Originally posted by SamR.
So, you watched the Sopranos on the SD channel of HBO since the VOD doesn't work for HBO-HD? Or am I misunderstanding you?

There is no HD content in the VOD system - it's all SD.

Since 24 isn't one of the programs available in VOD, I watched it on Sunday evening. The Sopranos is on multiple times during the week on multiple HBO channels, but I got impatient and just watched it on the VOD system (in the HBO On Demand section).

Way back when TCI owned the cable service, they had a nice VOD system which concentrated mainly on daily programming instead of the movies and cable channel packages that Comcast has today. I wish Comcast would add some of that to the system - I'd love to see The Daily Show whenever I wanted :)

Any word on HD VOD?

FSugino and vj9999,
Thanks for the explanations.

I called to have a tech out to install a digital box to a TV upstairs that I've been watching for years without a box...I need a 4-6 time slot because of work and weekend obligations...she told me there were zero openings for the rest of April and thru all of May.

At that point I said no thanks to setting up an appointment for a 5 minute install more than 6 weeks down the road. Apparently Comcast has some areas that are self upgradeable (you get the privilege of connecting your own box instead of having/paying a tech to come out and do it), but Schaumburg (my area at the least) is not one of them.

Nice touch Comcast.

yeah i agree with you, i dont see why comcast will not let all of its areas do self installs, its not like hooking up a STB is rocket science and plus as long as they dont advertise it the average joe wouldnt even ask about it. I mean i dont see why i have to pay an install fee just to update my 5100 to a 6200

Originally posted by LaxStar18
yeah i agree with you, i dont see why comcast will not let all of its areas do self installs, its not like hooking up a STB is rocket science and plus as long as they dont advertise it the average joe wouldnt even ask about it. I mean i dont see why i have to pay an install fee just to update my 5100 to a 6200

No kiddin...and in my case I have a cable already run to the TV, all I need to do is screw in a couple f-connectors. I even stopped at the Comcast office to pick up the STB, so they didn't even need to send anyone to my house.

As far as updating your 5100 goes...I had a 5100 downstairs that seemed to be a little quirky (the box would freeze from time to time and I'd have to unplug it to reboot - and then at times it would freeze for a minute or two at a time almost on a nightly basis) so I called Comcast to have them replace the box. They brought out a 6200 and installed it at no charge.

Be sure to explain how it's the box that is freezing up and not the TV. I had one very frustrating conversation with a CSR who could not seem to understand that it was the box that was freezing up. She kept telling me to make sure the cables were connected correctly...how many TV's do you have hooked up...etc.

I finally said I'll call back later and basically hung up on her. The Saturday after I called a tech showed up at my house with a new box (although I had made no appointment).

Good luck.

Tom

So long story short, I now have a 6200 with FW 7.07, better signal (no more breakup on HD channels, sp. 188 & 190), and I also have VOD!! Woo-hoo!! :D

All right, so the VOD still doesn't have a lot, but it is cool.

From the time I called for a tech to come out, to the time everything was fixed was over a week. After 4 tech appoitments, 6 or 7 CSRs, 1 manager, 2 boxes, and a $20 credit to my account, everything is OK. The techs who came out were fine (in fact the last 2 who came out Sat were great). The CSRs were horrible (scheduling appoitments that I never made) and the manager was OK. But to balance that, I am very happy with the HD and everything else associated with Comcast. So I'm happy.

Oh, and FWIW, I'm in Wheeling, but right on the border of Buffalo Grove. So this area must be next for VOD.


tim

this is great to hear, im in northbrook, on the northbrook wheeling border, so maybe ill be getting VOD soon, i know it does not have a lot on it, but i always love new things, although i am on the morton grove system since i am unincorerated but we will see

Originally posted by STayfair
I called to have a tech out to install a digital box to a TV upstairs that I've been watching for years without a box...I need a 4-6 time slot because of work and weekend obligations...she told me there were zero openings for the rest of April and thru all of May.

At that point I said no thanks to setting up an appointment for a 5 minute install more than 6 weeks down the road. Apparently Comcast has some areas that are self upgradeable (you get the privilege of connecting your own box instead of having/paying a tech to come out and do it), but Schaumburg (my area at the least) is not one of them.

Nice touch Comcast.

Comcast apparently scheduled a service call on Sunday afternoon (without telling me). I just happened to be pulling in the driveway when the Comcast guy was getting ready to leave. Stroke of luck ;)

I got my box installed and didn't have to wait until June after all.

That's twice in six weeks that Comcast has scheduled an appointment without telling me...no wonder the techs are so busy.

This guy mentioned something of a DVR and dual-tuner DVR being offered possibly sometime this year. Anyone hear of this? Any threads here about this? HD capable too. He said the reason they don't have them yet is that Motorola cannot get them enough yet to roll them out. He sounded pretty confident...but who knows. I'll trust this forum for my information long before a CSR or field tech.

Tom

(edit - I found this thread after I posted... ( Moxi DVR (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=395434) )

This board has everything :)

yeah i have heard of the single tuner DVR it is the moto 6208 i do believe, as for the dual tuner DVR i know there is plans for one but i had not heard of a tentative release date on it

I just got a new download on my 6200, it took about 10 minutes to download. The VOD menu is showing up, but I am guessing it will take a little bit for it to become available (it is saying it has problems accessing the VOD server). Firmware is still 7.07

Yeah, it took almost a day for the VOD stuff to actually start working. My firmware version didn't change after the upgrade - it's still 7.07.

does anyone have VOD on a 5100 or is it just on 6200's?

VOD showed up here as well. I've got a 6200 so I'm not sure it it's just the 6200's that are receiving it.

Andy

I too wonder if VOD is available on the 5100 or should I upgrade to the 6200. Anyone in Evanston got VOD yet?

i mean i think it would be available on all digital STB's since it is not a HD thing, and it would make more sense seeing as how there is ppv content, but you never know with comcast

I would guess that it's 6200 only. Mainly because of FW 7.07 I don't think anyone has 7.07 with a 5100. I didn't get 7.07 until the 6200 was hooked up.


tim

I don't think that FW version has anything to do with VOD. It is my understanding that it should work with any digital cable box (including dct 2224, 5100 and 6200).

I am wondering what was really downloaded to my box yesterday when they enabled VOD. I thought that SW version would be different, but it is still saying 51.22 - 2002 .

My VOD was working fine as of this morning and there is plenty of content. You can watch concerts, cartoons, anime, movies, music videos, all kinds of documentary stuff. As long as they keep updating content on frequent basis VOD should be a good added bonus.

I'm guessing VOD is available for either 5100 or 6200 boxes. I got a pamphlet in the mail from Comcast advertising VOD service, and I don't see them going out and replacing all the 5100 boxes out there.

Anyone in Mundelein, Vernon Hills, or Libertyville got VOD yet?

I am still waiting....

i have a 5100 and my sw version's 7.07 btw

yeah i also have 7.07 firmware on my 5100, but yeah i think VOD is for all digital cable subscribers, I'm guessing its more of a coincidence that the people on here all have it on a 6200, i mean if you think about for every one forum user in a given area say schaumburg there are a much greater number of subscribers who probably don't even know what a forum is, and being as though all of us here want the latest and greatest i think most have upgraded their STB's

Looking for confirmation from anyone within the city limits who has a 6200 with active firewire outputs.

Comcast has told me the 6200 is not available in the city. They also tell me that there's no FCC requirement that they provide firewire, despite evidence to the contrary. Please view this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=396477) for more on the issue.

I've seen in other threads that WPWR-DT (UPN) has been up and running for awhile now. Any word whether Comcast will pick this up anytime soon?

WPWR-DT isn't broadcasting in HD just yet (480p, I believe), so I'm not sure if Comcast is exactly rushing to add this to the HD channel tier. If you search for the WPWR message thread, you'll see the details about the infrastructure work going on (scheduled to complete by end of June).

Just out of curiosity, how many HD shows does UPN broadcast anyway? I've seen occasional messages about Star Trek in HD, but not much else.

Yeah - I realize they're not HD yet, but neither is WFLD. I know they are "sister" stations, so in my simplicity I figured Comcast would probably give them similar treatment. My analog WPWR isn't great, so even 480p would be a welcome change.

Originally posted by kblee
Yeah - I realize they're not HD yet, but neither is WFLD. I know they are "sister" stations, so in my simplicity I figured Comcast would probably give them similar treatment. My analog WPWR isn't great, so even 480p would be a welcome change.
What is the channel # that WPWR-DT is assigned to?

Thanks,

Originally posted by SamR.
What is the channel # that WPWR-DT is assigned to?



As far as I can tell, WPWR-DT can only be received OTA. Comcast doesn't currently carry WPWR-DT in Chicago. When they begin broadcasting in HD (if not sooner), I'd hope Comcast would add it to their list of DT locals.

Originally posted by SamR.
What is the channel # that WPWR-DT is assigned to?

WPWR is on channel 51 (remaps to 50.01).

Originally posted by kblee
Yeah - I realize they're not HD yet, but neither is WFLD. I know they are "sister" stations, so in my simplicity I figured Comcast would probably give them similar treatment.

WFLD broadcasts the Fox widescreen programming, so there is value in adding the 480p signal to the HD tier. Since WPWR isn't yet capable of passing along widescreen/HD programming, there's no real benefit over the analog WPWR signal (well, okay - you'll get a cleaner SD picture, but no widescreen). That's why I think Comcast is taking their time.

And to answer your original question, I haven't heard if/when Comcast plans to add WPWR to the Chicago line-up.

Originally posted by FSugino
WPWR is on channel 51 (remaps to 50.01).
Thanks. I'll try to see if my Samsung picks it up.

Does anyone know what's supposed to show up on channel 1? I just noticed that the channel listing has it, but the programming info shows "To Be Announced."


Also: Happy Birthday to this thread! It's almost a year old...

Originally posted by FSugino
Does anyone know what's supposed to show up on channel 1? I just noticed that the channel listing has it, but the programming info shows "To Be Announced."


Also: Happy Birthday to this thread! It's almost a year old...

I don't have video on demand yet, but I believe it's an alternate way to get into the VOD area/menu.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
I don't have video on demand yet, but I believe it's an alternate way to get into the VOD area/menu.

