It glitched on Comcast. Not as much as on other programs but you saw blocking and then the lower half of the screen distorting. It wasn't as frequent but still there.

Originally posted by wco81
It glitched on Comcast. Not as much as on other programs but you saw blocking and then the lower half of the screen distorting. It wasn't as frequent but still there.

I didn't see any glitches. Maybe you need to get a better signal. I previously had the blocking until I removed one of the splitters in my system.

Originally posted by mikel51
I didn't see any glitches. Maybe you need to get a better signal. I previously had the blocking until I removed one of the splitters in my system.

I didn't see anything wrong with the Comcast feed either.

Well I only see it on 702.

All the other channels are clear. Only other time it looked bad was in the Olympics, in the diving competition.

I didn't have any problems with Fox in the Superwbold either

No problems in here in SF

KTVU Fox HD looked great here for the Super Bowl. Absolutely no PQ issues and the Fox Network fixed the PQ shortcomings it previously experience during NFL broadcasts.

Watch out for the Chinese New Year's Parade in HD coming soon on KTVU-DT. This is one of the few truly local HD productions, other than the games on FSN Bay Area. (The Niners-Raiders pre-season game on KPIX is the only other locally produced HD in fairly recent times-- outside of FSN BA-- that comes to mind.)

What day is the chinese new years parade going to be on FOX?

Originally posted by dailowai
What day is the chinese new years parade going to be on FOX?

Feb 19, 6-8PM.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/4083197/detail.html
KTVU.com - News - Haener, Fong-Torres Host New Year's Telecast

This should be of interested to those systems that are bandwidth impacted. It's from Multichannel News, January 10, 2005:

Comcast Posts Gains in Wash.

Seattle Suburbs Spare MSO a Refranchise, Give Back PEG Berths
-------------------------------------------------------------

By Linda Haugsted

Comcast Corp. has negotiated a contract extension for its King County, Wash., franchise that reclaims some valuable analog real estate and provides clarity on data “peering” requirements contained in the pact.

The agreement covers about 800,000 homes currently served in the unincorporated territory that surrounds Seattle. Comcast’s franchise would have expired next month; it now lapses in February 2010.

County commissioners approved the extension by a 9-3 vote in the face of opposition from some community activists, who said the government gave up too much.

PEG CHANNELS GO

Hot-button issues also included the surrender of public, educational and government channels in return for a one-time payment of $1.2 million.

The franchise contained language compelling the local operator to allow data users — including commercial, educational and government customers — to enter into agreements that would allow those entities to move data packets locally over the cable operator’s backbone.

This was designed to allow those users to move data more quickly, as the bits and bytes wouldn’t be routed to an out-of-state remote server. Users would also save money on data-transport costs.

According to regional Comcast spokesman Steve Kipp, the MSO has enabled peering for the University of Washington and the governments of both Seattle and King County.

But Mike Weisman, co-director of nonprofit watchdog group Reclaim the Media, said that’s as far as the peering arrangements extended. Comcast never allowed companies, including small Internet-service providers, to access its network.

The small ISPs approached system executives around the time that Comcast was completing its acquisition of predecessor company AT&T Broadband, said Kipp. Comcast tabled the ISPs’ request until it could finish the acquisition and complete its engineering work on system improvements, he said.

But during negotiations for the contract extension, the county determined that “it has no jurisdiction on this issue anyway,” Kipp said.

Comcast will continue to enable free peering for current educational and government users. But commercial providers will be charged “a competitive rate,” Kipp said, comparable to those charged by such providers as Sprint. That will allow Comcast to cover administrative costs.

Kevin Kearns, manager of the county’s Information and Telecommunications Services division, explained that to save money, the county gave Comcast a five-year extension rather than refranchsing the MSO. The current cable franchise had a 10-year term. County policy allows for franchises of up to 15 years.

Rather than incur the expense of a community-needs assessment and other procedures required in a refranchise, King County negotiated the five-year extension, Kearns said.

Opponents blasted the change in peering language and were also troubled by the change in PEG requirements.

The county agreed to reduce the number of channels set aside for PEG programming to eight from 10, Kipp said. It can choose to convert one of those analog channels into four digital slots, which would give the county 11 PEG channels to program.

PEG FEES DECLINE

The PEG fee — listed as a $1-per-month line item on consumers’ bills — will decline to 85 cents per month in year three of the new agreement. By the end of the extension, it will stand at 55 cents.

That money goes to the county and not to public-access producers, Weisman said. Without money to fund studios and equipment, the access channels currently in use will never reach the contract standard of 80% local content, which would activate the added PEG slots.

The county will get more DTV PEG channels when Comcast goes all-digital in the area. The Seattle region is currently planning its conversion to an all-digital network, Kipp said, but no certain transition date has been set.

Originally posted by wco81
Well I only see it on 702.

All the other channels are clear. Only other time it looked bad was in the Olympics, in the diving competition.

Same here in Healdsburg. Channel 702 was blocking and pexlating all day and throughout the game. The Superbowl looked great when the picture was stable, but the frquent breakups were very annoying. I don't have any problems with any of the other channels.

-Steve

Same thing here. Channel 702 was blocking and pixelating all day and throughout the game.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
KTVU Fox HD looked great here for the Super Bowl. Absolutely no PQ issues and the Fox Network fixed the PQ shortcomings it previously experience during NFL broadcasts.

Same here in LG. Kudos to whoever pulled it off. I'm looking forward to watching "24" tonight...

Originally posted by hiker
Same thing here. Channel 702 was blocking and pixelating all day and throughout the game.
Despite enjoying the game, I had the same issue here in my area. It wasn't that bad, happened for a fraction of a second every minute or so. I have a tech scheduled to come and see what going on tomorrow and I'll be sure to post whatever he tells me. I'm not gonna let him leave till I get at least some answer. 702 is really the only channel that does this. :(

The problem with having a tech come out is that you don't see it until KTVU is showing HD and that's not until prime time.

So he'll come and see SD looks okay during the day and not find anything.

Wow. I had my doubts about Fox's HD, since what they've shown up until the SB was clearly subpar.

But my hat's off to them - superb sound and PQ throughout the SB on my set. Even the halftime show was enjoyable, and I usually skip that altogether (much to my chagrin last year ;) :(). Goes to show it CAN be done "right" when enough resources are brought to bear.

If you are having problems with KTVU HD, please try the following and let us know what you find:

1) Turn on your STB and HDTV. Tune to 702.
2) Leaving your HDTV on, turn off your STB and QUICKLY hit the OK/Select button. QUICKLY = within one or two seconds.
3) You should now have a diagnostic menu with about 14 choices. Go down to Inband, which is about the 4th on the list. Hit OK/Select.
4) You will see a screen with entries for SNR, AGC, Correctable Errors and Uncorrectable Errors. Observe for about 30 seconds to a minute and make a note of the data for these readings.
5) Back out of the diagnostic menu and choose exit. Your STB is now ready to be turned back on.

Then report to us what kind of data you saw.

Note: You may have to do this during the Fox Network programming, versus KTVU's local programming, to get revealing results.

Sweet Mother of God, nothing has caused me to question my recent purchase of an HDTV more than that Super Bowl production. I have Comcast basic via a cable card in Redwood City, and the pregame was absolutely filled with blocking and loss of Dolby Digital. The problem wasn't as bad during the game, but I had to keep explaining to everyone (especially my wife) that it was Comcast's fault, not mine. Somebody, please tell me it gets better . . . ?

Thanks SonomaSearcher, I'll check it out. The Comcast Tech that installed our DCT-5100 put a splitter in so that we could connect our VCR. I'll try bypassing the splitter to see if that fixes it. This may be just the thing to convince my wife that we need the DVR.;)

-Steve

East Bay Business Times

From the February 4, 2005 print edition

Comcast may end six-year franchise fight
Eric Lai

With both sides eager to avoid a court battle, the drawn-out negotiations between Comcast Corp. and a consortium of Contra Costa cities over the renewal of expired cable television franchise agreements may finally be nearing a resolution.

Full text here,

http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2005/02/07/story1.html
Comcast may end six-year franchise fight - 2005-02-07 - East Bay Business Times

Have any of you tried reporting the HD -> SD channel switching bug to Comcast? Where you try to record on HD channels 705 or 707 on the Motorola DCT6412 but end up with a recording of SD channels 5 or 7?

I just went through an e-mail exchange with a rep, who said We haven't been able to locate any in-house alerts about this issue so we'll need to do standard troubleshooting first. If that doesn't fix the problem we'll escalate the issue to a higher level.

Please reset the DVR box by unplugging it from the electrical outlet. Let it sit for 10 seconds, then plug it back in.Sigh.

I find it hard to believe that no one has reported this problem to them before me today. Have any of you reported it and gotten a case number or trouble ticket or any kind of satisfactory reply?

SonomaSearcher,
Will do when I get home. I had the occasionally break-up just off center to the lower right every single time. No loss of audio.

If OTA is rock-solid (as reported), and some area did not observe it, it seems to be localized to some head-ends? I'm in Livermore.

Best,
jeff
Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
If you are having problems with KTVU HD, please try the following and let us know what you find:

1) Turn on your STB and HDTV. Tune to 702.
2) Leaving your HDTV on, turn off your STB and QUICKLY hit the OK/Select button. QUICKLY = within one or two seconds.
3) You should now have a diagnostic menu with about 14 choices. Go down to Inband, which is about the 4th on the list. Hit OK/Select.
4) You will see a screen with entries for SNR, AGC, Correctable Errors and Uncorrectable Errors. Observe for about 30 seconds to a minute and make a note of the data for these readings.
5) Back out of the diagnostic menu and choose exit. Your STB is now ready to be turned back on.

Then report to us what kind of data you saw.

Note: You may have to do this during the Fox Network programming, versus KTVU's local programming, to get revealing results.

Originally posted by bweissman
Have any of you tried reporting the HD -> SD channel switching bug to Comcast? Where you try to record on HD channels 705 or 707 on the Motorola DCT6412 but end up with a recording of SD channels 5 or 7?
Interestingly, this seems to be an issue with 707 everywhere, but 705 only in some locations. It arises from the name of the channel within the iGuide. If the HD channel's name is the same as the analog channel's name, the problem occurs (707="KGO", 7="KGO").

In our system, 705 is "KPIXD" and 5 is "KPIX", so the problem doesn't occur on 705.

This should be an EASY fix. Just have Gemstar-TVGuide change the name of 707 to "KGODT" or "KGOHD" or "KGOD" (I don't think the last one should be used because it sounds like it should be reserved for a religious channel :) ).

Until then, what you can do, it seems, is set up a manual recording for whichever show(s) on 707 (or 705) you want to record in HD. The manual recordings can be set to occur every week.

I have made some contacts regarding this, but no progress so far. If I hear anything, I'll let you know.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
This should be an EASY fix. Just have Gemstar-TVGuide change the name of 707 to "KGODT" or "KGOHD". The key words here are "should be" and "just have". :rolleyes:

My problem seems to be getting Comcast to admit it's a systemic problem and not just my individual box. Any tips on breaking through past the first level of CSR resistance?

I should mention that I already described the problem and the proposed solution in great detail to Comcast via e-mail.

Remember that HBO will be free this week. I tried this morning and all the HBO Channels, including HBO HD are available to me.

I don't know if this will apply to all the bay area, but it should work to San Jose.

I'm in Sunnyvale, too, and also have the HD-->SD switching problem with series recordings. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one!

