Noticed last night that they added Showtime HD on the Guide (between HBOHD and FoxHD), but you can't get it in yet. Called the number they give onscreen and 2 different reps both said that they were testing it and it should be available within 2-5 days. One also said that they will have ABC "very soon".

Noticed the same thing on the guide here in Newtown, CT. But SHOHD actually is on and works! Just to test I called Charter and asked when new channels other than the HBO and DISC I've had for a year will be available and I was told "nothing anytime soon!"

You gotta love it!

I don't think the rest of the company knows they have a customer service department, or at least they don't know how to reach them. I've never seen a company that knows so little about itself.

They still don't have it on here in Worcester MA.

All I can say is that yhey had better have ABC HD working before the Super Bowl.

False alarm Worcester people. Sorry to get your hopes up that there may be some news out here.

I'm just logging on to this thread and setting a subscription to be notified if any news comes up in the area. Like everyone else on Charter, I anxiously await the addition of new channels, or even perhaps word that they have finally come to terms for a region swap somewhere with Comcast (wishful thinking, I guess).

Maybe the other members on AVS that live in the Worcester area could log on to this thread too, just to let the rest of us see how many there are?

Well I'm in Westboro and have Charter Worcester. ANyone else notice the ads that have been showing up to advertise with Comcast on cable? The make a big deal about calling a number in Westboro. I thought it was a little odd given that they were on Charter cable.

Y'up, I've noticed the adds too. Not sure if it means anything.

It's been over 2 weeks now that Showtime HD has been a channel but they don't actually offer it, and no sign of ABC yet. Charter is definitely a frustrating company.

I just called and they said Showtime HD should be coming in. She asked me to try resetting the box, which I'll do when I get home. I give the odds at about 1:3.

I dropped SHowtime about a month ago in exchange for the Starz package as an even swap. I'm hoping that the Starz HD channel will come along free when it goes online too. I can't remember the last time I'd watched Showtime anyway.

Is anybody else getting some white line noise at the top of their screen when NBC-HD shows a non-HD signal on 787? I have an old Tosh 4:3 set that I did the vertical squeeze on to get a 16:9 picture when in HD, and I think I am seeing noise from part of the picture that would normally be lost on any other set due to overscan cutting it off.

Thx,

Jim

I tried the resetting my box thing and it didn't work. I then called Charter again and the chick there refreshed the signal and now Showtime HD comes in, WOOHOO!

So have you gotten an email, or seen Charter's ads that say FREE HDTV in 2003 for the first 10,000 (!) who sign up? I figured it would give us a break on the $3/month extra fee for the box, and since I've been on HDTV since last year this could add up if they issued a credit, right?

OK...., so I call Charter CS to find out more (I had no expectations) and they tell me it's not available in New England, and it's only for new sign-up's elsewhere. No little asterisks in their ads, no caveats at all. Just more misleading advertisements.

The CS person was nice enough, albeit clueless over HDTV programming (SNAFU), and spoke about an upcoming announcement that alludes to some big roll-out for New England Charter HDTV in December. Otherwise, she couldn't tell me anything further.

Classic...

Actually, I did the that ad and got in on the deal. I already had digital cable, and had just gotten an HDTV so I figured why not. THey're giving me the HD Box and Discovery HD for the smae price I was paying before until January. Not a bad deal really.

I need a little help. I recently (yesterday) purchased an upgradeable HDTV. I promptly called Charter to upgrade my cable box to HD. They are coming out on Saturday. The questions I have are: Does anyone know what make and model of cable box will they drop off? If so does it have a DVI connection? If it has a DVI connection do I want to use it or should I buy another set of component cables? They offered for $15 to bring an "installation pack". The CSR could not tell what it was I'm assuming it's a component cable that could double as a cat toy but I don't know. Last question what do you think of the picture quality overall? On regular cable my picture looks awful but on DVD's using S-video and a non-progressive scan DVD player the picture is unbelievable! Thanks for your help....andy

The box you'll get is the SA3100HD, which looks identical to the SA3100 for regular digital cable, except it has component video out also. The installation pack is just some component video cables. The SA3100HS doesn't have DVI, so you'll need them unless you have some of your own.

About the SA3100HD, it upconverts everything to 1080i to go out the component. And it's really bad at it. I only view the component outs when I'm watching the HD stations or Fox ED because the upconvert is so bad. Otherwise I switch back to Svideo for analog and SD digital cable.

Thanks for the reply. I hope they get a better box in the future. Now I have to scramble to get a set of component cables by Saturday.

Well Charter did show up today and set my HD cable box. My initial impression is the Discovery HD channel is that it is quite stunning to say the least. I have not spent much time looking at the other HD channels. I have to get used to the switching anomalies related to my set up. I have my system cables similar to the way Ecopoesis does. I’m using component and S-video cable from my cable box to the TV. Also I have the component cable that Charter provided running from my DVD changer to my TV. What I can say about my new TV a Panasonic CT-34WX53 is it’s nice set. However, on standard cable the picture is grainy. I assume this relates to the signal I’m getting from Charter. I don’t know if any signal amplification would help or a better splitter in my home would help? I have a copy of Aiva Home Theater DVD; can I use this to calibrate my TV? Or do I have to get a copy of DVE to do the job? The DVD player I currently own is not a progressive scan. I’ll have to wait until after the holidays to get a progressive scan model.

Originally posted by andrew jc
However, on standard cable the picture is grainy. I assume this relates to the signal I’m getting from Charter. I don’t know if any signal amplification would help or a better splitter in my home would help?

If the channels are the digital channels, then an amp will not help (you
probably know this).

A note on picture quality, I haven't gone to HD w/ charter yet (not
quite enough channels yet), but when viewing std cable channels, I
always use the Svideo path out of my regular 3100 set-top box. I use my
Samsung T165 OTA tuner as the switcher to my pioneer 503 panel and use
the panels svid input to view cable. OTA and DVD are viewed via the
component path. The sammy does a good job of "converting" the output of the cable box up to the 1080 that I feed my panel. The sammy works
real well at upconverting my non-progressive dvd players component
output as well. And I've found that I'm better off feeding the panel the
1080 signal vs the 720 signal. Bottom line, experiment with different
signal paths...

Not quite an apples2 comparison. And some channels and some program content are just worse than others.

--
btw, a good place for cables is markertek.com, If it's good enough for
broadcast, then it's ok for me... And their prices are pretty good.
--

Another reason for not going chtr HD is that I've been giving some thought
to Voom...

jjk58, I have come to the conclusion that it's a Charter problem. Garbarge in garbage out. I'm in the process of trying to sell my house so I'll wait until my next place before I make any upgrades. Thanks for the input.

update (I got to talk with someone that understood what HD is):

still no info/dates on adding new channels. they did say that they are
waiting for some agreements to be signed (this sounds like a bit of
progress).

They are started to use the 3200HD boxes. They are fixing a software
problem and current install dates would be after Jan19th.

They expect VOD possibly by the end of the 1st Qtr (this year :-) )

They are starting to rollout the 8000 PVR box down in CT. No date for
up here yet. It should be about $5 has the ability to record 2 channels
and watch 1 and has PIP.

Well - it is getting close.

Is charter going to be ready for those REDSOX. This is my gating item - have to see them take the title with clarity.

on another subject - has anyone confirmed the 3200HD are being used. Just a few weeks ago I was told the 3100HD was the one that I would get if I pulled the hdtv trigger. Would they automatically update me or would that be a hassle?

hank

I have a 3250hd. It was installed the day before the superbowl.

So far it has worked out well. I just wish we could get more than
whdh,fxt,hbo and sho. But I believe that it's been worth it for
that.

well - they are out of hd boxes....I am on a list. Ouch.

no idea when they can get more in....Apparently demand is high - despite the fact that there are hardly any channels that charter has managed to sign up. Hard to believe.

Just ordered HD and DVR from charter. No mention of converter shortage. Coming on Thursday for installation. Guy was clueless about hd. According to him I can watch any show in hd that is broadcast in hd on any network. This does not mean all shows are hd but the ones that are I will see because I will have an hd box. Asked about NESN hd and he mentioned spring. ??? I did hear from an installer that that may actually be true.

The DVR must be a different box.....or else my csr was without a clue, What is the deal on DVR? Did they just recently offer it? $10 a month or so? havent heard of it here....a mere 15 miles from holden.

they are using the SA 8000 box

DVR is a different box. Just recently offered here. $10 a month. Installation Thursday I'll post back with any info. Also I was surprised Discovery HD costs more than the HD box rental. Having a real hard time justifying $125 a month for cable tv. Includes internet access but come on, another four bucks for Discovery? Give me some networks and then maybe we'll talk.

Charter does need more HD contentent and the price is quite high. However, the DVR is tempting but I'll pass for now.

I emailed Charter asking about NESN-HD and this is the response I got back. No word on NESN, but it seems like ESPN may be a go.

------------
I received your email inquire and I am sorry that we were not able to reply to you sooner. As for your concern about HDTV programming and options, I agree with you that we have not been as quick to launch new HD services as we should have and again I apologize.

We are in negotiations with different channels for their HD feeds. Charter is working hard to make sure we get the best deal possible for these services. Our problems in the past have been that we jump at these new services and paid more than we should have for the product. This has lead to higher rates for our customers and we are committed to no longer doing business like that.

We will be adding more HD programming as we complete negotiations with the Networks. We have signed the contract for ESPN HD and should be launching this channel shortly.

If you have any additional questions please contact us at 1-800-634-1008 or by email.

Brian
Charter Communications

did Brian provide a real email address or was it the general charter support address?

no, just then generic one.

Got hooked up today. 3250 HD box. 8000 DVR. Espn coming very soon. ABC shortly after. NESN by opening day. Hope this is all true. ESPN will be packaged with discovery for $4.00 per month. Now to figure this DVR thing out!

you get a different story from each CSR. I was told espn would be free when it arrives ....any day now. Some 3250s did show up yesterday.

a few weeks ago i was told i could pick up the box and avoid the install fees...15 for a kit and $5 for - uh forgot, gas money maybe. Today they said i cant pick it up and would have to pay $20 for the visit and a cable. After a short debate, she agreed to waive the fees...if the guy justs drops the box on my porch....i have to install it and have my own cables...(basic component or audio cables - 3 of em). Just a crazy discussion. But, no way can i stop at the office and pick it up, they have to drive it to my house!

By the way - did any extra cost get mentioned for NESN?

hank.

I got a 3250HD STB today to replace the 3100HD. It has a DVI output, but the tech and I couldn't get it going.

Has anyone in the area got it working? I am serviced by the Pepperell MA head end.

Dave

Delta_charlie How did you get Charter to switch out your box? Is the DVI connection the only difference between the 3100 and 3250? Thanks...andy

(my $.02) when mine was installed, I simply connected the DVI to my
panel, but since my video card isn't HDCP capable, the box displayed a
message to that effect. Based on that, I assume that it is active.

I need to upgrade to a new video input card in my PDP.

I reported audio drop outs on the HD channels, and requested a 3250HD replacement. They didn't have any problem with that, and I must say that the 3250HD is a vastly superior STB.

Digital audio out available on ALL channels, the guide now displays in HD, so it doesn't blank out on the HD channels, you can control your output mode, 720p, 1080i fixed, pasas-trough, or auto-DVI.

BTW, I got the DVI output working, it seems that the TV must have the DVI input active when the STB is powered on. I still have problems with it freezing if I switch the TV from the DVI to a component input though.

There is a very good thread in the HDTV hardware forum on the SA 3250HD STB, I can't post a link because I don't have enogh posts yet.

P.S. -ESPN-HD was active last night!

Dave

Delta_charlie, Thanks for the info, looks like the 3250 is the way to go. Great news on the ESPN-HD I hope they add more soon.

sa3250 showed up yesterday - some good features there. However, no espn-hd active. The channel showed up with the not-autorized message. I asked charter about it and they said it would not be available until the 1st of april maybee and no idea about any extra cost - and they were befuddled when i mentioned that someone in the worcester area had it activated.

Also ran into some audio dropouts both on HD and reg channels :(.

Any idea how you managed this - delta charlie? did you have it before the DVI activation?

ESPN-HD came in on my 3100 in Northboro last night. Thaks to you guys for posting.

Is it my set or was the Big East a little low-rez?

Originally posted by electricmanscott
Got hooked up today. 3250 HD box. 8000 DVR. Espn coming very soon. ABC shortly after. NESN by opening day. Hope this is all true. ESPN will be packaged with discovery for $4.00 per month. Now to figure this DVR thing out!
electricmanscott,
What is the setup like for the DVR and the 3250HD box ? Do they get their own cables signals and then run separate connections to your TV ? or do they connect to each other ? Also, do they charge you separate rentals for both boxes ? I have the DVR and am thinking of getting the HD...

I have the DVR on a different TV. It could be connected as you describe but I didn't do it that way. The dvr is $10.00 a month. The HD box is $3.00 a month. ESPN-HD on here!

Originally posted by hank rearden
sa3250 showed up yesterday - some good features there. However, no espn-hd active. The channel showed up with the not-autorized message. I asked charter about it and they said it would not be available until the 1st of april maybee and no idea about any extra cost - and they were befuddled when i mentioned that someone in the worcester area had it activated.

Also ran into some audio dropouts both on HD and reg channels :(.

Any idea how you managed this - delta charlie? did you have it before the DVI activation?

I think it is bundled with Discovery HD, do you have that channel? It is an extra charge, and I think if you get that you will also get ESPN-HD.

