I see Discovery channel is starting to do some shows in HD, dirty jobs I saw as well as Myth Busters. Problem is Comcast doesn't have Discovery HD. They have HD Theature but that is different than Discovery HD and Discovery. Being that it is pretty new as far as I know, you think Comcast will add this? I was looking into Dish Network a little bit and it seems they have a lot more HD to offer than Comcast. Comcast did just add some new HD channels and I do like my on Demand. So I'm kinda a coin flip at this point. Does Comcast even have the room to add more HD channels? I'm not really sure how there capacity compares to dish.

Are you sure? In our area (NW suburbs) Discovery HD is channel 205.

Are you sure? In our area (NW suburbs) Discovery HD is channel 205.

That is Discovery HD Theatre

That is Discovery HD Theatre

Well you are correct of course - my bad. I did happen to watch a very interesting program on Discovery HD Theatre last night, "Riding Giants" about the history of big wave surfing.

Well you are correct of course - my bad. I did happen to watch a very interesting program on Discovery HD Theatre last night, "Riding Giants" about the history of big wave surfing.

Stacy Peralta did that after doing his Dogtown/Z-boys documentary, very cool stuff.

yea, I actually do like my cable a lot, I don't really want dish. I use to be a dish fan but after have on demand for a while and it not going out in the rain, I kinda like that. So how much hd can comcast fit?

I have a DCT3416 which works pretty well, how much better are the DCH and do they have them in yet?

I have a DCT3416 which works pretty well, how much better are the DCH and do they have them in yet?

Good questions and I've been wondering the same things. If anyone gets one in the Twin Cities please report back and tell us what you think!

While Discovery HD Theater may not be the actual Discovery Channel, just in HD, I don't care, I LOVE their HD Theater and watch that channel more than any of the other HD channels.

OK, here's a weird question for all of you. My DCT3416 loves the Latino music channel! It automatically goes to channel 444 several times a day! Sometimes even while we are watching a different channel, it just switches it to 444, even when we aren't holding the remote.

I guess my DCT3416 was made in Mexico! :0)

Has anyone experienced this? Know what the issue is? Have a solution?

Thanks,
'kito

OK, here's a weird question for all of you. My DCT3416 loves the Latino music channel! It automatically goes to channel 444 several times a day! Sometimes even while we are watching a different channel, it just switches it to 444, even when we aren't holding the remote.

I guess my DCT3416 was made in Mexico! :0)

Has anyone experienced this? Know what the issue is? Have a solution?

Thanks,
'kito
Can you immediately change the channel back, or is it locked there for a bit? Mine changes to The Weather Channel, but that is part of the Emergency Alert System (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Bugs#Box_changes_channels_by_itself).

I can change it right back, but it is a pain. Last night while we watched a recorded movie, it automatically changed to 444 three times during the movie. And the music is loud. Drives me crazy.

I can change it right back, but it is a pain. Last night while we watched a recorded movie, it automatically changed to 444 three times during the movie. And the music is loud. Drives me crazy.

Looks like it's time to exchange your box - it shouldn't do this!

It now also likes to go to channel 111 when it gets tired of automatically going to 444.
Strange, eh? I think I will swap it out... too bad I have a ton of new shows to watch on it first. :(

Here's a question I have always wondered.
Since my Comcast cable goes through several splitters in my house (Comcast phone service, two other (non HD) cable boxes, another tv, cable modem, etc.) I know that can lead to a weaker signal.

Right now my 1080P HD looks good, but I am wondering if by it splitting (sharing) so much, if it hadn't split first, would it look even better, sharper, hi-def-er? Or because it is digital, it's all-or-nothing. Meaning that if the splitting were to affect my hi-def signal on my plasma, I would either have perfect hi-def or nothing at all?

Does any of that make sense? I guess I'm just wondering if my hi-def experience is being compromised by my cable being split so many times, even though I still have a nice picture right now, or if it were compromised, it would be incredibly obvious, instead of subtle) and I would be seeing major issues.

Thanks so much,
'kito

Here's a question I have always wondered.
Since my Comcast cable goes through several splitters in my house (Comcast phone service, two other (non HD) cable boxes, another tv, cable modem, etc.) I know that can lead to a weaker signal.

Right now my 1080P HD looks good, but I am wondering if by it splitting (sharing) so much, if it hadn't split first, would it look even better, sharper, hi-def-er? Or because it is digital, it's all-or-nothing. Meaning that if the splitting were to affect my hi-def signal on my plasma, I would either have perfect hi-def or nothing at all?

Does any of that make sense? I guess I'm just wondering if my hi-def experience is being compromised by my cable being split so many times, even though I still have a nice picture right now, or if it were compromised, it would be incredibly obvious, instead of subtle) and I would be seeing major issues.

Thanks so much,
'kito
It's digital, so like you said, it's all or nothing. The cable signal coming in isn't the picture you get at your TV, regardless. It comes in encoded, modulated, and perhaps encrypted for cable systems. Your cable box has to receive, demodulate, perhaps decrypt, and decode the cablecast stream before it is turned into the video you see on your screen.

Once it goes from the cable box to your TV, there are only a couple issues you can get with a digital video connection, which are very obvious, and only occur with damaged or very long DVI/HDMI cables (over 12ft). So within that range, it's all or nothing, so the quality of your HDMI/DVI cables doesn't even factor in. As long as they work, there's no difference b/w a $3 cable and a $100 cable.

Thanks so much ExD!

It's digital, so like you said, it's all or nothing.

Unless you are getting pixelation then you may have a signal issue.

Hey All,

I've got a Samsung LNT4671F on the way, and my understanding is that it includes both an ATSC & QAM Tuner. My previous HDTV was only "HD Ready" so I was always using the Comcast set top HD receiver, but it sounds like I may have some alternative options now for receiving HD channels. If I'm understanding this QAM thing correctly, in the Minneapolis area I'm going to be able to just plug the coaxial plug from the wall into my HDTV and magically receive local HD channels? Is that correct? Is there more to it that I'm unaware of? If it actually works, how does the quality compare to the dedicated Comcast digital box? Thanks all!

Unless you are getting pixelation then you may have a signal issue.

Nope, no pixelization. Clear and smooth. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on an image that should be even sharper or anything, but it sounds like that's not an issue with digital. Since my plasma is 1080p and my HD signal has no pixelization, I must be getting the best possible.

Thanks so much for the info guys.
'kito

Unless you are getting pixelation then you may have a signal issue.
True. I guess I didn't consider "all-or-nothing" to mean either you get a picture or your screen is black, but that either you get an intact picture, or you get missing picture (break-ups resulting in pixelation, stuttering, drop-outs, etc), which is clearly distinguishable from soft pixelation from macroblocking. I think we are already in agreement.

Hey All,

I've got a Samsung LNT4671F on the way, and my understanding is that it includes both an ATSC & QAM Tuner. My previous HDTV was only "HD Ready" so I was always using the Comcast set top HD receiver, but it sounds like I may have some alternative options now for receiving HD channels. If I'm understanding this QAM thing correctly, in the Minneapolis area I'm going to be able to just plug the coaxial plug from the wall into my HDTV and magically receive local HD channels? Is that correct? Is there more to it that I'm unaware of? If it actually works, how does the quality compare to the dedicated Comcast digital box? Thanks all!
From what I can tell, yes, that model does have a QAM tuner. So, you should be able to plug in your coax and get local HD channels, like you said.

If you have a lot of splits or a long cable run, however, you might not have enough signal strength to receive them. I had a friend that had no issues receiving the analog cable channels, but could only randomly tune the QAM HD channels. He opted for a cable box to get access to more HD channels than just the locals, but you can also go for a signal booster (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-484095-001-00-Signal-Booster/dp/customer-reviews/B000066E6Y).

As for quality, you probably won't notice a huge difference, but you would likely get a better picture using the QAM tuner in the TV rather than a cable box. Your TV should have a quality hardware deinterlacer for upscaling everything to 1080p, and letting that tie in with the MPEG-2 decoder in the TV will likely result in a better picture than using the decoder in a cable box. I believe Samsung is still using ATI's chips, in which case the demodulator, decoder, and deinterlacer are all in the same Xilleon chip.

From what I can tell, yes, that model does have a QAM tuner. So, you should be able to plug in your coax and get local HD channels, like you said.

If you have a lot of splits or a long cable run, however, you might not have enough signal strength to receive them. I had a friend that had no issues receiving the analog cable channels, but could only randomly tune the QAM HD channels. He opted for a cable box to get access to more HD channels than just the locals, but you can also go for a signal booster (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-484095-001-00-Signal-Booster/dp/customer-reviews/B000066E6Y).

As for quality, you probably won't notice a huge difference, but you would likely get a better picture using the QAM tuner in the TV rather than a cable box. Your TV should have a quality hardware deinterlacer for upscaling everything to 1080p, and letting that tie in with the MPEG-2 decoder in the TV will likely result in a better picture than using the decoder in a cable box. I believe Samsung is still using ATI's chips, in which case the demodulator, decoder, and deinterlacer are all in the same Xilleon chip.
Cool, thanks ExDeus :)

When it arrives, I'll be back here if I have any trouble :D

Regarding my Latino music loving cablebox...
I'm beginning to suspect that it may be my Harmony 890 RF Universal remote that is automatically changing the channel to 444 0r 111!
Why? Because:
1) I went and got another cablebox to swap out and this is even a different model (6412 III unfortunately) and that one is experiencing the same problem! What are the odds?!!!
2) One time right before the channel changed, I saw the numbers pop up on the screen like they do when you type them into a remote.

I asked the Harmony Tech Support guy if there is a way we can look up key strokes on my remote or something, to see if it has been sending 444 and 111, but he had no idea, so he just had me update the remote's firmware (even though I already had the most current version already), but that made no difference.

Anybody else run into the issue of your Harmony remote sending channel changes all on its own?

It could be RF interferance.

Anybody else run into the issue of your Harmony remote sending channel changes all on its own?
Even though your remote is RF, the STB is not. Unless you're using a system with an IR Blaster to control the STB, then you have to point the remote at the STB so it can receive the IR signal.

Try pointing your remote into your couch cushion (or something) to block the IR signal when you're not using it, and see if it stops.

I'll soon be moving across the river from east to west. I was concerned that I would lose my Motorola DVR, problematic as it is, for a Scientific Atlanta one used in the former Time Warner area. While the SA boxes may be more reliable (I don't know, I haven't really paid attention to SA), I really don't like the SARA interface, and the limited amount of OnDemand content for the TWC area is a joke compared to the normal Comcast offering.

So I called Comcast, and they told me I would be able to keep my Moto DVR, as the TWC area is slowly being converted over. I'm skeptical. Anyone have any experience with this?

I'll soon be moving across the river from east to west. I was concerned that I would lose my Motorola DVR, problematic as it is, for a Scientific Atlanta one used in the former Time Warner area. While the SA boxes may be more reliable (I don't know, I haven't really paid attention to SA), I really don't like the SARA interface, and the limited amount of OnDemand content for the TWC area is a joke compared to the normal Comcast offering.

So I called Comcast, and they told me I would be able to keep my Moto DVR, as the TWC area is slowly being converted over. I'm skeptical. Anyone have any experience with this?

Which specific area are you moving into? Forum members should then be able to help.

Which specific area are you moving into? Forum members should then be able to help.
Well, the legacy Comcast area and the legacy TWC area are all uniform within their respective areas, it's more about the differences between them, and the progress towards a uniform new Comcast area.

But, to be specific, I'm moving from St. Paul to Mpls.

Is this happening to anyone else? It seems to only be happening on Kare 11 (and seemingly only the HD version of the channel), which is a stinker because it happens to be our favorite channel. The sound seems to drop every 10 or so minutes for about 3 seconds and then it comes back.

I don't think it's anything equipment wise on my end as it seems to be only happening on NBC. Curious if anyone else is having this same issue.

Is this happening to anyone else? It seems to only be happening on Kare 11 (and seemingly only the HD version of the channel), which is a stinker because it happens to be our favorite channel. The sound seems to drop every 10 or so minutes for about 3 seconds and then it comes back.

I don't think it's anything equipment wise on my end as it seems to be only happening on NBC. Curious if anyone else is having this same issue.

yes, it is happening to us too

Joe

Well, it's nice to know we're not losing our minds ;) Who's fault do you think it is? Kare 11's or Comcast's? I was particularly bummed during the premier of Heroes last week!! I want to know who to call and complain to...LOL.

It's a KARE problem since it's happening OTA as well.

I was watching the President's Cup golf tournament today, and it was very annoying!

I just got off the phone with Comcast, and they don't have a clue. My audio drops are 3 seconds, exactly every 6 minutes. It took me a while to figure out that it was only Kare 11 Hi-Def (channel 232) and not standard channels, other hi-def channels, or my DVR. They wanted to schedule a service call, but I refused it. I feel better knowing it is not just me, but not that much better.

Yep, happened to us during Heroes and Bionic Woman (which I am disappointed in by the way).

Even though your remote is RF, the STB is not. Unless you're using a system with an IR Blaster to control the STB, then you have to point the remote at the STB so it can receive the IR signal.

Try pointing your remote into your couch cushion (or something) to block the IR signal when you're not using it, and see if it stops.

The remote sends an RF signal to the IR extender in the other room, that then sends IR via IR blaster cables to the cable box. So, no, I don't point the remote at the cable box, because it's in a rack on the other side of the wall.
You can see both pieces in a photo here:
http://www.surfremotecontrol.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=H890

Well, it's nice to know we're not losing our minds ;) Who's fault do you think it is? Kare 11's or Comcast's? I was particularly bummed during the premier of Heroes last week!! I want to know who to call and complain to...LOL.

It's happening on Charter Cable out of RM/AV as well, I don't think it is the cableco's fault.

The remote sends an RF signal to the IR extender in the other room, that then sends IR via IR blaster cables to the cable box. So, no, I don't point the remote at the cable box, because it's in a rack on the other side of the wall.
You can see both pieces in a photo here:
http://www.surfremotecontrol.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=H890
Ok, so you'd have to start by removing the STB from the list of devices the Harmony remote controls and use the Comcast remote for a bit.

For how long?... forever?
When would it ever change?

For how long?... forever?
When would it ever change?
It's basic troubleshooting. Isolate the problem.

You're trying to figure out if your Harmony remote is sending '444' to your STB. Take the Harmony remote out of the equation, and see if the problem persists. If it does, then you know it's not the Harmony; if it goes away, then it likely is the Harmony.

Well, the legacy Comcast area and the legacy TWC area are all uniform within their respective areas, it's more about the differences between them, and the progress towards a uniform new Comcast area.

But, to be specific, I'm moving from St. Paul to Mpls.