I believe that is correct as well. Few months ago when I called comcast to ask about VOD, they told me that when it launches it will show you the new menu and it will also be accessible by going to channel 1.

I'm liking VOD so far. A lot of content for free. I can't complain. Once they have HD as well it will be even better.

Anyone else notice audio / video breakups on CBS-DT last night? I watched from 8:00-10:00 and the picture kept freezing / pixelizing and the audio would drop out as well...very annoying. I flipped the channel several times and didn't notice any problems with other HD channels.

Yeah, I noticed that during CSI:Miami. No pixelation for me, but the screen did freeze several times for a few seconds each time. This was via Comcast.

Originally posted by kblee
Anyone else notice audio / video breakups on CBS-DT last night? I watched from 8:00-10:00 and the picture kept freezing / pixelizing and the audio would drop out as well...very annoying. I flipped the channel several times and didn't notice any problems with other HD channels.

Yep (through comcast), it really sucked trying to watch CSI Miami with all the audio and video dropouts. In addition to the dropouts, if I didn't know better, comcast is compressing the signal more than before. The slightest action in any scene is causing pixelation.

I noticed it also when watching the 8-9pm shows in HD. I taped CSI:Miami and hope that these freezes did not cause a problem with replay capturing the data on the SD CBS channel.

yeah i saw it also mainly noticed it during the 7-8 shows, as for compressing the signal, i was under the assumption that they did not compress the HD channels.

Originally posted by kblee
Anyone else notice audio / video breakups on CBS-DT last night? I watched from 8:00-10:00 and the picture kept freezing / pixelizing and the audio would drop out as well...very annoying. I flipped the channel several times and didn't notice any problems with other HD channels.


I had the same problems on CBS-DT through Comcast last night between 7:00-10:00. I had to switch to SD CBS because it got so bad. This is the first time I have had this type of problem on Comcast in almost a year. Do you think they are aware of the problem?

Originally posted by 2muchtv
I had the same problems on CBS-DT through Comcast last night between 7:00-10:00. I had to switch to SD CBS because it got so bad. This is the first time I have had this type of problem on Comcast in almost a year. Do you think they are aware of the problem?

After seeing that I wasn't the only one to experience this, I called Comcast this morning. They're sending someone out on Saturday to "check my signal strength". I'm seriously doubting that's the issue, but sometimes you have to play the game. It probably wouldn't hurt for others to let them know about this as well.

kblee:

Maybe WBBMTOM is still monitoring the forum and can alert his contacts at Comcast. I seem to remember a similar problem awhile back that had to do with Comcast's connection to the WBBM feed.

You guys are correct, channel one now identifies itself as "On Demand."

More dropouts and pixelation on WBBM-DT last night! It completely spoiled the big surpise ending on N.C.I.S. My wife gives me the stink eye every time that happens...."your HDTV is at it again"

Come on guys, you're killin' me.

yup i got it too, stopped watching CBS, but i noticed it on WGN also so im not sure it is a cbs problem could be a comcast problem

Lax:

I'm thinking you're right. I noticed it on Fox last night as well.

I checked the message at noon and it was an advertisement for the premiere showing of The Hulk on one of the premium stations this weekend (I think it was Starz!).

Yesterday's message was an advertisement for Comcast's digital phone service.

It was rampnat yesterday on all feeds. I checked and just when I thought NBC was the only one W/O the problem the picture froze for a second then continued. Why do they treat us like goofs. If every one is having the problem it can't be on the receiving end.

Could these dropout/pixelation issues be due to the work they are doing on the system for VOD? I know I started to notice the dropouts around the same time that channel 1 showed up in the guide. I hope the bandwidth required for VOD doesn't affect the signal strength of the HDTV channels.

I still noticed the dropouts this morning during the news, switched over to OTA and CBS was totally unwatchable, signal strength was around 28, most of the other channels are in the 70-90 range. I haven't seen dropouts on the other channels so I can't comment on that. But the CBS problem isn't just on Comcast, Comcast is actually better than OTA.

Andy

While watching the Cubs game this afternoon I noticed "blinking." It wasn't digital breakup or anything I've seen before. The best way I can describe it is "blinking." I have Comcast Digital Cable with a 6200 going to a Hitachi 51F500 via DVI. I switched to component; same thing. I then checked the SD feed and no blinking. I also checked the other HD channels and they were fine. Anybody have the same thing?

tim

We have traced the problem with the HD signal Wednesday night to a piece of equipment in the WBBM chain and all has been taken care of. This was not a Comcast issue.

Tom Schnecke
VP, Broadcast Operations & Engineering
WBBM-TV, Chicago

Thanks Tom.

Thanks for the update Tom.

I have also noticed the blinking that occurs during HD baseball telecasts on WGN. I have noticed this for both Cubs and White Sox games. As has previously been said, it is not the more typical "blocking" that occurs when the signal is low, rather the picture "disappears for a split second. Didn't get a chance to see the Cubs game, but it happened very frequently during the last White Sox game. It happened so much that I switched to SD.

Thanks for the quick fix Tom, on another note i haven't noticed the blinking on WGN, though i have not been able to watch many of the HD games, but maybe it is a problem with their equipment, i mean they are new to the HD game so could be one of those bugs they need to work out. But yes i would find it annoying, i don't like when things interrupt my cubbies

it seems like the blinking only occurs when they show the picture from the outfield camera at the cubs games

Anyone subscribe to the Comcast HDTV service on top of only the $12 "antenna" service? This is not the basic cable package or any of the digital packages. From what I understand, it's just the locals and locals in HD.

I haven't been able to watch much Sox in HD, so I haven't noticed it there. And it's not just the outfield camera. It's intermittent on all cameras and during commercials. So it's somewhere after the cameras.


tim

The blinking is a Comcast issue, it does not happen OTA.

hum interesting maybe its time for us to all call and complain the the reps who will probably say something like "Sir, we appreciate your time, but at this time we do not currently offer WGN-HD, so it can not be our problem" anyways anyone else getting annoyed with the messages on your box about Starz movie premiers. First the hulk then i come home last night to one about finding nemo. They are really trying to push the Starz pack huh

dmk1974,

Yes, I'm signed up for just the basic cable and HD. I paid just $5 extra for the box and $12 for the basic channels. I've also added HBO as an a la carte addition for another $16. Though I may drop it as I'm not that impressed with the programming thus far and it's not OAR, so I still prefer DVD.

Overall, I'm very pleased, watching sports and shows is an entirely new experience.

KenK,

What channels do you get then via that box and/or without the box?

For example, at the present time, I only subscribe to the Comcast HSI service, though I do see that I get ch 2-99 as well through the line. I don't watch it since I have DirecTV, but I'm just curious how they are able to send certain channel ranges through the lines and block others.

well scrambling is done via scrambling the channels frequency on analog tv, this can be done either via removable filters on your line, or scrambling done at the CO requiring you to have a box, to unscramble the channel. the channels above 99 are digital channels, so they have a little more control over them, since you are required (as of right now) to have a STB to view since no TVs have built in digital tuners, the cable company sends your access info to the STB telling it which channels you are able to receive and which you are not. I think i got this all right but if i missed anything or got something wrong, feel free to correct me.

Originally posted by LaxStar18
well scrambling is done via scrambling the channels frequency on analog tv, this can be done either via removable filters on your line, or scrambling done at the CO requiring you to have a box, to unscramble the channel. the channels above 99 are digital channels, so they have a little more control over them, since you are required (as of right now) to have a STB to view since no TVs have built in digital tuners, the cable company sends your access info to the STB telling it which channels you are able to receive and which you are not. I think i got this all right but if i missed anything or got something wrong, feel free to correct me.

The QAM tuner in my LG 3410A picks up a bunch of audio channels and WGN-HD. That's it. My area (Old Town) does not officially have HD yet, but should have it by the end of May.

While the upgrade work has been going on, things have changed. For a while, I was getting all of the digital channels in the clear via the 3410A. Then everything disappeared, except as mentioned above.

I don't know how this stuff works. I'm just commenting, trying to figure out how this fits in to your explanation --- or any explanation.

I guess I thought that the 3410A would pick up a scrambled picture on scrambled digital channels. It does not. If Comcast sends the digital channel to the Comcast box, why would it not appear in some fashion on the 3410A?

Maybe "in the clear" channels are simply a different frequency the the 3410A can pick up. And the "scrambled" channels are not really scrambled, just in a range that the 3410A cannot get?

This isn't an HD question, but this is the most relevant thread I've found for my concern. I have Comcast cable in Chicago and have found the NBA playoffs on TNT to have just about the worst picture quality I've ever seen. Objects in motion (such as players) look like they are disintegrating/phasing in and out/pixelating -- it's very hard to describe. Has anyone else noticed this? Other shows on TNT look completely normal, this is just during the basketball games. All my other channels are fine, and the HD is spectacular, but this is really pissing me off!

Originally posted by dmk1974
Anyone subscribe to the Comcast HDTV service on top of only the $12 "antenna" service? This is not the basic cable package or any of the digital packages. From what I understand, it's just the locals and locals in HD.

When you have hsi service without cable tv service, a filter can be put on the line to only allow hsi service. Since you are getting 2-99, no such filter is on your line.

When you add the "locals only" service, you should only get a handful of channels, but in reality you will get exactly the same thing (2-99) you are getting now, no more, no less. When you have HSI service and ANY cable tv service, the filter has to be removed from your line. The net effect is that channels 2-99 can't be stopped from entering your house.

When you pay the extra $5 for the HD box lease, you will then get channels 2-99 thru the HD box, the digital guide and the HD channels. You won't get hbo/showtime thru the box, but you can get them thru the direct cable feed. The quality of every channel under 100, comming thru the box pretty much sucks, so I only use the box for HD content and occasionally for the guide.

Is anyone else experiencing problems with their HD channels? Earlier today nbc, cbs, fox and pbs had "one moment please...this channel should be available shortly". Right now those channels are back, but ESPNHD, INHD 1&2 and ABC have that message.

I was up by O'Hare today and saw that a Comcast billboard was going up advertising the Cubs and Sox games in HD. It is viewable on 294S coming from the north subs. Good move Comcast!!!

