Originally posted by Jacktheg
I have a 6200 and my bill shows a $5.00 charge for HDTV Equip Monthly Lse.

I have a 5100 and that is what my bill shows. I've always been under the impression that the charge is a per box rental charge. You've been getting a freebee having two boxes for $5 a month.

Originally posted by lovehd
- 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.

Yeah, same problem here - the FireWire output from the box is unusable. All my recordings have extreme break-ups and freezes. Thankfully, the DVR recording is flawless.

Another minor quibble: with the 6200 I could change channels by simply entering the channel number (25 for Food Network, 1 for VOD, etc.). With the 6208 you have to enter three digits or the channel won't change (025, 001). It's a minor quibble, but it's a hard habit to break.

Man.... this 6208 is AMAZING. I cannot believe how cool it is.

And tell me if I'm seeing things... the HD PQ actually seems to look a little better. Actually, I honestly feel that it's REALLY noticable. Watching this "Little Feat" concert on INHD, it reaaaally looks good.

Am I seeing things? Is placebo getting the best of me? Someone let me know!!

Originally posted by FSugino
Yeah, same problem here - the FireWire output from the box is unusable. All my recordings have extreme break-ups and freezes. Thankfully, the DVR recording is flawless.

Another minor quibble: with the 6200 I could change channels by simply entering the channel number (25 for Food Network, 1 for VOD, etc.). With the 6208 you have to enter three digits or the channel won't change (025, 001). It's a minor quibble, but it's a hard habit to break.

FSugino,

make sure you have in Menu->Setup->Guide Auto Tuning set to "Yes" . That will tune to any channel the way you described.

Thanks for the tip - I'll have to check that when I get home tonight.

i got the 6208 installed last friday and was able to record some HD shows and PPV. glad to read that i'm not the only one having glitches on the firewire output. now bring on Discovery HD!
i have a series 1 Tivo and i only have two major gripes with the 6208: (1)there seems to be a bug where it does not bookmark where i left off a recording. i believe this happens when the DVR is currently recording. i recorded the NBA Finals last night. recording started at 8:00pm. i started watching at 8:30 and just watched the first half. during half-time i switched to live and turned off the tv. this morning, i resumed the recording and it started from the beginning!!! the bug is compounded by (2) slow fast-forward x 4. it took like 30 mins to go thru an hour of recording. i could live with the slow fast-forward if only they add a way to jump in 15-minute increments like with Tivo.
i would also appreciate it if they cut off audio and video when you open up My DVR. this way if the unit is currently recording an ongoing game, you have the option not to see or hear the result. Tivo does this by just switching to the Now Playing List or the Tivo menu.

Maybe I shouldn't say this but when I was having trouble with my hd box a few weeks ago, they showed up the day before. Good thing there was someone home.

Originally posted by Jacktheg
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

Comcast includes a digital STB in the price of the digital package. An HD box has always been a $5.00 per month upcharge from the digtial box. You were lucky for not getting charged for the second HD STB.

Mike K.

Comcast includes a digital STB in the price of the digital package. An HD box has always been a $5.00 per month up-charge from the digital box. You were lucky for not getting charged for the second HD STB.

Mike K.


I'm sorry, it is not the 5100, but an older Motorola box that doesn't do HD. I am under the belief that that older box is included in my digital package and the 6200 is a $5.00 up-charge. The letter I got from Comcast back in January show a $5.00 fee for HDTV Equipment effective 2/26/04. The basic Motorola box is included in my digital package.

Anyone know why the latest episode of Sopranos isn't OnDemand yet? I could swear the other ones have been available by Thursday of the week it originally airs...this has been a week and a couple days.

Should be episode 65?

My 6208 is installed with 7.07 but 1394 is broken up a bit. Anyone know when the next sw version is being released???

Originally posted by STayfair
Anyone know why the latest episode of Sopranos isn't OnDemand yet? I could swear the other ones have been available by Thursday of the week it originally airs...this has been a week and a couple days.

Should be episode 65?

I'm not sure, but I have been quite upset about VOD in last few weeks. Comcast seems to have reduced content by at least 40%. On HBO side, they took away tons of movies, there used to be at least 15 comedy shows now there are only 2 and worst of all I started watching Band of Brothers and they had all episodes and now they only have ep. 1,2,4,6 and 10.

I hope they put it all back on.

Originally posted by Jacktheg

I'm sorry, it is not the 5100, but an older Motorola box that doesn't do HD. I am under the belief that that older box is included in my digital package and the 6200 is a $5.00 up-charge. The letter I got from Comcast back in January show a $5.00 fee for HDTV Equipment effective 2/26/04. The basic Motorola box is included in my digital package.

The older digital box is a DCT2000 (I think). The cost of the digital box is included in the pricing of the digital packages. The first thing I would do is go to the Comcast website and get the rundown on the digital packages and what they include. Then if a CSR says they should be charging you for it, you will have the proof you need to argue your case. If they don't want to listen, I would escalate the situation to the supervisor level, and begin climbing the ladder.

Mike K.

Originally posted by mikek747
Comcast includes a digital STB in the price of the digital package. An HD box has always been a $5.00 per month upcharge from the digtial box. You were lucky for not getting charged for the second HD STB.

Mike K.

I am not a current customer and ordered a digital package with HD service for my upcoming move. Will the installer leave just an HD box or both HD and standard digital boxes? I can make use of the standard digital box if I'm not paying extra for it. If the latter do you think I need to call and point this out or work it out with the installer?

I was a Comcast customer before and tried their digital phone service. Just like SBC, it took months of calls before the message waiting notification light would be consistently turned off after picking up my voice mails. Unlike SBC, it took months of calls to get them to fix my outgoing caller ID so it displayed correctly and consistently on the phones of people I called. (I had three phone lines.) Supervisors that promised to call me back in a few minutes were never heard from. Unlike SBC, it took months of calls to get them to come out and bury the cable. As for the price, it looked a little cheaper when I signed up but in the end it was virtually the same. I think they carefully calculated this so it looked cheaper but wasn't really. I finally switched back to SBC.

VoIP to the rescue!
I am moving down the street but I can not keep my phone number because it is a different SBC office. Local number portability you say? You'd think if they can transfer my number to some other phone company they could transfer it among their own offices. But you'd be wrong. All the money and resources in the world and the telephone companies just hem and haw about needing to raise wholesale prices to competitors instead of giving customers a reason not to switch. I switched to Voice over IP a few weeks ago and have been very impressed with the service. I have the same features (actually, I have a few that I refused to pay SBC for) at far less cost, some features that were never available from SBC, and I can manage my service features over the Internet. But I got to keep my phone number, which is what drove me away from SBC in the first place.

Yes, you should call a CSR and have them bring the SD box, also. I have an SD box and an HD box. I only pay for the HD box. I don't think working with the installer will do you any good. They only follow the instructions on the original work order.

Mike K.

If have a Charge named Digital A/o Package of $4.99 on my bill, anyone know what that is, because if its something legit i dont feel like calling to complain

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.

You don't need a digital package for HBO, SHO, etc.

I have HBO - and I do not have a digital package. It just got added on the R-Basic I have for $10.00 /mo (after $6.99 disc for 6mo).

John 151 - HD Rookie put it correctly - you can use analog channels (2-99) anywhere and HD with the 6200 or 6208 in your basement.

L8R

Love HD

Bad news for me. I have Locals Only service and lease the 5100 hd box. I just called and talked to a comcast rep in the DVR group. He was in the process of setting me up for a DVR, then came back to the phone and said he couldn't add the DVR to my account since I don't have a digital package.

Has anybody with less than Digital service been able to upgrade their 5100 to the 6208?

I did. I have a R-Basic (2-99) and HDTV (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX, and WGN).

Originally posted by lovehd
I did. I have a R-Basic (2-99) and HDTV (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX, and WGN).

Just so Im clear, you have the 6208 DVRecorder?

Originally posted by Jacktheg
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


I just got off the phone with Corporate Customer Relations, and they are notifying all call centers that there should only be one $5 charge for the HDTV. Since I have a digital plan, I can keep my old Motorola box and only pay $5 for the 6200. Also, I now have the DVR scheduled for Saturday, and the increase will only be $4.95.

Thanks to all that responded.

(The Corporate rep said they have a new program called CUSTOMER FIRST, and from some of the other posts on this thread, it appears they are really trying to please the customer. Hopefully, this new attitude will continue, and it will be a pleasure to do business with Comcast.)

Customer First?!?

We got Comcast in this 400+ unit building in Old Town a couple of months ago. Once the local upgrade work was completed in May, even the analog cable was great. Then two things happened: The local storms about three weeks ago, and I got a 6200 for HD.

Since the storm outages, all the analog from 40 on up are bad. Interference, graininess, etc.

As for HD, I'm NOT getting NBC, CBS, FOX, or WTTW, only the dreaded "One Moment Please" screen. ESPN and ABC break up, sometimes badly.

The guy who installed the 6200 saw all of this. He said he'd check into it. A week later, there was no record of any of this, so I had another guy out who swapped the 6200 and did all the routine checks. I also showed him another apartment with the same problems. He then admitted the trouble must be in all or most of the building and reported this in great detail.

Tonight, a CSR supervisor "escalated" the problem and said only certain people can work on big buildings, and it could be THREE TO FOUR WEEKS before either problem is resolved. And this is after the three weeks that have already passed like this so far. No one has even been here to see what the problems are.

The building manager has a "hotline" number that no one EVER answers. They might or might not call back.

Again I ask --- Customer First?!?

Originally posted by lovehd
You don't need a digital package for HBO, SHO, etc.

I have HBO - and I do not have a digital package. It just got added on the R-Basic I have for $10.00 /mo (after $6.99 disc for 6mo).

John 151 - HD Rookie put it correctly - you can use analog channels (2-99) anywhere and HD with the 6200 or 6208 in your basement.

L8R

Love HD

Good news. I do hope it is that simple. I hear that the cable companies are planning to force digital cable in the future.

John

I had the DVR installed Monday morning...no problems at all, installer arrived on time and did the hook up with no troubles (although I was number 211 in queue for the box "hit"...eeesh).

I'm happy with the DVR in general but a couple quick observations....

- the channels change too slowly (I set the 480 override to off, if that should have helped it didn't).

- the analog channels really seem to be a little worse than they were with either of the HD boxes I've had in the past...this is disappointing.

- the digital channels don't seem any different.

- the HD channels are the same or I suppose a touch better if that's possible...I'm very happy with the HD picture. There have been a few breakups lately but I think that's probably an issue with the delivery rather than the new box.

- I too got a DVR remote with no OnDemand button...this after having a regular remote with an OnDemand button on it.

- does the one touch record button on the remote work, it didn't seem to on mine?

- the new menus are nice, but when will they come up with a menu that you can customize a little bit. My gripe is with the guide, it shows two hours worth of programming and ten or so channels, but on a big display one could easily see four or five hours worth of programming.

- with the hard drive in the box it's a touch noisy (only in a quiet room)...makes about as much noise as my old Sony HD STB that I returned a couple years ago.

Tom

Does anyone know how to program the remote control to control the TV (not cable) volume and cable channels without changing sources on the remote? In fact, I can't even get the volume control to work at all on the new remote. I got it to power all equipment on/off and volume up/down on the cable box but can't get it to work the volume on the TV while working the channels on the cable box.

I have been getting audio dropouts on the Tonite show for a number of nights now.

Anybody know what the story is?

I have been getting audio dropouts on the Tonite show for a number of nights now.

Anybody know what the story is?

Originally posted by John151
Good news. I do hope it is that simple. I hear that the cable companies are planning to force digital cable in the future.

John


Not such great news for those of us that just subscribe to basic analog to get the locals in HD.

Dan

Anyone else get a message on thier box today annocing new digital channels?

Originally posted by ned215
Not such great news for those of us that just subscribe to basic analog to get the locals in HD.

Dan

ned215 - I think I may have mis-led you.

The good news is that we can get HD with basic analog cable ($5/mo extra for a cable box). Being forced to go digital is bad news, IMHO.

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Anyone else get a message on thier box today annocing new digital channels?

I didn't get anything yet. What channels did they announce?

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Anyone else get a message on thier box today annocing new digital channels?

No message here in Schaumburg. What did your message say?

6208 Installed this morning. Comcast rep was right on time and the install went smoothly other than waiting for my turn in the box hit que. Firmware is 7.07. I noticed the breakups when changing to an HD channel (only happens about 5-10% of the time) pause -> live button press cleared it right up. The new menu looks a little better, but still kind of in the stone-age. Now if we could only have the ability to set the channel scan!!
Previews for Clockwork Orange on INHD tonight look promising, it starts at 7 or 8 while the kids are up so it will be my first recording.

