Plasma vs lcd is pretty simple. If you can darken the room during the daytime, plasma will be fine but if you have a lot of natural light (windows) then plasma will give off a lot of glare. You also risk burn-in with a plasma, can't happen with a lcd. Ever been to a sports bar that has plasmas, but you can't see the game because of the glare? I would go with an lcd (sony bravia, phillips).

1080 vs 720......depends on more than Cox. The Tivo does a pretty good job maximizing the aspect ratio. I've bought 1080p recently in preparation for more broadcasting in this format. I think it' easier for a box to downscale than upscale, but I could be wrong? It will also depend on the broadcaster and what their native ratio is currently (720p or 1080i). I think there's just a few that broadcast in 1080p today.

BT Just to add a few notes to this:
1. There are currently no 1080p TV/cable channel broadcasts, though there are other forms of 1080p content, such as from Blu Ray players or certain gaming consoles. So for broadcast/cable TV watching alone 1080p is not necessary but useful if you are going to feed the TV other sources. For OTA broadcasts 1080p probably won't happen for many years to come.
2. With Tivo S3 you have many choices for video output resolution and can choose "Native" format which means send to the TV whatever format it tunes/receives. This is best choice if you have a good TV that does good scaling. The scaler in S3s is very good. For S3 Tivos even though they are capable of decoding 1080p content they cannot output or scale to 1080p. As far as aspect ratio, you have full control over aspect ratio with Tivo S3 settings. Personally I hate stretched content so I make sure that 4:3 content is displayed with pillar bars (you can choose between black or gray pillars).
3. I have favored LCD over plasma in the past because of burn in issue, plasma consumes more power, and much shorter lifespan of plasmas (lose their brightness). However recently I think those issues are now mostly solved and plasma is a very good alternative to LCD. One big advantage plasma still holds over LCD is the contrast and black levels are much better. It seems like plasmas are on the top of various reviews still. I have only owned LCDs personally but for next purchase I will seriously look at plasma again.
4. For picture quality Cox OC for local broadcast channels look identical to OTA broadcasts so Cox does a good job there. However, for the satellite feed channels such as SciFi HD, USA HD, TNT HD, etc. it seems like the feeds Cox OC is getting are degraded, especially when you compare to Verizon FIOS service. I don't know if D* or E* offer better versions of those, but given their history of "HD Lite" somehow I doubt it.

Just to add a few notes to this:
1. There are currently no 1080p TV/cable channel broadcasts, though there are other forms of 1080p content, such as from Blu Ray players or certain gaming consoles. So for broadcast/cable TV watching alone 1080p is not necessary but useful if you are going to feed the TV other sources. For OTA broadcasts 1080p probably won't happen for many years to come.

OK, this makes sense and was well described. Thank you.

2. With Tivo S3 you have many choices for video output resolution and can choose "Native" format which means send to the TV whatever format it tunes/receives. This is best choice if you have a good TV that does good scaling. The scaler in S3s is very good. For S3 Tivos even though they are capable of decoding 1080p content they cannot output or scale to 1080p.

OK, so any Tivo I buy now will never put out 1080P, right? So if I am understanding this correctly, Cox broadcasts 720P and Tivo cannot output 1080P. Again, I am a newbie, but it would seem that having a 720p TV would reduce the amount of converting necessary and possibly produce a better picture for this input source. Am I off base?

As far as aspect ratio, you have full control over aspect ratio with Tivo S3 settings. Personally I hate stretched content so I make sure that 4:3 content is displayed with pillar bars (you can choose between black or gray pillars).

Yes, I found a lot of useful info at the link below and it sounds liek TiVo will handle/manage many of my concerns over aspect ratio, plus the new remotes have an aspect button built in. Cool!
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nine-months-with-the-series-3-tivo.ars/3

3. I have favored LCD over plasma in the past because of burn in issue, plasma consumes more power, and much shorter lifespan of plasmas (lose their brightness). However recently I think those issues are now mostly solved and plasma is a very good alternative to LCD.

I also hate stretched content, but is there a significant danger of burning in a new plasma if you view a lot of content with pillar bars??

THANK YOU for the help and feedback!

OK, so any Tivo I buy now will never put out 1080P, right? So if I am understanding this correctly, Cox broadcasts 720P and Tivo cannot output 1080P. Again, I am a newbie, but it would seem that having a 720p TV would reduce the amount of converting necessary and possibly produce a better picture for this input source. Am I off base?Different channels are different resolutions from Cox. SD digital channels are 480i, HD channels are mostly 1080i but there are some 720p (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 for example). You need to experiment for yourself which output setting looks best. With Tivo you have total control. You can force to always output same, output differently for SD vs HD or set it to Native and let your TV do all the scaling. Personally I found my S3s do a great job of scaling and since I have a 1080p PLASMA LCD I set Tivo output to 1080i such that all the TV has to do is de-interlace (no scaling). The TV is pretty good at scaling as well and for a while I used Native setting letting the TV do all the work. Problem with that is when you switch channels or from playback to Tivo menus (which are 720p) there is some flickering as TV adjusts resolution and that can get annoying after a while. Given the Tivo does a good job setting it to a fixed output setting that closely matches your TV native resolution to me makes a lot of sense.

I also hate stretched content, but is there a significant danger of burning in a new plasma if you view a lot of content with pillar bars?? That used to be the case but I think many newer models that's not really an issue, just make sure you research properly if you are leaning to Plasma. For LCD of course that's not an issue and one of the reasons I went for LCD back when that did used to be an issue for all plasmas.

I have only owned LCDs personally but for next purchase I will seriously look at plasma again.


Personally I found my S3s do a great job of scaling and since I have a 1080p PLASMA I set Tivo output to 1080i such that all the TV has to do is de-interlace (no scaling).

Okay, now you have me confused. I'm not trying to play "gotcha," but I do value your opinions and am actually interested to hear if you have a plasma now or just LCDs. I finally got a plasma (Hitachi) a while back (after years of owning and espousing LCDs) and have been very happy with it.

Okay, now you have me confused. I'm not trying to play "gotcha," but I do value your opinions and am actually interested to hear if you have a plasma now or just LCDs. I finally got a plasma (Hitachi) a while back (after years of owning and espousing LCDs) and have been very happy with it. Good catch, it should read LCD and I've corrected the post, thanks!

I suppose with 4,000+ posts you are allowed a few typos.

Moyekj is correct. Call them back and ask to put a note for the installer something like "Install Tivo M-Cards, Quantity:2". Also make sure that the installer has some spare ones, one of the 2 M-cards my installer brought was faulty.
You should not be charged no more than $25 IMO, especially if your cable bill is more than $150 a month. I would call them and ask to speak to a supervisor in the billing department. It worked for me.
I'll PM you the name of my installer (don't think you can request for a particular installer but you never know). He was extremely knowledgeable on the M-Card installation on the Tivo.

Eric


My install went well today, the tech showed up with 2 M-cards and was done in 30 minutes. Be sure to check your premium channels before they leave. Now i just have to wait and see how much installation will be charged....the fight will undoubtedly continue.

My install went well today, the tech showed up with 2 M-cards and was done in 30 minutes. Be sure to check your premium channels before they leave. Now i just have to wait and see how much installation will be charged....the fight will undoubtedly continue.

Glad to hear it went well.
It's a fairly straight forward procedure.
Good luck in trying to get the install charge waived.
Quite a few of us were able to get it waived with success.

Eric

I watched a couple of shows last night on Discovery HD = 721 ("Survivorman" and "Toughest Race on Earth: Iditarod") and was disgusted by how bad they looked - macroblocking galore on most action scenes. Even my 9 & 10 year olds were asking "what are all those squares?". And this was only on a 32" LCD! I can't imagine watching it on my bigger 47" LCD. To call that and other channels lately "HD" is an insult to say the least. I hope for the days when there is a lot of competition in town and quality becomes a driving force to attract customers.
Cox OC HD has certainly gone down the tubes when it comes to quality.

Other markets getting more hd agian. including cox markets. why is oc always behind. come on cox!

Other markets getting more hd agian. including cox markets. why is oc always behind. come on cox! I don't want more - I want better versions of what we already have! Part of the problem is there is no room for much more which is why picture quality is being compromised to squeeze more junk in.
If/when SDV does finally get rolled out in force (along with Tuning Adapters for Tivo users) I hope that means improved quality.

Since my latest laptop has HDMI and BD ROM I recently have been exposed to what true HD should look like with Netflix Blu Ray titles and boy that blows away any kind of broadcast HDTV.

I don't want more - I want better versions of what we already have! Part of the problem is there is no room for much more which is why picture quality is being compromised to squeeze more junk in.

Well, unfortunately, as we've discussed before, quantity seems to outweigh quality. The problem is competition tends to favor more versus better, at least with HD channels. The reason for that is quite obvious in that it is a much touted and easier explained statistic - i.e., how many channels does your cable, satellite, etc. give you? Not only is it marketing hype for the carrier, but, let's face it, it is sometimes bragging rights for us as individuals. It is not too often the average person brags about their 10 HD channels having better quality than one's 100 HD channels.

This is further exasperated by the fact that HD just plain looks so much better than SD (at least on larger TVs), so some are willing to accept a little macro blocking, audio drop-outs, etc., as long as the picture generally looks much improved over SD.

I'm not saying this is good, but, of course, the goal with competition is to get both. I, for one, am glad they are at least attempting to increase quantity. If the focus was only on quality, Cox may lose a lot of customers to satellite or otherwise, which could actually reduce competition, leading to other issues. Ultimately, the quantity of channels will become less of interest (as did the quantity of SD cable channels years ago). At some point it just becomes overkill. At that point, I strongly believe quality will become much more important. Heck, it already is. Just AVS and other forums complaining about it, as well as our complaints to the carriers, will eventually wear on them, particularly when we have increasing competition. As you said, let's just hope SDV makes a difference.

In the meantime, when I want perfect (well close anyway) HD, I just watch Blu-ray. It just doesn't get any better than that.

I searched the OC Cox forum and couldn't find an answer. Has anyone has success in get the copyright restrictions removed on certain networks so we can transfer shows between Tivos on our home networks?

The two networks that I see the red circle with a slash are HBOHD and SHOWHD (Californication and Entourage). I am sure there will be more.

BT

I searched the OC Cox forum and couldn't find an answer. Has anyone has success in get the copyright restrictions removed on certain networks so we can transfer shows between Tivos on our home networks?

The two networks that I see the red circle with a slash are HBOHD and SHOWHD (Californication and Entourage). I am sure there will be more.

BT Nope. Short of hacking the Tivos (which involves replacing the PROM and some complicated linux changes) it can't be done.

I searched the OC Cox forum and couldn't find an answer. Has anyone has success in get the copyright restrictions removed on certain networks so we can transfer shows between Tivos on our home networks?

The two networks that I see the red circle with a slash are HBOHD and SHOWHD (Californication and Entourage). I am sure there will be more.

BT

I bet HBO and Showtime want the copyright restrictions no matter what they say.

Of course they don't want people to be able to make good quality copies of the shows. How are they going to sell the DVDs for $40+ per season if you can do it at home with $1 for the blank media?

To give credit where due, Cox added lots of new HD in Lake Forest last night. I flipped on the the Box, and found CNN, NFL, VS, Cinemax and Starz etc., now all in HD.....Good. Would also like to see FNC and FX in HD. Need to check the clarity over the next few days and do some comparisions to Dir.

TLC looked really good last night...my girlfriend was watching that new family show and I couldn't help but notice the clarity...

Would also like to see FNC and FX in HD.

I'm sure FX HD will be added the day after the finale of the Shield.... :mad:

I'm sure FX HD will be added the day after the finale of the Shield.... :mad:

I'm fairly sure The Shield isn't in HD anyway. My brother has DTV and I'm pretty sure he told me that a while back, when I was bitching about not having FX in HD :)

(It's not letterboxed in SD, for one thing.)

... what about "... Sunny", "Rescue Me" and "The Riches" (is that coming back?) though?!

I don't want more - I want better versions of what we already have! Part of the problem is there is no room for much more which is why picture quality is being compromised to squeeze more junk in.
If/when SDV does finally get rolled out in force (along with Tuning Adapters for Tivo users) I hope that means improved quality.

Since my latest laptop has HDMI and BD ROM I recently have been exposed to what true HD should look like with Netflix Blu Ray titles and boy that blows away any kind of broadcast HDTV.

Totally agree on both.
About Bluray movies, you're only getting half of what true HD should look and sound with your current setup IMHO ;).

Besides its pristine high resolution video, bluray discs also carry (well almost all of the latest movies) HD/uncompressed audio sound tracks (TrueHD, DTS-HD, DTS-HD MA). I can tell you how much it sounds better compared to regular Dolby Digital or DTS.

I too have the same setup like yours but I don't think any laptop with HDMI/BD drive can bitstream or decode the HD audio.
I also have a standalone BD/HD DVD player (Samsung BD-UP5000) that can bitstream the HD codecs above to my Pioneer Elite receiver (VSX-03TXH) that decodes them.
That's why I rather have a Netflix or Blockbuster membership for Bluray rental than paying $10/month to have HBO/Showtime/Starz etc..

Bluray (and former HD-DVD) is really the only medium that can carry the highest video and audio resolution available to the consumers IMO.

I have an old cox motorola hd receiver and one of their newer ones. The older one has a problem in that periodically (like once a week or so?) cox broadcasts eas test which causes the box internally to tune to channel 3. The problem is that it does not automatically go out of this mode when the eas test is finished. EAS continues to be displayed and it stays tuned to channel 3. I can manually switch to a different channel but if I'm away from home and have scheduled programs to be tuned to so that my external recorder (not cox dvr) will record them all that will be recorded is channel 3 content. The newer hd receiver does not have this problem, so I'm going to try to switch out the old receiver for a newer one. I was just wondering if others have this problem or if its just an error in my particular receiver. Also, out of curiosity, what is supposed to happen if you have a cox dvr box in this case. Will it properly record its scheduled content or will there be a few minutes of eas test content in the middle of the recording?

Has anybody noticed any video lag on that channel?

I've been watching the lakers' games on that channel and the video seems always to lag behind the audio.

Has anybody noticed any video lag on that channel?

I've been watching the lakers' games on that channel and the video seems always to lag behind the audio. Just finished watching the game on my Tivo - didn't notice any audio/video sync problems. The FSN HD broadcasts are a heck of a lot better than KCALDT.

Just finished watching the game on my Tivo - didn't notice any audio/video sync problems. The FSN HD broadcasts are a heck of a lot better than KCALDT.

I too was watching on my Tivo HD (not the original THX one).
Among the shows that I recorded, FSN 763 is the only channel that seems to have video/audio sync problem for me.
Will try to record the next lakers game on my other Tivo HD XL (the latest that is THX certified) to see if I get the same problem.

I agree with FSN HD broadcast being better than KCALDT.
It'd be nice they upgrade the sound to DD 5.1, it's only DD 2.0 currently.

Ughh, seems like lately every time I watch non-network HD channels such as Discovery HD or SciFi HD I am disgusted at picture quality. I'm tempted to take and post pictures of how awful things look. Pause a frame during any motion and it looks absolutely horrible. I can't imagine the source distribution looks anywhere near as bad as it does when it reaches my living room. Some of the channels look OK most of the time such as the ESPNHD channels and FSNHD. I think it's time to look at the frequencies of the HD channels and update my headend spreadsheet to see how many channels per QAM there are lately for these HD channels.

There has to be some way to shame Cox into improving things. I'm almost tempted to sign up for the Dish Turbo HD package just to compare picture quality.

