So, if Comcast selectively turns on the HD channels, does that mean occasionally Av's games from FSN and Altitude will be broadcast in HD and be able to be picked up on a QAM tuner? Or am I stuck with their crappy cameras from an 80s porn movie trying to figure out which team is which for this season (or paying to upgrade to the HD package)?

Avs games are all on Altitude (except those picked up by Versys/NBC). They air about half of the games in HD (the home games for the most part) and will be on Comcast 664 (same as FSN HD games). If both FSN and Altitude carry something in HD at the same time, only one of the games will be available on Comcast. Channel 664 is encrypted, so you will not receive it with just a QAM tuner (you will need CableCARD or an HD cable box).

Are we in limbo until February for new HD channels.....

The February cutoff date has nothing to do with Comcast adding more HD channels

I know that. I was just asking about any current thoughts...the reference was that after February, they are expected.

Any word on Speed HD in the Denver market? I am in relapse from the 4 Formula 1 races I saw on Fox HD which were broadcast in beautiful 16:9. I want to cry knowing that come Sunday I will be stuck watching the first Singapore GP in crappy 4:3 low bandwith.

Hi guys,

My mom just got an HDTV and is using her tv to get the comcast. What is the channel number for CBS in Littleton using her TV as a tuner? She's trying to watch the Broncos game in HD.

Thanks,
Jason


EDIT: I found it. Nevermind.

Did fox's HD channel move? Trying to watch the broncos and over comcast (remapped to 31-1) it isn't coming up?

I had it up until about 2:30 today; now it's gone. I wonder if they are blacking out the game...

That would be crappy. I guess at halftime I can rescan.

I wonder if its HD OTA? I'll phone a friend of mine and find out.

31 is out even OTA too. D* is letting customers see the game on a diff ch. now.

Comcast ch. 13 on the box is working. SD of corse.

I wouldn't bother re-scanning. It's no longer on 655 with the box or 31-1 with the qam tv tuner. This sucks, the big reason for hd for me is the Broncos games. Maybe I can finagle some sort of credit out of comcast for this.

I'm back OTA and 655 on comcast.

Yeah, looks like it's back on QAM as well.

Looks like Fox 31's receive site on lookout mountain got struck by lightning.

YEah I saw that today. Explains everything.

Did you guys loose programming guide and DVR functionality tonight around 9 pm? I tried the unplug for a minute+ and replug-in, and power on, but have yet to get both functions back. The signal went out completely around 11 pm, and the box just displayed dl and a cycling LED like it was rewinding or trying to show a progress bar (downloading?). I got the picture back at 11:30, but still no DVR or menu. I tried calling Comcrap but the line was busy, and got through after a few tries, but was on-hold forever waiting for an operator. I'll have to call back tomorrow to demand a credit for lack of service. I can't wait to get my OTA working so I can cancel this POS service and DVR which they are raping me for $126 and it keeps going up $10 or so every bill.

Did you guys loose programming guide and DVR functionality tonight around 9 pm? I tried the unplug for a minute+ and replug-in, and power on, but have yet to get both functions back. The signal went out completely around 11 pm, and the box just displayed dl and a cycling LED like it was rewinding or trying to show a progress bar (downloading?). I got the picture back at 11:30, but still no DVR or menu. I tried calling Comcrap but the line was busy, and got through after a few tries, but was on-hold forever waiting for an operator. I'll have to call back tomorrow to demand a credit for lack of service. I can't wait to get my OTA working so I can cancel this POS service and DVR which they are raping me for $126 and it keeps going up $10 or so every bill.

A software update was rolled out last night. As I understand it, when new software is being pushed out the cable company will temporarily block interactive services such as DVR, guide, on demand, etc. in order to prevent the upgrade from screwing up. The only issue I have is their bad choice of timing - these updates usually happen in the early morning hours when very few people are affected.

Anyway, we finally have the SDV-friendly a25 software, so maybe they'll actually turn SDV on and get some new HD channels?

Well, if this means SDV is coming soon then I'm very happy. But I was in the middle of watching a DVR show and everything went black - unit completely unresponsive. :mad: At least they could display a message saying it is going down...all software rollouts that I've been involved with (we're talking from small outages for incremental upgrades to significant rollouts that impact global commerce) include advanced notice, and notice immediately before it occurs.

Oh well, at least they didn't take down HSI at the same time. :rolleyes:

WTF were they updating software during prime time? They should be starting that crap at 3 am instead of 9 pm! I'm definitely going to call and complain and demand a day's credit for service interruption. Even though Tues and Wed are worthless for network programming, I was trying to watch Teminator and Heroes on DVR, and couldn't from 9-midnight!

What's SDV? (I haven't been keeping up on this thread since my intention is to cancel my HD DVR service when I get my Myth HTPC working and save $75/month).

Here is the Wikipedia page for Switched Digital Video or SDV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched_video). The "promise" of SDV is hundreds upon hundreds of HD channels...we'll see if that gets delivered.

Is it me or did comcast scuttle 51-2 CBS during the 1st quarter of the Bronco game?

Has anybody been loosing their non-digital signal? Late last night (after 1 am), I wasn't able to tune in 77 (SpeedTV) and this morning getting ready for work wasn't able to tune in any lower channels other than 3 and 8 on my TVs that don't have cable boxes. I was able to tune in channels on my HDDVR digital box. This also happened a week or 2 ago during the AM whether/news hours, but was restored by the time I got home in the evening. I wonder if Comcast is going to require digital boxes or converter boxes for all TVs - SDV worries me in that respect. I thought there is a law that they can't scramble required to carry local OTA channels.

Has anybody been loosing their non-digital signal? Late last night (after 1 am), I wasn't able to tune in 77 (SpeedTV) and this morning getting ready for work wasn't able to tune in any lower channels other than 3 and 8 on my TVs that don't have cable boxes. I was able to tune in channels on my HDDVR digital box. This also happened a week or 2 ago during the AM whether/news hours, but was restored by the time I got home in the evening. I wonder if Comcast is going to require digital boxes or converter boxes for all TVs - SDV worries me in that respect. I thought there is a law that they can't scramble required to carry local OTA channels.

I haven't encountered this recently, but in the past (earlier this year and last year) there have been a few times where various analog channels would be unavailable for a period of time (usually exp. basic channels).

From what I read earlier, Comcast is looking at placing 80 or so of the least commonly watched channels (all SD, all digital only) on the SDV tier, saving about 50% of the bandwidth they use up. Meanwhile, Comcast is also planning on moving most, if not all, expanded basic channels to digital-only, distributing cheap converter boxes to those currently getting the channels in analog. The boxes they plan on using can't decrypt, so if they do this the exp. basic channels will have to be clear QAM and in the trap space (23-48 and 64-78).

So has anybody here gone out and sprung for one of those tru2way TVs and tried it out? :D

I haven't encountered this recently, but in the past (earlier this year and last year) there have been a few times where various analog channels would be unavailable for a period of time (usually exp. basic channels).

From what I read earlier, Comcast is looking at placing 80 or so of the least commonly watched channels (all SD, all digital only) on the SDV tier, saving about 50% of the bandwidth they use up. Meanwhile, Comcast is also planning on moving most, if not all, expanded basic channels to digital-only, distributing cheap converter boxes to those currently getting the channels in analog. The boxes they plan on using can't decrypt, so if they do this the exp. basic channels will have to be clear QAM and in the trap space (23-48 and 64-78).

But the local OTA channels (2-13) will stay where they are, as analog and not require cable boxes?

But the local OTA channels (2-13) will stay where they are, as analog and not require cable boxes?

Correct, at least until 2012.

I still can't tune in anything other than 3 (UPN20 remapped), and 8 (local city cable) this morning. I didn't even get around to turning on those TVs last night, so I'll have to check tonight / this weekend to see if it's still a problem. Interestingly enough, one TV (RCA) displays network info (ABC, NBC, FOX, etc.) in a little box on the bottom of the screen even when the rest of the screen is snow. I don't know how it's getting this info - is it carried in an analog sub-channel like time-synch info is with PBS stations? So much for being able to rely on analog cable when OTA goes digital only in February - just more incentive for me to get my Myth HTPC working so I can cancel expensive Comcrap ripoff.

It's working again tonight. Maybe they are testing SDV in the mornings or something. Wish they would do that overnight instead of during the day, especially when I'm trying to catch the morning weather and traffic.

It's working again tonight. Maybe they are testing SDV in the mornings or something. Wish they would do that overnight instead of during the day, especially when I'm trying to catch the morning weather and traffic.

Most likely the problem you had was due to an equipment problem somewhere upstream. Depending on the problem, it can sometimes take a while to fix. SDV has nothing to do with analog, so it would not have caused your problem even if they were testing it (and I do believe testing of SDV has been going on for a few months now).

I've been reading this forum for months now but this is my first post. I'm thinking more and more every day to switch to DirecTV and I'm wondering if maybe a little patience will pay off. There's two main reasons behind my desire to switch: 1) More HD channels and 2) Channel 9 in HD comes in on Channel 9, not 653 (and so forth for all the others).

The only things keeping me with Comcast are the slightly better picture quality (comparison is comcast on my 32" Vizio and directv on my brother in law's 52" toshiba dlp) and the fact that the cost is basically the same. Does anyone know if Comcast is working toward combining HD channels with their regular channel numbers? Or can anyone give me a good reason to stay with them?

Thanks.

Does anyone know if Comcast is working toward combining HD channels with their regular channel numbers? Or can anyone give me a good reason to stay with them?

No idea about the numbering.

Reasons I'm staying (I've gone through similar questions about switching):

1) SDV is coming soon (see the link I posted at the top of the page). This should allow a big jump in the number of HD channels and hopefully better quality.

2) Comcast is implementing a plan to retire analog channels in order to free up room for more digital SD and HD channels.

I have a ton of patience, but it will certainly run out at some point in 2009 if these things don't happen.

http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/Telecom
Channel Line Up Changes -
Effective December 8, 2008, Comcast will make the following changes to the channel line up in Denver.

HD Net will be added on Channel 664
Sci Fi HD will be added on Channel 688
Vs/Golf HD will split into Vs HD on Channel 689 and Golf HD on Channel 672
KRMT now located on Channel 19 will relocate to Channel 243
Leased Access will move from Channel 20 to Channel 19

Effective December 1, 2008, MOJO HD currently on Channel 664 will cease to exist and will no longer appear on the channel line up.
I wonder what will happen to FSN/Altitude HD games...

http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/Telecom

I wonder what will happen to FSN/Altitude HD games...

I finally get SciFi in HD - before the final season of BSG starts! However, I'm VERY concerned about losing Nugget home games in HD. I'm going to dig around and see if those broadcasts will pop up somewhere else.

Altitude's response...


Dear xxxxx,

Thank you for your interest in Altitude Sports & Entertainment.

Comcast will continue to carry Altitude's HD Avalanche and Nuggets games
on channel 664 after MOJO is discontinued.

Your HD programming location will remain the same regardless of the new
programming that may appear on that channel during other timeslots.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to write us at
any time. Thank you for your interest in Altitude and have a great day.

I wonder what will happen to FSN/Altitude HD games...

I just emailed Altitude about this, here's their response:

"Comcast will continue to carry Altitude's HD Avalanche and Nuggets games
on channel 664 after MOJO is discontinued.

Your HD programming location will remain the same regardless of the new
programming that may appear on that channel during other timeslots."

That was after I talked to a Comcast rep who didn't know the answer. I also asked if the upcoming CSU-Wyoming game that is going to be broadcast in HD on The Mtn. on Nov. 22 will be available on Comcast. They said NO.

nice to be getting something i guess, and sci-fi is a big deal. but where's history hd, cnn hd, usa hd... i mean really. my folks back east have had these since last year.

Anyone want to throw out a guess for the ACTUAL launch date of the new channels?

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say Dec. 15, that's only a week late. Weren't they about 3 weeks late last time around?

I still get email updates from this thread and it makes me sooooo glad I switched to Direct TV. Not here to rub it in but I was so frustrated by Comcast and I still see no new channels worth a damn are being added. If it's possible I would switch!!

I still get email updates from this thread and it makes me sooooo glad I switched to Direct TV. Not here to rub it in but I was so frustrated by Comcast and I still see no new channels worth a damn are being added. If it's possible I would switch!!

We subscribe to both cable and DirecTV. Although I like having both, if I could pick only one I'd pick cable simply because every TV in the house works with it without the need of a box. There are a lot of HD channels on D* that Comcast doesn't offer, but none of them are deal breakers for this household (even the ones that actually get watched, which is only a handful).

The problem is that in an effort to add more HD channels, Comcast has to cut channels from the analog line-up. They have already removed Expanded Basic from the analog tier in a couple other markets, areas that are now seeing substantial increases in HD programming. That will eventually happen in Denver (though probably not for another year or so), and when it does, the one thing that I like about cable over satellite will be gone. So, in order to keep people from switching to satellite because of lack of HD, Comcast risks losing people who have chosen cable because of the lack of a need for boxes in every room in the house.

Over time, the number of people who rely on analog cable will go down, and the number of people wanting more HD will go up. So, over time, Comcast will be forced to drop analog in favor of HD in order to maintain their subscribers. It will happen eventually, but it is a very slow process.

We subscribe to both cable and DirecTV. Although I like having both, if I could pick only one I'd pick cable simply because every TV in the house works with it without the need of a box.

They have already removed Expanded Basic from the analog tier in a couple other markets, areas that are now seeing substantial increases in HD programming. That will eventually happen in Denver (though probably not for another year or so), and when it does, the one thing that I like about cable over satellite will be gone.


Ahh, but once that's gone if you buy all new TV's with qam tunes or cable card ready then it will be the same.:D

It's a conspiracy I tell ya.


I hope sci-fi HD is brought on when they say. It would not surprize me if it's not till spring though.

According to the on-screen guide, channel 664 has "HDNet Programming" starting at 10am on 12/1.

According to the on-screen guide, channel 664 has "HDNet Programming" starting at 10am on 12/1.

Funny, isn't it supposed to be 12/8 according to the announcement - a full week after Mojo goes dark? Imagine that, wrong date info coming out of those announcements...:rolleyes:

But, following the same logic, if I get SciFi in HD one week earlier than expected I will be happy. :)

Anyone else in the SW Denver (Littleton) area have a bunch of in-the-clear QAM channels re-mapped lately?

CW went from 116-2 to 2-1, CBS 50-2 to 4-1, ABC 50-1 to 7-1, etc.

Anyone else in the SW Denver (Littleton) area have a bunch of in-the-clear QAM channels re-mapped lately?

CW went from 116-2 to 2-1, CBS 50-2 to 4-1, ABC 50-1 to 7-1, etc.

I'm curious if this type of move normally precedes the re-provisioning of analog bandwidth for use with digital capable TVs...(I'm a noob in this arena)

Anyone else in the SW Denver (Littleton) area have a bunch of in-the-clear QAM channels re-mapped lately?

CW went from 116-2 to 2-1, CBS 50-2 to 4-1, ABC 50-1 to 7-1, etc.