Thanks all for the tips and tricks of getting this installed.

Steve

New channels were Fine Living, Nick Too, MTV Jams, and CNBC World. Nothing really exciting and certainly not the channel announcement i was hoping for when i saw the light but hey anything they add that doesn't cost me more money I'm all for.

Originally posted by LaxStar18
New channels were Fine Living, Nick Too, MTV Jams, and CNBC World. Nothing really exciting and certainly not the channel announcement i was hoping for when i saw the light but hey anything they add that doesn't cost me more money I'm all for.

It's good that they're adding more channels, but I agree about those not being the ones that I'm keeping an eye out for. ;)

I left home about an hour ago and had no message yet in Wheeling. Even though I was watching my Sports Night DVD ( I LOVE THAT SHOW!!), I have the box set to light up the red light when a message comes.


tim

No message here in Winnetka, which is weired because, I think, Northbrook and Winnetka feed off of the same head-end. Did you get channel numbers by any chance?

Thanks for the info!

Nope, no channels numbers i think they are due to be added in about a month i cant remeber the exact date anymore and i deleted the message. Also i am in unincorperated Northbrook, and i believe we are on the morton grove system as thatg is the channel listing that shows up when i log in on the comcast website, it was origonally a MediaOne area not TCI

[QUOTE]Originally posted by PhillyC
[B]Customer First?!?

2 weeks ago Comcast came out and buried a new line from box to my house. Went from a -22 db to about -4 db at my house. This improved the picture immensly and all was well. I wired my home myself and use a channelmaster 8 way splitter/amp with a 4 db boost at each output so all tvs worked well. 3 days ago the pic went sour. I called for service and explained my home is fine and the signal coming in is the problem. Tech came when my wife was there. Did nothing oustide. Disconnected my channelmaster, put in a passive 8 way and told my wife I need an amp. Picture still sucks and I have to rehook up my channelmaster. He had no idea that the channelmaster was not passive and the signal is poor coming in my home. If he needed proof I would have just unhooked the cable modem which is a direct line from outside to the back of a tv and he would have seen.
I called back for another tech to come when I am there as they have no clue what they are doing inside my house. I should have at least a 0 db loss coming to my house. If they cannot get this straightened out then I will leave. These guys are idiots.

I had a better experience few months back. I was experiencing breakups on most HD channels and after confirming here that it is not area wide problem I called up Comcast and explained the problem and told them that problem has to be somewhere outside. They scheduled a technician to come out that wednesday (I called on Saturday). First thing Monday morning one of their guys calls me up and says they were fixing a problem somwhere on my street and if I could check my picture now. Breakups were gone and I was I happy customer. I thought that was a nice proactive gesture on their part.

The worst thing with Comcast (as it is with any other company of that kind) is you have people that will take initiative and try to help you , but you also have people who look at it as a 9-5 (or whatever shift you call - although I noticed that if you want a local person to help it is best to call during regular business hours) and they could care less.

Either way the best lesson is not to get discouraged and keep calling and you will get someone who is willing to help.

is anyone else's cable out?...mine's been out since around 9am

Everything is fine here.

my cable's still out[snow on the analogs... one moment please this channel should be available shortly on the digitals]...i just called comcast and they acknowledged there's definitely an outtage in my area

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Just so Im clear, you have the 6208 DVRecorder?

Yes. I had a 5100 which I upgraded to 6200 and now i have 6208

FYI, I am working directly with the Comcast Engineer who is in charge of all the 5C 1394 issues and all firmware/software upgrades and downloads. I will report any info I can. I know that Motorola is sending a team into town next week to do some work on their head end locally.

Fortunately Chicago is self sufficient in terms of releasing updates. I notified him about the 7.10 issues and requested we go directly to 7.14. He is aware of the constant breakups on the 6208 via 1394 (as of today)and is working on a resolution. I will keep you guys posted.

Originally posted by kippjones
FYI, I am working directly with the Comcast Engineer who is in charge of all the 5C 1394 issues and all firmware/software upgrades and downloads. I will report any info I can. I know that Motorola is sending a team into town next week to do some work on their head end locally.

Fortunately Chicago is self sufficient in terms of releasing updates. I notified him about the 7.10 issues and requested we go directly to 7.14. He is aware of the constant breakups on the 6208 via 1394 (as of today)and is working on a resolution. I will keep you guys posted.

Let it be known to all that kipp rocks!!! :D :D

Kipp, thanks for all your work with these issues.


tim (finally able to relax now that the season is done) :D

Originally posted by Kenal0

I called back for another tech to come when I am there as they have no clue what they are doing inside my house. I should have at least a 0 db loss coming to my house. If they cannot get this straightened out then I will leave. These guys are idiots.

A Comcast guy came to my condo and started to look at things before I got home. (The GF was there.) When I got there, he had bypassed my HT system, running the cable directly to the 6200. He was standing there, totally lost, with my MX-700 remote in his hand, static on the plasma, unable to get a picture on the screen.

I wish I'd captured this with the digital camera. A priceless scene, indeed.

yeah mine was out for alot of the mourning i had the tech here to install the 6208 and i havent had a chance to play with it because the cable was out and i had to wait for a box hit when it came back on, anyways all is well now and my 6208 seems to be working perfectly. I will report more on the 6208 when i get a chance to play with it more

Originally posted by kippjones
FYI, I am working directly with the Comcast Engineer who is in charge of all the 5C 1394 issues and all firmware/software upgrades and downloads. I will report any info I can. I know that Motorola is sending a team into town next week to do some work on their head end locally.

Fortunately Chicago is self sufficient in terms of releasing updates. I notified him about the 7.10 issues and requested we go directly to 7.14. He is aware of the constant breakups on the 6208 via 1394 (as of today)and is working on a resolution. I will keep you guys posted.

Please volunteer Chicago as a test bed for 1394 stuff - it seems like we've got a lot of FireWire users here, and anything's gotta be better than 7.07 on the 6208 (I can't record a damn thing due to all the breakups).

Anyway, thanks for prodding those guys along!

Originally posted by FSugino
Please volunteer Chicago as a test bed for 1394 stuff - it seems like we've got a lot of FireWire users here, and anything's gotta be better than 7.07 on the 6208 (I can't record a damn thing due to all the breakups).

Anyway, thanks for prodding those guys along!

Already done. At a minimum I have offered my home as a site where they can see what is going on in the field. I probably have one of the most advances 1394 networks and device collections in the world. Even when Mitsubishi came to my home they were blown away. I did request that they pass on the 7.10 release due to the recording issues. They were not aware of the problem.

Well i got to play with the 6208 alittle more and and the abilty to record and timeshift HD is great but the interface is almost painful to use compared to my replay, i suppose i could get used to it but im now wanting a MOXI based box more and more :(

Whoever gets their next bill please post what charges you get. I just got in an argument with a girl at Comcast who is supossed to be a higher level specialist (whatever that is). Earlier I called and got connected to customer retention dept. I explained how there shouldn't be a charge for HDTV box and DVR. Lady was nice and said that is correct and removed the charge for the box. 20 minutes later I loose all my channels. I call back and it seems that when she removed the box charge, it removed my box from the system. They tried connecting the box again and sending bunch of hits and nothing was going on (I guess network was quite busy). They connect me to this girl then and she is one of those you can't argue with (because she "knows more than average CSR and only her and 15 others have been trained on some stuff....") While I am talking to her my signal comes back on and all the hits they tried to send come one after the other (my box reset 4 times). Then she goes to tell me how they word it "HDTV equipment lease" but it really is HDTV service charge and since I am receiving HDTV channels, I have to be charged $5.00 . I tried to tell her she's wrong, but can't get through to her. I tell her then that you can subscribe to basic service and get the box to receive hdtv channels and she tels me that you can't get the box unless you subscribe to digital packages (this is where I really realize she's full of it and has no clue what she's talking about).

Oh well. You are bound to get one like that every once in a while :)

I've been away from this thread for way too long.

How long have they been offering the 6208 box in the Chicago area? I just got a 6200 a month ago and am out in Cary. Works great, but I'd love to record HD as well. Is there an extra charge on top of the $5.00 that I pay for the 6200?

Originally posted by dmk1974
I've been away from this thread for way too long.

How long have they been offering the 6208 box in the Chicago area? I just got a 6200 a month ago and am out in Cary. Works great, but I'd love to record HD as well. Is there an extra charge on top of the $5.00 that I pay for the 6200?

The way it was explained to me was the 6200 costs $5.00. When you apply for a DVR, you return the 6200 and get a 6208. Your new cost is $9.95, so the increase is $4.95 for the 6208 vs the 6200.

I also have an older Motorola digital cable box (no HD) that is included in my digital package.

I have the telephone number of a Comcast Customer Service person in Chicago that helped me. If someone needs the number, you can send me a private message.

Jack

Originally posted by vj9999
Then she goes to tell me how they word it "HDTV equipment lease" but it really is HDTV service charge and since I am receiving HDTV channels, I have to be charged $5.00 . I tried to tell her she's wrong, but can't get through to her. I tell her then that you can subscribe to basic service and get the box to receive hdtv channels and she tels me that you can't get the box unless you subscribe to digital packages (this is where I really realize she's full of it and has no clue what she's talking about).

Oh well. You are bound to get one like that every once in a while :)


You are correct that you don't have to subscribe to a digital package to get HD, but it is a well established fact that you do, in fact, have to pay $5/month for the HD box and an additional $4.95 for the DVR version.

Okay. Had my DVR installed today. These guys are clueless. The tech could not get any channels authorized after an hour on the phone with his dispatch supervisor, and then left me with a box with all channels showing "this channel will be available shortly", and told me my hit was in a queue, and the box would take a hit and come online in the next hour, but he had to go to his next stop.

As expected the hit never came, so I called tech support, and they tried to hit the box again with no success. I called back an hour later (after being told my hit was in the queue), and actually was transferred to a person in the Tinley Park call center that was part of the DVR support group. She was very helpful, and after two hits got all my analog, Hi Def, and digital channels showing. Only problem was HBO showed "subscription service" even though my account showed HBO as active. She then tried to deactivate and then reactivate the box to get HBO going, but that caused all channels to show "this channel will be available shortly" again. She then sent another hit which was 200 in the queue, and said if that did not resolve it within an hour to call back.

Once again, no hit. I finally got a call back from the Dispatcher in Schaumburg, who spend an hour on the phone with me trying to hit the box a few different ways. He had just given up and was scheduling a tech to come and take the box away, and replace it with a 6200 (as there were no more DVRs available at their warehouse), when all my channels came on (except HBO). He is now sending a tech to check my signal strength tomorrow, as he claims that I may not be getting HBO as my signal is weak. I disagree, as I get channels above and below HBO just fine, so how could it be signal strength.

Juat for fun I called back to see if I could get someone who had a clue, and could fix my package so that HBO came through, but I got a lady who did not know what DVR was. I explained it to her and told her that earlier I had talked to someone in the Tinley Park call center that was part of the DVR support group, and could she transfer me to that group. She answered that she was in the TInley Park call center, and that she had never heard of DVR, or any special DVR group, and she was sorry that she could not help me at all.

So I admitted defeat and quit for the day. I spent over 4 hours on the phone trying to get the box activated. At least I got the install charge waived.

This is all after a no show appointment on Monday, and them rescheduling to today without calling me. Lucky I was home today.

I have noticed a lot of breakup when you change channels, but then after a few seconds it is fine. Other than that DVR works as expected. Clumsy interface, but once you get the hang of it it works okay. Pausing live TV is cool though.

On another note, when I ordered the DVR, I also added HBO, as I was offerd HBO for 1 year at $5 per month. In one of my conversations today I found out that I only Have $5 per month for three monts before it goes to $16.99 per month. Sneaky - lie to get you sighned up then you get hooked, and don't get what you were promised.
e
Fun, fun fun with Comcast. PITA to get set up, but great when correctly set up.

Anyone else having trouble getting HBO with a DVR box (or any other premiums?). Everyone I talk to claims that my account has HBO enabled, but I am not getting it. No one is able to fix it.

Thanks for any help.

Originally posted by scottsol
You are correct that you don't have to subscribe to a digital package to get HD, but it is a well established fact that you do, in fact, have to pay $5/month for the HD box and an additional $4.95 for the DVR version.

That was my understanding too, but she was trying to convince me that $5/mo is for HDTV service (althought they word it HDTV Equipment Lease) and $9.95 for DVR service.

I can tell you one thing for sure. On my current transactions with comcast (online bill) I have $7.96 charge for DVR service from 6/07 to 6/30 and I can see that they gave me credit today for HDTV equipment after I disputed it with customer retention. My servie went out shortly after that credit was given and came back after they added it back on. I hope it is just a coincidence. I guess I will know for sure on 6/24 when my bill is available for next month.