We just got the HD up-grades last week in L. Forest. I've been comparing the picture quality, head to head, in real time on the same TV, between Cox and Directv. My initial conclusions are the off-air channels on Cox still look good, close to the off-air quality, and slightly better than D.'s Sat. locals.
The "cable channels" are another story. NFL, NHL, FSN , PT, USA, CNN, VS, Discovery, etc. look MUCH BETTER on Direc tv. The Duck game last night on Cox 763 looked like a 480P feed to me on Cox, checked D. 694 and it looked clear, bright and saturated, much better, same thing on the Pens game Monday on Vs. The Laker game on Tuesday gave me the regular HD feed on D. 692 and the HD Courtside view on PT 694, and no commercials. Cox had the reg. HD feed on 763. Both looked better on Direc. I'll keep checking and post what I see. The Cox feeds sure look bit-starved to me, kinda like the old 'HD Lite" on Direc before the HD up-grade in Oct. of 07. I would like to see Cox add FX HD, Fox News HD, Fox Bus. News HD, AMC HD and Speed HD. I don't have access to the Movie Channels in HD on D. but I think they have more than 2 per Movie Service. Anyone know when Cox will offer HD on Demand???

We just got the HD up-grades last week in L. Forest. I've been comparing the picture quality, head to head, in real time on the same TV, between Cox and Directv. My initial conclusions are the off-air channels on Cox still look good, close to the off-air quality, and slightly better than D.'s Sat. locals.
The "cable channels" are another story. NFL, NHL, FSN , PT, USA, CNN, VS, Discovery, etc. look MUCH BETTER on Direc tv. The Duck game last night on Cox 763 looked like a 480P feed to me on Cox, checked D. 694 and it looked clear, bright and saturated, much better, same thing on the Pens game Monday on Vs. The Laker game on Tuesday gave me the regular HD feed on D. 692 and the HD Courtside view on PT 694, and no commercials. Cox had the reg. HD feed on 763. Both looked better on Direc. I'll keep checking and post what I see. The Cox feeds sure look bit-starved to me, kinda like the old 'HD Lite" on Direc before the HD up-grade in Oct. of 07. I would like to see Cox add FX HD, Fox News HD, Fox Bus. News HD, AMC HD and Speed HD. I don't have access to the Movie Channels in HD on D. but I think they have more than 2 per Movie Service. Anyone know when Cox will offer HD on Demand???
Thanks for confirming what we (at least I) already suspected and yes please do post more comparisons whenever you can. What would be absolutely great is if you have DVRs on both to get pictures of a pause frame at same point to show the difference - a picture is worth a thousand words as they say and would really drive home the point that Cox needs to do something to stay up with competition in terms of quality, not just quantity. Right now they are behind both in quantity and quality!

61" LCoS 1080P JVC Rear Projection - We watch a lot of TV (4 boys from 7 to 19) and while most of the watching is the 702 - 711 stuff, lots of movies channels, HDNet, Paladium, and others. 95% of the time the picture is fantastic! Usually if I have some MB issues it's the box needing a reboot. (still have the 6416) And with the PS3 connected, Games, video's, blueray...its all WOW! Forget LCD in the Big sizes....LCoS, DLP, Plasma.....in that order IMO. Saddly RP is getting harder to find....stupid peeps that have to hang it on the wall (usually too high...how's your neck doing?) instead of the best picture they can get...Oh Well.

TWC in The OC just got a bunch more HD channels, many that we in MV already have...but they did get SPEED! Wake up Cox!!

Jet, well you should do some viewing on Discovery HD, SciFi HD or USA HD. It's just been plain awful lately, even noticeable on my small 30" LCD from 8 feet away. In any case for SciFi HD from previous polls I have the numbers to prove it that Cox bitrate is significantly degraded compared to FIOS or Satellite. I understand certain TVs are better at masking problems than others, but with my 47" 1080p LCD I see a HUGE difference between Cox HD channels and Blu Ray, so given a proper feed the picture looks truly stunning. I understand that Blu Ray is not a fair comparison, but just comparing OTA networks to the above cable channels I see huge differences. As poster above pointed out as well comparing feeds DirecTV and Cox on same TV the difference is very obvious, so while the TV is a factor in picture quality if you have crap in you get crap out.

Jet, well you should do some viewing on Discovery HD, SciFi HD or USA HD.

I, too, haven't seen anything bad that stands out recently - other than the normal MB issues, but perhaps I haven't watched anything on those particular channels. I'll give them a try tonight and over the next few days. It does seem that some suffer more than others. We are mostly sophisticated viewers, so I have a hard time believing it is just a difference between televisions. There may be a quality-of-service difference among the cities and perhaps even the communities within the cities. Cox is far from consistent.

WOW, I just use diagnostics to look up QAM frequencies of just the HD channels to take a look at what Cox is doing and there are some startling changes which certainly help explain the quality degradation, specifically 3 1080i HD channels per QAM on at least the following (there are 3 HD channels I can't tune so don't know their frequencies):

RF 89 = 615MHz: TLCHD=754 (1080i) HGTVD=757 (1080i) HDT=791 (1080i)

RF 121 = 777MHz: DSCHD=721 (1080i) UHD=744 (1080i) AETVHD=767 (1080i)

RF 123 = 789MHz: GOLFVS=723 (1080i) FOODHDP=789 (1080i) HSTRYHD=762 (1080i)

RF 124 = 795MHz: CNNHD=714 (1080i) TRAVHD=753 (1080i) NGCHD=790 (1080i)

Previously Cox would limit to at most 2 1080i channels per QAM so this is certainly an indication of how bandwidth starved they are right now. Doesn't surprise me in the least DSCHD=721 is in this list as that's one of the channels that's looked particularly bad lately. I don't watch many of the above much at all so can't comment on the rest.

WOW, I just use diagnostics to look up QAM frequencies of just the HD channels to take a look at what Cox is doing and there are some startling changes which certainly help explain the quality degradation

Ok, I think it's about time for you to quit your job and go work at Cox to fix things for us. ;)

Previously Cox would limit to at most 2 1080i channels per QAM so this is certainly an indication of how bandwidth starved they are right now. Doesn't surprise me in the least DSCHD=721 is in this list as that's one of the channels that's looked particularly bad lately. I don't watch many of the above much at all so can't comment on the rest.

Is there a particular time of day that these channels are worse? I watched Discovery for some time last night and didn't see a single MB. Although, I do observe audio issues from time-to-time, namely, my Denon AVR occasionally switches between DD and DPL, thus causing a temporary drop in audio - I see this on other channels, particularly HGTV-HD, too - yes, I watch HGTV.

Could individual poor picture quality be exacerbated by internal cabling (e.g. splitters, amplifiers, etc.)? I am pretty naive about this, but it seems that such a decision on their part - to combine more than two 1080i channels per QAM - would affect quality for all equally. I suppose actual programming at any given time on a given channel sharing a QAM could affect performance at that time, but, again, I am probably naive.

Will SDV implementation improve this issue, thus this issue will only be temporary?

phdeane, there are a lot of factors involved. It depends on the particular programs you watch and what the other HD channels that are sharing the same QAM are doing at the time.
Note that for QAM 256 there is an upper limit of 38 Mbps for all channels on that QAM. Thus for 3 channels you get an average bitrate of 38/3 = 12.67 Mbps per channel available (5.7 GB/hour).

Good quality 1080i mpeg2 broadcasts can require up to 19 Mbps (8.5 GB/hour), so you can already see it would be an issue to try and pack three good quality 1080i mpeg2 channels in 1 QAM.

Note that these mpeg2 encodings are all employing Variable Bit Rate and Cox is also using some smart technology which will adjust bit rate allocation per channel as needed to fit within the 38 Mbps limitation. i.e. So for a few seconds it can allocate a bigger portion of the slice to 1 channel at the expense of the other channels.
Now if you hit a situation where 2 or more of the channels on the same QAM have some fast motion requiring higher bit rate then you can easily see where that is a problem and you end up not getting enough bit rate allocated resulting in macro blocking and other visual defects. At the end of the day though, the more you limit the average bit rate per channel the more problems you are going to see which I think is what is happening.
Shows to pay attention to on Discovery HD are Survivorman and Iditarod, for example. I can almost guarantee you will see issues with those as I have the last 3 episodes of each.

It looks like so far Cox has spared local broadcast, premium, and sports HD channels from this 3 per QAM deal so far, so looks like at least some thought was put into which HD channels to employ this 3 per QAM business for. Had they done that I think picture quality issues would have been a lot more obvious to their customers.

I can only hope that once/if SDV gets deployed here that they will then move back to the 2 HD per QAM rule of thumb here. Even then that may not solve all the issues, as it's very possible that Cox's main distribution centers are already sending 3 HD channels/QAM for some of these HD channels and thus the source feeds are already bit starved before reaching the local headend. I talked about that a few posts ago where some feeds are apparently coming from Comcast distribution center already at 3 HD channels/QAM. So it could well be that whatever our local headend is doing does not bear the brunt of the blame.

there are a lot of factors involved.

Thanks for the great explanation. It definitely makes sense. I will check out the shows you mentioned, but based on what you said, I am sure I will see the issue. Like I've said before, I do see MB from time-to-time, particularly during action scenes, but just wondered how individual system architecture affects the issues you are seeing. As you said, there are a lot of factors, but cramming three 1080i channels into a space better suited for two cannot be good.

I am confident that in the long run competition will change this and we will see an improvement - either via Cox or some other competitor, but it may be a long arduous period of decreasing picture quality - kind of defeats the purpose of HD, doesn't it? In the meantime, I'll keep complaining to Cox.

Just one more point. I know it seems as though I've been overly negative and biased against Cox lately, but I do really want to stick with them as my TV provider while at the same time feeling I am getting good quality for my money. I am actually pretty happy with internet service from Cox so far - reliable and fairly speedy and not enforcing closely the published 40GB/month maximum limit. Even on that front I hope they continue to push the envelope and deploy DOCSIS 3.0 to give us even faster download AND upload speeds.
I am heavily invested in cable TV over satellite with my Tivos so I want to stay with Cox, but I'm not going to sit idly if I see issues that need attention and I encourage everyone here to be vocal to Cox about picture quality issues.

Just one more point. I know it seems as though I've been overly negative and biased against Cox lately, but I do really want to stick with them as my TV provider while at the same time feeling I am getting good quality for my money. I am actually pretty happy with internet service from Cox so far - reliable and fairly speedy and not enforcing closely the published 40GB/month maximum limit. Even on that front I hope they continue to push the envelope and deploy DOCSIS 3.0 to give us even faster download AND upload speeds.
I am heavily invested in cable TV over satellite with my Tivos so I want to stay with Cox, but I'm not going to sit idly if I see issues that need attention and I encourage everyone here to be vocal to Cox about picture quality issues.
Maybe we should draft up a letter to cox and all send it in to them with all the proof and our complaints.

WOW, I just use diagnostics to look up QAM frequencies of just the HD channels to take a look at what Cox is doing and there are some startling changes which certainly help explain the quality degradation, specifically 3 1080i HD channels per QAM on at least the following (there are 3 HD channels I can't tune so don't know their frequencies):

RF 89 = 615MHz: TLCHD=754 (1080i) HGTVD=757 (1080i) HDT=791 (1080i)

RF 121 = 777MHz: DSCHD=721 (1080i) UHD=744 (1080i) AETVHD=767 (1080i)

RF 123 = 789MHz: GOLFVS=723 (1080i) FOODHDP=789 (1080i) HSTRYHD=762 (1080i)

RF 124 = 795MHz: CNNHD=714 (1080i) TRAVHD=753 (1080i) NGCHD=790 (1080i)

Previously Cox would limit to at most 2 1080i channels per QAM so this is certainly an indication of how bandwidth starved they are right now. Doesn't surprise me in the least DSCHD=721 is in this list as that's one of the channels that's looked particularly bad lately. I don't watch many of the above much at all so can't comment on the rest.

No wonder why FOODHD (756) gives me such a headache whenever there is a panning motion with the camera.

Just one more point. I know it seems as though I've been overly negative and biased against Cox lately, but I do really want to stick with them as my TV provider while at the same time feeling I am getting good quality for my money. I am actually pretty happy with internet service from Cox so far - reliable and fairly speedy and not enforcing closely the published 40GB/month maximum limit. Even on that front I hope they continue to push the envelope and deploy DOCSIS 3.0 to give us even faster download AND upload speeds.
I am heavily invested in cable TV over satellite with my Tivos so I want to stay with Cox, but I'm not going to sit idly if I see issues that need attention and I encourage everyone here to be vocal to Cox about picture quality issues.

Maybe we should draft up a letter to cox and all send it in to them with all the proof and our complaints.

Same here, I just got 2 Tivo HD with lifetime so I'm not gonna switch to satellite anytime soon but the quality of the broadcast needs to improve big time on the HD channels.

RF 89 = 615MHz: TLCHD=754 (1080i) HGTVD=757 (1080i) HDT=791 (1080i)

RF 121 = 777MHz: DSCHD=721 (1080i) UHD=744 (1080i) AETVHD=767 (1080i)

RF 123 = 789MHz: GOLFVS=723 (1080i) FOODHDP=789 (1080i) HSTRYHD=762 (1080i)

RF 124 = 795MHz: CNNHD=714 (1080i) TRAVHD=753 (1080i) NGCHD=790 (1080i)


Out of those I watch 791 quite a bit, lots of Concerts and other stuff I find interesting. I have no memory of issues, but will be on the look out. Out all of those channels, IMO only Disc, NAGeo, Hist, UHD (watch it a lot too), have programming that would most benefit from higher Bit-rate...

We have a 80Gb PS3, bought our first BR movies recently (Ironman & the new Indiana Jones) and I have to be honest I was not wowed anymore then I am watching Cox HD. (and yes, my eyes are good still) Maybe if I sat 6' away, but I do sit 13' away and being a 61" screen that's well with-in the recommended viewing distance.

We have a 80Gb PS3, bought our first BR movies recently (Ironman & the new Indiana Jones) and I have to be honest I was not wowed anymore then I am watching Cox HD. (and yes, my eyes are good still) Maybe if I sat 6' away, but I do sit 13' away and being a 61" screen that's well with-in the recommended viewing distance.

As far as the "recommended viewing distance" that depends on what resolution material you are watching on Cox and the maximum resolution of your television.

In my opinion, Blu-ray wins hands down - not just in terms of resolution, but also in terms of contrast, color, lack of digital artifacts, among others. If you look at the attached chart, with your television and viewing distance, you are well within the appropriate distance to discern up to 720p. However, if you want to properly discern 1080i/p, you would have to sit about 7-8' away. As you mentioned, you are sitting 13', so 1080i/p material, at least as far as resolution goes, would look the same to you as 720p material.

Of course, it depends on your television and which HD channel you are watching. If watching 1080i and your television is 720p, then Blu-ray still wins, but not in terms of resolution. However, if you are watching a 1080i channel and have a 1080p set, well then, sit within 8' and you will see a difference.

That being said, from a pure resolution standpoint, 720p to 1080p, is not as drastic as the difference between SD television and HD.

As far as the "recommended viewing distance" that depends on what resolution material you are watching on Cox and the maximum resolution of your television.

In my opinion, Blu-ray wins hands down - not just in terms of resolution, but also in terms of contrast, color, lack of digital artifacts, among others. If you look at the attached chart, with your television and viewing distance, you are well within the appropriate distance to discern up to 720p. However, if you want to properly discern 1080i/p, you would have to sit about 7-8' away. As you mentioned, you are sitting 13', so 1080i/p material, at least as far as resolution goes, would look the same to you as 720p material.

Of course, it depends on your television and which HD channel you are watching. If watching 1080i and your television is 720p, then Blu-ray still wins, but not in terms of resolution. However, if you are watching a 1080i channel and have a 1080p set, well then, sit within 8' and you will see a difference.

That being said, from a pure resolution standpoint, 720p to 1080p, is not as drastic as the difference between SD television and HD.

True enough all above^ :D

But only time I get to sit closer is when the Christmas Tree is in my normal spot! And unlike my old CRT RPTV, this one at 6' is still sweet!

Watching Dave Mathews Concert on 749 right now...beautiful picture and of course sound!

From 13' away it's real hard to distinguish between good and a medium quality picture even for a 61" display. That's actually a good technique if you find yourself annoyed by picture quality issues - just sit further back. Perhaps that's what I need to do for some of these "HD" channels. Then again at that distance for my 47" TV a SD DVD will look excellent so no need for HD.

To me, CBS is an example of HD done right. Of course it helps that digital CBS OTA transmission has no other sub-channels and can thus take advantage of up to 19 Mbps. I hate it when I am stuck having to watch football on NBC HD - the worse by far of the big networks.