I am in South Jeffco. For me, KWGN is being re-mapped to 2.1, with KRMA being re-mapped to 6.1 and 6.2. They are still (physically) at 116.x - they just now have the re-mapping info in the data stream (just like how KUSA and KDVR are technically at 90.x but are being re-mapped to 9.1 and 31.1).

On the other hand, KMGH and KCNC are still at 50.1 and 50.2, with no re-mapping. KTVD is still at 117.6 as well. I may do a re-scan later tonight to see if it makes a difference.

Yeah, KRMA is re-mapped to 6.1 and 6.2 for me also. I think there was at least one other too, but I'll have to check later tonight. I plan to do a re-scan this weekend.

I noticed KWGN had remapped a while ago. I don't know when KRMA started remapping, but I have it at 6-1 and 6-2. ABC and CBS have not changed from the 50- channels, and KTVD is also still at 117-1. I hate rescanning, since my TV does not automatically skip the channels with no content, and there are a lot of digital channels to delete.

Ahh, but once that's gone if you buy all new TV's with qam tunes or cable card ready then it will be the same.:D


That was everybody's plan, until Comcast deploys SDV. Then you need a CableCard TV with Tru2Way to watch SDV channels - QAM and standard CableCard are a no-go with SDV.

S3 TiVo will do SDV with an external Tuning Adapter - there are no TVs with Tru2Way generally available today.

So in theory, if Comcast went to SDV for ALL their digital channels, you could only get the analog stations after that (and how many will be left after Feb anyway?) even with a QAM tuner? So even then, you would still need some sort of stupid external box to realize your digital TV's potential???

Could this be their way of forcing us to lease/buy even more hardware from them? Get rid of all theier analog programming and start requiring boxes for even just the most basic of service? Or prevent "unauthorized" users from getting cable TV? Would the SDV two-way communication require any kind of validation/authentication code to use it on the user's end?

The implications of this new SDV service are starting to sink in with me. I tend to be a bit fecetious, and I can only imagine WE will be the ones paying for this new technology implementation on Comcast's behalf (as if we're not taking it in the shorts everywhere else we go already).

PS - Re-scanned over the weekend. CBS and ABC are back at 50-1 and 50-2.

So in theory, if Comcast went to SDV for ALL their digital channels, you could only get the analog stations after that (and how many will be left after Feb anyway?) even with a QAM tuner? So even then, you would still need some sort of stupid external box to realize your digital TV's potential???
Comcast can't put all channels on SDV if they wanted to. Analog channels can't be part of SDV because it's a digital technology. Local channels and other basic channels must be in the clear, so no SDV for them either. Also, channels that are watched frequently will save no bandwidth if put on SDV, so if you only watch the common channels you'll never need to worry. HD channels probably won't be on SDV either because they will consume the bandwidth reserved for SDV very quickly.

The only channels that will ever be on SDV are encrypted channels, which already require at the very least a CableCARD (and for tru2way devices, that's all you'll ever need, assuming it works as it's supposed to).

Could this be their way of forcing us to lease/buy even more hardware from them? Get rid of all theier analog programming and start requiring boxes for even just the most basic of service? Or prevent "unauthorized" users from getting cable TV? Would the SDV two-way communication require any kind of validation/authentication code to use it on the user's end?
The FCC will interfere if Comcast (or any other cable provider) goes to the point of requiring their boxes for cable TV, especially channels on the basic tier (and I believe expanded basic as well).

The implications of this new SDV service are starting to sink in with me. I tend to be a bit fecetious, and I can only imagine WE will be the ones paying for this new technology implementation on Comcast's behalf (as if we're not taking it in the shorts everywhere else we go already).

No business will ever invest in a technology unless they feel that they will ultimately earn more money in the end. That said, I think Comcast's main goal with SDV is getting bandwidth for more HD channels, in an effort to keep from losing customers from a lack of HD. If the customers they lose by not deploying SDV costs them more than deploying SDV does, then it makes sense to deploy SDV, even if they make no money on it from leasing more boxes, etc.

Long story short, the only ones who need to worry about SDV are those who depend on CableCARD devices, which at this time is mostly Tivo users.

I'n in Lafayette and looking to get a TivoHD receiver. What is the minimum level of service I can get from Comcast in order to get a cable card so I can get and record HD channels via cable with the guide?

I'n in Lafayette and looking to get a TivoHD receiver. What is the minimum level of service I can get from Comcast in order to get a cable card so I can get and record HD channels via cable with the guide?
I'm not sure I have the full answer for you, but I was signed up for digital cable (the current promo is $35/mo for 6 months), added cablecards, and then downgraded to basic cable ($15/mo). My cablecards are still active and I can receive the digital versions of basic channels and HD locals.

I'm not sure I have the full answer for you, but I was signed up for digital cable (the current promo is $35/mo for 6 months), added cablecards, and then downgraded to basic cable ($15/mo). My cablecards are still active and I can receive the digital versions of basic channels and HD locals.Thanks. What receiver do you have?

Thanks. What receiver do you have?

TiVo HD - connected to a 1080i RP display via component cables and an A/V Receiver via TOSLINK. Works great. Really looking forward to Netflix streaming in December.

The guide on channel 664 now shows "Off-Air" from 12/1 through 12/7 and "HDNet Programming" from 12/8 onward. Avs and Nuggets HD games are shown in the guide as normal.

I'm looking for some tech help here:

For perhaps 15 years I used a modulator device to output as channel 125 and 123 the a/v input from components (DVD, DBS, laserdisc) and my a/v receiver's zone 2 output. I combined this modulated signal (2-way splitter/combiner) with incoming Comcast and used a low pass filter so that incoming Comcast channels in 120s were blocked. Then I could watch on cable ready TVs throughout the house (in SD only) whatever was playing in the 3rd flr theater, tuning to ch. 125 or 123 on those TVs, and still receive on these tVs all the Comcast SD 2-digit channels ---channels 2-99.

This worked great until perhaps 4-6 weeks ago when I began to get constant "please wait.... should be available shortly" on several channels I was receiving through Comcast's HD-DVR (Moto box, 3416 I think). This occurred on several channels, notably Channel 656 (KWGN-HD, ota ch. 2.1) and The MTN (channel 411). This occurred on all three TVs set up with same model HD-DVR boxes.

Comcast service call --- tech guy called in his supervisor. They explained that "Comcast is moving channels around to different frequencies....) but w/o further explanation. They resolved the missing channels problem by removing my filter and installing a diplexer that was designed to combine cable and SAT signals (although I was combining Comcast input w/modulated CATV signal). However, modulated ch. 125 no longer came in on TVs without severe interference lines and graininess. I tried reinstalling the old filter which obliterated 125 and 123 although did not interfere with 656, 411, etc.

Anyone know whassup w/Denver Comcast and channel frequencies?
Any suggestions on how to combine modulated a/v out of 3rd flr theater with Comcast, so that what's on in theater can be seen on all TVs throughout the house?

Do you have the option to change the channels being output from your modulator? This sounds like a more complex version of what I have - outdoor cameras combined with the Comcast stream. I know that when Comcast realigns channels every so often, I need to go find an unused channel - the modulator has DIP switches that allow me to do that, so that the cameras don't interfere with anything on the Comcast stream. Just a thought.

By the way, you can find the frequencies of the channels with interference by using your DVR. Turn the DVR off and hit the SELECT button (quickly). Use the arrow keys to go to the page for "Current Channel Status". The frequencies should be available here. All this needs to be done using the buttons on the DVR itself, not the remote. Then use this page: http://www.jneuhaus.com/fccindex/cablech.html to find the channel designation for these frequencies. Good luck.

Anybody else with a Sony HDD500 lose their guide data? Tried to set a recording for tomorrow and have nothing other than "No Listing" after about 0400. I know they remapped KRMA (I thought that's where the guide data came from) but I haven't made any changes to my setup.

I'm in Ken Caryl Valley.

Comcast strikes again...

Thanks!

HDNet is on channel 664 right now, even though the guide says "Off-Air."

Looks good!

Comcast didn't get rid of Mojo (664) did they? I gotta have my Three Sheets!!

Yes, they did, although Comcast isn't the only system to drop it. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1067879

Fear not, you can still get your Three Sheets fix. Hulu's got your back http://www.hulu.com/three-sheets

I have a TivoHD with a cable card in addition to a cable box (the hdmi one) without the DVR.

Anyway, the cablebox shows 664 with hdnet and nuggets, etc games. But the tivoHD just will show a black screen. Is there a fix for this or do I just have to wait for comcast to start sending out programming info for the channel?

Thanks.

664 was showing HDNet programming last night. I'm not at home, but it's possible that Comcast cut that off - HDNet wasn't supposed to be active until 12/8.

I have a TivoHD with a cable card in addition to a cable box (the hdmi one) without the DVR.

Anyway, the cablebox shows 664 with hdnet and nuggets, etc games. But the tivoHD just will show a black screen. Is there a fix for this or do I just have to wait for comcast to start sending out programming info for the channel?

Thanks.

Tivo boxes use guide data from Tribune. I looked at Zap2It online (which is also Tribune) and the listings there show nothing at 664, so I'm not surprised that your Tivo isn't acknowledging that channel. Unfortunately, I don't think it can be fixed until Tribune puts guide data back for 664, and since HDNet's official launch date here is 12/8, you may have to wait until then (they can only go by what the cable company tells them).

Tivo boxes use guide data from Tribune. I looked at Zap2It online (which is also Tribune) and the listings there show nothing at 664, so I'm not surprised that your Tivo isn't acknowledging that channel. Unfortunately, I don't think it can be fixed until Tribune puts guide data back for 664, and since HDNet's official launch date here is 12/8, you may have to wait until then (they can only go by what the cable company tells them).

Thanks. That makes sense. I guess no nuggets games in HD until the 8th.

Another question, if you don't mind.

I know what SDV is and have heard that parts of Colorado can now use the tuning adapter, but does it give these users anything more then I already get?

Again thank you for the answer about Mojo/664

I guess no nuggets games in HD until the 8th.

Not true, it will be on 664 as noted earlier in this thread. That is the official response from Altitude Sports as well as Comcast. You might not get it on your Tivo, but you will get it on your Comcast box.

Right now, Comcast is still broadcasting the HDNet programming on 664. Tonight, they will preempt HDNet and show the Nuggets game.

Does anybody know what happened to QAM PBS-HD that was on KRMA DT1 @ 116.2

I think it vanished on December first, but I couldn't say for sure.

KRMA has been remapping to 6-1 and 6-2 for many of us. This was discussed a couple of weeks ago on this thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15124875#post15124875

I couldn't say when they moved from the 116's, but it was at least early November for me.

Sorry.. I didn't explain clearly. 116.2 now *is* local KRMA, and is no longer PBS-HD.

I was wondering if anyone knows where PBS-HD might have gone.... Local PBS is boring, but PBS-HD rocks!

I think 116-2 was whatever KRMA wanted to show on its digital channel. It might be fund raising time, and (I'm assuming here) if they have no local HD capability, they may not be able to switch back and forth to the HD shows (plus they would lose continuity - kind of like "Heroes").

Not that I watched it much, but wasn't KRMA showing "Create" (SD) most of the time anyway, or was that just during the day?

In the evenings it was NOVA, Nature, Austin City Limits, and an assortment of other really good stuff. I never watch TV during the day, so they may have had Create on then.

I hope this is just a brief interlude!

In the evenings it was NOVA, Nature, Austin City Limits, and an assortment of other really good stuff. I never watch TV during the day, so they may have had Create on then.

I hope this is just a brief interlude!

I'm responding to myself here..

I just contacted KRMA and as of December 1st they are simulcasting their local channel 6 on the digital channel 6.1, while they get their digital equipment in order (presumably for the February switch to all-digital).

They claim that PBS-HD will be on 6.1 again at the beginning of January.

First time in the forums here. Anyone else see the message from Comcast this morning that their contract runs out with Gannett on the 18th of December. Makes me wonder if negotiations arent going well and they are trying to give the public a heads up that 3 channels may go dark.

We know that W+ will go away, since NBC is killing it. I doubt anything will change with the other two, since Comcast has to provide them to meet FCC requirements.

I did a little research on the subject and the FCC give stations the option to enforce must carry or seek compensation for rebroadcast. With the growing number of major events (i.e. the BCS Championship) moving to cable, more stations are opting for compensation. What is really strange though is how there is very little mentioned in Denver about this but in Minnestoa its a big deal that they might lose their station on the 18th.

If I recall correctly, KMGH once came close to being dropped by Comcast because Comcast didn't want to give KMGH a special digital channel. In the end KMGH got what they wanted (and still have at channel 247).

anyone know what frequencies are used for the "neighbors on demand sections" of the digital feed? i can pick them up on my tv directly, but when i try to scan for them in mythtv I get the error "no tables." Anyone familiar enough with any of what i just said to reply (sorry for the obscurity, i'm not sure how else to explain)?

anyone know what frequencies are used for the "neighbors on demand sections" of the digital feed? i can pick them up on my tv directly, but when i try to scan for them in mythtv I get the error "no tables." Anyone familiar enough with any of what i just said to reply (sorry for the obscurity, i'm not sure how else to explain)?

Channel 79 (555 MHz)
Channel 80 (561 MHz)
Channel 101 (657 MHz)
Channel 102 (663 MHz)
Channel 113 (729 MHz)
Channel 114 (735 MHz)

Someone might want to double-check these numbers.

Those are the same channels I use to check what kind of porn my neighbors are watching, too. :D
I have seen as many as 11 sub-channels for each of those main channels.

I did it. Made the switch. Now I'm on DirecTV. PQ actually looks better than comcast. Channel selection is incredible. Price is lower. Usability is improved. If you're thinking of switching do it as soon as you can.

Be careful though, there is one drawback. Channel 20 isn't available in HD yet. Is there even anything worth watching on this channel other than 9 news? I didn't think so.

By the way, has anyone seen the new channels yet? It appears that the guide is being populated with the HDNet information, although the channel still says MOJO+. VSGLF has changed to VRSHD, but I don't see anything on 689, nor any sign of Sci Fi.

ditto here - MOJO+, no SciFi...

Same here. Its not surprising given Comcast's track record when it comes to these changes. Sometimes I wish my condo faced the right direction so I could switch providers.

Channel 664 is labeled HDNET on my box now. 672 is VRSHD (that will probably change soon, since Golf HD should end up at 672 and Versus HD at 689). They have not yet taken KRMT off of analog, which will need to happen before the new channels will appear (as I understand it). The cable box has KRMT mapped to both 19 and 243 currently.

Zap2It has the new channel assignments already, but they made a couple of mistakes. KRMT is nowhere in the listings, and SCIFIHD is at 668 (same as ESPNHD) instead of 688.

My TIVO box (cablecard) now shows HDNET at 664, GolfHD at 672, Sci-Fi HD at 688 (no program guide info yet) and Versus HD at 689. Initially it showed the Sci-Fi HD channel at 668, along with ESPN HD, but it looks like that's getting corrected.