A little late to the discussion but FWIW I went to a Parade Home in South Minneapolis and they had a Comcast Motorola cable box feeding their TV. This was basically a new house in an established neighborhood of South Minneapolis. Interestingly there were signs in neighboring yards that stated Monster Homes Make Bad Neighbors. Evidently not all residents are excited about the rehab. going on.

A little late to the discussion but FWIW I went to a Parade Home in South Minneapolis and they had a Comcast Motorola cable box feeding their TV. This was basically a new house in an established neighborhood of South Minneapolis. Interestingly there were signs in neighboring yards that stated Monster Homes Make Bad Neighbors. Evidently not all residents are excited about the rehab. going on.
Sweeeeeeeet. Thanks.

I will be getting my new Comcast Digital HD service this weekend. They have told me that since my house has been wired since 1988, there is a good chance that at some point I'll need to have a tech come out to deal with picture quaility issues, but as a first step I'm supposed to simply pick up my HD DVR units. I'm in the north metro, and I am wondering if anyone knows which unit I am likely to recieve?

Also, one of my TVs (a Toshiba 36HF72) can only accept 480P and 1080i signals. Therefore, I need to set in the HD DVR the output resolution. Is this something that can be set easily in the HD DVR unit I am likely to recieve?

Thanks!

It's basic troubleshooting. Isolate the problem.

You're trying to figure out if your Harmony remote is sending '444' to your STB. Take the Harmony remote out of the equation, and see if the problem persists. If it does, then you know it's not the Harmony; if it goes away, then it likely is the Harmony.

Well, I took the battery out of the remote and awhile later, the channel changed anyway! Since it has happened on two different cable box models (Motorola DCT 3416 I & DCT 6412 III), my guess is that it is not the cable box.

So that leaves us with Harmony's RF-to-IR extender. It must be receiving RF interference or something.

I did move it about 10 inches away from its old location, but that didn't stop the channel changing. The problem is that the IR blaster cords are rather short, so I can't move the IR extender very far.

Anyway, good to know that it's not the remote, but that's cold comfort since it is still happening regardless of a little new knowledge.

I will be getting my new Comcast Digital HD service this weekend. They have told me that since my house has been wired since 1988, there is a good chance that at some point I'll need to have a tech come out to deal with picture quaility issues, but as a first step I'm supposed to simply pick up my HD DVR units. I'm in the north metro, and I am wondering if anyone knows which unit I am likely to recieve?

Also, one of my TVs (a Toshiba 36HF72) can only accept 480P and 1080i signals. Therefore, I need to set in the HD DVR the output resolution. Is this something that can be set easily in the HD DVR unit I am likely to recieve?

Thanks!
It depends if you're east or west. East has Motorola boxes, and west had Scientific Atlanta boxes, but are now in a transition to the Motorola boxes (I guess). So, the most likely box is the Moto DCT-3412, but depending on your local office, you could still get a Sci Atl box.

If you get the Moto box, see my sig. You can read the wikibook to learn all about it, including how to change the output resolution.

Does anyone know when the hell Comcast is going to add TBS-HD? It's absolutely ridiculous that most other providers (especially ones that aren't Crapcast) got their act together and managed to get this station online in time for the MLB playoffs. I bet Comcast-NW Suburbs won't add it for 6 months.

My parents (in Omaha) are serviced by Cox and they've had TBS-HD since last weekend....this is in a market that has no MLB team and for the most part favors college sports over the pros and they were well-prepared. Yet, here we are in an MLB city with no way of watching the playoffs in HD through cable...unacceptable!

I'd switch to DirecTV if my apartment had a clear view of the southern sky, but I'm stuck with the worst cable company I've ever dealt with. I wonder if the situation would be any different if the Twins made the playoffs? Probably not....Comcast blows.

I wonder if the situation would be any different if the Twins made the playoffs? Probably not....Comcast blows.

If you feel this strongly about Comcast, switch to satellite and write Comcast a letter explaining why. They are most interested in increasing revenues and customers, and hate to lose any. If they see a trend going against them, they will respond to it.

If you feel this strongly about Comcast, switch to satellite and write Comcast a letter explaining why. They are most interested in increasing revenues and customers, and hate to lose any. If they see a trend going against them, they will respond to it.

As I already explained, I can't switch to satelite right now. I will definitely complain, but it will fall on deaf ears as long as they're getting my money.

When did the "INHD" & "INHD2" chennels go away? Just today I realized that I haven't noticed them in a long time. Are they still around? Or did they get 86'ed?

INHD is now MOJO. I never even saw INHD2 and I've had the HD package for over a year.

Oh, good to know. INHD & INHD2 hit the Comcast HD scene about 4 years ago, so INHD2 must have disappeared a little over a year ago. Thanks for solving that mystery for me.

I have a channel guide that's dated 2/07 and it shows Channel 206 as INHD/FSN North HD and Channel 207 as Versus/Golf Channel HD. 206 is now MOJO as has been pointed out.

Ok, now this is just getting weird. So to narrow down the automatic channel changing problem, last night I put the cable box on a channel (HGTVHD) and then disconnected the RF-to-IR extender do that neither the Harmony 890 remote control, nor the extender itself could make contact with the cable box. Well guess what... eventually the cable box went to channel 444 and 111 without any external input!

So apparently the problem is something with the cable box, not the remote or extender. But the odd thing is that I have tried another (different model) box as well and the same thing happened with that one too.

Maybe some other component/box in my rack is somehow interfering with the cable box, but how? I just don't get it.

But I guess it's good to know that the remote and extender are not at fault, but I still have the problem. I wish I liked music sung in Spanish. That would make it easier.
:0)

Any additional ideas?

Question: I just got my DCH3416 set up last night. I've got a Toshiba CRT, and I hooked up via the Component inputs (Toshiba calls it ColorStream). My issue is this, when I switch from a HD channel to an SD channel, and back to the HD, about 2/3 of the time, the HD channel will be all messed up. A negative image with a swirl line through it. Flipping back to SD and then over to HD a few times is required to resolve the issue.

Anyone else have this issue? Any ideas what might be the cause? Thanks!!

I have never experienced that. What I get (on my Panasonic 58" 1080p plasma) when I go from SD to an HD channel is a split-second flash of green and a split-second high-pitched screech/beep thing and then the new channel comes up just fine. Anyone get that or what ApacheBL described on your tv when going from SD to HD channels?

Question: I just got my DCH3416 set up last night. I've got a Toshiba CRT, and I hooked up via the Component inputs (Toshiba calls it ColorStream). My issue is this, when I switch from a HD channel to an SD channel, and back to the HD, about 2/3 of the time, the HD channel will be all messed up. A negative image with a swirl line through it. Flipping back to SD and then over to HD a few times is required to resolve the issue.

Anyone else have this issue? Any ideas what might be the cause? Thanks!!
What is your 4:3 OVERRIDE setting set to? Are you letting the box or your TV scale SD channels?

For 4:3 OVERRIDE settings, see the wikibook (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup#4:3_OVERRIDE).

If 4:3 OVERRIDE is OFF, it's a box issue, and you should swap it out. If 4:3 OVERRIDE is set to anything else, I'd bet it's an issue with your TV not fully reinitializing the video.

I have never experienced that. What I get (on my Panasonic 58" 1080p plasma) when I go from SD to an HD channel is a split-second flash of green and a split-second high-pitched screech/beep thing and then the new channel comes up just fine. Anyone get that or what ApacheBL described on your tv when going from SD to HD channels?
I'm assuming your 4:3 OVERRIDE is set to 480i or 480p, so your TV is scaling the video. The green picture is likely caused by the HDCP handshake when the display is reinitialized. The audio is likely from an interruption or format change in the Dolby Digital stream. It happens with some receivers/TVs.

It depends if you're east or west. East has Motorola boxes, and west had Scientific Atlanta boxes, but are now in a transition to the Motorola boxes (I guess). So, the most likely box is the Moto DCT-3412, but depending on your local office, you could still get a Sci Atl box.

If you get the Moto box, see my sig. You can read the wikibook to learn all about it, including how to change the output resolution.

The northwest area has been stocked with only DCH-3416 DVRs and DCH-3200 HD boxes, I'd be surprised if you got anything besides that out of the northwest center.

I'll soon be moving across the river from east to west. I was concerned that I would lose my Motorola DVR, problematic as it is, for a Scientific Atlanta one used in the former Time Warner area. While the SA boxes may be more reliable (I don't know, I haven't really paid attention to SA), I really don't like the SARA interface, and the limited amount of OnDemand content for the TWC area is a joke compared to the normal Comcast offering.

So I called Comcast, and they told me I would be able to keep my Moto DVR, as the TWC area is slowly being converted over. I'm skeptical. Anyone have any experience with this?


There isn't any reason why you couldn't keep your box, unless you get a rep that think you NEED a SA box in the TW legacy area still. The headend is broadcasting for both systems simutaneously, so you could really use a SA box in a "moto" area or vice versa without any problems. Every channel is broadcast out everywhere at the same time, so even though you may live in champlin, and recieve the Quad city tv community channel, it goes to areas like plymouth as well. You box recieves a channel map though, so it knows what it supposed to pick up, and what channel to display it on.

I'm assuming your 4:3 OVERRIDE is set to 480i or 480p, so your TV is scaling the video. The green picture is likely caused by the HDCP handshake when the display is reinitialized. The audio is likely from an interruption or format change in the Dolby Digital stream. It happens with some receivers/TVs.

ExD, so 4:3 override cablebox setting is best for my particular tv (Panasonic 58" 1080P plasma)? I just want to make sure.

Thanks.

Any word on whether TBS HD will be launched anytime soon? I want my MLB Playoffs in HD :(

Any chance the DCT-3416 can receive RF remote signals all by itself? Or does it only receive IR signals?

Hi all,

I just got a Panasonic TH-42PX77U 42" plasma HDTV. So far so good. Watched some 480 DVD's and was happy with the picture. It has a built in QAM.

Now the question is: What kind of content do I go after. Currently my cable is Comcast Basic Cable (http://www.comcast.com/Shop/Buyflow/default.ashx?Popup=true&RenderedBy=Products&FormName=ProductDetails&ProductID=20005&Title=Comcast - Product Details - Basic Cable).

Should I be able to get some (CBS, NBC) HD channels without upgrading my cable service? I see that CBS is listed for channel 433. Do I just tune to that channel? In not, what is my cheapest way to network HD channels?

Has anyone compared OTA to Comcast?

Thanks,
Dave

Some notes

Autosetup did not find any digital channels
On calling comcast, they said I had to sign up for High Definition Television and get a box.

I've also been disappointed by the lack of TBS-HD on Comcast locally. Does anyone know what the issue(s) is/are for Comcast in Minneapolis related to adding HD content at this point? Is it truly lack of bandwidth? I've asked Comcast but really haven't gotten anywhere. Any insights as to how the issue(s) that currently exist are likely to play out - I guess what I'm wondering is, if for example it's a bandwidth issue that I'm afraid we aren't likely to see resolution of the issue for quite some time and if it is HD content we're after Comcast is not the answer for the foreseeable future.

1) ExD, so 4:3 override cablebox setting is best for my particular tv (Panasonic 58" 1080P plasma)? I just want to make sure.

2) Any chance the DCT-3416 can receive RF remote signals all by itself? Or does it only receive IR signals?

Thanks.

ExD... where art thou??? :(

So my LN-T4671F came last week, and just by plugging the coaxial from the wall into the tv and running the auto channel scan thing I'm able to pick up CBS and NBC in HD...but those are the only two it found. How can I pick up Fox and ABC as well? Or is my signal probably just too poor and I'll have to upgrade to the Comcast digital box for $7 extra a month?

Thanks.

ExD, so 4:3 override cablebox setting is best for my particular tv (Panasonic 58" 1080P plasma)? I just want to make sure.

Thanks.
The scaler in your TV is likely much better at deinterlacing video, so yes, I would think setting 4:3 OVERRIDE to 480i would get you the best picture.

But, YMMV. Your own eyes are the only true test. I have a 720p TV, but the output from my Moto DCT-3416 @ 720p doesn't look very good. With 4:3 OVERRIDE set at 480i/p, I get a fairly long delay while my TV switches input formats from HD to SD, which annoys me, and I haven't been able to distinguish b/w 4:3 OVERRIDE on or off.

So for me, with my TV, the best settings are HD @ 1080i and 4:3 OVERRIDE off. That means the Moto does the upscaling (to 1080i), but my TV does the deinterlacing and downsampling (to 720p, the native TV format). That also means all 720p and 480p content is being scaled up and then interlaced @ 1080i by the Moto. One would think that would result in a drop in quality for anything in those formats, but I've found this works best with my equipment.

You'd have to consider the same things. 1080i content should be best with the output set to 1080i, so your TV can simply deinterlace to 1080p. But that also means 720p content will be scaled and interlaced by the STB, only to be deinterlaced by the TV.

Broadcasts these days are almost evenly split b/w 1080i and 720p, with a few more stations using 1080i. If you watch a lot of sports, 720p is usually better because of the higher framerate (of course it needs to be broadcast on a 720p channel), which means your TV only has to scale to 1080p, no deinterlacing needed. But, you may also not notice the difference.

In our area KMSP (Fox), WFTC (MyNetworkTV) and KSTP (ABC) are 720p, while the rest are 1080i. On Comcast, A&E HD, The Big Ten Network HD (when it arrives), ESPN1/2 HD, and National Geographic HD are 720p, while the rest are 1080i.

Any chance the DCT-3416 can receive RF remote signals all by itself? Or does it only receive IR signals?
IR only.

Should I be able to get some (CBS, NBC) HD channels without upgrading my cable service? I see that CBS is listed for channel 433. Do I just tune to that channel? In not, what is my cheapest way to network HD channels?
No, that channel is used by a STB. Digital channels have a virtual channel (KARE-DT 11.1), a physical channel (35) and also a frequency. Comcast is required to convey the virtual channel information, so when it is received by the QAM tuner in your TV, it should be able to read the information and map the channel to 11.1, so you would tune your TV to channel 11.1 or 11-1.

Has anyone compared OTA to Comcast?
Yes. The OTA broadcast may have multiple program streams (KARE-DT 11.1 and KARE-WX 11.2). These are split by Comcast and placed as program streams on different frequencies (presumably based on available bandwidth), but as I mentioned, your TV should be able to map them back to their appropriate virtual channel. Comcast is not otherwise stripping streams or transcoding/rateshaping the signal, so the quality is identical. According to FCC rules, Comcast is not supposed to transcode local digital broadcasts.

So my LN-T4671F came last week, and just by plugging the coaxial from the wall into the tv and running the auto channel scan thing I'm able to pick up CBS and NBC in HD...but those are the only two it found. How can I pick up Fox and ABC as well? Or is my signal probably just too poor and I'll have to upgrade to the Comcast digital box for $7 extra a month?
Digital channels need a stronger signal than analog channels. You may receive no, or only some, digital channels if your signal is too weak. You can try a signal booster (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search/?mode=blended&sourceid=Mozilla-search&keyword=cable+signal+booster). I recommend Motorola's.