Sorry, I don't buy that 100%, unless you got crappy eyes. Just measured, more like 11', but I can spot MB in a heartbeat, noise, etc. My wife even though she has good sight, can sit and watch SD even when there is the same show on a HD channel. I notice it the second I see it. This is spectacular display (LCoS offered the highest pixel count at time, no moving object rainbow crap, no SS effects and I keep it calibrated - and just did a cleaning of the insides last month)

I will admit that my up close vision sucks, it's that over 40 crap! For someone that used to be a Electro-Optics Tech in the 80's and likes to tinker, it sucks! As do reading glasses! :D

Sorry, I don't buy that 100%, unless you got crappy eyes. Just measured, more like 11', but I can spot MB in a heartbeat, noise, etc. My wife even though she has good sight, can sit and watch SD even when there is the same show on a HD channel. I notice it the second I see it. This is spectacular display (LCoS offered the highest pixel count at time, no moving object rainbow crap, no SS effects and I keep it calibrated - and just did a cleaning of the insides last month)

I will admit that my up close vision sucks, it's that over 40 crap! For someone that used to be a Electro-Optics Tech in the 80's and likes to tinker, it sucks! As do reading glasses! :D

Hey Jet - moyekj is right, at least as far as resolution goes. It doesn't matter how great the quality of your eyes. As you'll see in the chart I posted last time, based on distance and screen size, the human eye simply cannot resolve the difference between the various resolutions shown - and that is if you have 20/20 vision. To further the issue, here is a great article from Home Theater Magazine where the whole "degree of arc" human eye limitation is explained.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/gearworks/0105viewvrez/

Back in the old days, when I installed AV systems in homes, the rule of thumb was to sit from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 times the diagonal of the television. But that was for 4:3 TVs and SD. Gone are those days.

Of course, as you mentioned, you can absolutely see MB, as well as other issues with contrast, brightness, color, etc.

Perhaps that's what I need to do for some of these "HD" channels. Then again at that distance for my 47" TV a SD DVD will look excellent so no need for HD.

To me, CBS is an example of HD done right. Of course it helps that digital CBS OTA transmission has no other sub-channels and can thus take advantage of up to 19 Mbps. I hate it when I am stuck having to watch football on NBC HD - the worse by far of the big networks.

Hey moyek - as mentioned, I did check out a couple episodes of Survivorman, one on DiscoveryHD and one on ScienceHD, as well as an Iditarod episode on DiscoveryHD. I recorded all early this morning, so not sure if that skewed my results.

As for the Discovery episode, I did not see any noticeable MB, but did find the overall picture quality to be poor. I'm not sure if it is the cameras they are using, but it almost looked like upconverted SD. That being said, the episode I watched, "Les is marooned in the swamplands of Georgia's Altamaha River Basin," didn't have a lot of action where MB and other issues are most prevalent.

Now, on the ScienceHD episode, "Utah wilds," the picture quality was much improved, but the opening where there is a lot of action (seems to be a different season as the opening was different on this episode) had a fair amount of MB.

As for the Iditarod episode, great show, but not only did I find the picture quality (resolution and contrast) to be better than the two Survivorman episodes, but I saw not evidence of MB.

What you have described seems much worse than what I witnessed. Perhaps it was the time of day I recorded the shows or that I have just become too accustomed to Cox' picture quality issues. I know I keep saying it, but I just feel that certain Cox communities and certainly an individual's home wiring could have a significant impact on picture quality. Now, based on your extensive experience in technology, I certainly don't think you suffer from the latter, so maybe it is the former - or other factors.

By the way, completely agree with your assessment of CBS v. NBC. CBS nearly always has beautiful picture quality, while NBC seems to suffer on many shows. It's funny, though, in that both broadcast their programming in 1080i, where Fox, ESPN, and ABC chose 720p, a better fit for the fast-motion of sports. Obviously the engineers at CBS know what they are doing. Keep in mind that NBC and their parent company, GE, are really hurting financially and in the ratings (for NBC), so that may have something to do with their inability to hire talented engineers and buy top-notch equipment.

On a side note with NBC, I've also noticed extensive audio issues where dialog is not localized to the center channel, but to the right and left, or, worse yet, right OR left - horrible! These issues have plagued NBC for at least three years and I don't believe the issues are localized to Cox or any other carrier. I think it comes from NBC.

phdeane, yes I also recorded those shows again and must admit I didn't really see many issues with them either when briefly fast forwarding through them. I tried digging up last time I recorded them in "Recently Deleted" folder to compare, but I've been recording too much Basketball lately and RD folder is almost empty. I'll keep an eye out though and save a recording that looks bad. It would actually be concrete proof that Cox OC is screwing things up if you record same episode in 2 different time slots and 1 looks bad in parts while the other is fine.
I've got Cha$e setup to record on SciFiHD which will probably be a good example of poor quality since it has action scenes. BTW my kids and I get a real kick watching that show together and wish we could be participating.

Moyekj - interesting that you didn't see any significant issues either. That would at least somewhat confirm that Cox is doing something to cause intermittent issues. I did some searching around the Internet tonight to find more about NBC HD quality (or lack thereof) with a particular emphasis on football, and I'll tell you one thing, many feel the same way. There are various opinions as to why, but I found this link (a little outdated) as one possible reason.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/2007/09/nbc-sports-in-hd-i-can-hardly-weather.html

Great picture/sound/episode of 24 tonight!

Hey Jet - moyekj is right, at least as far as resolution goes. It doesn't matter how great the quality of your eyes. As you'll see in the chart I posted last time, based on distance and screen size, the human eye simply cannot resolve the difference between the various resolutions shown - and that is if you have 20/20 vision. To further the issue, here is a great article from Home Theater Magazine where the whole "degree of arc" human eye limitation is explained.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/gearworks/0105viewvrez/

Back in the old days, when I installed AV systems in homes, the rule of thumb was to sit from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 times the diagonal of the television. But that was for 4:3 TVs and SD. Gone are those days.

Of course, as you mentioned, you can absolutely see MB, as well as other issues with contrast, brightness, color, etc.

Oh I know....But have to say we are wowed from our sitting position. Works.

ps...I was always measured at 20-25. (could see at 25' what average peep see at 20') :D

But approaching 50, prob down a tad....lol

agree on 24....about time we got Jack back!

I think these ambitious plans will take much longer than these articles indicate. I don't think SDV is a reality here yet, I doubt we'll see DOCSIS 3.0 in our market anytime soon (Cox will concentrate on markets where FIOS is a competitor) and I doubt we'll see MPEG4 before 2011.

I've got two COX Motorola DVRs, and I am thinking of replacing them with 2 Tivo HD's with 500 GB DVR expander. If Cox switches to MPEG4, does that obsolete the TIVO's, or can TIVO handle MPEG4 with firmware update?

I'd like to go with the lifetime TIVO subscription, but I'd like that to last more than 3 years before I have to buy new HW. I like the 500 GB expandability of TIVO, plus the multi-room option.

I've got two COX Motorola DVRs, and I am thinking of replacing them with 2 Tivo HD's with 500 GB DVR expander. If Cox switches to MPEG4, does that obsolete the TIVO's, or can TIVO handle MPEG4 with firmware update?

I'd like to go with the lifetime TIVO subscription, but I'd like that to last more than 3 years before I have to buy new HW. I like the 500 GB expandability of TIVO, plus the multi-room option. The Tivo S3/THD/HD-XL units all have mpeg4 hardware decoders built in and they are already put to use for YouTube (H.264) playback and the upcoming Netflix streaming option (VC1). Using my tivostream HME app you can also serve up mpeg4 (H.264) videos in addition to mpeg2 from your home computers to your S3 Tivos. So yes, mpeg4 capability is there and already in use and wouldn't be much trouble to get working on Tivos.
1 thing to keep in mind is Tivo is supposedly working on an S4 box that will use the tru2way (formerly known as OCAP) standard. That box will have native support for SDV (without Tuning Adapter necessary) and will also be able to support PPV & VOD in cable company software mode (presumably Tivo's vision is to have their own software mode and ability to switch over to cable software mode if you wish for PPV/VOD). Details are still sketchy and release date is unknown and could be over a year away still, but something you should know about before making long term commitments.

Other thing to keep in mind is the renewed DirecTV/Tivo relationship where a new box is in the works there as well. I'm going to keep a close eye on that development especially now that D* HD picture quality reportedly is better than what Cox offers.

Well the last Iditarod on DHD looked fine this week as did yesterday's episode of Cha$e on SciFiHD, so no complaints the last couple days of shows that I have watched.
(As usual the network channels have same quality as OTA broadcasts so never any complaints about those other than NBCHD who don't know how to film sports in HD). I agree that the special 2 hour episode of 24 looked great. I guess they got away from the grainy HD look they used to use a for last couple of seasons which is a good sign.

Well the last Iditarod on DHD looked fine this week as did yesterday's episode of Cha$e on SciFiHD, so no complaints the last couple days of shows that I have watched.
(As usual the network channels have same quality as OTA broadcasts so never any complaints about those other than NBCHD who don't know how to film sports in HD). I agree that the special 2 hour episode of 24 looked great. I guess they got away from the grainy HD look they used to use a for last couple of seasons which is a good sign.

Good to hear and I want to believe they are doing something to improve the quality, but I won't be sold until I consistently see a quality picture on both cable and network channels. I watch quite a few HD movies and boy is there a lot of MB during action scenes.

Here's a list of clear QAM channels I see after a channel rescan with the set connected directly to the wall (no cable box). I only have basic+expanded cable, no digital packages. In the past few months three audio services have been moved off the 102 channel, and TBS now shows up. Also, only one Music Choice channel shows up, there used to be around 50 of these. I wonder if they are planning to provide a PID for KCET-HD to change it from 127-915 to 28-1 (none of KCET's other three subchannels are carried).

2-1 KCBS HD
4-1 KNBC HD
4-2 KNBC weather
5-1 KTLA HD
7-1 KABC-HD
7-2 KABC 2nd channel
7-3 KABC weather
9-1 KCAL HD
11-1 KTTV HD
13-1 KCOP HD
22-45 TBS
26-3 Cox3
26-10 Audio - KLSX
26-69 KTBN
26-88 KABC SD (480i)
50-1 KOCE HD
50-2 KOCE 2nd chnl
82-12 Audio - KRTH
82-63 KOCE-SD
82-66 KDOC-SD
82-80 KCOP-SD
82-82 KNBC-SD
82-84 KCET-SD
90-11 Audio - KYSR
90-31 PubAcc-SD
90-67 KPXN-SD
90-70 KLCS-SD
90-83 KTLA-SD
90-85 KCAL-SD
90-86 KCBS-SD
90-87 KTTV-SD
98-5 MV City
98-12 Sdlbk Col-SD
102-1-27 Audio - radio stations
109-12 Sports On Demand ad
113-91 Chinese
114-9 On Demand ad
116-9 Audio - Music Choice
127-332 CSPAN3
127-915 KCET HD

Got a flier in the mail today - StarzHD on Demand is coming. Let's hope the HD experience is better than the horrible SD version. Also, not sure how channel 1 on demand affects picture quality of other HD channels.

Has anyone else noticed that KTLA has not shown this in HD the past two weeks?

What the heck are these HD on demand channels in Cox San Diego all about? On demand versions of channels that we already have? Isn't that what DVRs are for?
http://www.cox.com/sandiego/newsroom/press/2008/20081124.asp
Are some or all of them pay VOD? Looks like a huge waste of space to me...

I never understood the attraction of VOD especially with better services available like Netflix where you can get better SD (DVD) and HD (Blu Ray) versions than anything cable can offer, and with Netflix streaming you can get instant gratification for some titles. Can't wait for Netflix instant streaming to debut soon for Tivos.

What the heck are these HD on demand channels in Cox San Diego all about? On demand versions of channels that we already have? Isn't that what DVRs are for?

I never understood the attraction of VOD especially with better services available like Netflix where you can get better SD (DVD) and HD (Blu Ray) versions than anything cable can offer, and with Netflix streaming you can get instant gratification for some titles. Can't wait for Netflix instant streaming to debut soon for Tivos.

You are right; VOD, as far as Cox goes, is horrible. However, I still use it for casual viewing of movies I may not normally watch. If you want to watch something last minute, it does have some value. And it's free if you already have the movie channel. Netflix and other streaming services require an additional charge. The DVR route is great, but, then again, not last minute viewing of something. In other words, with a DVR, you have to plan out what you want to watch, but VOD allows for a bit of spontaneity without an additional charge. Worth considering, too, is VOD doesn't fill up your DVR.

Most of my VOD is Starz. Having it in HD is something I actually look forward to. Considering I watch the SD version (which is really, really bad), I am hopeful that an upgrade to the HD version will be better.

When the hell is COX OC going to give us FX/AMC HD? I'm seriously getting disillusioned with their terrible service. I'm currently using the Motorrolla DVR box and the HD quality doesn't look all that great on my LN40650a..it just looks 'washed out' on most channels. Hard to explain.

What other options do I have in mission viejo besides Direct TV? I keep hearing good things about AT&T Uverse or something but I"m not even sure if it's available where I am.

What other options do I have in mission viejo besides Direct TV? I keep hearing good things about AT&T Uverse or something but I"m not even sure if it's available where I am. D* seems to be best choice for quality from what I'm hearing. Forget Uverse as it still suffers from bandwidth limitations due to it's use of copper phone lines: at most 2 highly compressed and bit-starved mpeg4 HD feeds at a time per household.

Could you post a reference to any comparisons of D* PQ? I am ready to switch.

Another bone of contention with me about Cox is the channel guide. How many times to you see the wrong program listed or "Not on Air".

:confused:What value is the PVR when the guide is wrong??

Could you post a reference to any comparisons of D* PQ? I am ready to switch.

Another bone of contention with me about Cox is the channel guide. How many times to you see the wrong program listed or "Not on Air".

:confused:What value is the PVR when the guide is wrong?? Best one I've seen recently was posted right in this thread by a user with both D* and Cox OC cable so is able to do side by side comparisons:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15112955#post15112955

Also see this post where I noticed Cox OC is now squeezing in 3 1080i channels per QAM for certain HD channels (which until a few months ago was not the case):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15118631#post15118631

...not sure if you guys noticed but the premier tier download speed on HSI appears to have gone up to 25mbit downstream...without powerboost.

I've been downloading off a newsgroup server for a better part of an hour @ 2650KB/s to 2720KB/s

old 18mbit speed translated to 2000KB/s. I may bitch about their poor quality HD signal, but short of FIOS, cox HSI is a great bargain for what they are offering.

-bubu

...not sure if you guys noticed but the premier tier download speed on HSI appears to have gone up to 25mbit downstream...without powerboost.

I've been downloading off a newsgroup server for a better part of an hour @ 2650KB/s to 2720KB/s

old 18mbit speed translated to 2000KB/s. I may bitch about their poor quality HD signal, but short of FIOS, cox HSI is a great bargain for what they are offering.

-bubu I have HSI Preferred and I've been watching a LOT of Netflix instant streaming this month and last (including HD streams) without issues, so I agree HSI is pretty good (though not exactly cheap). Still be nice to have DOCSIS 3.0 though...

...not sure if you guys noticed but the premier tier download speed on HSI appears to have gone up to 25mbit downstream...without powerboost.

I've been downloading off a newsgroup server for a better part of an hour @ 2650KB/s to 2720KB/s

old 18mbit speed translated to 2000KB/s. I may bitch about their poor quality HD signal, but short of FIOS, cox HSI is a great bargain for what they are offering.

-bubu This article claims Premiere HSI was bumped up from 15 to 20 Mbps (25 Mbps with Powerboost):
http://gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/2008/12/03/cox-bumps-up-internet-speed-for-premier-users-in-oc/5998/

Update with good news on the SDV Tuning Adapters.
This is for Cox Northern Virginia market:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6896605#post6896605

The TiVo Tuning Adapters will be available starting on December 11th with self install directions at no charge to customers in our two retail center locations in Herndon at 3080 Centreville Road, Herndon, Virginia 20171 and Kingstowne at 5958 Kingstowne Town Center, suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22315.