-Dave

Bumping this up to ask how the DVR is working for those who've been living with it for awhile.

How's the guide? Reception? Ease of use?

I've read elsewhere this unit doesn't equal a TIVO (which I also don't know), I'm just itching to get one but at the same time I'm wondering if it's worth the $10/month

Thx

here is a mini- review i ran into...

http://www.littlebigmind.com/weblog/index.html

march 10th/15th entry

worth $10/month comes down to a personal decision....

personally i am waiting for the hd version of the 8000 to consider if it right for me.

Thanks Hank. I am (trying) to wait for the HD model too. I am assuming our brilliant CS at Charter has no clue about the release of that unit.

More feedback still welcome

Worth the 10 bucks! No doubt. A few quirks that could be better. Easier commercial skip rather than fast forward. Ability to watch a program from the begining while still recording without having to rewind. When watching a program that is recording it will stop when the record time is over, you then have to fast forward to where you were. These could be things I have not yet figured out totally. Other wise I get ten + minutes of my life back when I watch an hour show and zip through the commercials!

I spoke with Charter on a service matter tonight. Sorry but the CSR I spoke to had no idea when the HD PVR would be available.

Any news on channel addtions? NESN? CBS? Anything?

<<About the SA3100HD, it upconverts everything to 1080i to go out the component. And it's really bad at it. I only view the component outs when I'm watching the HD stations or Fox ED because the upconvert is so bad. Otherwise I switch back to Svideo for analog and SD digital cable.>>

I am in the process of buying and HDTV and will upgrade my charter service in Worcester to HD. However, reading this thread leaves me quite concerned about issues such as above <<>>. Is this the norm? Are other users being forced to switch when viewing non HD?

I am very new to all this and do not want to dig myself into a hole with a $3,000 HT that looks worse than my 10 year old 27" samsung.

Originally posted by thr61
Is this the norm? Are other users being forced to switch when viewing non HD?


Actually, I no longer switch. I took advantage of the FCC's new Firewire requirement to finally convince Charter to upgrade me to a SA3250HD. This box is much nicer. It let's you set what resolutions your TV accepts and gives you the choice on whether to upconvert or pass straight through. It also shows the flipper over ED and HD programs, and shows the thumbnail picture when using the full screen guide. It's also many times faster then the 3100HD. It also has DVI, though I haven't tried that as my TV doesn't have it.

The only drawbacks are: no Firewire, which despite the FCC's requirement's, Charter doesn't have here. Also, the box locks up occaisionally. A simple on-off fixes that though.

All told, the 3250HD is a huge improvement over the 3100HD.

I am looking at Charter's DVR offering (I live in Worcester, MA) and it is perfectly unclear if this is an HD offering. It appears not, but wanted to see if anyone knew for sure.

If it is not, I am leaning towards a Replay TV unit due to the higher resoultion and better PQ it offers.

To my knowledge Charter does not have an HD offering as of yet, but they are working on it. Which means who the hell knows when that's going to happen?

ABC HD is now active! Do I even watch ABC?

I show ABC HD on my channel guide in Northboro, but recieve no signal. Is it playing elsewhere in Worcester area?

abc-hd sounds like it is playing in holden for electricmanscott; activated over the weekend here in westboro. Sadly the lakers-spurs game was in sdtv. abc is holding out for the nba finals for their hd offering....not realizing the spurs/lakers series is the finals ;(

Those crazy charter people raised my bill $15 last week and still keep mum on NESN. ANyone know offhand if DIRECT-tv offers the nesn hd?

brookline,nh(pepperell) has whdh-dt as well.

Dear Mr. Rearden:

Thank you for your interest in NESN HD games.

We are currently in negotiations with Charter for distribution of HD
Games. Both parties are desirous of delivering the games, but we cannot
offer a timeline. Please check nesn.com for updated information.

Sincerely,

Customer Relations

I just bought and set up my replaytv and am thus far pleased with how it works.

However, I will be upgrading my cable box to the 3250HD when the rest of my new HT gear arrives next week and am completely unclear as to how to make it work.

It seems that the 3250 requires 2 OUTPUTs, HD via component or DVI and non-HD via composite.

Since the replay needs to be between the cable box and whatever display I am using, it is perfectly unclear how to feed both signals into it.

My new TV (HItachi 46F500) has DVI in, but if I go direct to the TV from the 3250, I will lose the replay function for HD (which might be 40-60% of all viewing)

Has anyone set up a 3250 with a replay and, if so, can you tell me how you did it?

Thanks.

thr61 - you can get the non-HD from the component as well. The 3250 has conversion built in so the 480i - nonHD - can be upconverted in the box to whatever you select and goes on out the component cables. there is a whole lot of detail on the 3250 box in the hdtv hardware forum.

electricmanscott--

Did you figure out if there is a commercial skip feature in this box? I bought a Replay and like it, but am thinking of returning it and getting the 8000 and then upgrading it to the HD version once that is released.

The replay is good, but it feels like a like of compromises in terms of connectivity, especially in tandem with HD.

One more question: from reading the thread, it looks like Charter has enabled the DVI out from the 3250HD. I am ordering cables to connect my box directly to my new TV and would love to do so via DVI if in fact works.

Can someone confirm and also let me know what cable type they used?

Thanks!

Another question on the 3250HD box. Does it have an optical connection as well as a coax?

I downloaded the user guide and only see an optical out on the box.

Ya I saw the same thing but in I different thread a coax connection was mentioned. I'll have to re-read it. Thanks...

Originally posted by thr61
One more question: from reading the thread, it looks like Charter has enabled the DVI out from the 3250HD. I am ordering cables to connect my box directly to my new TV and would love to do so via DVI if in fact works.

Can someone confirm and also let me know what cable type they used?

Thanks!

Make sure that your tv/monitor is HDCP compliant. If it is not, do not
bother ordering the cable as the only picture you will get is the pix that
states that the output will not work....

I believe (without looking it up) the cable is dual-d

One of these days I need to update the video card in my pdp to a hdcp
compliant video card (there are a couple out there) or find a tuner/display
box that will do the same thing.

joe

Yup, it is HDCP compliant based on the Hitachi web site (I am using the 46F500)

I will need to double check on the cable just to make sure.

Thanks.

It looks like my TV uses DVI-D. It is unclear from the SA documentation what input it uses. Can anyone confirm that it is, in fact, DVI-D?

I am ordering cables and have a question for those Charter folks using both of the above devices:

from the manuals, it looks like the cable feed FROM the 3250 is patched directly into the Explorer 800 cable IN connection. Is this correct? From there, one can s-video the signal out to the AVR or TV?

I was expecting to see an s-video or component IN connection on the 8000 which would take the SD feed from the 3250, but apparently not.

Is this how it is hooked up for you?

(I don't have a unit, but)
the 8000 is meant to be a replacement for the 3250 not to be used
together.

go to the sa website (www.scientificatlanta.com) and into their
explorerclub area for other info.

It is actually a bit confusing, but there is a unit called the Explorer 8000 that is just a stand-alone DVR and then there is the 8000HD which does, in fact, roll the 2 into one and supports HD recording.

Charter is installing 2 boxes and will be charging me rental on two boxes.

Does anyone using Worcester in Charter have both the 8000 and the 3250HD?

It's not that confusing.

The 8000 and 8000HD are both (simply) set-top boxes with a built-in
DVR/PVR. (and one is hd capable) You would generally use one or the other...

If you need to use both, then you need to be able to switch between the 2 outputs to your display.

If they ever offer the 8000HD, I will probably replace my 3250HD with it.
8000hd specsheet (http://www.sciatl.com/customers/Source/4004400.pdf)

But for now I will stick with my tivo even though it would be nice to have the extra record channel and pip capability of the 8000.

So to repeat, even though it works much like a TIVO, it is 1st a STB.
That is why it is not designed to be fed from yet another STB.

Yes, you can feed a TV with the cable out of the 8000, but picture quality of recorded material will probably suffer and you will lose digital audio. The box does not up-convert/multiplex the audio back to the RF signal.

However, the 8000 does have an s-video out and digital audio out.

I plan to feed the HD signal directly to my TV via DVI and use the s-video into my AVR from the 8000.

Is there anyone using Charter in the Worcester area who is using BOTH 3250HD AND the 8000? I would enjoy hearing about how it is working for you.

Thanks.

I have been following a thread in the Hardware forum regarding this setup. It has been established that the setup involves using a splitter and sending the cable signal to both the 3250HD and the explorer 8000.

Fine.

However, this means TWO remotes that are very close in features. For those who have this setup using Charter, have you had any problems with the remotes in terms of the 3250 turning off the 800 etc.?

Thanks.

Can't wait for the 8000HD!

Any experiences on the 2 remotes issue?

Charter tech came today and we set up the 3250HD and the explorer 8000 dvr. he had not done this kind of install before, but it went well. We split the signal and then ran cable to both devices. We went direct from the 3250HD to my HDTV via DVI and it worked right out of the box.

Since I am using 2 different video inputs (s-video for DVR and DVI for HD), I am not having the trouble with the remotes I was concerned about.

In general, this looks like it will work fine until the 8000HD arrives and I can get rid of one box.

Good News! The Worcester Telegram & Gazette ran a story today (May 21) saying last night Charter started running NESN-HD on Channel 774.

Red Sox games in HD now, but for some bizarre, unknown reason the Friday games won't be in HD (????).

I'll take it.

very good news, jasn.....they gave most of the friday games to channel 38.

go sox!

we'll have to check it out tonight!, 7pm:Blue Jays @ Red Sox

I have been using my 3250 HD via DVI connected to my Hitachi 46F500 HDTV.

I set it up several weeks ago and the DVI connection worked right out of the box and did so through last night.

However, tonight, turning on Fox HD, I received an error saying that my TV does not support HDCP and I need to use component. I know, for a fact, that my set is HDCP compliant. And of course, it worked fine last night.

Is this a common error that occurs with this box? I have posted to the 3250HD thread as well, but am interested in Worcester Charter folks' experiences, and hopefully a fix, for this problem.

Don't know off the top of my head but there is a thread in the hardware section that mentions your proble. Do a search and you should find it. I just got the 3250 last week because I could not get ABC in HD. I need to work on setting it up. Also tonight I got a Panasonic SA-XR25 so I'm playing with that!!

Checked the other thread and did not find my exact problem. I will likely need to call Charter since it went from working to not in a single day.

I saw that there were some advanced menu settings for the 3250hd, but could not seem to access them with the box I have.

The DVI connection is a problem with the 3250HD boxes. If you shut off your cable box and HDTV, it disables the DVI output from the 3250. Something to do with compliance with copyright issues.

From the head-end technician at Charter, "The DVI connection will output not only the High Def channels but it will also output the analog channels as well. Also when the DVI connection becomes active the component outputs will no longer be active. We are currently running SARA ver. 1.52.3.1"

They are working the issue with SA.

If someone knows something I do not about this issue, please let me know.

All the more reason for the 8000HD!!

I agree. Any recent news on when it will be available? I am currently running both the 3250 AND the Explorer 8000 (non-HD) and look forward to dropping down to one box!

The tech my wife spoke to did not have an answer. However he stated to call customer service and ask for it. This of course let Charter know that the item is in demand.

I'm just getting going with HD service from Charter. They delivered the 3100HD box on Saturday and the HD channels look great. The SD channels, however, seem to be scaled (poorly) to 1080i so my TV can't then scale them to fit the screen. I've seen this in previous posts here. Does anyone know a way around this?

I called Charter to see if I could upgrade to the 3250HD box, but they claimed that they don't have any. Since I see that other people have managed to get 3250HD boxes what is the secret to doing that?

Thanks in advance for any help and for all of the helpful information that I've already found here.

I got a 3250HD by asking for a cable box with Firewire. Cableco's have been required to gie customers Firewire enabled boxes since sometime in April. Mine didn't come with FW, but I didin't really care, I really just wanted the 3250. In the meantime, you can plug the Svideo ftom the 3100 into another input on your TV. This is what I did back when I had it.

Thanks for the idea of using the S-video jack for SD channels. One more thing to explain to my wife, but the quality of the SD is bad enough to make it worth the effort.

I have tried calling Charter several times to get a 3250, but so far they are mostly sticking to their story that they don't have any. One rep said they would upgrade the set-top-box box if I signed up for DVR but when the tech showed up all he had was the 8000 DVR box. I'll try the firewire angle next. I know the 3250's are out there from the forum, including one poster in the next town over.

Was the Red Sox game in SD stretch for everyone on NESN HD today? It's a home game so I think it should be HD. Anyone know anything?

Originally posted by ecopoesis
Was the Red Sox game in SD stretch for everyone on NESN HD today? It's a home game so I think it should be HD. Anyone know anything?

HD here,but i'm on comcast.

Personally IMHO it should be HD on WBZDT but 4:3 there :(

Football is right around the corner so how 'bout the Pats in HD? I'm getting my 8000HD on Tuesday (I think). I've noticed the one major network that seems to be missing in the Charter/Worcester HD lineup is CBS - which will carry the majority of the Patriot games. I'm not sure how may of their games will be broadcast in HD, but I sure wouldn't want to miss out when they do. Anyone have insight into this topic?

dcassery, Yikes I did not know the 8000HD was ready for prime time! Let us know how it works out. What box to you currently have? Not sure on the Pats thing other than HD on Monday Night Football.

andrew - I could be wrong about the 8000HD, but I currently have the standard def SA 8000 DVR and I'm upgrading to HD - the CSR seemed to think that's what I'd be getting (unless there is another HD DVR they use). Although she didn't seem overly confident with her answer. Anyway, I'll know for sure on Tuesday and will report back.

dcassery, Please do let me know. I should be careful what I ask for I think I' shelling $110\month for cable,HD content, and internet. But at at this point what's $10 more.