I'm on the phone to Comcast tech support right now reporting the problem. Maybe if enough of us call, they'll get an answer!

I also had HD 7xx channel series recordings set for Lost, Alias, DH and CSI and *all* of them reverted to the analog channels last week. Took me 15 minutes to reset them all.

My TiVo has *never* changed channels on me! Harumph.

EDIT and New Information:

The response was "there are no known problems" and they sent a reset to my box. Told me that if the problem isn't fixed, to call them back. I don't hold out much hope.....

Don't bother calling the CSR line. Management is aware of the problem and working on it.

FYI

I live in the Lake Merced area of San Francisco. I have not had the HD-->SD switching problem reported above. I frequently record programs from all local HD channels and never had problems with it.

Regards

:wq!

Originally posted by keenan
East Bay Business Times

From the February 4, 2005 print edition

Comcast may end six-year franchise fight
Eric Lai

With both sides eager to avoid a court battle, the drawn-out negotiations between Comcast Corp. and a consortium of Contra Costa cities over the renewal of expired cable television franchise agreements may finally be nearing a resolution.

Full text here,

http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2005/02/07/story1.html
Comcast may end six-year franchise fight - 2005-02-07 - East Bay Business Times

This is amazing! The city isn't just fighting for more public access channels and private internet service for the cities, but they want cash from Comcast too! No word about upgrades. No word about more HD channels. No word about smaller node sizes for enhanced VOD service. No word about accelerated schedules for all digital conversion.

These city officials are really looking after you! Folks in Milpitas and Santa Rosa should be concerned. These cities all talk to each other about franchise renewals. You could end up with a smiliar deal in your markets unless you scream like a banshee at these people. With public servants like this, don't be beating up comcast for not investing in upgrades!

Thanks,
Mike (who only lives in a 860 Mhz market with no private internet service for the city, only 2 public access channels, no traffic camera network on the CATV system, and no cash being paid to the franchise)

Most of those systems are already 750 Mhz. The notable exception is Walnut Creek, where they refused to allowed Comcast to rebuild the lines until Comcast signs a new franchise agreement. (According to the article, Comcast requested a permit to do the rebuild in July 2004, which was denied solely because of the lack of a new franchise agreement.) As you can see from the article, Comcast doesn't have a very high opinion of Walnut Creek's city government-- it's the "hole" in a "doughnut." :)

Let me get this right, Walnut Creek denied a permit for COmcast to rebuild their plant to 860 Mhz because they wanted more leverage from Comcast for more public access channels and an internal city network? What do you think the odds are that they are going to get any rebuild now? Heck, doesn't even sound like they are asking for one! Remember what I said earlier about about the disadvantages of "being special"?

Still, don't disregard my comments about this setting a precedent for the 550 Mhz systems in their franchise renewals. If WC manages to shake down comcast for cash instead of pushing for a rebuild, all your cities will be tempted to follow suit. Now is the time for you guys to act and give your governments an earful about their priorities. They have to feel they will pay a price if they push other objectives than a rebuild or they will squander their leverage on nonsense like public access channels etc... I'm 100% serious here!

Thanks,
Mike

Originally posted by MikeSM
Let me get this right, Walnut Creek denied a permit for COmcast to rebuild their plant to 860 Mhz because they wanted more leverage from Comcast for more public access channels and an internal city network?

Thanks,
Mike

I'm sure I have mis-understood this, we're not saying that Comcast wants to "re-build" a 750MHz system to a 860MHz system while pissing all over the current 550MHz systems are we?

Where's my .50 CAL and my bombs...

Didn't have any major problems during the SB, except for a few seconds of some San Mateo monthly emergency broadcast interrupting the SB. Initally it came up with a screen saying that the broadcast would be one hour long! All of my friends were going to lynch me, but fortunately it went away after a while.

Originally posted by rsra13
I didn't have any problems with Fox in the Superwbold either

Originally posted by keenan
I'm sure I have mis-understood this, we're not saying that Comcast wants to "re-build" a 750MHz system to a 860MHz system while pissing all over the current 550MHz systems are we?

Where's my .50 CAL and my bombs...

No it's not that bad. Walnut Creek is a 550 Mhz system, and some time ago (not currently), Comcast requested permission to rebuild the system (probably to 860 like other 550 systems of that vintage), and the city denied them the construction permits to do the upgrade until the franchise renewal was done. The city wanted more public access channels, an internal network, and some cash it seems.

Now they won't be getting the upgrade, but will be getting cash, and comcast will pay even more to provide digital public access channels by making a studio available for their production.

You have to feel badly for the residents of Walnut Creek who just got screwed by their city officials.

Thanks,
Mike

SonomaSearcher,
I checked FOX tonight (702). I saw some very minor pixelation, not as bad as during the SB. I looked at the inbound status. AGC and SNR are both good, but the SNR is bouncing around a bit by almost 1%. I've never seen that on other stations. I also saw no errors, correctable or uncorrectable.

I'm not sure what's going on.

Best,
jeff

Originally posted by greeno
SonomaSearcher,
I checked FOX tonight (702). I saw some very minor pixelation, not as bad as during the SB. I looked at the inbound status. AGC and SNR are both good, but the SNR is bouncing around a bit by almost 1%. I've never seen that on other stations. I also saw no errors, correctable or uncorrectable.

I'm not sure what's going on.

Best,
jeff

Jeff,

What frequency is it being transmitted on (menu d06)? Also check the other HD channel that is sharing that frequency...is it also having the same fluctuation?

Originally posted by greeno
SonomaSearcher,
I checked FOX tonight (702). I saw some very minor pixelation, not as bad as during the SB. I looked at the inbound status. AGC and SNR are both good, but the SNR is bouncing around a bit by almost 1%. I've never seen that on other stations. I also saw no errors, correctable or uncorrectable.

I'm not sure what's going on.

Best,
jeff
I have the same observations with my 702 as well. SNR and AGC are good and I saw the SNR bounce less than 1% No errors at all.

I was surprised to see as well that 24 didnt pixelate as much as the Super Bowl did. Perhaps another week and it will be gone? I had already notified Comcast last Wednesday to look into the issue.

I had been having the problem of series recordings on 707 and 705 getting flipped to the SD channels, but it seems like something got sent out to my 6412 box around lunchtime Friday (Feb 4) as it turned off and acted like it does when it gets schedule (and other?) updates at 2 AM. I've continued my testing since then and haven't seen any recurrence. The Whack-a-Mole problem remains, though.

Fox seemed pretty good during the Super Bowl, but I noticed an annoying number of audio dropouts during "24" on Monday, February 7. Have others been experiencing this?

Overall, I'd concur that it's not as good as the NBC and CBS HD feeds.

SI

Originally posted by SI67
Fox seemed pretty good during the Super Bowl, but I noticed an annoying number of audio dropouts during "24" on Monday, February 7. Have others been experiencing this?
SI
Nope. None at all for me. All I have are the pixelation issues.

Originally posted by Cliff Olson
I got a 6412 on Thursday, and there's a hum coming from mine as well. It sounds like it's a fan(?). It's not too audible from where I sit - about 14' away... As far as SD channels go, they do look pretty bad. I'm not comparing them to Comcast HD, I'm comparing them to D*, which I've had for the last 6 years. They are more blurry and washed out (colors) with Comcast. I am very happy with the channel line-up we have in the Bay Area though (gained FOX HD, Cinemax HD, Starz! HD, and KRON HD over D*'s $100+ package). I just hope we'll get UPN HD and WB HD soon!

My 6412 has a low fan whir audible only up close. I have both D* and Comcast and I would call the D* SD channels any better looking. Maybe a matter of the Comcast box settings for SD (480i versus 480p) and some tuning for color saturation, etc.

Bill

I checked my channel 702 signal quality per SonomaSearcher's instructions several times during last night's broadcast of "24". The readings were fairly consistent:

SNR 33.4 dB GOOD (this dipped to 33.0/FAIR briefly a couple of times)
AGC 60% GOOD
UNCORRECTABLE 0000
CORRECTABLE 9590

I'm not sure what this means, but I must say that I did not see any problems during "24".

-Steve

Originally posted by MikeSM
No it's not that bad. Walnut Creek is a 550 Mhz system, and some time ago (not currently), Comcast requested permission to rebuild the system (probably to 860 like other 550 systems of that vintage), and the city denied them the construction permits to do the upgrade until the franchise renewal was done. The city wanted more public access channels, an internal network, and some cash it seems.

Now they won't be getting the upgrade, but will be getting cash, and comcast will pay even more to provide digital public access channels by making a studio available for their production. Actually, Walnut Creek is a 330 Mhz system (or maybe 400/450), as I understand it.

Comcast has no HSI or HD there, and very limited digital cable. All the more reason that the City should have allowed Comcast to start rebuilding in July.

But Walnut Creek is not simply holding out for cash in exchange for no rebuild. And Comcast would never go for that because Comcast makes its big money on HSI and digital cable. Any cash to the city would be simply for the franchise rights and also maybe for reduced PEG obligations.

Comcast must have a very low subscriber rate in the incorporated areas of Walnut Creek, given the availability of Astound in much of the city plus satellite options, as well as DSL for internet access. And most of Walnut Creek is relatively affluent, so people can generally afford the more expensive services which Comcast does not provide.

I am sure Walnut Creek attempted to get some other bidder into the process to put some pressure on Comcast but had no takers. Just educated speculation on my part.

Walnut Creek will definitely require a rebuild to at least 860 Mhz as part of any new franchise agreement with Comcast. The consultants' report strongly recommended that any new franchise agreement require that any system less than 750 Mhz be rebuilt to 860 Mhz or greater a.s.a.p.

(MikeSM: Have you read that report? There are a couple of links to it in this thread.)

The only major issue to be negotiated would be the timing of that rebuild. And Comcast probably wants it sooner rather than later for the reasons I stated above; the only obstacle might be budgetary, but I don't think that should be a problem with a system that is 330 or 4xx Mhz.

Davisdog,
I didn't get a chance to check any of the other channels, or study the frequencies. I'll do that tonight. I watched over an hour of KPIX (705) and about an hour of KNTV (703) and those were totally solid.

Which channel is sharing freq. with KTVU?

slb,
I had seen lots of errors (correctable ones) before I had my main junction box rewired and my drop-amp installed. You're getting alot of errors, but the odd thing is that your AGC and SNR are both good. Do you have a drop-amp installed? Yours or the cableco's?

Best,
jeff


Originally posted by davisdog
Jeff,

What frequency is it being transmitted on (menu d06)? Also check the other HD channel that is sharing that frequency...is it also having the same fluctuation?

Originally posted by slb
SNR 33.4 dB GOOD (this dipped to 33.0/FAIR briefly a couple of times)
AGC 60% GOOD
UNCORRECTABLE 0000
CORRECTABLE 9590
Your correctable errors are very high, which corresponds to your PQ problem. If you do the same thing for your other HD channels, I bet the correctable errors are nowhere near that high.

It sounds to me like a problem coming from Comcast's headend. You could probably determine that for sure by eliminating all the splitters from your line and then taking the readings again. But your AGC and SNR are good and if there are no problems with other HD channels, it really sounds like the problem is at the headend.

If I were you, I'd call Comcast and complain. The more complaints they get, the quicker they will fix it. If you have the time and they want to send out a technician, set it up so that the tech can see it first hand and call the headend with his cell phone. Then you will know for sure that the engineers at the headend are aware of the problem.