Without a digital cable box, you will only get the local HD channels. Getting the digital box will add the rest of the Comcast HD channels.

So any one have any idea if any new HD channels are coming to the minneapolis/st paul area any time soon. The recent addition of HGTV, Nat geo, and A&E was pretty lame I thought. HGTV especially, shows a total of probably 6 programs over and over again.

I am having issues with my DVR. It seems that the clock is off. Every program that I record now cuts off about 4-5 minutes early.

Doesn't the time get set form Comcast? Or is there a way for tme to set it. I looked through the setup menu and could not find anything.

Thanks

Joe

I am having issues with my DVR. It seems that the clock is off. Every program that I record now cuts off about 4-5 minutes early.

Doesn't the time get set form Comcast? Or is there a way for tme to set it. I looked through the setup menu and could not find anything.

Thanks

Joe

Call customer service and have them reset it. There are lots of complaints on this issue.

I am having issues with my DVR. It seems that the clock is off. Every program that I record now cuts off about 4-5 minutes early.

Doesn't the time get set form Comcast? Or is there a way for tme to set it. I looked through the setup menu and could not find anything.

Thanks

Joe

Call customer service and have them reset it. There are lots of complaints on this issue.
Pulling the plug is good enough to reset the clock.

So any one have any idea if any new HD channels are coming to the minneapolis/st paul area any time soon. The recent addition of HGTV, Nat geo, and A&E was pretty lame I thought. HGTV especially, shows a total of probably 6 programs over and over again.

No but I wish I knew. I just got a new 42" Panasonic plasma last week. It's my first HD TV and I am hooked. I had last Saturday circled on my calendar because the Wild game was broadcast in high def on HD Net....that is until I realized that Comcast doesn't carry HD Net. Unbelievable. -- that is supposed to be the best HD channel as far as picture quality. I called and the rep said they are going to add more HD channels but would not say which ones or when. Somehow the call turned from Comcast's HD content to her trying to sell me the Center Ice package. The rep claimed that Comcast has more HD channels than Direct TV but I don't know what kind of math she was using because Direct TV claims to have more than 70.

I have been a loyal Comcast customer forever and love the HD programming I get but if they don't add more soon I will probably go to Direct TV (not to mention that they are discontinuing my phone service in favor of VOIP -- but that is another story).

Hi all. I love my new 42PZ700U. However, I do have an issue I'd like to get opinions on. I have the system connected via HDMI to my Comcast Digital HD-DVR (DCH 3416). When watching a recorded HD contect (for instance, watching a recorded episode of "Heroes") the TV will display 480P instead of 1080i. I verify this by checking the TV Info. Sometimes when I pause this contect and then press play, the TV will "resync" with the DVR, and then begin displaying the proper format. This "resync" process is similar to what happens when I go from a SD channel to an HD channel. The screen will flash green, and often times make a "modem-like squeak".

Any ideas how to address this issue? Thank you very much for any assistance you might offer!

I have just purchased my first HDTV, and I have to turn in my digital mortorolla box and get the new HD motorolla box, I'm wondering which model # everyone is getting and is it current with HDMI spec's? I'm not sure if I should get the DVR box, and if I did, I would only be interested if I could record off the dvr unit to either dvd recorder or digital vhs. I will be going to the Brooklyn Park location on next Monday after work. I greatly appreciate any feed back anyone can provide. Thank You!

I have just purchased my first HDTV, and I have to turn in my digital mortorolla box and get the new HD motorolla box, I'm wondering which model # everyone is getting and is it current with HDMI spec's? I'm not sure if I should get the DVR box, and if I did, I would only be interested if I could record off the dvr unit to either dvd recorder or digital vhs. I will be going to the Brooklyn Park location on next Monday after work. I greatly appreciate any feed back anyone can provide. Thank You!

If you have a firewire input on your DVR box or Digital VHS recorder, it's supposed to work. Just what I've read on these forums - I don't have either. You might do a search for "firewire" on the main Comcast DVR threads, just to be sure.

The DCH-3416 is the latest DVR box, not sure if Brooklyn Park has it yet. If not you should get the DCT-3416. Little difference between them except the DCH looks nicer. The "16" refers to the size of the hard drive (160G); models ending in "12" are 120G.

I have just purchased my first HDTV, and I have to turn in my digital mortorolla box and get the new HD motorolla box, I'm wondering which model # everyone is getting and is it current with HDMI spec's? I'm not sure if I should get the DVR box, and if I did, I would only be interested if I could record off the dvr unit to either dvd recorder or digital vhs. I will be going to the Brooklyn Park location on next Monday after work. I greatly appreciate any feed back anyone can provide. Thank You!
I'm not positive, but I believe both the HD DVR models, the DCT-3416 and the DCH-3416, are HDMI 1.3. I don't know about the non-DVR DCH-3200.

If you have a firewire input on your DVR box or Digital VHS recorder, it's supposed to work. Just what I've read on these forums - I don't have either. You might do a search for "firewire" on the main Comcast DVR threads, just to be sure.
The Firewire output is only for TVs, D-VHS decks and computers. You can't use Firewire with a DVD or HDD recorder, even if it has a Firewire input. That input is for digital video cameras, so it's expecting DV format video that it encodes to MPEG2 in standard def. The Firewire output from a cable STB is in MPEG2-TS format, and may be high def, so it is not the right format for DVD.

You can mosey on over to the Firewire thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12127995) if you want more info on that. There are restrictions on what programs will be able to transfer. You can also follow the link in my sig, where there is a lot of information (when Comcast brings my site back to life).

On the DVD recorder side, any box you get will have S-video and composite outputs to connect to a DVD recorder. HD content is letterboxed and transcoded to SD format.

Well, the legacy Comcast area and the legacy TWC area are all uniform within their respective areas, it's more about the differences between them, and the progress towards a uniform new Comcast area.

But, to be specific, I'm moving from St. Paul to Mpls.
Just as an update, I moved from St. Paul to Mpls this past weekend, and despite the fact that Comcast told me over the phone that I would be able to keep my Moto DVR (with hours of content I still wanted to watch), the installer took my DVR and replaced it with a SA 8300HDC. All he said was, "Yeah, I don't know why they'd tell you that."

I tried changing the 4:3 override function in the 3200 hd cable box to 480P, and my new samsung lcd says, searching for signal from hdmi2, not suppported, is this the same error everyone has bee ndealing with, is this the hdmi hand shake issue? Thanks.

Does anyone know if you can have the guide just show channels that you are subscribed to?

Thanks!

Does anyone know if you can have the guide just show channels that you are subscribed to?

Thanks!
Assuming you are using a Moto box, no, but you can set up a favorites list. See Page 7 of the User Guide (http://www.comcast.com/MediaLibrary/1/2/CM/VanityURL/documents/newguide/A252_VOD_OSPG_18.pdf).

About a year ago I bought a Sony KD-34XBR970 HDTV w/ NTSC, ATSC & QAM tuner. I plugged my cable in, programmed it and low and behold, I found I could watch the Locals (WCCO, KSTP, KMSP & KARE11) in HD.

However, from time to time, when turning to them, I get an error message, such as "Not Authourized" or "No Signal" or something along those lines. Eventually--sometimes a few minutes later, a couple of hours later, or even the next day--the HD signal returns. Sometime it would be one ar two of the channels, but mostly, it has been an issue with FOX9. When I talked to Comacast about the issue, I've received varied answers.

1. Due to some sort of "technical" work being done by the broadcaster on either their "tower" or tansmitter.

2. We don't know why you're having a problem, everything is fine on our end and there's no report of any problems.

3. I'm not showing any HD progamming on your account, you can't get any HD programming from us without subscribing to it.

From everything I'v read, it seems I should be getting all the local HD channels with my basic cable subscription and my HDTV?

Please help clear up my confusion!

From everything I'v read, it seems I should be getting all the local HD channels with my basic cable subscription and my HDTV?

I've always rented a DVR box and have subscribed to one of the digital packages, so I don't know for sure. But I BELIEVE that Basic-only cable will NOT allow you to access to local channels in HD. But assuming you don't want to spend more money on cable, have you ever considered buying an antenna to receive the locals in HD? I have one connected and it works fine, but since I can access everything through the DVR, I hardly ever use it.

I have one of the hd-dvrs. My son is going to be on an upcoming show. Is there a way to move a recorded show to my pc?

thanks

Joe

"Comcast is required to convey the virtual channel information, so when it is received by the QAM tuner in your TV, it should be able to read the information and map the channel to 11.1, so you would tune your TV to channel 11.1 or 11-1."

What do you mean by "required"?

Anybody know which Model of HD box is used in the metro area around Eden Prairie and Bloomington? Not the HD-DVR, just the HD Receiver. Any help would be great, thanks.

well just got a new channel guide and letter in the mail. They are upping rates and adding a whopping 2 new HD channels, TBS HD on 196 and FSN north on 201. 2 channels I don't really care for. TBS should be ok. This is for Northwest suburbs area. These channels should go live 12/17/07. The letter did say dozens more channels in 2008. I'm gonna call and see if I can get a better deal. Rate hikes and only 2 more hd channels? how lame, I'm really close to dumping everything and going to DTV

well just got a new channel guide and letter in the mail. They are upping rates and adding a whopping 2 new HD channels, TBS HD on 196 and FSN north on 201. 2 channels I don't really care for. TBS should be ok. This is for Northwest suburbs area. These channels should go live 12/17/07. The letter did say dozens more channels in 2008. I'm gonna call and see if I can get a better deal. Rate hikes and only 2 more hd channels? how lame, I'm really close to dumping everything and going to DTV
I hear ya, Two of the worst Hd channels will cost me a extra five dollars a month. Gezz!
Limited on demand, and that 6 month message rolling on channel one the customer info channel "we are currently building channel one (on demand channel) in your area" WTF how long does it take.

Have a look at comcast web site > tv planner >on demand >free moives> hd in other cities.

I did a quick count and found four HD moives for free. But that ani't happening in this town. Here are free movies but zero in HD.

I am calling DTV tonight.

I hear ya, Two of the worst Hd channels will cost me a extra five dollars a month. Gezz!
Limited on demand, and that 6 month message rolling on channel one the customer info channel "we are currently building channel one (on demand channel) in your area" WTF how long does it take.

Have a look at comcast web site > tv planner >on demand >free moives> hd in other cities.

I did a quick count and found four HD moives for free. But that ani't happening in this town. Here are free movies but zero in HD.

I am calling DTV tonight.

I would say there is a good amount of on demand stuff even in hd. Not a ton, but what part of mn u in? I read somewhere else on the forum that comcast will be adding more that just the 2 channels in the letter but I'm not sure if that includes Brooklyn Park or not. I wouldn't mind dtv but I don't wanna switch everything in my house and I like the fact my tv works in the rain and snow. One thing I was gonna ask is my Video on demand overall works very well. Every now and then tho if I am watching on demand, I notice it will hash for a second or 2, like the screen will show some blocks almost like a strach in a dvd., it's only for a second. It doesn't always do it but usually a couple times during a movie. We have 3 dvrs in the house and it hardly ever does it on tv channel, every once in a blue moon but I was just wondering if this happens to anyone else?

fyi Universal and Food network now live as of 12/07/07, hopefully they keep em coming!

From Page 8A of Friday's Pioneer Press:

We will begin previewing Food & Universal HD added on Dec 7th; USA HD
and Sci-FI HD on or about Dec 12th. and Animal Planet HD, Discovery HD,
History HD, TLC HD and CNN HD on or about Dec 17th.

This is for Minneapolis and St. Paul area Comcast customers.

From Page 8A of Friday's Pioneer Press:

We will begin previewing Food & Universal HD added on Dec 7th; USA HD
and Sci-FI HD on or about Dec 12th. and Animal Planet HD, Discovery HD,
History HD, TLC HD and CNN HD on or about Dec 17th.

This is for Minneapolis and St. Paul area Comcast customers.


nice, can't wait for Discovery! Does anyone have any response on my other post about vod?

From Page 8A of Friday's Pioneer Press:

We will begin previewing Food & Universal HD added on Dec 7th; USA HD
and Sci-FI HD on or about Dec 12th. and Animal Planet HD, Discovery HD,
History HD, TLC HD and CNN HD on or about Dec 17th.

This is for Minneapolis and St. Paul area Comcast customers.

HOLY CRAP! That changes everything...

(Just the excuse I needed to start a rant)

Man, I've been having an epic battle with Minneapolis comcast's stupid HD-DVR, ondemand and digital cable service. I've been lied to, overcharged, ignored, and told that I didn't really have a problem (I'm no newbie, I'm a tech nerd, so I know what I'm talking about).

Then, today, a technician who I didn't even want to come (we established over the phone that the problem was outside my apartment) didn't even show up, and I was made late for work!

I was ready to cancel my digital service and switch to TiVo for OTA HD, but with these new channels (esp. Universal HD) I might just put up with all the crap.

Why did they send that card with the rate changes but not calling attention to the new programming??

From Page 8A of Friday's Pioneer Press:

We will begin previewing Food & Universal HD added on Dec 7th; USA HD
and Sci-FI HD on or about Dec 12th. and Animal Planet HD, Discovery HD,
History HD, TLC HD and CNN HD on or about Dec 17th.

This is for Minneapolis and St. Paul area Comcast customers.

This is news to me, I got a letter saying they were adding USA HD & Fox Sports HD on Dec 12th. That's all that was mentioned. I was surprised to see Food Network HD, USA HD & Sci-Fi HD show up this past week.

I don't know if I will believe the other channel adds until I actually see them, despite reports from Pioneer Press.

I'd consider stopping my constant bad-mouthing of Comcast if they were to actually step up and deliver on their promise of "many more HD channels by years end."

So will any of Comcast's 11 new HD channels (http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/12/12/comcast-gives-twin-cities-11-new-hd-options/) be available via QAM? Or will they all require the digital package and box?

We will begin previewing Food & Universal HD added on Dec 7th; USA HD
and Sci-FI HD on or about Dec 12th. and Animal Planet HD, Discovery HD, History HD, TLC HD and CNN HD on or about Dec 17th.

This is for Minneapolis and St. Paul area Comcast customers.
The first 4 channels are live but the guide data for Sci-Fi HD is wrong - the guide data is for Science HD instead. A coworker of mine has filed a ticket with zap2it and TiVo for the error. The channel being broadcast is clearly Sci-Fi - it says so on the programming.

Does anyone know if the Vikings game on Monday night will be simulcast on Channel 5? And if so, will it be in HD on channel 5 also? Thanks.