Anyone know where the Altitude HD feed will be for Avalanche games?

JJ the Avs games should still be on 664. I can only hope by the time I get home that I have the new channels. This morning it did show HDNet on the guide so I can only guess they have to do this one step at a time.

On another note I do have to say it could be interesting when they decide to do the digital migration in greater Denver. Has anyone heard anything about that? I know Oregon is getting like 27 additional HD channels with their migration.

JJ the Avs games should still be on 664. I can only hope by the time I get home that I have the new channels. This morning it did show HDNet on the guide so I can only guess they have to do this one step at a time.
The new channels are on my cable box now. Oddly, they haven't touched KRMT analog yet. It appears they put the new feeds at QAM channel 85 (encrypted), which was one of the channels that appeared to be for SDV testing. The other test channel, QAM 86, is gone completely, which leaves room for a couple of additional channels potentially.

On another note I do have to say it could be interesting when they decide to do the digital migration in greater Denver. Has anyone heard anything about that? I know Oregon is getting like 27 additional HD channels with their migration.

I do know that Comcast is requiring digital for all new subscribers (that has been the case for some time now) and that their analog reclamation effort is supposed to be widespread in 2009. Beyond that, I have no idea when the expanded basic channels will become digital only here. There are 41 channels on expanded basic currently, each of which can become 2 or 3 HD channels (depending on bitrates used), so there is great potential for HD expansion down that road.

I'm now showing...

664 HDNET (guide + content)
672 GOLFD (guide + content)
688 SFHD (guide + content) Yeah!!!

My tivo got the channels and program info on Sunday, but the cable box took a tad longer.

I did get a call from Comcast today saying that I may not be getting everything I should be getting - which seems odd for Comcast to do. They just left a message and will need to call them back later.

Any idea on what I may not be getting?

Any idea on what I may not be getting?

Yes:

USA HD
The History Channel HD
CNN HD
AMC HD
Fox Business Channel HD
MGM HD
Fox News Channel HD
Speed HD
FX HD
Weather Channel HD
Bravo HD
CNBC+ HD
Biography HD
IFC HD
Encore HD
ESPNews HD
Big Ten Network HD
Toon Disney HD
HDNet Movies

At least, those are the ones I wish we were getting. :D

However, if you have the channels listed in Audixium's post (above yours), plus 689 VRSHD, you're getting everything we are.

yes:

Usa hd
the history channel hd
cnn hd
amc hd
fox business channel hd
mgm hd
fox news channel hd
speed hd
fx hd
weather channel hd
bravo hd
cnbc+ hd
biography hd
ifc hd
encore hd
espnews hd
big ten network hd
toon disney hd
hdnet movies

at least, those are the ones i wish we were getting. :d

+1

Yes:

USA HD
The History Channel HD
CNN HD
AMC HD
Fox Business Channel HD
MGM HD
Fox News Channel HD
Speed HD
FX HD
Weather Channel HD
Bravo HD
CNBC+ HD
Biography HD
IFC HD
Encore HD
ESPNews HD
Big Ten Network HD
Toon Disney HD
HDNet Movies

At least, those are the ones I wish we were getting. :D

However, if you have the channels listed in Audixium's post (above yours), plus 689 VRSHD, you're getting everything we are.

+ ~5,000,000 (about the number of comcast HD subscribers)

Man I wish I had those, plus the regular Discovery HD, not the Theater one.

Maybe, just maybe one day.

I figured out what the problem might be. I'm getting what I'm supposed to get via my cable box, but my TivoHD has two 668s and no sci-fi channel (though I had sci-fi on Sunday for a short time I guess).

I'll see if it resolves it self tonight, if not I'll see if I have to reset my cable card or something.

Thanks for the input!

I'm getting "NOT Autherized" call for ordering info for Sifi HD 688! WTF!!!!!!!!!!

I had it free & clear this morning. Everything else is free & clear. Sifi is the only thing I wanted.

I'm getting "NOT Autherized" call for ordering info for Sifi HD 688! WTF!!!!!!!!!!

I had it free & clear this morning. Everything else is free & clear. Sifi is the only thing I wanted.

According to the CSR, it is a wide spread (Colorado) issue they hope to have resolved late tonight or early tomorrow. No Ghost Facers for you!

Thanks Gakon. So far no go. I hope they get it fixed by tomorrow.
It would be nice to see the last couple eps of Stargate Atlantis in HD.

I called Comcast on it last night. They reset my box and it was fine. Not sure why they arent trying that with everyone.

at least you have channel 688, won't show up in my guide, and NatGeo says Unauthorized.

I called Comcast on it last night. They reset my box and it was fine. Not sure why they arent trying that with everyone.

I thought I got it, but I had the same issue with my cable-box. 688 showed up, but it was not authorized. I called (chatted) Comcast and they sent a new signal and it showed up and is working. . . On the cable box.

The TivoHD is still not showing anything though.

It is showing two 668 channels (ESPN) though one is labeled as SciFi HD, but still has ESPN programming on it. 688 shows up if I add it, but it is blank (no programming).

Hopefully that gets fixed soon.

I thought I got it, but I had the same issue with my cable-box. 688 showed up, but it was not authorized. I called (chatted) Comcast and they sent a new signal and it showed up and is working. . . On the cable box.

The TivoHD is still not showing anything though.

It is showing two 668 channels (ESPN) though one is labeled as SciFi HD, but still has ESPN programming on it. 688 shows up if I add it, but it is blank (no programming).

Hopefully that gets fixed soon.

Tivo relies on guide data from Tribune. They originally erroneously put Sci-Fi HD at 668 instead of 688 (I guess someone made a typo). It has since been corrected, at least at the Zap2It website. I don't know what it takes to get these kinds of problems corrected with Tivo.

As for the channel being not authorized, I'm seeing the same problem. Having no interest in the channel, though, I'm not going out of my way to call Comcast to have the box reset. I will check periodically, though, to see if it clears up (just for the sake of knowing). They better not have the same problem with Versus HD this coming Monday...

Tivo relies on guide data from Tribune. They originally erroneously put Sci-Fi HD at 668 instead of 688 (I guess someone made a typo). It has since been corrected, at least at the Zap2It website. I don't know what it takes to get these kinds of problems corrected with Tivo.

As for the channel being not authorized, I'm seeing the same problem. Having no interest in the channel, though, I'm not going out of my way to call Comcast to have the box reset. I will check periodically, though, to see if it clears up (just for the sake of knowing). They better not have the same problem with Versus HD this coming Monday...

Yeah. I figured as much....But like you said, not sure what it takes to get Tivo to accept the change. Funny thing was I did watch some sci-fi HD on Sunday. I think it was on a channel near 668 (not the 688 channel it should be on). I really don't care about it until Battlestar Galactica starts up in January.

If you don't feel like calling, you could probably send them an email or open up a chat session. Relatively painless.

Thanks for the info.

There's a way to reset your box over the phone - just follow the prompts for equipment problems. However, when I called today, she had to reset and send a second signal to the DVR. This fixed the problems, now the guide just has to repopulate (which isn't an issue for me right now).

Hey Guys,

We had some bad news around here. My wife lost her job and we have to cut corners for a while. (With the current sucky economy, who knows how long)

We are going to switch from Dish to the Comcast Triple (Cable, Phone & Internet) to save about $80/mo over Dish/Qwest.

What HD receivers & DVR Receivers are they currently offering? Any with HDMI and OTA-HD capabilities? If not, what are you guys using for OTA?

Thanks in advance for the info as I've not been following the Comcast news lately.

My DVR is a tad old, but I think the latest version is the DCH-3416 or -6416. They do have HDMI, but no OTA. I don't use OTA on the TV that has the DVR, and my other HD TV (with no cable box) has an ATSC tuner.

Good luck in the job hunt.

What HD receivers & DVR Receivers are they currently offering? Any with HDMI and OTA-HD capabilities? If not, what are you guys using for OTA?

Thanks in advance for the info as I've not been following the Comcast news lately.

All cable boxes provided by Comcast are Motorola DCT or DCH series (mostly DCH's nowadays). All HD boxes should do HDMI (some old ones do DVI, but it's extremely unlikely you'll see one of those). Your TV will have to support HDCP copy protection to be able to use HDMI.

When getting a DVR, try to get either a 3416 or a 6416. There may still be a few 3412's and 6412's out there - they have a smaller hard drive (120GB instead of 160GB). Even with the larger drive, you'll only get around 20 hours of HD space. There is no current support for external drives, so the only way to get more space is to get a second DVR (or get a Tivo).

The boxes do not have OTA capability, but pretty much all local channels, including all HD channels, are available through Comcast, so there isn't really a need for OTA.

The boxes do not have OTA capability, but pretty much all local channels, including all HD channels, are available through Comcast, so there isn't really a need for OTA.No need for OTA? Blasphemy, I say! ;)

OTA looks better and is a needed back-up for when the cable goes down. (Which is quite a bit up in the foothills!)

SciFi HD started working for me last night without intervention from a CSR or automated phone system.

SciFi HD started working for me last night without intervention from a CSR or automated phone system.

I'm in Highlands Ranch and it still doesn't work for me on my two Tivo boxes with Cable Cards.

I'm resisting calling them. In my experience calling Comcast with cable card issues tends to create more problems than it fixes.

Hopefully others in the area complain and they get it sorted out for all of us.

Oh they know about it. I waited until fri. evening for it but I finally called & had them reset my box. She said they were taking lots of calls on it.

She said it would take about 20 minutes for it to happen though because of all the backed up reset comands. In about 25min. It was working.

I'll probably give them a week or two and if it still isn't working have them hit my cable cards with the new programming.

Any other "Tricks" to ask the cable guy when he comes on Monday?

- Try to get a 3416/6416 DVR and not an older 3412/6412
- Make sure the SciFi HD channel works.

What are the current/latest models of non-DVD HD boxes? I don't want to get stuck with last year's models. I need one of those too.

Any other "Tricks" to ask the cable guy when he comes on Monday?

- Try to get a 3416/6416 DVR and not an older 3412/6412
- Make sure the SciFi HD channel works.

What are the current/latest models of non-DVD HD boxes? I don't want to get stuck with last year's models. I need one of those too.

After doing a quick search, it appears the current lineup of Motorola cable boxes (DCH series) has six models. I believe if you get a standard definition DVR, it will come from Pace (since Motorola apparently doesn't have one).

The models are:
1. DCH-100 (all-digital SD receiver)
2. DCH-200 (analog/digital SD receiver)
3. DCH-3200 (all-digital HD receiver)
4. DCH-6200 (analog/digital HD receiver)
5. DCH-3416 (all-digital HD DVR)
6. DCH-6416 (analog/digital HD DVR)

All channels are available in digital, so you don't need a box with analog capabilities (the analog tuner won't even get used if you got one). The older DCT series has more models, including the 3412/6412 and their smaller hard drives, but the DCT series is no longer in production because those boxes don't have separable security (which is now required by the FCC). You might still get a DCT, though, since cable companies can still deploy those boxes if they had previous owners (i.e. they're used boxes).

The DCH series boxes all have CableCARD slots for separable security, but you should never have to access the CableCARD slot yourself (the card comes with the box).

Thanks dvdmth for the info. I will make sure I don't get 'stuck' with an older box.

Hey - I'm stuck with one of "those" older boxes...DCT-3416. Any reason I should ask for a switch? What about the red recording status light that doesn't work on the DCH-3416?

Anyone hear any updates on the Gannett-Comcast money battle. Nothing in the papers today and the Gannett channels were still on this morning.

Hey - I'm stuck with one of "those" older boxes...DCT-3416. Any reason I should ask for a switch? What about the red recording status light that doesn't work on the DCH-3416?

There's no reason to get a DCH as long as the box you have is working fine. You will not get any additional functionality (the DCT and DCH pretty much run the same software and have pretty much the same bugs). I think the recording light issue on DCH's was fixed by Motorola in a firmware update, but Comcast may or may not have deployed the new firmware (anyone here with a DCH?).

All cable boxes in my household are DCT's BTW.

There's no reason to get a DCH as long as the box you have is working fine. You will not get any additional functionality (the DCT and DCH pretty much run the same software and have pretty much the same bugs). I think the recording light issue on DCH's was fixed by Motorola in a firmware update, but Comcast may or may not have deployed the new firmware (anyone here with a DCH?).

All cable boxes in my household are DCT's BTW.

Good to know, thanks for chiming in. I used to follow the Moto thread, but was feeling a little lazy.

Well, channel 688 (sci-fi HD) started spontaneously working today on both of my Tivo HD cable card equipped boxes.

Guess enough people bitched and they just started fixing it everywhere.

Looking for a list (or link to the list) of the latest free HD cable channels for Comcast in Boulder. It's been about 6 months since I've been on this list and don't think I can read all the replies to get current.

Thanks!

Looking for a list (or link to the list) of the latest free HD cable channels for Comcast in Boulder. It's been about 6 months since I've been on this list and don't think I can read all the replies to get current.

Thanks!

Here's the list of HD channels in the Denver area. I believe Boulder has the same lineup, but I can't say for sure (someone from Boulder will have to respond to that). Channels added in 2008 are marked with an asterisk.

Channels that are in the clear (all subscribers can get them):
652 KMGH-DT (ABC)
653 KUSA-DT (NBC)
654 KCNC-DT (CBS)
655 KDVR-DT (FOX)
656 KWGN-DT (CW)
657 KTVD-DT (MNTV)
658 KRMA-DT (PBS)

Channels that require the HD programming tier:
663 HD Theater
*664 HDNet (was MOJO) + Altitude HD games + FSN Rocky Mountain HD games
667 TNT HD
668 ESPN HD
670 ESPN2 HD
671 Palladia HD (or however it's spelled, formerly known as MHD)
*672 Golf HD (was Versus/Golf hybrid)
673 Universal HD
674 National Geographic HD
675 A&E HD
*677 TLC HD
678 TBS HD
*679 Disney HD
*680 ABC Family HD
*681 Food HD
*682 HGTV HD
*683 Science HD
*688 Sci-Fi HD
*689 Versus HD

Channels that require an additional package:
650 Showtime HD
651 HBO HD
661 Starz HD
662 Cinemax HD
676 NFL Network HD (part of sports pack)

Here's the list of HD channels in the Denver area.

Channels that are in the clear (all subscribers can get them):
652 KMGH-DT (ABC)
653 KUSA-DT (NBC)
654 KCNC-DT (CBS)
655 KDVR-DT (FOX)
656 KWGN-DT (CW)
657 KTVD-DT (MNTV)
658 KRMA-DT (PBS)


A timely post for my purposes. We purchased a small LCD HDTV (with a Clear QAM tuner and ATSC tuner) as a Christmas present for my mother-in-law. She is in a townhouse and subscribes to Comcast Standard cable TV (Basic & Expanded Basic is what her billing says). Only analog cable, no digital cable, no converter box. I haven't had cable TV for 10 years, so I'm not at all familiar with what is what regarding cable TV.

My first question is, when we hook up the cable TV input coax cable to the new HDTV, will the Clear QAM tuner be able to "see/decipher" the HD channels listed in dvdmth's post (quoted above)?