Charter did deliver the SA 8000HD today. I previously had the standard def 8000, so it seems very similar - except with the HD channels. So far, I'm very happy with this. I'm also new to HD and these channels do look great, especially the content that Discovery HD broadcasts.

The DVR does offer basic functionality, but as I also have Tivo, there are many little things that the 8000 is missing - and the interface is not nearly as intuitive. If you've never had Tivo or ReplayTV, it wouldn't be as big a deal.

For an additional $14.99, they supplied a 12' component cable (w/audio) - which would have cost much more if purchased separately.

So I'm also up over the $100/month range with cable and internet, but I get a lot of use out of both so it's worth it (and I won't mention the $12.95/mo that I'm still maintaining for Tivo, at least for now..).

Well glad things are working out for you. I'll have to look into the 8000HD I wonder if it's any better than the 3250HD. How many hours can it record? Discovery HD is as good as it gets, I wish all the channels looked that good.

I've seen mixed reviews in various threads on this unit vs. some of the other HD tuners relative to picture quality, but as this is my first HD box, I have nothing to compare it to (it looks great to me). And as always, there can be other factors that have an effect (equipment, cable quality, etc.) so I don't pay too much attention unless you have a 100% 'apples for apples' comparison.

I'll check into the capacity of this box - I believe my previous unit had an 80 GB drive but with HD taking much more space, I'm assuming it's larger than that (and we'll have to see how that translates into 'HD hours'). The capacity is not listed in the manual so I'll have poke around tonight see if I can find it as I'd like to know as well.

I did a quick search and ther is lots to read. It does appear that the DVI input is not active at this time. I think I read it should be active sometime in October so I'll wait until then. I'm in no hurry to give Charter more money.

Yeah, I'd like to use DVI as well. The port is there, but as you mentioned, I just don't think it's active (although I didn't actually try it). So it will probably come as a software update once it's ready.

Give the DVI a shot if you happen to have a DVI cable lying around. For me no DVI= no sale.

Both the DVI and Firewire ports are inactive. Scientific Atlanta does not yet have a firmware revision with thes ports activated.

Dave

I didn't have a DVI cable anyway so thanks for the clarification Dave - no sense spending for that type of cable at least until the port is active.

I took a quick look but wasn't easily able to determine the recording capacity. If/when I do find out, I'll post a reply.

And I have to say that I ended up watching some of the Marlins game on ESPNHD last night - only because of the amazing PQ.

I found that my 8000HD has a 160 GB drive. According to some other threads, that translates into about 20 hours of HD content.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3454809#post3454809

"Diagnostics on SARA boxes: press the "+" button until the green envelope light comes on; then press "info." "Page" through to around page 18 for the hard drive info. Press "exit" when done."

dacasssery - i sent a few emails to charter in april about the redsox and miraculously nesn-hd appeared a few weeks later. So i am trying again on the patriots and channel 4 hd. Go pats! At least they have the colts game and 3 others on ABC/ESPN.

**********

I agree with you that we have not been as quick to launch new HD services as we should have and again I apologize.



We are in negotiations with different channels for their HD feeds. Charter is working hard to make sure we get the best deal possible for these services. Our problems in the past have been that we jump at these new services and paid more than we should have for the product. This has lead to higher rates for our customers and we are committed to no longer doing business like that.



We will be adding more HD programming as we complete negotiations with HDTV programmers.


For further information on DVR, or to schedule an appointment, please contact us at 800-634-1008.

Thank You,

xxxx

Charter Communications

Hi,
I also recently contacted Charter about CBS & HD and here is the response I received. Not holding my breath on this one though.

*****************
Thank you for contacting Charter Communications.
Mr. Stockewell,

I have received your email regarding CBS in hd and I can help you with
that. We are currently negotiating with CBS to offer this channel in
high definition. Unfortunately we do not have an estimated time when it
will be available we are trying hard to offer the channel for the
beginning of football season.

If you have any additional questions please contact us at
1-800-634-1008.

Tom
Customer Care
Charter Communications

Hank, that message seems eerily familiar.
Thank you for contacting Charter Communications.

Scott
In response to your email, I agree with you that we have not been as quick to launch new HD services as we should have and again I apologize.

We are in negotiations with different channels for their HD feeds. Charter is working hard to make sure we get the best deal possible for these services. Our problems in the past have been that we jump at these new services and paid more than we should have for the product. This has lead to higher rates for our customers and we are committed to no longer doing business like that.

We will be adding more HD programming as we complete negotiations with HDTV programmers.

If you have any additional questions please contact us at 1-800-634-1008.

Thank you,

Charter Communications

lol electricman

read in the globe that comcast is replaying 2 nfl game of the weeks in HD with the NFLnetwork.....as well as connecting to video on demand use of the weekly highlights.

I say "hey - Im paying for that channel ($4 sports tier) ; the HD should come along for free"

this got me looking - Found this http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2004/01/05/daily62.html


this would be a nice surprise in charter follows through here.....separate high definition simulcast; Nice.

Originally posted by hank rearden
dacasssery - i sent a few emails to charter in april about the redsox and miraculously nesn-hd appeared a few weeks later.
hank - ah, so we have you to thank for getting NESN HD on Charter...nice job. Hopefully you can work your magic with CBS as well.

Many of my friends have also made this request and we've received similar responses. So the more of you out there that do the same, the better the chances of seeing the Pats on CBS HD in Central Mass (squeaky wheel theory - and now is the time to squeak).

I personally find that the more I watch sports in HD, the harder it is to then watch in SD. Hopefully Charter will come through with CBS so that won't be the case with the Pats too often. I just can't imagine watching the Pats-Bills in SD while the Giants-Cardinals game is on at the same time in HD on Fox :mad:

I just had a 8000HD installed today. Does anyone know if the DVI, Firewire, or the Optical Audio outputs are activated? On the 3250HD if you it "Settings" twice on the remote you got the setup screen and you could tell it to default to DVI but with the 8000HD the settings screen does not show the setting to do this.

I got the 8000HD about a month ago and was told DVI and firewire were not active. Do a search on the 8000HD and you should come up with a thread that will give you more than you want to know about the 8000HD. Enjoy the new toy it's addictive!!

DVI & Firewire are NOT activated but the Optical Audio output is...just finished hooking up all 3 outputs.......

CBS is broadcasting quite a few Patriot games in HD - but we still do not receive a CBS HD channel via Charter in Central Mass. Here's the full CBS NFL schedule (HD games are listed a few weeks in advance):

http://cbs.sportsline.com/cbssports/schedules/page/nfl


I followed up with Charter again (http://www.charter.com/contact/contact.aspx) and received the following reply:

Thank you for contacting Charter Communications.

In response to your email, I have reviewed the services available in your area. Unfortunately, we still are unable to supply an estimated time line on when we will have CBS HD available to our customers. I do apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you, however, as soon as it does become available we will notify our customers to let them know.

If you have any additional questions please contact us at 800-634-1008. Our Customer Service phone lines are open 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week.

Thank you,
Colleen
Charter Communications


- Anyone else interested in CBS HD for the NFL games? With all the HD games available now, the ones in Standard Def just aren't the same....

Emailed charter again and seems to fall on deaf ears. Here is my message:
I just received a notice that MTV 2 is moving and VH UNO is coming. Yippeee! Please. I don't need anymore garbage channels that I don't want. How about getting up to speed with more HDTV. Quite frankly your selection stinks. Oh yea, Merry Christmas!
Their response:
Thank you for contacting Charter Communications.


In response to your email, I agree with you that we have not been as quick to launch new HD services as we should have and again I apologize.

We are in negotiations with different channels for their HD feeds. Charter is working hard to make sure we get the best deal possible for these services. Our problems in the past have been that we jump at these new services and paid more than we should have for the product. This has lead to higher rates for our customers and we are committed to no longer doing business like that.

We will be adding more HD programming as we complete negotiations with HDTV programmers.

If you have any additional questions please contact us at 1-800-634-1008.

Thank you,

Charter Communications

I just signed up for HD w/out the dvr. I couldn't justify the additional $9ish for the DVR since we've already got tivo, and are crossing our fingers for a cable card hd tivo in the near future.
AO

Here's a recent reply Charter sent me about more HD channels:

I received your message and I am sorry for the delayed reply but I can be of assistance. All networks and TV providers must have all channels offered in HD by the end of 2007. There is no list of when channels will be launched as this all depends upon when the new contract has been reached to include the HDTV feed for each individual channel. We are currently negotiating with all networks to acquire their HD broadcasts.

If you have any additional questions please contact us at 1-800-634-1008 or by email. You can contact Charter Communications 24 hours a day, 7 days a week..

This is news to me. Anyone else hear of this? :confused:

Hi all. I have Charter cable in Worcester, MA. For the past 8 months they have been leading me on and giving me misinformation about getting me a box with active firewire ports on it. I had the HD DVR service, with the SA 8000HD, and when I first ordered that service, they assured me that the DVR box had firewire ports on it and that they should work. Well, they installed it, I tested it, and the ports were not active, obviously. So I contacted them and they assured me once again that they should be active with the next firmware update. The new firmware finally came in, but no active firewire. So I contacted them again, and they said that they now have the SA 8300HD, and that it has the active firewire ports. I talked to 4 SEPARATE people for confirmation and they all told me that the ports were on the box and tht they were active. Skeptical once again, I had them bring it out. They installed it, and the firewire was, unsurprisingly, not active. Finally I just went down to the local office and got in contact with a supervisor, who apparently got in contact with someone who knows a little bit more what they're talking about. As I suspected, the only box they have that has the active ports is the 3250, and if I want it I'd have to pay an additional box rental charge for $3.96/mo. I am fine with this, as this is what I expected to happen 8 months ago when I originally requested firewire, but I am rather annoyed that it took this long to get a real answer. However, there's something else, which brings me to the reason I'm posting in the HDTV programming forum. They also want to charge me another "HD activation" fee. They say that since I will have 2 HD boxes, I have to pay two HD fees to have HD coming out of both. However, since I would really only need the firewire to output the local network HD channels, I wouldn't need HBO, SHO, and Disc. HD coming out of the second box. I thought I had read somewhere that the cable companies aren't even allowed to charge you to receive the local HD channels, but I'm not sure about that... is that true? Are they really allowed to charge me again for this monthly "HD activation" fee? If so, there's no way I'll be paying it, I'll just go without firewire. I'd like to go down fighting if possible though, heh.

My other question is are other cable companies all like this about this issue? I can't imagine other people as completely clueless and uninformed as Charter. I had to mention the government mandate for firewire multiple times and print out a copy of the FCC ruling and bring it to them to even get them to tell the truth about their 1394 situation. As soon as D* unveils their new mpeg4 and home media DVR server-type-thing, I think I'll be switching to satellite, I just can't keep paying almost $150/month to a company who obviously doesn't care about me at all.

Just got signed on with the 8300HD, so far so good. It's feeding into a Sony 27" HDTV 4:3 ... all that I could fit into my entertainment center (talk to the Mrs, sorry :) ). Got the HD signal going through component, and have S-Video for when the wife doesn't want to bother with the receiver....

I asked the tech about CBS HD and he said that the issue was that Comcast owned the local CBS HD affiliate and while Charter was bargaining for being able to carry it, it was likely to be a dragged out process unless Comcast bought out Charter from the area. He didn't make it sound like that was a far-fetched idea, either.

I managed to bore my wife to tears today watching whatever happened to be on DiscoveryHD. Mmmm, hi-def. Finally!

All you Worcester area people need to look into OTA reception for the major netowrks. If I am in Leicester and get them, then more than likely so can you.

Hate to bump, but I'm really curious about this:

Is this normal for cable companies to charge per-box for HD? Even just the local channels? Or should I be questioning this?

And is it normal for me to get an 8-month runaround about 1394?

Thanks!

Originally posted by SnowDog73

I asked the tech about CBS HD and he said that the issue was that Comcast owned the local CBS HD affiliate

I wonder if they make this stuff up or do they actually train these folks?

wbz4 is owned by Viacom not Comcast. they are separate companies.

Originally posted by jjk58
I wonder if they make this stuff up or do they actually train these folks?

wbz4 is owned by Viacom not Comcast. they are separate companies.

They are seperate... though I remember seeing somewhere about Viacom and Comcast striking a big agreement about carrying HD programming. That may have something to do with it.

Two seperate techs I talked to (a few weeks back) said that they 'heard in a meeting' that we may have CBS in HD (worcester area) the wednesday before the last Pats game aired on CBS. Too bad that didn't happen.

One of them did mention the Viacom thing, though.

I find that most Charter folks are woefully ignorant. The tech who installed my 8300 (took it out of the box and plugged it in, wow) had no idea what a cable card was, never even heard of it. I too have emailed Charter asking for more HD, specifically PBS, and I have not heard anything from them.

As for the billing I'm not really sure how they're doing that. They have 'lifeline' channels which are free, if you have an HD STB or a TV with an HD tuner, but then they have an HD Pak, for $4 which includes NESN and Discovery-HD.