Note: If anyone from Comcast management is reading this post, please let your engineers at the north Santa Rosa/Healdsburg headend know that there appears to be a problem with the signal for 702 (KTVU-DT/HD).

SonomaSearcher,
Thanks, I'll talk to Comcast about it. Out of curiosity, I also checked 707 (KGOHD) for reference and the readings were very similar except for correctable errors, which were less than 50.

Greeno,
I do have a splitter (installed by Comcast) that connects to our VCR. I'm going to remove it and see what the readings are.

-Steve

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Actually, Walnut Creek is a 330 Mhz system (or maybe 400/450), as I understand it.

You're absolutely right. There are some outlying areas that are 750MHz but that's because they're a part of the Moraga/Lafayette headend. The rest of Walnut Creek is either 330MHz and/or a part of Astound's network. I have a friend who lives on the north end of the city (by the Pleasant Hill border) and he has absolutely nothing -- no HD, no VOD, and no HSI.

Does anyone know approximately how long it takes to perform the upgrade? When they did it in my area a few years ago, I remember it taking about 6 months but I'm not sure if that's fast or slow.

Steve,
I don't think it will change your results on 702. I agree with SonomaSearcher that it's a headend issue.

Sonoma Searcher, what head-end am I on in Livermore?

Best,
jeff
Originally posted by slb

Greeno,
I do have a splitter (installed by Comcast) that connects to our VCR. I'm going to remove it and see what the readings are.

-Steve

The "national" Comcast forum is reporting a 6412 firmware update that's
been downloading recently - version 9.15. Anyone here get it yet?

how do you tell what firmware version you have? (answered this myself, it's in the Setup Menu).

how do we reset the box to upgrade the new firmware?

will this resolve the issues i've been having?

1) my recordings stop at random times (60 minutes of 24 turned into 38 minutes, 42 minutes, and 48 minutes accordingly)
2) my HD series recordings keep switching from the HD channels to the regular analog channels.

help guys! i'm not a newbie at this, but this is getting highly annoying.

Anyone get the i-guide on a regular box yet?

MENU-Main Menu-scroll down to SETUP- CALBE BOX SETUP- Configuration(Select to display)

Lower right column....Firmware: 09.12

Originally posted by gdebruyn
how do we reset the box to upgrade the new firmware?

will this resolve the issues i've been having?

1) my recordings stop at random times (60 minutes of 24 turned into 38 minutes, 42 minutes, and 48 minutes accordingly)
2) my HD series recordings keep switching from the HD channels to the regular analog channels.

A) Don't do anything to upgrade to new firmware. It will be downloaded automatically sometime over the next week or two. If you re-boot your box, you will only succeed in losing all your programming data and it takes a while for it to re-load.

B) New firmware should help resolve the analog channel freeze problem, and hopefully some other issues.

1) Was this issue with 24 on the analog channel or the HD channel? If analog, I think it's related to the analog freeze which the new firmware fixes.

2) This problem only happens on 707 and/or 705. It is definitely related to the name of the HD channel-- if it's the same ("KGO" both 707 and 7, for example), the problem happens. Comcast management is aware of the problem and should be working on it.

One solution to this problem is to set up a manual recording. That way the scheduled recording will NOT revert to the SD channel.

Re 09.15 f/w download, Comcast CSR said "next week or two".

Re 2 recordings while viewing a pre-recording, I just got hit with a new one. Normally, I've seen this fail on the recording of an Analog station. Last night, it hit me on 702 (KTVUD) and I missed all of 24 :-(. The recording claimed to be 60 minutes, but when I tried to view it all I got was the "Delete Recording" query.

I tend to try to completely avoid any activity on the box which exposes one of its many bugs. Now I have a new thing to avoid. I guess from now on any time I'm recording two HD stations simultaneously, I'll refrain from watching anything prerecorded (or even viewing one being recorded) :-(.

Hopefully this 09.15 f/w download will address "some" of these many issues.

Incidently, I emplored the CSR to not simply consider the 707->7 (KGO) scheduled recording bug an iGuide/Motorola problem. I asked that they change the call letters for Ch. 707. Some here experience this on other SD/HD pairs as I did on 5/705 (KPIX), but I've never seen that problem since Pleasanton Comcast added a 'D' to KPIX on 705. I only have the bug on KGO.

I'd suggest the many folks here bit by this call letter issue contact Comcast and request their fix and encourage them to not just think it's iGuide's problem. Hopefully, if enough folks point out the problem, they will take it seriously. [I know SonomaSearcher says "Management" knows about the problem, but apparently not the right management :-(]

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
I want to refer someone, who doesn't want to purchase via the internet, to local stores where he can buy a D-VHS. The East Bay, North Bay or the City are the areas where he's prefer to go (he's in northern Contra Costa).

Any suggestions?

I saw the JVC 30000U DVHS in Sears at Sun Valley mail a year or so ago (the price was too high- I ended up purchasing one thru eCost.com). I suspect that Fry's in Concord also carries them.

- Phil

Originally posted by edmc
Incidently, I emplored the CSR to not simply consider the 707->7 (KGO) scheduled recording bug an iGuide/Motorola problem. I asked that they change the call letters for Ch. 707. Some here experience this on other SD/HD pairs as I did on 5/705 (KPIX), but I've never seen that problem since Pleasanton Comcast added a 'D' to KPIX on 705. I only have the bug on KGO.

I'd suggest the many folks here bit by this call letter issue contact Comcast and request their fix and encourage them to not just think it's iGuide's problem. Hopefully, if enough folks point out the problem, they will take it seriously. [I know SonomaSearcher says "Management" knows about the problem, but apparently not the right management :-(] Please don't waste your time complaining to the CSR's about this, unless you want to try to get a credit to your bill because of it (which actually might be a bood idea). But if you have a contact in management, that is a different matter.

The "right management" DOES know about the problem, but problems don't always get fixed immediately upon awareness, as anyone who has worked in a complex corporate environment knows (especially when the problem involves B2B communication and/or cooperation).

I called in this complaint a few days ago and the CSR said that she would send someone out this Saturday to upgrade my box with the firmware. Since I trust politicians more than Comcast CSR's, let me ask you guys this (Sonomasearcher, mainly you). Is this at all possible, or just a waste of my and the tech's time?

Thanks,
Gareth

A waste of your time. Comcast downloads new firmware versions automatically from the headend.

What will the CSR's think of next? Perhaps sending out a tech so you can get that new HD channel because your STB says "Not Authorized."

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
A waste of your time. Comcast downloads new firmware versions automatically from the headend.

What will the CSR's think of next? Perhaps sending out a tech so you can get that new HD channel because your STB says "Not Authorized."

I don't know...depends on what she looks like...:p :D

I didn't notice any problems with "24" on 702 last night. The video and audio seemed comparable to the other HD channels.

But, I was pissed off to find out my recording of Battlestar Gallactica on SciFi Ch68 froze up after about 26 minutes. I was especially peeved because the same thing happened to me when I first tried to record this episode on Friday.

Originally posted by John Mace
But, I was pissed off to find out my recording of Battlestar Gallactica on SciFi Ch68 froze up after about 26 minutes. I was especially peeved because the same thing happened to me when I first tried to record this episode on Friday. This bug has been reported for the SciFi analog channel in other areas, including the Philly, PA area. The new firmware, 9.15, reportedly fixes it. See the Comcast 6412 w/ iGuide thread. We should get the new firmware in the Bay Area soon, hopefully in the next week; if not, then within two or three weeks at the latest.

One solution to this problem is to set up a manual recording. That way the scheduled recording will NOT revert to the SD channel

I've had manual timed records + single guide records revert to the SD channel, from 705 -> 5.

Re: Walnut Creek and Comcast
I think finally the City is going to get most everything we need from Comcast. The Joint Franchise agreement requires a rebuild to at least 750 (and I think Walnut Creek requires 860, but not sure) for the entire service area with a maximum of 500 homes per node. I think it also specifies a maximum 2 year rebuild timeframe. Comcast is the one dragging this process along. Basically the City requested the same services they got Astound to provide. BTW, thanks to all of you vocal AVSers who got Comcast and KTVU on HD, I guess as a by-product we Astound subscribers also now receive KTVU-HD as of last week

I got an automated phone call yesterday, Monday, from Comcast telling me that the new iGuide will be available Tuesday. I have a DCT6200, when I got home today I expected it to be there. My box had a message on it telling me that the new guide is here. Not there yet, maybe later on tonight. Rats!

AofS, is it possible the f/w download completed but will take effect at some later point (i.e. when the box reboots at some presumably non-used middle of the night)?

SonomaSearcher, thanks for assuring us (again) that Management KNOWS about the Call Letter problem. I have two issues with your advice to NOT WASTE OUR TIME COMPLAINING TO CSRs, however:

1 - Management may not know how many people are upset about the problem. In my line of work, it's not only important to know a bug is in a bug tracking database. It's also nice to prioritize it (e.g. by how many customers are impacted and how severe that impact is). When every CSR I've talked to claims they've never heard of this problem before, I get concerned that Comcast isn't hearing the message loud enough.

2 - Related to the above, CSRs are telling folks to power cycle their box to solve this problem. When they call back for the same problem later, the CSR schedules a service tech. A complete waste of time to everyone. A few minutes of my time sharing the problem with the CSR at least educates them on the problem and might just prevent them from wasting the time of the next ten people to call that particular CSR.

I dare say that resolving the KTVUD issue in the SF Bay Area was urged on by SF Chronicle articles and numerous CSR requests - this despite the fact that "Management" knew there was a desire for KTVUD.

And as for #2, I should think CSR supervisors monitor the calls and develop material to communicate to their teams based on Frequently Asked Questions. They probably prioritize FAQ updates based on "Frequency".

Originally posted by Ace of Space
I got an automated phone call yesterday, Monday, from Comcast telling me that the new iGuide will be available Tuesday. I have a DCT6200, when I got home today I expected it to be there. My box had a message on it telling me that the new guide is here. Not there yet, maybe later on tonight. Sorry, only the DCT2000 series is getting it right now. The 5100 and 6200 will get it at some point, but I don't know how soon.

Of course, when they send the generic messages out to the STB's, they don't tell you that it won't be going out to the 5100's and 6200's. With one million HD STB's across the U.S., you would think Comcast would start tailoring its messages more carefully with HD customers in mind.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Sorry, only the DCT2000 series is getting it right now. The 5100 and 6200 will get it at some point, but I don't know how soon.

Of course, when they send the generic messages out to the STB's, they don't tell you that it won't be going out to the 5100's and 6200's. With one million HD STB's across the U.S., you would think Comcast would start tailoring its messages more carefully with HD customers in mind.

Crap, you're right! I just went checked my DCT2000 and there it is. I would have thought that they would first put the new guide on the newer state of the art boxes. Not my seldom watched old crappy box. I want this new guide on my HDTV, that's the one we watch 90% of the time. If the newer DVR boxes are using it, then why not my 6200. I know I'm being a cry baby, but dammit anyways.:confused:

I just got my 6412 installed today, and it seems like I am having the problems that everyone else has.

Is the freezing problem only related to recordings? Because, as I was watching it the first 30 minutes while the program schedule was downloading, I had 2 freezes of live TV. Is this just my box, or the same problem as everyone else?

TIA

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Sorry, only the DCT2000 series is getting it right now. The 5100 and 6200 will get it at some point, but I don't know how soon.
Crap...I really wanted my 6200 to have the new guide for today. Guess I gotta keep checking here to see when.