Originally posted by vj9999
Is anyone else experiencing problems with their HD channels? Earlier today nbc, cbs, fox and pbs had "one moment please...this channel should be available shortly". Right now those channels are back, but ESPNHD, INHD 1&2 and ABC have that message.

Yeah, same here. VOD was flaky for a while, too, but that seems to be back online.

Originally posted by vj9999
Is anyone else experiencing problems with their HD channels? Earlier today nbc, cbs, fox and pbs had "one moment please...this channel should be available shortly". Right now those channels are back, but ESPNHD, INHD 1&2 and ABC have that message.

Yea, last night when I got home, ESPNHD, INHD 1 & 2, and ABC-DT were gone. I called this morning after noticing they were still gone. She had me re-set my box, only that caused the box to go crazy. Oh yeah, she also cut me off and I had to call back. So now my box is in perpetual downloading mode and a tech won't be coming until Friday evening. Why doesn't Comcast realize that people work during the day and can't always take time off during the day??? I had such great service from October until about February and since then it's been really crappy. :mad: If it wasn't for the fact that I'm happy with their content compared to my other options, I would considering dropping them.


tim

[QUOTE]Originally posted by phaseshift
[B]Looking for confirmation from anyone within the city limits who has a 6200 with active firewire outputs.

Comcast has told me the 6200 is not available in the city. They also tell me that there's no FCC requirement that they provide firewire, despite evidence to the contrary.



Phaseshift, the firewire capability has been enabled in my Moto 6200 box for Comcast Chicago. You might want to make sure that you have firmware version 7.1. If firewire is not enabled in your box yet you might want to swap boxes to see if that helps.

Originally posted by grateful1
Phaseshift, the firewire capability has been enabled in my Moto 6200 box for Comcast Chicago. You might want to make sure that you have firmware version 7.1. If firewire is not enabled in your box yet you might want to swap boxes to see if that helps.

I had a 5100. Comcast told me I couldn't have a 6200; they weren't available in Chicago yet. Then on Friday last week, 4 days after the FCC told me "we'll have our lawyers talk to their lawyers," Comcast called me to offer a 6200! They said they were under no obligation to, of course, but they had one available. It was installed Saturday!

Unfortunately, the firmware is 7.07, which explains the freeze and dropouts that are occuring in my recordings. Anybody know who I gotta schmooze to get the firmware updated?

:confused:

Originally posted by phaseshift
Unfortunately, the firmware is 7.07, which explains the freeze and dropouts that are occuring in my recordings. Anybody know who I gotta schmooze to get the firmware updated?

In this case, you have to sit back and wait. Comcast is slowly releasing the 7.10 firmware in other markets; it'll eventually be rolled out in the Chicago region.

Unfortunately, the firmware is 7.07, which explains the freeze and dropouts that are occuring in my recordings. Anybody know who I gotta schmooze to get the firmware updated?


I talked to 4 Comcast techs today and it was truely a test of my patience. Finally I got a tech that had some helpful information. According to the tech, the 7.1 firmware version should be updated to all Comcast boxes by July or August. I am assuming that they are forced to have 7.1 ready before they introduce the Moto 6208 DVR which will need this updated firmware in order for the firewire to function properly.

Guess I'm not the only one missing some hd channels. After some assistance from comcast, I am now missing all of them.:( .

They are coming thursday morning to "fix" it. I also have a feeling the problem is not in my house if everyone else is having the problem too.

Originally posted by Lee Heytow
Guess I'm not the only one missing some hd channels. After some assistance from comcast, I am now missing all of them.:( .

They are coming thursday morning to "fix" it. I also have a feeling the problem is not in my house if everyone else is having the problem too.

All of the HD channels are working here as of this morning. However, the VOD system is a little flaky. The video voice-over that usually plays on the VOD screen isn't working, but I can call up VOD programs without a problem. Also, maybe one out of ten attempts to get into the VOD system will result in an error message saying it can't reach the VOD server.

I wonder if Comcast around here is doing a lot of work on the infrastructure, or are these weather related problems?

hey at least you have VOD, i still dont have it over here

no VOD here either

I am scheduled to have the HDTV box installed this coming Friday. Is there any way to know which receiver model I will be getting? Is it correct that the 6200 is the preferred model over the 5100? If so, what are the differences?

Originally posted by dmk1974
I am scheduled to have the HDTV box installed this coming Friday. Is there any way to know which receiver model I will be getting? Is it correct that the 6200 is the preferred model over the 5100? If so, what are the differences?

The 6200 has active DVI, Firewire and Video On Demand (if your comcast office supports that). The 5100 does not. Model number is on the bottom of the unit. I suggest you call Comcast and specifically tell them you want a 6200.

CORRECTION 5/16: I was incorrect: The 5100 can do Video on Demand. Sorry for the misinformation.

So I come home last night to pick up my wife to go to the White Sox game and decide to flip on the tele and see if my cable is working. Lo and behold, it's working! :D And I have all my channels. :D :D So now I can go to my boss's party on Friday! :D :D :D

tim

Well, I got my DCT6200 box installed today. I am now subscrbing to:

Comcast HSI: $42.95
Comcast Antenna TV Service: $11.99
Comcast HDTV: $5.00

Via the box, it looks like I am getting ch 2-99, 187-192 (or whatever it is for the Chicago locals in HD), and the music channels (I think in the 700's or 800's). Picture looks pretty good. I have the cable line split from the wall with one to my Series 1 SA Tivo and the other to the DCT6200. Should the channels 2-99 via the 6200 look any better than straight from the wall? It's hard for me to tell. I'm just contemplating connecting the Tivo to the 6200 (I know it won't record in HD) and controlling it with a serial cable.

Is anyone else doing this?

Phaseshift: I noticed you said the 6200 gets VOD but implied that the 5100 does not, has this been confirmed anywhere because i don't see how the box should have any relevance on the VOD seeing as how they run the same firmware and software

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Phaseshift: I noticed you said the 6200 gets VOD but implied that the 5100 does not, has this been confirmed anywhere because i don't see how the box should have any relevance on the VOD seeing as how they run the same firmware and software

I could be wrong; that's what I thought I read, but I don't have the energy to look it up. Sorry if I've posted misleading information. If someone can confirm which is true, I'll go back and edit my post.:confused:

Since this is the Chicagoland Comcast thread, I'll ask here.

Is anyone else having lip sync issues on the Cinemax HD channel? I have for a while. I have the 6200 box with 7.07 firmware.

I don't notice it on any other HD channel (I get all that comcast offers).

Thanks,

Originally posted by jsjames
Is anyone else having lip sync issues on the Cinemax HD channel? I have for a while. I have the 6200 box with 7.07 firmware.

I don't notice it on any other HD channel (I get all that comcast offers). [/B]

I just tuned into Daredevil and it looks fine here. All my other HD stations are in sync, too.

Originally posted by phaseshift
I could be wrong; that's what I thought I read, but I don't have the energy to look it up. Sorry if I've posted misleading information. If someone can confirm which is true, I'll go back and edit my post.:confused:

My neighbors still have the 5100 box and they have VOD.

So anyone been reading about the MOXI box Comcast may be rolling out? I more i hear about it the more i want it but then again im still waiting for VOD so i bet ill really be waiting for that

Originally posted by FSugino
My neighbors still have the 5100 box and they have VOD.

Thanks for the info. I have corrected my original post. Sorry!

Originally posted by jsjames
Since this is the Chicagoland Comcast thread, I'll ask here.

Is anyone else having lip sync issues on the Cinemax HD channel? I have for a while. I have the 6200 box with 7.07 firmware.

I don't notice it on any other HD channel (I get all that comcast offers).

Thanks,

Hi Jeff,
no, I do not see any issues. I have recorded from this channel to via 1394 and have no problems.

Originally posted by dmk1974
Should the channels 2-99 via the 6200 look any better than straight from the wall? It's hard for me to tell. I'm just contemplating connecting the Tivo to the 6200 (I know it won't record in HD) and controlling it with a serial cable.
Is anyone else doing this?

i have a 6200 and series 1 tivo as well. in my experience, i get better picture quality from the tivo if i connect the 6200 to it via s-video compared to a straight RF cable connection. however, i decided to keep them separate so i can record on the tivo while watching another live show on the 6200.

Anyone else have NO AUDIO on ESPN-HD last night? All other channels were fine so I watched CBS instead. I noticed it as soon as I got home (6:30 PM) and it still was out as of 10:30. Great picture on the hockey game, but lack of audio is quite annoying.

The baseball game and the NHL playoff game were both missing audio last night.

Originally posted by kblee
Anyone else have NO AUDIO on ESPN-HD last night? All other channels were fine so I watched CBS instead. I noticed it as soon as I got home (6:30 PM) and it still was out as of 10:30. Great picture on the hockey game, but lack of audio is quite annoying.

ESPN HD on cable had no audio but ESPNH (DirecTv) did.

I had the same thing last night, but this morning it was fine.

tim

so the espnHD audio trouble was a comcast problem not an espn problem?

My Comcast service (HD Cable and Internet) have been dead since late last night (we got nailed with storms in Cary). I am dialed up right now which sucks. Anyone else with service disruptions since the storm?

Re: ESPN HD
I'm not sure whose problem it was, but at least by me it's fixed now.

Re: Storms
Service still connected here. So far no storms have knocked out anything.


tim

In Lake in the Hills we got nailed with storms as well.....but, no Comcast problems at all

Gov

the espnHD audio was fixed late in the philly-tb game monday night btw

I have a buddy who works for Best Buy and he was told, by a Comcast rep, that DiscoveryHD most likely will be added to the line-up by next month. Has anyone else received any info that might be a little more concrete?

Originally posted by SamR.
I have a buddy who works for Best Buy and he was told, by a Comcast rep, that DiscoveryHD most likely will be added to the line-up by next month. Has anyone else received any info that might be a little more concrete?

