everybody looking fat, or a funhouse mirror if they use an anamorphic stretch. Discovery HD slightly zooms SD programming, causing the top and bottom to be cut off a bit.

Most likely a marginal signal. You can check the signal quality by:
tune into the channel
Turn the box off, then hit OK/Select within 1-2 seconds.
Scroll down to INBAND status and check the SNR level. It should say GOOD. FAIR means you may have problems. POOR means you WILL have problems. Also let it sit a bit and keep an eye on CORRECTABLE and UNCORRECTABLE error counts. Some CORRECTABLE are OK.

If you have a DVR, it's best to turn it off first, then turn it on before tuning the channel. This guarantees you are on tuner 1. Alternatively, you can tune both to the same channel (use the SWAP key to toggle between tuners.)

Hey Andy - I appreciate the help..I finally got around to do working on my box and it says "invalid" when Tuner 1 was turned to TNT HD which wasn't working..any suggestions now? Time to replace the box??

Hey Andy - I appreciate the help..I finally got around to do working on my box and it says "invalid" when Tuner 1 was turned to TNT HD which wasn't working..any suggestions now? Time to replace the box??
Odds are you either have a weak or noisy signal, or Comcast in your area is having problems with that frequency (I've had certain channels act up occasionally, with others OK). Try tuning into several other channels and see what their SNR's are. If you have many FAIR or POOR, you need to get your signals stronger.

On that same INBAND screen is the frequency used. As you try other channels, especially those with problems, keep track of their frequencies. If they are all the same, then it may be a Comcast issue. If it's a range, it's probably a poor signal to the box (could be Comcast or your internal wiring.)

When you go to....
On Demand/HD on Demand/Premium Channels....
Comcast has removed the HBO folder!

They advise it is being revised (since Dec 07).

I asked why they did not leave the "old folder" in place until the "new folder" was ready, and then replace overnight.

Their response: it is a "free service" so we are not missing anything we have paid for.

Didn't Comcast advertise HD HBO on Demand as part of their premium service?

I do believe that HBO has pulled the HD On Demand Service from all cable systems. This seems to be a Comcast choice.

Is Animal Planet HD up yet? I thought it was due for Jan 30, no?

Well I replaced my 3412 box and got a brand new 3416 box. No changes..it seems that UHD, MHD, CNNHD, Starz go out at night..frustrating. Comcast tech scheduled to come in and see what he can do..

Any ideas on what they can do about a weak/noisy signal?

Well I replaced my 3412 box and got a brand new 3416 box. No changes..it seems that UHD, MHD, CNNHD, Starz go out at night..frustrating. Comcast tech scheduled to come in and see what he can do..

Any ideas on what they can do about a weak/noisy signal?

I had similar problems to this only it was Fox and NBC at the time. I worked around it using a signal amp but the long-term fix was when Comcast finally boosted this signal somewhere in the plant outside my house (unbeknownst to me). After that the signal with the amp was actually too hot.

When you go to....
On Demand/HD on Demand/Premium Channels....
Comcast has removed the HBO folder!

They advise it is being revised (since Dec 07).

I asked why they did not leave the "old folder" in place until the "new folder" was ready, and then replace overnight.

Their response: it is a "free service" so we are not missing anything we have paid for.

Didn't Comcast advertise HD HBO on Demand as part of their premium service?


I noticed this as well and was quite dismayed. I only checked for it after I noticed that I was about 4 HBO channels lighter than I used to be. Has anyone else lost some standard def HBO channels? It must have happened in the last couple of weeks. Naturally Comcast has no news about this or anything else. Changes just happen and you are expected to accept all downgrades in service.

My 'cheap' introductary time on Comcast is almost over. Once it is, I am dropping the cable service. To not even have the Scifi channel and pay ~$60/month just for TV is unacceptable.

I noticed this as well and was quite dismayed. I only checked for it after I noticed that I was about 4 HBO channels lighter than I used to be. Has anyone else lost some standard def HBO channels? It must have happened in the last couple of weeks. Naturally Comcast has no news about this or anything else. Changes just happen and you are expected to accept all downgrades in service.
A bunch of 'West' feeds were dropped a few weeks ago. Here in Schaumburg, only the main HBO and Cinemax have a west feed. Between DVR's and OnDemand, there isn't much need for them anymore.

This was posted in the bill a month or so ago.