So really, they aren't charging you for the locals. They are charging you to rent a HD receiver (if you don't have/use one in your HDTV), or they are charging you for access to NESN and Disc-HD. Disc-HD is my favorite channel, and when the Sox start, NESN-HD will be my second favorite. So $4/month for that is okay, it's the $55/month for the hundreds of SD Channels I don't watch that is killing me.

BTW: If anyone has an 8000 DVR, get the newer 8300. It's not perfect but it's much better than the 8000. If you're still using an SD tivo, you're missing out. With such limited HD available, DVR is money well spent. On the 8300, there's no noticable difference in PQ between live and recorded.

Thought you'll might be interested, but recently my 8000HD started having the option to record first run only. While it's still miles away from TiVo, this is a huge step in the right direction. For once, Charter does something good.

Yeah, my 8300HD just recently started displaying that option as well. I'm afraid to try it on any of my shows though since the box is flaky enough as is. Maybe I'll try stress test it with the Simpsons or something, since that's on every day, and the new episodes are hardly appointment viewing any more... if anyone has good or bad experiences with the first-run-only recordings, post and let us know.

I've been using the first-run only without problem but now that I think of it the shows I'm doing it with aren't showing reruns (Amazing Race and Survivor).

I think I did it for Deadwood too and so far that's working.

Hardly a stress test.

Just FYI. Charter is broadcasting the local CBS right now in Worcester, at least. But you can't get it with a cable box, nor if you have a cable card installed in your QAM tuner television.

Let me explain. I have a Mitsubishi WD-52525 television. It has a digital cable tuner with a cable card slot.

Before I got the cable card, I plugged the cable directly into the TV and scanned for channels. I got the normal analog stuff. And I also got NBC, FOX, ABC, and CBS in digital format! The channels they were being broadcast on were 102-1, 102-2, etc... In that range, at least. None of them were scrambled. CBS confused me because my brother-in-law across the street couldn't get it with his HD set top box. But I watched Numb3rs in HD that night. :)

So it would seem that CBS is being "prepped" for broadcast somehow. I can't think of any other reason for Charter to be broadcasting it, but not allowing cable boxes to see it.

I could also see every On Demand channel, completely unscrambled. Not so useful since people would pause or rewind/fast-forward the movies as I was watching. :)

After I got the cable card, CBS disappeared, and so did the on demand channels since the cablecard renames all of the stations. Now, the HD stuff was in the normal 700 range. And I got Discovery HD theater descrambled through the cablecard, too (paying for it, obviously).

Charter's HD lineup really sucks. And they re-compress the broadcasts because the HD quality is not as good as I get with my antenna. I wish they would at least offer the INHD channels that every other cable system does.

Originally posted by jamis

Two seperate techs I talked to (a few weeks back) said that they 'heard in a meeting' that we may have CBS in HD (worcester area) the wednesday before the last Pats game aired on CBS. Too bad that didn't happen.


Oh no, I bet that it did happen in time for the game. I was getting CBS in HD over Charter back in early February when I got my TV (see above post). But the Cable Boxes are locked out.

If you have a Cable Card capable HD TV, unplug the cablecard if you have it or bypass your cable box and put the cable directly into the TV. Then scan for cable channels. I bet you will see CBS on the 102-x or 103-x sub channels. I just can't remember which one it was. :)

Just noticed that Charter just added Starz HD! Nice surpise, but I wonder how long before the price increase??

I see that they have Starz HD on through my box, but I'm not a Starz subscriber so I'm not getting it regardless.

I am not getting CBS here in Westborough. I tried through my cable box and through the built in tuner on my Sony GWIV. It would've been real nice for the final four. My HD is in the 770-790 area, with locals in the 780's, no subchanells apparently.

95se, did you try it without the cablecard in your sony's internal tuner? The CBS channel would have been 103-1, or 103-2. Somewhere around there.

You should be able to get CBS via antenna through your TV's tuner, anyway. I get it in Worcester. And WBZ is the strongest signal of the bunch.

Interesting. I ran autoprogram this morning which I had never really done before because I've used the STB since I've had the TV. The thing picked up a boatload of digital channels and sub-channels. I was running out the door so didn't have a chance to look through them (or even confirm CBS), but I checked a bunch and they had no signal. I thought that was odd given that the tuner had 'found' them, presumably for some reason.

Is there anywhere to find out what all these channels are, or are supposed to be? I had no idea Charter was broadcasting all these subchannels. I always tuned to the 700's for HD. Maybe there's other hidden channels? PBS would be nice.

AND UPN would be nice. I had a couple people over last night to watch the sox opener in all it's HD glory. TitanTV and the Charter giude both had it listed as being on NESN-HD, but it wasn't. It was on ESPN2 (which we don't have in HD) and UPN (which we don't have in HD). So despite the ridiculous amount of money I spent on cable every month, no Sox opener in HD. I'm still fuming.

I had the same issue with my Mitsubishi. Tons of blank channels to delete when I did a channel search on Charter. But, luckily, you have me to tell you that the local channels are on 102-xx and 103-xx. ;)

When you put in the cablecard, the cablecard "renumbers" the channels so that they look like the ones that the cable box gets. i.e. 102-4 becomes 785.

I'm telling you, buy an antenna. :) We are talking $50, and the install is really easy if you can put it in your attic.

Thanks for the tip. I was able to get the NCAA championship game tonight in HD (and hopefully the Masters this weekend).

Excellent! See, I'm not crazy! :D

Thanks for all the helpful info Shape.

Looks like WSBK has all the Friday night games, which means I need an antenna. What a mess they've all made of this. When I bought my Sony I didn't really care that it had a tuner built in because I figured I'd never use it. Charter, NESN, and WSBK have made me glad it does.

BTW: Shape, if you still have the 8000HD, inquire about the 8300HD. I have it and love it. Other's that have had both say that the PQ on the 8300 is greatly improved over the 8000.

I don't have any cable box at all. I just use the cablecard. $1.50 per month vs $7 or so.

How is this for a messed up system?
2 80 hour DirecTV Tvios for viewing and recording SD programming from DirecTV
Charter cable modem for internet service
Since charter charges $10 extra per month for internet if you don't have cable, it didn't cost much more to get basic cable.
Added on the HD package purely to get DiscoveryHD
I also have an OTA antenna to go with the internal tuner in my Mitsubishi WD-52525 TV.
The OTA signal also gets piped into an HDTV Wonder card for recording on a home theater PC

So, 3 different programming sources.
5 different ways to view it. ;)

Oh, my bad. I thought you had the 8000.

The $10 a month for the 8300 is the only part of my cable bill I don't see as highway robbery. With such a limited amount of HD available it's real handy to be able to record it for viewing on my schedule. The recorded quality is fantastic. I bought a Tivo a year ago and returned it for the Charter SA 3000 (i think) and the recording quality was far below live. Hell, the quality live through the box wasn't as good as straight into the tv. When I went HD, I was thoroughly impressed with the PQ from the 8300, even recorded. I can't wait to see how OTA PQ compares.

I have a intermittent problem with my system, and I'm not sure if Charter is to blame or if it's my setup somehow. While viewing live or recorded HD on ABC and FOX I sometimes get a 1 to 3 second break in audio. The audio signal completely disappears; I can see my receiver lose it and get it back.

I'd assume it was my system EXCEPT I have never had this happen with HBO HD or any SD channel. I have not sufficiently tested DiscoveryHD or ShowtimeHD to determine their status.

I can live with it, but it severely crimps an otherwise great experience.

Charter, SA 8300HD.

Anybody else having this problem?

Snowdog - I've seen that... happened 3 or 4 times during Alias last night. THey also went 4:3 a couple of times during the show for 10-15 seconds.

I get this 4-5 times an hour, only on Fox25.
I love it when a key chunk of dialogue drops out. Not!

so, any news on CBS in HD for us poor Charter customers?

They are broadcasting CBS in HD, they just aren't letting the cable boxes know.

If you have a digital cable tuner in your TV, you can find the channel. I think it was 103-2 or something around that range of channels.

Grrr, very frustrating. I don't have a digital tuner in my TV (or at least I dont think I do - Ive got a Samsung HLM 47" DLP).

Here is what I just got from charter this morning on the issue:

>
> I received your message and I am sorry for the delayed reply but I can
> be of assistance. All networks and TV providers must have all channels
> offered in HD by the end of 2008. There is no list of when channels
> will be launched as this all depends upon when the new contract has been
> reached to include the HDTV feed for each channel. We are currently
> negotiating with all networks to acquire their HD broadcasts.
>
> If you have any additional questions please contact us at
> 1-800-634-1008. Our Customer Service phone lines are open 24 hours a
> day, 7 days a week.
>
> Thank you,
> Andrew
> Charter Communications

Hmm, thats almost the EXACT same form email I've gotten for the last year and a half or so. Very frustrating. :mad: :mad: :mad:

Scott

Well, still no CBS but Cinemax HD showed up yesterday. I guess that's progress.

I dropped Charter, their POS 8300HD, and their excuses two weeks ago. I went back to Dish and their 942. Now I get all the Boston HD channels over the air. Yeah, I paid for the box, but it works, its picture quality is way better than 100 analog Charter channels, and it feeds two TVs.

I dropped Charter, their POS 8300HD, and their excuses two weeks ago. I went back to Dish and their 942. Now I get all the Boston HD channels over the air. Yeah, I paid for the box, but it works, its picture quality is way better than 100 analog Charter channels, and it feeds two TVs.

What town do you live in? Do you have a separate antenna for the OTA HD channels or is everything through the dish? I've had Charter in North Grafton for the past 6 months and I'm already sick of them. No CBS-HD, lousy SD channel PQ, and nothing but BS from anyone in "customer service." What's your DISH setup like?

I live in Webster and unfortunately have Charter. I have an awesome HD TV and want to watch the Pats this year in HD. Who is using an over the air antenna (OTA) out this way? I'm thinking of putting one in the attic, just don't know if I can pick it up out here. I was thinking of going with satellite but I really like my internet and other things I get from Cable.

Thanks
Brian

anyone with an answer to Brian33s question? I live in Auburn, and if Charter doesn't have CBS by August, Im going OTA, and dumping Charter HD (I need the Pats in HD).

anyone with an answer to Brian33s question? I live in Auburn, and if Charter doesn't have CBS by August, Im going OTA, and dumping Charter HD (I need the Pats in HD).

If you have an HDTV (one with a built-in HD tuner) you can get CBS-HD right now. Just plug the cable into the back of the TV and tune it to channel 103.2 - Charter broadcasts CBS-HD on that channel for some reason, even though it's not available in the channel lineup on the 8300HD box. Otherwise your guess is as good as anyone's when they'll put CBS-HD on the HD tier.

Do you have a separate antenna for the OTA HD channels or is everything through the dish? What's your DISH setup like?
I live 20 miles west of the Boston stations, according to antennaweb.org (http://antennaweb.org). I've got a Silver Sensor antenna on a bookcase in my family room feeding the OTA tuner in my Dishplayer 942 (through 35' of RG-6 coax). I get 2, 4, 5, 7, 25, 38, 56 and their subchannels, and others that I don't even watch. Channel 5, for example, always has live doppler radar on 5-2. The OTA and satellite channels all show up in my 942's EPG, and the DVR doesn't care where they come from.

IMHO, Charter has been dragging their feet for months by blocking CBS, etc., at the cable box, instead of concluding negotiations on carriage rights. And since the picture quality that Charter provides for the analog locals stinks, compared with what my TV can pull in OTA (with an FM dipole!), Charter gave me plenty of reason to vote with my wallet.

Thanks for the response. Im 31.7 miles from the stations, according to Antennaweb.org, so I don't think a Silver Sensor will cut it. Any opinions on what antenna I should go for?

Also, I don't have a HD tuner in the TV, but I assume if I get one, i could plug the cable into that (or just a leg of it) to tune into the CBS HD feed?

Charter Hd DVR

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I beleive I have a Scientific Atlantic 8300 HD DVR. Say I record the RED SOX from 7pm to 10pm. At 8pm I decide to watch the game. I press list. I select play. The recording comes up at the "live" point of the game. Then I have to rewind to the beginning (triple speed) but I have already seen the score. Here is my question. How do I go into my recordings list and select an option to start the recording from 7pm. Thanks for any help.

an update!

Thank you for contacting Charter Communications. We appreciate the opportunity to
serve you.

Mr. XXXXXXX,

I received your message and apologize for the delayed response, but I can be of
assistance.

I apologize for a lack of information in the past, but fortunately we do not make up
information. Therefore, when there is no news, we can only give a standard response.

I spoke with our Marketing Director recently and we are working on the contract and
hope to have the channel with 2 to 4 weeks. However, as the contract is not
completed, we cannot guarantee that at this time.

If you have any additional questions please contact us at 1-800-634-1008, by email,
or by Live Chat. You can contact Charter Communications 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.

Stephan
Charter Communications

Hey,

Can anyone confirm something with the Charter local HD channel reception without a box for me? I've been happily watching CBS-HD on 103-2 for about 6 months now, but the last couple nights starting around 8pm I've been losing all the local HD feeds. They're still there on through the box, but not on the feeds direct through the sony TV. Has anyone else noticed this?

Thanks,
Tone

Hey,

Can anyone confirm something with the Charter local HD channel reception without a box for me? I've been happily watching CBS-HD on 103-2 for about 6 months now, but the last couple nights starting around 8pm I've been losing all the local HD feeds. They're still there on through the box, but not on the feeds direct through the sony TV. Has anyone else noticed this?