My second question is, for purposes of setting up cable with the new HDTV, we are supposed to select the "cable system's signal source" from either Standard, HRC, or IRC for both analog cable and digital cable. Which of these 3 is correct for Comcast analog cable? Comcast digital cable?

Thanks in advance for the help.

You should be able to see all of those channels with basic cable. Of course, they will not be at those channel numbers. IIRC:

50-1 or 50-2 KMGH-DT (ABC)
9-1 KUSA-DT (NBC)
50-1 or 50-2 KCNC-DT (CBS)
31-1 KDVR-DT (FOX)
2-1 KWGN-DT (CW)
116-1 KTVD-DT (MNTV)
117- and -2 KRMA-DT (PBS)

Standard is the correct setting on my Samsung. I don't think HRC and IRC worked at all for digital, and they didn't make any difference for analog.

Just got Comcast installed today. Well... Not good. A big disappointment after having Dish for 10 years. The DCT6412 lacks the advanced sophistication of Dish's 622 DVR. (No DCH6416's available) Pretty much sucks really. Menu's are like 3 generations behind Dish, Menu Favorites won't stick, Output setting of 1080i puts a weird band on the left side. WAAAAAAAY less HD channels. The installer completely screwed the pooch. Messed up my phone service AND my neighbors, by disconnecting Qwest badly. We have no choice right now with job layoffs. It's about $80/mo less than Dish/Qwest/Comcast Internet. I guess you get what you pay for.

Anyone reading this, go Dish if you can afford the extra, you'll be much happier! I am NOT happy.

Just got Comcast installed today. Well... Not good. A big disappointment after having Dish for 10 years. The DCT6412 lacks the advanced sophistication of Dish's 622 DVR. (No DCH6416's available) Pretty much sucks really. Menu's are like 3 generations behind Dish, Menu Favorites won't stick, Output setting of 1080i puts a weird band on the left side. WAAAAAAAY less HD channels. The installer completely screwed the pooch. Messed up my phone service AND my neighbors, by disconnecting Qwest badly. We have no choice right now with job layoffs. It's about $80/mo less than Dish/Qwest/Comcast Internet. I guess you get what you pay for.

Anyone reading this, go Dish if you can afford the extra, you'll be much happier! I am NOT happy.

If you can afford better than get an HD Tivo.

If you can afford better than get an HD Tivo.What's the cost of an HD TIVO (Plus, isn't there a monthly TIVO fee too?)

What's the cost of an HD TIVO (Plus, isn't there a monthly TIVO fee too?)

Yes....It's not cheap, but you get so much more with a TivoHD.

A box costs either $300 or $600 depending on the model - though you can get a renewed one for less directly from Tivo. The monthly cost is dependent on length. Pure monthly is $13 per month, but if you pre-pay you can get it down to ~$8. Also they have a lifetime subscribtion fee of $400.

I've played around with TimeWarner, Comcast, Dish, and DirectTV DVRs. The Tivo one blows them all away with it's UI alone. But add all the extra features of Tivo and, to me it is a no brainer. Some of the additional features: Streaming Netflix, Amazon Unbox rentals, upload and download recordings/movies to and from your computer to the Tivo, transfer shows between Tivos, easily expandable HD size, view/listen to photos/music from your computer via your TV/home theater system, and that is just a partial list.

The only real downside of Tivo is that cable on demand is not available right now via a Tivo. They might add it via a tru2way USB add on box down the line, but who knows.

Full disclosure. I've owned a Tivo from close to their inception. I've had all the series, so I'm biased in that regard....But I wouldn't give up my Tivo for almost anything (within reason of course. :D )

There are a few holiday deals on the Tivo, I believe you can get a new one right now for ~200. Check the forums at www.fatwallet.com or slickdeals.net and do a search on "tivo" there are some deals right now if memory serves.

It is the most expensive option for watching cable, as you will pay about $299 for a 3 year contract for the Tivo service, in addition to your cable charges.

It is also a fantastic experience compared to viewing with a cable company or satellite DVR.

You should be able to see all of those channels with basic cable. Of course, they will not be at those channel numbers. IIRC:

50-1 or 50-2 KMGH-DT (ABC)
9-1 KUSA-DT (NBC)
50-1 or 50-2 KCNC-DT (CBS)
31-1 KDVR-DT (FOX)
2-1 KWGN-DT (CW)
116-1 KTVD-DT (MNTV)
117- and -2 KRMA-DT (PBS)

Standard is the correct setting on my Samsung. I don't think HRC and IRC worked at all for digital, and they didn't make any difference for analog.

Thanks gakon. That will make our surprise setup on Christmas Eve (I'm going to set it up while she is out in the evening) much easier. I'll find all those channels and make her a list, otherwise she'll never watch them unless she stumbles on them. They've eliminated the EPG for Standard analog cable, so she needs to know where stations are or she won't find them (she's very technology-challenged).

It would be great if she could go on digital cable, but she can't afford the extra cost for STB rental and the digital versus analog package. Her current bill is around $57/month and that's a strain for her since she lives on SS and income from a part-time job. I keep hoping that Comcast will make her a great offer to get her to convert to digital, but it hasn't happened so far.

Just got Comcast installed today. Well... Not good. A big disappointment after having Dish for 10 years. The DCT6412 lacks the advanced sophistication of Dish's 622 DVR. (No DCH6416's available) Pretty much sucks really. Menu's are like 3 generations behind Dish, Menu Favorites won't stick, Output setting of 1080i puts a weird band on the left side. WAAAAAAAY less HD channels. The installer completely screwed the pooch. Messed up my phone service AND my neighbors, by disconnecting Qwest badly. We have no choice right now with job layoffs. It's about $80/mo less than Dish/Qwest/Comcast Internet. I guess you get what you pay for.

Anyone reading this, go Dish if you can afford the extra, you'll be much happier! I am NOT happy.

Sorry to hear about your Comcast Triple Play install problems. I have several elderly friends who have made the switch to save money and claim all went well and stays well.

We've also considered consolidating services to save some money (I'm a pensioner and the wife wants to know when she can quit working), but I've heard numerous install horror stories when consolidating with Quest (DSL broadband internet) and Comcast is too expensive if we maintain our current level of TV offerings (which isn't really possible since Comcast cable has so few HD channels and premium channels in HD).

So we stick with Comcast for broadband, Quest for phone, and Dish for TV. Of course Dish is going to hit us up for another $3/mo come February (some folks don't think these relatively small monthly charges and rate increases are significant, but I always evaluate them as annual costs and that brings home just how much it costs to watch TV). I've declined to upgrade to a DVR because of the increased monthly charges, but now Dish allows recording without a monthly fee through use of an Extended Hard Drive (EHD) on the Dish ViP211. There is a one time activation fee and one needs to buy a USB2 HDD, but long term, that isn't a big financial hit. I'm currently searching for the best deal on a highly reliable and problem-free EHD.

We are hanging on to Dish because they really give us the most bang for the buck and we've been with them for ten years. However, economic conditions will probably force us into one of those package deals eventually.

Sorry to hear about your Comcast Triple Play install problems. I have several elderly friends who have made the switch to save money and claim all went well and stays well.

We've also considered consolidating services to save some money (I'm a pensioner and the wife wants to know when she can quit working), but I've heard numerous install horror stories when consolidating with Quest (DSL broadband internet) and Comcast is too expensive if we maintain our current level of TV offerings (which isn't really possible since Comcast cable has so few HD channels and premium channels in HD).

So we stick with Comcast for broadband, Quest for phone, and Dish for TV. Of course Dish is going to hit us up for another $3/mo come February (some folks don't think these relatively small monthly charges and rate increases are significant, but I always evaluate them as annual costs and that brings home just how much it costs to watch TV). I've declined to upgrade to a DVR because of the increased monthly charges, but now Dish allows recording without a monthly fee through use of an Extended Hard Drive (EHD) on the Dish ViP211. There is a one time activation fee and one needs to buy a USB2 HDD, but long term, that isn't a big financial hit. I'm currently searching for the best deal on a highly reliable and problem-free EHD.

We are hanging on to Dish because they really give us the most bang for the buck and we've been with them for ten years. However, economic conditions will probably force us into one of those package deals eventually.

This is a bit OT but thought I'd mention this since you say that you're a pensioner looking to reduce monthly outlay for services.

Since you already have a cable modem for broadband, consider getting the Ooma system (http://www.amazon.com/ooma-Phone-System-Monthly-Service/dp/B001C1MGKI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1230049930&sr=8-1) to replace your Qwest service. They are a one time purchase and then no monthly or annual fees. They also support E911 for emergency calling, etc.

My wife and I made the switch a few months ago and it's great. We enjoy toll quality phone service and just the one time outlay for the system. Free long distance, call waiting, caller ID, etc.

Over the course of 5 years it will save us an anticipated $900 compared to Qwest voice service.

This is a bit OT but thought I'd mention this since you say that you're a pensioner looking to reduce monthly outlay for services.

Since you already have a cable modem for broadband, consider getting the Ooma system (http://www.amazon.com/ooma-Phone-System-Monthly-Service/dp/B001C1MGKI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1230049930&sr=8-1) to replace your Qwest service. They are a one time purchase and then no monthly or annual fees. They also support E911 for emergency calling, etc.

My wife and I made the switch a few months ago and it's great. We enjoy toll quality phone service and just the one time outlay for the system. Free long distance, call waiting, caller ID, etc.

Over the course of 5 years it will save us an anticipated $900 compared to Qwest voice service.

Thanks for the tip.

There's no reason to get a DCH as long as the box you have is working fine. You will not get any additional functionality (the DCT and DCH pretty much run the same software and have pretty much the same bugs). I think the recording light issue on DCH's was fixed by Motorola in a firmware update, but Comcast may or may not have deployed the new firmware (anyone here with a DCH?).

All cable boxes in my household are DCT's BTW.

I've got a DCH-3416 box and the red recording light works fine.

You should be able to see all of those channels with basic cable. Of course, they will not be at those channel numbers. IIRC:

50-1 or 50-2 KMGH-DT (ABC)
9-1 KUSA-DT (NBC)
50-1 or 50-2 KCNC-DT (CBS)
31-1 KDVR-DT (FOX)
2-1 KWGN-DT (CW)
116-1 KTVD-DT (MNTV)
117- and -2 KRMA-DT (PBS)

Standard is the correct setting on my Samsung. I don't think HRC and IRC worked at all for digital, and they didn't make any difference for analog.

The Christmas surprise went quite well with my mother-in-law last night. She was amazed when we were able to get "The Chronicles of Narnia" in HD on ABC, local 7 DTV.

Running the channel scan for cable channels gave us a considerable number of Comcast digital channels (even after the scan automatically deleted the scrambled channels) in the clear in addition to the ones noted above. We were able to find a couple of her favorite channels, Hallmark and Daystar, in their digital form and she was impressed with the improved PQ of the digital version versus the analog.

It looks like there are almost 30 clear digital channels and it will take a while to decipher what they are just viewing each one for a while. The problem is the bizarre channel numbers. Is there any place where these channel numbers are deciphered or will I need to go to each channel and figure out what station I'm watching?

jquest and I did some deciphering about a year ago, but we haven't updated much since then. I found this post - you can look to see if there are later updates.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13166357#post13166357

The Christmas surprise went quite well with my mother-in-law last night. She was amazed when we were able to get "The Chronicles of Narnia" in HD on ABC, local 7 DTV.

Running the channel scan for cable channels gave us a considerable number of Comcast digital channels (even after the scan automatically deleted the scrambled channels) in the clear in addition to the ones noted above. We were able to find a couple of her favorite channels, Hallmark and Daystar, in their digital form and she was impressed with the improved PQ of the digital version versus the analog.

It looks like there are almost 30 clear digital channels and it will take a while to decipher what they are just viewing each one for a while. The problem is the bizarre channel numbers. Is there any place where these channel numbers are deciphered or will I need to go to each channel and figure out what station I'm watching?

All channels that are in the limited basic package (analog 2-22, 49-63, 96-99) should be in the clear, as the FCC doesn't allow these channels to be scrambled/encrypted (analog or digital). Some channels that are in the Digital Starter package (like C-SPAN2 and channel 7's 24/7 news channel) are also in the clear. The problem is that the channel numbers, as you have found, are obscure since (in most cases) there is no channel re-mapping info available (the channel numbers you see are the "physical" locations of the channels in the cable line, rather than the "virtual" channel numbers you'd see if you had a cable box).

Be advised that you may have to re-scan on occasion, since Comcast (and all digital TV providers, for that matter) will sometimes move channels around in an effort to make better use of bandwidth. For instance, ABC HD and CBS HD used to be at 89.1 and 89.2 instead of 50.1 and 50.2 (for my area at least). Since there is no re-mapping info, the TV cannot tell where a channel has moved to when these changes occur.

Some channels are reserved for Video On Demand (in my area they are 79, 80, 101, 102, 113, and 114). Nothing is broadcast on these channel until someone with a cable box selects a VOD program to watch. Then, a special channel is broadcast on one of these numbers specifically for that individual. If he hits pause, the channel will pause. If he hits rewind, the channel rewinds. If you hits stop, the channel is removed. These channels are currently in the clear, so you can eavesdrop on what other people in the neighborhood are watching (even pay-per-view items). Depending on the TV, though, it may be tricky to tune to these channels since they only exist part-time.

Within the next year or two, Comcast will move all Expanded Basic channels to digital-only (this affects analog channels 23-48, 64-78, and 95). If they decide to convert people to digital using cheaper boxes (known as DTA's), they will have to turn off encryption on these channels. Don't be surprised, therefore, if within the next several months a bunch more digital channels are de-scrambled.

Originally Posted by CEB II :
It would be great if she could go on digital cable, but she can't afford the extra cost for STB rental and the digital versus analog package. Her current bill is around $57/month and that's a strain for her since she lives on SS and income from a part-time job. I keep hoping that Comcast will make her a great offer to get her to convert to digital, but it hasn't happened so far.

I have the 'lifeline' package for about $13 a month and get 8 or so HD channels plus dozens of other digital and analog channels. I also get the random PPV feeds which can add up to 50 or more channels available some nights.

If your mom is on a budget, see if she could 'survive' on the lifeline package. That's over $525 a year she could be saving.

jquest and I did some deciphering about a year ago, but we haven't updated much since then. I found this post - you can look to see if there are later updates.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13166357#post13166357

Thanks again gakon. That list, with some changes I noted from subsequent posts will at least give me a good start at developing a channel list that my mother-in-law can read and use. She's the type that will revert to what she knows and what is easy if the path is at all complicated or confusing. So, I need to have a DTV channel list that will be like falling off a log for her.

All channels that are in the limited basic package (analog 2-22, 49-63, 96-99) should be in the clear, as the FCC doesn't allow these channels to be scrambled/encrypted (analog or digital). Some channels that are in the Digital Starter package (like C-SPAN2 and channel 7's 24/7 news channel) are also in the clear. The problem is that the channel numbers, as you have found, are obscure since (in most cases) there is no channel re-mapping info available (the channel numbers you see are the "physical" locations of the channels in the cable line, rather than the "virtual" channel numbers you'd see if you had a cable box).