I noticed this as well and was quite dismayed. I only checked for it after I noticed that I was about 4 HBO channels lighter than I used to be. Has anyone else lost some standard def HBO channels? It must have happened in the last couple of weeks. Naturally Comcast has no news about this or anything else. Changes just happen and you are expected to accept all downgrades in service.

My 'cheap' introductary time on Comcast is almost over. Once it is, I am dropping the cable service. To not even have the Scifi channel and pay ~$60/month just for TV is unacceptable.

What are you switching to? My introductory rate just ended so I'm looking for other options.

My 'cheap' introductary time on Comcast is almost over. Once it is, I am dropping the cable service. To not even have the Scifi channel and pay ~$60/month just for TV is unacceptable.Are you looking for HD, or is SD-only sufficient? If you are able to have satellite, Dish gives you Sci-Fi with their Top 100 and Latino Dos packages, which are much cheaper than Comcast.

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

Jeopardy seems to be broadcast in SD instead of HD on WLS-DT (or at least on the Comcast version my DVR records every day) once or twice every couple of weeks. Looks like the last time this happened was Friday, and it's kind of obnoxious. Anyone else seeing this?

I think they're showing all reruns because AT's not back from his illness yet.

Those are just mixed, newer HD episodes with older, SD ones.

I think they're showing all reruns because AT's not back from his illness yet.

Those are just mixed, newer HD episodes with older, SD ones.

I have watched every single show this season. The only reruns they ever show are on Saturdays--and even those are from last season, after the switch to HD.

I'm saying that some days during the week, it appears to be in SD for absolutely no reason. I think this is a WLS-DT problem.

As for Alex, he's been back for a while. He made an appearance on the Ellen Degeneres show recently to talk about it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Trebek#2007_heart_attack

Better late than never...

As for Alex, he's been back for a while. He made an appearance on the Ellen Degeneres show recently to talk about it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Trebek#2007_heart_attackOh, OK. I didn't know how serious it was, and how long he was out.

The media probably made it sound worse than it was, like they usually do.

I saw it in SD also, a week or so back, and I thought maybe it was an older episode, because when it's in 4:3, it usually is.

Better late than never...

It's on 753MHz (analog 117). It's tripled with History-HD and HD Theater.

I don't watch AP or HDT much, but I hope HistHD doesn't come out as bad as USA/SciFi/Discovery. On the other hand, HistHD can't make up their mind if their own programs are HD or not. The copy of The Universe I recorded last night was in Stretch-O-Vision. Luckily, I recorded both the SD and HD versions. I'll just watch the SD version again with my TV's ZOOM to get rid of the letterboxing.

Does anyone have a list of the QAM stations for comcast elmurst, illinois? Have just downgraded to basic and have found a few for hd broadcast

Does anyone have a list of the QAM stations for comcast elmurst, illinois? Have just downgraded to basic and have found a few for hd broadcast

I don't know how up to date this is, but you can probably start with the channel numbers in this message (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6081048#post6081048).

Anybody know what hd channels are clear qam in the city? gold coast area?

[QUOTE=FSugino;13105787]I don't know how up to date this is, but you can probably start with the channel numbers in [


thanks

http://www.tvpredictions.com/comcast021408.htm

http://www.tvpredictions.com/comcast021408.htm

Watch our bills jump 50%-60% too. :p

I had similar problems to this only it was Fox and NBC at the time. I worked around it using a signal amp but the long-term fix was when Comcast finally boosted this signal somewhere in the plant outside my house (unbeknownst to me). After that the signal with the amp was actually too hot.

any recs on an amp?
Comcast has lowered our level significantly over the last few months. Now, about 1/3 of the channels get a pleas wait notice when I tune them in..
thanks!

any recs on an amp?
Comcast has lowered our level significantly over the last few months. Now, about 1/3 of the channels get a pleas wait notice when I tune them in..
thanks!
If possible, see if you can rearrange your wiring to get a stronger signal to the box. Also contact Comcast to have them come and check. If you have a weak signal at the source, they need to fix it.

If possible, try simply loosening/tightening all the RF connections you can. You could have one that is not properly tight or getting dirty, or a cable going bad.