I still see the pixelation on my 702 here with 24. Not as much though.

EDIT: I'm watching American Idol on 702 right now and the diagnostic page is telling me its coming in on Frequency 555.000 mhz.

SNR: 34.6dB (within 1 unit change back and forth.)
AGC: 53%
No errors at all, correctable or uncorrectable.

Hello. I've been lurking for ages, and I have found this forum to be extremely helpful in researching my HD options for San Francisco.

I am a basic cable subscriber ($17/month), I called up Comcast to inquire about HD this afternoon. Within a couple hours, I had stopped by the local Comcast store and had a HD receiver in hand which worked beautifully as soon as I plugged it in. As a long-time TiVo user, I know there's no way I'll have the patience to watch my favorite shows with commercials, even if they are in HD (with the exception of some sporting events, perhaps), so I'm considering the DVR. But according to the Comcast website, you've got to have digital cable to get the DVR. This would bump the price of my cable bill from $22 to around $60 -- which I'm not really willing to pay.

So my question is this: Is digital cable a _technical_ requirement for DVR, or is it possible to use the DVR without a digital cable subscription? If it is possible to get the DVR without paying for digital cable, has anybody gotten Comcast to do this?

Thanks in advance,
Paul

Originally posted by chinapaulo
Hello. I've been lurking for ages, and I have found this forum to be extremely helpful in researching my HD options for San Francisco.

I am a basic cable subscriber ($17/month), I called up Comcast to inquire about HD this afternoon. Within a couple hours, I had stopped by the local Comcast store and had a HD receiver in hand which worked beautifully as soon as I plugged it in. As a long-time TiVo user, I know there's no way I'll have the patience to watch my favorite shows with commercials, even if they are in HD (with the exception of some sporting events, perhaps), so I'm considering the DVR. But according to the Comcast website, you've got to have digital cable to get the DVR. This would bump the price of my cable bill from $22 to around $60 -- which I'm not really willing to pay.

So my question is this: Is digital cable a _technical_ requirement for DVR, or is it possible to use the DVR without a digital cable subscription? If it is possible to get the DVR without paying for digital cable, has anybody gotten Comcast to do this?

Thanks in advance,
Paul
EDIT: Whoops, spoke too soon. Yep, 66 bucks.

Originally posted by neoufo51
You only need to have as least Digital Classic, the lowest tier in the digitals, which is 10 bucks extra by itself.

Unfortunately, they won't give you the DVR unless you also order Standard Cable. So, it comes to ~$17 + $25 + $10 + $12 = ~ $65 instead of the $22.

The only option would be to build your own DVR, using the Firewire connection. I somewhat got MythTV working with my 6200, but it was a bit flakey, maybe after another weekend, or two, or three, or .... ;-)

Originally posted by neoufo51
You only need to have as least Digital Classic, the lowest tier in the digitals, which is 10 bucks extra by itself. Getting it also gives you Discovery HD (and I THINK the InHD channels too) if you need more incentive. Therefore your bill will be much less than 60 bucks.

According to the Comcast website, digital classic costs $55.94. Throw in the DVR, and it's up to $66/month.

I'm actually getting a bunch of channels with the HD STB that I wasn't getting w/o a STB, and clearly the HD channels are being transferred over the wire digitally, so I am technically receiving digital information. I just wonder if I can get Comcast to hand me the DVR without actually coming to my apartment and 'setting me up with digital'.

Originally posted by chinapaulo
...So my question is this: Is digital cable a _technical_ requirement for DVR, or is it possible to use the DVR without a digital cable subscription? If it is possible to get the DVR without paying for digital cable, has anybody gotten Comcast to do this?

Thanks in advance,
Paul

Comcast was more than happy to bring me a DVR (6412) as a replacement for my 6200. I only subscribe to the analog channels (basic + expanded, paid for by my landlord on a group business account) and the HD channels (paid for by me, it was $5/month for the 6200, something like $15/month for the 6412 since I don't have digital). You might need more than just "basic" (like 'expanded basic'), but I for one don't have any 'digital cable' package. If I were you, I'd just call and ask if you can trade in your 6200 on a DVR.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Sorry, only the DCT2000 series is getting it right now. The 5100 and 6200 will get it at some point, but I don't know how soon.

The 5100 and 6200 boxes will be upgraded to the iGuide before the end of March.

Thank you bmark. Your info is always appreciated.

Re the 6412, remember that:

a) At most, you need an expanded basic subscription. This comes straight from Andrew Johnson, Comcast VP of Communications. He was quoted in one of the local papers to this effect. Expanded basic usually costs around $40+ so you are talking $50+ per month including the DVR.

b) SOME Forum members have been able to get a 6412 with only limited basic + digital classic tier (so for example $17 for limited basic + $10 for Digital Classic tier + $10 for 6412 = $37 + taxes per month). If you want to try this, perhaps the best way to do it is take Comcast up on its special Digital Classic package for $30+ per month for three months, then reduce your subscription level to limited basic + Digital Classic tier after the three months and see what happens.

Note: "Tier" and "package" are different. "Tier" does NOT include the expanded basic analog channels; "package" does include all the analog channels.

Also, I believe that 6412's are now available to be picked up at local Comcast customer service offices in many areas, so you should not have to schedule an install appointment. This may not be true in every area.

Best of luck. Remember, if you don't get what you want with one CSR, keep trying and ask for supervisors if necessary until you get what you want-- especially if what you want has been reported in this thread as being available.

SonomaSearcher,
I checked KTVU (702) last night and it shares it's frequency with KPIX (705) on 555MHz, I think. I also noted (during limited viewing) no break-ups on 702 and the SNR was rock flat. KPIX, my usual channel, from 8-9 was it's usual excellent picture.

Don't know if that helps.

RE: 6412. I'm glad I've waited on PVR. I'll give it another month or two and then go pick one up and self-install.

Best,
jeff

I've been getting break-ups on 702 here in Los Altos since the channel appeared. It shows up as occasional blocks of missing data and also appears in a form I would call "tearing", as if there was a rip horizontally across the screen. I don't understand why that would happen - isn't the data encoded in blocks?

The SNR and AGC values are both in the GOOD range on my 5100, with only small variations. The channel is on 555MHz, and if it is shared with KPIX (705) (I haven't checked), there is no similar break up on that channel.

Originally posted by tdchayes
I've been getting break-ups on 702 here in Los Altos since the channel appeared. It shows up as occasional blocks of missing data and also appears in a form I would call "tearing", as if there was a rip horizontally across the screen. I don't understand why that would happen - isn't the data encoded in blocks?

The SNR and AGC values are both in the GOOD range on my 5100, with only small variations. The channel is on 555MHz, and if it is shared with KPIX (705) (I haven't checked), there is no similar break up on that channel.
I'm seeing the exact same stuff you have and have the same data you have described. KPIX is flawless and shares the same frequency.

I see the same thing (in Fremont). No problems on any HD channels except 702.

Interestingly, I checked: SNR ~33+/- which is OK. AGC @ 99%! But its that way on 705, etc., as well.

Time to try cable amp this weekend...

Definitely a problem with respect to 702 exists at some of the headends. It is not a problem with the signal in your house. I suggest everyone who has PQ problems with 702 call the CSR line to register a complaint and ask for a partial credit toward your monthly bill. Also, for those who have management contacts in those areas, use them.

Originally posted by nereus
I see the same thing (in Fremont). No problems on any HD channels except 702.

Interestingly, I checked: SNR ~33+/- which is OK. AGC @ 99%! But its that way on 705, etc., as well.

Time to try cable amp this weekend...

That AGC is way out of whack and a cable amp may just amplify the noise. I would get Comcast out and check the lines.

Are these readings for 702 last night looking ok to you guys?

"I'm watching American Idol on 702 right now and the diagnostic page is telling me its coming in on Frequency 555.000 mhz.

SNR: 34.6dB (within 1 unit change back and forth.)
AGC: 53%
No errors at all, correctable or uncorrectable."

Originally posted by keenan
That AGC is way out of whack and a cable amp may just amplify the noise. I would get Comcast out and check the lines.

Actually, I thought that since Signal to Noise Ration (SNR) was OK, then the problem might just be with Gain -- in that the AGC reading (I thought) means that the system has to correct the gain much of the time (or add to the signal a good deal). Since I'm not seeing errors or noise in other channels (with pretty much the same values)...

But perhaps I'm interpreting the data incorrectly

Originally posted by nereus
Actually, I thought that since Signal to Noise Ration (SNR) was OK, then the problem might just be with Gain -- in that the AGC reading (I thought) means that the system has to correct the gain much of the time (or add to the signal a good deal). Since I'm not seeing errors or noise in other channels (with pretty much the same values)...

But perhaps I'm interpreting the data incorrectly

I don't know, but that high a AGC means the STB is working really hard to get that signal. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a bad reading. Anybody else in your area have the same problem?

Originally posted by keenan
I don't know, but that high a AGC means the STB is working really hard to get that signal. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a bad reading. Anybody else in your area have the same problem?

Not that I've heard.

Plan is reconfig: Currently, cable comes into Wega TV direct & out to cable box to VCR to TV alt input (+ separate component connections for HD, etc.).

Plan is to move to external 1-in/2-out amp with one input to TV, one to cable box. Result is that implicit splitter in Wega TV replaced with amp. Hopefully, removal of splitter will help. Other than 3-way split @ house entry (2 TV's plus HSI), that's it in the cable path. & House is wired with RG6.

But, yeah, it could be a hokey reading.

Unfortunately, once a tech is involved, it generally takes two more to make things right again... So I'm prone to fixing everything myself whenever possible.

Originally posted by nereus


Unfortunately, once a tech is involved, it generally takes two more to make things right again...

Or worse, before they finally get it right..:D

Originally posted by ///MD
I just got my 6412 installed today, and it seems like I am having the problems that everyone else has.

Is the freezing problem only related to recordings? Because, as I was watching it the first 30 minutes while the program schedule was downloading, I had 2 freezes of live TV. Is this just my box, or the same problem as everyone else?

TIA

It happens both live and on recordings, but only on analog channels. Digital and Digital HD channels seem to be OK. With luck, we'll get new software in the next week or so that fixes the problem. If I have a critical show to record on an analog channel, I also set my VCR on my other TV to record it, just it case. It took me 3 tries to get the latest Battlestar Gallactica episode on my DVR. Fortunately, SciFi shows reruns frequently during the week. Interestingly enough, this time I got but BG plus the 1 hour show after it recorded. Maybe the DVR was trying to make it up to me... :)

Off the topic a bit, the old Panny TV in our bedroom went out a few days ago (it wasn't an HDTV -- it's about 10 years old). I decided to pick up one of the Advent TV's at Best Buy for $399. My girlfriend is the one who watches TV in there the most and she mostly watches SD programs so I figured getting a 4x3 TV is the way to go. In a couple years when a majority of the programs are in HD 16x9, I won't feel bad about replacing a $400 TV. I hooked it up and it's actually not bad that bad. You have to manually switch the aspect ratio when switching between SD and HD channels which kind of sucks. Also, it looks like the convergence is off a bit when watching HD material. Right above where the picture cuts off at the top, there's a very thin line (3 or 4 pixels high) that are actually pixel-high rows of red, blue, and green. It's only noticeable when the top portion of the picture is black however when it is, it's kind of distracting. I'm really hesitant to try and fix this myself because I ended up royally screwing up my 47" rear projection when it's convergence got a little off (ended up paying an ISF to calibrate it). I'll cross post this to appropriate forum -- just curious if anyone's ever seen this on a 4x3 direct view HDTV.