Vikings is usually simulcast in both formats, USA network is live! Looks like sci-fi is live 2, I don't see fox sports net but I don't really care about that channel anyway. Keep em coming!

I have one of the hd-dvrs. My son is going to be on an upcoming show. Is there a way to move a recorded show to my pc?

thanks

Joe
Assuming you haven't already figured it out (I've been out of contact for a bit), there's a good thread for that here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695).

from time to time, when turning to them, I get an error message, such as "Not Authourized" or "No Signal" or something along those lines. Eventually--sometimes a few minutes later, a couple of hours later, or even the next day--the HD signal returns.

I BELIEVE that Basic-only cable will NOT allow you to access to local channels in HD.

"Comcast is required to convey the virtual channel information, so when it is received by the QAM tuner in your TV, it should be able to read the information and map the channel to 11.1, so you would tune your TV to channel 11.1 or 11-1."

What do you mean by "required"?
The HD locals are available via QAM with only basic cable service.

The FCC rules mandate all local broadcasts are required to be carried on the basic cable tier, and the basic tier cannot be scrambled or otherwise encrypted.

See a discussion I had on this, starting here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11355760#post11355760).

Now, it doesn't mean that all basic cable channels are available via QAM, but the local HD channels from the OTA digital broadcasts have to be transmitted in QAM to preserve the broadcast format, and there are requirements around the information in the broadcast that has to be preserved in the cablecast. Those details aren't important for this discussion, but you can read the discussion I referenced. It has links to the FCC rules.

Generally, the reason you lose your QAM signal is due to signal strength, which is a function of the power coming in on the cable line, and the number of splits. Cable boxes have amplifiers that, for some reason, are generally more powerful than the ones in HDTVs, so you will have an easier time with a cable box. But, you can also buy a signal booster (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-484095-001-00-Signal-Booster/dp/B000066E6Y/). I recommend the one in the link.

Anybody know which Model of HD box is used in the metro area around Eden Prairie and Bloomington? Not the HD-DVR, just the HD Receiver. Any help would be great, thanks.
The non-DVR HD STB for the former TWC area is the Scientific Atlanta 3250HD.

Every now and then tho if I am watching on demand, I notice it will hash for a second or 2, like the screen will show some blocks almost like a strach in a dvd., it's only for a second.

nice, can't wait for Discovery! Does anyone have any response on my other post about vod?
OD content is being downloaded as you use it, so pixelation, which is what you described, can happen when there is network congestion that delays the content from being delivered (just like the Internet, when a video or web page stalls out or hiccups). I've never seen OD on anyone's setup that doesn't, at least occasionally, have some pixelation or skipped frames. It can also be caused by a weak incoming signal, so you can try a signal booster (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-484095-001-00-Signal-Booster/dp/B000066E6Y/) if you want to try something.

Vikings is usually simulcast in both formats, USA network is live! Looks like sci-fi is live 2, I don't see fox sports net but I don't really care about that channel anyway. Keep em coming!


Fox sports HD will only be broadcasting when the feed is in HD, so not all that often (but should still show on the guide). I looked for Wild games, and the first one in HD coming up is on Dec 31st. My understanding is that this channel addition is just so that Mojo doesn't have to be the local Fox Sports HD feed anymore.

Also, just out of curiosity, did anyone else lose any HD channels over the weekend? I was getting "programming available shortly" on ESPN HD & MOJO HD on Friday night through Sunday night. It was fine this afternoon when I checked. I wonder if this had anything to do with the addition of the new HD channels?

Anyone know which channel Fox Sports HD is on in the NW area? I haven't located it as yet.

Anyone know which channel Fox Sports HD is on in the NW area? I haven't located it as yet.

Channel 201 up here in Ramsey (NW)

OD content is being downloaded as you use it, so pixelation, which is what you described, can happen when there is network congestion that delays the content from being delivered (just like the Internet, when a video or web page stalls out or hiccups). I've never seen OD on anyone's setup that doesn't, at least occasionally, have some pixelation or skipped frames. It can also be caused by a weak incoming signal, so you can try a signal booster (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-484095-001-00-Signal-Booster/dp/B000066E6Y/) if you want to try something.



that's good to know, well I actually had comcast out not that long ago to re-do some wiring. He actually got rid of our amp, it was an amp from comcast. He said our signal was way to high so he took it with him. All our boxes seem to be working better since he did that but he did remove a splitter so who knows. Ever since they came the 3dvrs have been working pretty good for the most part.

oh btw, Discovery, Animal Planet and TLC are all live, I think there was a couple more but I don't remember those 3 for sure tho

channels are starting to come in in clusters, it's great. One this I noticed on Discovery HD, the aspect ratio is jacked and is cut off. Anyone else notice this? I am guessing they know about it and should be fixed soon, but it has black bars on the right and left side of screen and the picture is like zoomed in

Does anyone in the twin cities area have hdnet and hdnet movies? I called comcast to see if I could get it added. She said it's not in Brooklyn Park but she does know that some parts of Minneapolis have it. She said that the old Time Warner area that they took over still has it. I put in a request to add it but we will see how good that works, if some of your other guys in the area wanna call and request it maybe we can get something done. 651-222-3333 if you wanna call.

So will any of Comcast's 11 new HD channels (http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/12/12/comcast-gives-twin-cities-11-new-hd-options/) be available via QAM? Or will they all require the digital package and box?
I use a QAM tuner with my HTPC. I did a scan after the channels went live, and I didn't pick any up. I'm in the Mpls / SW suburbs group.

What is the best HD-DVR available from Comcast at this time?

Thanks

Joe

Joe,

I got a Motorola 6412 less than four months ago - not sure if that's still the device that's distributed and/or if it's the best one, but that's what I got.

Does anyone know how much more it is for a second DVR and how well that works? It'd be nice to be able to record 4 shows and watch two at a time. If it's only $5/month more than I'm all over that.

Thanks,
-Tim

Joe, I believe the latest DVR is the 3416. The difference between the 64XX and the 34XX is that the 34XX is digital only. The 64XX will also tune analog channels, but Comcast is all digital, at least in my area (Woodbury), so analog functionality is not used. The 3416 also came with HDMI output, which my older 6412 did not have. The last 2 digits is the hard disk size (XX12, is 120G; XX16 is 160G).

You can take your older DVR into the service center and swap it out. They've never hassled me about it. I don't know what they use in the former Time Warner cable areas in the west metro.

Tim, Comcast just raised their price on Jan 1 to 13.95 per DVR. Ignoring price for a minute, I would recommend a second box. Last month one of my DVRs wiped out the hard drive. The box recovered, but I lost all of the contents. I've now had 3 hard drive failures over the years - the other ones were total losses of the box itself, not just the content. I also use the second box as backup in case the DVR in my main theather fills up and starts dropping shows, which can happen sometimes if you record mostly high def. content. I record "backups" of my favorite shows in standard def on the second DVR, plus other stuff I may watch if I'm bored.

Tim, Comcast just raised their price on Jan 1 to 13.95 per DVR. Ignoring price for a minute, I would recommend a second box. Last month one of my DVRs wiped out the hard drive. The box recovered, but I lost all of the contents. I've now had 3 hard drive failures over the years - the other ones were total losses of the box itself, not just the content. I also use the second box as backup in case the DVR in my main theather fills up and starts dropping shows, which can happen sometimes if you record mostly high def. content. I record "backups" of my favorite shows in standard def on the second DVR, plus other stuff I may watch if I'm bored.

I am on my 3rd DVD because of hardware failures too. This last month I too just lost the content. I wonder if Comcast sent out a hard reset.

Joe

Joe, I believe the latest DVR is the 3416. The difference between the 64XX and the 34XX is that the 34XX is digital only. The 64XX will also tune analog channels, but Comcast is all digital, at least in my area (Woodbury), so analog functionality is not used. The 3416 also came with HDMI output, which my older 6412 did not have. The last 2 digits is the hard disk size (XX12, is 120G; XX16 is 160G).


Thanks. I have a 3416. I thought there might have been something cooler available.

I also just heard that Comcast will be moving to 160Gb download speeds on their internet service sometime in the next year. WooHoo!!!

Joe

I also just heard that Comcast will be moving to 160Gb download speeds on their internet service sometime in the next year. WooHoo!!!

Joe

Yeah, I'm also pretty excited about the ability to set DVR recordings over the internet.

I don't think they are gonna go that fast. I am actually pretty happy with my download speed which is currently 8megabits + powerboost. A lot of times your download never goes that fast anyway unless your downloading from Microsoft or Adobe or someone with a superserver. I would love to be able to access the dvr online. Where did you read that? I read about the new boxes with mpeg4 that are suppose to be out by years end.

8Mbs download speed?

I wish. I top out at 6 (rarely) and average around 2.4 to 3.2.

When my internet was down 10 HOURS!!!! for maintenance
I asked the CSR what speed i should expect; after a little run around
he hung up on me. (i think it was an accident, or Comcast service?)

There's a test at CNET - reviews - internet access - broadband meter.

i would just like to thank D*TV.

If it wasn't for sat. my cable would still have poor PQ and
terrible sound quality. (Is it THAT hard to put the left and right channels
on the correct sides? I mean really!) FX PQ is still washed out, but that's the only one really bothers me.

But more topically, I would like to thank D*TV for my 28 (real, non-pay)
HDTV channels. Much, much more than Comcast would ever have given
me without the competition. I probably would still be at 8 to 10. If you would NEVER existed probably none. (which some cable still has folks)

So thank you D*TV, I'll be sure to give you my business again as soon as I live in a place that faces south and you quit insisting I have a useless phone line.

I have no association with either of them, just a Joe customer.

I don't think they are gonna go that fast. I am actually pretty happy with my download speed which is currently 8megabits + powerboost. A lot of times your download never goes that fast anyway unless your downloading from Microsoft or Adobe or someone with a superserver. I would love to be able to access the dvr online. Where did you read that? I read about the new boxes with mpeg4 that are suppose to be out by years end.

Comcast is working on several improvements. Here's a link to an article from Wired.com that discusses the internet service, a portable DVR, and the 160Mbs download speed Joe mentioned.

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/news/2008/01/comcast_fancast

The other feature I'm waiting for is the ability to watch a show recorded on a DVR in another room. I heard last year they were working on it, but haven't heard much since.

bump, new to HD, just bought a new samsung LCD and getting HD for comcast soon. From Burnsville

i just got a new samsung 4665f and the newst comcast hd receiveer with hdmi....the hd looks like its not even hd. yes, i've played with all the tv settings and nothing works.

i just got a new samsung 4665f and the newst comcast hd receiveer with hdmi....the hd looks like its not even hd. yes, i've played with all the tv settings and nothing works.


What channel numbers are you watching? Do you subscribe to HD service?

What channel numbers are you watching? Do you subscribe to HD service?

i subscribe to the $7/month hd thing and we have the newest motorola hd receiver with hdmi. i just have basic 1 so i only get the basic channels ie 4, 5, 9, etc. we are getting basic 2 for free because they didnt disconnect it...i thought we'd be able to get the hd receiver and still get the basic 2 hd channels as well but we dont. pretty much all of the ones we get dont look hdish.

i subscribe to the $7/month hd thing and we have the newest motorola hd receiver with hdmi. i just have basic 1 so i only get the basic channels ie 4, 5, 9, etc. we are getting basic 2 for free because they didnt disconnect it...i thought we'd be able to get the hd receiver and still get the basic 2 hd channels as well but we dont. pretty much all of the ones we get dont look hdish.
well if you have a hd box you should get channels above 100. The hd channels are in the 200+ area.

i subscribe to the $7/month hd thing and we have the newest motorola hd receiver with hdmi. i just have basic 1 so i only get the basic channels ie 4, 5, 9, etc. we are getting basic 2 for free because they didnt disconnect it...i thought we'd be able to get the hd receiver and still get the basic 2 hd channels as well but we dont. pretty much all of the ones we get dont look hdish.

Yes if you can't access channels 231, 232, 233, 234 and 240 which are the HD versions of the local channels then you need to call Comcast and ask them what's up. Bear in mind that not all programs are shown yet in HD, but certainly almost all of the primetime and the bigger sporting events are in HD.

Is anyone else having trouble getting MSNBC to come up?

The box knows it's there. But the screen is blank.

Maybe they finally gave up:D

This cold weather is causing some channels to be almost unwatchable.

It's back.

Interesting.

Thought maybe they shut down.
Could've been interesting.

i subscribe to the $7/month hd thing and we have the newest motorola hd receiver with hdmi. i just have basic 1 so i only get the basic channels ie 4, 5, 9, etc. we are getting basic 2 for free because they didnt disconnect it...i thought we'd be able to get the hd receiver and still get the basic 2 hd channels as well but we dont. pretty much all of the ones we get dont look hdish.
It doesn't sound like you're watching the HD channels. As mentioned, you need to use the channels at 231+, and call Comcast if they are not working. They should be available to everybody. The $7/mo you are paying is for the HD cable box, which allows you to receive the HD channels.

A couple things to note:

1) Your TV (Sam 4665f) has a built-in QAM (digital cable) tuner, which means you can get the local HD channels (or any unscrambled/"in-the-clear" cable channels) without the need for the HD cable box. You just need to run the cable line directly into your TV's tuner and use your TV setup to scan for QAM/digital channels. If you don't receive them with the HD cable box, then it's Comcast's problem that you need to get them to resolve. If you do receive them with the HD cable box, but not on your TV directly when you scan for channels, then it's likely the result of a weak signal, and I recommend trying a signal booster (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-484095-001-00-Signal-Booster/dp/B000066E6Y/). On your TV, the channels won't be the same as with the cable box. You should get the channels mapped to major channel - minor channel, i.e., 11-1 KARE-DT, 11-2 KARE-DT2, 2-1 TPT2, 2-2 TPTHD, 9-1 KMSP-HD, 9-2 KMSP-SD.

2) The local HD channels are available to everybody, including Basic 1 subscribers, as long as you have a digital (QAM) tuner that can tune them. The rest of the HD channels aren't available with Standard Cable (Basic 1 + Basic 2 = "Standard Cable"). You have to subscribe to the "Digital Starter" package, which includes Standard Cable plus MoviePlex, OnDemand, and an SD cable box (all for $2/mo more than Std Cable), then add the HD cable box for $7/mo or HD DVR service for $13.95/mo.

Just an interesting note:

I told a Comcast CSR I had the SA 8300HDC HD DVR, but thought it was a total POS. I went thru the litany of problems with playback, scheduling, and recording --- the essential functions of a DVR --- and explained that I was about ready to jump ship to buy a TiVo.