Otherwise, if you must use an amp, consider the Motorola 484095-001-00. It's well regarded, decent gain (15dB) and low noise (2.5dB). Stay FAR away from Radio Shack crap. Also, any amp must be 'broadband' or 'digital cable' compatible, which means it allows the upstream signal (below 54MHz) to pass back through. A plain amp will seriously degrade upstream to the point of not allowing 2-way communications.

Watch our bills jump 50%-60% too. :p

But but but...you'll get 50%-60% more customer satisfaction and service, too! :D

But but but...you'll get 50%-60% more customer satisfaction and service, too! :DAnd 70% more ads! :)

Can someone tell me what the audio format is on the music channels (Ch. 700+) that come with Digital Starter? (DD 2.0, DD 5.1, etc???)

Can someone tell me what the audio format is on the music channels (Ch. 700+) that come with Digital Starter? (DD 2.0, DD 5.1, etc???)
They are heavily compressed DD 2.0.

The only 5.1 music is on the HD channels. 'The Tube' used to be 5.1, but it shut down several months ago.

For the past few weeks I've been noticing that the newer PBS shows (Nova, Nature, etc) are sounding really bad on my setup. Dialog is slightly out of sync and there's some kind of heavy reverb or echo distracting enough that I usually just delete the recording.

The echo is present whether I'm using analog output, optical, 2-channel fixed, auto, whatever. I've got a Sony receiver with just L/R speakers. Is this a matter of stuff being mixed for surround and then sounding horrible on 2 channels?

This isn't on all WTTW-D stuff, just the newer episodes of national shows. Has anybody else noticed this? I'm wondering if it shows up on the OTA feed.


And in other complaint-related news, why isn't Sci-Fi HD broadcasting Battlestar Galactica in HD? Did they only buy the SD version of the program? Have they been doesn't some kind of post-production remastering to get things ready for the UHD broadcast?

As somebody mentioned upthread, I think it's pretty bogus that there's no HD OnDemand programming from HBO available.

If possible, see if you can rearrange your wiring to get a stronger signal to the box. Also contact Comcast to have them come and check. If you have a weak signal at the source, they need to fix it.

If possible, try simply loosening/tightening all the RF connections you can. You could have one that is not properly tight or getting dirty, or a cable going bad.

Otherwise, if you must use an amp, consider the Motorola 484095-001-00. It's well regarded, decent gain (15dB) and low noise (2.5dB). Stay FAR away from Radio Shack crap. Also, any amp must be 'broadband' or 'digital cable' compatible, which means it allows the upstream signal (below 54MHz) to pass back through. A plain amp will seriously degrade upstream to the point of not allowing 2-way communications.

Thanks!
I think the problem is wiring in our place, which Comcast won't do anything about, and there's no way to rerun the wiring. Cable enters from the street in the basement, and then gets split off to 13 units. We have about a 200 foot run before it gets to our place of crappy RG6 that doesn't hold a great signal. Some days it's great, but some days it's almost unwatchable.
I'll see if I can get Comcast out, but I think I'll have to buy an amp..

Is there an easy way to activate close captioning?

Right now the only way I can get it to show is to turn off the cable box and go into setup and turn it on.

This is not very convenient.

I am curious as to why the Cable Guide doesnt gray out the channels that you are not getting per your service. This would be a very handy feature. Its impossible to remember which channels are available vs which aren't. This would also be a handy feature for the kids/visitors/etc...

I am tired of flipping through the guide, seeing a show that I want to watch and getting NOT AUTHORIZED!!! :mad:

I am curious as to why the Cable Guide doesnt gray out the channels that you are not getting per your service. This would be a very handy feature. Its impossible to remember which channels are available vs which aren't. This would also be a handy feature for the kids/visitors/etc...

I am tired of flipping through the guide, seeing a show that I want to watch and getting NOT AUTHORIZED!!! :mad:

I think this is their version of "marketing".

I am curious as to why the Cable Guide doesnt gray out the channels that you are not getting per your service. This would be a very handy feature. Its impossible to remember which channels are available vs which aren't. This would also be a handy feature for the kids/visitors/etc...

I am tired of flipping through the guide, seeing a show that I want to watch and getting NOT AUTHORIZED!!! :mad:

The best way is to set up a FAVORITES list. When the Guide is on-screen, hit the FAV button and it will only display what is in your favorites (it will also reset the screen to start at the lowest channel.)
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Using_i-Guide/User_Setup#Favorite_Lists_Setup