I have a similar problem with my Sony 4:3 HDTV direct view when it is in 16:9 mode. I see 2-3 pixels width of blue on the left and the same of red on the right.

I've done nothing to fix it because I didn't want to ruin my set or make it worse. At some point, I'll poke around in the service menu to see what I can do.

Kevin

Yeah, I'm sure it's a matter of adjusting the "Point" convergence settings. One thing that came of my Panny disaster is that I learned a whole bunch for the ISV guy. I shot an email to Advent to see what they say. Because it's under warranty, I think I'll go that route first.

Originally posted by keenan
Wow, that's over 500 views a day since the thread was started..
Originally posted by davisdog
Is that just for you alone? :D

Remember this post? No. 4781?

By clicking on the reply count number today I found this,

Total Posts: 5,092

User Posts

keenan................. 545
SonomaSearcher.....432
davisdog.................422
fender4645..............268
Mikef5......................207
DCTDictator.............158
Almighty1.................106
John Mace................98
bpearse................... 96
MikeSM..................... 87

I think I need to give the keyboard a rest...:p :D

Hey John, I had the same problem getting the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica. I wonder if it's a network issue. That is turning out to be a pretty good show. It doesn't quite make up for Enterprise being canceled though. I never did see Enterprise in HD, I wish Comcast had gotten their UPN HD online before the one good show on that network got canceled.

Also, my 6412 decided to change all my ABC recording settings from the digital 707 to the analog 7 last night. I had to erase all of them and reprogram them. Other channels were unaffected. Incidentally, Lost looks awful in low def.

I guess convergence means adding the bugginess of the PC world to the consumer electronics world.

Originally posted by nereus
Plan is reconfig: Currently, cable comes into Wega TV direct & out to cable box to VCR to TV alt input (+ separate component connections for HD, etc.).

Plan is to move to external 1-in/2-out amp with one input to TV, one to cable box. Result is that implicit splitter in Wega TV replaced with amp. Hopefully, removal of splitter will help. Other than 3-way split @ house entry (2 TV's plus HSI), that's it in the cable path. & House is wired with RG6.

As a test, pull out all splitters and connect directly to your cable box. Does that fix the problem? Remember that each splitter drops signal quality.

Make sure your cable splitters are not the cheap ones from OSH or Radio Shack. They only pass 500MHz and your signal is above that. You need to be using splitters spec'd for satellite cables. Those pass up to 2 GHz. The bandwidth of the splitter is usually printed on the splitter.

And don't forget to report back what you find for others to learn from.

Originally posted by EdgarQ
Hey John, I had the same problem getting the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica. I wonder if it's a network issue. That is turning out to be a pretty good show. It doesn't quite make up for Enterprise being canceled though. I never did see Enterprise in HD, I wish Comcast had gotten their UPN HD online before the one good show on that network got canceled.

I've been watching this problem pretty closely, and while I don't have hard data to support it, it does seem to happen more frequently on certain channels (FOX SD, SciFI, CNN). More noticeable, though, is that it seems to happen about 90% of the time during a comercial, and much less frequently during tha actual programming. Let's hope for a quick fix from Comcast.

Yeah, BG is a good show. I'd take it over Enterprise any day.

For those of you who've had Comcast long enough, how's the PQ and overall quality for Giants games on FSN HD?

Originally posted by Cliff Olson
For those of you who've had Comcast long enough, how's the PQ and overall quality for Giants games on FSN HD?

And how many Giants games were in HD last year? (I just got HD a month ago, but I'm now anxiously awaiting baseball season, post-Super Bowl)

Games were actually very well done, in my opinion. I would say it's not quite as good as ABC but definitely better then Fox.

AVWH, they haven't released the '05 schedule yet but the formula is: if it's a home game and it's being broadcast on FSN, then it will be in HD. They also did a few away games in HD as well -- I think that depended on whether the away stadium is equipped to handle HD broadcasts and if they could get the appropriate equipment to transmit. My guess is there will be around 50 games in HD on FSN -- more if you count the few that KTVU is planning.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Thank you bmark. Your info is always appreciated.

Re the 6412, remember that:

a) At most, you need an expanded basic subscription. This comes straight from Andrew Johnson, Comcast VP of Communications. He was quoted in one of the local papers to this effect. Expanded basic usually costs around $40+ so you are talking $50+ per month including the DVR.

b) SOME Forum members have been able to get a 6412 with only limited basic + digital classic tier (so for example $17 for limited basic + $10 for Digital Classic tier + $10 for 6412 = $37 + taxes per month). If you want to try this, perhaps the best way to do it is take Comcast up on its special Digital Classic package for $30+ per month for three months, then reduce your subscription level to limited basic + Digital Classic tier after the three months and see what happens.

Thanks for the info, guys. I called comcast a couple times, and although they tried to upsell me to the digital classic tier, they said all I needed was the standard cable. In the end, it's still not worth it to me to pay so much per month for a dvr with an inferior user interface and so little recording capacity.

What I have done is to set up one of my TiVos to record off of the Motorola 6200 via S-Video (the only trick was splitting the audio out), which will allow me to record the digital/HD stations in slightly better quality than I was getting from analog. It also gives me a nice 16:9 (well, letterboxed 4:3, really) picture, which is a lot better than zooming in on an already-cropped 4:3 picture to get to 16:9. For now, I'll just have to watch the true HD stuff in real-time. :(

I haven't had too much time to play with it since I set it up last night, but I did notice a bit of an audio/video synch issue on the digital channels on the S-Video output. The audio seemed to come in a little before the video -- on a couple channels it was really noticeable. Has anyone else experienced this issue? Might it have to do with the additional processing of the video to scale to 4:3 for the S-Video connection? Can anything be done to address it?

Originally posted by gfbuchanan
As a test, pull out all splitters and connect directly to your cable box. Does that fix the problem? Remember that each splitter drops signal quality.

Make sure your cable splitters are not the cheap ones from OSH or Radio Shack. They only pass 500MHz and your signal is above that. You need to be using splitters spec'd for satellite cables. Those pass up to 2 GHz. The bandwidth of the splitter is usually printed on the splitter.

And don't forget to report back what you find for others to learn from.

Will do. At present, no splitters 'cept the comcast one & the one in the TV. And all signals (except 702) look ok, just the numbers (diagnostics page) look bad.

But I'll report back. Picked up a cable amp (actually the shack) with 54-1000MHz specs. Film whenever...

FCC Denies Multi-Cast, Dual Must-Carry,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=5157616#post5157616
FCC Denies Multi-Cast, Dual Must-Carry - AVS Forum

So local stations can't expect their weather channles to be carried on cable or satellite.

Or KQED can't expect KQED World and whatever their other channels are to be carried.

Actually those are no longer on the Comcast lineup, are they?

Originally posted by wco81
So local stations can't expect their weather channles to be carried on cable or satellite.

Or KQED can't expect KQED World and whatever their other channels are to be carried.

Actually those are no longer on the Comcast lineup, are they?

Correct. I think those other KQED channels are being carried in a different channel number(189-192) area and the contract is already in place. I wouldn't expect that to change.

I was watching American Idol last night on 702 and didn't notice the picture breaking up. I wasn't glued to the set, so I may have missed some, but maybe they have corrected the problem.

I also watched American Idol last night and it was fine.

Originally posted by fender4645
Games were actually very well done, in my opinion. I would say it's not quite as good as ABC but definitely better then Fox.

AVWH, they haven't released the '05 schedule yet but the formula is: if it's a home game and it's being broadcast on FSN, then it will be in HD. They also did a few away games in HD as well -- I think that depended on whether the away stadium is equipped to handle HD broadcasts and if they could get the appropriate equipment to transmit. My guess is there will be around 50 games in HD on FSN -- more if you count the few that KTVU is planning. Cool. Thanks for the info, fender.

chinapaulo

Are you using IR blasters to change channels for the cable box from the Tivo? I'm in the same situation as you. I'm debating on how to record HD content, but am not ready to spend tripple my comcast bill to get the HD DVR. I have 2 Tivos, so may consider doing what you do.

Russ

Originally posted by russwong
chinapaulo

Are you using IR blasters to change channels for the cable box from the Tivo? I'm in the same situation as you. I'm debating on how to record HD content, but am not ready to spend tripple my comcast bill to get the HD DVR. I have 2 Tivos, so may consider doing what you do.

Russ

Russ,

I've got 2 TiVo's myself... :)

I am using IR Blasters to change the channel, and I found a code that works perfectly. Still, I need to figure out this synch issue before I endorse the solution. (For what it's worth, I use the term 'solution' knowing that it really isn't HD recording, just a digital-to-analog recording of a letterboxed 4:3 digital source -- which is better than recording from an analog 4:3 source and displaying it on my 16:9 tv.)

As I sit here at work, I'm wondering if the synch problem may have to do with the 4:3 override option in the 6200's settings. Maybe if I set it to 'off' it won't do any processing on the image and get it to the TV closer to the audio... hmm...

-Paul

Couple of things:

(1) Channel 704, KROND, now shows as "KRON HD Programming" in the iGuide instead of the "To Be Announced" that used to show up. However, there are still no program details.

I can confirm that the lack of program schedule information for 704 exists because KRON is not providing such information to Gemstar-TV Guide or anyone else. KRON is apparently "working on" such a schedule but has no time frame for delivering it.

For those that get KRON-DT OTA, is it true that the PSIP for KRON's HD programming contains no program information?

(2) Channels 705 and 709 now show up in the HD sub-menu for those HD subscribers on the Rohnert Park headend. This is probably true for all areas where 705 is "KPIXD"; if it's still "KPIX" in your area, then 705 is likely still missing from the HD sub-menu.

707 is still missing from the HD sub-menu, which correlates with its name being idential to channel 7 ("KGO"). The same is true for 730 and 736, still missing from the HD sub-menu. 730 and 551 are "HBO-W" and 736 and 576 are "SHOw".

(3) Comcast management is still working on filling out the HD sub-menu, as well as the connected issue of getting 707 (and 705 for some areas) a unique name to fix the HD to SD scheduled recording bug. Gemstar-TVGuide is also aware of the issue.

..so.. when can we expect TNT HD from comcast? TIA!

For the Highest Definition for SF Giants Home Games, order your single game tickets starting Saturday, 2/12/05 :-)

Seriously though, I found the HD signal (prempting InHD2 for most of the late season Giants games carried on FSN-BayArea in SD) to be rock solid but hardly taking advantage of either the Widescreen or the High Definition format. They still zoom in too far in almost any angle:

1 - too close to the batter to see what's going on at 1st or the runner leading off 3rd

2 - too close to the pitcher to see the pick-off dynamics with a runner on 1st

3 - too close to the pitcher to see the defensive line-up of either in outfield or the infield

But they are learning. It took the football crew long enough to seize the advantage of the QB cam for HD. They finally let you truly see what the QB sees in terms of downfield coverage - something sorely missing in prior seasons...

Basketball holds the best promise for HD, imho. Though MPEG-2 encoding issues with such fast-moving content present serious challenges, being able to view the entire 5-on-5 match-ups for once is fantastic - even if the games aren't very good.

Hockey - well, if the NHL ever has a season again, should similarly benefit.

Originally posted by foobar007
..so.. when can we expect TNT HD from comcast? TIA!