He explained that I should sit tight for "the next 3-4 months", because a new quad-tuner HD DVR from Pioneer with some increased hard drive space would be available as a free replacement. I haven't figured out what unit he might have been talking about, or if he meant Panasonic instead of Pioneer, but I thought it was an interesting claim.

Last night I lost all of my cable HD channels in the midst of channel surfing, except for TPT (2-2). I can't even navigate to them manually. I tried reprogramming the channel list twice to no avail. Moments ago I tried a third time, and that time it was able to find CBS (4-1), Fox (9-1), and NBC (11-1), but I'm still missing ABC & CW, and now TPT is gone. Anyone have an idea of what's going on? Thanks.

They could be remapping the physical channels, they do that sometimes. It changes the frequency where the channel is located.

You also might have had something happen with your house/neighborhood that weakened the signal or made it too noisy. A signal booster, as I linked a few posts earlier, might help.

They could be remapping the physical channels, they do that sometimes. It changes the frequency where the channel is located.

You also might have had something happen with your house/neighborhood that weakened the signal or made it too noisy. A signal booster, as I linked a few posts earlier, might help.
Thanks ExDeus. How much luck do people generally have with signal boosters?

Thanks ExDeus. How much luck do people generally have with signal boosters?

Mine works great. But make sure you don't run your internet through it.

Joe

Mine works great. But make sure you don't run your internet through it.

Joe
This afternoon I suddenly lost all of my HD channels except for Fox; now I'm down from six to one. Guess it's time to order that signal booster you told me about :o

This afternoon I suddenly lost all of my HD channels except for Fox; now I'm down from six to one. Guess it's time to order that signal booster you told me about :o

When I called in a trouble report, they installed mine for free. That was a long time ago though and things may have changed.

Joe

I live in Richfield. What QAM channels could I expect to receive in-the-clear? I've ordered a HDHomerun networked DTV tuner. I have read I could expect locals, rumors of some in-demand channels. Is this correct?

thanks,
ej

I live in Richfield. What QAM channels could I expect to receive in-the-clear? I've ordered a HDHomerun networked DTV tuner. I have read I could expect locals, rumors of some in-demand channels. Is this correct?

thanks,
ej

Suggest posting your question over at:

http://www.hdtvtwincities.com/

I live in Richfield. What QAM channels could I expect to receive in-the-clear? I've ordered a HDHomerun networked DTV tuner. I have read I could expect locals, rumors of some in-demand channels. Is this correct?

thanks,
ej
Cross-posted from my reply at hdtvtwincities.com, for others that may want to know:

In St. Paul (old Comcast areas), getting the on demand channels is common, you just have to keep scanning when the programs are active to find all the channels.

In Mpls & southwest suburbs (old TWC areas), I have not been able to find on demand channels, no matter how many times I rescan. All local HD channels are available, and while I subscribed to HDNET Movies, that was available in the clear, too.

Last night I lost all of my cable HD channels in the midst of channel surfing, except for TPT (2-2). I can't even navigate to them manually. I tried reprogramming the channel list twice to no avail. Moments ago I tried a third time, and that time it was able to find CBS (4-1), Fox (9-1), and NBC (11-1), but I'm still missing ABC & CW, and now TPT is gone. Anyone have an idea of what's going on? Thanks.

Could this be about the timeframe where USA HD and SciFi HD started having stutter, sound drops and tiling issues? 02/02/08

I was just thinking that this could have been when they started jamming Sat. channels together(limiting bandwidth etc.). That HD-Lite thing everyone on Comcast have been complaining about lately. Makes the channels almost unwatchable.

yea I notice USA is very choppy/blocky at times I have watched raw a few times. At first I thought it was a signal issue, but multiple boxes in the house do the same thing. I don't notice it on other channels, are you guys having the same issue?

yea I notice USA is very choppy/blocky at times I have watched raw a few times. At first I thought it was a signal issue, but multiple boxes in the house do the same thing. I don't notice it on other channels, are you guys having the same issue?

You are on SA boxes, correct?

USA HD is fine for me on my Motorola.

I'm on MOTO DCT-3416.

When Monk AND Stargate Atlantis were new (Friday and HD) and on at the same time.

It would create all the problems mentioned. Later broadcasts are not as problematic.

It seems obvious to me that USA HD and SciFi HD are compressed together.
Whether another channel is with them I don't know.

My tech came out a few days ago to fix "my apartment's problem" with pixelization, stuttering and sound dropouts on USA HD & SciFi HD especially when both are showing new HD shows.

It had been getting better anyway. I have to say, some channels don't seen all that great anymore. You can definitely tell the diff between OTA broadcast HD channels (which are NOT compressed) and the Sat. HD channels. The Sat. channels are starting to look only a little better than SD, not nearly the detail. HD-Lite hits cable.

Anyway, it sounds like the Twin Cities will be part of a pilot for SDV (switched digital video). I asked if there is a hesitation between switching channels. Maybe barely a little. Do you multiply that by 3 for cablespeak and oversell? I hope not.

Interesting it appears Maple Grove is actually part of the St. Paul (original Comcast) side of town. That hasn't helped the "all important" thousands of HD VOD shows that I can never seem to find. Must be a secret location.

Finally, depending on who you talk to, the federal OTA digital switch will solve all bandwidth problems. That's interesting, since the end of analog broadcasting is only related to OTA broadcasting and analog cable has no mandate. When you ask the CSR's about that the phone gets quiet.

I suppose Comcast could use the end of analog broadcasting as an excuse for the end of analog cable. But a VERY large group of people still use analog cable exclusively. To force them to use a box is not going to be very popular. These people don't care about VOD, HD, DVR's, etc. "Why can't I just plug the cable in like the last 30 years!!!".

Also, Comcast's bread and butter is still analog. They can raise the rates almost endlessly and these people almost always pay. They don't care about quality, hardware or features and therefore are almost pure profit and perfect cable customers. Plus, many have kept cable because of convenience of "cable ready" plug and watch. "if I need a box now, maybe I should do some Satellite research..."

On the other hand, HD and higher-service/higher spending customers are leaving at an "almost" alarming rate. This hurts the future and long-term profitability. Can't live on old people forever, they do die eventually.

It'll be interesting. Comcast will still have a free ride in the Twin Cities for a while. Verizon and ATT are not going to be here for a very long time, if ever.

Maybe Qwest can raise some money and start Fios, but that's a long shot since they are flat broke.

AVS Forums makes it's mark:D

Hears an article about over-compressed HD channels on Comcast.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/20/is-your-comcast-hd-quality-up-to-snuff/

I have to say most satellite channels are not much better than good SD.
Especially since they started compression in January.

AVS Forums makes it's mark:D

Hears an article about over-compressed HD channels on Comcast.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/20/is-your-comcast-hd-quality-up-to-snuff/

I have to say most satellite channels are not much better than good SD.
Especially since they started compression in January.
I've just got ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and PBS via my QAM tuner directly from the wall, but even many of those stations look very similar to the highly-compressed Comcast images shown in that article. It'd sure be nice to have FIOS service here in Minneapolis.

I've just got ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and PBS via my QAM tuner directly from the wall, but even many of those stations look very similar to the highly-compressed Comcast images shown in that article. It'd sure be nice to have FIOS service here in Minneapolis.

Indeed it would! I'm starting to think about dumping Comcast because of this.. Though the only other choice is with D* I don't really expect that to look as good as the FIOS pictures in that thread either..

I've just got ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and PBS via my QAM tuner directly from the wall, but even many of those stations look very similar to the highly-compressed Comcast images shown in that article. It'd sure be nice to have FIOS service here in Minneapolis.
That thread is about the national cable network feeds that come from a particular satellite service, so it doesn't apply to the local broadcast stations.

While I understand the point that they suffer from poor PQ, last time I checked (and I admit it has been a while), the local HD channels were NOT being transcoded/transrated/recompressed by Comcast. They were the exact same bits that were coming over the air.

Not that I wouldn't love to have FIOS, but the local HD channels wouldn't look any better with that service.

Your complaints about the PQ of local broadcast networks would have to be directed at the local affiliates and the networks individually, as each is in control of their own operations.

AVS Forums makes it's mark:D

Hears an article about over-compressed HD channels on Comcast.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/20/is-your-comcast-hd-quality-up-to-snuff/

I have to say most satellite channels are not much better than good SD.
Especially since they started compression in January.

Humm,
Dean, my cousin and I had two 46" brand new LCD's set-up side buy side over the past two months, and all I can say is that the HD-Direct TV is WAY better than the Comcast HD set-up, even the SD channels were better, for the most part, the Direct-TV set-up had way less flickering, less pixelations, and better over all quality of picture.

What's the most prevelant comment I can make is that I went through FOUR Comcast HD boxes until I got one working good, and from that, I even question the HDMI handshake issues with the current box.
We still have the HD-Direct TV boxes that was origionally given at install, we just called comcast to say, well, don't know which set of eye's everyone is using, but it's time to dosconnect....

Funny how word spreds to Engadgethd.com on how rediculis everyone has been dealing with Scamcast.......:eek::D
No more Scamcast hiding the truth that they are behind in providing a product that everyone is supposidly paying for a quality product.....

What's the point of HD channels if they only look as good as SD?

I sympathize with Comcast's situation.

But if they would've focused on their customers instead of trying to buy Disney and more cable companies, maybe they wouldn't have these bandwidth problems.

If Verizon can invest in "NEW" fios, I think Comcast could've put a few bucks into it's current customers.

Or maybe that proves the complete lack of respect for customers that Comcast has.

Where's my Comcast Fios?

What's the point of HD channels if they only look as good as SD?

I sympathize with Comcast's situation.

But if they would've focused on their customers instead of trying to buy Disney and more cable companies, maybe they wouldn't have these bandwidth problems.

If Verizon can invest in "NEW" fios, I think Comcast could've put a few bucks into it's current customers.

Or maybe that proves the complete lack of respect for customers that Comcast has.

Where's my Comcast Fios?
Comcast is banking on customers not being educated enough to know that even if something's named "HD" it can still look bad, because there's no bitrate requirement for HD. If they can get away with compressing three channels down to one, they can advertise "HD channels" without spending the money required to actually give each channel it's own line.

is this relevant material for this thread?

I am a resident of saint paul and current subscriber of comcast's fastest internet offering, "performance plus." I called as soon as I read the DOCSIS 3.0 news to find out a little more information. ended up scheduling an installation for the service on tuesday, figuring I could always cancel at no charge and its nice being first in line. I am not enthused with the price tag, to say the least (a $50 install fee as well) but my roommates may be on board. a big plus.

really wish I could hear from any existing subscribers, I was told ~ 30 homes currently have it. anyone out there?

I am planning on calling late monday, perhaps to cancel the installation, but also find to out more information like...will all ports be open, and will you get a static ip address. any other questions yall think should be addressed?

Even though it is off topic, those of us on this thread are a fairly small group. I for one would not mind.

Personally I believe the $150 will eventually drop to $99. When it does I will be in.

We are looking at it for work. That price is $200.

I don't need a static ip because I use dyndns and it meets all of my needs. I also can't think of anything else I would want.

Joe

Even though it is off topic, those of us on this thread are a fairly small group. I for one would not mind.

Personally I believe the $150 will eventually drop to $99. When it does I will be in.

We are looking at it for work. That price is $200.

I don't need a static ip because I use dyndns and it meets all of my needs. I also can't think of anything else I would want.

Joe

just a hunch or what? I read a quote from comcast specifically stating they may or may not drop the price depending on the demand....don't think they would publicly state that if it wasn't in their cards.

well, to install on tuesday or not to install on tuesday...that is the question.

first goal is to ask them to waive the installation fee

had it installed today....hardwired to cable modem I reached a download speed of 51 Mbps and uploads of 5Mbps, as advertised.

my wireless router (~3 years old netgear) significantly decreased the download speed but did not affect upload. it may need to be reset, or maybe it wont support such high speeds, any ideas?

I am gonna try a linksys tonight

Is there anyone else from Shakopee here? I have a Hauppage HVR-1600 that I've connected my cable feed to. I subscribe to their HSI but not television service. A channel scan seems to pick up most of the channels. However, I do not seem to get the 3 main stations I want in HD; ABC, CBS, and NBC. According to SiliconDust, they are suppose to be there. Does anyone in the area get these stations? I've tried changing the splitter in my basement so I get a stronger signal in my office as well as not splitting the feed to the cable modem and no luck. Any info would be great!

Has anyone installed cable cards? If so, what charges are you seeing from Comcast?

Thanks

Joe

had it installed today....hardwired to cable modem I reached a download speed of 51 Mbps and uploads of 5Mbps, as advertised.

my wireless router (~3 years old netgear) significantly decreased the download speed but did not affect upload. it may need to be reset, or maybe it wont support such high speeds, any ideas?

I am gonna try a linksys tonight

How is the testing going? What site are you using to test your bandwidth with?

Joe

How is the testing going? What site are you using to test your bandwidth with?

Joe

i've been using speakeasy.net/speedtest

when plugged into my linksys routher via ethernet, I get download speeds of 25000+ kbps. BUT when connected wirelessly the speeds were pretty bad at ~5000 kbps :mad: my roomates could have been doing other stuff online at the time, but still....not as advertised I would say.

any ideas how to improve this? besides calling comcast, I plan on doing that later anyways

edit: fyi, I flashed my linksys with the "tomato firmware", unfortunately I have only had a couple hours at home over the past few days and haven't been able to tweak the settings.

I found this on todays Star Tribune website, it has some references to the AVS Forum.

http://www.startribune.com/local/17956294.html



MINNEAPOLIS - In Brent Swanson's basement home theater, there should be nothing drab about "Battlestar Galactica." He's got a high-end projector that beams the picture onto a wall painted like a silver screen, and speakers loom in the corners, flanking two big subwoofers.

Yet when he tuned in Sci Fi HD for a recent episode filmed in high definition, the image was soft and the darkest parts broke up into large blocks with no definition. Explosions, he said, were just dull.

"It kind of looked like they took the standard definition and just blew it up," said Swanson, a 33-year-old graphic designer and videographer who subscribes to Comcast Corp.'s TV service. "I couldn't really tell if what I was seeing was really better than what I saw on regular television."

As cable TV companies pack ever more HD channels into limited bandwidth, some owners of pricey plasma, projector and LCD TVs are complaining that they're not getting the high-def quality they paid for. They blame the increased signal compression being used to squeeze three digital HD signals into the bandwidth of one analog station.

The problem is viewers want more HD channels at a time when many cable and satellite providers are at the limits of their capacity, said Jim Willcox, a technology editor for Consumer Reports magazine.

"They have to figure out a way to deliver more HD content through their distribution networks," he said.

Compressing the signal is cheaper than costly infrastructure upgrades to increase capacity. Satellite TV providers — including DirecTV Group Inc. and Dish Network Corp. — also have the option of launching satellites to boost the number of HD channels on their systems.