If you scout around in the HD Programming forum, you'll see a few threads concerning DiscoveryHD coming to Comcast. One trusted source confirms it, but didn't give a timeframe for when it'll go live.

yeah I've heard its coming but not sure when. Has anyone seen any channels being moved around, namely analog being moved to digital, that is usually a sign of new things coming since they usually need to free up some bandwidth especially for HD channels

JWhip is the user with inside knowledge of Comcast activities. Check out his post here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3817326#post3817326) for more info. Less than a month for the Pennsylvania area!

its funny that you posted that, i just finished reading that thread. sounds very promising

Going to ask this one again.

Anyone in the downtown area have HD yet?

Well it appears CBSHD is on the fritz again, been trying to watch CSI and I'm getting bunch of pixilazation, sound drop outs, and freezes. Not sure but it could have to do with the bad weather.

WOW! CBS sucks tonight. Comcast & OTA are both unwatchable, had to switch over to analog 2.

UGH....

Andy

I am listening to 702 country and there are breakups with each flash of lighting. This is the first delivery issue I have had with cable.

Considering the storm that just passed through here (lightning, thunder, pouring rain, lots of large hail) I'm surprised it's running at all.

But that's cable's main selling point against satellite. Your picture doesn't go out in the rain :)

I've seen cable signals degrade when there were heavy storms passing through my area. Besides, the national CBS feed gets to WBBM by satellite, doesn't it? There always seems to be a satellite somewhere in the equation...

I have D* and my signal didn't go out last night!!! Figured it would, but it didn't???

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Well it appears CBSHD is on the fritz again, been trying to watch CSI and I'm getting bunch of pixilazation, sound drop outs, and freezes. Not sure but it could have to do with the bad weather.

Last I heard was "on or about" May 20 at North and Wells. Still no further official word, but I am picking up WGN-DT consistently via the QAM tuner on my LST-3410A. I did a CADTV scan last night, but there was nothing new.

Originally posted by FSugino
I've seen cable signals degrade when there were heavy storms passing through my area. Besides, the national CBS feed gets to WBBM by satellite, doesn't it? There always seems to be a satellite somewhere in the equation...

I've had the same issues. No weather issues has always been the reason I wanted cable over satellite, I guess that's not true anymore. They must have a satellite in the chain somewhere.

I'm a DirecTV subscriber, but plan to add Comcast when the 6208 PVR receiver becomes available. Anyone heard a projected date?

Not sure on when the 6208 is going to be availible, or if it will be now that Comcast has decided to give the new Moxi boxes a try, which offer much better features and is more tivo like

After lot of calls to Comcast Aurora, I finally got 6200 and connected it to my Mits with IEEE 1394 cable....and what a pq difference; given the fact I have been using Monster 3 Component cables. With the new setup the colors are better defined and contrast is great.

However, I have a question. In my setup, as soon as I switch my device from Comcast HD tuner (1394 based) to anything else (component cable connection) the 6200 powers off. I can't tell whats telling it turn off, whether its a signal from Mits or its own determination of inactivity on FireWire cable. Any thoughts will be appreciated...

...thanks for your help

lovehd

Originally posted by lovehd
However, I have a question. In my setup, as soon as I switch my device from Comcast HD tuner (1394 based) to anything else (component cable connection) the 6200 powers off. I can't tell whats telling it turn off, whether its a signal from Mits or its own determination of inactivity on FireWire cable. Any thoughts will be appreciated...

most likely it is NetCommand. if i have a source on the tv that is set to output audio to TV (source 1) and another source output to a receiver (source 2); if i switch from source 2 to 1, NetCommand will turn off the receiver.

Correct.

Has this already been covered? Comcast Sportsnet HD???

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=405296

I posted it back in October and in April, but it never hurts to hear it again :) I think it is a great news.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3659987#post3659987

Ooops, sorry, I should have searched more.

Originally posted by kippjones
Correct.

Is there a solution to this (not turning off the Comcast HD box). Its really a pain if I have to go Comp Device to move channels or see whats On. I think I shouldn't use FireWire but PQ is so much better... what gives :(

Nothing wrong by me, but I do have a question out of curiousity.

Does anyone else not have any ad content? I have the 6200 box with 7.07, and the ad spots don't have ads. (Not that the cable takes it out, but just for completist sake it's this way both with DVI and component). The ads are there, but no content. I can't remember offhand, but it says something like "One moment please" in these ad spots. Anyone else?


tim

Originally posted by timdgibson
Does anyone else not have any ad content? I have the 6200 box with 7.07, and the ad spots don't have ads. (Not that the cable takes it out, but just for completist sake it's this way both with DVI and component). The ads are there, but no content. I can't remember offhand, but it says something like "One moment please" in these ad spots. Anyone else?


I brought this up a while back here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3614559#post3614559) . You can see some of the blank spots in these screenshots (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3664560#post3664560).

Originally posted by FSugino
I brought this up a while back here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3614559#post3614559) . You can see some of the blank spots in these screenshots (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3664560#post3664560).

Yep, that's it. Good to know I'm not the only one. ;)


tim

yeah i have that too, i started once i got the 7.07 firmware. I think comcast finally decided to listen to the people and ditch the annoying ads

Originally posted by lovehd
Is there a solution to this (not turning off the Comcast HD box). Its really a pain if I have to go Comp Device to move channels or see whats On. I think I shouldn't use FireWire but PQ is so much better... what gives :(
for what it's worth, the Comcast box should turn back on once you switch back to it...

Check out this thread - Bob Olsen indicates that FOX (WFLD) is now upconverting all programming to 720p.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=406471

Originally posted by memnoch
for what it's worth, the Comcast box should turn back on once you switch back to it...
Yeah - correct but I am getting use to it but its surely PITA having to switch device on tv and then turning the receiver on again

Thanks...

Anybody have a 6208? Someone in Lake Zurich reportedly has one. See http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=393623&perpage=20&pagenumber=3


tim

I just called Comcast (because my cable is out) and as an aside asked about the current upgrade work in the Old Town area. The CSR said upgrades are complete and HD is available. I'm set up for a Friday morning apointment. Supposedly only 5100's are available here, but I asked to make a note to bring a 6200 if available.

The CSR said the 6200 and 6208 would be officially available around the end of August.

You would think that Comcast would be trumpeting news of HD and other advanced services like crazy. But, no! If I hadn't called, I wouldn't know. Comcast is so efficient.

Originally posted by timdgibson
Anybody have a 6208? Someone in Lake Zurich reportedly has one.


I called Comcast and got someone who seemed to know a little about it. He said they're doing a launch on a community by community basis, and it started on April 29. Apparently the far northern suburbs will get the box first (he mentioned the Great Lakes area), followed by the far western suburbs (he mentioned Rochelle and DeKalb). He said rollouts would then come in toward Chicago, with the city getting the box last.

Now, as for "the box" - I asked about the Motorola 6208, but the CSR didn't know if that was it. However, he specifically mentioned the box having dual tuners so you can record one channel while watching another. This would mean the Moto 64xx series, which is exactly the one I want!

So, as a follow-on to Tim's question: does anyone in the far northern/western burbs have a Moto 64xx box?

the moto 64xx box? thats the moxi box right? i dont even think comcast has started testing them yet but boy would i love to have one

Actually the Moto 6400 is not the Moxi box; it is a true Motorola product. The only difference between the 6208 and the 6400 is that it has dual tuners and a larger hard drive. You can find out more information about the 6400 at Moto's website. http://gicout60.gic.gi.com/customer_docs/user.html

What 's up with 192 (WGN) in Spanish. Who do we call?

Originally posted by Lee Heytow
What 's up with 192 (WGN) in Spanish. Who do we call?
I'm not at home, so I can't test anything for you, but every time something similar happens to me, it is always do to SAP being enabled. Did you (or someone in your house) inadvertantly turn sap on?

IT's been like that ever since White Sox game ended. Channel 9 is fine, but 192 is in spanish.

Ah yes i was thinking of the BMC9012, sorry about that, all the box numbers mush together in my head after awhile

My guess is that the cable company's ATSC tuner is locked on 9-2 instead of 9-1, and that's what they're putting on Channel 192 for everyone. Same exact video as 9-1, but the 9-2 audio is usually in Spanish. Try giving them a call...

the problem was corrected in time for the news btw

The Comcast guy brought my HD box this afternoon (Old Town) and amazingly showed up with a 6200!

WGN-DT is excellent.

ABC-DT was breaking up until late afternoon, but the 5:00 news was solid (but stretched, of course).

No CBS, NBC, FOX, or WTTW HD yet. Upgrade work continues in the area.

ESPN-HD is present. Is that a free channel?

Two InHD channels are present, but I assume they won't be there for long.

My firmware is 7.07. I hope it will be upgraded soon.

I can't try firewire yet, since I didn't know the 6200 has a larger connector. Must be a 6-pin? All my 1394 cables are 4-pin on both ends. Does anyone make an adapter or do I need a new cable?

More reports later as HD channels appear... :cool:

Originally posted by PhillyC
I can't try firewire yet, since I didn't know the 6200 has a larger connector. Must be a 6-pin? All my 1394 cables are 4-pin on both ends. Does anyone make an adapter or do I need a new cable?

You can run out to Best Buy, Circuit City, or anyplace that sells digital camcorders - they'll have the appropriate 6 - 4 pin FireWire cables since lots of camcorders use the same thing.

As for WBBM, WMAQ, WFLD, and Fox not showing up.... it's strange that they're not coming in. Did the service tech say what upgrade work they're doing in your area?

Anyway, welcome to the Comcast HD world!

Originally posted by FSugino
You can run out to Best Buy, Circuit City, or anyplace that sells digital camcorders - they'll have the appropriate 6 - 4 pin FireWire cables since lots of camcorders use the same thing.

As for WBBM, WMAQ, WFLD, and Fox not showing up.... it's strange that they're not coming in. Did the service tech say what upgrade work they're doing in your area?

Anyway, welcome to the Comcast HD world!

Comcast is just now "upgrading" to furnish HD, VOD, high speed Internet, etc. in the downtown Chicago area. Yes, we are LAST for all this.

I bought a 4 > 6 pin firewire adapter, but can't tell if it's working. The 6200 is connected to a Mits 2000 D-VHS. The Mits doesn't see a connection. Is there something to set on the 6200, or is firewire live all the time?

Maybe I've read something here about teh 6200 1394 not working with the Mits? Of course, since my firmware is 7.07, I didn't expect anything too good, but at least I wanted to play around with firewire recording.