Free of charge and self install available - perfect! Hope Cox OC will follow suit.

D* seems to be best choice for quality from what I'm hearing. Forget Uverse as it still suffers from bandwidth limitations due to it's use of copper phone lines: at most 2 highly compressed and bit-starved mpeg4 HD feeds at a time per household.

Actually, I was looking at a relative's Cox Cable reception of KCBS-SD in order to compare it with Direct TV standard definition. DirecTV actually compresses too much on the SD feeds, so that Cox is better. On HD however DirecTV is a little better.

Actually, I was looking at a relative's Cox Cable reception of KCBS-SD in order to compare it with Direct TV standard definition. DirecTV actually compresses too much on the SD feeds, so that Cox is better. On HD however DirecTV is a little better. Good input. >90% of what I watch/record is in HD so that's what I really care about.

This past week's Survivorman on DHD had several incidents of macro-blocking and looked pretty bit starved throughout. Overall I'd say DHD quality is fair to lousy most of the time via Cox OC. I bet you they don't dare leave that channel on display at the retail centers...

Moyekj:
Do remember that survivorman is shot on handycam HDV camcorder and not high-bit rate cameras like an XDCAM or HDCAM. So macroblocking is going t to be more apparent for that show.

FYI: Netflix streaming on Tivo (Series 3 boxes) just got activated tonight and I'm watching an HD title on one of my Tivos right now. Looks really nice! I was surprised at the quality even for some SD titles I checked out, especially for a streaming only service.

So I left Cox back in August and I remembered that the HD quality was pretty good. Went with ATT due to it being cheaper. The HD quality is pretty bad. I'm thinking of going back to Cox but reading recent posts it appears that the quality has gone down?

So I left Cox back in August and I remembered that the HD quality was pretty good. Went with ATT due to it being cheaper. The HD quality is pretty bad. I'm thinking of going back to Cox but reading recent posts it appears that the quality has gone down? I'm sure compared to UVerse it's much better, but compared to Directv not so much.

I never understood the attraction of VOD especially with better services available like Netflix where you can get better SD (DVD) and HD (Blu Ray) versions than anything cable can offer
Immediately?!

and with Netflix streaming you can get instant gratification for some titles.
On my TV?

Different channels are different resolutions from Cox. SD digital channels are 480i, HD channels are mostly 1080i but there are some 720p (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 for example). You need to experiment for yourself which output setting looks best. With Tivo you have total control. You can force to always output same, output differently for SD vs HD or set it to Native and let your TV do all the scaling. Personally I found my S3s do a great job of scaling and since I have a 1080p PLASMA LCD I set Tivo output to 1080i such that all the TV has to do is de-interlace (no scaling). The TV is pretty good at scaling as well and for a while I used Native setting letting the TV do all the work. Problem with that is when you switch channels or from playback to Tivo menus (which are 720p) there is some flickering as TV adjusts resolution and that can get annoying after a while. Given the Tivo does a good job setting it to a fixed output setting that closely matches your TV native resolution to me makes a lot of sense..


OK, I went ahead on got my HDTV. Went with a 720p Plasma and am very happy with it. Great price, great picture. Thanks to all for the help.

*** Now for my probelms wiht Cox: I also bought a tivo HD and just ordered the M-card installation. Naturally, the CSR had an attitude like he was doing me a favor and swore up and down that they have no M-Cards. They also want to charge me $99 for the install on 2 single stream cards. Are they making 2 $50 trips? no, but logic is irrelevant with Cox.

Anyway, Moykj and others, what do you recommend I do to get:

- an actual m-card and not a single stream card
- reduce the install fee

I get so tired of fighting with Cox that I am almost ready to give up, sell my tivohd with lifetime (transfered) for a profit and keep their crappy DVR that I am demoing on a 30-day free basis.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Immediately?!


On my TV? Yes, with the Netflix instant view titles I can now view them on my large TV via my Tivos and no extra charge for that capability. What's the catch? Currently there are only about 12K SD titles and 500 HD titles available for instant streaming via Netflix. Still, I have my Netflix Instant queue already full of titles which will take me months to get through. It's great that I can start watching a movie downstairs, stop it, move upstairs, and continue from where I left off upstairs. For ultimate convenience I can use the streaming option, for best quality I can get the Blu Ray titles via snail mail.

Anyway, Moykj and others, what do you recommend I do to get:

- an actual m-card and not a single stream card
- reduce the install fee

It's been covered in this thread before... most likely for the truck roll the installer will show up with M-cards already as S-cards are being phased out. Just tell CSR to make a note for installer that you want an M-card just in case. Since you only need 1 M-card you can get the install fee down to $50, and if you make enough fuss about mis-information you received on S-cards vs. M-cards, etc. you can probably get that fee waived as well.

It's been covered in this thread before... most likely for the truck roll the installer will show up with M-cards already as S-cards are being phased out. Just tell CSR to make a note for installer that you want an M-card just in case. Since you only need 1 M-card you can get the install fee down to $50, and if you make enough fuss about mis-information you received on S-cards vs. M-cards, etc. you can probably get that fee waived as well.

Thanks. I saw some other content but wanted to make sure i had current info. The CSR refused to make a note because m-cards don't exist at cox. I never fail to be astounded by the arrogance of the people at Cox - unbelievable.

Immediately?!


On my TV?

As with moyekj, I'm getting Netflix streaming immediately to my 42" LCD. I can't wait to see the HD.

Yes, with the Netflix instant view titles I can now view them on my large TV via my Tivos and no extra charge for that capability. What's the catch? Currently there are only about 12K SD titles and 500 HD titles available for instant streaming via Netflix. Still, I have my Netflix Instant queue already full of titles which will take me months to get through. It's great that I can start watching a movie downstairs, stop it, move upstairs, and continue from where I left off upstairs. For ultimate convenience I can use the streaming option, for best quality I can get the Blu Ray titles via snail mail.

I don't mean to speak for kcrudup, but I think his "Immediately?!" and "On my TV?" words might just be comments on the fact that those of us who don't have the equipment to stream Netflix movies may find VOD as not so much an advantage, but really our only current choice for instant gratification - as crappy as the picture is. Perhaps I am emphasizing the word MY in "On MY TV," and thus reading into it.

I don't mean to speak for kcrudup, but I think his "Immediately?!" and "On my TV?" words might just be comments on the fact that those of us who don't have the equipment to stream Netflix movies may find VOD as not so much an advantage, but really our only current choice for instant gratification - as crappy as the picture is. Perhaps I am emphasizing the word MY in "On MY TV," and thus reading into it. Now that I read again I think you're right.
For my money I find it better value not to bother with subscribing to premium cable channels and using VOD since Netflix more than covers my needs. This streaming option is just icing on the cake now and addresses the instant gratification option. All in all a pretty good value for $10/month (with Blu Ray option).

Now that I read again I think you're right.
For my money I find it better value not to bother with subscribing to premium cable channels and using VOD since Netflix more than covers my needs. This streaming option is just icing on the cake now and addresses the instant gratification option. All in all a pretty good value for $10/month (with Blu Ray option).

Not a bad idea. I currently have a six-month promotion for the movie channels (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz) for only $10 per month total. I've actually had the promotion for a few years as I just keep asking them to extend it (with a little threat from time-to-time). I guess that makes my savings not as great, but Cox is no Blu-ray.

I just wish Sony would go with Netflix instead of going it their own. The selections on the PSN (Playstation Network) for my PS3 are quite limited, but at least I can download some HD movies. I've actually never tried; I should.

I don't mean to speak for kcrudup, but I think his "Immediately?!" and "On my TV?" words might just be comments on the fact that those of us who don't have the equipment to stream Netflix movies may find VOD as not so much an advantage, but really our only current choice for instant gratification - as crappy as the picture is.
Yeah, that's about it.

But, I have an 8 1/2 year-old S1 TiVo that I still use in LA, and have added networking (for getting guide data off the 'net vs. calling, and for TiVoWeb that lets me use the interface via a web-browser), and have maxed out the disk capacity. I much prefer that UI over that of Passport, and MoyeKJ has done a lot to convince me that a couple of new S3(+?) TiVos are in my future (and I have to thank him for being an early adopter and working out all the bugs for us :) ).

Netflix streaming, expandable storage (I have TB of drives gathering dust in my office that could be raided into a Linux box that acts like a USB storage device, for instance), CableCard interfaces so the Cable cos can't shut us out, and what appears, if the S1 folks still care, to be a developer and user base that really likes their product. I'm really only using the 4 Cox DVRs I have because of inertia.

Does anyone know of a way (other than rebooting) of restoring Dolby Digital when in periodically reverts back to PCM and won't allow you to select Dolby Digital in the Audio Menu? This is a rather aggravating problem and COX does not even seem to recognize the exisitance of this issue.

Thanks.

Does anyone know of a way (other than rebooting) of restoring Dolby Digital when in periodically reverts back to PCM and won't allow you to select Dolby Digital in the Audio Menu? This is a rather aggravating problem and COX does not even seem to recognize the exisitance of this issue.

Thanks.

I have the same problem...it sucks when you try to show off your system to friends but you have to reboot the stupid box just to get it to work. I hope someone has a work-around.

JA

I have the same problem...it sucks when you try to show off your system to friends but you have to reboot the stupid box just to get it to work. I hope someone has a work-around.

JAE

Unfortunately no work-around. I have reported it to Cox numerous times; they are fully aware, but it appears it is not their most important issue. It is VERY frustrating, and, unless I am watching a good movie, I just settle for Dolby Pro Logic. Most of the time when I want to reboot, I have something recording. To a lesser extent, the lack of a red recording light is sometimes disconcerting.

So when did Cox split the golf channel and versus? I was trying to watch hockey last night couldn't find it they had golf on 723, I figured it was cause of the PGA tour so they went with golf over versus programming, had the same problem today only to find out VS is now on channel 717. Of course Cox's website does not reflect that. But of course I have channel 717 blocked out. Please call to order... what a bunch of ****. The main reason I got HD cable was to watch hockey, and now I need to pay extra.

So when did Cox split the golf channel and versus? I was trying to watch hockey last night couldn't find it they had golf on 723, I figured it was cause of the PGA tour so they went with golf over versus programming, had the same problem today only to find out VS is now on channel 717. Of course Cox's website does not reflect that. But of course I have channel 717 blocked out. Please call to order... what a bunch of ****. The main reason I got HD cable was to watch hockey, and now I need to pay extra.

I heard about this a little while ago. Basically, channels like Versus, SPEED, ESPN News, Golf Channel, etc, are part of the Sports and Info tier. You have to pay extra for these tiers. It looks like if you pay for the tier, you get any of the HD channels associated with that tier. Do you get any of the channels above? The reason I ask is even if you do pay for them, I have seen it happen where the HD version is blocked. A phone call to Cox will get you going. If you don't have the Sports tier, but you do have one of the other tiers, Movie or Family, then it is only about $3.50 per month to upgrade to the Digital Deluxe package.

The strange thing is I DON'T subscribe to the Sports tier and thus can't tune in to the SD version of the Golf Channel on 323, but I can tune in to the HD version on 723 - at least for now. This just tells me things are still in a state of flux. They'll get it going soon, though, and I will lose Golf HD, too.

No I don't get the other channels and I don't plan on it because I already pay 100 bucks a month that's good enough. I really don't feel like paying extra to get a sports tier package where I'm just going to watch 1 of the channels.

Received a little booklet from Cox in the mail about VOD in HD. Supposedly there's an HD category now under VOD. Anyone check out HD VOD yet? How's the quality?

Received a little booklet from Cox in the mail about VOD in HD. Supposedly there's an HD category now under VOD. Anyone check out HD VOD yet? How's the quality?

The picture quality is surprisingly good. Very little to no MB. I just wish the clunky user interface would be improved.

It's only available (at least for now) on for-pay VOD and Starz (free, but you have to be a Starz subscriber). There were only four movies available on Starz and 11 on the for-pay part. None of the for-pay movies looked of interest to me (5 of the 11 are Christmas related) and it's after midnight, so I didn't check out the PQ on those. I assume they would be similar to Starz.

edit: strange; I went back into Starz and now there are seven available (although two are Crash episodes, and one is a "Starz Inside" featurette), but strange how there were four a few minutes ago.

The picture quality is surprisingly good. Very little to no MB. I just wish the clunky user interface would be improved.

It's only available (at least for now) on for-pay VOD and Starz (free, but you have to be a Starz subscriber). There were only four movies available on Starz and 11 on the for-pay part. None of the for-pay movies looked of interest to me (5 of the 11 are Christmas related) and it's after midnight, so I didn't check out the PQ on those. I assume they would be similar to Starz.

edit: strange; I went back into Starz and now there are seven available (although two are Crash episodes, and one is a "Starz Inside" featurette), but strange how there were four a few minutes ago.

there's also a new section in the Free Zone for HD; currently has the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show in hd; reasonable picture quality.

there's also a new section in the Free Zone for HD; currently has the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show in hd; reasonable picture quality.
Cool - I am still surprised on how the PQ is pretty good. I'm not sure how the HD VOD programs could have better PQ than many of the regular HD channels, but I don't know how they transmit the VOD channels. They don't seem to suffer from the same over-compression issues as some of the regular HD channels do. Perhaps it is beause not many people are using it yet?

Cox just announced five new HD channels for San Diego. Strangely, they also added Fox Business, but only in SD and only to customers with Cox Digital Cable and the Sports & Information digital package. http://www.cox.com/sandiego/newsroom/service/2008/20081209-newhd.asp


The five new HD channels will be available to Cox Digital Cable customers with Cox Standard Cable and HD service. They are coming December 29th.

Fox News HD
Speed HD
FX HD
Cartoon HD, and
E! HD


We usually follow Cox San Diego by a month or two. I really want Fox News HD.

Interesting, I wonder how Cox SD is managing to squeeze in all those HD channels? Perhaps they've got more 3 HD per QAM than we have here. I think I saw a reference in Tivo forums that they have SDV deployed down there so more than likely that's how they are able to add new ones. I don't know what the status of SDV here is so will be interesting to see how new ones will be added, but if I had to guess I would say they have to go under SDV as space is very tight here already.

P.S. Whoever does their web site management down there is a heck of a lot more proactive than here. Cox OC website is seemingly never up to date.

I think I saw a reference in Tivo forums that they have SDV deployed down there so more than likely that's how they are able to add new ones. I don't know what the status of SDV here is so will be interesting to see how new ones will be added, but if I had to guess I would say they have to go under SDV as space is very tight here already.

Yep, based on the poor quality we already see on most HD channels, I would be surprised if they added more HD channels without SDV. But then again, we continue to get more HD and less quality, so who knows.

I have a brother who lives down there (on Cox San Diego) and I will be visiting him for Christmas. I've been there quite a few times before, but never thought of comparing their HD quality. Well, perhaps the last time I was down there, our HD quality wasn't so bad. In any event, I will check it out this time.

Cool, I hope we get FX and Cartoon Network soon.

I've been waiting for FX HD forever... Add that and I'll barely have to watch SD programming anymore.

....when I turn on the tv, I think it is the cable box vs. my tv, as it goes away when I switch inputs, or at least doesn't show on the tv input selection screen. Has anyone seen this with their cable box?
I've got the Moto DCH-3416, I've got two of these so I guess I could switch them and see if the problem moves with the box or stays with the tv?

Are there any newer/better Cox/Moto DVRs available?

Cheers and Best for the Holidays!
Tom

1994 called and it wants MPEG-2 back. Seriously how long are we going to be using this for broadcast TV and cable service? This horrendous quality and habit of cramming too many streams down one pipe would be a thing of the past if we were using a compression technology that didn't require 20Mbps of bandwidth just to look good. 6Mbps utilizing an MPEG-4 AP implementation would save almost 75% of the bandwidth and look better doing it. To put it in perspective, Netflix streams HD content using the VC-1 Advanced Profile (MPEG-4) codec at a mere 2.6Mbps to a whopping 3.8Mbps @ 720P and it looks way better than the molested signal we get from Cox. Make it happen, people!