Thanks,
Tone

I've been having a lot of HD reception issues this week. Tried to watch the PGA Championship last weekend on 103-2 and got really bad tiling - same thing with the rest of the HD channels through the box. It's been intermittently bad since then. Couldn't even get NBC 787 to come in at all this morning through the box. Looks like the signal strength coming into the house is fluctuating - Charter's coming out tomorrow to take a look. Hopefully Scolazz is right and they're about ready to activate CBS-HD through the box.

Hi folks,
I'm in the process of finishing up my HT and was thinking of having Charter set me up with a HD box. I have no tv tuner in my HT and wondered if that presented any problems.
What output do their boxes supply? HDMI, Componant?? 1080i, 720p?

Would I need the regular cable box in addtion to a HDTV box or is it one and the same?
Thanks

I sent an email to the VP of marketing for the NE at Charter. Here is his response:

Mr. XXXXXXX:"

I appreciate your patience and we are acutely aware of the demand for CBS HD for the
upcoming Patriots season. I have been told we are on the cusp of an agreement and
in fact have the signal ready to distribute at a moments notice once Charter's
Corporate Office and Viacom (owner of WBZ) reach a final agreement. Although I
cannot discuss the details of any negotiation, it is my understand there would be no
additional charge for current HDTV customers once we reach a final agreement.

Because HDTV will play such an important role in the future of television, we are
being very careful to keep our costs for HDTV signals reasonable so we can do our
best to maintain reasonable costs for our customers.

I believe we will have good news very soon, but until the i's are dotted and t's are
crossed I cannot make a concrete prediction as to when these talks will be
finalized. Rest assured, I remind our Corporate programming Department on a weekly
basis how critical this particular channel is in this market.

Thanks for your Business."


I hope you guys don't mind my occasional updates on this. Im chasing this issue down like a rabid dog, as it infurates me to no end. I'd be a little better with it if I had a tuner in my TV to get it on 103.x, but I don't.

Thanks!

scolazz,

Thanks for the updates. As for my issue with the HD signals disappearing at night, it's still on-going. HD out of the cable box is still fine (of course minus CBS). I'm starting to get convinced that Charter is purposely playing games with the signal strengthes in the evening so that we can't get these channels without the box. The channels are fine during the day, only in the primetime evenings do they disappear. Has charter ever confirmed to anyone on the list that these channels are available without the box for HDTV's?

Thanks again,
Tone

The CBS-HD and Charter deal is signed. CBS-HD will be available next week.

Hi folks,
I'm in the process of finishing up my HT and was thinking of having Charter set me up with a HD box. I have no tv tuner in my HT and wondered if that presented any problems.
What output do their boxes supply? HDMI, Componant?? 1080i, 720p?

Would I need the regular cable box in addtion to a HDTV box or is it one and the same?
Thanks


Anyone?

The Charter person on the other end of the 800 number "thought" it had a RCA jack on the back...Lots of help and laughs there!

you use only one cable-box, it tunes the analog, digital and HD stations. I have an SA800HD, it has at least compenent out, because that's what I use, I don't know about DVI and HDMI. THe SA boxes have a setup menu you can go into to tell it what to do with resolutions. They can be set to passthrough, upconvert or downconvert the various resolutions. For example, I have mine setup to passthrough 480i and upconvert the rest to 1080i. In the HD hardware forum there are threads on the various boxes that tell you how to set this up.

Channel 784.....CBS-HD is up and working today!!

Channel 784.....CBS-HD is up and working today!!
Getting the same here in Northboro! :D

This may be an old news. Last night, I accidentally tuned to CBSHD and I said SWEET... They are a little slow as far as adding new HD channel. But, at least they are working on it. I am hoping they will pick up some of the VOOM original stuff.. :)

784 is up in brookline, nh (pepperell) as well.

Outstanding, CBS in on 784 in Auburn, MA also! FINALLY get the Patriots in HD!

CBS in HD Finally!!!...........Go Pats ! :D

This is the best AV news I have had in months. I'd given up looking for it. Thx for posting everyone.

I've had Charter out twice now to try and get the SA PKM600 cablecard working with my Samsung HLR6168. The cablecard is not working. It receives most of the channels after resetting it (during the "Updating Channel List" message on the screen). Once the "Updating Channel List" message disappears - so do my channels. I'm left a handful of channels (channels 199, 311-315, 317, 320, 720-729, 897), that's it!

Anyone else experience success or failure with SA Cablecards?

How long did it take to get it to work? How did you do it?? (I've read on AVSForum that you need to work with the tech's at the headend

Here is what I had to go through for HD with a cable card......






I have had the absolute worst costomer service from multiple parts of Charter. Please pass this complaint on to anyone who can resolve the issue. I also want somone at the top to know how your company is being run, so I request kindly that this be forwaded to your CEO and CFO. I requested a direct address or email for both and was told no.


Here is my story.......

So I decide to try charter HD. I have Directv, but thought maybe cable had improved over the last 10 years. Your expanded HD offering caught me eye, so I call to inquire about your offerings.

I schedule an install for basic cable, and you HD pack. I am told cable will cost me $13, and the HD pack is $3.99 extra.

The next day I was in Best Buy in Natick MA. I picked up a charter flyer, which listed you could get HD only for $9.99 ala cart. I called from the parking lot and the rep on the phone, the same number on your flyer had never heard of this. She told me that there should not have been any flyers at Best Buy, and denied my request to honor this price.

When the installer came, he installed a cable box. My order was for a cable card. I started an online chat to ask for a $20 credit as the wrong thing was installed and now I would need to stay home from work another day. Flat out, I was told "no."

I called your telephone support and was told they could not give me the credit as my account was tagged with a do not give him any credit.

Cable card was scheduled online for Sat. In the middle of the scheduled appt, I received a call from the tech telling me they don't install cable cards on Sat. I am sure the FCC would love to hear this. I thought you had to offer these by law- not place a 10-14 day wait, and make them only available m-f?

I schedule another appt and they guy shows up at 6:30 for a 1-5 appt. He was down right rude when I couldn't supply him with a manual. "They told you I needed it- I can't do anything here.." I was never told anything. I find the manual, and after 2 hours he tells me he has other jobs and will call me after to confirm a new appt for the next day. He never called.

The next installer comes and can't get DiscoveryHD, ESPNHD, or NESNHD to come in. He calls the first sup. and over the Nextel phone he is told that I can only get those with extended basic. I explained that I had them with the cable box. He then called his next sup and they told him I should not have been offered a cable card withoput having at least ext. basic. He leaves with missing HD stations.

Next I started a chat to find out what was really going on. Here is the transcript:

eSupport Chat Transcript


9/9/2005 3:16:20 PMtomw > Thank you for contacting Charter Communications Live Chat Assistance, how may I help you today?9/9/2005 3:16:27 PMSean Cusick > A few weeks ago, I ordered basic cable and the HD pack to get NESN HD. I requested a cable card. The installer came with a box instead. I was able to get all of the above on the cable box. I rescheduled to have the correct cable card installed. Today it was installed. The installer told me I can't get NESN HD or Discovery HD without a box, or ordering extendended basic and keeping the card. Help! I just want NESN! Is this true? Why did it work with a box, but not with a cable card? 9/9/2005 3:17:05 PMSean Cusick > Is this true, or can you get those with a cable card?9/9/2005 3:17:07 PMtomw > I can help you with that Sean. Can I please have your home address9/9/2005 3:17:25 PMSean Cusick > 40 DeWitt Rd. Sutton, MA 015909/9/2005 3:17:55 PMtomw > Thank you9/9/2005 3:18:07 PMtomw > Do you currently have the cable card or hd box?9/9/2005 3:18:25 PMSean Cusick > I had the cable card installed today.9/9/2005 3:18:41 PMSean Cusick > I no longer have the box- I returned it to the installer.9/9/2005 3:19:06 PMtomw > Okay, and you are not getting nesn hd but you were getting it with the box?9/9/2005 3:20:21 PMSean Cusick > Yes. I was told that I could only get NESN, Discovery and ESPN HD only with either a box, or with the card but I would need to upgrade to extended basic.9/9/2005 3:22:46 PMtomw > I am sorry for the wait, I am actually asking someone about this it doesnt seem like you should get them with the box but not with the cable card9/9/2005 3:23:06 PMSean Cusick > Thanks for your help.9/9/2005 3:28:38 PMtomw > I apologize for the wait, I was just speaking with a supervisor about this and was told that you do need to subscribe to expanded basic service in order to get those channels in high definition. I was also told this is the case with the cable card or the cable box so I am not sure why you were getting these channels with the box9/9/2005 3:29:53 PMSean Cusick > You can only get HD with extended cable? That goes against every call I have ever had with Charter.9/9/2005 3:31:48 PMtomw > You can only get those specific Hd channels with expanded basic. Basically you need to subscribe to the tier that includes the regular versions of the channel in order to get the hd feed of the channel and nesn, espn, and discovery are in the expanded basic tier so you need to subscribe to that tier in order to receive the hd feed of those channels. I apologize if you were told differently9/9/2005 3:32:09 PMSean Cusick > Look at my bill- I was getting it??9/9/2005 3:34:09 PMtomw > You are correct the billing is showing that HD discovery and espn were on your account but I was told you need the expanded basic service in order to receive these hd channels9/9/2005 3:34:47 PMSean Cusick > I spoke to at leaset 3 people when I called to inquire, and this goes against what they all said.9/9/2005 3:35:27 PMSean Cusick > If it on my bill, why can't you add those to my cable card?9/9/2005 3:36:14 PMtomw > In order to receive them with the cable card you need to have the expanded basic service on your account9/9/2005 3:36:37 PMSean Cusick > But I will get them with a box?9/9/2005 3:36:48 PMSean Cusick > As I did before?9/9/2005 3:37:30 PMtomw > I was told you also should not get them with a box and just basic service so I am not sure why you were getting them before9/9/2005 3:38:35 PMSean Cusick > I was paying for basic (13) and added the HD pack (3) So the HD pack only includes locals?9/9/2005 3:39:40 PMtomw > The hd pack includes local channels and nesn. Nesn is part of our expanded basic lineup and you need to pay for expanded basic service in order to get that channel (either regular feed or hd feed)9/9/2005 3:41:31 PMSean Cusick > Ok. I still think that it is bad buisness practice having multiple people telling me I could get it, bill me for the described pack, and then tell me that this is not offered.9/9/2005 3:41:44 PMSean Cusick > Please pass my complaint on.9/9/2005 3:42:53 PMtomw > I agree it is not good to have mutiple people telling you different things actually this is the first time I have come across this situation, which is why I had to ask a supervisor about it. I will certainly pass your complaint on.9/9/2005 3:44:06 PMSean Cusick > Please forward this chat to my email, as I will be forwarding this matter to my local Atorney General and the BBB9/9/2005 3:44:32 PMtomw > Is[/email] the correct email address?9/9/2005 3:44:44 PMSean Cusick > Yes. Thank you for your time and help.9/9/2005 3:45:11 PMtomw > Thank you for using Charter Live Chat Assistance. If you have any further questions please contact us at 1-800-634-1008 or through our website, ]. Have a nice day.



I started a new chat to provide evidence in the following that was emailed to me:


Charter Communications Offers New Packages 2005 in Worcester, MA System

A La Carte Price with Cable Price without Cable
5M 5Meg Download/512k Upload Speeds $49.99 $59.99
3M 3Meg Download/ 256k Upload Speeds $39.99 $49.99
384k 384k Download/ 128k Upload Speeds $29.99 $39.99

Charter has launched Residential Networking services. Information on equipment and system requirements are available upon request.

Digital Packages

Biggest Value Package Basic + Expanded + 1 Digital Receiver and Remote + Interactive Service and Access Fee, and Choice of 1 Digital Tier with HBO/Cinemax and Starz/Encore. $73.99

Big Value Package Basic + Expanded + 1 Digital Receiver and Remote + Interactive Service and Access Fee, and Choice of 1 Digital Tier. $55.99

Internet Packages

Biggest Value Package With 5M Internet $123.98 Big Value Package With 5M Internet $105.98
Biggest Value Package With 3M Internet $113.98 Big Value Package With 3M Internet $95.98
Biggest Value Package With 384k Internet $103.98 Big Value Package With 384k Internet $85.98

*With any level of Internet Service a Cable Modem is required! Please ask about our different types of Internet Installations and Charges.
Modem Rental for 384k is $5.00
Modem Rental for 3M is $2.96 Full Tech Installation is $49.95
Modem Purchase is $49.99 Self Installation Kit (not available in all areas)
(Modem Purchase may be deferred over 3 payments of $16.66)

Available Digital Tiers $4.00 Each Per Month

Movie Tier Showtime, Showtime Too, Showtime Showcase, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Beyond, FLIX, The Movie Channel, TMC Xtra, Encore, Encore Love, Encore Action, Encore Mystery, Encore Drama, and Encore Westerns.

Family Tier BBC America, Discovery Home Channel, Military Channel, Do It Yourself, Discovery Kids, Nick Too, Noggin, Nick Games and Sports, Nick Toons, Soap Net, Fox Movie Channel, Lifetime Movie Network, Women’s Network, Women’s Entertainment, Independent Film Channel, Sundance, Fuse, VH Uno, MTV Espanol, MTV Jams, MTV Hits, VH-1 Classic, VH-1 Soul VH-1 Mega Hits, VH-1Country, Great American Country, Jewelry Television, The Science Channel, Discovery Health, Discovery Times, Bloomberg, Biography, History Channel International and AZN Television.