Yeah! And Bravo-HD? Come on Comcast, what's the hold up? :confused:

"Bravo HD" was renamed in December to "Universal HD."

My best educated guess: The next national HD channels Comcast will add will be Universal HD and ESPN2 HD. However, Time Warner always could upset the conventional wisdom by making a deal Comcast could not refuse and get carriage for TNT HD and the yet-to-be-born TCM HD before U-HD and the Deuce HD.

This will probably happen in the next 2 to 3 months. Especially ESPN2 HD, considering MLB season starts in less than two months and Comcast reportedly already has the right to carry it.

Comcast likes VOD a lot, more than HD, so the key to these deals (except maybe ESPN2 HD) is a VOD rights component. NBC Universal already announced that it is pursuing VOD and offering it to cable providers, so Comcast and NBC Universal are likely in the middle of negotiations for a combined HD/VOD deal.

Besides agreeing on a deal, Comcast likes to have bandwidth available in most systems before turning on an HD channel anywhere. Unfortunately, digital simulcasting is eating up bandwidth, not reclaiming it. Watch for a few analog channels to start going over to digital sometime in 2005 on some systems, especially bandwidth impacted systems, which will free up bandwidth and allow a significant number of additional HD channels to be launched.

As far as local HD, both UPN HD and WB HD are available to Comcast Bay Area anytime it wants them. With UPN HD, Comcast is definitely waiting for more HD programming to fill up its primetime schedule.

Now that WB HD is available to Comcast subscribers in almost a dozen markets nationwide, and soon will be added for Comcast subscribers in Los Angeles, you would think Comcast would add the local WB HD (KBWB-DT) on the 750 and 860 Mhz systems in the Bay Area sometime in the next three or four months. One would think.

Does anybody know what Comcasts plans are for HD on the Monterey, Carmel, Carmel Valley System(s)?

I know Comcast recently installed new distribution amplifiers and coax in Carmel Valley. OTA HD is non-existent in much of the Carmel and Carmel Valley area. DBS is our only solution now but Cable can really change that when Comcast gets it's act together.

Originally posted by Cliff Olson
how's the PQ and overall quality for Giants games on FSN HD? You can probably get a good idea of the quality by checking out a Warriors game in HD now. Just pretend that the wood is grass and the local team doesn't suck.

Originally posted by wheaton
Does anybody know what Comcasts plans are for HD on the Monterey, Carmel, Carmel Valley System(s)?


They added it in Pacific Grove a couple months back...Barovelli might know...PM him in a couple days if he doesnt pop on the board and answer

Originally posted by wheaton
Does anybody know what Comcasts plans are for HD on the Monterey, Carmel, Carmel Valley System(s)?


Mosey on over to the official comcast web site and it tells you that this is available in 93921:

702 KCBA (Fox)

719 INHD1- HD

720 INHD2 - HD

723 ESPN - HD

730 HBO - HD

732 Cinemax - HD

734 Starz! - HD

736 Showtime - HD

More locals are in the works. It does look good so far.

OK, OC on 702 was flawless. No blocking, no glitches, no audio drops.

Didn't have to call, didn't have to do anything. Hopefully it stays this way.

First post. Kind of scary. I've read through ALL umpteen pages, and more often than not, you guys know more than the CSRs.

The field techs do know about the problem with 707 and channel 7 naming. The thing is trying to fix the problem when a lot of "people" aren't "aware" of the problem. Making a CSR aware of your problem either by complaining or yelling won't bring about a resolution. Your best bet is to have those people who have contacts within Comcast push for the changes.

Also, I have a problem with the new i-Guide on the "regular" STBs. I use the time functionality to have the STB change channels when I'm not home. The old guide had the ability to show ALL of my scheduled changes whereas the new guide doesn't. I have to hope and pray it works. We'll find out tonight (Friday) if it works since I'm taping SG-1 & Atlantis.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Couple of things:

(1) Channel 704, KROND, now shows as "KRON HD Programming" in the iGuide instead of the "To Be Announced" that used to show up. However, there are still no program details.

I can confirm that the lack of program schedule information for 704 exists because KRON is not providing such information to Gemstar-TV Guide or anyone else. KRON is apparently "working on" such a schedule but has no time frame for delivering it.

For those that get KRON-DT OTA, is it true that the PSIP for KRON's HD programming contains no program information?

(2) Channels 705 and 709 now show up in the HD sub-menu for those HD subscribers on the Rohnert Park headend. This is probably true for all areas where 705 is "KPIXD"; if it's still "KPIX" in your area, then 705 is likely still missing from the HD sub-menu.

707 is still missing from the HD sub-menu, which correlates with its name being idential to channel 7 ("KGO"). The same is true for 730 and 736, still missing from the HD sub-menu. 730 and 551 are "HBO-W" and 736 and 576 are "SHOw".

(3) Comcast management is still working on filling out the HD sub-menu, as well as the connected issue of getting 707 (and 705 for some areas) a unique name to fix the HD to SD scheduled recording bug. Gemstar-TVGuide is also aware of the issue.

Just got my 6412 firmware upgraded to 09.15 this morning.

Originally posted by wco81
OK, OC on 702 was flawless. No blocking, no glitches, no audio drops.

Didn't have to call, didn't have to do anything. Hopefully it stays this way.

I just got Comcast yesterday. My first look at KTVU-DT on 702 was The OC. I didn't see any blocking at all. What I did see, however, was what looked like a zoomed screen. The Fox logo in the lower right corner was only halfway there. The picture looked somewhat grainy. I went to 705, KPIX-DT immediately following to watch CSI and it was just fine. It would appear to be a Fox issue.

Originally posted by lmsyl
Just got my 6412 firmware upgraded to 09.15 this morning.

A signal was sent out to all dvr boxes throughout the bay area early this morning to address the freezing problem on analog channels.

9.15 is here also.

Bobby,

Do you get KTVU-DT OTA and thus can compare the zoom or overscan effect you see on Comcast? Logo is cut off here also-- makes sense since we are on the same headend. Thanks.

Yeah KTVU is definitely more grainy.

And interiors are dark compared to the SD signal of the OC.

Not as sharp, crisp or bright as other HDTV stations but still pretty good. Now the blocking is gone.

And it's definitely better than if Fox stayed at 480P.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
9.15 is here also.

Bobby,

Do you get KTVU-DT OTA and thus can compare the zoom or overscan effect you see on Comcast? Logo is cut off here also-- makes sense since we are on the same headend. Thanks.

Searcher,

No, I can't get KTVU-DT OTA, that was one of the main reasons I went with Comcast. It's good to know I'm not alone.....

Jim Keenan, what do you see in Santa Rosa?

Originally posted by bobby94928
I just got Comcast yesterday. My first look at KTVU-DT on 702 was The OC. I didn't see any blocking at all. What I did see, however, was what looked like a zoomed screen. The Fox logo in the lower right corner was only halfway there. The picture looked somewhat grainy.

I don't usually watch The OC, but I saw the last half last night. I thought the picture was fine-- especially that final scene on the beach... :)

Originally posted by lmsyl
Just got my 6412 firmware upgraded to 09.15 this morning.

That must explain why many of the channels are only showing schedules thru about 1PM today. I hope this fixed the "freeze" problem!!!!

Originally posted by bobby94928
Searcher,

No, I can't get KTVU-DT OTA, that was one of the main reasons I went with Comcast. It's good to know I'm not alone.....

Jim Keenan, what do you see in Santa Rosa?

Same thing, the bug is cut off a little bit off the edge of the screen, it's always been like that.

The PQ quality you mention is just the standard Fox PQ. It needs improvement and Fox knows about it. The Super Bowl looked better, but they may have did some changes just for it as the regular Fox programming really hasn't changed much yet.

That was quick, which package did you end up with?

Am I an idiot? I can't seem to set up a manual recording. I get the set up screen, but after I select a time and day, I never get the opportunity to select the channel. The two options at the bottom (confrim; dont record) give me the same result-- the menu guide disappears, I'm returned to the program picture, and my DVR schedule is empty.

I'm heading out the door for the rest of the weekend, and my guide still isn't updated for the programs I want to record yet...

My DVR just upgraded to Firmware version 9.15. not sure if this is old or new news for the forum.

I had the Dish AEP package along with distant nets, superstations and sports. Basically, I got the same package from Comcast without the distant nets and the supers. I had to lose my locals or distant nets on Dish anyway, so it was a no brainer. I've got the Platinum package along with the Priemier Tier and HD of course. It's a little bit more than I was paying Dish, but now I have a DVR....

Originally posted by keenan
Same thing, the bug is cut off a little bit off the edge of the screen, it's always been like that.

The PQ quality you mention is just the standard Fox PQ. It needs improvement and Fox knows about it. The Super Bowl looked better, but they may have did some changes just for it as the regular Fox programming really hasn't changed much yet.

That was quick, which package did you end up with?

mine upgraded to 9.15 as well.

Anyone know if this fixes the problem of series recordings planned for an HD channel changing to recordings of SD? (I've been having problems recording Alias. I set it to record seris on 707, but it somehow decides to record on 7 instead.)

Originally posted by ///MD
Anyone know if this fixes the problem of series recordings planned for an HD channel changing to recordings of SD? It does not.

The issue you mention has to do with the data that populates the iGuide. The data comes from Gemstar-TVGuide.

The firmware comes from the 6412's manufacturer, Motorola.

So you have 4 business entities where problems can arise:

(1) Motorola: hardware and firmware
(2) GuideWorks: iGuide software (the 6412's user interface)
(3) Gemstar-TV Guide: data that populates the iGuide (including channel names like "KGO")
(4) Comcast, which works with (1), (2) and (3) in achieving the final 6412 product as well as delivers the actual video signals from the headend to your home

sonoma,

does comcast know about these remaining glitches? any estimated ETA on fixing them? so annoying having it record in analog all the time.

i setup timed recordings so i'm avoiding the issue, but user friendly just disappeared from the DVR altogether.

thanks,
Gareth

Originally posted by bobby94928
[B I've got the Platinum package along with the Priemier Tier and HD of course. [/B]

What's the Premier Tier? We don't have that with our low-budget cable system here in Santa Rosa.

whoo hoo!

9.15 finally, i hope it helps.... of course the one morning i dont check before going to work, they update. go figure!

The annual Giants Fan Fest is tomorrow (Saturday) starting at 11am at Pier 48 and it has me thinking baseball.
Does comcast still have the exclusive rights to carry Fox Sports Bay Area HD? for the ENTIRE 2005 baseball season?
Sonoma Searcher posted last September that Voom might begin to carry it. Is there any news on that or any of the other satellite providers carrying FSBA HD?
I presume Comcast will continue to carry Fox Sports Bay Area HD on InDemand [Edit: meant InHD2] leaving those of us in the 2% club (550mhz) shut out.