FYI, guys, based on a post found elsewhere ( http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3888598#post3888598 ), it appears some of you may be able to get the 6208 (HD DVR) right now, although if you ask a Comcast CSR, he/she will initially deny it.

Originally posted by PhillyC
[BMaybe I've read something here about teh 6200 1394 not working with the Mits? Of course, since my firmware is 7.07, I didn't expect anything too good, but at least I wanted to play around with firewire recording. [/B]

Yup, I have to wait for 7.14. Oh, well.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=406766

Originally posted by PhillyC
I bought a 4 > 6 pin firewire adapter, but can't tell if it's working. The 6200 is connected to a Mits 2000 D-VHS. The Mits doesn't see a connection. Is there something to set on the 6200, or is firewire live all the time?

Maybe I've read something here about teh 6200 1394 not working with the Mits? Of course, since my firmware is 7.07, I didn't expect anything too good, but at least I wanted to play around with firewire recording.

I'm successfully recording from the 6200 (v7.07) to my Mits 1100. However, I'm using a Mits TV to control the process. According to the various message threads in the recorder forum, people with Mits sets seem to have a lot better luck recording from the 6200.

Can someone post a link (preferably a PDF) of what the COMCAST set top boxes look like?

I'm moving to CHI in the next few months, and I wanna see what I'll be getting when I sign onto COMCAST.....

Thanx!!

Also, does anyone know if, when, and/or where COMCAST offers its customers the digital phone packages? I heard it was only available in certain areas of CHI......

I'll be moving to the area close to UIC/RUSH.

Thanx.

Just wanted to post a note that Video On Demand was turned on in Elk Grove Village today. It's working on both my 6200 and old DCT 2244.

Originally posted by SAMURAI36
Can someone post a link (preferably a PDF) of what the COMCAST set top boxes look like?

You can look for it on Motorola's web site (http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/dct6200/) .

Originally posted by SAMURAI36
Also, does anyone know if, when, and/or where COMCAST offers its customers the digital phone packages? I heard it was only available in certain areas of CHI......

You should goto Comcast's web site (https://www.comcast.com/localization/Default.asp?Referer=Home&LinkID=18&NoAuto=1) and check your future zip code for service. It's available out here in the NW suburbs.

Originally posted by FSugino
You can look for it on Motorola's web site (http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/dct6200/) .

Thanx, FSugino!!

Incidently, are these Motorola's strictly for HDTV, or do they work for your run-of-the-mill Digital Cable as well??

Originally posted by FSugino
You should goto Comcast's web site and check your future zip code for service. It's available out here in the NW suburbs.

Yeah, I've been to the Comcast web site, and they say that it's not available yet, but I was hoping to find out when and/or if it would be available, especially anytime close to when I move.

Any info?

Thanx again.

The 6200 works with HD and SD signals.

Unfortunately, I can't answer your question about digital phone service in the UIC area. Perhaps a phone call to Comcast support would be more informative (although you may want to call a few times to double check their answers).

Does anyone have VOD in the Northern suburbs (Highland Park, Winnetka)? I have yet to get it and was wondering if anyone knew when we were scheduled to get it.

Thanks

VOD and the 7.07 firmware on my 5100 just showed up yesterday in Buffalo Grove. So they are proceeding with the rollout, but sorry I have no idea when it will reach Highland Park. It just is encouraging that the VOD rollout is proceeding.

Hi everyone. A search did not turn up an answer to my questions but I apologize in the event I missed it.

I am moving to Bolingbrook (60490) in a couple of weeks and ordered Comcast Internet and HDTV service. I will not actually move my HD TV until a few days after Comcast has been installed so when the CSR asked if I will have my HD TV available of course I said yes as I am trying to get a jump on things (it's new construction and currently there is no connection). The CSR told me the installer will bring a Motorola 5200 HD STB but I can't confirm if this is a valid model. My guess is it's really a DTC6200. Does anyone have any comments about this?

I'll have a portable TV that can accept a standard RF signal on channel 3 so as to confirm the STB is at least working. Can someone tell me if I'll need to do anything special to activate the 5200's basic RF output for this as I'm going to assume the installer will not be familiar with operation of the STB. Also for future reference what is the channel range for the HD stations?

Thanks in advance.

The HD channels are:

173 ESPN
174 INHD
175 INHD2
185 Showtime
186 HBO
187 WLS
188 WMAQ
189 WBBM
190 WFLD
191 WTTW
192 WGN
195 Cinemax
196 Starz!

The box you'll get is probably a 6200. Many of the messages seem to indicate that Comcast is no longer distributing the 5100.

Well, after just getting the 6200, I am disappointed to see that the White Sox game on ESPN tonight is not HD. I know ESPN doesn't have much in HD yet, but I thought Sunday Night Baseball was always HD?!?

it's supposed to be in HD

No, it wasn't. Not every Sunday Night Baseball game is in HD, most are, but not all. The Cubs/Cards game from a couple weeks ago was not. Just check the ESPN HD schedule:
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tvlistings/espnhd/index

VOD was turned on in Palatine (Comcast Rolling Meadows) yesterday. It's working on my Moto 5100 box.

Originally posted by PhillyC
Well, after just getting the 6200, I am disappointed to see that the White Sox game on ESPN tonight is not HD. I know ESPN doesn't have much in HD yet, but I thought Sunday Night Baseball was always HD?!?

Stick with the Cubbies. They were in HD all weekend.

I have an update on DVR. I just talked to Comcast and asked if they have any updates on DVR service. I excpected a usual "huh" or not available yet response. They guy comes back and says "you are aware there is 9.95 extra charge for this service?" Right away I knew something interesting is going on. He said yes it is available in your area and I can have an installer come out tomorrow.

I am not getting my hopes up, but things are looking pretty good.

I will report back tomorrow.

Lucky for you, i just spoke comcast and they tell me, i wont be able to get one till august. Not a huge deal as a i have a replay but man do i want to record HD

I won't know if I'm lucky or I just got a CSR who's full of it. I guess I don't trust anything they tell me until I see it installed in my house :)

I just got my 6208 installed. Everything is looking good so far. I tried pausing, rewinding and FF on INHD with no problems. I'll report more when I get a chance. The installer said that they had quite a few boxes this was his 2 install of a DVR box. They are not advertising it yet since they want to see how it will work first (my guess).

Well, this certainly sounds encouraging!

After reading the previous note I called Comcast and asked about DVR availability in Schaumburg. The CSR said it is available, but she'd have to take my name and number for a later callback to schedule an appointment. She said the service isn't being advertised yet, but they are trying to honor requests from people who call and specifically ask for DVR installation.

One quick question for vj9999: what firmware version is in your 6208? 7.07? Or did they upgrade the box to 7.10?

It is still 7.07

Yesterday while I was driving home from work, I called and requested a tech come out and install a 6208. The CSR had to transfer me to another department. I now have an appointment for Friday morning. :D :D

Should be a fun weekend trying it out.


tim

I am liking it so far. No complaints. Guide is still clunky but You see 1 hour instead of 30 minutes like before. When you click on info, it doesn't take the whole screen anymore so you can still see some of the picture behind (making it transparent would be even better). New remote has ability to browse day +/- (it is using B and C buttons for this). Pausing live TV works well, so does rew and FF. One really nice thing (and I can't believe I get impressed by something so small) is that I can use channel Up and down and click 10 times fast and it will move to that channel right away. Before you had to wait for it to tune to each channel before moving onto the next one (I know you could use up/down arrows as well, but I always used channel buttons more).

My 6208 just got delivered. My mom is at home to supervise the instalation. I am so excited. I have 3 replays and one tivo and used to use them a lot to pause live tv, tape prime time shows and watch latter, etc. However, since getting my HD box and my plasma tv I have been watching TV live since HD and even digital channels are so beautiful. Even now a tear comes to my eye as I can now watch 5 days to midnight live and pause it for phone calls and bathroom breaks while receiving thru the HD box. I know it is not an HD program, but I swear the PQ difference on the HD box 6200 is so much better than my digital 5100 box.

I just interrupted this email to talk to the installer and he said that I am the first person in the western suburbs to get the 6208. He had never seen one before mine and neither did his manager. They have not been trained on them yet and offered to come back after training and walk me thru the menus for free. That was nice. I figure by then, I will be an old pro.

Cindy,

Can I ask which suburb you are in?

dave

I just got off the phone with Comcast and have an appointment scheduled for Thursday to get the new 6208 box.

This was not a smooth phone call as I had to speak to 3 different CSR's before anyone knew what I was talking about. The CSR explained the box rental for the 6208 is $9.95 per month (as opposed to the $5.00 for a regular HD box). I also was told that the product has not officially been released yet, but they are offering it to people who request it and have it available in their area.

Thanks to those of you who have posted about your experiences in getting this product. I'm looking forward to it. Comcast must hate these forums because word can spread so fast.

Just found this site today...very cool!

That's awesome news about the 6208...I had no idea! How many hours will it record? Sorry in advance of my cluelessness...so it's basically like a TiVo, right? Will it work on all channels or just the HD ones?

Also...I've got some other questions about set-up & remotes...should I be asking them here or another forum?

Thanks!

The 6208 has an 80 GB hard drive and the demo states the following recording times...

Analog TV Shows: Up To 25 hours
Digital TV Shows: Between 30-60 Hours
High Definition TV Shows: Between 8-10 Hours

The links below will give you an overview of the product.

6208 Product Features:
http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/dct6208.asp

6208 Multimedia Demo:
http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/multimedia_demo.asp

I would recommend to people not to ask for "6208" vut rather just ask for DVR. I have a feeling that CSR's were trained on DVR's not 6208's :)

I am so glad that my installation day was a day after I called. I am having fun with it so far and I am recording the NBA game tonight.

Man you all are lucky, it doesn't seem to matter who i talk to, they first say its not available yet, then when you say you know people who have it the say, "oh well hum, let me check the codes" which comes up with "I'm sorry sir but like i said it is not available yet" proceeded by "we do have beta testers for the DVR's maybe the people you know are testing them". I think next time i try if they say no i'll just have to tell them thats it time for me to say yes to DirectTV

Originally posted by KBKellyUSA
I just got off the phone with Comcast and have an appointment scheduled for Thursday to get the new 6208 box.