Originally posted by MarcL
Okay. Had my DVR installed today. These guys are clueless. The tech could not get any channels authorized after an hour on the phone with his dispatch supervisor, and then left me with a box with all channels showing "this channel will be available shortly", and told me my hit was in a queue, and the box would take a hit and come online in the next hour, but he had to go to his next stop.



I think you must have been at my house, yesterday. Exact same scenario. They wound up putting a 6200 back in, and then had trouble getting that one authorized. Finally got it straightened out.

Just got a call from them, they should be here in an hour with a box they are testing at their office. I'll post later an update.

Mike K.

Originally posted by mikek747
I think you must have been at my house, yesterday. Exact same scenario. They wound up putting a 6200 back in, and then had trouble getting that one authorized. Finally got it straightened out.

Just got a call from them, they should be here in an hour with a box they are testing at their office. I'll post later an update.

Mike K.

Follow up post. Comcast brought out a new 6208 this morning, and after just a little bit of set up everything is working fine. They also brought a replacement DCT2000 for my other TV. Apparently there was some system wide problem yesterday, and a over 1,800 boxes were screwed up. No menu available amongst other problems.

The 6208 paid for itself this afternoon. I was demoing my surround system for a friend and missed the end of the Cub game. Providence was shining down on me today, and I had left the DVR on channel 40. I went back and replayed the bottom of the ninth. Go Cubs, Go Comcast.

Mike K.

Originally posted by MarcL
Okay. Had my DVR installed today. These guys are clueless. The tech could not get any channels authorized after an hour on the phone with his dispatch supervisor, and then left me with a box with all channels showing "this channel will be available shortly", and told me my hit was in a queue, and the box would take a hit and come online in the next hour, but he had to go to his next stop.

As expected the hit never came, so I called tech support, and they tried to hit the box again with no success. I called back an hour later (after being told my hit was in the queue), and actually was transferred to a person in the Tinley Park call center that was part of the DVR support group. She was very helpful, and after two hits got all my analog, Hi Def, and digital channels showing. Only problem was HBO showed "subscription service" even though my account showed HBO as active. She then tried to deactivate and then reactivate the box to get HBO going, but that caused all channels to show "this channel will be available shortly" again. She then sent another hit which was 200 in the queue, and said if that did not resolve it within an hour to call back.

Once again, no hit. I finally got a call back from the Dispatcher in Schaumburg, who spend an hour on the phone with me trying to hit the box a few different ways. He had just given up and was scheduling a tech to come and take the box away, and replace it with a 6200 (as there were no more DVRs available at their warehouse), when all my channels came on (except HBO). He is now sending a tech to check my signal strength tomorrow, as he claims that I may not be getting HBO as my signal is weak. I disagree, as I get channels above and below HBO just fine, so how could it be signal strength.


Follow up post. Tech came today to see what was going on. Very nice guy Steve, and the most knowledgeable Comcast guy I have met or talked to. Claimed this was the first time he had seen a DVR box, and did not know how to get it authorized correctly. Decided that my box was fried after taking too many hits, and so gave me a 6200 that authorized in the same way with no HBO. He decided that there is a problem with my account rather than the box, but when he tried to set up the DVR again, could not get it authorized at all. So now I have a 6200 with no HBO authorized.

Steve has promised that he will call some people on Monday in the know at Comcast to get my account fixed, and then get me a new DVR box as soon as possible. He actually gave me his cell phone number to call him directly if I have any issues (or if I don't hear back from him). Hopefully this will all resolve this week. No matter what, I am not calling Comcast customer service anymore, as they are mostly useless. Steve told me that even when you call and select the tech support option, you still go to the same call center as if you select the new servicce option, which is a bunch of sales people who have no training on any serious tech support.

I just want a DVR authorized for my channels.

Sorry to hear about the troubles guys, i also had a tech who was not able to authorize my box while he was here and left saying my hit was in que and give it an hour. Well i went out and came back about 4 hours later to only have analog channels working, though it only took one hit to clear up. Also does anyone know what the Digital A/o package with a charge of $4.99 is? its kinda aggravating me as my bill is astronomical

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Also does anyone know what the Digital A/o package with a charge of $4.99 is? its kinda aggravating me as my bill is astronomical

It's the rental charge for a SD digital set top box. I had a friend that was being charged that when he shouldn't have been and it took 6 phone calls before getting a CSR that agreed the account was messed up. The best response he got was the $4.99 was the rental for the HD box and the $5.00 HD lease charge was for the HD programming. Some times you wish you could reach through the phone an choke some of this idiots on the other end.

Now let's see when we get Discovery HD... supposedly being assigned to 172 atleast in TN.

Can't wait!! Loving this DVR box too.

won't be on 172 here tvone's already there

yeah i was wondering when we were going to get discoveryhd also, i heard some systems are getting it this week, but i have not gotten a message on my box yet

[vent mode on]

Well I think I've just about had it with Comcast. Tried calling several times to get the DVR and I've been connected to what must be the biggest morons on the planet. One insisted that VOD was the DVR, and couldn't understand why I wanted to pay extra for something that I already get for free. AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!

I've checked into WOW again and noticed that they have added a bunch of HD channels since the last time I checked. Looks like they have HDNet instead of INHD, DiscoveryHD, and UPNHD, but not Showtime HD. They use a Scientific Atlanta 8000HD DVR box.

Can anyone comment on HDNet vs INHD? Anyone have any idea about the SA8000HD? I'm getting REAL tempted to switch.

[vent mode off]

Thanks
Andy

LYU370,

when you call, ask for customer retention department. They are supposed to be ones trained on DVRs.

Originally posted by LYU370
[BWell I think I've just about had it with Comcast. Tried calling several times to get the DVR and I've been connected to what must be the biggest morons on the planet. One insisted that VOD was the DVR, and couldn't understand why I wanted to pay extra for something that I already get for free. AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!! [/B]

The one thing to note is Comcast's DVR service is not officially launched yet, so the front line CSRs may not be aware what they are or that they're available. It's actually being handled on an exception basis, and it sounds like the customer retention group is using DVR as a tool to keep existing customers. Therefore, they're the only ones whom you need to contact to get signed up.

As a few others have pointed out, call Comcast and ask for the customer retention group. I'm sure all of us with the 6208 had to make multiple phone calls to get signed up. Don't give up!

To everyone having problems getting the 6208 to receive all of the channels I can definitely sympathize. After experiencing the same thing with my install my best advice is to make sure Comcast has you account set up properly. The CSR's tried numerous hits to my box to make things work properly but only after they made sure there was an additional five dollar a month charge to my account(which they say will be removed) for HD did everything work properly. I had a similiar problem when they first installed my 5100. Bottom line while I am not suggesting people tell Comcast to charge them more for there service, just make sure things are right on the accounting end or all the hits in the world won't make any difference.

Got a 6208 installed on Saturday. Curt, the Comcast installer, said he was surprised that I was able to get one. "There are only a few of these in the warehouse...no big announcement has been made and the big push is scheduled for August....when the dual tuner model will be introduced."

The install was easy, quick and efficient...took about 5 minutes and about another 10 minutes to get the box authorized.

Originally posted by gtcharlie
To everyone having problems getting the 6208 to receive all of the channels I can definitely sympathize. After experiencing the same thing with my install my best advice is to make sure Comcast has you account set up properly. The CSR's tried numerous hits to my box to make things work properly but only after they made sure there was an additional five dollar a month charge to my account(which they say will be removed) for HD did everything work properly. I had a similiar problem when they first installed my 5100. Bottom line while I am not suggesting people tell Comcast to charge them more for there service, just make sure things are right on the accounting end or all the hits in the world won't make any difference.

Hey gtcharlie,

Do you mean that when they had only the DVR service on your account for $9.95 you did not get all your channels, and then if the added the $5 HD equipment lease charge asa well your channels came back? Which channels were you missing? My account is still jacked, as they can't authorize any premiums on my or 6200 (just like the 6208 I had), as I still have the DVR service on my account but no HD equipment charge. This may be the problem I am having. Does anyone else have a 6208 with the DVR charge only, and no $5 HD charge that has their premiums (HBO etc) enabled?

I used to have one HD box (5100) and one Digital box (2200?), so my account had a $5.00 HD charge as well as a $4.xx charge for "Digital a/o". The Digital box was slaved to my Tivo, so when I got the 6208 I had them take it away with the 5100 - leaving me with only the 6208. The $5.00 HD charge was removed, but the $4.xx charge stayed.

They installed the 6208 on 6/12 it worked fine for a couple of days. I had Digital Gold (HBO & SHO) prior to getting the 6208 and I continued receiving the appropriate channels afterwards. On Monday (6/14) while at work, I checked my account and noticed that it still had the "Digital a/o" on it. The CS rep. took it off my account, but seemed to have some trouble with it. When I arrived at home that evening, the box had evidently been reset remotely (it is on a UPS, so it couldn't have been power related) and was showing "Not Authorized" for all channels. I called Comcast and spoke to regular support for about 5 minutes trying regular hits to get the box back - no go, off to DVR support. They quickly sent a succession of hits (3 or 4) that got it working again.

On Friday, 6/18, I decided to upgrade from Digital Gold to Digital Platinum, so as to see how StarzHD and CinmaxHD are. So, I called Comcast and spoke with their sales group about this and they made the change. The rep. said it would be effective "immediately" - I was at work, so as long as it was good that evening, that was cool. So I get home - no Starz or Cinemax. I decide to give it a day...nothing. I call Comcast Saturday evening and talk to support. They send a hit to box...it resets, still no Starz or Cinemax, but the support guy insists it "taked 20-30 minutes to get the new channels". I disagreed, since I was getting all the other channels except for Starz and Cinemax. Wait an hour, nada. Call them back, escalate to Supervisor...he says he'll look into it and call me back in 20 minutes. No call back for over an hour, so I call again. They send another hit, I lose all channels. Send me over to DVR group (took 30 minutes of hold time) and they try a series of hits, finally get back my Gold channels, but no Platinum channels. They schedule a service call for Wednesday 4-6, since "it must be the box".

I'm going to try calling Comcast again and see it they might try putting the $5.00 HD Service charge back in their system and then try a hit or two. I'll ask them to credit the $5.00 charge, but I'm curious about this...

That is exactly what I am saying. As a matter of fact the CSR who finally got things working for me was incredibly conscientious. After she got things working and all channels including HBO were coming in she actually called back after about a half hour and said she noticed the extra five dollar charge on my account. She said she would like to remove the charge but she needed me on the phone okaying it while she did it. Of course I said yes, she removed the charge, and asked if everything was okay. I said yes and hung up the phone. Within seconds everything came up blank and I couldn't get a single channel. I immediately called back but couldn't get connected to the same CSR. That is when I went through about 3 more CSR's all trying things including various kinds of hits to the box. I explained the whole thing about the 5 dollar charge to each person but they said no way that would be the problem. Finally out of desperation the last person put the charge back on and within seconds and without any additional hits to the box my service came back(including HBO).

Once again I hate to recommend having Comcast overcharge your account(and removing the charge later) but that is what worked in my case. And as I said before the five dollar charge may not be the exact solution but I think there are plenty of cases where the problem stems from the account being set up improperly. I remember an earlier poster stating something about being switched from the old digital package to the new one solving his problem. Hope this helps.

thanks gtcharlie and drossn. This is all starting to make sense. It seems that if you have a DVR in order for it to work correctly, you have to have both the dvr service and the HD service charge (although that is not what everyone at comcast has told me) in order to get any premiums. With a 6200 you only need the $5 HD charge and all is dandy, but with a DVR, it seems that you need either the $5 HD or a "digital a/o" charge as well as the DVR charge in order to get the DVR authorized for premiums. This is good to know but unfortunately the service tech at my house on Saturday took my DVR box away and gave me a 6200 because he could not authorize the DVR at all, and thought it was fried. He is supposed to call me today with an update, but do you think I will hear from him? Meanwhile I still have the DVR charge, and no HD charge on my account (I am supposedly getting a DVR box back from the tech this week), and HBO is still showing not authorized on my 6200. I bet as soon as they add the $5 HD charge HBO pops back up. Now how do I get my DVR box back? I have the techs cell phone number. I guess I will call him tonight. I hope he didn't give me a bogus number.

Marc

Earlier this afternoon (from work) I called Comcast and had them add back the $5.00 HD charge to my account. Sure enough, I just got home and now I'm getting all the Digital Platinum channels. So it does indeed seem that you need the $9.95 DVR + $5.00 HD items in your account for some reason.