Sports Tier ESPN Classic, ESPN News, Fox College Sports Atlantic, Fox College Sports Central, Fox College Sports Pacific, Fox Sports Espanol, Fox Soccer Channel, NFL Network, Fuel, CSTV College Sports Television, TVG (Horse racing channel) and Fit TV.
The Sports Tier may not be available in all areas.

Additional Services

Digital Cable Box DVR Service (Digital Video recorder)
$6.95 per month for 1st a la carte $16.95 a la carte
$3.95 per month for each additional $9.99 which in a Digital package

HDTV Service HD/DVR Service
$3.04 per month for HD Service $16.95 ala Carte for DVR service and get HDTV service at no additional charge
$3.99 per month for ESPN, Discovery HD $9.99 when in a Digital package

*Local network channels; where available, come free with the HDTV service fee of $3.04.
*HD Premium channels such as HBO come free when you subscribe to the Digital Premium Channels.


Digital HBO Cinemax Plex $13.00 per month Digital Starz/ Encore Super Package $13.00 per month


Charter Communications · 95 Higgins Street · Worcester, MA 01606
· Toll Free 1-800-634-1008 ·


All Packages are subject to change without prior notice







and this:





Mr Cusick,
Thank you for contacting Charter Communications. HDTV service is now available in your area.

The cost of the HDTV receiver if you already have a digital receiver is an additional $3.04 to your monthly bill. If you do not already have a digital receiver in your home, the cost for the HD receiver is $9.99 per month.

Currently we offer 8 HD channels. We have Discovery HD and ESPN HD, which are $3.99 per month. There is also HBO HD, which is $13.00 per month which also comes with Cinemax (Cinemax is not yet offered in HD), or free if you subscribe to the HBO/Cinemax Digital Plex. We also offer Showtime HD which is $4.00 per month, or free with the subscription to the Big Movie Tier (which also includes TMC). We also have WHDH (7) NBC, WFTX (25) Fox, WCVB (5)ABC, and NESN at no additional charge.

Installation for HDTV service is currently $4.95. If you need an HD Kit, this is $14.99.

If you would like to setup an appointment for an HD receiver to be installed in your home, or if you have any questions, please contact us by phone at 1-800-634-1008.

Thank you,
Tom
Customer Care
Charter Communications
--Original Message--





I am told during this chat that you can't get HD with a cable card.


I then called your Corp headquaters 866)-212-1063 to file a complaint. She laughed when I told her what pack I was getting and told me I should have been queit, as I should not have been offered it. This was the response from the top.

I called another tech support person, who tells me I can get this pack (basic 13 anf HD 3.99 that will include NESN, Discovery and ESPN on a cable card. He scheduled an install for this sat, my 4th.


I would like to request some form of credit for the hell that is your support team.

Nobody in your company knows anything about your pricing or product. I have never experienced so many problems in my life.

Please forward this to your CEO and CFO. I am contacting the BBB, and my state attorney general. I am also complaing to the FCC over how hard you make it to get a mandated cable card installed, and also try to extort money from me that is not required for programming. I will also be repeating this story to every person I know, and posting this on various Charter support forums.



Respectfully Yours,


Sean Cusick

Threads merged.

Here are some newbie questions....

1) Living in Charlton, MA, will I be able to get the NY HD channels (CBS,NBC,FOX, ABC)

2) If so, Should I expect them to be better quality that the HD channels coming from Charter Comm (CBS is on its one physical channel while ABC, NBC, and FOX are all on the same physical channel - using 256QAM)

I am trying to decide if I should jump on the DirecTV $199 HD DVR deal or stick with the $10/month HD-DVR (SA 8300HD) I already have from Charter.

Help???

-Brian

Merged.

When autoprogramming channels on my Samsung HDTV direct cable connection for Charter, what is the recommendation on STD .vs. HRC .vs. IRC?

So...we're finally watching the Pats in Charter HD. So what have they done for us lately? Has anybody been bugging them about WB or PBS? What else am I missing?

UPN? Though after Enterprise disappeared, they don't have a whole lot to offer.

UPN would be handy, I never got around to installing an antenna to get OTA, and no UPN means no Sox in HD on Friday nights. In 5 weeks I won't care about upn though. Then I'll back to wanting PBS. :)

Had a HD box setup in my house yesterday by Charter.
The tech told me that Channel 2 was coming real soon onto the HD lineup.
Now, "real soon" could mean anything but at least it is coming.

Hi,

I live in Westborough - I subscribe to the basic HD package and I have the cable box on my tv downstairs. I can confirm I can get CBS in HD on channel 784 over there.

My bedroom television is a Samsung 26" widescreen with a clear QAM tuner. I can get NBC, Fox, and ABC in HD on channels 102-1, 102-2, and 102-3, but for the life of me I can't seem to tune in CBS-HD. I used to be able to get the channel before it was "official" on one of the "103" channels. Does anyone know what channel it is on without using a cable box? Should I be scanning for channels using a different cable system besides "STD"?

Any help would be appreciated.

Julie

CBS-HD was on 103-3 last I checked.

I am using a Fusion3 card to watch it. The problem I find that the channel identifier (CBSHD) is listed on 103-1 instead of 103-3. Only by manually going to 103-3 could I view the channel.


Your TV is probably getting confused by this. It has changed since "releasing" CBSHD to the public.

I posted this elsewhere, but it got merged and no one answered. I think this is a better place to ask the questions....
=========================================================

Here are some newbie questions....

1) Living in Charlton, MA, will I be able to get the NY HD channels (CBS,NBC,FOX, ABC)

2) If so, Should I expect them to be better quality that the HD channels coming from Charter Comm (CBS is on its one physical channel while ABC, NBC, and FOX are all on the same physical channel - using 256QAM)

I am trying to decide if I should jump on the DirecTV $199 HD DVR deal or stick with the $10/month HD-DVR (SA 8300HD) I already have from Charter.

Help???

-Brian

Beefcake, you should be posting this in the OTA thread or the DirecTV thread (is there one?), not the Charter thread.

And yeah, Charter's picture quality is pretty bad on the HD channels. Unfortunately, I'd expect DirecTV's quality to be even worse.

The best PQ is from an antenna, but it might be a stretch to get OTA digital from Boston in Charlton. I get pretty good reception in Worcester, though.

PBS-HD is now on channel 782 here in North Grafton.

Great! I guess the tech that was at my house a few days ago wasn't lying after all.
Thanks for the heads up. :)

PBS-HD is now on channel 782 here in North Grafton.

And WGBH2 is on 751...

Beefcake (or anyone who can help)

This is maddening...

My Samsung HDTV with QAM doesn't detect CBS or PBS in HD, though I can tune NBC, ABC, and Fox in HD. My TV is unfortunately NOT capable of directly tuning a digital subchannel - I have to go through channel memorization, tune the "main" channel (say 103), it tunes to 103-1, then I have to use the channel up key to access any subchannels that were detected during memorization. Unfortunately, CBS-HD (if its on 103-3) isn't memorized, so I can't tune it. I do tune in 103-1 and 103-2, which are empty. I assume this is related to Beefcake's statements earlier that the channel ID being sent was 103-1 for CBS, even if it is not really there.

I called Charter the other day and got a supervisor, who assured me CBS and PBS were not being encrypted. How do I describe the problem to them in a way that they understand what is happening and can fix it? I've been waiting for CBS for too long, and I don't want to rent yet another box if I don't need to.

As a secondary question, does anyone know of any universal remote that might allow me to directly tune in a channel plus digital subchannel?

Thanks for your help...

Julie

This may or may not help:

It looks like 751 (2) and 782(pbshd) are on the same QAM256 channel as 784(4).

The info pages for the sa3250hd show that the base frequency for the above 3 channels is 585Mhz. I can't decipher any other info except that it did say that the above 3 were "clear to air". As an example HBO shows "subscription".

( To get the info pages: On the front of the box, press the diamond key until the info light goes on and then hit the info key. You can page through 20 pages of box info on the 3250hd using the vol keys. Using the channel keys, you can go thru the channels comparing the data. This works on many if not all SA boxes.)

785/6/7 is at 663Mhz

--
This is in the pepperell based system, I have no way of knowing if things are different in the other boston area systems.

I am able to receive CBS-HD and PBS-HD (WGBH) on 84-1 and 84-3, respectively.

dr. fro...

Thank you so much! Because of you I found PBS and CBS. Though my tuner gets them as:

PBS-HD: 84-1
PBS-SD: 84-2
CBS-HD: 84-3

I was going crazy trying to tune them. I had assumed they were around 102 or 103, since I get NBC, Fox, and ABC on 102-1, 102-2, and 102-3 respectively. I would not have thought to look in the 84 range.

Thanks again...

Julie

Perhaps someone can answer a simple question for me. I use Charter for my cable modem and D* for TV. In my recent Charter bill there was a new channel listing for my area (Barre, Hubbardston & Rutland - really in the sticks). The line up did not show CBS HD, yet here you folks are talking about it.

Do all towns in Mass with Charter as their cable provider get CBS HD? If so, I might consider going back to then.

Thanks

Mike

No, in Chicopee we only get PBS and Fox in HD via Charter :mad:

Perhaps someone can answer a simple question for me. I use Charter for my cable modem and D* for TV. In my recent Charter bill there was a new channel listing for my area (Barre, Hubbardston & Rutland - really in the sticks). The line up did not show CBS HD, yet here you folks are talking about it.

Do all towns in Mass with Charter as their cable provider get CBS HD? If so, I might consider going back to then.

Thanks

Mike

Call your local Charter office and ask them what you can get. Or maybe their web page lists what various towns get for HD.

In the Pepperell/Groton area there's the 4 major networks in HD + PBSHD +NESNHD +ESPNHD +DiscoveryHD. You can also get HBO , Cinemax, and The Movie Channel in HD but I never did pick that up.

I just wanted to see the Patriots this season in HD. I'm thinking of dropping the HD package till next September.

I'm a Chicopee resident as well, and I can't get a lick of information out of them regarding local HD programming. Their customer service is disgusting!!! Have you been able to get any info out of them?

I'm a Chicopee resident as well, and I can't get a lick of information out of them regarding local HD programming. Their customer service is disgusting!!! Have you been able to get any info out of them?

Try this web site http://www.zap2it.com/index and put in your zip code.
It will show you what channels are available.

Though I noticed that it doesn't show the WGBH-HD channel for some reason.

Very mixed messaging from Charter, in regards to the web page vs. calling.

I would like to know if HDNet is available on Charter in Worcester area (Grafton, specifically)? HDNet website says its available on Charter. Charter's main HDTV page also says its available.

But when I drill down after putting in my local address, I don't see it?

-Brian

PS: Also, is TNT HD available? I'll find out tomorrow, since Charter is coming to deliver my SA 8300 HD converter box, but I am very curious. :D

I would like to know if HDNet is available on Charter in Worcester area (Grafton, specifically)? HDNet website says its available on Charter. Charter's main HDTV page also says its available.

PS: Also, is TNT HD available?

No and no.

They don't even carry channels 56 or 38 in HD.

Doohhh....that sucks. Seems like there is a lot of cool content on HDNet. Bummer :(

Universal HD showed up yesterday in Pepperell (probably in Worcester area too). Lots of 80s shows, including one of my all time favorites "The Equalizer".

Universal HD showed up yesterday in Pepperell (probably in Worcester area too). Lots of 80s shows, including one of my all time favorites "The Equalizer".

What channel?

I don't recall exactly, but it was in the 900's. it showed up in the guide above Starz HD

Yeah, saw Universal HD show up as well, right after Starz HD.

Now if only Charter can help me resolve my 8300HD issues on Monday, I'll be happy. :rolleyes:

I'm currently a D* customer but I want to purchase an HD DVR. I figure this might be an opportunity to look around and see if the "grass is greener" on the other side.

Can anyone tell me how the Charter PQ compares to D*. D* broadcasts what many are referring to HD Lite. If Charter has a better looking signal, I might be willing to change.

BTW - I live in the Hubbardston / Rutland area if that matters.

Thanks

Help !

I just moved from Worcester MA to Northbridge MA. I took my SA 8300 HDTV box with me. I just had the charter guys hook up a few days ago and settled down (aftermuch unpacking) to watch the TV....

...guess what? FoxHD (#786) is "blank". But *All* the other HD chanels work.

I have no picture, no sound, but the info button does show the correct listing.

The fist (saturday) that Charter can send out someone to check the problem is March 18th ! :mad:

since I took my box with me is there some sort of settign I need to reset? (I have tried unplugging the power coord)
Is FoxHD encryped?

Is there any way to get this fixed remotely thatt he Cahrter opperator I spoke to was unaware of? :confused:

Help !

I just moved from Worcester MA to Northbridge MA. I took my SA 8300 HDTV box with me. I just had the charter guys hook up a few days ago and settled down (aftermuch unpacking) to watch the TV....

...guess what? FoxHD (#786) is "blank". But *All* the other HD chanels work.

I have no picture, no sound, but the info button does show the correct listing.

The fist (saturday) that Charter can send out someone to check the problem is March 18th ! :mad:

since I took my box with me is there some sort of settign I need to reset? (I have tried unplugging the power coord)
Is FoxHD encryped?