This was not a smooth phone call as I had to speak to 3 different CSR's before anyone knew what I was talking about. The CSR explained the box rental for the 6208 is $9.95 per month (as opposed to the $5.00 for a regular HD box). I also was told that the product has not officially been released yet, but they are offering it to people who request it and have it available in their area.

Thanks to those of you who have posted about your experiences in getting this product. I'm looking forward to it. Comcast must hate these forums because word can spread so fast.

I am not 100% sure ( I guess we will find out when the next bill comes), but I think that $9.95 is just for the service, you will still be charged $5 for box rental. I hope I am wrong, but that's how I understood it.

OK, what are you being charged. My understanding was if you had a digital package that it included one standard defintion digital box. If you wanted a HD digital box in addition it would be only $5.00 more. However the bill is showing the digital package charge, $4.95 for a digital box and $5.00 for HD box.

I've tried to get Comcast to tell me why the extra $4.95 and they're telling me that the $5.00 charge is for HD programming and the $4.95 is the rental of the HD box (which is BS). The problem is that calling different times of the day has resulted in the same answer from CSR and the supposed supervisor. I've read them word for word the HD section on the Comcast web site and they say the web site is wrong.

So the question is what's the right answer, $5.00 for HD programming + $4.95 a HD STB or $5.00 for the HD STB and no additional charge for HD programming and one SD STB comes with any digital package. Also, anyone have anyway to get around the CSR's to someone that knows how this is supposed to be charged out? Thanks

Originally posted by rad
OK, what are you being charged. My understanding was if you had a digital package that it included one standard defintion digital box. If you wanted a HD digital box in addition it would be only $5.00 more. However the bill is showing the digital package charge, $4.95 for a digital box and $5.00 for HD box.

I've tried to get Comcast to tell me why the extra $4.95 and they're telling me that the $5.00 charge is for HD programming and the $4.95 is the rental of the HD box (which is BS). The problem is that calling different times of the day has resulted in the same answer from CSR and the supposed supervisor. I've read them word for word the HD section on the Comcast web site and they say the web site is wrong.

So the question is what's the right answer, $5.00 for HD programming + $4.95 a HD STB or $5.00 for the HD STB and no additional charge for HD programming and one SD STB comes with any digital package. Also, anyone have anyway to get around the CSR's to someone that knows how this is supposed to be charged out? Thanks

rad,

Do what I do and right away when a CSR answers, ask to speak to a manager. It usually helps if you ask in a pleasant way, but there was a problem a few weeks ago that I had to be curt. I've done this when I've had problems with Comcast and Verizon.

The HD box (5100 or 6200) rental fee is $5 per month on top of whatever package plan you have. That's it. The DVR (6208) fee is $9.95, which replaces the $5 fee.

Also, I agree with vj9999 about asking for the DVR. Plus you never know when the 6408 or 6412 will come out.

Oh yeah, I also didn't _ask_ if it was available. I just said I had friends in the cities of (and then I named a few) that had the DVR and loved it. I then said then I was calling to order it. After a while of calling CSRs, you will get a good handle and how to speak in a pleasant way (so they don't get irked), but in a way that makes it known that you know more than they do. ;)

HTH,

tim

I'm looking at my June bill. It lists:

Standard Cable + Digital Plus 59.98
HDTV Equip Monthly Lease 5.00

There are no other charges except for the taxes.

Do you still have a plain digital box on another set?

I do not have any premium channels

Originally posted by Lee Heytow
I'm looking at my June bill. It lists:

Standard Cable + Digital Plus 59.98
HDTV Equip Monthly Lease 5.00

There are no other charges except for the taxes.

Do you still have a plain digital box on another set?

I do not have any premium channels

There are a total of two STB's on SD and one HD. As I said the SD was 'supposed' to be included in the Digital package price and the HD was a straight $5.00/month lease. Having the statemtent say lease on the HD charge blows smoke up the CSR's rear when she said that it was a programming charge. Thanks

Any digital package includes one SD digital box at no additional charge. An additional SD box is (I believe) $3.00 per month. The HD box is $5.00 per month. I have one 5100 and one 6200. I pay only for the 6200 ($5.00). I have been told that the DVR is $9.95 per month, which replaces the $5.00 per month charge for the HD box, making for a net increase of $4.95 per month. Pretty inexpensive when compared to the cost of an HD recorder or HD PVR.

I had this same billing problem and contacted customer service. They corrected my billing and credited me for the months of over charges.

There are no charges for HD programming. You can get basic analog service and an HD box, and receive all the local HD stations for a total of around $18.00 per month.

I would encourage anyone who is getting additional charges to work there way up the ladder (I would suggest doing it pleasantly) until you get someone who can correct the problem.

Mike K

I had to jump on the bandwagon and get the DVR too....I have an install scheduled for Monday morning.

I know the DVR box replaces my 6200 HD box, but I didn't realize that the $9.95 price tag is actually $5.00 for the HD and $4.95 for the DVR....as you mentioned Mike this is only an increase of $4.95 instead of the $9.95 I was expecting. Are you sure of this...is good news if that is the case.

Thanks for the heads up.

Tom

I called to order DVR this morning and after being transfered once, I was offered free installation and no charge for the box for 6 months! The $5 charge for the HD box comes off immediately, so I'll be getting everything I have now, plus the DVR for $5 less than I pay now. At the end of the 6 months, the DVR box charge will be $9.95.

They could have installed it next Tuesday, but Saturday the 19th is more convenient for me. Can't wait!

I have to add that this was by far the most pleasant experience I've ever had with a Comcast CSR. Knowledgable, polite, efficient....what a concept!

Dave - I live in Woodridge/Downers Grove area. I was thrilled last night when I got to pause HD and then fast forward thru the commercials. I have not recorded anything yet but plan to tonight. Thanks to all who recommended I call.

Heymike - Nice job of getting free installation!

Oh yeah, one more thing....they also discounted my existing digital plus package $10/mo for 6 months. I asked about the next up level of service, so I could get HBO....and they discounted that $10/mo. So, for next 6 months I get the DVR and the package that includes HBO for $54.99/mo + tax. About a $20/mo discount.

I wish I could tell you that I bargained hard for all that, but the truth is, it was offered immediately.

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Man you all are lucky, it doesn't seem to matter who i talk to, they first say its not available yet, then when you say you know people who have it the say, "oh well hum, let me check the codes" which comes up with "I'm sorry sir but like i said it is not available yet" proceeded by "we do have beta testers for the DVR's maybe the people you know are testing them". I think next time i try if they say no i'll just have to tell them thats it time for me to say yes to DirectTV

I haven't had any luck in Mt Prospect either. Does anybody in 60056 have a DVR?

I read that the DVR requires Digital service. Is this the case? I currently only subscribe to the Locals Only service and the 5100 HD box. Has anybody been able to get the DVR with only the Local channel package?

Originally posted by HD Rookie
I haven't had any luck in Mt Prospect either. Does anybody in 60056 have a DVR?

Persistence pays off. I had to call three times before I spoke to someone who finally knew about DVR availability.

Finally was able to get Comcast to schedule a DVR install for me for Saturday morning. I tried twice earlier this week, but was instantly met with "Not Available" from two CSR's (they didn't even put me on hold to check). I threatend to cancel my service, but they didn't seem to care.

Today I called again and the CSR put me on hold for almost 10 minutes while she looked into it. She asked me multiple times, "You're not talking about VOD, right?" Finally, she came back and said it wasn't available yet, is being "Soft-Launched" area by area. I asked when my area will be soft-launched, she said she didn't know. Again, said this was taking too long, so I might move to DirecTV or Dish...she didn't seem to care either. Then I specifically asked to speak with "Customer Retention" and she quickly transferred me there.

The Customer Retention person seemed confused about why I'd asked to speak with them, so I explained my DVR request. Suddenly, she mentions that they just received email this week saying it is available at my address, so she'll schedule an install right away. So, now I've got an install scheduled for 6/12 from 8AM-12. Wee!

Sounds like things are finally moving around here. That being said, I'm still planning to wait for the 2 tuner model. It's rumored that they may be available by the end of the year.

I too have an appointment for Sat morning for the install of a 6208. After the CSR said it wasn't available yet I was transferred to customer retention (even though I'm not currently a customer). She was very nervous as it was the first DVR order she had processed. I got free installation and Digital Classic for $24.95/mo for three months. DVR is $9.99/mo. I'm in Gurnee by the way. Thanks for the help everyone!!

Cubs in HD next week!!! Yea!!!

Mike

Originally posted by mck024

Cubs in HD next week!!! Yea!!!


Here's their HD schedule.
wgntv.trb.com/about/site/other/wgntv-sports-
cubs2004,0,260100.htmlstory?coll=wgntv-sports-1


(Sorry, I couldn't get the long url to display properly, so I had to put it on two different lines. You'll have to put both pieces of the link together to get to the page.)

An easy way to tell if the Cubs or Sox are being shown in HD is to simply check where they're playing and who is televising the game. If it's a home game and it's on WGN then it's in HD. If it's an away game or is being shown on FSN or WCIU it's in SD.

How much is installation for the 6208 supposed to be anyway? I am in the Carpentersville Comcast area and woundering if DVR is available here yet? Anyone know, before I call and confuse CSR's

Thanx, Gov

I think installation is around $15, anyways after numerous failings when dealing with the CSR's i decided to drop comcast an email (i had some other stuff to rant about also). Anyways i just happened to note in my email, that i would have no problem going elsewhere to get and HD-dvr, and low and behold not even 24 hours later i have a call from the comcast customer retention department and they are more then happy to schedrule an appointment for and install. Got to wait till the 16th but it will be worth it, so anyways the moral of the story is persistence pays off, and use any avenue available to you

Here's a quick tip for those about to call regarding DVR: when the CSR gets on the line, ask to be transferred to the group handling DVR sign-ups. Apparently, there's a separate group handling qualification and sign-ups, and they quickly took care of my request. The regular CSRs I spoke to during the last couple of days seemed clueless except for the one who transferred me to the DVR group this morning.