While information is nearly always lost when signals are compressed and then uncompressed, the process can theoretically be made unnoticeable to eyes and ears — and Comcast says it should be.

But some viewers say they can see it. Willcox said complaints about compression have been showing up on Web forums, including the AV Science Forum, a site for serious audio visual enthusiasts.

"It's not exclusively Comcast, although Comcast, being the largest cable provider, is probably the largest target," he said.

Derek Harrar, a Comcast senior vice president in charge of video, said the company recently began using new technology on some channels to compress three HD channels into the bandwidth of one analog station. Other channels continue to get the previous 2-to-1 compression.

In a posting on the AV Science Forum, Ken Fowler of Arlington, Va., compared Comcast signals with those on Verizon Communications Inc.'s all-fiber-optic network, which doesn't have the same capacity limitations. Fowler found the higher-compressed HD stations, including Sci Fi, Animal Planet, the Discovery Channel, the Food Network and A&E, fared particularly poorly.

He analyzed the signals by recording them on a digital recorder, then transferring them to a personal computer for analysis. He found there was much less data, measured in bit rates, flowing to some channels than others.

For example, Discovery's bit rate was 14.16 megabits per second on Verizon's FiOS system but only 10.43 Mbps on Comcast; A&E HD was 18.66 Mbps on FiOS compared with 14.48 Mbps on Comcast. The FiOS system didn't offer Sci Fi HD, which Fowler's testing showed at 12.59 Mbps on Comcast.

He found the signals from the major networks and ESPN weren't getting the increased compression.

In an interview, Fowler said he reran his analysis about two weeks ago and found "basically the same thing."

Philadelphia-based Comcast wouldn't identify specific signals that are 3-to-1 compressed, and a Sci Fi channel spokeswoman referred questions back to Comcast.

Harrar said the company works to make sure any new compression technology is invisible to consumers, but Comcast is "constantly monitoring our network and making adjustments" for best picture quality. The company has been rolling out the new compression technology at different times around the country.

In fact, postings on the AV Science Forum from early April suggest the Comcast network has improved in some places.

And there are other reasons a high-definition picture can appear subpar: The source image might not have been recorded in HD, or the television's settings, the viewing angle and even the ambient lighting in the room could be the cause.

New York-based Time Warner Cable Inc. has avoided many of the criticisms aimed at Comcast, although the companies are technologically similar and face the same capacity limits.

Time Warner spokesman Alex Dudley attributed it to his company's testing procedures. He said that before Time Warner rolls out new technology that may affect image quality, it sets up two identical televisions in a lab, one with the old signal and one with the new. Technicians make adjustments until the pictures can't be told apart.

"The testers are our engineers who we call 'golden eyes,' who have a proven track record of picking up subtle differences in picture quality," he said.

Verizon's FiOS doesn't compress the signal once it receives it, and Willcox said it's considered the picture quality "benchmark." However, Verizon said the system is growing but is now available only in parts of 17 states and has just over a million subscribers — compared with more than 24 million for Comcast.

He said two possible solutions are on the horizon, an improved version of compression, called MPEG-4, and something called "switched digital video."

Comcast and Time Warner Cable have introduced switched video on a trial basis across their networks. In concept, it's like on-demand videos. The company sends only the channels the viewer is watching, instead of all the channels at once.

But switched video has its own issues, including possible slower channel switching times and compatibility problems with digital video recorders.

Willcox said cable providers can't afford to ignore quality complaints. Many customers are already picky about quality after paying $800 to $3,500 for an average-size, HD-ready LCD television.

Swanson, the "Battlestar Galactica" fan, is sticking with Comcast for now.

"It hasn't gotten bad enough for me to consider changing," he said.

nice article.

Keep up the pressure folks.

Time for Comcast to put some money into it's "CURRENT" customers.
Instead of looking for cable companies to buy and raise their prices the next month.

Put your money where your ads are.
I want my "more HD" like your commercials "fib" you have.

I want my Comcast Fios!!!!

AMC HD is here!

:D

A new channel for 13 hours and no posts.
Not a big priority in HD land.

I did watch a few minutes of Wargames last night.
I didn't notice any stretching.

Has anyone installed cable cards? If so, what charges are you seeing from Comcast?

Thanks

Joe
I've had one installed for a couple of years and it eliminates a remote and a box. You do lose the on-demand features, but could gain PQ if your set does a better job than the box.
I think it is free but might cost 5.00 per month.

I have not installed a cable card but I looked into them. They are $6.95 a month and you do lose the ondemand, pay per view, and cable guide.

AMC HD is here!

:D

A new channel for 13 hours and no posts.
Not a big priority in HD land.

I did watch a few minutes of Wargames last night.
I didn't notice any stretching.

Yea, I usually am not a big fan of comcast, but every once in a while they go and do something that pleasantly surprises me. This is one of them. Any new HD channels are good, but this one is even a little better. My gf has some stuff she used to like to watch on AMC SD but I axed the digital preferred service a couple of months (good ol comcast was WAY too expensive) and we lost the SD channel. Now, I seem to be getting the AMC HD version without the preffered package. Works for me!!

I'm trying to find the actual channel locations for the HD channels (as opposed to the rerouted numbers). I've found TPT/PBS at 111, WCCO (CBS) at 112, and Fox at 129, but cannot find ABC or NBC. Anybody know? Thanks!

The Twin Cities area will be getting 3 more HD Channels soon FYI.

The 3 being added are

-ABC Family HD
-Disney Channel HD
-The Science Channel HD

All 3 of those will be arriving by the end of May.

Where's HDNET...

Is anybody else having problems with hdtvtwincities forums. The front page looks fine, but when I try to enter the forums I get redirected to a porn page.

I think they've been hacked. My security warnings light-up big time on the forums. Best to stay away until they can get it fixed.

I have had the same problem...

Hope they fix it. But I have noticed people posting on the site, (I can see the forum front page), so some people are able to access the forum.

Is anybody else having problems with hdtvtwincities forums. The front page looks fine, but when I try to enter the forums I get redirected to a porn page.

hdtvtwincities forums has fixed the problem!!

Official Press Release

June 19, 2008


Comcast, Big Ten Network Reach Broad Multimedia Agreement for Big Ten Network Content

Comcast customers to receive Big Ten Network HD, Big Ten Network high-speed Internet content through Comcast.net, and condensed game replays and other programs through Comcast On Demand

Philadelphia and Chicago -- Comcast Corporation and the Big Ten Network announced today that they have reached a long-term multimedia agreement for Comcast to carry Big Ten Network programming across television, broadband and video-on-demand in time for the 2008 college football season.

Under the terms of the agreement, Comcast will initially launch the network as part of its expanded basic level of service to promote it to the majority of its customers residing in states with Big Ten universities (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, with the exception of the Philadelphia region which will launch on a broadly distributed digital level of service) starting August 15th. (Comcast does not have systems in Iowa, the eighth Big Ten state.) In Spring 2009, Comcast may elect to move the network to a broadly distributed digital level of service in most of its systems in these states. Comcast's digital customers in the Big Ten states will also have immediate access to live Big Ten games and events in high definition, Big Ten programming via Comcast's video-on-demand platform, and a wide array of conference-related content through Comcast.net.

Outside of the Big Ten states that Comcast serves, Comcast has the option to provide Big Ten Network programming on any level of service, including its Sports Entertainment Package.

Officials from Comcast and Big Ten Network said they look forward to utilizing both traditional and emerging media to bring more Big Ten programming to fans than was ever available to them before.

"We are very pleased with the agreement we have reached with the Big Ten Network to carry hundreds of live Big Ten events," said Madison Bond, Executive Vice President, Content Acquisition, Comcast Cable. "We will be providing our customers with Big Ten programming through our signature video-on-demand service, and will have lots of highlights, replays, scores and more through Comcast.net so fans can keep pace with Big Ten action whenever they want to."

Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said the network is thrilled to have Comcast as a distribution partner. "This agreement allows us to reach many more Big Ten fans with our programming because of the high concentration of Comcast subscribers in Big Ten states. With the Comcast deal now in place, the Big Ten Network will be available to more than two-thirds of all homes in Big Ten Country."

Big Ten Network already produces more high-definition television content than any new sports network in television history. Over the next year, more than 400 live Big Ten sporting events will be carried by the Big Ten Network in high definition, including football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball and soccer, as well as other NCAA-sponsored sports.

Comcast's digital customers who receive the network will have On Demand access to programming such as weekly extended highlights and condensed game replays from around the conference, classic Big Ten sporting events, bowl game coverage and coaches' shows, plus original campus programming and nightly studio shows from Big Ten Network, most of which is available in high definition.

Comcast also has the ability to deliver much of that same content to its Comcast High Speed Internet customers via the company's Comcast.net portal. Additionally, Comcast has the rights to carry certain network content on Fancast.com.

About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services. With 24.7 million cable customers, 14.1 million high-speed Internet customers, and 5.2 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten Comcast SportsNet networks and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet business. Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.

About the Big Ten Network
The Big Ten Network is dedicated to covering the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions. The Big Ten Network provides unprecedented access to an extensive schedule of conference sports events and shows; original programs in academics, the arts and sciences; campus activities; and associated personalities. Sports programming includes live coverage of more major men's and women's events than ever before, along with news, highlights and analysis, all complemented by hours of university-produced campus programming. The network is available to all cable and satellite carriers and television distributors nationwide, with most programs offered in stunning high-definition television (HDTV). The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks.

does comcast have hd ppv in Minneapolis area (Brooklyn Park) for the ufc fights, even Saint Michael and Elk River (charter) have it in hd now. God comcast sucks, Still don't have HD net either

I looked at the HD Net schedule on the net.
No sir...I don't get it.
Pretty bad programming.

Must be for the "I drive a Hummer/full-size pick-up" crowd.:D

Forgive me for being a little off topic here, but the thread for Mediacom in the Twin Cities area is dead and moved to archives. I have Mediacom in Victoria, MN. I watch the "in-the-clear" locals in HD. About two weeks ago, ABC (which was located at 5-1) disappeared. I have rescanned, but I still cannot find an in-the-clear channel for ABC in HD. Does anyone else have this problem, or any info on what happened, where it has been relocated to?

Thanks,
Shell

Forgive me for being a little off topic here, but the thread for Mediacom in the Twin Cities area is dead and moved to archives. I have Mediacom in Victoria, MN. I watch the "in-the-clear" locals in HD. About two weeks ago, ABC (which was located at 5-1) disappeared. I have rescanned, but I still cannot find an in-the-clear channel for ABC in HD. Does anyone else have this problem, or any info on what happened, where it has been relocated to?

Thanks,
Shell
I may be able to help you. . .

I've had 9.1, 17.2, 17.3, and 17.4 disappear on Comcast. Upon further investigation, I found they were carried on QAM frequency 129, the highest frequency used for the clear QAM channels here in Minneapolis. My home is still wired with old RG-59 cable from the early 1980's, which has too much signal strength drop off at that high frequency. (Many people in Minneapolis have had their cable upgraded to RG-6 when they get broadband or digital cable, but I've stuck with basic cable to avoid getting any kind of cable box, and I use "Wireless Minneapolis" Wi-Fi for broadband.)

I actually haven't gotten around to calling Comcast out to rewire with RG-6, because I get can get the channels just fine over the air, including 17.5, which is not carried by Comcast, and 9.2 & 17.1, which Comcast has banished to (or more accurately, mislabeled as) QAM channel "0" along with dozens of other SD broadcast subchannels and public access channels. (I'm considering canceling Comcast altogether.)

I can find 9.1 and 17.2 - 17.4 during a channel scan if I connect the cable from outside directly to the TV, gaining signal strength by bypassing all splitters and A/B switches, etc. Also, signal strength can fluctuate as various maintenance work or upgrades are done elsewhere on the cable system, so even after putting the splitter and A/B switch back in, sometimes I find 9.1 and 17.x may actually remain watchable for a few days, but at other times they appear but freeze or break up, and at other times they can't be received at all (my TV says "Channel not available").

By the way, if your TV tuner works like mine, you can experiment by punching in the actual QAM frequencies to find out what channel the clear QAM broadcasts are carried on. (Just by entering channel numbers on the remote; I'm not talking about going through any special menu commands.) For example, if I punch in 108, I get to 23.1 (I can also use 23.1, of course). 111 gets me to 2.2. 112 goes to 4.1.

Anyway, to get to the point, if you have any splitters or switches between where your cable enters your home and your TV, you may want to try reconfiguring or upgrading them to reduce any signal loss that may be causing the problem.

- Bob

Looks like we now have big ten hd (BTHD). Still no Speed HD, so that sucks.

well hopefully we see hd net and hd net movies soon. Looks like comcast finally agreed to carry it, no word yet on release date

http://www.tvpredictions.com/comcast090508.htm

still no hd ppv and directv still had 1.6 million more hd channels. zzzzzzzzz

One thing I've been pleasantly surprised with is the Big Ten Network has an HD channel. Nice to see the Gophers in high def for a change....especially when they're winning.

Any news on new HD channels for the Twin Cities area? Really wish we would have HDNet by now since the MLS season is almost over. :(

I may be able to help you. . .

I've had 9.1, 17.2, 17.3, and 17.4 disappear on Comcast. Upon further investigation, I found they were carried on QAM frequency 129, the highest frequency used for the clear QAM channels here in Minneapolis. My home is still wired with old RG-59 cable from the early 1980's, which has too much signal strength drop off at that high frequency. (Many people in Minneapolis have had their cable upgraded to RG-6 when they get broadband or digital cable, but I've stuck with basic cable to avoid getting any kind of cable box, and I use "Wireless Minneapolis" Wi-Fi for broadband.)

I actually haven't gotten around to calling Comcast out to rewire with RG-6, because I get can get the channels just fine over the air, including 17.5, which is not carried by Comcast, and 9.2 & 17.1, which Comcast has banished to (or more accurately, mislabeled as) QAM channel "0" along with dozens of other SD broadcast subchannels and public access channels. (I'm considering canceling Comcast altogether.)

I can find 9.1 and 17.2 - 17.4 during a channel scan if I connect the cable from outside directly to the TV, gaining signal strength by bypassing all splitters and A/B switches, etc. Also, signal strength can fluctuate as various maintenance work or upgrades are done elsewhere on the cable system, so even after putting the splitter and A/B switch back in, sometimes I find 9.1 and 17.x may actually remain watchable for a few days, but at other times they appear but freeze or break up, and at other times they can't be received at all (my TV says "Channel not available").

By the way, if your TV tuner works like mine, you can experiment by punching in the actual QAM frequencies to find out what channel the clear QAM broadcasts are carried on. (Just by entering channel numbers on the remote; I'm not talking about going through any special menu commands.) For example, if I punch in 108, I get to 23.1 (I can also use 23.1, of course). 111 gets me to 2.2. 112 goes to 4.1.