Is there any way to get this fixed remotely thatt he Cahrter opperator I spoke to was unaware of? :confused:

Here is a good thread for the 8300HD: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=471859&page=1&pp=30

How to do a hard reboot on the SA 8300HD:

Hard Reboot. A Hard Reboot will refresh all available software and modules on the system, as well as clear out the memory cache. The IPG and other data may take up to 30 minutes or more to fully download.
Turn off the 8300 and wait 5 or more seconds.
Unplug the power cord from the 8300 and wait 5 or more seconds.
If you are resetting an external drive too, unplug it's power cord at this point and wait 5 or more seconds, then plug the power cord back into the external drive and wait 5 or more seconds.
Press and hold the power button on the 8300's front panel. While the power button is depressed, plug the 8300 power cord back in. Continue to hold the power button until the 8300 display says "boot" and/or begins to cycle a few times (usually about 15 seconds).

Another possibility is insufficient signal coming into the box. Are you using any splitters? What is your setup like?

Here is a good thread for the 8300HD: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=471859&page=1&pp=30

How to do a hard reboot on the SA 8300HD:
<snip>

Thanks that is great. Definatly one ot bookmark.

FoxHD came back all by it'self today (!?!?!) so fingers crossed it stays on. (I checked the DVR history and it managed to record "24" on Monday off FoxHD so the box was working when first hooked up)....very strange.

Does anyone know what HDTV channels Charter will be adding to the Worcester area lineup?

Does anyone have a cable card with Charter in Mass?

Could you tell me if you can receive Channel 795, which is Universal HD?

I have had techs out, called 3 times, and I haven't been able to get them to fix the issue. When I tune in 795 with my Mitsubishi WD-52525 with the cable card, the video flashes up on the screen for a few seconds and then the Cable Card screen pops up and tells me to call Charter.

However, when I use a cable box, everything is fine. :(

Does anyone have a cable card with Charter in Mass?

Could you tell me if you can receive Channel 795, which is Universal HD?

I have had techs out, called 3 times, and I haven't been able to get them to fix the issue. When I tune in 795 with my Mitsubishi WD-52525 with the cable card, the video flashes up on the screen for a few seconds and then the Cable Card screen pops up and tells me to call Charter.

However, when I use a cable box, everything is fine. :(

I discovered this channel only this week on Charter, I don't have StarsHD so always stopped at the blank screen. works fine on my SA box in Northbridge, MA.

TNT-HD just showed up in the channel lineup in Grafton (Channel 797).

TNT-HD just showed up in the channel lineup in Grafton (Channel 797).

cool ! thansk for the info :D


Also - I am plannign on gettign a HDTV PCI card for my PC, how many of the Charter MA HDTV channel line-up is in "clear" (unencrypted) QAM 256 format? Anyone know?

nemiHTPC,

I don't have an HDTV tuner card in my PC but I have a Samsung HDTV that thanks to a firmware upgrade (very long story) can receieve clear, unencrypted digital cable. I subscribe to Charter's HDTV package and have a digital cable box on another TV in my house that doesn't have it's own QAM tuner.

I am able to get ABC HD, NBC HD, CBS HD, PBS standard def digital, PBS HD, and FOX HD. Right now I am also receiving (to my surprise) NESN HD, which I am not sure is supposed to be unencrypted - I never received it on this TV before a few days ago.

I can't get other HDTV channels on this TV that you'd expect to be encrypted, such as Discovery HD, Universal HD, TNT HD, etc. Obviously I get these fine on the TV that has the digital cable box attached to it.

Hope that helps...

Julie

I am using Charter's SA 8300 HD here in Worcester and am unsure on setting up the correct display format. My options include:

Display Format Summary. UG-5/6 Press the Settings button twice to get to the General Settings. Then scroll up to Set: Picture Format.

* Fixed - Displays all content at whatever resolution you selected, based on what you selected in the wizard. You force the output to a single output and the box scales to that input. Easily changed in the settings menu of the box.
* Pass Through - Passes the input signal through to the output with no change, unless you disable certain resolutions. For example 480i in to 480i out, 480P in to 480P out, 1080i in to 1080i out, 720P in to 720P out. If you disable 720P, 720P in will go to 1080i out.
* Auto HDMI/DVI - If you are using the HDMI port, you will see this option instead of the Pass Through option. Resolution is automatically formatted to the scan rate supported by the TV.
* UpConvert 1 - All 480i and 480P signals get upconverted to 480P. All 720P and 1080i signals get upconverted to 1080i.
* UpConvert 2 - All 480i and 480P signals get upconverted to 480P. All 720P and 1080i signals get converted to 720P.

What are people using with success? I have a DVI to HDMI connection between TV and 8300 and a Hitachi 46F500 set.

Thanks.

It all depends upon
1) the quality of the up/down scaller in the SA box compared to the one in your TV.
2) the ease of enchancing / zooming / cropping and doing other things to the picture

I have a Samsung 720p DLP and the SA box and I woudl recomend this solution:


* Pass Through - Passes the input signal through to the output with no change, unless you disable certain resolutions. For example 480i in to 480i out, 480P in to 480P out, 1080i in to 1080i out, 720P in to 720P out. If you disable 720P, 720P in will go to 1080i out.


I find the Samsung does better upscalling (480i to 720p) than the SA and with it's Digital Nosie reduction and other enhancements the SD content looks better when it gets the native picture to work with.
It is also nice to be able to use the info button on the Samsung to find out what the native res is for all the different HD channels.
I no longer have any issues with the SA box cropping or messing with my picture.
I still use the SA zoom function though (which will switch to 1080i) for SD content when I do need to fill the screen.
There are many other reasons why I stopped the SA box doing 720p convertions and let my HDTV do it. - I am happy I made the switch

aside: I am using componet for the HDTV feed from the SA box. But I am sure this applies to the digital too.

At the end of the day you have ot evaluate 1+2 (above) for yourself I suppose.

Hi...

I think you'll find this thread helpful...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=471859&page=1&pp=30

I have the non-DVR HD box (3250HD) but the setup menus and options are the same as your box. How you set up is going to depend partially on the capabilities of your tv and how you want 4:3 non-HD programming to look. You are using DVI/HDMI - does your TV allow you to change the aspect ratio of the TV picture when an SD image is fed to it using HDMI? If it does, for example, and you want to use your TV's stretch mode to make 4:3 SD material fill your 16:9 screen, you may want to use Pass Through instead of Fixed.

I'm guessing the Auto HDMI/DVI setting will automatically upscale video to the native resolution of your TV (usually 720p or 1080i). This can create a very nice picture, but will not allow you to use your TV's stretch modes to make a 4:3 image fill your screen - on some TVs it will pillarbox the image and on some it will stretch it in a way that significantly distorts the picture. This could be an issue for you if you have a display that is prone to burn-in. The other issue is (as the previous poster mentioned) that your TV may do a better job of upscaling than the cable box does, so Pass-Through might be a better choice for a nicer picture.

I have two HDTVs that use this box, and both use a component connection. One is an older one that does not have HDMI and is only capable of resolving 480i, 480p, and 1080i signals, but I still want to be able to control the aspect ratio of 4:3 480i/p material using my TV set rather than the box (the stretch mode on the box is too distorting, I prefer my TV's own stretch modes). I use pass through on this set with 720P disabled. HD 4:3 material displays pillarboxed automatically, and HD widescreen automatically fills my screen correctly. Works very well for me.

Julie

Fox Sports Net HD and Music HD were added to the HD tier this week. We now can receive the HD broadcasts for all of the 4 major Boston pro teams.

Any idea why FSN HD is only on the air for Celtics home games? I know that's their only HD programming, but it would be nice if they simulcast the rest of their programming, like most of the other HD channels do.

It seems a bit strange that there is absolutely no programming on FSN HD when the C's are away. It kind of seems like a waste to me if what they're concerned with is bandwidth. Anyone agree?
I guess I shouldn't sound like a beggar, I am privileged to even have the opportunity of HDTV and HD programming. Having stated that, I still see no reason why there isn't more programming rolling out on a more consistent basis. I mean, we don't even get all the locals in HD yet. Where's NBC, etc?
Anyone have anything to add?
Thanks.
AM Son

It seems a bit strange that there is absolutely no programming on FSN HD when the C's are away. It kind of seems like a waste to me if what they're concerned with is bandwidth. Anyone agree?
I guess I shouldn't sound like a beggar, I am privileged to even have the opportunity of HDTV and HD programming. Having stated that, I still see no reason why there isn't more programming rolling out on a more consistent basis. I mean, we don't even get all the locals in HD yet. Where's NBC, etc?
Anyone have anything to add?
Thanks.
AM Son

Where are you at? Here in Central Mass. we have the 4 major Boston locals in HD and 17 HD channels overall. NBC is 787.

Anybody else notice HD channels that you used to receive fine without the HD box are no longer coming through. I have a Sony TV which used to get the 4 majors plus PBS straight off the cable line, but no longer receive HD for PBS and Channel 4. To be clear I do subscribe to the HD blokc and still receive those channels with the HD Box.

Thanks,

Anybody else notice HD channels that you used to receive fine without the HD box are no longer coming through. I have a Sony TV which used to get the 4 majors plus PBS straight off the cable line, but no longer receive HD for PBS and Channel 4. To be clear I do subscribe to the HD blokc and still receive those channels with the HD Box.

Thanks,

Same thing happened to me with my Sony. Go through the digital channel search again and you will "re-find" the channels. Channel 4 HD now shows up as 784, same as the cable box. NESN HD and FOX Sports Net HD show up as the same channels they do with the box.

Thanks, I'll give it a try. For me, 4 was already on 784, though. You get NESN and FSN without the Box?

Thanks, I'll give it a try. For me, 4 was already on 784, though. You get NESN and FSN without the Box?

Yes. The HD channels for NESN and FSN show up without the box.

I have a Samsung TV with a digital cable tuner. On that, CBS HD can now be found on channel 86-1. ABC, NBC, Fox, and NESN HD are all where they were before. I'll have to see if I can find FSN - I didn't know Charter broadcasts it unencrypted.

Julie

Hi All,

Newbie in Northbridge MA looking for a little direction in purchasing a 32" LCD TV for the bedroom. I am looking to recieve OTA HD. I live on the top of a hill and with a cheap Silver Sensor antenna I can pick up all the locals clearly. My question is: if I get a TV with a QAM tuner, will I pick up any more channels than OTA? I want OTA HD, and the cable signal (Charter) directly from the wall outlet (no cable box) to pick up SD and any other HD content. Do I need a TV with 2 RF (coax) inputs? It is a bit confusing when putting important features on the list while shopping...

Thanks,
ed

Hi, I can't speak authoritatively, but I'm not sure how you would mix OTA with cable on a set other than with something like a Tivo Series 3.

My JVC LN40FH97 has two coax inputs for analog and digital. When I first got the set, I tried splitting the cable from the wall and hooking to both sides. On the analog side, as expected, I was able to receive channels 2-99 without a cable box. On the digital side, after the auto scan, there were lots of empty channel slots -- i.e., the tuner sensed a channel but couldn't display it without a cable card (again as expected due to encryption). However, I was able to get local HD in the clear on the digital side. Unfortunately, there was no alignment between where the channel was located and its actual channel number, e.g., WGBH may have been at 100-21 (I don't remember the actual numbers), so finding the viewable channels among the empty slots was a challenge.

Bottom line: I don't think that you will receive anything that you can't get OTA without a cable box or cablecard. I happen to have a Tivo Series 3 which I love, and am watching cable only with 2 cablecards in the Tivo. The Tivo has discrete antenna and cable coax connectors and can combine and present program material from both sources.

I can't speak to using the antenna, as I'm cable only. BTW, getting Charter (whom I now totally loathe) to correctly set up and support cablecards is another story...

My TV accepts both digital cable and digital OTA ATSC through two separate inputs. Charter does broadcast the local channels in HD unencrypted. So you can view those channels without a cable card.

Hi,

Anyone have audio dropouts during last nights game?

I've had them happen before and now that I think about it, it's always on CBS watching the Pats but usually only once or maybe twice during a game. Last night it was nearly every commercial!

-t

Yes, teknoguy, had audio dropouts. CBS seems to not handle the HDTV/SDTV "shift" well, so I'm always getting little pauses and dropouts around commercial breaks and especially during games when they switch to the studio back for highlights of other games going on.

It's funny because Fox seems to handle it much smoother, for some reason. No idea.

Likewise, I noticed the same audio problems. And I totally agree that the problem seems to be specifically with CBS. During every Pats game there would audio shifting glitches between 5.1 and stereo and back. Never happened on Fox

Hello -

I recently bought an HDTV and can receive the unencrypted HD channels from Charter. Can someone provide me with some information about Charter HDTV?

1. I subscribe to the Digital Tier and have an SA3100. What box does Charter provide for HDTV (non DVR)?

2. Does this box have DVI or HDMI outputs?

3. If it does, is the PQ for both HD and non-HD broadcasts any better than what I'm getting now with the 3100 using composite connections?

Thanks for your answers.

Hello -

I recently bought an HDTV and can receive the unencrypted HD channels from Charter. Can someone provide me with some information about Charter HDTV?

1. I subscribe to the Digital Tier and have an SA3100. What box does Charter provide for HDTV (non DVR)?

2. Does this box have DVI or HDMI outputs?

3. If it does, is the PQ for both HD and non-HD broadcasts any better than what I'm getting now with the 3100 using composite connections?

Thanks for your answers.