I just called and got a CSR who tranferred me to someone who could set up my DVR install. Very nice lady set up install date for Monday 6/14. I asked if there was a charge for the install, and she said it was usually $13 but they would waive that. I then asked if there were any specials to add HBO (I have just digital classic), and she said they could add HBO for $5 per month for the next year, so I signed up for that as well. Very easy, no hassles. Can't wait for Monday.

Well after 4 phone calls saying "it is NOT available in your area" I finally asked to speak to someone in DVR, the CSR said "Sir it will not be available in your area no matter who you talk to" Of course 2 minutes later the DVR department said " Yes it is available" and in fact getting installed tomorrow morning for free....but no other discounts.

She claimed if you have HD capability you can get DVR as well.

Thanks for all the info.....and remember "No" from Comcast really means keep asking:)

BTW has anyone successfully dumped from the DVR to a DVHS?

i'm in the schaumburg area and spoke to a bubbly CSR (i was transferred as well) about DVR installation. she asked for my address and i got an installation for next saturday. i didn't have high hopes when vj9999 mentioned that he got an install appointment for the DVR. darn, i wish i called sooner too and gotten an install this saturday :( CSR mentioned that there are two charges: $13 for line(?) activation and $15 installation. they could waive the $13 but cannot touch the $15. could somebody confirm this?
i am interested to know if you could record from PPV channels. i could really use this for the upcoming Euro 2004 football games since they will be played around noon. pure digital, perfect copy, aaahhhh.... i have to talk to my wife about taking a half-day...

I called today and spoke to a very nice lady in retention who told me that only the rebuilt suburban areas are ready for the PVR.

I'm in the northwest of city and it seems that the main roll out won't be till the end of the year.

To you guys getting the PVR, congrats, I'm hella jealous ;-)

Colin

Originally posted by Heymike
Oh yeah, one more thing....they also discounted my existing digital plus package $10/mo for 6 months. I asked about the next up level of service, so I could get HBO....and they discounted that $10/mo. So, for next 6 months I get the DVR and the package that includes HBO for $54.99/mo + tax. About a $20/mo discount.

I wish I could tell you that I bargained hard for all that, but the truth is, it was offered immediately.

heymike,
Did you deal through the DVR install department or an ordinary CSR?

Edit:
It looks like all of the DVR is handled through the Customer Retention. I'm set for a 6/25 install (the day after I get back from my vacation). There is the $15.99 Installation fee that she said she couldn't do anything with, $13 Activation fee is waived, and I got HBO for 6 months at $1.99/month. They will swap my $5/month 5100 box for $9.95/month DCT6208.

I'm in Downers Grove.

-Dave

Originally posted by memnoch
:( CSR mentioned that there are two charges: $13 for line(?) activation and $15 installation. they could waive the $13 but cannot touch the $15. could somebody confirm this?


Heya memnoch...I'm in Schaumburg too and I don't know about the $13 fee but they also told me my install fee would be $15...I wonder if those who got the fee waived were Comcast customers to begin with or if it's some kind of promo for new sign ups??

Does anyone know for sure if the HD service with the DVR (6208) is $9.95 total? As opposed to $9.95 in addition to the $5.00 for HD service...I guess until I'm told otherwise I'm going to believe Mike because it seems to make sense to me....the $5.00 for HD is for the box rental which they are taking and replacing with the 6208..??...

Tom

Originally posted by STayfair
Heya memnoch...I'm in Schaumburg too and I don't know about the $13 fee but they also told me my install fee would be $15...I wonder if those who got the fee waived were Comcast customers to begin with or if it's some kind of promo for new sign ups??

Does anyone know for sure if the HD service with the DVR (6208) is $9.95 total? As opposed to $9.95 in addition to the $5.00 for HD service...I guess until I'm told otherwise I'm going to believe Mike because it seems to make sense to me....the $5.00 for HD is for the box rental which they are taking and replacing with the 6208..??...

Tom

I am an existing customer and I asked what fees were associated with getting DVR. She never mentioned the $15 fee, only the $13 installation fee, and she offered to waive it before I even asked. As for monthly cost, she said the only change is that the DVR box cost $9.95 to rent instead of the $5 for the 6200, so a net increase of $4.95 to get a DVR 6208 instead of a regular 6200.

Originally posted by Mr. Integration
BTW has anyone successfully dumped from the DVR to a DVHS?

That's one of the first things I want to try when I get my DVR this Saturday. I doubt it'll work, but you never know...

Dave
The CSR who answered the call transfered me to someone, probably on the DVR team, but she didn't identify herself as such....just took care of business.

And , as I mentioned, the install will be free.

I have been able to find only one bug so far. Occasionaly when you switch a channel (and HD channel) the picture is breaking up. If you hit pause and play it all goes back to normal. You can hit live button after that and it will be normal as well. This doesn't seem to effect recording, only watching live. I gues it has to do with how it ssstarts buffering so you can rewind live TV, but just a guess. It doesn't happen every time, but it happened to me at least 3-4 times last night.

Mine is coming Monday PM.

Another observation. Sound crackling is gone on analog channels (on 6208 and 7.07), so it must have been a problem isolated to 6200 and 7.07.

For those of you that already have your 6208 installed how is the PQ vs. the 6200/5100 STB. Also i think someone may have already asked this but has anyone tried dumping to DVHS yet?

I will try to dump as soon as I get mine.

BTW, I received the same CSR run-a-round when I called and asked for mine. The CSR thought he was hot stuff and was trying to talk down to me about technology and 1394. Little did he know who he was talking to.

I threw questions at him that he had no clue on how to answer about HD and 1394. Felt good to put him in his place. His supervisor came on the line and apologized for his behavior. Then they asked if I wanted a job in the tech support department. I kindly declined. They must have been monitoring the call live.

I went through the same CSR story (its not available in your area) to finally Customer Retention. For the first time I got a lady who even said - "If it was available I would have got it too. I am in the same city!!". Then I tried the second pass and got a nice lady who signed me up and disclosed that they are working on training the individuals, preparing material and troubleshooting tips (like that helps) before they can mass anounce it.

Net net - I am getting it tomorrow. Time to clean up the wires again.

Thanks to all the board members for the trick

I don't have a DVHS but this is from the FAQ on the Motorola web site on the 6208...

Can I transfer a recorded program to a VHS tape?

Yes. Simply play your recorded program on your TV, and tape it using your VCR, just as you would tape a live broadcast.

(Here is the FAQ (http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/news_faq.asp#Question13))

Stupid Comcast question (Palatine/Rolling Meadows) :

I currenlty have Comcast analog cable w/o a cable box. I have no desire to discrupt my current set up (i.e. I don't want a cable box by each and every TV in the house).

I am building an A/V room in the basement. I would like to get HDTV signals in this new room as it will have a killer front PJ setup. I have no desire to have HDTV elsewhere in the house at this time since I don't have the equipment. Can I get HDTV with Comcast Analog? If so, would this require cable boxes everywhere else in the house? If I have to go to digital to get HDTV, can I have both analog and digital cable in the house?

Thanks, John

Originally posted by John151
Stupid Comcast question (Palatine/Rolling Meadows) :

I currenlty have Comcast analog cable w/o a cable box. I have no desire to discrupt my current set up (i.e. I don't want a cable box by each and every TV in the house).

I am building an A/V room in the basement. I would like to get HDTV signals in this new room as it will have a killer front PJ setup. I have no desire to have HDTV elsewhere in the house at this time since I don't have the equipment. Can I get HDTV with Comcast Analog? If so, would this require cable boxes everywhere else in the house? If I have to go to digital to get HDTV, can I have both analog and digital cable in the house?

Thanks, John

All you have to do is ask to lease an HD box. It will cost an additional $5 a month. Use the box where you need HD. Nothing else will change. I have the same setup you are looking for.

You will only get 2,5,7,9,11 in hd. The others (inhd,hbo,show,espn,etc) require a digital package.

Also, no mater what digital package you may decide to upgrade to, you can still have analog feeds go directly to your tv without a box.

FYI - Aurora area...

Just talked to a csr who told me that Sycamore, Dekalb, and Rochelle can get dvrs but not here yet. He said the rollout began in the west and north, and will gradually move toward Chicago. He estimated fall or Thanksgiving at the outside for Oswego.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
You will only get 2,5,7,9,11 in hd. The others (inhd,hbo,show,espn,etc) require a digital package.

You'll also get 32 (Fox).

Originally posted by Hopeless
FYI - Aurora area...

Just talked to a csr who told me that Sycamore, Dekalb, and Rochelle can get dvrs but not here yet. He said the rollout began in the west and north, and will gradually move toward Chicago. He estimated fall or Thanksgiving at the outside for Oswego.

I wouldn't believe that too much. If CSR told you in a month or two I would think that maybe it is a legit assumption. I would just keep calling (if you have time and patience). If Sycamore has it anyone should have it. When I lived in DeKalb, they used to be the last to get new stuff.

Originally posted by HD Rookie
All you have to do is ask to lease an HD box. It will cost an additional $5 a month. Use the box where you need HD. Nothing else will change. I have the same setup you are looking for.

You will only get 2,5,7,9,11 in hd. The others (inhd,hbo,show,espn,etc) require a digital package.

Also, no mater what digital package you may decide to upgrade to, you can still have analog feeds go directly to your tv without a box.

Great answer! Thanks.

Anyone notice the thread in HDTV Programming, Comcast has officially announced they finally signed a deal for DiscoveryHD and discoveryVOD also. Said some markets could have it up by the end of the week. The thread is stickied if you want to read the press release. Also anyone watched the HD sportscenter on ESPN yet, not to bad, and they stopped stretched their SD content. Big improvement

Yeah, I remember JWhip saying it was coming real soon. It'll be nice to have DiscoveryHD back on Comcast - I really missed it when they pulled it off over a year ago.

Originally posted by mck024
I too have an appointment for Sat morning for the install of a 6208. After the CSR said it wasn't available yet I was transferred to customer retention (even though I'm not currently a customer). She was very nervous as it was the first DVR order she had processed. I got free installation and Digital Classic for $24.95/mo for three months. DVR is $9.99/mo. I'm in Gurnee by the way. Thanks for the help everyone!!

Cubs in HD next week!!! Yea!!!