Here in Ladera Ranch Cox just added Planet Green HD and I think AMC HD is new as well.

Here in Ladera Ranch Cox just added Planet Green HD and I think AMC HD is new as well.

Yes, here in Irvine, too. Planet Green HD (731) and AMC HD (766). That being said, seriously, Planet Green HD? Another wasted channel to just take up an already crowded distribution pipeline. I guess AMC HD could be worthwhile, but I have a hard time believing too many people asked for these two. At least in the case of Planet Green, it must be part of some other channels they have (in other words, they are probably contractually obligated to carry this channel based on other channels they carry).

Come on, Cox, let's get the channels some of us have been asking for (Fox News HD, FX HD, etc.) and let's get the Dolby Digital and red recording light issue fixed on our DVRs (DCH 3416).

I agree Planet Green was a rather terrible choice for HD.

Last night I was watching Showtime 725 (old VanDamme-Maximum Risk) with tons of MB's every other second and this morning watching 711 morning news same thing. Made the channels unwatchable. I'm in Aliso Viejo, anyone else experiencing this? Can we do anything about this except complain to COX!!!!!! Does COX monitor this group???

Last night I was watching Showtime 725 (old VanDamme-Maximum Risk) with tons of MB's every other second and this morning watching 711 morning news same thing. Made the channels unwatchable. I'm in Aliso Viejo, anyone else experiencing this? Can we do anything about this except complain to COX!!!!!! Does COX monitor this group???

Cox doesn't monitor anything but their bottom line.

I've been in an email battle with their lame customer support trying to get an ETA on tuning adapters. They keep trying to say since SDV isn't actually on yet, the adapter isn't even needed so I should shut up. This makes no sense since they are blocking channels to non-2-way devices. If I can't get the channels I want until I have a 2-way device, I need one regardless of whether or not the switch has actually been flipped. Argh...

Cox doesn't monitor anything but their bottom line.

I've been in an email battle with their lame customer support trying to get an ETA on tuning adapters. They keep trying to say since SDV isn't actually on yet, the adapter isn't even needed so I should shut up. This makes no sense since they are blocking channels to non-2-way devices. If I can't get the channels I want until I have a 2-way device, I need one regardless of whether or not the switch has actually been flipped. Argh...

Did you ask them why they are blocking the channels?

Can we do anything about this except complain to COX!!!!!! Does COX monitor this group???

I don't know if Cox officially monitors this and other threads, but from time to time an employee or two has come along. Who knows what (and even if) they report back. Your best option is to contact Cox. You may think it doesn't make a difference, but, generally speaking, it is in their best interest to listen to us - and for the most part they do; just not in our timing. I am sure they have other pressing matters to attend to and many of our requests end up at the bottom of the pile. Of course, the louder the voice, the quicker the action. I contact them pretty regularly. Sometimes they take action (more HD channels - although poor quality); sometimes they don't (read: Dolby Digital and red recording indicator issues with my DVR).

Of course, the ultimate message to them is the loss of paying customers. I am sure many have left (or not even signed up in the first place) over issues such as you (and I often) have raised. All we can do is hope others would speak up like us.

I don't know if Cox officially monitors this and other threads, but from time to time an employee or two has come along. Who knows what (and even if) they report back. Your best option is to contact Cox. You may think it doesn't make a difference, but, generally speaking, it is in their best interest to listen to us - and for the most part they do; just not in our timing. I am sure they have other pressing matters to attend to and many of our requests end up at the bottom of the pile. Of course, the louder the voice, the quicker the action. I contact them pretty regularly. Sometimes they take action (more HD channels - although poor quality); sometimes they don't (read: Dolby Digital and red recording indicator issues with my DVR).

Of course, the ultimate message to them is the loss of paying customers. I am sure many have left (or not even signed up in the first place) over issues such as you (and I often) have raised. All we can do is hope others would speak up like us.
read: Dolby Digital and red recording indicator issues with my DVR that more then likely would be up to the dvr maker and software supplier to correct not cox.

read: Dolby Digital and red recording indicator issues with my DVR that more then likely would be up to the dvr maker and software supplier to correct not cox.

Understood, but I am renting the product from Cox, not Motorola or Pioneer (Passport). We have no recourse with and no direct way to contact the latter, as there exists a contract between Cox and Motorola/Pioneer, not between Cox and me. If you recall the issue we had quite some time ago with the zero recording bug, that was also either a Motorola or Passport issue, yet we complained to Cox and they fixed it. Are you suggesting that Cox is not responsible for getting this issue resolved?

I am very upset with the quality of the HD TV Channels. This is not the first, second, or third time this has happened. But I am finally irked enough to contact customer support. I was watching "Maximum Risk" last night on Showtime 725 and the picture was breaking up constantly throughout the movie. The picture and dialog would be lost for a second or two at a time. I was also watching FOX news this morning on 711 with the same poor picture quality. This is entirely unacceptable, I want to know what is going to be done about this degrading picture quality. I have had HD with Cox since it was offered and in the beginning the picture was stellar, but lately since Cox added more channels it seems that you have chosen QUANTITY of HD channels over QUALITY! I can't see paying for this service if the quality is going to continue to be sub-optimal. The whole point of HD TV is to get better picture quality, and the point of having cable is to get a high quality signal. COX OC seems to be squeezing more HD channels into it's lineup and the HD channels are suffering. If this continues, I will be forced to look at alternatives, such as Direct-TV or FIOS TV. I want to know what you are going to do to fix this as well as credit my account for this sub-optimal cable tv service until it is fixed.

Well said, tjstoddard!

Very well said TJ!!! I also have access to Direc TV HD and can switch between the two in real time on the same calibrated Panasonic Commercial Plasma. Last night I was watching NFL Replay, the Steelers/Ravens and the difference was amazing. D. was bright, clear with fully saturated color and no swimming grass when the camera moved. The Cox feed was washed out, dark, the grass was swimming and the audio volume was low, it looked like a 480 up-convert, at best.
I hard re-booted at the commercial, it didn't help. NFL Net. HD is broadcast in 1080i, it sure didn't look like it on Cox. Later I sampled Discovery HD, and Ch. 709, same result. What hapenned?? Lately I've noticed a lot of D. 5 LNB HD Dishes in my neighborhood, now I know why... I'm in Lake Forest, we just got the HD up-grade about 3 weeks ago, the picture is getting worse, if anything. Sad....

Lately I've noticed a lot of D. 5 LNB HD Dishes in my neighborhood, now I know why...

Yes, and with increasing competition not only from satellite, but from AT&T and Verizon, too, this is sure to continue. And if it does, Cox will either be forced to act on our complaints faster, get bought out from someone who will, or go away altogether. Let's hope for the former and soon!

ok, let's all complain and maybe they will get the message!!!

OK, I went ahead on got my HDTV. Went with a 720p Plasma and am very happy with it. Great price, great picture. Thanks to all for the help.

*** Now for my probelms wiht Cox: I also bought a tivo HD and just ordered the M-card installation. Naturally, the CSR had an attitude like he was doing me a favor and swore up and down that they have no M-Cards. They also want to charge me $99 for the install on 2 single stream cards. Are they making 2 $50 trips? no, but logic is irrelevant with Cox.


OK, Cox came out yesterday. 2 guys came, one was a regular TV guy the other was being cross trained for TV service. They had stacks of M-cards and I could just strangle the arrogant CSR I spoke with. What a jerk.

FYI, they said that they are really slow right now and there have been layoffs. i don't know what help this might be to someone, but its probably one of the easier times to get service work done.

The TiVo HD works great with the M-card - total bliss!

The only thing I am really surprised about and that i miss from the Cox DVr is a screen saver for when you have a program paused. In general the TiVo does not seem to have much consideration for Plasma burn-in, but so far it has not been a problem.

So I switched back to Cox yesterday. I had picked up 2 HD boxes from one of their offices and did a self install. Anyways, the HD box with the dvr appears to be malfunctioning. Earlier this morning I was able to schedule a future recording, however, I can't access the dvr menu anymore and if I try to record whatever I'm watching a pop up window shows up saying no data. I talked to a tech and he rebooted the box on their end and still no go. We both suspect the stb is defective. I told him I'm going to try to exchange the box at their office. It's as if the box doesn't detect the hard drive. Has anyone run into a similar problem like this?

It's as if the box doesn't detect the hard drive. Has anyone run into a similar problem like this?
Yup- I have a dying box in the living room that's got a failing hard drive and does what yours does as well as "loses" the recorded shows from time to time; as soon as I get a chance to catch up on all the shows (if I reset it, or unplug it for 30 mins I'm good for a couple of days) I'm gonna return it. I've got another unit in parallel that's a backup recording new shows that's waiting to take its place.

Not surprisingly Cox is way behind Comcast on DOCSIS 3.0 deployment (which bumps up broadband download and upload speeds for all existing customers as well as making new higher speed tiers available):
http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/comcast-rolls-docsis-3-0-three-more-cities/2008-12-11

Btw, I do know that Cox used to closely monitor and respond to threads at http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/coxhsi . Not sure if that's still the case. It's obviously more focused on Internet access, but it appears that there are video related threads there as well.

Yeah, a number of employees seem to hang in the Broadband Reports forums....

Everything works great here....and for your info, since it's XMAS the Tree takes my normal spot and I'm about 5' away from my 61" 1080p LCoS JVC. We did get that faster box outside last month or so, and my DVR box is the older 6416. Our 10yr old bedroom SD box finally gave up the ghost, so I did have to switch it out (still SD...TV is an old 26" Tube) but that's my only issue. Watching the Lakers right now on KCAL HD and it looks great. It may not be perfect, but I have no break up or anything like that. Just a sharp watchable picture.

I wondered about that Green Planet HD, but to tell the truth I don't mind it and I will watch some content and if it helps others do something about helping our planet even if its just a Solar heater for the pool, thats cool.

I am very excited about the SD announcement about Speed HD. I bug them almost every month about it. If you like Sports cars, watch the American Lemans series that will be on it, first race it the 12hrs of Sebring in March. 4 classes of cars, 2 prototypes, 2 production based...Corvette's, Ferrari's, Porsche's, Aston Martin's, BMW's, Ford GT's, etc...Good stuff and in HD will Rock!!! (and I have verified the last 3 years at Laguna Seca, the Cameras are Sony HD units...)

I watched Lakers on ESPN HD and noticed about 3 incidents of breakups and wasn't too impressed with quality. I try and avoid KCAL HD as their picture is not very good usually - it almost seems like some of the wide lens cameras are SD upscaled to HD. I think FSN HD does best job for Lakers coverage and haven't seen issues with games on that channel lately.

I used to be a cox subscriber but switched to DISH about 2 and a half years ago. Was contemplating coming back because I moved my primary HD lcd to a totally different spot in the house and it looks like it will be a royal pain wiring the satellite dish to the new location. With cable, there is already a cable outlet there, so it should be real easy if I had Cox HD.
But looking at these recent posts, it seems Cox HD quality isn't very good lately?
Someone mentioned the SCIFI channel in HD. On Dish, the scifi channel is beautiful...I love watching stargate atlantis in HD on that channel. It is extremely clear and sharp. I am curious to see what Cox's version looks like.

I do use Cox for my HSI though...there's no alternative...and I've been with them for my phone for over a year...but I like Dish's PVR better and apparently now it looks like the HD quality is another reason to stay with Dish for now.

I have two HDTV monitors and I have always used motorola cable boxes as tuners. For Xmas Santa got me a small 22" Vizio for my workshop. This is my first TV with a digital turner. I hooked up it up to Cox Cable using the Coax antenna input and set up the TV and let it scan for channels.

My question is: When I tune to the digital version of a channel (not the analog version), say KCBS am I getting HD or just a digital version of SD?

Thanks:confused:

rick if your TV has an "ATSC" tuner, and you are on the Digital Channel 55-1 or something like that, you are viewing the HD feed.

Without a box you wont be able to view every hd channel, since some are hidden/scambled.

I have two HDTV monitors and I have always used motorola cable boxes as tuners. For Xmas Santa got me a small 22" Vizio for my workshop. This is my first TV with a digital turner. I hooked up it up to Cox Cable using the Coax antenna input and set up the TV and let it scan for channels.

My question is: When I tune to the digital version of a channel (not the analog version), say KCBS am I getting HD or just a digital version of SD?

Thanks:confused: If channel number is "2" then that's the analog channel. If it's "2-1" then that's the HD channel. I suppose on a 22" it may be tough to tell the difference between them.

Thanks to moyekj and AMRivlin for quick answers to my poorly worded question.

You were both correct, I do get HD on broadcast channels 2-1 etc. I discovered that by pressing info on my remote the TV displays info on the channel that includes the resolution (1080i, 480p etc).

I knew I would not get premium HD channels, but now I know I can get broadcast HD without climbing up on the roof to put up an antenna.

Thanks again:)

If channel number is "2" then that's the analog channel. If it's "2-1" then that's the HD channel. I suppose on a 22" it may be tough to tell the difference between them.

Actually, I can categorically assure those with "big screens" that on my 19 inch Philips HDTV, there is a massive difference between the SD and HD channels. I can tell the difference even sitting several feet away.

Didn't see if anyone had posted this, but Cox in Palos Verdes is running SD versions of MLB Network (883), Fox Business (884), and WE (Women's Entertainment) (885) on three Test channels.

Didn't see if anyone had posted this, but Cox in Palos Verdes is running SD versions of MLB Network (883), Fox Business (884), and WE (Women's Entertainment) (885) on three Test channels.

Not in the OC. We have 20 test channels, most of which have been in their "Test" status for quite some time. I would love to get Fox Business, but not in SD - well, on second thought, I would be happy with Fox Business in SD if they would just give us Fox News in HD! Not at the expense of PQ, of course.

Cox just announced five new HD channels for San Diego. Strangely, they also added Fox Business, but only in SD and only to customers with Cox Digital Cable and the Sports & Information digital package. http://www.cox.com/sandiego/newsroom/service/2008/20081209-newhd.asp


The five new HD channels will be available to Cox Digital Cable customers with Cox Standard Cable and HD service. They are coming December 29th.

Fox News HD
Speed HD
FX HD
Cartoon HD, and
E! HD


We usually follow Cox San Diego by a month or two. I really want Fox News HD.

Just to give a quick update on this, Speed HD was added to Cox OC this morning - 730. I don't subscribe (yet) to Speed, so I cannot confirm that programming is on, too. I just get the "Get this Service Now!" logo.

Just to give a quick update on this, Speed HD was added to Cox OC this morning - 730. I don't subscribe (yet) to Speed, so I cannot confirm that programming is on, too. I just get the "Get this Service Now!" logo.

Just checked, it's on.

Just checked, it's on.

Thanks; let's just hope the PQ is good.

Just to give a quick update on this, Speed HD was added to Cox OC this morning - 730. I don't subscribe (yet) to Speed, so I cannot confirm that programming is on, too. I just get the "Get this Service Now!" logo. Tunes in and displays for me on my Tivos, though I don't really care about that channel, but I know some here have been waiting for that one for a long time.

A few other HD channels added:
730 - Green HD
766 - AMC HD

Plus a few other SD channels.

I'm really confused. There's a number of channels that they are STILL keeping away from us cablecard users that seem to be a higher draw than something like Green HD. I just want my darn tuning adapter (or for them to fix things) so I can get everything....

A few other HD channels added:
730 - Green HD
766 - AMC HD

Plus a few other SD channels.

I'm really confused. There's a number of channels that they are STILL keeping away from us cablecard users that seem to be a higher draw than something like Green HD. I just want my darn tuning adapter (or for them to fix things) so I can get everything.... Those HD channels have been available for a while, just Tivo finally got around to updating guide listings for them. Yes, just updating my spreadsheet today I see a lot of (mostly SD foreign & less popular) channels not available to cablecard devices, so perhaps SDV has been deployed.

According to Tivo forums, Cox in Phoenix area was supposed to have had Tuning Adapter available by now but ran into a problem which has delayed the deployment. So that doesn't bode well for Cox OC.