Be advised that you may have to re-scan on occasion, since Comcast (and all digital TV providers, for that matter) will sometimes move channels around in an effort to make better use of bandwidth. For instance, ABC HD and CBS HD used to be at 89.1 and 89.2 instead of 50.1 and 50.2 (for my area at least). Since there is no re-mapping info, the TV cannot tell where a channel has moved to when these changes occur.

Some channels are reserved for Video On Demand (in my area they are 79, 80, 101, 102, 113, and 114). Nothing is broadcast on these channel until someone with a cable box selects a VOD program to watch. Then, a special channel is broadcast on one of these numbers specifically for that individual. If he hits pause, the channel will pause. If he hits rewind, the channel rewinds. If you hits stop, the channel is removed. These channels are currently in the clear, so you can eavesdrop on what other people in the neighborhood are watching (even pay-per-view items). Depending on the TV, though, it may be tricky to tune to these channels since they only exist part-time.

Within the next year or two, Comcast will move all Expanded Basic channels to digital-only (this affects analog channels 23-48, 64-78, and 95). If they decide to convert people to digital using cheaper boxes (known as DTA's), they will have to turn off encryption on these channels. Don't be surprised, therefore, if within the next several months a bunch more digital channels are de-scrambled.

I guess that is all good news and bad news. The good news is that she will eventually have more improved PQ digital channels in place of the fuzzier analog channels. The bad news is that I'll have to visit her periodically to rescan or otherwise add these new DTV channels to her TV's channel list.

If Comcast eventually moves their hard core analog folks to digital via a cheap STB, won't we still have to scan a cable RF feed bypassing that STB to receive the local DTV HD channels? Again good news and bad news. The cheap STB will take care of the constantly changing real DTV channel numbers that the Clear QAM tuner identifies, but it probably means a splitter on the coax from the wall to still use the Clear QAM tuner to receive the local HD channels.

I have the 'lifeline' package for about $13 a month and get 8 or so HD channels plus dozens of other digital and analog channels. I also get the random PPV feeds which can add up to 50 or more channels available some nights.

If your mom is on a budget, see if she could 'survive' on the lifeline package. That's over $525 a year she could be saving.

I think that as long as she gets Animal Planet, Daystar, Hallmark, Science, and the History channels, she'd take any package that would save her some money. But, those channels and maybe one or two more are must haves for her and why she is paying for expanded basic cable.

I guess that is all good news and bad news. The good news is that she will eventually have more improved PQ digital channels in place of the fuzzier analog channels. The bad news is that I'll have to visit her periodically to rescan or otherwise add these new DTV channels to her TV's channel list.

If Comcast eventually moves their hard core analog folks to digital via a cheap STB, won't we still have to scan a cable RF feed bypassing that STB to receive the local DTV HD channels? Again good news and bad news. The cheap STB will take care of the constantly changing real DTV channel numbers that the Clear QAM tuner identifies, but it probably means a splitter on the coax from the wall to still use the Clear QAM tuner to receive the local HD channels.

If the cheap STB's they decide to use are anything like the digital cable boxes (non-HD) we have in our household, the picture quality will be noticeably worse than when using the TV's clear QAM tuner. Even watching in analog looks better than watching in digital. That said, our SD boxes are several years old, so maybe the newer ones give better PQ than what I've seen.

Incidentally, if I recall correctly Daystar is KRMT (analog channel 19). That channel was supposed to go digital-only on December 8th (when Sci-Fi HD was added and VS/Golf HD was split into VS HD and Golf HD). Why that didn't happen is beyond me, but if Comcast is still planning on moving KRMT to digital-only, your little present might really come in handy. (The channel should always be in the clear since it's a local channel.)

50-1 or 50-2 KMGH-DT (ABC)
9-1 KUSA-DT (NBC)
50-1 or 50-2 KCNC-DT (CBS)
31-1 KDVR-DT (FOX)
2-1 KWGN-DT (CW)
116-1 KTVD-DT (MNTV)
117- and -2 KRMA-DT (PBS)


Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for. Looks like about 1/2 stayed the same and 1/2 moved or swapped.

Only thing I've watched on broadcast TV (recently) is SNL (Tina Fey was great as Palin!) and 9.1 hadn't been changing.

Thanks gakon. That will make our surprise setup on Christmas Eve (I'm going to set it up while she is out in the evening) much easier. I'll find all those channels and make her a list, otherwise she'll never watch them unless she stumbles on them. They've eliminated the EPG for Standard analog cable, so she needs to know where stations are or she won't find them (she's very technology-challenged).

It would be great if she could go on digital cable, but she can't afford the extra cost for STB rental and the digital versus analog package. Her current bill is around $57/month and that's a strain for her since she lives on SS and income from a part-time job. I keep hoping that Comcast will make her a great offer to get her to convert to digital, but it hasn't happened so far.

Nice list! I bought my wife a new LCD HDTV and hooked it up to cable and it works great, but hard to find familiar channels. Does anyone have a complete QAM list of channels for the Denver area or know of a good way to make more sense of the channels?

Nice list! I bought my wife a new LCD HDTV and hooked it up to cable and it works great, but hard to find familiar channels. Does anyone have a complete QAM list of channels for the Denver area or know of a good way to make more sense of the channels?

Yeah, I started with gakon's list and am attempting to update and expand it into a simple to follow directory for my M-I-L. As I noted previously, I need to make things as easy as falling off a log for her.

Unfortunately, I think the some of the channel numbers vary by your metro location, so my listings for Arvada may not apply. I also have found a dozen DTV channels in English, which don't show logos and weren't on gakon's list. I haven't had the time to watch each of them long enough to identify what channel they are, but I'm hoping I can enlist my M-I-L into checking them out for me over the next week or so.

One basic update is that for Arvada (at least Zips 80004 and 80005), KRMA-DT is now on Comcast DTV Channels 6-1 and 6-2. Also, KCNC-DT is 50-2 and KMGH-DT is 50-1, while KTVD-DT is now at 117-1. Also KBDI-DT (12) is at 82-8, KRMT-DT (41) is at 81-2, KWHD (52) is at 82-3, and KPXC-DT (59) is at 82-1.

http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/Telecom
February 2009 Rate Changes -
Effective with the February 2009 bills, Comcast will be implementing changes in the prices for some of their services. Basic Cable's current price of $13.69 will increase to $14.99. Standard Cable currently priced at $52.39 will now cost $55.99. Digital Starter, currently $53.39, will also increase to $55.99.
Notice that Standard Cable (a.k.a. Expanded Basic) and Digital Starter will cost the same from February onward. In areas where Exp. Basic was made digital-only, Comcast essentially game Digital Starter to everyone who needed to get cable boxes. The Digital Starter package is the same as Exp. Basic but with a handful of extra channels (most, if not all, of which are clear QAM).

http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/Telecom

Notice that Standard Cable (a.k.a. Expanded Basic) and Digital Starter will cost the same from February onward. In areas where Exp. Basic was made digital-only, Comcast essentially game Digital Starter to everyone who needed to get cable boxes. The Digital Starter package is the same as Exp. Basic but with a handful of extra channels (most, if not all, of which are clear QAM).

Not quite. In my area, Standard Cable and Digital Starter have been the same price for a while now. I did hear though they do have plans for making B2 digital here in Jersey, but they haven't done it yet.

um, can't even the Denver thread be void of NJ talk? ;)

http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/Telecom

Notice that Standard Cable (a.k.a. Expanded Basic) and Digital Starter will cost the same from February onward. In areas where Exp. Basic was made digital-only, Comcast essentially game Digital Starter to everyone who needed to get cable boxes. The Digital Starter package is the same as Exp. Basic but with a handful of extra channels (most, if not all, of which are clear QAM).

Since I'm trying to stay on top of this for my M-I-L's benefit (I'm not with Comcast), doesn't Comcast sock you with an STB rental fee on top of the programming cost if you switch from Standard Cable to Digital Starter? Whatever that cost is will be a monthly increase in cost to the subscriber, even if the programming packages are prices the same. Am I correct?

Since I'm trying to stay on top of this for my M-I-L's benefit (I'm not with Comcast), doesn't Comcast sock you with an STB rental fee on top of the programming cost if you switch from Standard Cable to Digital Starter? Whatever that cost is will be a monthly increase in cost to the subscriber, even if the programming packages are prices the same. Am I correct?

One box is included in digital starter.

Yeah, I started with gakon's list and am attempting to update and expand it into a simple to follow directory for my M-I-L. As I noted previously, I need to make things as easy as falling off a log for her.

Unfortunately, I think the some of the channel numbers vary by your metro location, so my listings for Arvada may not apply. I also have found a dozen DTV channels in English, which don't show logos and weren't on gakon's list. I haven't had the time to watch each of them long enough to identify what channel they are, but I'm hoping I can enlist my M-I-L into checking them out for me over the next week or so.

One basic update is that for Arvada (at least Zips 80004 and 80005), KRMA-DT is now on Comcast DTV Channels 6-1 and 6-2. Also, KCNC-DT is 50-2 and KMGH-DT is 50-1, while KTVD-DT is now at 117-1. Also KBDI-DT (12) is at 82-8, KRMT-DT (41) is at 81-2, KWHD (52) is at 82-3, and KPXC-DT (59) is at 82-1.


Thanks for the info. We will probably find them out of experimentation!

One box is included in digital starter.

So come February or whenever the price increase hits, it would cost my M-I-L the same for digital cable and one STB as it will cost her then for Standard Cable, correct? If that is the case, I'll probably suggest she move to digital cable.

So come February or whenever the price increase hits, it would cost my M-I-L the same for digital cable and one STB as it will cost her then for Standard Cable, correct? If that is the case, I'll probably suggest she move to digital cable.

My advice would be to stay with expanded basic. When Comcast moves the package to digital only, they may give better deals to customers that need to be converted to digital than to those who already have digital service. Digital starter gives very little additional programming compared to expanded basic.

Anyone have one of the new Panasonic tru2way HDTV's w/Comcast?

Sorry.. I didn't explain clearly. 116.2 now *is* local KRMA, and is no longer PBS-HD.

I was wondering if anyone knows where PBS-HD might have gone.... Local PBS is boring, but PBS-HD rocks!

Looks like KRMA got their part!

i took a closer look at 116.2 and the programming doesn't look right.
sometimes the programs on this channel are for the local PBS station
instead of the PBS-HD programming schedule my mythtv gets from
schedules direct. when an HD program is on it is in SD and i have to
stretch the picture to get it to fill the screen. anyone else seeing
this? a few months ago i did see a real HD picture on this channel.

February 2009 Rate Changes -
Effective with the February 2009 bills, Comcast will be implementing changes in the prices for some of their services. Basic Cable's current price of $13.69 will increase to $14.99. Standard Cable currently priced at $52.39 will now cost $55.99. Digital Starter, currently $53.39, will also increase to $55.99.

If I have a tv with a QAM tuner can I just sign up for the basic cable and still receive the other channels in the clear via the QAM tuner?

With basic service and a QAM tuner do I just receive analog channels 2-22, 49-63, 96-99 plus the HD versions (ABC, CBC, etc) and my neighbor's on-demand channels?

Will this change when Comcast moves all Expanded Basic channels to digital-only? Would I then be able to have basic service and pick up even more channels via my QAM tuner?

Thanks!

Anybody hear any rumors if Denver is ever going to get Discovery Channel in HD?

Anybody hear any rumors if Denver is ever going to get Discovery Channel in HD?

The main reason I am staying with E* for now. Love that Discovery HD!

Will this change when Comcast moves all Expanded Basic channels to digital-only? Would I then be able to have basic service and pick up even more channels via my QAM tuner?

Thanks!

You will pick up more channels, but they will not be HD. My understanding from the general Comcast HDTV thread is that the only HD channels that will be available in clear QAM will be the locals - Comcast will encrypt everything else. They're doing this to prevent people who only pay for the basic service from getting the cable channels in HD.

You will pick up more channels, but they will not be HD. My understanding from the general Comcast HDTV thread is that the only HD channels that will be available in clear QAM will be the locals - Comcast will encrypt everything else. They're doing this to prevent people who only pay for the basic service from getting the cable channels in HD.

I'm happy with just the local channels in HD for now. I was just wondering if there is a big reason for me to pay for Expanded cable rather than the Basic. Is it true that the channels 23-48 would be available via the QAM tuner?

We don't watch much TV, but some of the channels in that range are popular in the house. If I could cut my bill from $55 down to $14 by relying on the QAM tuner I would be happier.

Eventually those should be available. I don't believe they currently are, and I don't know what Comcast's schedule is for moving everything to digital - it will not happen on 2/17/09, as they aren't going to force everyone to get a cable box at that point.

Today I exchanged some email communication with a Comcast employee who posted in the main Comcast thread (Frank Eliason). I asked if southern Littleton was part of the SDV testing, and when new HD channels would be coming. His reply is below.


The area that is doing SDV is a small part of Denver. You would know if you were part of the testing area. It is interesting because we do have many tests that are in Colorado. They are also testing Tru2Way Panasonic TV's in that area. In terms of expansion of HD, I would expect continued expansion similar to what is currently being done in Oregon and Washington. In those areas channels above 30 are shifting to digital which is opening a lot of new capacity. I would review some of that information. Colorado is the headquarters for our western division. I am sure they would be interested in having it too! You have to realize we are all TV fans and have the same craving that you have. I know Engadget HD had the list for the Portland OR future HD. I would check it out



Here is the Engadget HD story I found. (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/12/06/comcast-oregon-readies-wild-list-of-hd-additions-after-dtv-trans/)

And here is the graphic from that story...

http://www.dslreports.com/r0/download/1377096~d38fd65ab279fc9ea5e3c464858c8de5/Picture%2020.png
http://www.dslreports.com/r0/download/1377097~bc58ec4d76a6c07a8e5d69f3b6192031/Picture%2019.png

Today I exchanged some email communication with a Comcast employee who posted in the main Comcast thread (Frank Eliason). I asked if southern Littleton was part of the SDV testing, and when new HD channels would be coming. His reply is below.




Here is the Engadget HD story I found. (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/12/06/comcast-oregon-readies-wild-list-of-hd-additions-after-dtv-trans/)

And here is the graphic from that story...

http://www.dslreports.com/r0/download/1377096~d38fd65ab279fc9ea5e3c464858c8de5/Picture%2020.png
http://www.dslreports.com/r0/download/1377097~bc58ec4d76a6c07a8e5d69f3b6192031/Picture%2019.png

Hmmm. . . ..So maybe, just maybe soon after oregon gets them?

It would be nice, but I figured we'd have heard something about it either via AVS or engadgetHD...

Crossing fingers though.