Anyway, to get to the point, if you have any splitters or switches between where your cable enters your home and your TV, you may want to try reconfiguring or upgrading them to reduce any signal loss that may be causing the problem.

- Bob
That's helpful, Bob. My signal strength has gone to hell in the past week so I am having the same issue of losing channels as kcrlshell. Is there any chance you could give the full list of actual channel locations? What I gathered from your post is that:

129: Fox (9-1)
108: CW (23-1)
111: TPT (2-2)
112: CBS (4-1)

Do you happen to know the actual locations for NBC and ABC? Thanks! While my channel scan is currently picking up only CBS and NBC, but using the numbers you supplied I'm able to see Fox and CW as well.

That's helpful, Bob. My signal strength has gone to hell in the past week so I am having the same issue of losing channels as kcrlshell. Is there any chance you could give the full list of actual channel locations? What I gathered from your post is that:

129: Fox (9-1)
108: CW (23-1)
111: TPT (2-2)
112: CBS (4-1)

Do you happen to know the actual locations for NBC and ABC? Thanks! While my channel scan is currently picking up only CBS and NBC, but using the numbers you supplied I'm able to see Fox and CW as well.

I'd be interested to know those locations, too - specifically NBC. I just got a new TV for the bedroom, and the channel scan turned up everything EXCEPT for 11.1, and I couldn't find the digital version of KARE 11 on any of the other scanned channels that were showing up (over 120 plus the sub-channels).

Normally it wouldn't bother me that much, especially on a tv that isn't heavily used, but watching 11.1 would account for about 85% of this tv's use!

Bump.

Hello?:confused:

Comcast?:(

We are falling behind up here.:o

When can I delete unused channels from my channel guide list like everyone else 7 years ago?

When will our DVR's have multiple TV usage like everyone else is doing?

When will you have more than one HD HBO or Showtime channel?

When can I access my DVR programming through the internet?

When will we have 90 HD channels like Boston? I know we don't have fiber competition like Boston.....Oh, I just answered that one.;)

At $14/month HD DVR fee I can get a Tivo soon, I hear those DVR's don't need to be power-cycled every week for stability and they actually ADD features for the customers.

Oh well. Maybe the New Year.:D

I'm considering the same switch - to an HD Tivo system, due to much of what you mentioned. Has anyone made the switch, and if so, any pros/cons? I think I figured a 24-30 month breakeven point when I was running numbers last month.

From KARE11.com

Vikings face possible blackout; thousands of playoff tickets still up for grabs

New Year's Day, football and JJ's Clubhouse. For Mark Sculati and Jay Griep, it's about as good as it gets.

Already, the two are predicting a big win for the Vikings this Sunday. Not that they'll be in the dome watching it. They -- like so many people -- have their reasons for staying home, instead.

"Everybody's got flat-screened T.V.s. It's so nice watching it from the living room on HDTV rather than going to the dome," said Sculati. "I think the economy, I think that has a lot to do with it, why they aren't selling out," said Griep.

Whatever the reason, as of noon Thursday, the Vikings had eight thousand tickets left to sell for their first playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday. The deadline for selling the remaining tickets is 3:30 p.m. Friday.

"We're cautiously optimistic. We have a lot of work to do in the next 24 hours," said Steve LaCroix, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Minnesota Vikings. LaCroix says the holidays definitely distracted fans -- preventing them from buying playoff tickets.

But he realizes season ticket holders are also not coming through with purchases. At one point, only 55 percent of season ticket holders were buying playoff tickets. Still, he says, that trend is both costly and convenient for fans hoping to score a few good seats.

"Really the post season is where some really special things can happen. Maybe we did qualify for the playoffs on the last day, but we still won the division. Still hosting the first round game," LaCroix said.

Besides taking a toll on the team's morale, if thousands of tickets remain unclaimed, viewers at home could face a blackout. And, LaCroix says, fans at the dome a greenout.

"I know in Philadelphia there's an active movement to get some of their fans to come to the Twin Cities for the weekend. We want to keep it purple and a home field advantage," LaCroix said.

In the past, the T.V. station that broadcasts the game has stepped in at the last minute to buy the remaining unsold tickets. But LaCroix says stations have previously only purchased about a thousand tickets.

On Thursday night, Fox 9 News, which is airing the game on Sunday, did not comment on what the station plans to do.

Meantime, the team hopes fans come forward before anyone else to ensure a home team advantage during the first home playoff game in eight years.

The team is also clarifying a misconception among fans about having to buy all playoff tickets ahead of time. LaCroix says the team has a "Pay As You Play" program which allows the team to charge a fan's credit card only if the team advances.

Fans who buy their tickets by check will need to request a refund from the team, otherwise the money will go toward tickets for next season.

I've watched the Vikings all my life.

But....

I don't know these people, they could not care any less about me. None are from around here, most don't live here and for another $20 bucks they would be somewhere else.

If they couldn't play football half of them would be in jail. Well, in the Vikings case 2/3.

If they feel bad I have some suggestions.....

-Rent a boat with a bunch of friends
-Run over a meter-maid with pot in your car and do no time
-beat up your wife (or baby-mama)
-Go into the bathroom of a hip, popular steak restaurant and "meet" a girl
-Take non-NFL sanctioned drugs, get suspended and use your money and the courts to get out of it
-Buy another unGodly tacky earing
-reveal through your behavior, that you are really just another looser who has a talent that a lot of idiots waste WAAAY too much time and money on.

Sorry. Just is what it is.
Real role-models.

GO VIKINGS!

I hope you get your stadium that the dying middle-class pays for so you can sell the team to another person for 5X's instead of only 3X's what you paid.

Is anything at all going on with Comcast in the Twin Cities? There seems to be a constant stream of HD channels being added elsewhere, but nothing here. I finally ditched their crappy, expensive DVR for a TiVo HD, so I'm actually excited about watching TV again.

I'm considering the same thing, Dave (TivoHD).. haven't bit the bullet yet, though I suppose that the longer I wait, the more I'm spending per month. How did the process go, and how much do they charge for the cable card(s)? (And did you get a multi-channel or two single-channel?)

My cable card install is scheduled for 3/29, so I'll let you know. I've requested an M-CARD, which I understand will be around $2/mo.

Cool - I thought you could just drop off the DVR and pick up a card from a Comcast service center. Does anyone else have an M-Card they're currently using and have historical data on how much they're charging?

My cable card install is scheduled for 3/29, so I'll let you know. I've requested an M-CARD, which I understand will be around $2/mo.

I called Comcast about a month ago and I was told Cablecards are free with $16 installation. I asked the CSR to confirm with her manager and she did.

Did they tell you it was $2 a month?

No, they didn't mention the cost, but by law at can't be over $2. If it's free, that would be great. You can't install a card yourself- you have to schedule an install (unfortunately).

I am in Minneapolis, so the former TWC area. We have Scientific-Atlanta / Cisco equipment rather than Motorola, so YMMV.

In my case, I requested an M-card for my TiVoHD but none were available (~1 yr ago).

I received 2 S-cards instead, but neither are being charged a fee. I was told they take the place of the "digital converter" included with the "Digital Preferred" package, so if I were to get another box, the fees would have to be worked out. There is a note on my bill to that effect. I don't know if the box would be included with the package and the cable cards would be charged or vice versa.

I wanted an HD box for on demand, so I also kept the Comcast DVR. The DVR is $15.95, otherwise they were going to charge $7 for a regular HD box plus $6 for an additional digital connection. At $13, I just kept the DVR. Total FU pricing, if you ask me.

Here's how it appears on my bill:

Preferred Package 03/04 - 04/03 74.49
Includes: Standard Cable and Digital Classic
Channels, Music Choice, Interactive Program
Guide, Digital Receiver & Remote for $1.79,
and On Demand Access.

Cable Card Equipment 03/04 - 04/03 0.00

Cable Card Equipment 03/04 - 04/03 0.00
*The Equipment Detailed In Your Digital
Package Does Not Apply to Cable Card
Customers.

Addl DVR With HDTV Svc 03/04 - 04/03 15.95
Includes a Digital Receiver

I'm working on the same switch to TIVO HD. Tired of waiting for Comcast to upgrade the HD DVR boxes to something remotely similar to the functionality built into the Tivo HD. Also just installed a $65 antenna in my attic and get great OTA HD (not needed with cable, I know. This was just out of curiosity to see if uncompressed HD would look better. It's great, but not noticeably better than Comcast's compressed HD IMO).

Back to cable card pricing - I was told by a CSR last week that Comcast would charge a $6.95 "outlet fee" which includes the first card, plus another $6.95 fee for each additional card, even if the additional card is installed in the same device. I've separately heard on other forums that it should only be $1.50 to $2.00 for the second card on the same device. Last, the CSR didn't know anything about MCards, so I'm still trying to figure out if they are installing them in the Twin Cities. I would gladly pay one outlet fee plus the TIVO montly fee and essentially break even. I'm sure the CSR is just not trained very well on this issue but it is frustrastring trying to something so basic worked out.

I'm interested in hearing about other's experiences with Tivo and cable cards, Mcards in particular, and pricing.

For anyone considering switching to TIVO, here are some pros as I see it. Any cons? Anyone with experience? I haven't switched yet.

-multi-room viewing over wireless network - watch shows in any room on any Tivo
-schedule over internet, including smart phone
-transfer video to laptop, iPod, or DVD - great when traveling
-Netflix, CinemaNow, Amazon rental, YouTube
-more search options
-more capacity
-better user interface
-similar total monthly fee once you absorb the cost of the Tivo

There's really only one con, and one potential con:

- You'll lose your video on demand and any 2-way interactivity (unless you keep your Comcast box)

- If our area ever moves to SDV, you'll need to get an adapter box, which I think is free (?) (Comcast would supply this)

IMO, both are prices worth paying to ditch the sorry excuse for a DVR that Comcast offers. I, like many others, was holding out for a real Comcast TiVo, but I'm tired of waiting. I think they announced the thing 3 years ago, and there's still nothing available here- ridiculous.

Great information, everyone - thanks!

I'm working on the same switch to TIVO HD. Tired of waiting for Comcast to upgrade the HD DVR boxes to something remotely similar to the functionality built into the Tivo HD. Also just installed a $65 antenna in my attic and get great OTA HD (not needed with cable, I know. This was just out of curiosity to see if uncompressed HD would look better. It's great, but not noticeably better than Comcast's compressed HD IMO).

I'm glad you shared this comparison - I was curious as well. I can literally see the Shoreview towers from my living room - unfortunately I don't have an HD tuner since I use a projector and (computer-based LCD) for TV. Glad I'm not missing much (IYO).

The M-card deal is interesting - surprised that they're not using them, but I guess if they have plenty of S-cards and don't charge any more for them, I could care less.

I think this pushed me over the edge.. time to order one up (or see if there are any deals and wait a reasonable amount of time for one).

There's really only one con, and one potential con:

- You'll lose your video on demand and any 2-way interactivity (unless you keep your Comcast box)

- If our area ever moves to SDV, you'll need to get an adapter box, which I think is free (?) (Comcast would supply this)

IMO, both are prices worth paying to ditch the sorry excuse for a DVR that Comcast offers. I, like many others, was holding out for a real Comcast TiVo, but I'm tired of waiting. I think they announced the thing 3 years ago, and there's still nothing available here- ridiculous.


Thanks, DaveMN. I wasn't aware of the SDV issue.

Anyone know if the new DCX boxes are available yet in the twin cities?

ION HD coming June 10. 237 in StP and 437 in Mpls.

ION HD coming June 10. 237 in StP and 437 in Mpls.


Woooo - go comcast - 1 hd channel in months - At least they enabled dvr expansion, oh wait they didn't do that either. They are worthless

No kidding.. yet another reason why they're going to lose a(nother) customer in the next few weeks.

yea I want to get DirecTV but my roommate doesn't want 2 for some stupid reason. I do like on demand and the fact it doesn't go out in bad weather but the lack of hd channels and no dvr expansion is lame. If they added some more hd channels and let me plug in an external hd I would be a happy camper.

You can get DVR expansion (and much better user interface) with a TivoHD and cable cards, though still limited to the same channel selection obviously. That's the route I went, and will probably just kill the cable part all together and go OTA for the most part. We watch TV in spurts, and are always bumping against the limit, so I'm looking forward to offloading shows to my server.

I recently replaced all three of my Comcast DVRs with Tivo HDs and cable cards. I put a 500GB expander on one unit which gives me plenty of capacity to record the kind of stuff I would never think of recording on my smaller Comcast box due to size limit (misc. documentaries, old movies, last 5 of several favorite news/talk shows, etc.). I use the multi-room viewing feature to access this content from the other two rooms, and use the wireless network connectivity to transfer a few shows automatically to my laptop after they record so that I always have something to watch while travelling. I can record shows from the office using web interface.

I think Tivo fanatics over-hype the service a bit but these few features really make the switch worth looking into.

I know this is a comcast thread, and I guess this is kinda related to Comcast.
Just figure there is a large concentration of TC memebers posting/lurking here. I am looking for anyone that has experience with both Comcast cable internet and the city wide USI wireless internet. How do they compare with regards to reliability and speeds. I guess most importantly to me is how the USI does with ping/latency. I do a lot of online gaming on XBOX and am concerned about lag issues going to the USI system.
For as much as I hate Comcast for the TV side of things, they do have fast internet that at least for me has been very reliable over the past couple years. It is just a little bit pricey lately, especially if I decide to get a satellite and don't have a package deal anymore. Thanks in advance.
John

Yea I have thought about Tivo a little bit. Some of the reasons I have not got one yet is because I know comcast will start replacing older boxes with the new dcx boxes. I think they might even be out in a few markets. That box having mpeg4 and 1080p support if comcast ever decides to take advantage of that my Tivo won't do much good. I do suppose by the time this actually happends I'm sure Tivo Super HD IIII++++ will be out, lol. Also if we end up getting DirecTV I don't wanna be stuck with a tivo. So I dunno, I guess I will just wait some more. It does look pretty sweet though, I also use rhapsody which I would love to stream to my tv.

I am going to be really curious to see what happens after the dtv switch. I was pretty pissed when they delayed it cause I heard that cable stopped moving bulk of there analog channels cause it was causing confusion. Hopefully once we get passes that they will dump all the analog channels.