Here in OC

730 is Speed HD
731 is PLNTGRN HD
766 is AMC HD

Woot, very happy Speed HD is here finally! Been waiting for many many years for this, from the very begining I was bugging Cox for Speed HD. None of the big events we love for a few months, but its cool.

Our entire family of 6 are car nuts. My teens and I work and modify ours all the time. Good family stuff you know! :D

Been trying to get on the site for the last hour with Google Chrome (usually works fine) but it would not come up, finally had to use IE. Yuck!

Didn't see if anyone had posted this, but Cox in Palos Verdes is running SD versions of MLB Network (883), Fox Business (884), and WE (Women's Entertainment) (885) on three Test channels.

Not in the OC. We have 20 test channels, most of which have been in their "Test" status for quite some time. I would love to get Fox Business, but not in SD - well, on second thought, I would be happy with Fox Business in SD if they would just give us Fox News in HD! Not at the expense of PQ, of course.

I might have missed this earlier, but all three SD channels are actually available now on channels 119, 315, and 371, respectively. Of course, two of the three say I need to call to subscribe (I only get MLB Network). I already get CNBC and other business channels, so not sure why I need to call to subsribe to Fox Business.

With all these SD and HD channels being added last minute for the year, you would think Cox was trying to reach some sort of quota.

I might have missed this earlier, but all three SD channels are actually available now on channels 119, 315, and 371, respectively. Of course, two of the three say I need to call to subscribe (I only get MLB Network). I already get CNBC and other business channels, so not sure why I need to call to subsribe to Fox Business.

With all these SD and HD channels being added last minute for the year, you would think Cox was trying to reach some sort of quota. FYI, all 3 of the above (and 730=SPEEDHD) tune and display fine for me on my Tivos and I don't subscribe to any digital premiums, so not sure why your account can't tune them.

It certainly is odd how Cox OC just adds new channels with little to no fanfare.

I seem to get MLB Network and Fox Business but not WE. Weird.

FYI, all 3 of the above (and 730=SPEEDHD) tune and display fine for me on my Tivos and I don't subscribe to any digital premiums, so not sure why your account can't tune them.

Speed - at least the SD channel - is part of the Sports & Info tier. Are you also able to tune in channel 318? As I subscribe to the Digital package, I get one of the four tiers, Movies, so I don't get the SD channels for Speed, Golf, Bloomberg, etc. Something is really messed up, though, as I do get Golf HD.

Speed - at least the SD channel - is part of the Sports & Info tier. Are you also able to tune in channel 318? As I subscribe to the Digital package, I get one of the four tiers, Movies, so I don't get the SD channels for Speed, Golf, Bloomberg, etc. Something is really messed up, though, as I do get Golf HD. It looks like I must have digital deluxe package which includes 3 tiers: Movie, Sports/Info, Family/Variety, so most of the channels in the 300s can tune. Kind of a waste as I don't watch anything in the 300s anyway, but I hate to downgrade and have Cox mess with my account & screw up cablecard authorization as the cards have been working very well the last couple of years. I'd say 90% of what I watch/record are the HD channels in the 700s and the majority the network channels, along with ESPN, TNT & FSN for Lakers games & NFL.

It looks like I must have digital deluxe package which includes 3 tiers: Movie, Sports/Info, Family/Variety, so most of the channels in the 300s can tune. Kind of a waste as I don't watch anything in the 300s anyway, but I hate to downgrade and have Cox mess with my account & screw up cablecard authorization as the cards have been working very well the last couple of years. I'd say 90% of what I watch/record are the HD channels in the 700s and the majority the network channels, along with ESPN, TNT & FSN for Lakers games & NFL.

Okay, at least that explains why you get the channels, and it also means that Fox Business (and obviously Speed HD) will probably be part of the Sports & Info tier. I guess it's only about $5 more for me to upgrade from the Digital plan to the Digital Deluxe plan, and I'll get a bunch of SD channels I'm not really interested in, but may be once they go HD.

I just returned from a week long trip to the Philly area and got a chance to see how Cox HD stacks up vs. Comcast and Fios. The simple truth is no comparision. Comcast has more HD Ch's, Lots more HD on Demand both free and PPV, and in my opinion a higher Bit-Rate HD picture for less money.
Fios is simply on a different level, again more HD channels, blowing band-width, EVERY channel looks terrific. Stretched SD looks good!! Every movie channel available in HD, at least 10 Hbo's, Showtimes, and Starz, each in HD. HD on demand again both free and PPV. The Motorola DVR looked just like ours except it had a different inter-face that moved quickly. The internet speed is great. The "medium" set-up is 30 MG down and 15 MG up, for under $ 40.00 per month, not on promo. The Fios picture quality makes a border-line TV look really good and a great TV look spectacular. I am not easily impressed, and I was blown away, we need FIOS for competition to Cox, sadly I don't think we will ever get it as ATT is the local phone Co. If you have the chance, check it out. I watched the College game last night on ESPN and the Cox picture quality was washed out, it looked much better on Directv HD here. My 2 cents

Okay, at least that explains why you get the channels, and it also means that Fox Business (and obviously Speed HD) will probably be part of the Sports & Info tier. I guess it's only about $5 more for me to upgrade from the Digital plan to the Digital Deluxe plan, and I'll get a bunch of SD channels I'm not really interested in, but may be once they go HD.

Makes sense, since I get those and not WE, which I assume is part of another tier?

Hey guys,

For Christmas I got a new Dynex 32" (http://www.dynexproducts.com/p-680-dynex-32-720p-flat-panel-lcd-hdtv-matte-black.aspx) LCD for my bedroom. I have it hooked up directly to the RF cable in the wall at the moment.

On my Sony downstairs, I can get the local HD channels when the set is hooked directly to the RF cable, but I haven't been able to tune them up here. I've tried all the scanning modes (IRC, HRC, Auto and STD) and also manually inputting "7.1" etc.

Any ideas? This isn't really that big a deal, but it would be nice to get the local HD's on it. Thanks.

I just returned from a week long trip to the Philly area and got a chance to see how Cox HD stacks up vs. Comcast and Fios. The simple truth is no comparision. Comcast has more HD Ch's, Lots more HD on Demand both free and PPV, and in my opinion a higher Bit-Rate HD picture for less money.
Fios is simply on a different level, again more HD channels, blowing band-width, EVERY channel looks terrific. Stretched SD looks good!! Every movie channel available in HD, at least 10 Hbo's, Showtimes, and Starz, each in HD. HD on demand again both free and PPV. The Motorola DVR looked just like ours except it had a different inter-face that moved quickly. The internet speed is great. The "medium" set-up is 30 MG down and 15 MG up, for under $ 40.00 per month, not on promo. The Fios picture quality makes a border-line TV look really good and a great TV look spectacular. I am not easily impressed, and I was blown away, we need FIOS for competition to Cox, sadly I don't think we will ever get it as ATT is the local phone Co. If you have the chance, check it out. I watched the College game last night on ESPN and the Cox picture quality was washed out, it looked much better on Directv HD here. My 2 cents
Thanks for confirming what we long suspected. FIOS being better was no surprise, Comcast a little surprising. I encourage everyone here not happy with Cox quality to give them a call and voice your displeasure as I have already done. If things don't improve by the time DirectTivo unit rolls around I will be switching.

Hey guys,

For Christmas I got a new Dynex 32" (http://www.dynexproducts.com/p-680-dynex-32-720p-flat-panel-lcd-hdtv-matte-black.aspx) LCD for my bedroom. I have it hooked up directly to the RF cable in the wall at the moment.

On my Sony downstairs, I can get the local HD channels when the set is hooked directly to the RF cable, but I haven't been able to tune them up here. I've tried all the scanning modes (IRC, HRC, Auto and STD) and also manually inputting "7.1" etc.

Any ideas? This isn't really that big a deal, but it would be nice to get the local HD's on it. Thanks.

It needs to have a QAM tuner to receive cable HD channels without a cable box. I didn't see such a tuner in the specs. In fact, the Product Features states: "Optional set-top box required for high-definition cable or satellite programming."

I just returned from a week long trip to the Philly area and got a chance to see how Cox HD stacks up vs. Comcast and Fios. The simple truth is no comparision. Comcast has more HD Ch's, Lots more HD on Demand both free and PPV, and in my opinion a higher Bit-Rate HD picture for less money.
Fios is simply on a different level, again more HD channels, blowing band-width, EVERY channel looks terrific. Stretched SD looks good!! Every movie channel available in HD, at least 10 Hbo's, Showtimes, and Starz, each in HD. HD on demand again both free and PPV. The Motorola DVR looked just like ours except it had a different inter-face that moved quickly. The internet speed is great. The "medium" set-up is 30 MG down and 15 MG up, for under $ 40.00 per month, not on promo. The Fios picture quality makes a border-line TV look really good and a great TV look spectacular. I am not easily impressed, and I was blown away, we need FIOS for competition to Cox, sadly I don't think we will ever get it as ATT is the local phone Co. If you have the chance, check it out. I watched the College game last night on ESPN and the Cox picture quality was washed out, it looked much better on Directv HD here. My 2 cents

Thanks for the information. Unfortunately, this is no big surprise, but it is nice to hear someone who has Cox OC compare quality to FiOS. I will switch to DirecTV eventually if Cox doesn't get their act together soon. The funny thing is Cox San Diego has a better PQ than Cox OC.

It needs to have a QAM tuner to receive cable HD channels without a cable box. I didn't see such a tuner in the specs. In fact, the Product Features states: "Optional set-top box required for high-definition cable or satellite programming."

Ah. Okay. It's supposed to get digital channels (there's a period on the remote control) but I guess there's a difference there I don't quite understand :) Thanks.

Ah. Okay. It's supposed to get digital channels (there's a period on the remote control) but I guess there's a difference there I don't quite understand :) Thanks. It has an ATSC tuner for over the air digital tuning but no QAM tuner for digital cable tuning.

Ah. Okay. It's supposed to get digital channels (there's a period on the remote control) but I guess there's a difference there I don't quite understand :) Thanks.

Yes, this stuff can be very confusing. Your tuner is an ATSC digital tuner, which is needed for over-the-air digital channels. If you are interested in learning more, you can go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAM_tuner

Will Fios ever come to south orange county or are we stuck with cox forever.

Ah, I see. Thanks for the info, guys. It's not really a big deal for me -- I can't watch TV without a DVR anyway anymore :) It looks surprisingly good with my older DVD player.

Will Fios ever come to south orange county or are we stuck with cox forever. I wouldn't say never, but it is highly unlikely given south county has AT&T phone service and the telecoms seem to have a non-compete clause similar to how cable companies have to not step on each other's turf. So for now looks like DirecTV may be best choice for PQ (and number of HD channels).

I'm real curious to compare my DISH HD with Cox. I currently have no cable service with Cox, but I have Cox high speed internet premier and Cox telephone service. I seem to remember once someone said that if you had a QAM decoder you could get local broadcast channels on Cox if you split the internet cable line? Is that still true? My LCD does have QAM decoder, but I've never tried it with cable before.

I encourage everyone here not happy with Cox quality to give them a call and voice your displeasure as I have already done. If things don't improve by the time DirectTivo unit rolls around I will be switching.I'd be happy to do that if I knew what to complain about. Since I haven't seen these other services in action, I'm kinda used to what I've been getting. Maybe someone here who's in the know could draft a sample complaint (i.e. points to hit when calling them up) and the rest of us could take it from there? I'd like to have some solid facts lined up before calling.


.

I'd be happy to do that if I knew what to complain about. Since I haven't seen these other services in action, I'm kinda used to what I've been getting. Maybe someone here who's in the know could draft a sample complaint (i.e. points to hit when calling them up) and the rest of us could take it from there? I'd like to have some solid facts lined up before calling..


Sure, here are two:

I am very upset with the quality of the HD TV Channels. This is not the first, second, or third time this has happened. But I am finally irked enough to contact customer support. I was watching "Maximum Risk" last night on Showtime 725 and the picture was breaking up constantly throughout the movie. The picture and dialog would be lost for a second or two at a time. I was also watching FOX news this morning on 711 with the same poor picture quality. This is entirely unacceptable, I want to know what is going to be done about this degrading picture quality. I have had HD with Cox since it was offered and in the beginning the picture was stellar, but lately since Cox added more channels it seems that you have chosen QUANTITY of HD channels over QUALITY! I can't see paying for this service if the quality is going to continue to be sub-optimal. The whole point of HD TV is to get better picture quality, and the point of having cable is to get a high quality signal. COX OC seems to be squeezing more HD channels into it's lineup and the HD channels are suffering. If this continues, I will be forced to look at alternatives, such as Direct-TV or FIOS TV. I want to know what you are going to do to fix this as well as credit my account for this sub-optimal cable tv service until it is fixed.


I don't mean to carry a torch (at least too far) on this, but for those who are looking for a simple cut-and-paste way to tell Cox how you feel about their recent degradation in picture quality, here is what I posted to this URL: <A href="https://www.cox.com/support/ocpv/emailchat/emailus.asp" target=_blank>https://www.cox.com/support/ocpv/emailchat/emailus.asp

"I have often requested more HD channels, but this request is of a different nature and may seem to contradict my previous requests. While I definitely want additional HD channels, I requested such under the assumption that picture quality would remain pristine. After all, that is the whole reason so many of us wanted, watch, and absolutely love HD. However, I have watched the quality of your HD channels degrade significantly over the last few months and now I find out you are compressing three HD channels into that same QAM slot that previously held only two. Cox, I hope you listen to me and others like me who I am sure are or soon will be complaining. From this point forward, when I suggest HD channels to you, I should qualify my request as follows: I would like to formally request that Cox please add the HD feed for the [insert requested channel here] channel, but not at a cost to the picture quality of the other HD channels I currently enjoy. ---It's simple: Picture Quality First, Channel Quantity Second--- If you can't get this right, you will lose my (and certainly others) business; it's just a matter of time, so I implore you to heed my suggestion."

I noticed Cox added Speed and AMC HD in L. Forest. I compared the Speed feed to Direc HD Speed and the D. picture is much better, clearer, not washed out at all. The Cox AMC HD is un-watchable, period. Picture break-ups and completly washed out colors, way beyond HD Lite... Checked out HDNet and HDNet Movies also last night, again Direc looked better with both the Mpeg 2 and 4 feeds. Interesting because this change looks recent to me, the Cox Hdnet always looked good before, HMMM. I thought the ABC feed of the Rose Bowl looked typically ok on Cox 707, Direc LA7 and off-air 7-1. The CBS game feed on against it, blew it away for sound and picture. Maybe Cox isn't pinching the off-air channels yet???

Hey All, just wondering if anyone has some insight into AT&T U verse?

A sales rep was walking around our neighborhood here in Laguna Niguel and gave his "pitch" while I was working in the yard. Told me about all the advantages of U Verse and how it is "the future" of TV and internet.

Just wondering if you guys have some experience or thoughts on it as competition to Cox.

He did say they can only offer 6mb download and 1mb upload...or up to 20mb dload for $20 more.

Hey All, just wondering if anyone has some insight into AT&T U verse?

A sales rep was walking around our neighborhood here in Laguna Niguel and gave his "pitch" while I was working in the yard. Told me about all the advantages of U Verse and how it is "the future" of TV and internet.

Just wondering if you guys have some experience or thoughts on it as competition to Cox.

He did say they can only offer 6mb download and 1mb upload...or up to 20mb dload for $20 more. I don't consider it competition. Worse picture quality of all providers and limit of only up to 2 HD channels per household maximum at a time. If you search this thread you will see a comment by someone here who tried it for a short while and said it was terrible compared to Cox.

MLB Network is showing up as 340 for me now too right next to NBA and NFL network. Also still on 119.

Hey All, just wondering if anyone has some insight into AT&T U verse?

A sales rep was walking around our neighborhood here in Laguna Niguel and gave his "pitch" while I was working in the yard. Told me about all the advantages of U Verse and how it is "the future" of TV and internet.

Just wondering if you guys have some experience or thoughts on it as competition to Cox.

He did say they can only offer 6mb download and 1mb upload...or up to 20mb dload for $20 more.

I have the non-HD version of U-Verse at my other place.