Now, I'm going to call Comcast again and let them know that I am now getting all my channels, BUT I shouldn't need to pay the $5.00 for HD + the DVR. Seems they've got some bugs to work out from their billing system.

Well, I've decided to switch over to WOW. For less than what I'm currently paying Comcast without the DVR, I'm getting additional premium channels and the HD DVR (dual tuners from what I understand). Install is scheduled for Saturday, since I didn't want to take an extra day off.

If anyone is interested I'll post how the install went and what I think of the service.

Andy

Andy,
I am interested. Must be nice to have two cable co's to choose from.

any word yet on when discoveryHD'S coming?

I was just looking on Comcast.com and I am wondering if they have changed their pricing without any notification. I never saw a charge for HDTV programming before (there was always assumed $5 charge for the box). Now when you go to pricing (like if you are ordering something) it lists HDTV programming as a $5.00 charge. This is exactly same as info that I got from a girl in Comcast that I nearly got in a verbal argument about that.

I wonder if this is going to be like with the grandfather AT&T packages where if you don't say or change anything you won't see a diffrence (but you won't see new things as well - like how old AT&T customers didn't see INHDs).

So basically all of us that complaind about HDTV $5.00 charge after DVR installation and when they removed it how we lost our channels might be related to this.

I was curious about the $5.00 per month charge and called Comcast. The $5.00 is for equipment rental of the HD receiver, which is what we have been paying all along. There is no additional $5.00 charge for the HD service.

I don't know how this relates to the problem people have been having with their new DVR's, but it does clarify the pricing issue.

Mike K.

I just had two 5100s swapped out for 6208s. The process took around 6 hours over two days (Monday and Tuesday), as Winnetka has apparently just been moved from the Waukegan service center to the Mount Prospect center. The installer was great, but the hardware had serious issues. Apparently, each service center burns a specific set of defaults into the box (including firmware, channel lineups and the like). After 4 hours of downloads, hits, half a dozen different people working at the service center on the account and a visit by a supervisor, we at one point managed to get everything but the susbcription channels working, but in an attempt to get those online, they downloaded new firmware and by the end of the day, I was left with no service at all.

The installer came to the conclusion that it was likely a "hardware" issue in that the Mount Prospect burn was incompatible with the Winnetka infrastructure (we've got relatively old cable - only 450Mhz), so he went to the Waukegan center on Tuesday to pick up two "Waukegan burn" units. The Comcast folks also tried mucking with downloads the rest of Tuesday and at one point managed to get analog and HD channels (but no digital or subscription) working on the Mount Prospect boxes. Our installer came out late Tuesday afternoon just as the latest download hit our boxes, so we had to wait for that to finish (it takes about 45-60 minutes - which always amazed him, as a typical "Mount Prospect" DVR download typically takes less than 15 minutes - but Wuakegan indicated that's just how long it normally takes on our lousy infrastructure). The download fixed nothing, so he swapped out the MP boxes with Wauekgan boxes, had the office send a hit and presto! Everything worked. Had he had "Waukegan burn" boxes in the first place, the whole process probably would have taken 10 minutes. Live and learn, I guess. I'm assuming the Mount Prospect office will start burning some boxes the "Waukegan way" for Winnetka, Glencoe and Kenilworth.

As far as the 6208s go, I really like the ability to record HD. I played around with both units for a while, rewinding live TV, setting up some recordings and whatnot. I watched one recording while recording another, and joined the "in-progress" recording (at the beginning) after I finished (and deleted) the first one. Everything worked pretty well, although I did have one FF glitch when I moved to the second (in-progress) recording. It just didn't want to go faster than 1x FF over the first commercial, but it eventually got past whatever was bothering it and then it took off at 4x FF.

In terms of the functionality, I like the unit. The single tuner sucks, but it's better than nothing. Analog reception is definitely worse than a 5100. The installer agreed and said that Comcast has been having some tense discussions with Motorola over the issue. Apparently, the 620x series pass all signals thru the HD filter, and this is just bad news for analog. They're trying to get Moto to add an analog bypass circuit to their boxes. We can all thank the folks in Park Ridge for this, as it apparently has the highest concentration of 620x users and a large number of them complained to the local cable commission, which pushed hard on Comcast and now Comcast is pushing hard on Moto.

The installer also let slip that Comcast is testing 4-5 different DVR boxes from various manufacturers (I believe he mentioned Toshiba and Samsung), because they are extremely annoyed at Motorola. Apparently, they were promised 6412s back in January, and the date has been pushed back so many times (sounds like the latest is late August) that Comcast finally released the 6208s from the warehouse just to get SOMETHING out there. They are REALLY not happy about releasing one-tuner DVRs, because they know that satellite has that beat and don't want to offer obviously worse tech.

Derf!

Well, if Winnetka is still only on a 450mhz system that might explain why we have yet to receive something like VOD.

Ouch only 450mhz, that kinda hurts. Though it now has me wondering what the system im on is. We did have some major infastructer work done in the last 2 years though so maybe we may be up there

I just received an email reply to my online inquiry about Discovery HD in Chicago:

"We can confirm it is coming, however we can are unable to give you a firm date. Our best guess is over the next 60 days or so."

Not sure if that's just the standard 'Comcast Speak' but it sounds like we'll eventually have it.

I would guess that they are waiting till the full roll-out of VOD in the area before they add Discovery HD (if you go to "My Channel Line-up" on Comcasts web-site there is now a section for VOD). Maybe they need the bandwith from the 30 PPV stations (that will move to VOD) to add Discovery.

Just a thought.

b

Sorry double post.

b

Just got my bill for the DVR.

$5.00 HDTV Equip Monthly Lse
$9.95 DVR Service
$3.98 DVR Service 6/19-6/30
$15.99 DVR Installation
$13.99 Activate/chge Exist Serv

I'm not happy...CUSTOMER FIRST??????

Jack

I had Customer Retention remove HDTV Equipment lease charge removed 2 days ago (for the second time since first time I had problems, but I am starting to think it was un related). I have had no problems or interuptions in my service since that charge was removed/credited.

My HD & DVR related charges:

Dvr Service 9.95
HDTV Equip Monthly Lse Partial Month(s) 06/11-06/28 -3.00
Dvr Service Partial Month(s) 06/11-06/28 5.97
Dvr Installation 15.99
Activate/chge Exist Serv 13.99
Free Act/chg -13.99


It took me a while but I figured out why the -$3. That credit is for the rest of the month that I did not have the 6200, since that was essentially already billed. Then I have the partial month charge for the DVR.

FYI, I have everything except any of the movie packages.


tim

I have had my second 6208 installed today after the first was burned out by taking too many hits, and alas, I still have no channels authorized other than analogs. All my digitals, and HBO are showing not authorized or subscription service. I have both the DVR service, and the HD equipment rental on my account, and my box took the authorization hit, but nothing changed. No one at comcast seems to be able to help me authorize my box for digital and HBO. I even have the installers cell number and have talked to him a couple times in the last few days, and he has no idea how to get my box working. He claims he has talked to everyone he knows at comcast, and they all said my account was correctly set up, but still no channels. DVR functions work fine on the analog channels and on the hi def locals (188, 189 etc), so I think the box is working fine, just not authorized correctly. My 6200 was working fine before it was switched for the DVR.

Anyone have any advice on what their installer did to their account to get their box authorized correctly? Comcast customer service is of no help. They just want to set up another service call, but that is not the problem, it is a problem with their computers and my account settings.

Thanks in advance.

Marc

So i call Comcast today to get the charge for the regular digital STB taken off my bill and the CSR is very nice and says that it is indeed an error and should be removed, she transfers me to someone to remove it who refuses to do it and says that since i have HDTV service i no longer get any free equipment after a bit of talking i get transferred to her supervisor who also says i must pay. I tell her i know ppl who don't and see says "well since they are not paying their boxes will cease to function soon" i mean come on. So best she can do is offer me 6 months worth of credit. I swear I'm so tempted to tell them where they can shove it. How one person says its wrong and another says its right is beyond me. Oh well just sent comcast a novel of an email, i guess we will see what happens, last time i sent one i got a DVR even though 6 people said they didn't exist. Sorry for the rant, I'm just real mad.

Well, after one more phone call, a half hour on hold, a promise to call back, another hour wait, a callback (surprise, surprise), I finally got a tech representative who had a clue. Two hits to my box, and all is well. I have all my digital and pay channels coming through, and all my DVR functions working, and to top it off the rep told me you do NOT need the $5 HD rental charge, so I don't have it on my account, and all is still working. What an experience. I hope it goes better when I upgrade to the 6412.

Marc

Here's the responce I received from Comcast concerning VOD and Discovery HD:

"Thank you for contacting Comcast Cable. VOD should be available in your
area by early August, at the latest. Discovery HD Theater is set to
launch in early July. Thank you for your inquiry.
Sincerely,

Michael
Comcast Customer Care Specialist"

b

Man this is a long thread. I think I'm up to date now, after starting on page 40 and reading through til the end.

So, I'm moving next week and have a couple of questions. Last November I bought a Sony GWIII and have been anxiously awaiting HDTV of any kind ( my current building is with RCN and they don't seem to offer any good packages :mad: ). Comcast will be arriving next Wednesday to install my HD package ( near Halsted and Adams, zip is 60607 ).

1) Are any installs being done with the 5100 anymore? Or are all new installs the 6200? Should it have a FW rev of 7.07 or above? I would really love to try my DVI input.

2) Does Comcast supply either the DVI or Component cables with the install? Even if they do, should I buy my own anyway?

3) Does anyone know if VOD is available in my area? Or even DVR? It sounds like the outer suburbs are getting both, but I'm not sure if the city is getting it.

4) If the installer is a dolt, is there anything I should be aware of ( box or tv settings ) to make sure the install proceeds smoothly and prevent needing multiple tech returns?

Thank you all for the incredible information that's been provided so far. If any of these questions should be directed to another forum, please let me know.

Nick

Originally posted by papajackow
1) Are any installs being done with the 5100 anymore? Or are all new installs the 6200? Should it have a FW rev of 7.07 or above? I would really love to try my DVI input.

2) Does Comcast supply either the DVI or Component cables with the install? Even if they do, should I buy my own anyway?

3) Does anyone know if VOD is available in my area? Or even DVR? It sounds like the outer suburbs are getting both, but I'm not sure if the city is getting it.

4) If the installer is a dolt, is there anything I should be aware of ( box or tv settings ) to make sure the install proceeds smoothly and prevent needing multiple tech returns?

1 - From what I've heard from my tech, the 6200s are being used on installations. The firmware version was 7.07 when I traded mine in for a 6208.

2 - The installer will bring component cables. If you want to use the DVI connector you'll have to provide the DVI cable yourself.

3 - Everything I've heard so far says that the city of Chicago will receive VOD service last. Rollout starts from the far northern/western burbs and works in toward the city. As for DVR availability, call and check with Comcast (ask for the customer retention group).

4 - If you have problems, come right back here and post a message. I'm sure someone will reply shortly.

papajackow,

We began getting "upgraded services" near downtown about a month ago. I'm near North and Wells, which I think would be the same Comcast area as your new address. HD looks great. No VOD yet. I think 3.0 Mbps Internet is available.

Comcast claimed that all installs would be with 5100's, but I insisted they put a note on the work order to bring a 6200 if available. I called back later and verified with a CSR that my note was indeed in the system. The installer showed up with a 6200.

DVR is not available now. I've been told the end of August by two CSR's, but the last installer here said by the end of this year.

Firmware is 7.07.

Tips: Be sure you are getting ALL your HD channels before the installer leaves. You will find all the HD locals, HBO, and InHD in the range of 173-192. I recommend having your own cables all hooked up and ready to plug into the 6200.

Downtown Chicago is indeed LAST to get Comcast's upgraded services. But we're almost there! Welcome to the area.

Thanks for the heads up PhillyC. I've actually been in the area for a while. I'm currently in the South Loop ( Congress and Dearborn ). My girlfriend and I just bought our first condo :D . I'll be sure to call Comcast and request the 6200. Do I call customer service again, or should I call Tech Support?

Also, do I want to have my non-HD channels use the S-Video? Or should everything be through my Component or DVI?

Originally posted by Kipp Jones
FYI, I am working directly with the Comcast Engineer who is in charge of all the 5C 1394 issues and all firmware/software upgrades and downloads. I will report any info I can. I know that Motorola is sending a team into town next week to do some work on their head end locally.

Fortunately Chicago is self sufficient in terms of releasing updates. I notified him about the 7.10 issues and requested we go directly to 7.14. He is aware of the constant breakups on the 6208 via 1394 (as of today)and is working on a resolution. I will keep you guys posted.