I know this is a comcast thread, and I guess this is kinda related to Comcast.
Just figure there is a large concentration of TC memebers posting/lurking here. I am looking for anyone that has experience with both Comcast cable internet and the city wide USI wireless internet. How do they compare with regards to reliability and speeds. I guess most importantly to me is how the USI does with ping/latency. I do a lot of online gaming on XBOX and am concerned about lag issues going to the USI system.
For as much as I hate Comcast for the TV side of things, they do have fast internet that at least for me has been very reliable over the past couple years. It is just a little bit pricey lately, especially if I decide to get a satellite and don't have a package deal anymore. Thanks in advance.
John

I'm not sure about USI, but I have one of the new Surfboard Docsis 3 modems and it's the bomb. I'm on the 22meg tier which is plenty fast. Only game I have tried on it is Counter Strike and I had one of the best ping times on the server (under 30, I'm sure it was someone close by) but excellent for gaming. I have not really played to much xbox since I got the new modem but even before when I had the old modem I got excellent ping times and lag has NEVER been an issue with xbox or pc(at least me lagging, there is always some dumb ass maxing out his upload that prob has limewire running) . I would never want another ISP around here and the only thing I would ever consider would be FIOS which won't be happening anytime soon.


Has anyone got a dcx box yet around here?

so, movieplex is now a premium channel? is there anything left on the digital starter (so-called) tier?

has anyone got one of the new dcx boxes yet? I know they are out in some markets not sure if here is one of them

Hey guys, we have comcast and sometimes the sound cuts in and out very briefly. Does anyone else have this problem? It seems to happen more frequently on HBO HD and the high-def channels. Would it be the box, the provider or just the actual channel possibly? Also, do the DVR boxes wear out after awhile because ours is extremely slow when opening up recorded shows or after deleting them. Is there any fix to this or is it just something we have to deal with?

Do you mean it cuts out and then comes back on automatically relatively soon? If so, then I haven't seen that. But I have seen where it cuts out for quite a long time, basically to the point where when it happens, I immediately mute and unmute and it comes back. If that works, then it's a known problem. That's the only audio issue I've had related to the box.

Oh, and I just dropped Comcast, all but the Internet (for now.. that might be coming). Finally switched to OTA Tivo, and it's working fine.

yea I want to get DirecTV but my roommate doesn't want 2 for some stupid reason. I do like on demand and the fact it doesn't go out in bad weather but the lack of hd channels and no dvr expansion is lame. If they added some more hd channels and let me plug in an external hd I would be a happy camper.

If you have hi-speed internet and one of their DVRs, then DirecTV seems to have very useable On Demand now. If your router isn't all that close to the TV, they'll do a powerline networking thing to get it hooked up.

Tomorrow I find out if our oak trees keep us in bondage to Comcast or not.

Anyone know what happened to local ABC HD (KSPT) and FOX HD (KMSP)? They used to be 5-1, and 9-1. After the transition I rescanned and these disappeared. I only get SD 5 and 9. A few of the locals popped up in the 110-... region but don't seem very as good.

Most people who are having problems seem to be having problems with 9 and 11 post-transition, because they went back to their original channels in high-VHF (their transition digital channels were UHF), and a lot of "HDTV antennas" sold during the transition period are either UHF-only, or at least not too great at VHF.

I'm not sure where 5 ended up, but it would be in UHF and I haven't heard much complaint of people losing them after the transition.

Tho since this is a Comcast thread, you might be better off visiting www.hdtvtwincities.com and chatting with the regulars there.

Just got 2 brand new DCX 3400's with new remotes - up and running - bigger hd and native resolution which is why I wanted this box actually works great! You have to set up native in the settings though, it's not on by defualt

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2931/imag0015p.jpg

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/5427/imag0014isi.jpg

Oh yea, if you get one keep your old remote - 30 second skip button won't program to the new remote - hopefully it just needs a different code. The old remote seems to work just as good.

Happy Hunting!

Any word on the arrival FX-HD and Speed-HD? How does one obtain a DCX box from Comcast?
Thank you.

There's been an anecdotal report from one Comcast subscriber that a phone rep told him that the St. Paul system will be converted to "World of More" by March, 2010. I wouldn't bet the bank on it until they announce it publicly in a press release or newspaper article, but that timeline is more or less median for completing the World of More project nationwide, so it is not unreasonable from that perspective.

Also, presumably by past experience elsewhere with World of More conversions, some head-ends in the St. Paul system will get those extra HD channels significantly before the end-of-project date in March.

No word if the Minneapolis system is working on the same timeframe --tho they'd be nearly insane from a PR perspective to not make it so.

Given typical timeframes for completing a "World of More" conversion, if this timeframe is going to become official and public, I'd expect it to be confirmed by Comcast publicly within the next 60 days.

There's been an anecdotal report from one Comcast subscriber that a phone rep told him that the St. Paul system will be converted to "World of More" by March, 2010. I wouldn't bet the bank on it until they announce it publicly in a press release or newspaper article, but that timeline is more or less median for completing the World of More project nationwide, so it is not unreasonable from that perspective.

Also, presumably by past experience elsewhere with World of More conversions, some head-ends in the St. Paul system will get those extra HD channels significantly before the end-of-project date in March.

No word if the Minneapolis system is working on the same timeframe --tho they'd be nearly insane from a PR perspective to not make it so.

Given typical timeframes for completing a "World of More" conversion, if this timeframe is going to become official and public, I'd expect it to be confirmed by Comcast publicly within the next 60 days.


I sure hope so, as far as getting a dcx, bring your box in to your comcast office and tell them you want a dcx

I posted this on the main Comcast thread here, but it should be here too. This supports the previous March 2010 report mentioned previously.

+++++

Last night I wrote an email to the General Manager of KSTC 45 here in the Twin Cities. The primary purpose of my email was to lobby for more Minnesota Wild hockey games (which they broadcast) in HD this upcoming season. But since I was writing her anyway, I asked her when we might expect to find her station in HD on local Comcast, which today Comcast (and DirecTV, for that matter) only provides an SD feed of her station. You need an antenna today to get KSTC in HD.

I got a much more illuminating answer on the second question than I was expecting.

She replied, "Our understanding with Comcast is that they will be adding us to their HD tier in 2010. They hope to begin the transition in February, but it will take several months to make the transition throughout their coverage area."

That answer appears to me to very much indicate her station's HD feed will be part of the Cavalry upgrade locally. Local Comcast has never before done that kind of "several months" rolling implementation of a new HD station in the past in this area. That is, however, an accurate description of the Cavalry process we've seen in other Comcast regions so far. So I believe that while it didn't come from Comcast directly, we've just been told what the timeframe for Cavalry/World of More is in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Comcast region.

I'd also guess that's when the new HD feeds are currently targeted to show up on people's TVs, rather than when Comcast starts notifying people to order DTAs --that would be more likely to be in November or December of this year. The reason I say that, is the GM of the broadcast station would likely be massively disinterested in all the lead-up details --I think all she'd care about is when can Comcast subscribers actually get her HD feed on their TVs. And, after all, that's what I actually asked her.

georule, thanks for the update. I'm a hockey fan so I guess until Comcast adds 45 to their HD tier I'll have to get the antenna out of my closet and connect it to my set.

P.S. I wonder if in March KSTC will telecast the State High School Hockey tourney in HD?

I have an 'under the cabinet' hdtv installed in my kitchen with a built in tuner (comcast is the provider) On this TV, I get channel 25 (ESPN)...downstairs in my home theater, I have a Samsung DTB-H260F Tuner and but I don't get ESPN...any ideas? Missing MNF on the 10' screen...

I tuned to Fox Sports North HD and "Twins Live" is not being shown although on the guide. Also surpised that the station would not show the final regular season game at the Metrodome in HD! What gives? Thanks.

P.S. I am obtaining station via DirecTV.

I just moved from Eagan to Minneapolis. I had the Motorola DVR (3412) when I was in Eagan which had its issues, but overall was a fairly usable device. I returned it due to an overlap in service, and now I've got this utterly unusable Cisco RNG-200 box. The DVR recording features are ridiculously underwhelming (show priority, no skip, the bars don't show time into the show, and on and on). Perhaps I need to dig a little more, but I want my Moto box back. I understand that Minneapolis, being a legacy TW area is on SA/Cisco equipment. Do Moto boxes work on this side of the river, or am I stuck with the SA/Cisco crap, If I'm stuck with it, are there any better options than this stupid box?

Really thinking about going to dish now. At least the iguide/moto box was passable as a DVR but this thing I've got now really isn't.

It'll cost you a few bucks, but I've gone to TiVo HD, and have not looked back since.

I think i'm going to go that route. This Cisco DVR is junk.

The analog reduction/"Project Cavalry"/"World of More" is rumored to be announced to the Twin Cities in January.

Anybody know if HDTV Twin Cities is down for good now?
http://www.hdtvtwincities.com

Lately it'd degenerated into a bunch of immature bickering, but I still checked it from time to time.

Anybody know if HDTV Twin Cities is down for good now?


I haven't heard for sure but I'm assuming so.

Shhh..... don't tell a couple of the posters about this place.

;-)

I've been just getting the 403 Forbidden error since last week:(
I admit I haven't been posting much at HDTV, seems like most of the threads just deal with cable or Comcast TV;)

Too bad, it was a good site in the early days of HDTV.

Is January 28th a target date? Also, is that just for the announcement or is 1/28/10 the implementation date when the World of More goes live here in the Twin Cities?

I agree with you Dave! It seemed like the forum had turned into a Jr. High debate

Is January 28th a target date? Also, is that just for the announcement or is 1/28/10 the implementation date when the World of More goes live here in the Twin Cities?

Where did you get January 28th?

If it gets announced in January it will probably be at least a month before they start eliminating analogs and adding more HD channels.

Does anyone have a list or scan of the price increases/decreases that are scheduled for the 1st of the year. It was mailed out a month or so ago and I can't seem to find it. I called Comcast locally to get the info and the rep didn't know anything. I've got DirecTV and I've got Comcast internet with basic TV service because it's cheaper than having just internet, but I thought the price of basic TV was going up a couple of bucks and the price of internet without TV service was going down a couple as well to where the just internet option would be cheaper.

If someone could post that, I would really appreciate it.

Where did you get January 28th?

If it gets announced in January it will probably be at least a month before they start eliminating analogs and adding more HD channels.

Just a guess, really. A friend of mine works at TPT and they're going to have users do a rescan since "they're moving to digital signals through the major cable provider in the area".

So, who knows?

I have to admit, though - sure would be nice to watch that upcoming Pacquiao/Mayweather fight in HD...I'd order it now in HD, and pay $54.95, but Comcast doesn't have HD PPV in the Twin Cities. Incredible lack of service and planning by their management (at all levels) that they only have 41-44 HD channels here in the Twin Cities, isn't it?

World of More will be announced in several Wisconsin and Twin Cities areas by March 2010. I have no idea when this worthless company will get around to putting in the new HD channels.

Boy, sure would be nice to have ATT U-Verse or Fios in this region...

I haven't heard for sure but I'm assuming so.

Shhh..... don't tell a couple of the posters about this place.

;-)

I just sent the site owner an e-mail asking what the status is. If I hear anything I'll pass it along here.

(Hopefully I'm not one of the "couple of posters" you are referring to lol)

Just got word that the site owner planned on shutting down HDTV Twin Cities anyways at the beginning of 2010. However the hosting company misunderstood and took it off early. So there you have it.

Just got word that the site owner planned on shutting down HDTV Twin Cities anyways at the beginning of 2010. However the hosting company misunderstood and took it off early. So there you have it.
Thanks for that update Demolition Man. As has been mentioned, back in the day it was a very good site and all the work the owner has put in to running it is appreciated by the community.

Marty (site owner) lost interest, but at the same time refused to turn it over to someone else (and there were volunteers) who would keep the obvious trolls in check.

Ah well. It was nice while it lasted.

Figured it was my turn once again to call Comcast to get any information. All I could get is that "more channels are coming soon" and "we're working on it." Frustrating that with all the money I am spending that I'm stuck with watching that TNA Wrestling 3 hour show on Monday in crappy SD all the while WWE RAW is available in HD.

You could see that Marty lost interest awhile back. I just wish he would have turned it over to another person, someone who would have taken more control over the content and posts.

It was a great site at one time :(

Reminds me of what happened to the BestBuySux.org website/forum. Site owner no longer cared despite many people willing to take it over. Life moves on tho. Sucks to see sites go but sadly its a part of the internet.

Hey folks, I had a few channels I noticed missing this morning on my Media Center. Food HD wasn't working on the cablecard, and KARE HD wasn't working on Clear QAM.

Food worked on the cable box, and KARE HD worked on my TV (also Clear QAM). Any idea why they might work on one, and not another?

I'm in Saint Paul.

Apparently there is a "comcaststeve" that does actually work for Comcast (he's on Twitter and DSLReports) and they are testing SA(Cisco)-compatible DTAs on his system.

That is a good sign for us if it is true.

Apparently there is a "comcaststeve" that does actually work for Comcast (he's on Twitter and DSLReports) and they are testing SA(Cisco)-compatible DTAs on his system.

That is a good sign for us if it is true.

Right, but how far along in the testing process are they? 41 or 44 HD channels in 2010 is an absolute joke. I wish FIOS or U-Verse had access to St. Paul and/or Mpls.

Right, but how far along in the testing process are they? 41 or 44 HD channels in 2010 is an absolute joke. I wish FIOS or U-Verse had access to St. Paul and/or Mpls.

When even Comcast taunts U-Verse for crappy PQ (I have Center Ice and see ads from around the country regularly, not just TC), be careful what you wish for! I'm on another forum here re the TV in my sig, and whenever someone with a new huge (60" or bigger) TV starts complaining about how the HD PQ isn't as good as they were expecting, it almost always turns out be a U-Verse customer. . .

When even Comcast taunts U-Verse for crappy PQ (I have Center Ice and see ads from around the country regularly, not just TC), be careful what you wish for! I'm on another forum here re the TV in my sig, and whenever someone with a new huge (60" or bigger) TV starts complaining about how the HD PQ isn't as good as they were expecting, it almost always turns out be a U-Verse customer. . .

I saw Center Ice HD on U-Verse back in December while on vacation and it looked fantastic. Center Ice, Extra Innings, and Direct Kick all look horrific on HDTVs in SD because of the massive pixelation. Extra Innings, in particular, looks horrible in SD on an HDTV through the awful FSN feeds. I've had Extra Innings in SD on Comcast the past few seasons and I'm not buying it this year. I'm tired of the massive pixelation on the EI FSN broadcasts and it's not worth the roughly $150/season for such awful PQ.

So, for those playing at home:

Center Ice SD = bad PQ and horrible artifacting

Center Ice HD = Great PQ and great sound

I've seen U-Verse in St. Louis, Houston, Chicago, and New York. Never seemed to have bad PQ and it looked more vibrant than Comcast. Then again, we still haven't had the analog reclamation here in the Twin Cities so that may not be a fair comparison. Comcast needs to get off their lazy asses and get the World of More completed here. Their lack of speed to get this done is appalling to me.