When he says in parts of Denver, does he mean Denver proper or the Denver metro area? I have a friend that works for TWC in CO and he said he heard they were doing some small testing in Wheat Ridge area for SDV.

i took a closer look at 116.2 and the programming doesn't look right.
sometimes the programs on this channel are for the local PBS station
instead of the PBS-HD programming schedule my mythtv gets from
schedules direct. when an HD program is on it is in SD and i have to
stretch the picture to get it to fill the screen. anyone else seeing
this? a few months ago i did see a real HD picture on this channel.

On December 1st 116.2 switched to local HD while KRMA gets various and sundry new equipment in place. They claimed PBS-HD would be back in January, but that probably means January 31st....

Today I exchanged some email communication with a Comcast employee who posted in the main Comcast thread (Frank Eliason). I asked if southern Littleton was part of the SDV testing, and when new HD channels would be coming. His reply is below.

Over the past several months, I had noticed some QAM traffic that appeared (near as I could tell) to be SDV testing. Those QAM channels are gone now. I live in south Jefferson County (Littleton mailing address) and am part of the Jefferson County system which used to be Jones Intercable once upon a time.

As far as I know, no one (certainly not in this area) has been put on SDV except for beta testers and/or employees. As much as I'd love to see SDV turned on, I understand why Comcast is moving cautiously. Other cable providers have already deployed SDV in some areas and have had to deal with the FCC as a result. Comcast has had their own dealings with the FCC in recent times, and I don't think they want to make things even worse with them.

I read a while back that cable providers have agreed to hold off on moving analog channels to digital until after the broadcast digital transition in February, to avoid confusion. There will definitely be advanced notice before that happens. Comcast does want to get expanded basic converted over on all of their systems within the next 12 to 18 months, so it will definitely come here fairly soon.

I'm currently a Dish Network customer and I'm going to get an HDTV after the Super Bowl. (I've heard prices will drop after that.) I have a friend who has DirecTV and the HD on that isn't too bad. On most of the channels I've seen, it was usually somewhere between okay and really good. SD channels still didn't look that great. My girlfriend just got an HDTV and upgraded to an HD package from Comcast, which I think looks like garbage.

I've heard that Comcast still uses MPEG-2 for HD, while Dish and DirecTV use MPEG-4. Is that still the case? Even if that's the case, does one use higher bit rates than the other, or are they all doing a lot of extra compression to cram as many HD channels down the pipe as possible?

If my three options for HD are Comcast, Dish and DirecTV, which has the highest quality?

Topics merged.

...or are they all doing a lot of extra compression to cram as many HD channels down the pipe as possible?Yes. Forget about MPEG2 or 4.

If my three options for HD are Comcast, Dish and DirecTV, which has the highest quality?For the DBS providers, DirecTV is generally considered to have slightly better HD image quality. They also have more sports programming, including exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket. Dish has HD only packages.

For Comcast, HD image quality and channels will vary. Others in this topic will be able to comment on Comcast HD in the Denver area.

Yes. Forget about MPEG2 or 4.

For the DBS providers, DirecTV is generally considered to have slightly better HD image quality. They also have more sports programming, including exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket. Dish has HD only packages.

For Comcast, HD image quality and channels will vary. Others in this topic will be able to comment on Comcast HD in the Denver area.

Thanks! Maybe I'll switch to DirecTV instead of upgrading to a Dish HD package. I'm not concerned with having dozens of HD channels. I just want the ones I do like to look really good. I'd rather watch SD content than HD content with lots of artifacts. That drives me nuts when I see it.

EDIT: I just decided that I'll probably stick with Dish. Their HD receiver supports two TVs, so I can watch my recorded programs on either TV. That is HUGE for me. DirecTV requires a receiver for each TV. That's a show stopper for me.

EDIT: I just decided that I'll probably stick with Dish. Their HD receiver supports two TVs, so I can watch my recorded programs on either TV. That is HUGE for me. DirecTV requires a receiver for each TV. That's a show stopper for me.

Only one of the two TVs on the single receiver can be connected as HD, though.

Only one of the two TVs on the single receiver can be connected as HD, though.

Yeah, which kind of stinks, but the benefit of having a single repository of recorded content is huge. I have two kids, so it's very good to be able to playback their shows on either TV. I don't want to have to record everything twice or worry about running into issues where a show they want to watch is only recorded on the TV I want to use at the moment. My ex-wife runs into that issue with Comcast and she hates it. She much prefers the Dish setup that I have.

I'm currently a Dish Network customer and I'm going to get an HDTV after the Super Bowl. (I've heard prices will drop after that.) I have a friend who has DirecTV and the HD on that isn't too bad. On most of the channels I've seen, it was usually somewhere between okay and really good. SD channels still didn't look that great. My girlfriend just got an HDTV and upgraded to an HD package from Comcast, which I think looks like garbage.

I've heard that Comcast still uses MPEG-2 for HD, while Dish and DirecTV use MPEG-4. Is that still the case? Even if that's the case, does one use higher bit rates than the other, or are they all doing a lot of extra compression to cram as many HD channels down the pipe as possible?

If my three options for HD are Comcast, Dish and DirecTV, which has the highest quality?

Dish HD PQ is as good or better than DirecTV as evidenced by all the AVS and SatelliteGuys threads complaining about HD-Lite. I have Dish HD and I don't have any issues with HD PQ. I get the Dish HD locals and I get them OTA. Dish's PQ on those locals is darn close to what I get OTA. I've seen Comcast's HD locals in Arvada and they look fine to me, not issues.

MPEG4 versus MPEG2 is only an advantage to the DTV broadcast vendor as they can cram more channels on a single transponder with MPEG4. With a transponder loaded to max with either compression standard, the PQ will be similar and not as good as it could be.

The PQ on SD channels on an HDTV is mostly a function of the HDTV you buy and not the supplier of your TV service. Check CR's ratings on TVs before you buy (CNET comments on SD PQ also) to ensure the set you get has an above average rating for SD PQ.

Does anyone here in the Lafayette / Louisville / Boulder area know if its possible to pick up a cable card (M type) from local Comcast office or does it require a techncian visit?

DirecTV only uses "HD Lite" on MPEG2 HD channels, and all HD channels are available in MPEG4 format now (several channels are still available in MPEG2, but they are being phased out to reclaim bandwidth on the 110 and 119 sats).

As for whether Dish or D* has better MPEG4 HD quality, I'm not the best one to ask since I can't see any difference even when compared to Comcast's 3:1 QAM mapping scheme (which is said to give the worst picture quality of any provider). Of course, the TV in our house is only 46 inches, and my vision is not perfect by any stretch. From what I've read, though, D*'s MPEG4 quality is somewhat better than Dish, though neither are as good as getting the channel in the same format (usually MPEG2) as the source material with no extra compression.

As for watching recorded content in more than one room, that feature will be available from DirecTV some time over the next few months. You will still need a second receiver (either a standalone HD receiver or another DVR), and both receivers need to be networked together (not all receivers from D* can be networked). DirecTV may decide to charge extra for the feature, though, but you will be able to watch both SD and HD material this way (provided your network supports the needed bitrates). DirecTV's Cutting Edge program currently allows users to test this feature from an HD-DVR to certain standalone receivers, but it still needs some work before a national rollout.

Dish HD PQ is as good or better than DirecTV as evidenced by all the AVS and SatelliteGuys threads complaining about HD-Lite.That is old news. The latest forum consensus is that DirecTV has slightly better HD image quality than Dish Network. Not to say Dish is bad, but just not as good as DirecTV.

Most of the opinions in this matter come from those who have directly compared both providers recently.

As always, this is subject to change.

Does anyone here in the Lafayette / Louisville / Boulder area know if its possible to pick up a cable card (M type) from local Comcast office or does it require a techncian visit?
They require a service call.

They require a service call.Thanks.

Has anoyone in our area had any luck getting a cable card for a TivoHD on just the basic cable tier or is it necessary to subsubscribe to the digital cable tier (no receiver needed here)?

That is old news. The latest forum consensus is that DirecTV has slightly better HD image quality than Dish Network. Not to say Dish is bad, but just not as good as DirecTV.

Most of the opinions in this matter come from those who have directly compared both providers recently.

As always, this is subject to change.

Guess you haven't been reading the same posts I've seen on various websites and including some recent ones in the Denver threads for OTA, satellite, and cable.

On a personal experience level, I can't comment on D* HD PQ since I haven't had their service. However, I have had OTA HD and Dish HD for 5 years and I can say that the current Dish HD (ViP211 & ViP222) PQ on all of my HDTVs is darn close to my OTA HD PQ on any of my 4 HD tuners when viewing the same local (OTA network) HD programming. Therefore, unless D* HD is equal to OTA HD, which is highly doubtful, the best they can do is equal Dish.

I don't have an agenda relative to which DBS service anyone choses, but apparently you do. I'm just offering my input based on personal experience and on-line research.

Guess you haven't been reading the same posts I've seen on various websites and including some recent ones in the Denver threads for OTA, satellite, and cable.

On a personal experience level, I can't comment on D* HD PQ since I haven't had their service. However, I have had OTA HD and Dish HD for 5 years and I can say that the current Dish HD (ViP211 & ViP222) PQ on all of my HDTVs is darn close to my OTA HD PQ on any of my 4 HD tuners when viewing the same local (OTA network) HD programming. Therefore, unless D* HD is equal to OTA HD, which is highly doubtful, the best they can do is equal Dish.

I don't have an agenda relative to which DBS service anyone choses, but apparently you do. I'm just offering my input based on personal experience and on-line research.

I don't have an agenda either, but don't bring up "HD Lite" again, for that's a thing of the past. All providers (even Comcast) give HD quality that's plenty good enough for many people. Some are more sensitive to PQ differences than others. For those that are sensitive to it, it's a very big deal, but for the rest of us it shouldn't play a role in deciding between providers.

Unfortunately, for those who want the best quality, the future isn't too good. OTA stations are adding more compression to make room for sub-channels, while cable and satellite providers are adding compression to provide as many channels as they can. Even some cable channels are applying extra compression at the source, meaning they will have reduced quality no matter what provider you use. Since not that many people notice (or care), there isn't really an incentive to maintain higher quality at the expense of more channels.

I don't have an agenda relative to which DBS service anyone choses, but apparently you do.Wrong.

I've been moderating HDTV at AVS for over 7 years, and have no ax to grind regarding providers. Over the years I've said all of them, from Comcast to Dish to DirecTV have all been the best for HD image quality at one point or another. Right now, for the best HD image quality, Verizon FiOS is it bar none, but unfortunately is not available in all areas.

Look at the consensus of end users who have compared both DBS services side by side recently.

And sadly I still miss Voom. They were so close at getting their DVR out.:(

I'm a Comcast HD subscriber in Boulder. Lately, channels 652 and 654 have become inaccessible to me after about 6pm or so. They work fine during the day, but in the evening hours I get a message on the screen saying "one moment please - this channel should be available shortly". It never becomes available, at least not until the next day.

This is happening on both my HDTV's, one with a normal box and one with a DVR. It occurs on both sets at the exact same time in the exact same way.

I called Comcast last night and they sent a tech out this morning. He checked signal strength at all connections and said we had a strong signal, he could find no problems. Of course the channels were working when he was here. Now I am sitting watching the AFC Championship game and both 652 and 654 went out at almost 6pm sharp. I am forced to watch in SD.

Called Comcast again, explained what has happened, and they said they will send out another tech, not until Tuesday. Seems silly to me as they already did that and it did not help. Also mentioned that I should not be paying for service until they get this fixed, to which their response was I can just watch on the SD channel, no big deal to them.

What could be going on? What would you guys recommend I do to get this resolved? I am so frustrated....

Make sure the tech comes out as late as possible?

I'm a Comcast HD subscriber in Boulder. Lately, channels 652 and 654 have become inaccessible to me after about 6pm or so. They work fine during the day, but in the evening hours I get a message on the screen saying "one moment please - this channel should be available shortly". It never becomes available, at least not until the next day.

This is happening on both my HDTV's, one with a normal box and one with a DVR. It occurs on both sets at the exact same time in the exact same way.

I called Comcast last night and they sent a tech out this morning. He checked signal strength at all connections and said we had a strong signal, he could find no problems. Of course the channels were working when he was here. Now I am sitting watching the AFC Championship game and both 652 and 64 went out at almost 6pm sharp. I am forced to watch in SD.

Called Comcast again, explained what has happened, and they said they will send out another tech, not until Tuesday. Seems silly to me as they already did that and it did not help. Also mentioned that I should not be paying for service until they get this fixed, to which their response was I can just watch on the SD channel, no big deal to them.

What could be going on? What would you guys recommend I do to get this resolved? I am so frustrated....

Either some piece of equipment is sensitive to the cold, or something is wrong on Comcast's end. Unfortunately, unless others in your area report the same problem or you can get someone out after 6pm (good luck doing that!), I don't know what else to do.

If you want to check signal strength yourself, while tuned to a particular channel, power off the box, then press OK within two seconds. A diagnostics menu should appear. You will want to look at the In-Band Status page to see the current signal status ("GOOD", "FAIR", "POOR"). Note that both 652 and 654 are mapped to the same frequency, so the screen should give the same data for both channels.

I'm a Comcast HD subscriber in Boulder. Lately, channels 652 and 654 have become inaccessible to me after about 6pm or so. They work fine during the day, but in the evening hours I get a message on the screen saying "one moment please - this channel should be available shortly". It never becomes available, at least not until the next day.

This is happening on both my HDTV's, one with a normal box and one with a DVR. It occurs on both sets at the exact same time in the exact same way.

I called Comcast last night and they sent a tech out this morning. He checked signal strength at all connections and said we had a strong signal, he could find no problems. Of course the channels were working when he was here. Now I am sitting watching the AFC Championship game and both 652 and 654 went out at almost 6pm sharp. I am forced to watch in SD.

Called Comcast again, explained what has happened, and they said they will send out another tech, not until Tuesday. Seems silly to me as they already did that and it did not help. Also mentioned that I should not be paying for service until they get this fixed, to which their response was I can just watch on the SD channel, no big deal to them.

What could be going on? What would you guys recommend I do to get this resolved? I am so frustrated....

I lived in Boulder until a couple of years ago, in an condo building with a lot of units. The units were all wired with RG58U cable in the 1980s, and living on the end there was considerable signal loss. For me, it was worse on hot days in the summer. Sometimes it manifested in a lot of macro-blocking, but other times it did come up as perpectual waiting for authorization. At any rate, Comcast came out a few times, trying to deal with this, but over time various contractor installers would undo what they did. Eventually I ended up with an amplifier inside my unit (I still have it but don't use it here) and the problems went away.

Yep, I have problems now & then with UHD, Scifi HD. Seams to happen with temp changes. The cable running from the pole to the house is from 1983 when TCI first came into the area. One of these day I'll have it replaced.

Yep, I have problems now & then with UHD, Scifi HD. Seams to happen with temp changes. The cable running from the pole to the house is from 1983 when TCI first came into the area. One of these day I'll have it replaced.