UPDATE:

Discovery HD is scheduled to launch July 1 or 2 in Chicagoland.

I was updated on the 7.07 1394 issues: The current breakups are due to the 6208/7.07 design and will only be rectified when Chicago is updated to 7.14. Chicago will be getting the 7.14 update but a release date has not been set. All I know is that it is coming. When the release date is set, I am supposed to be notified.

Well this might be a first. I just got off the phone with a Comcast rep doing a survery regarding the 6208 and my experiences with the install and the service.

Since I'm one of the few it seems that hasn't had any big problems, my answers were mostly simple. Although she did sound surprised when I responded that I hadn't had any problems. It sounded like most people she had talked to had had problems.

I did tell her about this site and other people's problems also. I told her, for me the 3 big things are: Record by program instead of time period (used Sex & City as example), bigger HD, and 2 tuner. After I explained record by program she understood (Gunsmoke is her favorite show and it also has weird start and end times). She said that the 2 tuner is also everyone else's biggest request.

Hopefully those of you who are experiencing problems will be getting a phone call soon.


tim

Originally posted by timdgibson
I did tell her about this site and other people's problems also. I told her, for me the 3 big things are: Record by program instead of time period (used Sex & City as example), bigger HD, and 2 tuner. After I explained record by program she understood (Gunsmoke is her favorite show and it also has weird start and end times). She said that the 2 tuner is also everyone else's biggest request.

You can record by program - I do it all the time. Call up the program guide, select the program, and when you hit the info button you'll get an option to record it at the bottom of the screen. I think you can also hit the record button at the top of the remote to do the same thing. Is this what you're trying to do?

Originally posted by Kipp Jones
UPDATE:

Discovery HD is scheduled to launch July 1 or 2 in Chicagoland.

I was updated on the 7.07 1394 issues: The current breakups are due to the 6208/7.07 design and will only be rectified when Chicago is updated to 7.14. Chicago will be getting the 7.14 update but a release date has not been set. All I know is that it is coming. When the release date is set, I am supposed to be notified.

Thanks for the info. Thank god I've got the 6208 because I can't record a damn thing via FireWire to my Mits recorder. I hope 7.14 addresses all the known FireWire issues...

Originally posted by FSugino
You can record by program - I do it all the time. Call up the program guide, select the program, and when you hit the info button you'll get an option to record it at the bottom of the screen. I think you can also hit the record button at the top of the remote to do the same thing. Is this what you're trying to do?

I have been doing that, but it doesn't work with programs that don't start and end on the half hour.

With Sex & the City, the episodes go from 9-9:35 and 9:35-10:10. Using the guide to select and set a recording, it records from 9-9:30 and 9:30-10. To get around this I had to manually set a timed recording. The down fall to this is once it's recorded it shows up in the DVR section as "Recording Wed. 9-9:35" instead of the program title. It's kinda a pain but it gets the job done.

Sex & the City is the only program I've tried with non 30 minute times. I'll try Letterman tonight. Also I haven't tried this live (i.e. watching a program, then having to leave so hitting record).


tim

I had the same survey call 2 days ago. They ask very basic questions. I was kind of waiting for them to ask more and I got "thank you for your time" response. The only complaint I had was that once out of evey 20 times I change a channel on HD channels picture breaks up until you hit pause then live.

Originally posted by Kipp Jones
UPDATE:
Discovery HD is scheduled to launch July 1 or 2 in Chicagoland.

Kipp,
Any idea what channel it might be assigned to?

What channel was it on when they were testing HDTV last year? I can't remember anymore.

So while I was checking the amp filters in the racks, I was still thinking about this recording thing. Could it be that since Sex & the City just started on TBS, that the settings weren't updated yet. Just thinking that I don't remember people talking about this regarding recording late night talk shows. Or maybe they did and I just didn't pay attention. I'll still check tonight.


tim

Originally posted by vj9999
What channel was it on when they were testing HDTV last year? I can't remember anymore.

117.01 or 117.02, I think. They were on the high end of the channels picked up via QAM...

Originally posted by timdgibson
I have been doing that, but it doesn't work with programs that don't start and end on the half hour.

I've had success recording programs that start and end at odd times (shows on BBC America in particular). Most of the other stuff I record is padded out in half-hour blocks (movies).

Originally posted by papajackow
Thanks for the heads up PhillyC. I've actually been in the area for a while. I'm currently in the South Loop ( Congress and Dearborn ). My girlfriend and I just bought our first condo :D . I'll be sure to call Comcast and request the 6200. Do I call customer service again, or should I call Tech Support?

Also, do I want to have my non-HD channels use the S-Video? Or should everything be through my Component or DVI?

Call customer service, but then call back later or the next day to make sure your request is "in the notes" on your account. Frequently, CSR's will say they're entering something, but don't.

The non-HD's look OK to me through the component on the 6200. But your TV picture adjustments may not be good for both HD and analog through the same TV input. Have not tried the DVI, since I'm using an LG 3410A with DVI for recording the HD locals. All 6200 outputs are active simultaneously, AFAIK. I do like to have the analog set up through one VCR with S-Video.

BTW, if you have no menas of recording HD yet, you can use the S-Video out to record HD programs to a VCR. Of course, it won;t be HD, but the analog picture will be exceptionally clean.

Originally posted by SamR.
Kipp,
Any idea what channel it might be assigned to?

Sorry, I did not ask.:) :) :)

Originally posted by timdgibson
Well this might be a first. I just got off the phone with a Comcast rep doing a survery regarding the 6208 and my experiences with the install and the service.

Since I'm one of the few it seems that hasn't had any big problems, my answers were mostly simple. Although she did sound surprised when I responded that I hadn't had any problems. It sounded like most people she had talked to had had problems.

I did tell her about this site and other people's problems also. I told her, for me the 3 big things are: Record by program instead of time period (used Sex & City as example), bigger HD, and 2 tuner. After I explained record by program she understood (Gunsmoke is her favorite show and it also has weird start and end times). She said that the 2 tuner is also everyone else's biggest request.

Hopefully those of you who are experiencing problems will be getting a phone call soon.


tim

Hi Tim,
I had the same call about four days ago. My biggest complaint was the installer showed up with the wrong box at first. They did come back later with the correct one. I also mentioned the 1394 output problem even though I expected that to go no where with them since the Engineer I am dealing with said the CSRs are useless for those types of issues.

Originally posted by SamR.
Kipp,
Any idea what channel it might be assigned to?

Just saw a post that Sacramento got it today, 193 out there which is also an open channel here.

Andy

Originally posted by Kipp Jones
UPDATE:

Discovery HD is scheduled to launch July 1 or 2 in Chicagoland.


You've made my day yet again. Thanks Kipp!

Well, had WOW come out yesterday to switch me over, what was surprising was that the installer actually seemed to know what he was doing. I'd say the PQ on the analog channels is a little better than Comcast, digitals are about the same. Most of the HD channels are the same, different are WOW has HDNet and HDNet movies instead of INHD1 & 2, UPNHD, and Discovery, but doesn't have SHOHD. One thing that's kind of annoying is that all the HD channels are together, except for the movie channels, they're grouped with the rest of the movie channels. Discovery is pretty cool, I think you guys will enjoy it. Also no VOD yet.

Not sure what I think of the channel guide yet, none of those stupid little ad boxes though. You get a preview of the channel you're tuned to in the upper right corner. Upper left is a brief description of the program, the bottom half of the screen only shows 5 channels with 2 hours of data.

Channel switching is slower than the 6200, more like the old analog 2200's. The DVI and firewire ports aren't active yet. It has an archive to VCR connection so you can dump the recordings but only in SD resolution. Two HD tuners and a 160GB hard drive.

Andy

...I got it on Friday afternoon and the installer said that mine was the first DVR out of the service center that he works from (Romeoville).

It took three calls to get a CSR who knew where to transfer my request to upgrade to DVR. I've only had the 6200 for two weeks and was pretty disapointed. When I went to a buddy's house and saw his picture, I realized I must have gotten a bad tuner. All I can say is WOW...now. This is on a Sony KP-57WV700 that's been tuned using Avia on both the components inputs. Here are the details...

Using componant input:
Signal is split with high bandwidth splitter-one to the TV- one to the 6208:
Firmware is 7.07:
Can hear the hard drive IF everything else is turned off and you are close to the Audio rack:
I do NOT have a digital or Movie package and the analog channels are still better using the TV tuner...that's why they're split prior to the HD tuner:
The DVR recording of HD is flawless (I'm watching the recording of today's Cubs-Sox game right now:
The installer said that Discovery HD will be offered in July:

I wish the hard drive were bigger and also would like two tuners. The installer knew nothing about another brand being offered in the future but did state that Comcast was not happy with Motorola. He also said that since Moto is a much bigger company than Comcast that they would probably stick with them.
So far I'm happy with the picture as all I wanted was the Sox HD broadcasts anyway.

Thanks for all the info that I got here!
Norm

So last Friday I had set the 6208 to record the 10 pm news on WLS and then Letterman. Both of these had either the start or end not on the half hour. Both recorded correctly. So I'm assuming then that since Sex & the City just started, that that was the reason why it wasn't recorded correctly. I'll do it again this week and see what happens.


tim

I had a Customer Service Rep tell me September for Discovery HD in my area. :rolleyes:

I sure hope he was wrong because that is a pathetically long time to wait for it in a major market like Chicago. We don't have DVRs yet either.

Originally posted by Tigerriot
I had a Customer Service Rep tell me September for Discovery HD in my area. :rolleyes:

I sure hope he was wrong because that is a pathetically long time to wait for it in a major market like Chicago. We don't have DVRs yet either.

You must be near downtown. We just got HD in the last month. I can understand not having DVR yet, but I can't see any reason for not getting a new HD channel at the same time as everyone else.

BTW, I've heard August and December and "early 2005" for DVR here. You get a different story every time you talk to Comcast.

Ok, Is there a specific number you guys are calling other than the 1-888-4-BEST-TV?

Any help would be appreciated.

Originally posted by machone123
Ok, Is there a specific number you guys are calling other than the 1-888-4-BEST-TV?

Any help would be appreciated.


The number on the bill is 1-866-594-1234 (memorized now).


tim

So I am still fighting with Executive Customer Service over my bill. They have now eliminated the $5.00 Equipment Lease fee "as a favor to me."

There is now a $9.95 DVR fee. Originally, they again claimed my account was set up wrong and the $5 fee is actually an HDTV Service Fee. After I explained to them that the literature they sent me effective 2/26/04 says that there will be a $5 equipment fee, they agreed to eliminate the $5...but you know it will "rear it's ugly head" the next time I want to change my service.

They charged me $15.99 for the HDTV installation. I would have happily picked up the box at one of their offices. They finally credited the $13.99 Service Change fee. I was never informed of either fee when I ordered the service.

These people still need to learn a lot about customer service. Every chance they get, they try to over-charge us.

If you need to contact someone at the Chicago Executive Customer Service Department, the woman who claims to be in charge is Helen Bell and her number is 630-288-1207. (Be advised that she believes Comcast is always correct, but she seems to have the ability to get things done.)

I have also had luck calling Comcast Corporate in Philadelphia and asking for "The Office of the President." That number is 215-665-1700.

Jack G

Originally posted by Jacktheg
So I am still fighting with Executive Customer Service over my bill. They have now eliminated the $5.00 Equipment Lease fee "as a favor to me."

There is now a $9.95 DVR fee. Originally, they again claimed my account was set up wrong and the $5 fee is actually an HDTV Service Fee. After I explained to them that the literature they sent me effective 2/26/04 says that there will be a $5 equipment fee, they agreed to eliminate the $5...but you know it will "rear it's ugly head" the next time I want to change my service.

They charged me $15.99 for the HDTV installation. I would have happily picked up the box at one of their offices. They finally credited the $13.99 Service Change fee. I was never informed of either fee when I ordered the service.

These people still need to learn a lot about customer service. Every chance they get, they try to over-charge us.

If you need to contact someone at the Chicago Executive Customer Service Department, the woman who claims to be in charge is Helen Bell and her number is 630-288-1207. (Be advised that she believes Comcast is always correct, but she seems to have the ability to get things done.)

I have also had luck calling Comcast Corporate in Philadelphia and asking for "The Office of the President." That number is 215-665-1700.

Jack G

I don't know your whole unhappy story about billing but I can tell you the charges in our area are $5 monthly HD STB rental unless you have the DVR, which goes for $9.95. If you had the non DVR HD box first and then swapped it out for the HD DVR, your new monthly equipment fee would be $9.95 instead of the $5 non DVR HD box fee, so the incremental increase for the HD DVR would only be $4.95.