I saw the recent post that KTVU may carry some Giants broadcasts in HD which is hopeful news.
It doesn't look like KTVU nor FSBA has announced their Giants broadcast schedule - at least it's not showing up on the Giants broadcast schedule here:
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/sf/schedule/broadcast.jsp

I tried searching for the ESPN HD baseball broadcast schedule and didn't find it. Wondering if anyone knows if it's been announced.
The Giants website shows 2 spring training games to be on ESPN/ESPN2:
Tuesday, March 8 vs. Rangers
Wednesday, March 16 @ Mariners
Doesn't KTVU normally broadcast a few Spring Training games too?

and then it looks like the first regular season Giants games on ESPN (presumably HD) are these:
Sunday, May 15 @ Astros 5:05 PM
Sunday, May 22 vs Athletics 5:05 PM (likely blacked out)
Sunday, June 5 @ Mets 5:05 PM

The schedule does show the Saturday Fox Game of the Week which includes these Giants games:
Saturday, May 28 vs Padres 1:05 PM
Saturday, June 4 @ Mets 10:20 AM
Saturday, June 25 @ Athletics 1:05 PM
I seem to remember that last year the Fox Game of the Week was over the air in 480p.
Anyone know if Saturday Fox games will be HD this year and passed through on KTVU via Comcast on Ch 702?

Originally posted by gdebruyn
sonoma,
does comcast know about these remaining glitches? any estimated ETA on fixing them? so annoying having it record in analog all the time.
i setup timed recordings so i'm avoiding the issue, but user friendly just disappeared from the DVR altogether.
thanks,
Gareth

Some people in Comcast are aware of the channel 7 and 707 recording issue. Currently, there is no ETA for a fix. In Stockton/Tracy, they don't have the issue because the name of the channels are different. Plus, in some areas, there's the 5 and 705 naming issue also. I've told my tech friend at Comcast about the problem, and he's testing it in order to bring it to the attention of the higher ups in his area. It's a pain because this problem has been known for a while and still nothing is being done to correct it.

Also, has anyone been getting the phantom Jan 1989 error recently? I got one recently and had to hard reboot, and then delete it. I'm hoping the firmware upgrade solves that problem too.

Originally posted by keenan
What's the Premier Tier? We don't have that with our low-budget cable system here in Santa Rosa.

Premier Tier includes:
125 - Newsworld International
128 - Bloomberg
137 - Trio
401 - Fox Soccer Channel
408 - Speed Channel
409 - TVG-Horseracing Network
413 - Fox College Sports Atlantic
414 - Fox College Sports Central
415 - Fox College Sports Pacific
416 - NBA TV
476 - Fuse
481 - BET on Jazz
506 - Fox Movie Channel

I looked at the Sports Tier and the only thing I lost was College Sports TV (CSTV) and GOL TV. It wasn't worth the addional money to purchase these two channels.

Is there a good place to find out about all the packages, tiers and other subscriptions that are available? The web site is useless for that, and I don't recall seeing any mailings on the topic of subscription packages.

Originally posted by tdchayes
Is there a good place to find out about all the packages, tiers and other subscriptions that are available? The web site is useless for that, and I don't recall seeing any mailings on the topic of subscription packages.

Although new to the cable world these days, I can say that what is available to your particular area can be very different from what is, and isn't, in mine. I walked into my Comcast office just this week and asked for a list of available channels for my location. They handed me a card that listed them all. You can do the same. Ask about what is available to you and what it costs.

Many thanks to Jim Keenan for his personal guidance in my decision making....

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
9.15 is here also.

Do you get KTVU-DT OTA and thus can compare the zoom or overscan effect you see on Comcast? Logo is cut off here also-- makes sense since we are on the same headend. Thanks.

I have been monitoring KTVU-DT OTA, and toggling between my 7412 on channel 702 and 2-1 OTA shows the same image size size with the Fox logo cut off on both. It has to be coming from Fox that way.

Originally posted by tivoyahoo
Doesn't KTVU normally broadcast a few Spring Training games too? They usually show the exhibition games against the A's on TV...probably one or two on KICU and one or two on KTVU.

Originally posted by tivoyahoo
and then it looks like the first regular season Giants games on ESPN (presumably HD) are these:
<snip>
Sunday, May 22 vs Athletics 5:05 PM (likely blacked out) I don't think ESPN games are ever blacked out on Sundays. They have exclusive rights to Sunday nights.

Originally posted by tivoyahoo
I seem to remember that last year the Fox Game of the Week was over the air in 480p.
Anyone know if Saturday Fox games will be HD this year and passed through on KTVU via Comcast on Ch 702? Until we hear otherwise, I'm assuming yes. I don't see why not.

Originally posted by tivoyahoo

Does comcast still have the exclusive rights to carry Fox Sports Bay Area HD? for the ENTIRE 2005 baseball season?

I presume Comcast will continue to carry Fox Sports Bay Area HD on InDemand leaving those of us in the 2% club (550mhz) shut out.

Anyone know if Saturday Fox games will be HD this year and passed through on KTVU via Comcast on Ch 702?

Fox Sports Bay Area just announced their Giants schedule which includes 75 games in HD. Read about it at their website:

fsnbayarea.com/giants/skeds/giantshdsked.php

Comcast will be carrying them on channel 720, switching with inHD2.
All ESPN Sunday Games Of The Week should be in HD on channel 723.
You may also see some ESPN Wednesday night games in HD.
It is reasonable to assume that Fox will carry most Saturday games in HD on channel 702. Their Playoff and World Series games were all in 720p with 5.1 audio. I guess it depends on the number of games they do each Saturday, and the number of HD trucks they have.
Now awaiting KTVU's schedule, and how many of their games might be in HD.

Originally posted by tdchayes
Is there a good place to find out about all the packages, tiers and other subscriptions that are available? The web site is useless for that, and I don't recall seeing any mailings on the topic of subscription packages.

In my January bill, Comcast included a channel list, grouped by tier, and a list of all of their prices. It was customized for my system.

Originally posted by shortstop
Fox Sports Bay Area just announced their Giants schedule which includes 75 games in HD. Read about it at their website:


Too bad we wont have this on 550MHz systems...

Originally posted by shortstop
Fox Sports Bay Area just announced their Giants schedule which includes 75 games in HD. Read about it at their website:

fsnbayarea.com/giants/skeds/giantshdsked.php

Comcast will be carrying them on channel 720, switching with inHD2.


Thanks for the link. 75 games is impressive, but at the same time is painful to think of all the games in HD that the 2% club is missing out on.

When you factor in the A's HD schedule:
http://www.fsnbayarea.com/athletics/skeds/athleticshdsked.php
it looks like there is a Giants or A's game in HD almost every day.

Hopefully comcast doesn't still have an exclusive right to carry for the rest of the year which might leave hope to 2% club that another provider will distribute the HD games.


It is reasonable to assume that Fox will carry most Saturday games in HD on channel 702. Their Playoff and World Series games were all in 720p with 5.1 audio. I guess it depends on the number of games they do each Saturday, and the number of HD trucks they have.
Now awaiting KTVU's schedule, and how many of their games might be in HD. [/B]

Hopefully Fox expanded their number of HD trucks for last football season and that will carry over to more HD saturday baseball games. Last year (outside the playoffs), I believe there were very few if any regular season Fox baseball games in HD.

The most deplorable thing about Comcast's HD service in 550 Mhz areas is the lack of Warriors, Giants and A's games in HD via FSN Bay Area HD.

Comcast needs to find a way to insert those games on 550 Mhz systems. If I were the GM of FSN Bay Area, I'd be hacked that we are spending $xxx,xxx or $x,xxx,xxx extra on HD productions per year when at least 16 percent of the Bay Area's Comcast subscribers, maybe more, can't watch the HD productions.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
The most deplorable thing about Comcast's HD service in 550 Mhz areas is the lack of Warriors, Giants and A's games in HD via FSN Bay Area HD.

Comcast needs to find a way to insert those games on 550 Mhz systems. If I were the GM of FSN Bay Area, I'd be hacked that we are spending $xxx,xxx or $x,xxx,xxx extra on HD productions per year when at least 16 percent of the Bay Area's Comcast subscribers, maybe more, can't watch the HD productions.

For those people in the 550 MHz systems here is the link to Fox Sports Net, http://www.fsnbayarea.com/ let them know that you want to watch the Giants in HD. If enough people bitch to them, they will at least get a hold of Comcast and find out why only some of the areas can get their broadcast. If you don't let people know what you want you will get just that , nothing..... you saw what happened when Comcast was pressured to get Fox-HD before the SuperBowl. I've already put my feedback to them....

Laters,
Mikef5

Originally posted by Mikef5
For those people in the 550 MHz systems here is the link to Fox Sports Net, http://www.fsnbayarea.com/ let them know that you want to watch the Giants in HD. If enough people bitch to them, they will at least get a hold of Comcast and find out why only some of the areas can get their broadcast.

Feedback sent. Go A's!

I've got spring training fever!

Kevin

The channel guide just went out for some reason and my box shut off. Is comcast doing some wierd update or something? I just got my box about a week ago and this is new to me. Does this happen often?

First, I just wanted to thank everyone for their input. This is by far the best place to obtain accurate and updated info about our Comcast systems. Thank you all.

My series recordings this week for 24, Lost, CSI, and Without a Trace all recorded correctly on their HD channel, whereas last week they recorded in SD. Hopefully this continues.

Regarding series recordings, my wife likes some of the shows on MTV, like Real World and Newlyweds. Series recordings does not work for these shows because MTV plays them about 30 times a week and the 6412 records them all. Anyone aware of this problem and/or how to fix it?

Finally, anyone have any info on when Redwood City, 94061, will get Indemand?

Originally posted by deaf_ears
The channel guide just went out for some reason and my box shut off. Is comcast doing some wierd update or something? Weird update, no. Update, yes. Your box is probably downloading the new firmware, version 9.15. This will fix at least one, maybe more, of the bugs 6412 users have experienced. And no, it doesn't happen often.

Comcast in the SF Bay Area recently upgraded our channel lineup to include Fox HD and Discovery HD Theater. Great! Unfortunately, they dropped our HD Showtime channel. Not great! So now I'm stuck with but a single 24-hour HD movie channel (HBO) and a handful of primetime-only HD channels. Oh, of course we still have ESPN HD which shows about 5% HD content (and no HD tennis, which is why I was interested in ESPN HD in the first place). So Comcast, tell my why I shouldn't drop you like a stone and sign up with DirecTV?

I remember reading about DISCHD being included without needing a digital package, is this true? I don't have a digital package but I get INHD/and ESPN but right now DISCHD is showing up as unauthorized. Also looks like HBO is coming in for free to. Thnx.

Have any of you had no audio at all when trying to watch something else as the DVR is recording? I wonder if the new firmware will fix that? It was so bad, I had to cancel the recording a few nights ago, so I could watch TV... Thanks for posting the link, shortstop. It looks like well over half (assuming KTVU comes through) the Giants Schedule will be seen in HD!

Originally posted by Cliff Olson
Have any of you had no audio at all when trying to watch something else as the DVR is recording? I wonder if the new firmware will fix that? It was so bad, I had to cancel the recording a few nights ago, so I could watch TV... Thanks for posting the link, shortstop. It looks like well over half (assuming KTVU comes through) the Giants Schedule will be seen in HD!

You need to search for the mute bug on the 6412, you may have to program your remote to unmute if you turn your DVR on while it is recording something.

Here is the exact procedure to program a swap, mute, or 30 second skip to the remote.

1) Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3) Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice
4) Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button
5) Type in the code 00173 (for 30 second Skip), 00141 (for Mute) or 00236 (for Swap).
6) Press whatever button you want to map the skip or swap function to.

Cool. I'll try the procedure when I get home tonight. Thanks, keenan.

I still have FW 7.12 and I have not had any analog channel freeze or any other freezing of channels for that matter, on either one of my 6412s. I've also never had a scheduled HD recording swapped for the SD version like many of you are reporting. I have had a couple shows record short but it has only happened maybe 4 times in about 500 recorded shows or so.