If the problem shows up when the temperature increases and decreases then you may have a bad cable or connection. If the problem shows up only when it is very cold then you may have to much signal strength on your line. If the problem only shows up when it is hot you may have a low signal strength. Signal attenuation is decreased as the temperature decreases, so if your line was tested during a hot day they may have boosted the signal to compensate, but when the temperature gets cold the signal strength will go higher and may exceed the allowed limits. The opposite is also true, if they tested your line on a cold day then they may have decreased the signal or left it alone because it was just above the minimum power needed. When it gets warmer the signal level will drop and that may be enough of a drop to go below the minimum signal strength needed. I have seen this problem before.

On December 1st 116.2 switched to local HD while KRMA gets various and sundry new equipment in place. They claimed PBS-HD would be back in January, but that probably means January 31st....

Still SD.....I hope they put it back to the way it was. PBSHD is one of the best things on!

I was just checkin' for updates.

Still SD.....I hope they put it back to the way it was. PBSHD is one of the best things on!

I was just checkin' for updates.

This is what KRMA-DT is currently sending out, not something Comcast is doing.

Check out KRMA's schedule
http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/fuseaction/schedule/date/2009-01-23
It looks like they intend to resume HD Sunday Feb 15.

Check out KRMA's schedule
http://www.rmpbs.org/content/index.cfm/fuseaction/schedule/date/2009-01-23
It looks like they intend to resume HD Sunday Feb 15.

That might be close to perfect timing. I come back from Puerto Rico Feb 12th!

I seem to have lost my ability to recieve unscrambled QAM HD local channels over Comcast cable in Boulder.

Has anyone else run into this problem?

regards
Doug

I was still receiving the HD locals via QAM last night (Leno). When did you notice the change? Is it possible the channel assignments changed for you? I've had the channels change from their logical assignments (e.g., 9-1) to something totally unrelated (89-2) before, although that was quite a while ago. I think we also lost some when the PSIP information changed for an adjacent channel. For example, I think 6-1 was actually on 117-2 a while ago. When 6-1 updated its PSIP so that it was actually showing up at 6-1, that screwed up 117-1 (CW at the time, I think) so that you couldn't tune it in.

You can try calling Comcast, but it's unlikely that they will recognize the existence of a QAM tuner.

I'm not sure when it changed.
I did a rescan, and don't seem to be getting any HD at all. 9-1 says "no signal" etc.

Comcast, by email, is more or less denying all knowledge of unscrambled QAM...

I'm not sure when it changed.
I did a rescan, and don't seem to be getting any HD at all. 9-1 says "no signal" etc.

Comcast, by email, is more or less denying all knowledge of unscrambled QAM...

Comcast offer no support for those relying on clear QAM. They wouldn't have any clear QAM at all if they had a choice.

If you're getting "no signal," then you probably wouldn't be getting the channels even if you had a cable box. You might want to look through all digital channels in case they got moved to new frequencies and/or re-mapped.

No changes here in south Jeffco. All local HD comes in fine for me.

Yes I rescanned, and didn't find any HD... In other respects, my tuner is working as normal.

What could be going on? Any thoughts?

Could your tuner maybe have been switched from cable to ant. somehow & you didn't notice? That would do cause it.

No, that's not it. I can yank the antenna, and still pick up the cable channels ok.

Ok, on a full rescan and poking around in the "channel editor" on my LG DVR/tuner it turns out that I *do* get KCNC (CBS) on 4-1 on HD, as well as RMPBS on digital.

No NBC on 9-1 though. Comcast is being pretty hilariously obstructive by email...

Anyone in south Boulder done a scan on celar QAM recently? Is KUSA (9 news) being sent out on 9-1?

Doug

Ok, on a full rescan and poking around in the "channel editor" on my LG DVR/tuner it turns out that I *do* get KCNC (CBS) on 4-1 on HD, as well as RMPBS on digital.

No NBC on 9-1 though. Comcast is being pretty hilariously obstructive by email...

Anyone in south Boulder done a scan on celar QAM recently? Is KUSA (9 news) being sent out on 9-1?

Doug

What channel numbers have you tried? What other digital channels do you get?

Comcast is known to change channel mappings, and not all local HD channels have PSIP passed through, so channels won't always appear at the OTA channel numbers (4-1, 7-1, etc.). All local HD channels should be there - it's just a matter of finding the channel number. For me, the channels are at the following locations (though it can vary depending on which system you're on):

KMGH (ABC) - 50-2
KCNC (CBS) - 50-1
KUSA (NBC) - 90-1, remapped to 9-1
KDVR (FOX) - 90-2, remapped to 31-1
KWGN (CW) - 116-1, remapped to 2-1
KRMA (PBS) - 116-2 and 116-3, remapped to 6-1 and 6-2
KTVD (MyN) - 117-5

Also, KMGH's news channel is at 105-2 and KUSA's weather channel is at 112-2. The other locals (SD) are in the lower 80's.

Sunday night I was watching HBO on Comcast digital cable. The show was very quiet, so we turned the volume up on the receiver to about midnight or maybe 12:30. It was just loud enough for us to clearly hear the program. Normally we listen to TV shows with the volume at about 9:30. An "amber alert" came on suddenly informing us about a missing child or something. It was broadcast at a level that hurt my ears, and with no warning. It actually blew out the tweeters in my speakers.
The following morning I called Comcast. I'll spare you the customer service details (very frustrating), but Comcast basically ended up saying they wouldn't do anything about it. They claim it's all the government's fault, as they are the ones issuing the warning. I understand why they say that, but c'mon....SOMEONE should be monitoring these levels. I'm sure this has happened before. Does anyone have a recommendation for how I can go about getting this problem resolved? Thanks in advance.
This is my first post here, so hopefully I'm not violating some kind of code. Please let me know if this should be posted elsewhere.

No code violations, but I'm not sure what you expect from an HDTV thread. The overall Comcast HDTV thread has some general complaints about customer service, but I've never heard anyone describe a situation like yours. Go through the last few pages of the other Comcast thread and search for some references to Frank Eliason. He's supposedly someone who can help with customer service issues.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15623862#post15623862

By the way,, while I think I know what you intend by the phrase "midnight or maybe 12:30", I don't believe anyone reading knows what that means in terms of volume.

What channel numbers have you tried? What other digital channels do you get?

Comcast is known to change channel mappings, and not all local HD channels have PSIP passed through, so channels won't always appear at the OTA channel numbers (4-1, 7-1, etc.). All local HD channels should be there - it's just a matter of finding the channel number. For me, the channels are at the following locations (though it can vary depending on which system you're on):

KMGH (ABC) - 50-2
KCNC (CBS) - 50-1
KUSA (NBC) - 90-1, remapped to 9-1
KDVR (FOX) - 90-2, remapped to 31-1
KWGN (CW) - 116-1, remapped to 2-1
KRMA (PBS) - 116-2 and 116-3, remapped to 6-1 and 6-2
KTVD (MyN) - 117-5

Also, KMGH's news channel is at 105-2 and KUSA's weather channel is at 112-2. The other locals (SD) are in the lower 80's.

Anyone using Vista MCE to map to these? I can get all of the channels except for 117.5 and I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong.

Anyone using Vista MCE to map to these? I can get all of the channels except for 117.5 and I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong.

It might not be 117-5 for you. Try other 117-x channel numbers. There are I believe seven sub-channels at 117, and only one is in the clear. Different tuners sort QAM channels in different ways, since there's no real "correct" way to do it when there's no virtual channel assignments within the data stream.

No dice. It maps all the other channels correctly as well so i am at a loss.

I was on 6th Ave this weekend and saw a Huge crane at the KWGN tower site. Hmmmm?

Has anyone else noticed a channel 999 on their on screen guide? Its been on mine for a few days in Aurora. It shows TBA for all programming and when you select it says to call Comcast to subscribe to it. Anyone got any idea what it might be?

Has anyone else noticed a channel 999 on their on screen guide? Its been on mine for a few days in Aurora. It shows TBA for all programming and when you select it says to call Comcast to subscribe to it. Anyone got any idea what it might be?

That channel maps to frequency 705 MHz, the equivalent of QAM channel 109. There are two HD feeds on 109 (both encrypted), though I don't remember which ones they are. My TV now shows three scrambled channels on 109, when previous scans have always found two.

As for what the channel is, who knows? There isn't even a guarantee that it's an HD channel, though its position seems to indicate that it might be.

Does anyone else find it extremely odd that Comcast in Denver has HD Theater, TLC, and Science Channel, yet no Discovery HD?

We all know that 23 national HD channels (and that's including HBO, Cinemax, STARZ, and Showtime) is pretty sad. But you'd at least expect them to add Discovery HD before Science Channel or TLC.

The had Discovery HD. They dumped in in favor of HDT.

The had Discovery HD. They dumped in in favor of HDT.

I thought Comcast has always had the same channel - it was just renamed to HDT a while ago. But I didn't think what we had was the same as Discovery HD. Even some old posts referred to it as HD Theater (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=3967058#post3967058)

HD Theater used to be called Discovery HD Theater, but the word Discovery was taken off to avoid confusion with Discovery Channel HD around the time it launched. Comcast never had Discovery Channel HD here.

Comcast adds HD channels based on what in biggest demand as well as contractual obligations. Discovery HD should be among the next batch of HD channels when it arrives (and it is a matter of when, not if), based on the order in which channels have appeared in other markets.

Comcast adds HD channels based on what in biggest demand as well as contractual obligations. Discovery HD should be among the next batch of HD channels when it arrives (and it is a matter of when, not if), based on the order in which channels have appeared in other markets.

Can't be soon enough, IMO.

On a separate note, I called Comcast to see what HD I would lose if I went with Digital Starter only (I have Digital Classic, which is the equivalent of Preferred in the current groupings). I would lose at least A&E, National Geographic, TLC, Food, HGTV, Disney, and ABC Family. Since the kids watch a lot of the latter two, I can't save myself $16/month by dropping to the lower tier. FWIW, the CSR was sympathetic - he couldn't understand why Comcast doesn't allow us to just buy all the HD channels (premiums excepted, of course) without paying for another 100+ SD channels that we don't watch. Not like it's going to change. I just wish all of the networks that have two versions of their channels (SD and HD, like ESPN, Wx, TNT, etc.) would just get rid of the SD versions and force things to move forward.

OK I guess you guys are right. I just seemes to me that when the name changed so did the programing.

It just seemes to me that there was more Discovery Ch. programing on it than there is now.

Call me crazy.:)

OK I guess you guys are right. I just seemes to me that when the name changed so did the programing.

It just seemes to me that there was more Discovery Ch. programing on it than there is now.

Call me crazy.:)

Sadly, many cable channels have revised their content theme over the past several years. Remember when MTV actually showed music videos. Discovery, TLC, A&E, and FX don't show the kind of programming they did 5 to 10 years ago; the kind of programming that endeared those channels to many. The one bright spot has been the History Channel. They are showing more of the same in better quality and have held true to their roots. Of course it will just be a matter for time before the History Channel runs some reality series to.

Sadly, many cable channels have revised their content theme over the past several years. Remember when MTV actually showed music videos. Discovery, TLC, A&E, and FX don't show the kind of programming they did 5 to 10 years ago; the kind of programming that endeared those channels to many. The one bright spot has been the History Channel. They are showing more of the same in better quality and have held true to their roots. Of course it will just be a matter for time before the History Channel runs some reality series to.

MTV once had music videos???

MTV once had music videos???

ROFLMFAO...

Video killed the Radio star!!!!

Still no HD from KRMA (6.1)?

My HP Vista MCE only gets analog stations. What tuner card do you recommend for getting QAM HD stations? Will MCE record HD? How do you map QAM stations?

I got a new HDTV a few weeks ago. I hooked directly into Comcast cable (no set-top boxes, but one splitter upstream for cable modem).

I ran the self-tune program to find the channels. I got all my SD comcast channels, and I got the following HD channels

2-1 CW
6-1, 6-2 (not broadcasting in HD for the time being) PBS
9-1 NBC
31-1 Fox

I am however unable to get CBS or ABC. I tried the channels listed above by dvdmth, but no luck.

Any ideas? I live a little bit north-west of City-Park.

-andy

I get the ABC and CBS on channel 51 in Highlands Ranch, not 50.

That's interesting, since I'm in HR, too.

Update after playing around last night:

50-1 and 50-2 both intermittently map to 4-1 (CBS). But the picture comes and goes (1/2 second on/off cycling, with mostly random pixelation). But I did notice a flash of the ABC icon at the bottom right of the screen.

Playing around with the manual features of the tuner on the TV, I found that I can get the status of say channel 90 (of the digital cable), including all the subchannels.

So for 90, I get that 90-1 maps to 9-1 (NBC-HD), and 90-2 maps to 31-1 (FOX-HD). I also get that the signal strength is "Good". So far so good....

For 50, I get intermittent maps to 4-1 (CBS-HD), 7-1 (ABC-HD), "Scrambled signal", and "No signal".

It looks like ABC and CBS are there on 50, but not getting through correctly. Based on channel 90, it looks like I have adequate signal, and that my tuner is able to get the HD sub-channels out.

Kind of at a loss....????.... Any ideas?

-Andy

p.s. I will definitely try channel 51 when I get home tonight. But, I suspect that is not where the signals are because, the auto-tuner did not pick signals up on 51 (it got everything else correct), and there are the scrambled/weak/mixed signals on 50.

My HP Vista MCE only gets analog stations. What tuner card do you recommend for getting QAM HD stations? Will MCE record HD? How do you map QAM stations?

I highly recommend the HDHomerun networked tuner, especially if you have multiple PCs in the house. This is a dual HD tuner than can record two programs at the same time. Since it is networked (instead of being installed inside your PC), any computer on your network can easily access the tuners to record or watch live TV.

You can easily add multiple HDHomerun tuners to your network and record 2, 4 or more programs at once.

Setting it up can take some patience. If you have the TV Pack for MCE, things can be a lot easier (but I don't think you are still able to tune/record PPV feeds with TV Pack). With this tuner, you can easily get over 30 QAM channels plus another 30 to 40 potential PPV feeds in the Denver area.

Still no HD from KRMA (6.1)?

Here's the word from KRMA. It continues to be unclear if they will return to carrying the national PBS HD feed.

=====

The dates to upgrade to 1080i for Rocky Mountain PBS have changed since the transition has been postponed. We don't know the official date of the transition yet, but it sounds like it will be June 12th. If that is the case we will upgrade to 1080i during June or July. Rocky Mountain PBS is moving our digital equipment onto a tower currently occupied by channel 20 analog equipment. After the transition the company will remove their analog equipment and then our digital equipment will be moved onto the tower and then we will broadcast at full power (1Mw). We apologize for the delay to upgrade to 1080i, but we can't change the format until we discontinue airing our analog broadcast and move onto the tower.

I got a new HDTV a few weeks ago. I hooked directly into Comcast cable (no set-top boxes, but one splitter upstream for cable modem).

I ran the self-tune program to find the channels. I got all my SD comcast channels, and I got the following HD channels

2-1 CW
6-1, 6-2 (not broadcasting in HD for the time being) PBS
9-1 NBC
31-1 Fox

I am however unable to get CBS or ABC. I tried the channels listed above by dvdmth, but no luck.