As far as I am aware, Comcast does not allow customers anywhere to just pick up an HD STB or HD DVR, they both require 'installation' by a tech. I have been told in the past that this is to limit these boxes to customers who actually have HD sets, but it sounds like a way to get more installation fees to me. Here there is a $29.95 installation fee plus a Change of Service fee of $15.95 I believe and they are not really good about telling you about both charges unless you ask.

Originally posted by DDisney
If you had the non DVR HD box first and then swapped it out for the HD DVR, your new monthly equipment fee would be $9.95 instead of the $5 non DVR HD box fee, so the incremental increase for the HD DVR would only be $4.95.

I had a 6200 that I changed to a 6208. They should have charged me $9.95, but they tried to charge both $9.95 and $5.00.



Originally posted by DDisney
As far as I am aware, Comcast does not allow customers anywhere to just pick up an HD STB or HD DVR, they both require 'installation' by a tech. I have been told in the past that this is to limit these boxes to customers who actually have HD sets, but it sounds like a way to get more installation fees to me. Here there is a $29.95 installation fee plus a Change of Service fee of $15.95 I believe and they are not really good about telling you about both charges unless you ask.

If they don't tell you about the charges up front, you shouldn't have to pay the charges!

Jack

Originally posted by Jacktheg
I had a 6200 that I changed to a 6208. They should have charged me $9.95, but they tried to charge both $9.95 and $5.00.

If they don't tell you about the charges up front, you shouldn't have to pay the charges!

Jack

They tried the same thing with me but I called them on it and got the $5 charge removed. I agree on the Chane of Service fee. They did tell me about the installation but not the other, and I got that reduced as well. You really have to look at your bill, especially when you make any changes.

Originally posted by DDisney
You really have to look at your bill, especially when you make any changes.

Lets be honest, the bottom line is THEY ARE A BUNCH OF CROOKS!

Originally posted by Jacktheg
Lets be honest, the bottom line is THEY ARE A BUNCH OF CROOKS!

If I were you I would switch to satellite. It sounds to me that you will never be satisfied with anything Comcast does. I agree with you that many of the CSR's are not the best informed. I don't think this is an effort to cheat you, just a mistake by an uneducated employee. It doesn't make it right, but it also doesn't make it criminal. I also would rather pick up the box and install it myself to save the fees, but considering the problems they had getting it authorized, it's certainly much better to have the tech on site instead of trying to get it done myself over the phone, with those same uneducated and uninformed CSR's.

You could just eliminate that $9.95 a month fee by going out and spending hundreds of dollars on a new HD satellite STB and HD dish setup, and pay the $5.00 per month per box for every extra box you have on the system, and pay for the rooftop antenna installation for your HD locals, or pay the monthly fee to get them from the satellite (but then they won't be HD). Life is full of choices. You need to decide which are the best for you and just deal with it.

Mike K.

Originally posted by mikek747
I don't think this is an effort to cheat you, just a mistake by an uneducated employee. It doesn't make it right, but it also doesn't make it criminal.
Mike K.

When the error occurs once, it is a mistake. When the same type of error occurs repeatedly, it is very close to being criminal! These people have constantly tried to over charge me for their services. When they say they will issue a credit for a service outage, they don't. When they say the charges will be $4.95, they then charge $9.95. They seem to love to blame their ignorance for their errors; "Oh, sorry, I was told that the charges would be only $4.95...the marketing department needs to clarify what the correct charges are."

Come on, these people are only selling cable service. There are only so many options. If Wal-Mart can sell hundreds of thousands of different items, don't you think a responsible company could sell cable service without screwing up the charges?

Do you work for Comcast? Don't defend them...criticize them, challenge them, force them to clean up their errors!!!!

Jack G

Originally posted by Jacktheg
When the error occurs once, it is a mistake. When the same type of error occurs repeatedly, it is very close to being criminal! These people have constantly tried to over charge me for their services. When they say they will issue a credit for a service outage, they don't. When they say the charges will be $4.95, they then charge $9.95. They seem to love to blame their ignorance for their errors; "Oh, sorry, I was told that the charges would be only $4.95...the marketing department needs to clarify what the correct charges are."

Come on, these people are only selling cable service. There are only so many options. If Wal-Mart can sell hundreds of thousands of different items, don't you think a responsible company could sell cable service without screwing up the charges?

Do you work for Comcast? Don't defend them...criticize them, challenge them, force them to clean up their errors!!!!

Jack G

I have to agree to some extent. I am in a different part of the country and had the same overcharges applied to my upgrade to the DVR, when the work order was clear that this was a replacement for the 5100. There is some very bad training or QA of billling practices to say the least. I am quite happy with Comcast's HD service so far but I dread having to talk to them about anything.

Originally posted by Jacktheg
When the error occurs once, it is a mistake. When the same type of error occurs repeatedly, it is very close to being criminal! These people have constantly tried to over charge me for their services. When they say they will issue a credit for a service outage, they don't. When they say the charges will be $4.95, they then charge $9.95. They seem to love to blame their ignorance for their errors; "Oh, sorry, I was told that the charges would be only $4.95...the marketing department needs to clarify what the correct charges are."

Come on, these people are only selling cable service. There are only so many options. If Wal-Mart can sell hundreds of thousands of different items, don't you think a responsible company could sell cable service without screwing up the charges?

Do you work for Comcast? Don't defend them...criticize them, challenge them, force them to clean up their errors!!!!

Jack G

No, I don't work for Comcast, and I have no reason to defend them, other than my experience with them has been very different. I have challenged them on a number of occasions. Not just CSR's but management personnel, also. I also find that I get better results by being willing to talk to them instead of making wild accusations. To even suggest their behavior is close to being criminal is absolutely ludicrous. You obviously have no experience with behavior that is truly criminal, or you wouldn't make that ridiculous comparison. There is no "Comcast Conspiricy".

I have had many frustrating conversations with Comcast CSR's. It had gotten to the point that I called an acquaintance who worked there to express my feelings, and was quickly contacted by the head of one of their call centers, a gentlemen with whom I now speak on a semi-regular basis, and who I think is sincere in wanting to improve the quality of service. I have been very clear in explaining my experiences to him, even to the point of directing him to this very forum to hear what other people have to say. I find him to be open to my opinions, and willing to do something about them

I never had any problem with the explanation of charges about my DVR. I have checked several times with CSR's, and everything appears to be in order, but I will also be scrutinizing my next bill.

As I suggested before, you should switch to satellite. When you find out their customer service isn't any better, you will probably come to the realization that "it is what it is". Watch your bill, straighten out the problems and lose the attitude.

Mike K.

Received a message on my box this morning, Discovery HD Theater to launch 7/1/04 on channel 205.

I wonder if they will eventually re-shuffel the channel mapping to group the HD's together.

b

Got the message here in Rolling Meadows as well. Very excited!!

I told ya.

In addition, there was also messages regarding Music Choice channels changing (moving around and changing titles), and a new Sports Tier (those are effective 7/7/04).

I also gained 4 new channels: CNBC-W (World), MTVJ (Jams), Nick2, and FLN (Fine Living Network). These are on 178, 142, 132, & 124 respectively. Seems like there was a post a while ago about these. Let me see if I can find it. Here it is: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3940017#post3940017


tim

Yup, saw the four (!) new messages on my cable box when I checked in during lunch. I'm looking forward to watching Discovery HD Theater again - it looked absolutely great when it was on during HD testing last year.

any idea what level of service you'd need to get the sports tier?i have digital silver btw

Went to Comcast's Taste of Chicago booth and they were displaying HDTV feeds using 6208 (recognized from the guide). When I asked them about general availability of 6208 the response was 'they are available' :rolleyes: !!. However they had no comment about the dual tuner dvr...

Looks like the DVR will be GA soon :)

I know you need to have at least "digital classic" to get ESPN-HD, the INHD's, will this also be the minimum needed to get Discovery HD as well starting 07/01?

Thanks, Gov

Yeah i was also curious about the sports tier, is this something that comes with a certain level of service or will this be something that will add yet more money to my overinflated bill like the premier tier, though depending on what channels are part of this tier and pricing i may be able to stomach the increase as the premier tier is only $5 more

I was curious about the Sport Tier as well, so I just called Comcast. Apparently they will be grouping 7 channels for $5 / month. These include the non-local Fox Sports regional networks, Speed Channel, Outdoor living and NBA TV.

It launches tomorrow.

I got Discovery HD up here in Gurnee! Does't have call letters in the guide and says TBA, but there is picture.

b

Originally posted by bkozlowski
I got Discovery HD up here in Gurnee! Does't have call letters in the guide and says TBA, but there is picture.

Ahhh - the message we've all been waiting for:cool:

Is it on 205 as expected?

Originally posted by vj9999
Is it on 205 as expected?

Yes. And it looks great.

b

i'll keep my fingers crossed that with my level of service i'll get the sports tier[i pay enough as it is]

Originally posted by bkozlowski
Yes. And it looks great.

b

Got home and its NOT on here:( I guess I have to wait a little longer.

Originally posted by kblee
Got home and its NOT on here:( I guess I have to wait a little longer.

Yeah, wasn't on in Schaumburg an hour or so ago either....

Discovery HD theater is live on 205 in Mundelein, but no guide info yet. PQ is awsome.

Now bring on VOD and I will be a happy camper.

Marc

..if were already receiving the speed channel and the outdoor channel, will we now have to pony uip another 5 bucks to continue the service or is the fee for new customers?

Honestly call me a dork but I'm checking 205 like every 10 minutes. :D

It looks great but the show is about motorcycles, for crying out loud!

I think I will watch the White Sox highlights on ESPN.

ok it's 12:20am now. wheres my damn Discovery HD comcast!!

you lied to me!!! :(

Geez, they've got another 23-1/2 hours to switch it on... take it easy!

I know I know, I was just joking. :)

Discovery HD Theater is now up and running in Schaumburg. Looks great, just like I remembered...

what channel #

Originally posted by hdtv_moron
what channel #

Channel 205 as promised. The channel listing didn't come in while I was watching, but the program (that motorcycle show that someone else was complaining about) came in crystal clear with no hiccups.

14 HD channels and counting... thank you, Comcast!

I noticed 7.10 firmware on my 6200 yesturday, as of 0530 this morning, no Discovery HD yet...........still waiting

They also moved fox sports channels to 260s (including Fox Sports World).

ah yes the sweet satisfaction of DiscoveryHD though im not sure what it is im watching the picture looks great. Also no guide info here in northbrook or channel call name. Anyways does anyone else think comcast needs to do al little channel remapping, not just for the HD but some of the other channels as well

Ok, just got my 6208 installed (Plainfield / Far West Joliet)

First impressions:

1. The cable guy actually knew more than I thought he would.

2. I am switching from Dish and having to downgrade picture quality on most channels in order to upgrade to picture quality (HDTV) on only a few is going to take awhile to get used to. I have both the Dish and Cable connected to my Mits 65" WS and the quality on all NON-HD channels is very noticable.

3. GUIDE sucks compared to my Dish PVR guide. (one of those things were I will just have to get used to it)

4. PVR interface sucks compared to my Dish PVR. (more getting used to)

5. Ok, i know this one is nit picky but the cable guide/screens almost have too much color. I have had Dish and DTV and they both were pleasent to look at but the cable one can be simply hideous.


Ok, thats it for now... working on programming my JP1 remote now.

Oh, i'll chime in on Discovery HD, yes it looks awesome. Why can't all channels be HD :)

Originally posted by machone123
2. I am switching from Dish and having to downgrade picture quality on most channels in order to upgrade to picture quality (HDTV) on only a few is going to take awhile to get used to. I have both the Dish and Cable connected to my Mits 65" WS and the quality on all NON-HD channels is very noticable.


This is a constant complaint with the motorola hd boxes. Run an additional svideo out of your cable box for watching SD material or run a raw cable line directly to your Ant-A. On my 65869, I only use the comcast/motorola box for HD, Ant-A for all other channels.

Originally posted by FSugino
Channel 205 as promised. The channel listing didn't come in while I was watching, but the program (that motorcycle show that someone else was complaining about) came in crystal clear with no hiccups.

14 HD channels and counting... thank you, Comcast!
I was so brokenhearted :) when DiscoveryHD was taken away while in the testing phase. Of course I couldn't complain, it was all free at the time. Any more HD channels and my wife is going to have to spray me with water to get me off the couch.
I don't recall, but does DiscoveryHD broadcast any shows is DD5.1?

I assume everyone has considered this, but just in case you haven't, I use the Favorites option and only choose the HD channels. Then, I can cycle through the HD stuff easier. Hopefully Comcast will remap the HD channels to a new group where they run consecutively.