Pros:
-Internet is consistently fast
-DVR has 4 tuners (record 4 shows at once)
-Can record programming 2 weeks in advance

Cons:
-Software is very buggy and disorganized. After using Cox, using U-Verse will give you a headache. For example, sometimes it will record the wrong show, display the wrong description for a show after pressing info, sometimes not record a show, etc.
-Software doesn't do a lot of the small things, like remember which show you selected last on the DVR list (every time you press saved shows, it will always start from the top of the list). Things like that
-Have to go through a maze to turn on captions (go through at least 5 sub-menus and have to press Save)

Those pros/cons were just off the top of my head. There are probably more to each category. Remember this is for the non-HD DVR.

FYI. Over this Christmas break I went through a marathon of Netflix instant title viewing with Tivo and the capability is working really well. Kudos to Cox OC for having very reliable HSI as there were no glitches at all during all my viewing and I got highest possible quality videos for all my selections. Just hope the supposed 40GB/month cap is not really enforced as I'm blowing way past that... so far so good.

I have been using the QAM tuner on my pc tuner card to record HD On Demand stuff. Overall the quality seems almost identical to the regular HD channels. The only problem is sometimes it records a null packet that makes the recording WAY bigger than it should be. Sometimes the file is 30+ gigs. Then when I slightly edit it in hdtv2mpeg2 the file ends up being around 9-10 gigs. Kind of a pain but still nice to be able to record "premium" movie channel stuff in HD again now that none of the premium HD movie channels work over firewire.

One question though. I have the ability to scan for channels with my tuner card but when I do it I lose all of my previously scanned channels. What are the numbers for the on demand channels? I can manually add individual channels without losing my old stuff.

These are the ones I know currently:
75,76,105,106,107

Are there any more?

Also is there a way to have my tuner program detect when one of my neighbors starts watching a HD program? Then record it from the start automatically?

Also is there a way to have my tuner program detect when one of my neighbors starts watching a HD program? Then record it from the start automatically?

I have not seen any HD VOD on the channels you listed. I found a bash script named "hdhgrab" that basically did what you are asking about. It was designed for the HDhomerun tuner. I tried it but the results were pretty spotty. Basically it was fun to try but a waste of time, IMHO. YMMV.

I have not seen any HD VOD on the channels you listed. I found a bash script named "hdhgrab" that basically did what you are asking about. It was designed for the HDhomerun tuner. I tried it but the results were pretty spotty. Basically it was fun to try but a waste of time, IMHO. YMMV.

Those are not exclusive to HD On Demand programs. Those are all of the On Demand numbers I know of for viewing using my pc tuner card.

Interesting info about the hdhomerun. I didnt think there was much chance of anything like that being possible let alone available. Unfortunately I don't have that tuner. Mine is the OnAirGT USB.

The following RF channels I don't have assignments for in my spreadsheet:
104, 129, 131, 132
(it's likely 104 is also VOD. The others may be PPV, SDV, or currently reserved for more HD)
Haven't plugged in my USB tuner for a long while (no need anymore) to investigate what those could be.

Anyone gotten anywhere with Cox OC about Tuning Adapters? There are a few channels my wife wants to watch that are SDV I am guessing. I called and the tech support guy wanted to send me to sales so I could get a cable card. I tried to explain but that didn't go over well. Sigh.

EDIT
I called back and got someone who put me on hold and they said the channels we are "missing" will show up late Feb/early March. Interesting.

Anyone gotten anywhere with Cox OC about Tuning Adapters? There are a few channels my wife wants to watch that are SDV I am guessing. I called and the tech support guy wanted to send me to sales so I could get a cable card. I tried to explain but that didn't go over well. Sigh. I haven't heard anything from Cox OC. From Tivo forums Cox Northern Virginia (SA/Cisco headend) has deployed tuning adapters. Cox Phoenix area (also SA/Cisco based) was supposed to have deployed TA last month but apparently ran into trouble during testing and delayed deployment until this month or next.
I haven't seen any reports in Tivo forums of Motorola headends publicly releasing a tuning adapter yet which doesn't seem to bode well. I think part of it is there seems to be more SA/Cisco headends nationwide deploying SDV compared to Motorola systems.

EDIT: I just started a thread in Tivo forums asking if anyone has heard of a public release of Motorola SDV Tuning Adapters in any market.

EDIT
I called back and got someone who put me on hold and they said the channels we are "missing" will show up late Feb/early March. Interesting. Interesting, what channels in particular were you asking about? The 3 HD channels that don't tune (732=SCIHD, 753=TRAVHD, 772=APLHD) or others?
(Not that I believe much of anything 1st level CSR tells us. I suspect perhaps that CSR was confusing this issue with the node upgrades that have not yet finished in all Cox OC areas according to Cox OC web site)

I made the mistake of trying to watch a movie on UniversalHD this morning. I avoid this channel as much as possible since they have offended me so much in the past. But they were showing a program I like and I thought I would give them another chance. Not only are they still bit-starved, constant on-screen logos, commercial interruptions but they are now censoring there movies. There were literally moments in the film that had every other word muted out. It was unwatchable and thus I changed the channel in disgust. I truly cant put into words how frustrating it is to see a channel turn out so bad that had the potential to be one of the best in the history of cable TV.

I made the mistake of trying to watch a movie on UniversalHD this morning. I avoid this channel as much as possible since they have offended me so much in the past. But they were showing a program I like and I thought I would give them another chance. Not only are they still bit-starved, constant on-screen logos, commercial interruptions but they are now censoring there movies. There were literally moments in the film that had every other word muted out. It was unwatchable and thus I changed the channel in disgust. I truly cant put into words how frustrating it is to see a channel turn out so bad that had the potential to be one of the best in the history of cable TV.


what movie? could it have been signal problems or program problems?

what movie? could it have been signal problems or program problems?

American Wedding. No chance of it being signal problems. Very obvious they edited the hell out of the movie. I didn't continue watching long enough to see if they censored the nude scene with the strippers. My guess is they did.

For movies Netflix is a much better and cheaper option, though perhaps not quite as convenient. With the free streaming option available however that improves convenience factor by a lot.
Currently I'm on the $9.99/month Netflix plan which gives me access to 1 DVD or Blu Ray at a time via mail and unlimited streaming. That's a much better value than subscribing to Cox premium channels and/or using VOD, and needless to say Blu Ray quality for movies you really like blows away anything Cox can deliver. It also gives me access to a bunch of older American and British TV series which I wouldn't have access to with Cox.

For movies Netflix is a much better and cheaper option, though perhaps not quite as convenient. With the free streaming option available however that improves convenience factor by a lot.
Currently I'm on the $9.99/month Netflix plan which gives me access to 1 DVD or Blu Ray at a time via mail and unlimited streaming. That's a much better value than subscribing to Cox premium channels and/or using VOD, and needless to say Blu Ray quality for movies you really like blows away anything Cox can deliver. It also gives me access to a bunch of older American and British TV series which I wouldn't have access to with Cox.

As for the streaming, what is (or isn't) available? I see how the $9.99 Netflix plan would cover the occasional new release I want to watch, but what about the random HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, etc., [edit: "HD"] movie I want to watch? I only pay $10 a month for all the movie channels and I don't want to lose the ability to watch a random (fairly new release) HD movie. I guess it really comes down to how the Netflix download experience and selection compares to the Cox HD movie channels. Do you use a device for streaming Netflix movies? Is it wired or wireless? Other thoughts?

As for the streaming, what is (or isn't) available? I see how the $9.99 Netflix plan would cover the occasional new release I want to watch, but what about the random HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, etc., [edit: "HD"] movie I want to watch? I only pay $10 a month for all the movie channels and I don't want to lose the ability to watch a random (fairly new release) HD movie. I guess it really comes down to how the Netflix download experience and selection compares to the Cox HD movie channels. Do you use a device for streaming Netflix movies? Is it wired or wireless? Other thoughts? There's about 12K titles available for streaming right now. New movie releases do not come out available for streaming right away but for the good ones I would want Blu Ray anyway, not streaming. Some TV series such as Heroes have all already aired episodes available for streaming which is useful for catching missed episodes or for viewing series you may have missed watching from the start. I wish the instant streaming selection were much better but I've found more than enough to keep me occupied for years right now (my streaming list is much greater than my mail list).
I'm using my Tivos for Netflix streaming which makes it extremely convenient, but you can also use a PC/laptop of course. My upstairs Tivo is wired ethernet and I have a MOCA bridge to downstairs Tivo (which means essentially it's wired as well). Netflix uses VC-1 AP encodings (much more efficient than mpeg2), so even the "HD" streams require under 5 Mbps sustained for streaming.

I have been very tempted to sign up for Netflix lately. Especially with it now being supported by my XBOX 360. I just haven't done it yet because I didn't like how they treated some of there customers in the past. They violated there own user agreement. I would also have to upgrade to xbox live gold which would cost additional money. Very tempting though. Especially if PS3 ever goes down in price and I get a official Blurray player. I'm not going to pay $30 for a blurray disk but if I can rent as many as I want for $9.99/month that sounds like a good deal. For now I guess I will just download HD movies from the newsgroups or torrents for free and watch them through my pc connected to my 40" 1080p HDTV.

...Especially if PS3 ever goes down in price and I get a official Blurray player...

Well, I have a PS3 and I am hoping Sony gets away from their own download service and signs up with Netflix. I'm not holding my breath, but perhaps their current financial status will give them a much-needed wake-up call.

Well, I have a PS3 and I am hoping Sony gets away from their own download service and signs up with Netflix. I'm not holding my breath, but perhaps their current financial status will give them a much-needed wake-up call.

If the PS3 could do Netflix, that would sure push me to get one since it's also a nice blu-ray player. There is a playon server that will do netflix through the PS3, but you need to run the software on a Windows box and stream to the PS3. I think a native solution would be better. So I keep looking at Tivo also.

Well, I have a PS3 and I am hoping Sony gets away from their own download service and signs up with Netflix. I'm not holding my breath, but perhaps their current financial status will give them a much-needed wake-up call.

I paid 300 last year for my PS3, best investment I have made. But you are so right, it must have netflix to survive. or at least blockbuster.

I paid 300 last year for my PS3, best investment I have made. But you are so right, it must have netflix to survive. or at least blockbuster.

Agreed. I mean where else do you spend $300 - $400 and get a game console, upconverting DVD player, media server, movie download service, one of the best profile 2.0 Blu-ray players, and, oh yeah, consistent updates to add new features? It was a great investment when I bought it over a year ago and it is still a great investment today.

That said, if you just want Blu-ray, there are some excellent players out or coming out soon at a great price - have you seen the Vizio player for $199? My bedroom awaits a player...

I just read that a trustworthy often correct analyst (Michael Pachter) expects the PS3 to have a price drop around April. 80GB PS3 base model will be cut from $399 to $299 in April. Could be total BS but still inspiring news for us who have waited so long to buy a PS3. If it reached that price I would buy one tomorrow. The only thing that sucks is the newer models aren't backward compatible. But too be honest I cant remember the last time I played my PS2. Its all about my 360. I purchased the following but still need to play them: Gears of War, Bioshock, Dead Space, Grand Theft Auto 4, and Ninja Gaiden 2. Thankfully I am going to have a great deal of free time soon.

Interesting, what channels in particular were you asking about? The 3 HD channels that don't tune (732=SCIHD, 753=TRAVHD, 772=APLHD) or others?
(Not that I believe much of anything 1st level CSR tells us. I suspect perhaps that CSR was confusing this issue with the node upgrades that have not yet finished in all Cox OC areas according to Cox OC web site)

My wife keeps seeing things on FUSE that she wants to watch and that does not come in on TiVo.

I don't trust the level 1 CSRs either! ;)

I don't know if my box was on the fritz or if Cox was doing something last night but My DVR restarted and reset at least 3 times in the early AM hours. When I woke up it was turned off but still recording a show. It had a red REC and a white Standbye listed on the front of the box. Seems to be working alright but I dont notice anything new so far. I am happy though. Initially I thought my box died and had turned into a brick. I was already trying to calm myself down from the thought of losing all of my recordings on a Cox DVR for the 3rd time. God I wish I could still transfer all of those programs to my PC over firewire. Those were the days.

Comedy Central is going HD and this mentions Cox.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/CA6629038.html

I wonder when we'll get it?

Hmmm. Thats weird. I was under the impression that Comedy Central had been offered in HD for several months and that Cox simply didn't carry it. I thought it was available on DirecTV or Dish. Guess I was mistaken. I was probably thinking about South Park being available in HD on XBOX LIVE. I think Comedy Central is too big and too popular of a channel for Cox to add in HD. It would make too much sense for there customers. They will probably add something retarded like QVC HD before we get something cool like Comedy Central or FX HD.

I don't know if my box was on the fritz or if Cox was doing something last night but My DVR restarted and reset at least 3 times in the early AM hours. When I woke up it was turned off but still recording a show. It had a red REC and a white Standbye listed on the front of the box. Seems to be working alright but I dont notice anything new so far. I am happy though. Initially I thought my box died and had turned into a brick. I was already trying to calm myself down from the thought of losing all of my recordings on a Cox DVR for the 3rd time. God I wish I could still transfer all of those programs to my PC over firewire. Those were the days.

Well, good news, bad news.

First the bad - yes, our boxes did reset today and some of my series recordings got messed up. I think I fixed most of them, but we'll see.

Now for the good news. They fixed the red recording light issue, not that I care too much about that, but I'm hoping they also fixed the digital output reverting back to PCM (from Dolby Digital) issue. I'm not sure yet, as it always works for a while after rebooting. God, I hope they fixed this second issue.

I don't see any other changes yet.

The update seems to have broken firewire transfer to PC :(

The update seems to have broken firewire transfer to PC :(

what do you mean? what operating system? what channels are you trying to capture?

I am trying to capture two different recordings, Bones s03e14 - The Wannabe in the Weeds & Lost s04e12 - There's No Place Like Home: Part 1...I even tried to capture Sanctuary from last week (already captured it) but it wont capture. I am going to try and reboot my box after lost is finished recording at 9...I hope that fixes the problem :\

I am capturing from windows vista ultimate...the same computer I have been capturing with for well over a year...same settings. I captured stuff last night before the new firmware update so I know its the firmware.

Well i restarted the box and it is still jacked up. I hit record in dvhs cap and the video freezezes and then unfreezes when i stop the transfer. If I play back the file in vlc i get video but no audio...i guess I will be calling cox tomorrow....

It looks like anything recorded on the DVR can not be played back to be recorded at the same time...

Damn. That sucks man. I just recorded Criminal Minds tonight with zero problems. I am recording it through firewire to my PC using CapDVHS.

I just did a quick test. I tested to see what hd channels were viewable using VLC:

HBOW HD = NOT VIEWABLE
HBOE HD = NOT VIEWABLE
CBS HD = VIEWABLE
NBC HD = VIEWABLE
KTLA HD = VIEWABLE
KCET HD = VIEWABLE
ABC HD = VIEWABLE
KCAL HD = NOT VIEWABLE
KOCE HD = VIEWABLE
KTTV HD = VIEWABLE
KCOP HD = VIEWABLE
CNN HD = VIEWABLE
ESPN HD = VIEWABLE
ESPN2 HD = VIEWABLE
VS HD = VIEWABLE
TNT HD = VIEWABLE
DISC HD = VIEWABLE
USA HD = VIEWABLE
GOLF HD = VIEWABLE
MAX HD = NOT VIEWABLE
MAXE HD = NOT VIEWABLE
TBS HD = VIEWABLE
SPEED HD = VIEWABLE
PLNTGRN HD = VIEWABLE
SC HD = VIEWABLE
NHL HD = VIEWABLE
NFL HD = VIEWABLE
SHOW HD = NOT VIEWABLE
SHOE HD = NOT VIEWABLE
UNIV HD = VIEWABLE
PLDA HD = VIEWABLE
CNBC HD = VIEWABLE
TRAV HD = VIEWABLE
TLC HD = VIEWABLE
BRAVO HD = VIEWABLE
FOOD HD = VIEWABLE
HGTV HD = VIEWABLE
LIFE HD = VIEWABLE
SCI-FI HD = VIEWABLE
HIST HD = VIEWABLE
FSN HD = OFF AIR FOR TEST
AMC HD = VIEWABLE
A&E HD = VIEWABLE
AP HD = VIEWABLE
STZ1HW HD = NOT VIEWABLE
STRZ1H HD = NOT VIEWABLE
NAT GEO HD = VIEWABLE
HDTHTR HD = NOT VIEWABLE
HDNET HD = VIEWABLE
HDNETM HD = NOT VIEWABLE

Of the 11 that are not viewable 9 are "premium" movie channels. Kind of surprised to see KCAL HD not being viewable though. I am also pissed HDNET Movies changed. When it was first added by Cox it was viewable/recordable for several months.