Mike


Thanks for the tip, I live in Gurnee also. My DVR is coming tomorrow!

b

Has anyone with VOD noticed that they have reduced content significantly? I started watching Band of Brothers on HBO and they had all 10 episodes and now they have episodes 1,2,6,10 (or something like that). Doesn't make any sense.

I dont have VOD, but maybe its a tempory solution to make room for DiscoveryHD which is supposed to be added very soon, could be your systems is running out of availible space, dont know though just a quess

Anyone know if Comcast is going to have a free preview period for DiscoveryHD ?

You mean for people that only have basic packages? I think it is possible that they don't encrypt it right away (kind of like how espn was for a little while), but I don't think they would call it free preview.

WOO HOO!!!
Status for Dekalb has now changed from "Out there by Iowa" to "Just past the suburbs"......
Just called Comcast and went through the procedure you all suggested. Initial csr said service not available, I replied politely that I had heard that there was a special team handling the DVR sign-ups. She put me on hold for about 30 seconds and then said she had Carol on the other line and she would be able to help with my request. WOW!!! Carol was on the ball, best csr experience ever. None of the usual name, address, phone number, name of first born, mother's maiden name........ She only asked if anyone had told me the cost of the service. I almost felt cheated by the fact that I didn't have to recite my life's history.:p
Install scheduled for next Wednesday the 16th.
She did say that the $5 HD fee will be replaced by the $9.95 DVR fee.
I also asked about the free STB w/digital service, and she replied that the HD box consists of the free STB + $5 rental fee. Still have to pay the fee for additional SD STB's:(

Make sure you jot down the csr's name, and call them by name during your conversation. This simple act goes a long ways toward good service.

Thanks for all the good info guys/gals.

Steve

Got mine installed this morning. Everything is working fine. Except I was getting major break-up on almsost all the HD channels. So another tech is coming tomorrow morning. Is anyone else experiencing break-ups?


tim

Originally posted by mck024
I too have an appointment for Sat morning for the install of a 6208. After the CSR said it wasn't available yet I was transferred to customer retention (even though I'm not currently a customer). She was very nervous as it was the first DVR order she had processed. I got free installation and Digital Classic for $24.95/mo for three months. DVR is $9.99/mo. I'm in Gurnee by the way. Thanks for the help everyone!!

Cubs in HD next week!!! Yea!!!

Mike

Originally posted by bkozlowski
Thanks for the tip, I live in Gurnee also. My DVR is coming tomorrow!



I second that - I'm scheduled for my 6208 install next Saturday the 19th. The regular CSR told me NO and I asked him to transfer me to customer retention dept, where the pleasant and knowledgeable CR CSR hooked me up.

Dave

Well I just had my 6208 installed this morning. I would like to say everything went smoothly but there were a few hitches. I figured I would relay to everyone here in case anyone experiences similiar problems. Of course the tech who came out had no experience in installing the box but that was no problem as the connections are essentially the same as the old HD box. My first problem was I couldn't get any HBO channels(the same thing happened when I got the 5100). The installer called in and had a couple of hits sent to the box and then left saying they should appear in 30 minutes or less. Well they didn't so I called tech support and of course got someone with no experience with the DVR box. She was very helpful and tried a couple of things and somehow got HBO to work although she wasn't really sure how. It seemed she actually changed my account status and put in that I had the HD box and a DVR separately. Anyway this worked and I figured great. Thats when the real problems started. The tech called back about 20 minutes later and asked if everything was okay. I said yes and she said she would like to remove the additional HD box on my account because I would be charged an additional 5 bucks a month in addition to the 9.95 for the DVR. I said fine and she removed it and everything still seemed fine. I hung up, went to Shrek 2 with my kids and then came home to a TV that was not working at all. Called tech support and they tried all kinds of things with no success. I finally got them to put the additional box back on the account and everything immediately was fine. Except of course I will be charged an additional five bucks a month which I will need to call about until they get that part fixed. I don't know if anyone else had a similiar problem or I am the only "lucky" one.

Well anyway things are working great now and what a beautiful picture. I couldn't be happier with the HD recording ability. I just wish the 6208 was a more featured box. Two tuners, larger hard drive, etc. I guess I shouldn't complain.

My question to anyone out there with the box-- have you tried any of the other connections to see it they work? The tech had no idea and unfortunately I don't have a DVI connection on my TV but what about the firewire? Is it live and if so can I use it for anything? Can I dump my recordings to anything other than a VCR.

I know this is a long post but one other thing. The box comes with no manual so downloading the one linked here in this thread is no a bad idea. A few things are different including a much better remote(although I just programmed everything into a MX-500) and a slightly different program guide.

gtcharlie,
I have a vague memory of something similar during my install. It turned out that internally, my account was still setup under an old ATT package/account. They removed that account/package and replaced with a similar comcast package and that cleared my problems up.

so no one has tried dumping onto DVHS yet? come on guys i figured of anywhere on the net someone here would have tried already. Nah just kidding, im just curious if it works and how good it is, because i may just have to get a DVHS. Also had anyone tried dumping onto a PC, wondering if that would work possibly with DHVS tools or whatever that program is called, could turn out to finally be time to invest in a DVD burner

Originally posted by LaxStar18
so no one has tried dumping onto DVHS yet? come on guys i figured of anywhere on the net someone here would have tried already.

My installation is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I'll try copying to both DVHS and my laptop from the 6208.

Originally posted by timdgibson
Got mine installed this morning. Everything is working fine. Except I was getting major break-up on almsost all the HD channels. So another tech is coming tomorrow morning. Is anyone else experiencing break-ups?


tim

I made a mention of this earlier. I am experiencing breakups every once in a while (and mostly on 189). I figured it is a problem with HD channels and when 6208 starts buffering. I solve the problem usually by hitting pause and then hitting Live button and all goes to normal.

FSugino: Cool i look forward to hearing how it goes, my install is not till thursday, so i will have to time to run out and buy a DVHS if it works :)

I too am experiencing some break-ups with the picture and audio but nothing too extreme. Overall the picture seems better than I was getting with my old HD box. Maybe I'm just so happy to have the DVR part of it.

Originally posted by vj9999
I made a mention of this earlier. I am experiencing breakups every once in a while (and mostly on 189). I figured it is a problem with HD channels and when 6208 starts buffering. I solve the problem usually by hitting pause and then hitting Live button and all goes to normal.


Thanks vj9999. I missed your post earlier when I was scanning the posts. I did end up cancelling the appointment last night as I was driving home from work at 11 pm. The breakups have been less and less.

This morning when I got up I watched the episode of Screen Savers that I had saved while my wife was at her doctor appointment. Then when she came back we continued to watch the movie she recorded yesterday while the box was recording the MTV movie awards. Very nice!!! :D :D


tim

189 still has some issues in general every now and then on the 6200 and 5100.

Awesome, after a few calls I have an appointment for monday the 14th between 10 and 12am.

VERY excited. Amazing how you can call one time and talk to someone who COMPLETELY denies the availibility of DVR, then talk to another and have them go through it like clockwork.

Sad, actually. Great service though other than that, very pleased with Comcast.

My 6208 installation went pretty smoothly. The tech (nice guy named Mike) admitted up front that he had no training on the DVR box, so I actually explained how the features worked. Go figure!

Actually, he was very thankful because I explained why I set my 480 override mode to OFF. My Mits set takes anywhere between 5-10 seconds to switch from 480i/p to 1080i mode, and it's really annoying to wait while I surf through the channels. By setting the 480 override off, every channel is sent from the cable box to my Mits in 1080i, so there's no mode switching and no waiting. I lose the stretch capabilities on non-HD channels, but I can live with it.

For anyone with a HD box, it's a quick process. The longest part was waiting for the box to download new firmware, and that took about five minutes.

Anyway, I'm off to run errands, but I'll post later when I try recording DVR playback to my DVHS deck, as well as my PC via FireWire.

Oh, almost forgot. The firmware is 7.07, the 5C setting is 0, and as previously reported by someone else, the static noise on some analog channels is now gone. That last one annoyed me while watching Food Network.

How is the PQ of SD material on the 6208 through component cable? It has been reported by others on "The Home Theater Spot" website that it is inferior to the 6200.

Thanks, Gov

Got my 6208 installed in Aurora on Friday.
Good Things
- DVR capabilities
- Better Guide interface & Menu
- Better HD Picture quality
- Better SD transformation with 480 override off
Bad Things
- 480i over Component cable is not as good as 6200
- Lots of artifacts and breakups in picture (only- audio is fine) on 1394 cable. I have connected my Mits to 6208. I tried stopping and going live for the box to not buffer the picture but overall unwatchable.
- Single tuner and disk space
- No one-touch VOD button on remote. Its there on the picture but not on the real thing. BTW, i programmed my AllInOne for dvr features and tossed comcast one to the reference remote section of the boxes.

Overall, I am relieved i won't be missing HD TV due to time conflicts with other things in life

Originally posted by lovehd
- No one-touch VOD button on remote. Its there on the picture but not on the real thing. BTW, i programmed my AllInOne for dvr features and tossed comcast one to the reference remote section of the boxes.


Did you get a new remote with it? The remote I got has a big black "ON Demand" button right above DVR buttons.

I knew it was too good to be true when I called last week and got an install date for my 6208 for today Monday 14th June from 8am - 12 pm. So I stayed home from work and decided to call and confirm my appointment this morning. In classic Comcast tradition they have no record of my install appointment today. They have June 26th in their system. The CSR I talked to was going to call dispatch and see if she could squeeze me in today, and call me back within an hour or two. That was 3 1/2 hours ago. Since they have no earlier available appointments, I guess I am now going to have to wait until June 26th to get my DVR.

I love my Comcast service, but they sure do piss me off sometimes.

I just called in to add the DVR box to my account. I have a 6200 and my bill shows a $5.00 charge for HDTV Equip Monthly Lse. They want to replace that with a $9.95 charge, but also start charging me $5.00 for an older 5100 that I have. This company can never get their billing straight. They tell me my account must have been set up incorrectly, and now they will need to change it.

Can anyone detail what their bill looks like so I know if I am getting a deal or getting screwed?

Thanks,

Jack G