Jack G

Originally posted by Jacktheg
I assume everyone has considered this, but just in case you haven't, I use the Favorites option and only choose the HD channels. Then, I can cycle through the HD stuff easier. Hopefully Comcast will remap the HD channels to a new group where they run consecutively.

Jack G
I never used that feature. How I didn't mentally connect HD and the Favorites option in one is beyond me. Thanks for the tip.

but (if anyone was wondering) VOD has been working for a few weeks here

Originally posted by Gov
I noticed 7.10 firmware on my 6200 yesturday, as of 0530 this morning, no Discovery HD yet...........still waiting

Mine have the upgrade too. I tried recording and had no problems recording to a Mits D-VHS deck. My 6208 still has the 7.07.

Originally posted by Jacktheg
I assume everyone has considered this, but just in case you haven't, I use the Favorites option and only choose the HD channels. Then, I can cycle through the HD stuff easier. Hopefully Comcast will remap the HD channels to a new group where they run consecutively.

Jack G

Another thing to note, with the 6208 menu/guide, there is an HDTV menu item to select that lists the program guide for the HD stations only. I didn't check it to see if DiscoveryHD is listed there, yet, though.

Discovery now has guide listing showing up instead of TBA, so now the question i gotta ask, how long do you think till we start to hear the of to familiar "We need more HD channels" from the peanut gallery?

Originally posted by dbernhard
Another thing to note, with the 6208 menu/guide, there is an HDTV menu item to select that lists the program guide for the HD stations only. I didn't check it to see if DiscoveryHD is listed there, yet, though.

Discovery HD Theater is listed, but CBS, ABC, Fox, and PBS aren't. Go figure.

It's also a lot of clicks to dig down to the HDTV menu.

Originally posted by SamR.

I don't recall, but does DiscoveryHD broadcast any shows is DD5.1?

Well, the show that's on now (Wild Asia) is showing up on my receiver as 5.1, but I don't hear much of anything coming out of the surround speakers.

Call me crazy or impatient -- but still no Discovery HD here.

Did you guys get messages on your boxes when they added the channel?

Check your sub. with CS.

..no message, just showed up around lunchtime..give 'em a call.

Just got off the phone with CS. Guy seemed to try everything for me -- nothing worked, but in the end it just came down to "wait a couple days -- it might take a couple days."

I'm very upset. :(

No Discovery HD in Buffalo Grove yet. This morning my STB was so screwed up I had to power down and let sit for a couple of minutes. The picture was a thin strip on the right side. It was ok after the power down.

No listing for the discovery HD either.

6a.m. Friday...still no sign of Discovery in Elk Grove

Discovery HD was up and running by me as of yesturday afternoon :)

May be a repeat - Discovery HD is on in Aurora. Station Name DHD

Also shows up in HDTV Guide

My wife and I are considering getting High Speed Internet through Comcast. If anybody has this in the Chicago area (specifically any areas around Wheeling), please PM me with any experiences good or bad.

Thanks,

tim

timdgibson - High Speed internet

I believe I have had it ever since it's inception which I think is about 6 or 7 years now. Frankly, I have found the service to be excellent and very reliable. Their installers and service people seem to be better trained and more knowledgeable than the regular cable techs.

Yes, I know that a trained monkey would be better than their cable techs but I felt comfortable working with the cable modem folks and I do have a technical position. I also understand that I could just be lucky.

I would have no hesitation recommending Comcast High speed internet

Well, I have a listing for Discovery HD on 205 but when I go there it says "not authorized". I have all the local HD channels and HBO HD, do I need some other pkg to get DiscoveryHD?

What package do you subscribe too? Do you receive ESPN HD and INHDs.

Originally posted by Lee Heytow
High Speed internet

I believe I have had it ever since it's inception which I think is about 6 or 7 years now. Frankly, I have found the service to be excellent and very reliable.

I would have no hesitation recommending Comcast High speed internet

Agreed!

Mine wont even go to 205. I click 2-0- then when I click 5 the numbers just disappear. Doesn't even recognize it as a channel yet. Anyone else have this problem?

It's not a problem, it just means that channel is not launched yet in your area. You can't tune to a non existent channel.

Lee K.

Yeah, me

Lee H.

Originally posted by jvos
Well, I have a listing for Discovery HD on 205 but when I go there it says "not authorized". I have all the local HD channels and HBO HD, do I need some other pkg to get DiscoveryHD?

I get the same thing. I only have basic cable which includes local HD channels with the 6200.

If I had to guess maybe one needs the digial tier to get it. I wonder how much more it costs for that?

I've got digital Plus. Still no Discovery HD in Buffalo Grove and no listing on the guide.

Discovery HD now on in Old Town.

..just got the DVR installed (the moto 6208). The tech also said the dual-tuner dvr will be available in august. He also said we should be receiving about 10 additional HD channels in the next month or so. he didn't know which ones though when i asked him. For those wanting a dvr ask for the dvr dept. right away to save the csr confusion. PQ is about the same, it might be my imagination but i thought the old 6200 had slightly better sd quality with my set-up. The dvr says firmware 7.07. Happy viewing and enjoy that discovery!...good stuff..

BC

Originally posted by BloatedCorpse
[BHe also said we should be receiving about 10 additional HD channels in the next month or so. he didn't know which ones though when i asked him.[/B]

Ten? Wow... this should be interesting.

Originally posted by BloatedCorpse
He also said we should be receiving about 10 additional HD channels in the next month or so. he didn't know which ones though when i asked him.


Originally posted by FSugino
Ten? Wow... this should be interesting.

Sounds a little to me like he might have been "talkin' out his arse"....I hope not - and I'll gladly apologize here if he wasn't.

BC - My SD material on the DVR box is less that it was with the old boxes too...I split my cable before it enters the DVR and just ran a cable directly to the antenna A input...better PQ that way on the analog channels. I hear s-video is a good alternative too.

Tom

thanks for the tips tom!..I tried the s-video, but it looks kinda grainy(probably more my tv's upconversion than anything else)....I'm waiting for the new 34xbr960, so hopefully the new cicuitry will help a little with the sd. I agree that ten new HD channels in the next month sounds somewhat fanciful, but who knows, maybe comcast will surprise us for once! The DVR seems pretty nifty. I don't own a tivo so i can't really compare it, but I like the added functionality of the box for just 5 bucks more a month. I wonder what the firewire will let me do when i connect it to the new sony. I think I forgot to mention that the tech also said the new boxes in august will support VOD...welp..happy viewing. Don't anyone go blowing their digits off for the 4th...kinda silly-looking to train other body parts to operate the remote commander!

BC

i went to the comcast sportsnet chicago website[yes there is one btw]and it mentions that every home game of every chicago pro team'll be in HDTV [by october 1st]but i'm skeptical that that'll actually be the case[there aren't enough HD trucks in chicago to do that...or are there?]

Originally posted by BloatedCorpse
I think I forgot to mention that the tech also said the new boxes in august will support VOD...welp..happy viewing. Don't anyone go blowing their digits off for the 4th...kinda silly-looking to train other body parts to operate the remote commander!

BC

And by that he meant that your 6208 wouldn't support VOD? VOD is operational on any digital boxes comcast supports including 5100, 6200 and 6208. I've had it for couple of months now with 6200 and 6208. That tech seems to be full of it :)

Originally posted by kevin j
i went to the comcast sportsnet chicago website[yes there is one btw]and it mentions that every home game of every chicago pro team'll be in HDTV [by october 1st]but i'm skeptical that that'll actually be the case[there aren't enough HD trucks in chicago to do that...or are there?]

Kevin J. I remember when that news originally came out (I think back in november or so - I think I posted the original article). All along they have been saying that all home games will be in HD. I don't really see a big conflict. I know that TRIO has one HD truck for sure and if there is at least one more HD truck in the area, that should be sufficent to cover all the home games. How often do all our teams have their home games at the same time?

not too often

Still no Discovery HD here. I called CS once again and the lady said it could take up to 7 days for them to get it to all areas. I don't understand why they didn't just start rolling it out 7 days BEFORE the first of july so we all have it on the day they SAID we'd have it.

I talked to CSR and they told me I should have it by July 7. There was quite a delay while I waited for an answer so maybe there is some real data in back of it.

i think its very possible for all chicago home games to be in HD i mean think about it what would they need to do that 2 trucks tops? There are not that many times when more then one team has a game on the same day, and its not like the trucks would be used for anything else, but since this is comcast we are talking about i will believe it when i see it

Anyone else still without Discovery HD?

Dont have it in Elk Grove as of Tuesday

Anyone else have problems with ESPN HD last night, everytime i tried to tune to it i just got a black screen with no sound, everything seems to be ok now but it was kinda wierd

Still no Discovery HD in Buffalo Grove. The CSR said we should have it tomorrow. We'll see.

Originally posted by LaxStar18
Anyone else have problems with ESPN HD last night, everytime i tried to tune to it i just got a black screen with no sound, everything seems to be ok now but it was kinda wierd

Yeah I did - it was strange. That's the same thing that happens when a game is blacked-out. But, there wasn't anything in the Chicago area that should've been blacked-out last night.

I'm getting odd colored lines and other distortion in the menus on my Motorola 5100 box. Eventually a menu will distort badly and the box will reset. Reception seems OK. Anyone else experience this?

Already on my 3rd Mot 5100 box in only the first couple months of HD service. It's very discouraging.

Originally posted by rayorleans
I'm getting odd colored lines and other distortion in the menus on my Motorola 5100 box. Eventually a menu will distort badly and the box will reset. Reception seems OK. Anyone else experience this?

Already on my 3rd Mot 5100 box in only the first couple months of HD service. It's very discouraging.

Why don't you ask for the Motorola 6200 or the 6208? The 6208 is an HD DVR with an 80 GB hard drive.

I would dare to guess that if he got them within last few months that he probably has 6200.

Are you sure that problem is not with your tv? Or maybe the power supply?

Called Comcast yesterday ((Rolling Meadows?) to see whats up with me not getting Discovery HD, they tell me Im not getting HD channels at all(which I am and getting billed for)...the rep said he has kept me on the phone too long and will have to do a follow up and call back (no call back as of Wed. morning and still no Discovery HD)....just another horror story..guess Ill have to call back today and go thru all this crap again.

Yep. Still no Discovery HD here either. I HIGHLY DOUBT we're just going to happen to get it in these last couple hours of their supposed July 7th deadline. I'm pissed.

Originally posted by vj9999
I would dare to guess that if he got them within last few months that he probably has 6200.

Are you sure that problem is not with your tv? Or maybe the power supply?


I'll have to double check the model number this evening. It's a non-DVR Motorola box, I know for sure.

TV is just fine on all other inputs. Cable box resets frequently. The non-HD cable box I had in that position for months gave me no trouble whatsoever.

Still no Discovery HD here either (I'm in Buffalo Grove). Just called Comcast and they did the typical "hits" to my box. Nothing worked (which didn't surprise me) and they want to schedule a service appt (which they want to do for every type of problem - even if it is area wide). I refused the service appt. - explaining that this is an area wide issue in Buffalo Grove and Elk Grove Village, but the CSRs don't seem to know where to go from here. They did mention a dept. called "REM" that tracks these types of issues, but they seem very hesitant to escalate it to that dept. Hopefully they'll figure it out one of these days... it's amazing that we know that this is not affecting just one house, but rather many are affected - and the CSRs don't have this info.

Yep, still nothing here. My friend in Barrington has it of course. It's really frustrating knowing that when I decide to call to complain, I know already that I will get nowhere. Oh well, they need to be bothered or they are not going to realize that there is a huge problem.

I called them too this evening, they said it was a "head-in" problem and that many were complaining of a bad picture (Discovery)...I said I dont even have that...the end result was that their techies were working on the problem and will get it working soon *sigh*

I'm using Comcast in Old Town (near north of downtown). Over the past week, my HD picture has been absolutely terrible...pixelating with audio-drops constantly. I've now had three tech visits, numerous line signal checks (all fine), splitters taken out, surge protectors disconnected, and an in house amplifier installed. Nothing the guys have done has changed anything. Is anyone else experiencing this? The severity of the problem varies day to day from not-so-terrible to totally unwatchable. It appears to happen on the HD channels as well as the digital music stations. All SD digital channels are unaffected. I'm just trying to figure out if this is area wide or if I need to start screaming for a line tech to come check my building (high rise).

I have the same thing going on...seems moreso since changing from the 6200 to the 6208....quite a pain!..Im in Elk Grove btw.