Any ideas? I live a little bit north-west of City-Park.

-andy

I have the same problem (northern edge of Sloan Lake). Canceled all Comcast service except internet and replaced it with internal QAM tuner. For about a week, I managed to get all 5 broadcast stations and PBS in HD, as well as a handful of SD stations.

On 2/17 (coincidence or irony?), I lost HD feeds for ABC and CBS. Remapped and was able to find them in SD, but can't seem to pull in the HD (in either single-digit or 50-x ranges). Any ideas?

I have the same problem (northern edge of Sloan Lake). Canceled all Comcast service except internet and replaced it with internal QAM tuner. For about a week, I managed to get all 5 broadcast stations and PBS in HD, as well as a handful of SD stations.

On 2/17 (coincidence or irony?), I lost HD feeds for ABC and CBS. Remapped and was able to find them in SD, but can't seem to pull in the HD (in either single-digit or 50-x ranges). Any ideas?

Do you subscribe to Internet only? No basic cable (no analog channels at all)?

Channel 50 used to be an analog channel on the limited basic tier a couple of years ago. It is likely part of the frequency range that is trapped if you subscribe to no cable TV service at all. If you subscribe to limited basic cable (and can get channels 49, 52, 53, etc. in the clear), then 50 should come in fine. However, if you don't subscribe to any cable TV service, including basic, then these channels are likely trapped and you won't get anything at 50.

Do you subscribe to Internet only? No basic cable (no analog channels at all)?

Channel 50 used to be an analog channel on the limited basic tier a couple of years ago. It is likely part of the frequency range that is trapped if you subscribe to no cable TV service at all. If you subscribe to limited basic cable (and can get channels 49, 52, 53, etc. in the clear), then 50 should come in fine. However, if you don't subscribe to any cable TV service, including basic, then these channels are likely trapped and you won't get anything at 50.

Interesting. I do subscribe to the Comcast digital starter package. I will look at those channels tonight when I get home, as I just do not remember anything being on those channels.

NBC Universal Sports (SD) is now on Comcast channel 250. It is also available via clear QAM at 90.3 (that's where my TV finds it anyway). Via OTA the channel is at 9.3.

In case anybody cares...

Channel 50 used to be an analog channel on the limited basic tier a couple of years ago. It is likely part of the frequency range that is trapped if you subscribe to no cable TV service at all. If you subscribe to limited basic cable (and can get channels 49, 52, 53, etc. in the clear), then 50 should come in fine. However, if you don't subscribe to any cable TV service, including basic, then these channels are likely trapped and you won't get anything at 50.

Channel 51 has strong signal, but the tuner says it is scrambled. I am beginning to suspect that whatever notch filter is being used for scrambling 51 has a shoulder in its frequency response that is affecting Channel 50.

My sister in law is going to long-term lend me her HD Tivo (she got it free through work, but does not have an HD TV... so its mine until she upgrades her TV). When I get the cable card for the Tivo, I suspect that whatever is on 51 will be let through - thereby also letting through 50.

However if I was not going to get the Tivo, I would probably be complaining to Comcast about this, because they are required to let through the networks.

-Andy

Comcast is under no obligation to provide HD channels via QAM. The digital versions of the locals can be found in the 86-x range, I think - that's the minimum Comcast is required to provide.

Comcast is under no obligation to provide HD channels via QAM. The digital versions of the locals can be found in the 86-x range, I think - that's the minimum Comcast is required to provide.

I'm not an attorney or anything, but looking at CFR 47, S76.901(a) (which is part of the federal law governing cable television stations under the jurisdiction of the FCC)

§76.901 Definitions.
(a) Basic service. The basic service
tier shall, at a minimum, include all
signals of domestic television broad-
cast stations provided to any sub-
scriber (except a signal secondarily
transmitted by satellite carrier beyond
the local service area of such station,
regardless of how such signal is ulti-
mately received by the cable system)
any public, educational, and govern-
mental programming required by the
franchise to be carried on the basic
tier, and any additional video program-
ming signals a service added to the
basic tier by the cable operator.


Now considering that ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox all have broadcast versions of HD, it seems (based on the CFR) that Comcast must carry these channels, because they are included in "all signals of domestic television broadcast stations".

Granted they do not have to carry, say, TNT HD or ESPN HD in the basic package, because these are not broadcast stations. And to be honest, these are some of the channels I really want (hence I am feeling super lucky to be getting an HD Tivo - I just wish I had it for the Nuggets-Blazers game on Thus night).

As I said before, I am not an attorney, and I could be reading the law incorrectly, but it does seem (in my opinion) to require Comcast to provide on basic cable anything that is available via broadcast (including the HD network (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox)).

Channel 51 has strong signal, but the tuner says it is scrambled. I am beginning to suspect that whatever notch filter is being used for scrambling 51 has a shoulder in its frequency response that is affecting Channel 50.

My sister in law is going to long-term lend me her HD Tivo (she got it free through work, but does not have an HD TV... so its mine until she upgrades her TV). When I get the cable card for the Tivo, I suspect that whatever is on 51 will be let through - thereby also letting through 50.

However if I was not going to get the Tivo, I would probably be complaining to Comcast about this, because they are required to let through the networks.

-Andy

Getting a CableCARD by itself won't solve anything. The scrambling on 51 is really data encryption and has absolutely no impact on 50. If there were a physical filter on 51, you wouldn't be getting a strong signal. My guess is that unless you change your subscription in such a way as to require removing traps on, say, the Expanded Basic channels, you will probably continue to be unable to tune either ABC HD or CBS HD, even with the Tivo.

My understanding is that the cable card should be equivalent to getting the HD set top box (minus pay-per-view and on-demand). After speaking with one of the CSR's at Comcast (for whatever that is worth), my understanding is that my current package (digital starter) should have a number of HD channels - as long as I have the HD set top box (or the cable card).

Am I just thoroughly confused as to what I am supposed to be getting from Comcast?

Haven't seen this posted here yet...
http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/Telecom


New Comcast rates for HD triple-play bundles -
Effective March 24, 2009 - Comcast will introduce new lower regular rates for High Definition Triple-Play bundles:
Packages

Price
HD Starter Bundle
$ 129.99

HD Preferred Bundle
$ 144.94

HD Plus Bundle
$ 159.99

HD Preferred Plus
$ 169.99

HD Premiere Bundle
$ 199.99


Comcast adds HD channels -
Effective April 4, 2009 - Comcast will add Fox Sports Network HD at channel 665. It will also add Major League Baseball MJB HD at channel 690 to its programming line-up. Visit Comcast HD programming for more details.

Haven't seen this posted here yet...
http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/Telecom

More HD = good.

I got all excited about the bundled rates and called Comcast. Only the Premier bundle includes a DVR. Since it's $35/month more than I currently pay, it doesn't help me much. I don't watch enough of the premiums to justify adding them.

Haven't seen this posted here yet...
http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/Telecom

Holy crap, how can Comcast keep HD subscribers with those rates? Dish and DirecTV beat the heck out of them on rates. I have Dish with the Silver 200 package with locals and Silver HD plus Starz (5 of 6 in HD) and Cinemax (4 of 5) in HD, and two HD receivers and my bill is $94/month (regular bill, no promo prices here). If I swap one of my HD receivers for an HD DVR, my bill goes to $100/month. Of course I pay an extra $12/month for Comcast internet (I'd end that tomorrow, but my wife won't let me switch to Quest), but that is still less than the lowest price package listed in the post.

I'm stunned at those prices!

Holy crap, how can Comcast keep HD subscribers with those rates? Dish and DirecTV beat the heck out of them on rates. I have Dish with the Silver 200 package with locals and Silver HD plus Starz (5 of 6 in HD) and Cinemax (4 of 5) in HD, and two HD receivers and my bill is $94/month (regular bill, no promo prices here). If I swap one of my HD receivers for an HD DVR, my bill goes to $100/month. Of course I pay an extra $12/month for Comcast internet (I'd end that tomorrow, but my wife won't let me switch to Quest), but that is still less than the lowest price package listed in the post.

I'm stunned at those prices!
I think "Triple Play" includes home telephone and internet, in addition to television.

I think "Triple Play" includes home telephone and internet, in addition to television.

And those are not promo rates...just the normal ones. I'm guessing you could get a better deal if you threaten to cut back your service levels or leave.

I think "Triple Play" includes home telephone and internet, in addition to television.

Oops, sorry. However my current triple play with Dish DBS TV, Quest landline, and Comcast broadband (including the $12/month extortion increase because I wouldn't take cable TV when Comcast bought out AT&T's broadband internet) is in their ballpark ($183/mo) and I get the advantages of each. Only the promo prices make any sense in terms of really saving money; after that they are all about the same cost-wise.

I pay less than $80 a month for my own 'Triple play' by getting my phone service from another company and subscribing to the cheapest ($15?) cable package. I've got my own HTPC with QAM tuner. Sure I don't get as many HD channels...but I'm saving $50 to $120 a month off the Comcast rates. I can do Netflix or buy Blu Ray every month and still save $$$ over those rates. Yikes!

I pay less than $80 a month for my own 'Triple play' by getting my phone service from another company and subscribing to the cheapest ($15?) cable package. I've got my own HTPC with QAM tuner. Sure I don't get as many HD channels...but I'm saving $50 to $120 a month off the Comcast rates. I can do Netflix or buy Blu Ray every month and still save $$$ over those rates. Yikes!

That's all good...I'm all for frugality! Hell, I wish more people in this country would be frugal and save for the things they want to purchase instead of borrow. /rant

But for my family I'm fine with having all the Comcast channels, a BIG pipe for the net, Vonage for phone, and the 3x plan with Netflix for Blu Ray. I do get the itch to cancel the movie channels every month when I see the bill. Heck, I sometimes want to scale back to all but the locals in HD and setup MythTV for the whole house....but since they killed Hulu via XBMC/Boxee I'm hesitant to cut the cord.

I've yet to resort to torrents for my daily dose, but I've not seen any sense of reason coming from the content providers regarding meeting the needs of "new media" users.

I have friends who live in the Denver Metro but work elsewhere during the week (San Fran, NYC, etc.), and torrent everything remotely while they are away. They come home on the weekend to a queued up silver platter of content. These are folks who are in the current administration's "tax the rich" bracket. They can afford to pay, but can't get their content in the formats that fit their lifestyles.

For me, I'll pay the stupid tax and fiddle with my crappy Moto box simply because I'm not traveling the globe. But at the same time I'm happy (for now) to plop down my money every month. My son however, will never fall into this trap. When his generation wants to find new music they search YouTube....we're talking Pirate Radio (transformed to the net channel) making its rounds again. These industry "no Napster" idiots better wake up before they become extinct.

Ok, sorry to go OT. I'll shut up now.

Comcast is under no obligation to provide HD channels via QAM.

[...]



They are obligated. Can't recall the FCC ruling offhand, but I remember reading about it a while back.

They are obligated. Can't recall the FCC ruling offhand, but I remember reading about it a while back.

Someone posted a paragraph at the top of this page. Depends on your definition of "all".

Of course, once all of the stations switch to digital, will Comcast have anything but the HD versions to provide?

On another topic, has anyone seen anything on the On Demand channels recently? My TV stops at certain sub-channels in these ranges, but never displays anything. I wonder if they've started to encrypt them, as they have in other markets?

On another topic, has anyone seen anything on the On Demand channels recently? My TV stops at certain sub-channels in these ranges, but never displays anything. I wonder if they've started to encrypt them, as they have in other markets?

Funny, I was just coming to this forum to see if anyone else had noticed this.

Tonight for the first time, all of the On-Demand channels (101, 102, 113, 114) all say "Scrambled" on my T.V. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

I also visited this forum looking for info about missing On Demand content. Channels 101, 102, 113 and 114 seem to have been scrambled by Comcast. It was pretty much the only reason I was still paying them any money at all. The other channels are free OTA for me here, in downtown Denver.

I don't know about your location, but mine had at best 20% HD on the On Demand channels. I find it hard to believe you paid Comcast so you could glom on other people's movie choices - mostly in SD. You could have rented a bunch of DVD's for a lot less money, and at least gotten OAR, if not HD.

I paid Comcast $13.29 a month for all the networks in HD, plus I get digital Bravo, WGN and TBS. I get a couple ghosty analog channels, including Food, SciFi and VH1. In addition, I could see all the OnDemand content in my dense urban area - typically 2-6 programs at any time with up to 10-15 on Friday and Saturday night.

Every Friday somebody watches The Soup on E! which I love. Most new releases play 5-10 times the week they come out. I use Netflix for older content, but the chance to catch Zack & Miri a dozen times for free, or check out Baby Momma, Choke or Milk and decide I don't need to rent them was totally awesome. Bill Maher is also popular in my neighborhood.

Now, Comcast raised the rate to $14.99 and added no services, plus encrypted all the OnDemand content. The starting tier at which just the crappy free Comcast OnDemand is available costs $56. The starting HD package runs $130. Conversely, HD OTA is free, meaning I now pay Comcast almost $20 a month for a few crappy basic cable channels.

I understand I'm not a "good" customer from Comcast's point of view. I just don't see the value in paying for their huge bundles of services. I only use about 20% of what Comcast charges for. Why pay for 400 channels of SD crap just to get to the HD tier? I'm just disappointed to see a good thing go. :(

Thanks for the explanation. I'm not sure what you mean by "The starting HD package runs $130." The $130 is for the bundle with phone and internet, but doesn't include a DVR. You can get just cable (with all the HD channels) for about $75, with a DVR. Of course, that's still a lot more than you're paying now. If you don't need the crappy cable channels, sounds like you might be perfectly fine dumping Comcast.

I understand I'm not a "good" customer from Comcast's point of view. I just don't see the value in paying for their huge bundles of services. I only use about 20% of what Comcast charges for. Why pay for 400 channels of SD crap just to get to the HD tier? I'm just disappointed to see a good thing go. :(

I totally agree and am somewhat in the same boat. I only have comcast because work requires me to have internet. The basic TV package is ok because of all the HD (QAM) for free stuff. They raised the price and I thought about dropping it.

Most all of what I get thru QAM comes free OTA anyway so its not like I am doing anything special except avoiding the hassle of an antenna.

I am often shocked that people pay what they do for TV. Most of what is on is total garbage. We pick up TV series on DVD at the library for free.

Most all of what I get thru QAM comes free OTA anyway so its not like I am doing anything special except avoiding the hassle of an antenna.

I am often shocked that people pay what they do for TV. Most of what is on is total garbage. We pick up TV series on DVD at the library for free.

I agree that people pay *way* too much for TV. I have "basic cable" for the unencrypted QAM HD channels. I figure the $5/month above the cost of broadband is worth it. I will say, though, that it's about 1/2 as useful now that RMPBS isn't forwarding the national HD feed. They'll start again in June, so they say, and I'll feel like I'm getting full value for my $5/month.

Netflix is another great way to see most all of the TV programs on DVD, without commercial annoyance. You do have to watch one year delayed, though :)