1) i had the sa3100hd then it changed to sa3250hd before upgrade to dvr (sa8300hd)

2) yes- there is a detailed thread in hardware area for everthing you want to know about this box.

3) Non HD dig channels will look slightly better for the sole reason you can use component or hdmi/dvi cabling instead of composite.


and if tv can recieve HD from charter - it will be likely be able to get HD from antenna. I purchased below from store in worcester. U1000 for $23 - works great - get about 12 HDchannels from westboro. People say the HD looks better than with cablebox due to lack of compression. I havent done enough comparison to say one way or the other. Can say they look great though.

stark (http://www.starkelectronic.com/allant.htm)

and if tv can recieve HD from charter - it will be likely be able to get HD from antenna. I purchased below from store in worcester. U1000 for $23 - works great - get about 12 HDchannels from westboro. People say the HD looks better than with cablebox due to lack of compression. I havent done enough comparison to say one way or the other. Can say they look great though.

Thanks for the info.
I'm not sure about OTA reception. I live in Charlton at what must be the lowest elevation in the county.

and if tv can recieve HD from charter - it will be likely be able to get HD from antenna. I purchased below from store in worcester. U1000 for $23 - works great - get about 12 HDchannels from westboro. People say the HD looks better than with cablebox due to lack of compression. I havent done enough comparison to say one way or the other. Can say they look great though.

Thanks for the info.
I'm not sure about OTA reception. I live in Charlton at what must be the lowest elevation in the county.

OTA HD broadcasts do tend to look better than HD from cable or satellite because it's not as compressed. I Live in North Grafton and used an antenna to pick up CBS in HD before Charter added it to the HD tier and it did look better with the antenna than the 8300 HD box.

I am loving this PBS HD that I'm picking up w/o a reciever for charter. Looks great.

Also -- does anybody have a listing of all of the networks offered with Charter's full HD package? I ordered both today, the $3.00 one and the $7.00 and I'm not quite sure what I get for the $7.00... I'm hoping it's more than just ESPN HD, Discovery HD, and TNT HD.

Go to this page:
http://www.charter.com/Visitors/Products.aspx?ProductItem=6

Fill in your address and it should give you a list of channels in your package.
-t

For those with DVR's, Charter updated the DVR software (SARA) this week to version 1.88.25.1 after being on 1.87.32.1 for a long time. It includes a few enhancements: a fourth FF/RW speed, the option to start from beginning when viewing a recording in process, and not being kicked out to live TV if you don't get to the end of the recording by the time the program finishes, among others. They needed to update the software to deal with the upcoming DST change and there's some speculation that they may need to push another update to version 1.89.xx.x, which supposedly contains the DST fix. Either way it's good to have the updated software, even though we're still behind the majority of cable systems in the country.

I have an Olevia HDTV and scanned for HD channels in Uxbridge, MA (Charter digital out of Worcester). I found 2, 4, 5, 7, 25 and NESN.

4, 5, 7, 25 and NESN all show their cable box channel numbers on the TV when I hit the 'Display' button on my remote. For example, while watching channel 4 if I hit 'Display' 784 shows on the TV as the channel number.

The problem for me is that when I direct dial 784 on the remote, the TV says that the channel does not exist.

What are the actual channel numbers? I've tried all of the ones listed in previous posts here to no avail. :mad:

Thank you!

DWBoston - You say you get 17 HD's in Grafton - I get 16 in Uxbridge - which one am I missing? Thanks...

770 Fox Sports Net New England HD Hi-Def Lifeline
773 ESPN HD Hi-Def Tier
774 New England Sports Network-HDTV Hi-Def Lifeline
775 Discovery HD Theater Hi-Def Tier
777 HBO HDTV-East Hi-Def Premium
778 Showtime HDTV-East Hi-Def Premium
779 Cinemax HDTV-East Hi-Def Premium
782 WGBH-DT - PBS Hi-Def Lifeline
784 WBZ-DT - CBS Hi-Def Lifeline
785 WCVB-DT - ABC Hi-Def Lifeline
786 WFXT-DT - FOX Hi-Def Lifeline
787 WHDH-DT - NBC Hi-Def Lifeline
790 Starz HDTV-East Hi-Def Premium
795 Universal HD Hi-Def Tier
797 TNT - HD Hi-Def Tier
798 MHD Hi-Def Tier

DWBoston - You say you get 17 HD's in Grafton - I get 16 in Uxbridge - which one am I missing? Thanks...

770 Fox Sports Net New England HD Hi-Def Lifeline
773 ESPN HD Hi-Def Tier
774 New England Sports Network-HDTV Hi-Def Lifeline
775 Discovery HD Theater Hi-Def Tier
777 HBO HDTV-East Hi-Def Premium
778 Showtime HDTV-East Hi-Def Premium
779 Cinemax HDTV-East Hi-Def Premium
782 WGBH-DT - PBS Hi-Def Lifeline
784 WBZ-DT - CBS Hi-Def Lifeline
785 WCVB-DT - ABC Hi-Def Lifeline
786 WFXT-DT - FOX Hi-Def Lifeline
787 WHDH-DT - NBC Hi-Def Lifeline
790 Starz HDTV-East Hi-Def Premium
795 Universal HD Hi-Def Tier
797 TNT - HD Hi-Def Tier
798 MHD Hi-Def Tier

751 WGBH HD
782 is PBS HD here

New to HD and have been reading this forum. Maybe someone can help me out. i recently bought a Samsung HL-S5087W and am dying to get HD going. I have Charter Worcester (in Leicester) and called customer support who said they are out of boxes. Charter support is the worst to say the least.
I was told (by a friend) that if my tv has an HD tuner I should be able to bypass my digital cable box and go direct to the Samsung. A channel scan should be able to pick up most HD channels. Unfortunately after a scan, I dont see anything above 117. Has anyone tried this? Also has anyone in the Leicester area tried an over the air antenna? Leicester is a pretty high elevation so I assume I should get something.

751 WGBH HD
782 is PBS HD here

Actually, I don't believe 751 is really HD. It is simply a digital equivalent to the analog WGBH (channel 2). 782, on the other hand, is a true HD station.

At least this is the case here in Westboro.

New to HD and have been reading this forum. Maybe someone can help me out. i recently bought a Samsung HL-S5087W and am dying to get HD going. I have Charter Worcester (in Leicester) and called customer support who said they are out of boxes. Charter support is the worst to say the least.
I was told (by a friend) that if my tv has an HD tuner I should be able to bypass my digital cable box and go direct to the Samsung. A channel scan should be able to pick up most HD channels. Unfortunately after a scan, I dont see anything above 117. Has anyone tried this? Also has anyone in the Leicester area tried an over the air antenna? Leicester is a pretty high elevation so I assume I should get something.

Does that model have a QAM tuner? Samsung's web site doesn't mention that it does (but neither does mine - Olevia - although mine has one).

DwBoston - thanks for the quick response.

What I need are the actual channel numbers so that I don't have to keep scrolling through all of them to get where I want to be......... My Olevia is very slow moving from one channel to another!

Does that model have a QAM tuner? Samsung's web site doesn't mention that it does (but neither does mine - Olevia - although mine has one).

DwBoston - thanks for the quick response.

What I need are the actual channel numbers so that I don't have to keep scrolling through all of them to get where I want to be......... My Olevia is very slow moving from one channel to another!


Thanks for the response. just got off the phone with Samsung. No QAM tuner in my set. I guess thats a 2007 feature for my model. I guess that means I'mm limited to an over the antenna, right?

Thanks for the response. just got off the phone with Samsung. No QAM tuner in my set. I guess thats a 2007 feature for my model. I guess that means I'mm limited to an over the antenna, right?

Yup. I have a radio shack indoor amplified one I bought for about $60 4 years ago, and it works well from my location (Uxbridge). Except for something like that, you'll need Charter's box.........

To test weather or not you are getting a signal in your area: tune a non HDTV TV with an antenna hooked to it to channel 30 (UHF). You will get 'snow'. (WBZ broadcasts their HDTV signal on UHF channel 30.)

Compare the snow on channel 30 with the snow on other empty channels by changing channels and closely looking. (An old black and white set is good for this.) If the 'snow' on 30 looks more 'organized' (best way I can describe it) than the 'snow' on the other channels - your old b&w tv is getting a digital signal, and you will likely be able to get HDTV on your new HDTV.

Another way to describe the snow is that it looks like rectangular shaped boxes (like the Matrix, but not THAT organized), rather than just random round pixels.

JayHDnewbie,

I have a Samsung HDTV, though not the same model as yours. Through my QAM tuner I'm able to get all the broadcast HD channels plus NESN HD. When you did your channel scan which cable system did you choose? For Charter a cable system type of STD should do it.

I have Charter in Westborough, but it should be more or less the same for you.

On my TV, the channels are found at:

84-1 CBS HD
86-1 ABC HD
90-1 PBS SD
90-2 PBS HD
102-1 NBC HD
102-2 FOX HD
103-1 NESN HD

Keep in mind channels may sometimes disappear when Charter makes channel changes so you may need to re-scan your channels periodically.

Hope that helps...

Julie

Thanks for the response. just got off the phone with Samsung. No QAM tuner in my set. I guess thats a 2007 feature for my model. I guess that means I'mm limited to an over the antenna, right?


JayHDnewbie...

You may want to speak with someone else in Tech Support. I don't know how old your TV is, but mine is almost 3 years old. It was advertised as having QAM functionality, but when I (and many others) bought it and set it up there was no QAM to be found. Needless to say those of us who bought the TV expecting QAM were livid and raised a big stink with Samsung. To make a long story short, we got some higher level Samsung techs on the job and they delivered a firmware update that I was able to apply to my TV that gave me the QAM functionality.

It may be worth your while to talk to Samsung again just to be sure your TV is not firmware upgradable to have QAM.

Julie

I have Charter in Westborough, but it should be more or less the same for you.

On my TV, the channels are found at:

84-1 CBS HD
86-1 ABC HD
90-1 PBS SD
90-2 PBS HD
102-1 NBC HD
102-2 FOX HD
103-1 NESN HD

Julie

I have an Olevia 437 and get all of these channels in HD with the QAM tuner, but inputting these channel numbers does not work for me. How did you discover these actual numbers? When I press the 'Display' button on my remote for example, NESN HD shows channel 774 (not 103-1). When I punch in 774 I get a message saying 774 does not exist. When I punch in 103-1, nothing happens.

BTW, I have something that looks like a preview channel on 110-1, it 'Display's 110-1, and I can punch in 110-1 and go to it directly, so I know it will work - I just don't know how you all learned all of the actual numbers....

One more thing - PBS HD disappeared after my last scan. :( Do you still have it?

Athlon646464,

I just checked, and yes, I still have PBS-HD at 90-2. Also a correction - CBS-HD is on 86-1, and ABC-HD is on 86-2. I'm sorry for the mixup.

My TV's remote does not have a "-" key on it (yes, pretty stupid) so I get to the channels in a roundabout way. The first time I wanted to see the channels I did a channel scan. After the scan, I hunted for the new channels. All I really did was press the channel up button on my remote ad nauseum until I found the channels and wrote down where they could be found.

Since I can't enter a "-" I have to enter the base channel number first. For example, say I wanted to watch CBS. I would enter "86". My TV first looks to see if an analog channel is available, then looks for digital. Since my cable system doesn't have a channel 86, the TV automatically tries to find a digital signal on one of the subchannels starting with 86-1. It finds CBS and locks onto it. If I want to watch ABC instead, I press the channel up button and my TV tries 86-2, where it finds ABC and locks on. If I view the TV status, I see "86-1" or "86-2". I do not see "774" or "775".

It could be that your TV only allows you to enter the "-" directly for over the air digital channels. Also, be patient - you may need to wait about 30 seconds or so before the signal locks on.

Hope that helps,
Julie

Athlon646464,

My TV's remote does not have a "-" key on it (yes, pretty stupid) so I get to the channels in a roundabout way. The first time I wanted to see the channels I did a channel scan. After the scan, I hunted for the new channels. All I really did was press the channel up button on my remote ad nauseum until I found the channels and wrote down where they could be found.

......

It could be that your TV only allows you to enter the "-" directly for over the air digital channels. Also, be patient - you may need to wait about 30 seconds or so before the signal locks on.


Julie - Thanks for your quick reply! (I've been away for a week.) I do have a '-' button on my remote, and I can use it to punch up OTA HD channels (like '4-1' and '7-2' - but the signals are unreliable, I can't get NESN HD that way (gotta see the Sox in HD) and the antenna looks funny in the room.

My TV does not do what yours does, so I'll have to do it a different way, if it's possible. If I punch in '86' for example - nothing happens. It could be that when it registers the channels during the scanning process, it doesn't see channel 5 as '86-1' but as 786, and then it won't recognize it that way. Talk about stupid.

Anyway - I have an email into Olevia. When they answer me I'll post it here. Perhaps it will help someone else with the same question!

As promised - my email reply from Olevia:

Hello,

Due to the different ways that cable companies broadcast their signals
the only resolution to your issue is to get an HD box from your cable
provider.

P.S.

When replying to this e-mail, please leave the original message so I
have history of all information given and received for your case.

Best regards

Delwyn Kyte
Technical Support Supervisor
Syntax-Brillian Corporation

Oh well.........

Just noticed Charter added ESPN2 HD!! :p

They just keep on eekn' 'em out.......... :eek:

What channel? I don't see it. Where are you located? I'm more interested in Gold Channel HD and National Geographic HD