I'm using a 5100 right now, and I just asked for them to bring a 6208. Apparently I won't be getting my line tech because the regular tech guy didn't report my signal values on the work order....marvelous. So...another general tech who has to report the values and then a line tech can be sent after that. Be sure to have your tech report those values and set up the appointment correctly if you want your feeder lines/system evalutated by a specialist. Everyone who loves Comcast, say Aye! :mad:

Originally posted by klrbee25
Over the past week, my HD picture has been absolutely terrible...pixelating with audio-drops constantly.

I get that problem too, but then I turn off PBS-HD and it all goes away. :o

Seriously though, good luck -- hopefully they will figure out the issue.

No Discover HD here either. Usual "hits" story. They want a service appt before it can be escalated further. I agreed for tomorrow morning.

I found in the past that when I had an issue they couldn't resolve from the office the tech was able to ask for a different type of reprogram to the box and resolve.

Anyway, I hope it helps move things along for us all. CSR seemed surprised that I was not getting the channel at all

Lee K

We need to know where you are at to see how you fit in the pattern.

I now have Discovery HD on 205....and I was just about to call and bitch!..all is right with the world now

Originally posted by klrbee25
I'm using Comcast in Old Town (near north of downtown). Over the past week, my HD picture has been absolutely terrible...pixelating with audio-drops constantly. I've now had three tech visits, numerous line signal checks (all fine), splitters taken out, surge protectors disconnected, and an in house amplifier installed. Nothing the guys have done has changed anything. Is anyone else experiencing this? The severity of the problem varies day to day from not-so-terrible to totally unwatchable. It appears to happen on the HD channels as well as the digital music stations. All SD digital channels are unaffected. I'm just trying to figure out if this is area wide or if I need to start screaming for a line tech to come check my building (high rise).

I'm in an Old Town high-rise, also. All is OK here now, but we recently had similar problems with the HD. Our analog was also bad, especially on the upper channels (grainy, interference, etc.) It took over three weeks of constant calls trying to go up the Comcast levels. Comcast is great when everything works, but absolutely maddening when problems occur.

Your tech must put in for a "riser call", after which you will have to keep calling to get an "escalation ticket" number. When the riser guys finally came here, they found that several amplifiers were not giving enough power. They fixed everyting that day.

After many calls during the frustrating wait, a supervisor blamed the riser people who are in another department. I insisted that I must speak with that department. But the supervisor said even she could not call them, and that they only communicate by e-mail, and I would just have to wait until the specialists got around to coming here.

Note that even our building manager could not get any action. I knew more of what was happening than he did, but it was not for any lack of trying on his part. During these weeks, Comcast did not even give him a courtesy call to let him know what was happening. Comcast had previously given him a "hotline" number for high-rise problems. No one EVER answers that line. They might or might not call back.

Anyway, good luck. Eventually, you will have great HD again.

Just got it in Buffalo Grove in the last hour or so.

Same here!! Finally, what a relief. I was beginning to think we'd never get it, literally!

Looks pretty good although I am definately seeing huge differences in quality in just some of the programming I've glanced at since I've gotten home. Excited to see what this channel has to offer. I love this kind of stuff!

Good to hear that everyone seems to have Discovery HD Theater up and running. Now we just have to take bets on when the HD VOD system will appear in our market...

ok, whats the next HD station to come to comcast.

Originally posted by Lee Heytow
ok, whats the next HD station to come to comcast.

Well, the only ones that I can think of for certain are Comcast Sports Net (in October) and the HD VOD system that's supposedly test launching in certain markets now.

At this point I'm wondering more about hardware - when does the dual tuner DVR launch?

Originally posted by FSugino
Well, the only ones that I can think of for certain are Comcast Sports Net (in October) and the HD VOD system that's supposedly test launching in certain markets now.

At this point I'm wondering more about hardware - when does the dual tuner DVR launch?

We should also get UPN in the fall.

b

This is off the subject a bit, but I was hoping someone could answer a question for me.
About 3 weeks ago, I called Comcast and dropped "digital silver" and just went with the expanded basic and HDTV tier. At that time, I was told by a CSR that a tech would have to come out and put a filter on at the outside tap (I guess thats what it's called).
The next day, my wife says the cable went out for a couple of minutes then right back on. She looked out the window and saw the cable guy in the yard. When the cable went back on, we no longer had digital service and HBO as expected.
Being the curious indivdual that I am, I went out there after the cable guy left, pulled off the cover to investigate what this thing was that the tech put on. What I found was a cylinder looking filter that says "Arcom" on it. The filter is screwed on to the tap and the coaxial cable attached to the other side of it. what is this filter supposed to be for?
So this week after realizing the error in my ways (no more ESPNHD, INHD and HBO) I got the "digital silver" package back (yeah!), but was never revisted by the cable guy and the filter is still there.
Now I was even more curious, I didn't have the filter on the first time I had the "digital silver" package? So, I decided to take it off and see what would happen. I noticed nothing!! The PQ seems the same, all the channels the same etc etc. What is up with this mysterious filter?

Looking forward to your responses!
Gov

I see people talking about HD VOD. What about VOD in general. Does anyone in Evanston or on the north shore have regular VOD now? When they brought my 6208 out the installer told me it was supposed to be up and running in all the markets by July 1 but so far I am getting nothing.

The filter blocks analog frequencies that carry channels you were not paying for like HBO, etc. The reason they did not have to remove it was you went back up to a digital package in which the digital channels you receive are controlled by the STB. they should have removed the filter so that your TV's only receiving analog service could receive HBO on its analog channel but my guess is they just forgot. By the way, people removing those filters is the most common way of people stealing channels they do not pay for and one reason comcast believes they need to put all pay channels on digital only to prevent it

LaxStar18....

Thanks for the reply, but I do not think this filter was being used in this case because in our area, we can no longer get any premium channels via analog since the upgrade in January 2004. We need some type of STB to get any of the premiums. It used to be that a filter used used to block HBO and Encore on the analog side.
This is why I am very confused for the need of this filter at the moment. I hope that it is not degrading my signal in anyway. I know if I call Comcast about it, I will probably talk to 10 different people about it who will either have no idea what it is for, or will make something up. Then I will be really confused and agitated!!
I am hoping someone else here on this thread may have any idea.

Gov

I have a 6208 DVR. I have noticed the sound going out for a second a few times an hour on both analog and HD channels in the past few days. This occurs whether I am listening through the optical connection or through the analog connection, so I don't think it is my receiver (and no problems when watching DVDs). This also occurs on shows recorded on the DVR. When you playback, you get the quick loss of sound as well.

Anyone else noticed this phenomenon? Is it my feed, or the box? Is it 6208 vs 6200 related? I have not called comcast as they will just want to set up a service call.

Thanks

Marc

I'm going "all in" (too much world poker series watching) and saying it's something with Comcast's feed before it ever reaches our homes. I get the same problems, and the severity is constantly changing. Two days ago I couldn't watch anything, and then yesterday it only did it every 5 or 10 minutes making it rather watchable. The Comcast peeons that come out here just leave saying the same thing..."duh, maybe it's the building's amplifier.....duh, maybe they're working on the hardline in this area. Wait a week and call back if it's still happening." I am supposedly getting a new box tomorrow morning, so I'll let you know if that changes anything. In the mean time all I can say is this...keep calling them and eventually they'll look at their own broadcast systems and fix this problem. I'm tired of my friends laughing at me for tooting HD for almost a year and all I get is pixelation and audio dropouts!

Originally posted by Lee Heytow
Lee K

We need to know where you are at to see how you fit in the pattern.

Sorry Lee, didn't see this post until now. I'm in Rolling Meadows, and I'll change my Location accordingly. :)

Thanks

When we call to scream at comcast we need to say that Rolling Meadows, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Palatine etc users are reporting the same problems.

I found that to be a powerful argument when I had the same trouble getting wgn HD. Low and behold, right after I scheduled an appt , I got the channel. heh, heh, heh.

It's weird that always happens!

I just had my 4th visit to fix the pixelation and audio dropouts, and I think I have it conquered. First, there was a bad coaxial connector that caused the massive breakups when it was wiggled. After changing that out there were still minor breakups every few minutes. The guy went back to the warehouse, switched out my box, and voila...looks OK now. I noticed that the firmware version of my previous box was 7.07. The new one is 7.10. Maybe that made the difference. I'm using the 6200, since Comcast is still "testing" the DVR in my area. Hopefully this may help anyone experiencing similar dropouts...check that firmware version.

"testing" huh?

Keep calling. ;)

I told the guy to just bring over the DVR box and I'd be happy to test it out. He didn't buy it...

This actually leads me to a question I've had lately. You've probably noticed the INHD segment about "Order In" where they show all the movie previews in HD. How exactly does one "order in"? Is that the PPV channels in the 800s or is there a separate HD PPV? I'm guessing those PPVs aren't HD. Does anyone know which pay-per-views would be in HD?

For those of you whose boxes don't seem to initialize properly with Comcast, it might be partially due to the way your virtual channels are coded on your specific Comcast system.

On my system (Peotone/Monee/Beecher/Manteno), they apparently moved the physical channels but never changed the virtual mappings. Here is what I get...

On Ch.112:
-- 92-1 WLS-HD
-- 92-2 WGN-HD

On Ch.116:
-- 114-1 CBS2-DT
-- 114-2 WTTW-HD

On Ch.117:
-- 115-2 FOX-HD
-- 115-5 WMAQ-HD

You might just need to rescan again in case channels were relocated. On my PC-based receiver, I have to clear all the memorized channels first before rescanning. Otherwise, it tries to merge new channels with the old ones, which causes duplicates and other problems when channels move around like they can on cable.

Do you mind me asking which PC based receiver does QAM?

The Sasem OnAir USB HDTV does, with the v2.700 beta software. The hardware has always had the capability, but the software didn't have an option for it.

I don't know when 2.700 will officially release.

Ok rookie here....

Hello everyone. I have standard cable and just called and ordered HD. Lady said I didnt have to upgrade to digital cable for this and that I will recv all local HD channels. All this is going on my Mitsubishi WS55315. Now one reason I was worried about going to digital is because my roomate in the basement needs analog for his box to work. So I didnt know if he would be screwed if I ordered Digital.. Anyone have the same setup as me etc... ?


Thanks,

Originally posted by Crazy Brian
Lady said I didnt have to upgrade to digital cable for this and that I will recv all local HD channels. All this is going on my Mitsubishi WS55315. Now one reason I was worried about going to digital is because my roomate in the basement needs analog for his box to work. So I didnt know if he would be screwed if I ordered Digital.. Anyone have the same setup as me etc... ?

Not sure why you would not have to upgrade to digital. I thought that was one of the pre-requisites. Anyway, I have had digital, gotten rid of it, and am now getting it again. When I get it (comcast in maryland) I get both analog (for those tv's without the digital cable box) and digital (for those tv's with digital box). So, your roomate should not be screwed.

Chris

Originally posted by cmalinowski
Not sure why you would not have to upgrade to digital. I thought that was one of the pre-requisites. Anyway, I have had digital, gotten rid of it, and am now getting it again. When I get it (comcast in maryland) I get both analog (for those tv's without the digital cable box) and digital (for those tv's with digital box). So, your roomate should not be screwed.

Chris

Digital is not a prerequisite for HD. In fact, basic cable is not even a prerequisite for HD. Yes, analog is still functional when you upgrade to digital.

Thanks for the replies guys.

..tons of audio drops and tiling here across all HD channels in st. charles tonight. Anyone else having probs?
BC

Originally posted by HD Rookie
Digital is not a prerequisite for HD. In fact, basic cable is not even a prerequisite for HD. Yes, analog is still functional when you upgrade to digital.

True... Unless you are one of those rare people who have the "broadcast-only" tier (for like $7/month) where the cable company installs a filter on the line limiting you the the first 12 or 20 channels, the high-frequency digital signals come through with all the analog channels.

Digital signals are typically sent on the high channels... At least on Comcast they are. My cable system translates the Chicago OTA signals to channels 112, 116 and 117. They are sent "in-the-clear," alongside the nearly 250+ digital subchannels spanning from channels 83-94 and 100-118, all of which are encrypted except for the DMX and Music Choice subchannels. FYI, the downlink for cable-internet service is interleaved into the same frequency range as these other digital services.

Some cable systems might actually stick the in-the-clear HD stations between two lower analog channels, too. My particular system doesn't do that, but for whatever reason, there are 6 encrypted subchannels way down on channel 25.

Anyone else having sound sync problems with WLS-D and WTTW-D over this last weekend?

Originally posted by Gov
Anyone else having sound sync problems with WLS-D and WTTW-D over this last weekend?

I didn't watch much on WLS-DT, but WTTW-DT was fine.

Originally posted by Gov
Anyone else having sound sync problems with WLS-D and WTTW-D over this last weekend?

Last nights CH 7 news was out of sync with the OTA signal also. Did not watch 11.