Maybe it's just me but the quality of HD seems to have gotten a little better lately. Most notably, the discovery networks. Anyone else noticing this?

I now get the red record light on my DCH3416.

I tried a firewire capture on ABC 707, and it worked fine. I tried speed channel (730) now also, and it works fine.

This is on a Mac Pro with OS X 10.5.6 using FireRecord. I haven't tried Vista yet since I had never installed the drivers on Vista.

I now get the red record light on my DCH3416.

I tried a firewire capture on ABC 707, and it worked fine. I tried speed channel (730) now also, and it works fine.

This is on a Mac Pro with OS X 10.5.6 using FireRecord. I haven't tried Vista yet since I had never installed the drivers on Vista.

I have the DCT3416 and windows vista and haven't found drivers either if you do please let me know.

I have the DCT3416 and windows vista and haven't found drivers either if you do please let me know.

There are no specific drivers for Vista. There are some that have got the old XP driver to work on Vista though. See the thread at: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15559813#post15559813

FireRecord on the Mac has been pretty stable for most people.

Download Link: http://home.comcast.net/~exdeus/stbfirewire/#_Toc185690661

TheRock: Were you able to record an already recorded show from you dvr. BTW I have a DCT3416

Yes. I just recorded about 1 minute of CSI NY that I had saved on my DVR as a test. No problems at all.

Yes. I just recorded about 1 minute of CSI NY that I had saved on my DVR as a test. No problems at all.

What Model # do you have? I will just swap out mine with your model...

What Model # do you have? I will just swap out mine with your model...

Mine also says DCH3416. I would try reseting your box again. Leaving it unplugged for a good 10 minutes or so might also help.

Mine also says DCH3416. I would try reseting your box again. Leaving it unplugged for a good 10 minutes or so might also help.

Mines a DCT3416 not DCH3416 :(

So that didnt work...actually made it worse by not allowing me to record live shows

Thanks though

I'm having the same issue. Trying to record off the list just freezes the picture.

Sounds like its a software glitch with the dct6416 hardware. I will be switching the box out on Saturday. For the mean time I have it set to record at 5:30am till 12:00 in one large file. Battlestar Galactica Marathon tomorrow :)

Found a work around in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1032148).

Was able to pull a recording off the box, but there is an issue with the file. VLC shows garbage and no audio. Nero Showtime can play it, video and audio are there, but it stutters and pauses every second or two.

Running the file through mpeg2repair. Hopefully that will fix the file and if it works I can pull the recordings I have been meaning to transfer off the box. Once that's done looks like I will have to swap out my box as well.

*** Update - running the file through mpeg2repair worked. While it gave me an error at the very end of processing, the file is working and viewable in VLC and I can edit it in VideoRedo.

Is it just me, or is the whole thrust of the digitial TV conversion ignoring people who have TVs hooked up directly to cable (no cable box).

I have had cable since the 80s and I have always had one or two secondary TVs hooked directly to cable that use the TV's tuner to get basic channels.

Now, I have my first secondary TV with a digital tuner hooked up directly to Cox Cable and I am totally disappointed with the lack of support for watching basic channels.

My complaint, what am I watching?

For example, after scanning for channels my new TV comes up with many channels (i.e. 114-9, 113-91, etc.) What are these channels, what is on them? Channel 97 (the total waste of band width guide) says nothing about these channels.

The Cox internet web site channel lineup also says nothing about these channels. My new TV has an info button, but 9 times out of 10 it just says "no data".

I have read this forum for some time, but have never seen this issue addressed. If I am out of line (a real possibilty) please let me know.

Is it just me, or is the whole thrust of the digitial TV conversion ignoring people who have TVs hooked up directly to cable (no cable box).

I have had cable since the 80s and I have always had one or two secondary TVs hooked directly to cable that use the TV's tuner to get basic channels.

Now, I have my first secondary TV with a digital tuner hooked up directly to Cox Cable and I am totally disappointed with the lack of support for watching basic channels.

My complaint, what am I watching?

For example, after scanning for channels my new TV comes up with many channels (i.e. 114-9, 113-91, etc.) What are these channels, what is on them? Channel 97 (the total waste of band width guide) says nothing about these channels.

The Cox internet web site channel lineup also says nothing about these channels. My new TV has an info button, but 9 times out of 10 it just says "no data".

I have read this forum for some time, but have never seen this issue addressed. If I am out of line (a real possibilty) please let me know. The digital transition basically does not change anything as far as you are concerned. Cox will continue to have all the analog channels available well after the February deadline. i.e. You don't need to do any channel scans and can directly tune to analog channels 2-99. Those are analog channels that don't require a digital (ATSC) tuner or set top box for you to receive and don't have any subchannels.
What you are doing when you start a scan is scanning through all digital (QAM modulated) channels. In that mode you are right in that Cox does not provide proper PSIP information used to properly identify channels by name for most of them, and you will only be able to see a very small subset of channels that are not encrypted. (However you should see see the main network HD channels properly labeled such as 2-1=CBS HD, etc).

To help with the small disk size on the COX PVR, I'm considering getting the Silicon Dust HD Homerun. It's a dual tuner network ATSC/Clear QAM tuner, so it can be accessed by any PC on the network to record and view shows. I know it's only going to record the network channels with COX, but that should be OK for many of the shows that we watch, including the long weekend sporting events.

Has anyone with COX used one of these that has any feedback to give?

Anyone else have CNN HD stop working this morning? Huge loss with the inauguration.....

I was watching up until the end of his speech and it was working fine.

My GF was watching "Intervention" on A&E HD last night (around 10) and the bitrate was so starved that any time someone even moved their head the macroblocking made it look like an oil painting. How the eff does Cox think that kind of picture quality is acceptable?!

I wish there was someone other than Cable Level 1 CS to complain to, as I'm sure a call will be met with "we'll send out a tech" or "it's your TV" or some such. :(

Yeah, last Friday's Battlestar Galactica on SciFi HD had it's share of macroblocking and even ESPNHD didn't look that great for Lakers game last night (don't remember any particularly bad macroblocking episodes but quality seemed lower than in the past).
I think we will just have to start sending a bunch of emails complaining about poor Picture Quality.

Well i restarted the box and it is still jacked up. I hit record in dvhs cap and the video freezezes and then unfreezes when i stop the transfer. If I play back the file in vlc i get video but no audio...i guess I will be calling cox tomorrow....

It looks like anything recorded on the DVR can not be played back to be recorded at the same time...

I tried my DCT-3416, and I got the same result. Video freezes on the PVR while the download is going, and the file has no audio. My DCH-3416 works fine. Did swapping out the DCT for the DCH fix it for you?

I may try mpeg2repair also to see if I can fix the streams.

Anyone else have CNN HD stop working this morning? Huge loss with the inauguration..... Got home and had 6 hrs set to record from CNN HD starting at 7:00am. Tivo didn't record it claiming no signal! So obviously it must have been pretty messed up this morning - thanks Cox.

I may try mpeg2repair also to see if I can fix the streams.

mpeg2repair says there isn't any audio streams, so looks like capturing off the DCT isn't working. I may have to exchange it for another DCH box.

Well tonight I cannot tune 714=CNN HD at all with either one of my Tivos.
Anyone else able to tune 714?

I hope they are not starting to move HD channels to SDV before Tuning Adapters are made available...
It could be they moved 714 to another frequency but didn't setup the CableCard channel mapping correctly...

EDIT: OK Diagnostics is showing that it locks to a frequency (795 MHz) but modulation is jumping between QAM 256 & 64 which is really bizarre and obviously signal strength is 0. So it seems like something wrong from the headend and I would be surprised if Moto boxes can tune it properly without glitches...

Well tonight I cannot tune 714=CNN HD at all with either one of my Tivos.
Anyone else able to tune 714?

...I would be surprised if Moto boxes can tune it properly without glitches...

Seems okay now, but I can't vouch for how it looked (or even if it was viewable) earlier.

I think we will just have to start sending a bunch of emails complaining about poor Picture Quality.

Start?

I just realized it's a lot more than just 714=CNN HD that no longer tunes. All of the following don't tune on my Tivos anymore:
706, 714, 725, 730, 731, 732, 733, 741, 753, 755, 761, 772, 782, 790

Can anyone else with Tivos or CableCard confirm?

This smells like SDV deployment to me. Guess I'll have to call in and find out where my Tuning Adapter is if that's the case.

Wow, didn't watch anything live last night or this morning, so no idea if those are messed up for me.

Just had my wife check - none of those are working....

Just had my wife check - none of those are working.... Thanks for checking. Since I know I'm not the only one now I can reject the possibility of signal problems which CSRs would likely want to push a truck roll for. I think I'm going to call and ask if CSR knows what SDV means and hopefully find someone that does know what SDV means and therefore have a chance to confirm if indeed it has been deployed. If you get time please call in as well. I will update my findings here after call.

I just realized it's a lot more than just 714=CNN HD that no longer tunes. All of the following don't tune on my Tivos anymore:
706, 714, 725, 730, 731, 732, 733, 741, 753, 755, 761, 772, 782, 790

Can anyone else with Tivos or CableCard confirm?

This smells like SDV deployment to me. Guess I'll have to call in and find out where my Tuning Adapter is if that's the case.
Well after calling in and eventually finding a CSR that knew what Switched Digital Video is he mentioned that for headend #77 which serves South Orange County that no HD channels currently should be SDV.
I asked him if there were some frequency re-assignments recently and he said he didn't know.
I asked him about the status of the Tuning Adapter (which internally they are still calling the old name "dongle") and he said they are not ready to give those out to Tivo customers yet and in any case should not be needed yet.

i.e. He insisted that whatever troubles I'm having must be a local problem despite me telling him repeatedly there are others with Tivo in different OC cities with the same problem and for the same HD channels.

So as expected, no resolution. I don't really want to call in when home and have them start sending cable cards hits etc. as they will likely unpair cablecards and screw up all channels that still work.

If someone has with Tivo or CableCard has called in please post here...

Haven't been home to re-check or call in, but at tivocommunity, someone else posted and had an unsuccessful call with cox:

----------------
Going Crazy in Orange County!! I'm losing HD channels on my m-stream card that has worked without any problems for the last year. Channels 714, 750, 754, 755, 761 went away today. Calls into to CS and no solution yet. I wonder if this is some switched video side effect going on here. Anybody know when the tuning adapter is rolling out in Orange County?
-------------

Sorry to hear about all of you guys having problems. Do you think the TEST channels Cox has right now has anything to do with it? Last time I looked they had about 20.

I just have a direct connect to the wall (no box)...
127-332 CSPAN3 and 127-915 KCET-HD are gone.

Problem is now fixed, so obviously there was something messed up on headend side. I can tune all the following now:
706, 714, 725, 730, 731, 733, 741, 755, 761, 782, 790

NOTE: These have never been made available to CableCard devices for whatever reason and that is still the case: 732, 753, 772

Anyhow, glad I don't have to worry about this anymore.

Anyhow, glad I don't have to worry about this anymore.

At least for now, right? :rolleyes:

Test channels are now gone.

Likewise, direct connect channels CSPAN3 (127.332) and KCET-HD (127.915) are back.

Test channels are now gone.

I didn't check earlier when you posted, but they are there now - 861 - 880.

I didn't check earlier when you posted, but they are there now - 861 - 880.

Not for me. Still no TEST channels.

Not for me. Still no TEST channels.

That's strange that they are not there for you, but are for me. I didn't realize they were geographically dependent - of course, we have checked at different times, so I suppose the channels could be going away, coming back, and going away.

They were there for me too,although I'm in Irvine as well. :)

I had to laugh - in this morning's OC Register sports section, Cox had a full page ad for their HD service. The ad copy near the bottom of the ad said "more than 48 free HD stations" but they also listed them in the upper part of the ad, and, if you counted the free ones it was more like 39.

still waiting for FX HD....

Well I just exchanged my box out with the DCH3416 and the rep told me it will take up to 6 hours for everything to load. It has no firmware on it. I believe this is true as I cant access some of the channels I had before (yet). Like 721 for example...I will let you know if changing out the box helps with the recording issue :)

Well getting the DCH3416 worked. I can record via firewire again. I also noticed that if you sort in the guide by hdtv, channel 881, and 882 are going to be hd channels as well as 393...

Based on the information in this thread, I felt comfortable purchasing an HDTV knowing that I could connect a Cox cable box to my MythTV via firewire and have it record all the channels I need/use.

Just wanted to say thanks for all the info. Recording seems to be working fine over firewire.

This is the only time in my life I've ever said it, but: Thank God for the FCC.

Couple of questions.

1) Is the DCH3416 the best cox has to offer in Orange County right now? Is there some place on their website where you can see all the dvr's supported in your area?

2) how can I hide channels I have no interest in on my guide?

Couple of questions.

1) Is the DCH3416 the best cox has to offer in Orange County right now? Is there some place on their website where you can see all the dvr's supported in your area?

2) how can I hide channels I have no interest in on my guide?

1) As far as I know, yes. As for a place to view different DVRs on their website, I don't think they do. If they did, they would probably have a bunch of customers trading in boxes to get the latest.

2) Yes, select "Skipped Channels" in the Menu. Scroll through the list and press "Select" to check off those channels you want skipped.

2) Yes, select "Skipped Channels" in the Menu. Scroll through the list and press "Select" to check off those channels you want skipped.

That will remove them from the channel up/down button for the channel surfers, but it won't remove them from the Guide. AFAIK, there isn't anyway to remove them from the guide, athough I'd really like that feature also.

That will remove them from the channel up/down button for the channel surfers, but it won't remove them from the Guide. AFAIK, there isn't anyway to remove them from the guide, athough I'd really like that feature also.

Actually you can. In Guide, press "A" and then "Custom" and then "Hide" and then "Hide Skipped Channels." Next make sure to select "B" for "Use Always."

Sorry, Tim, for leaving that part out. It's kind of important.

Sorry, Tim, for leaving that part out. It's kind of important.

Wow, that's good to know. Very handy, thanks.

Not for me. Still no TEST channels.

Okay, test channels are gone now. I'm not sure how long it has been there, but channel 981 is iGames. It's one of those interactive channels, like iWeather, and has solitaire, 21, and 5 card draw. Seems a bit silly to me.

Argh, guess I have to take back what I said before about Firewire.

I seem to be able to tune most (not all) SD channels in the 1-71 range.

In HD, I can tune all local channels except 9 (as noted two pages ago).

In the cable stations, I can tune the Green Network and Science HD. However, I haven't found any other stations I can tune in the HD cable TV range. :(

This is a new DCH3200 I just got from the Cox store last Saturday. Due to it working with no issue on local stations (known to be unencrypted), I'm left wondering if they've just locked out everything else of interest.

I noticed MJCS changed boxes due to a similar issue. Has anyone else had this problem? I guess I need to call Cox but I worry that no matter who I talk to it'll be "deer in headlights" when the word firewire exits my mouth.

Thanks.

Update...

I tried plugging in my Mac and using FireRecord to eliminate MythTV and/or it's settings as a suspect.

FireRecord can/can't record the same channels as Myth. This has to be either the box, the firmware, or the signal.

Thanks...

My Mac Pro with FireRecord has no problem recording the network shows. I just tried 730 (speed) and it didn't record. I have the DCH-3416. So I think you are right, Cox has locked out most everything except the networks. Let me know if there is a specific channel you want me to try.

Chris