I also got a message on both my boxes saying the new guide was coming, but I already have iguide. Is this some sort of new or updated iguide? Or is the message for people that are still using the old tan guide?

MX-800 Problems.

If any of you are using the MX-800 remote and have experienced problems after getting the 6412 box the following link will be helpful.

http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-master/thread.cgi?6007

I noticed right away that the RF receiver was not working properly. I am hoping the new RF unit will solve the problem as it has for others.

Kris

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
The most deplorable thing about Comcast's HD service in 550 Mhz areas is the lack of Warriors, Giants and A's games in HD via FSN Bay Area HD.
Originally posted by Mikef5
For those people in the 550 MHz systems here is the link to Fox Sports Net, http://www.fsnbayarea.com/ let them know that you want to watch the Giants in HD. If enough people bitch to them, they will at least get a hold of Comcast and find out why only some of the areas can get their broadcast. If you don't let people know what you want you will get just that , nothing..... you saw what happened when Comcast was pressured to get Fox-HD before the SuperBowl. I've already put my feedback to them....

I searched for some FSN Bay Area executives email addresses, but couldn't find them. I think the marketing director for FSN looks to be Tom Pellack - tpellack@fsnbayarea.com?? Does anyone have solid contact information for FSN executives?

I ended up using the "Contact Us" page:
http://www.fsnbayarea.com/contact/

and submitted the following:

I am very impressed by the FSN HD baseball broadcast schedule for the Giants & A's for the 2005 season. FSN is to be commended for the high percentage of game broadcasts available in HD.

Unfortunately, since Comcast delivers FSN HD on channel InHD2, that means a significant percentage of Comcast customers can't receive the games in HD. The reason has nothing to do with the type of subscription the customer has, but instead is because Comcast doesn't have the ability to deliver the InHD channel on 550mhz cable systems and has no concrete plans to upgrade those systems to allow those cities to receive the InHD2 channel. Cities affected in the South Bay include Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Milpitas, and Sunnyvale. No Comcast customers in those cities can receive the FSN HD broadcasts and there are numerous other cities in the rest of the Bay Area as well in the same situation. That is a significant portion of customers that FSN advertisers are not reaching, and when you factor in the demographics of a typical HDTV subscriber, those are customers your advertisers certainly want to reach. I encourage FSN to work with Comcast to move the FSN HD broadcasts to a channel that is delivered to all Comcast systems, 550mhz systems included. This would not require a system upgrade in those cities, but simply moving the FSN HD broadcasts to a channel delivered to ALL systems. If Comcast is unwilling to make such a change, then I encourage FSN to work with a 2nd provider and not give Comcast an exclusive right to carry FSN HD. I look forward to the day that FSN HD is delivered to ALL Bay Area cities served by Comcast.

You can try Chris Geer (cmgeer@fsnbayarea.com), Vice President, Sales and Affiliate Relations. He seemed like a nice guy in my communication with him, though he didn't give me any good news.

tivoyahoo:
Where did you FIND FSN's 2005 HD baseball broadcast schedule for the Giants & A's?

I googled all those terms (and other combos) and came up empty.....

Originally posted by AVWH
tivoyahoo:
Where did you FIND FSN's 2005 HD baseball broadcast schedule for the Giants & A's?

I googled all those terms (and other combos) and came up empty.....

Go to www.fsnbayarea.com click on the Giants or A's logo and then click on the HD Schedule link in the middle of the page.

Edit: Corrected link to make it functional.

Originally posted by fender4645
Go to www.fsnbayarea.com, click on the Giants or A's logo and then click on the HD Schedule link in the middle of the page.

Thanks!

Anyone else in areas where OnDemand is available seeing a new feature on their iGuide?

When tuning to some channels, their is a tab at the top of the info box with an "i" in a circle and an OnDemand button next to the "i". Clicking on the "i" gets you the full "Information" for the program on the tuned channel; right arrow to the "OnDemand" button and selecting it gets you the OnDemand menu for that particular channel/network.

For example, clicking on the "OnDemand" button for KPIXD (707) takes you to the OnDemand program choices (SD only, of course) for KPIX/CBS.

Also an FYI for those with OnDemand, there are new HD OnDemand choices if you haven't checked in a while, including two free choices-- concert clips (about 6 mins. each) put together by INHD. If you are a Yellowcard fan, you will like them.

Audio "clicking sound' problem.

Has anyone noticed a loud, sharp clicking sound on the audio of some programs? It sounds exactly like a scratch on an LP, and repeats at about the same frequency. I don't hear it all the time, but I just watched my recording of "Lost" and there was a period of time when it was really, really annoying.

I don't think this is an artifact of a recording, as I have noticed the same thing during live viewing. Does this have anything to do with the DVR, or is it just an audio problem on some programming? I don't recall ever encountering this before I had the DVR.

Has nothing to with the DVR. Has everything to do with ABC and "Lost." I haven't checked, but they are probably talking about it on the "Lost" thread in the Programming Forum.

I have basic expanded cable from Comcast and I am in Foster City. Somehow, I am getting all HBO channels including HBO HD and I still have all the Showtime channels including HD. I get all the HD channels but somehow, KGO HD and ABC News are now gone. Were they moved to another channel?

BTW, I am using a Panny built-in QAM tuner to get all these stations and with just the cable plugged directly into the TV.

Originally posted by AcuraTL
I have basic expanded cable from Comcast and I am in Foster City. Somehow, I am getting all HBO channels including HBO HD and I still have all the Showtime channels including HD. I get all the HD channels but somehow, KGO HD and ABC News are now gone. Were they moved to another channel?

BTW, I am using a Panny built-in QAM tuner to get all these stations and with just the cable plugged directly into the TV.

It's been previously mentioned in the thread that Comcast is running free HBO at the moment.

Do you also get DiscHD and if so, at what QAM ch?

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Has nothing to with the DVR. Has everything to do with ABC and "Lost." I haven't checked, but they are probably talking about it on the "Lost" thread in the Programming Forum.

It happens on NYPD:Blue also, Larry Kenney explained what it was awhile back but I can't remember what the issue was, ABC had this problem quite awhile back and then it was gone. Now it seems to be coming back.

Originally posted by keenan
It happens on NYPD:Blue also, Larry Kenney explained what it was awhile back but I can't remember what the issue was, ABC had this problem quite awhile back and then it was gone. Now it seems to be coming back.

I've noticed it a lot on CNN, too, btw.

Originally posted by keenan
It happens on NYPD:Blue also, Larry Kenney explained what it was awhile back but I can't remember what the issue was, ABC had this problem quite awhile back and then it was gone. Now it seems to be coming back.

As per Larry's instructions on the yahoo SF HDTV group, on wens., when the clicking starts, I've been calling. The tech has been getting better about checking the audio, and last week fixed it just as I called.

Best,
jeff

Yes, can't remember what the problem is though, something to do with the DD encoder-decoder at the station...

Originally posted by zeram1
It's been previously mentioned in the thread that Comcast is running free HBO at the moment.

Do you also get DiscHD and if so, at what QAM ch?

I get DISC HD on channel 115-4. Do you know what happened to KGO HD and ABC News previously on channels 7-1 and 7-2, respectively?

Originally posted by AcuraTL
Do you know what happened to KGO HD and ABC News previously on channels 7-1 and 7-2, respectively? ABC News Now was taken off by ABC at the end of January (after the inauguration).

You should still be getting 7-1 (KGO-DT/ABC HD). The frequency/QAM channel assignment was probably changed in your area when KTVU-DT/Fox HD was added, so you'll have to search for it or re-scan to find it.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
ABC News Now was taken off by ABC at the end of January (after the inauguration).

You should still be getting 7-1 (KGO-DT/ABC HD). The frequency/QAM channel assignment was probably changed in your area when KTVU-DT/Fox HD was added, so you'll have to search for it or re-scan to find it.

The funny part was I was getting KGO HD/ABC HD on 7-1 until last night when it was gone. I did a re-scan last night and it was not found.

I have heard that Comcast is disabling the recording of On Demand with the DVR. Anyone with the DVR tried this to see if it works?

Also, are the HBO and Showtime channels disabled for recording as well? Both the SD and HD channels?

Just wondering what restrictions Comcast is putting on their DVR.

No way to record an On Demand show to the 6412's hard drive. This is by design.

All premium channels, SD and HD, can be recorded to the hard drive.

Originally posted by AcuraTL
I get DISC HD on channel 115-4. . . .

115-4 is only a 480i sig here in SF.

Anyone else know the DiscHD QAM in SF?

Also, is the "free" DiscHD previously mentioned for those w/
expanded basic hold true for everyone in the BA, or just those on the older systems?

Is anyone watching the Warriors game on 720 (INHD2/FSN Bay Area HD)?

I am getting regular INHD2 programming. I am wondering if they cancelled the HD production/transmission of this game, or if someone at Comcast forgot to "flip the switch."

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
No way to record an On Demand show to the 6412's hard drive. This is by design.

Yup. It looks like FireWire is "disabled" when your watching OnDemand. I tried it with CapDVHS and it didn't even recognize there was stream coming through.

Sonoma, I was trying to watch the Warriors on 720, but like you, no dice. Oops, just checked, it must have come on in the second half.

Comcast flipped the switch to start transmitting the HD version of the Warriors game just before halftime.

Originally posted by zeram1
Anyone else know the DiscHD QAM in SF?

In SF, DiscoveryHD is on QAM 115-4, but it looks like it is encrypted.
115-1 is HBO-HD, currently with a free preview.

Originally posted by shortstop
In SF, DiscoveryHD is on QAM 115-4, but it looks like it is encrypted.
115-1 is HBO-HD, currently with a free preview.

So that does mean that "free DiscHD" is system/region-specific, such that those of us in the 750+ areas (as most if not all of SF has been upgraded) do not get it from Comcast?

Fricking KGO slacking off at the switch again.

DH is in SD!

They turned the switch on, but then the audio is all jacked up now! At least the audio was fine before it was HD.

Oh great, they switched it about 10 minutes in but the audio is messed up. You only hear birds chirping but no voices.

In 2005, how hard could it be to automate this stuff?

Originally posted by zeram1
So that does mean that "free DiscHD" is system/region-specific, such that those of us in the 750+ areas (as most if not all of SF has been upgraded) do not get it from Comcast?

Since DiscHD must be going out encrypted to all systems, it may mean that they will allow a DCT to un-encrypt it on channel 722 free of charge. Uncertain if this would apply to all systems.

Originally posted by wco81
Oh great, they switched it about 10 minutes in but the audio is messed up. You only hear birds chirping but no voices.

In 2005, how hard could it be to automate this stuff?
Yeah I saw that too. My family was complaining like hell. I could hear birds chirping in the kitchen and I was like, what the hell are you guys doing, DH is on, dont you love that show? And they were like oh your stupid Comcast is messing up the HD signal. I corrected them on that and they shut up with the signal was fine again.

Originally posted by wco81
Oh great, they switched it about 10 minutes in but the audio is messed up. You only hear birds chirping but no voices.

In 2005, how hard could it be to automate this stuff?

Looks great and sounds great on DirecTV...:p

In Sunnyvale, I just called Comcast and switched from Showtime to HBO to get HD movies and am happy with the selection of movies. It's different from Showtime's, but there are more flicks on that I'd like to watch than I have time for. Running out of PVR disk space with the backlog, in fact. If you are already subscribing to HBO, though, I guess my suggestion isn't very helpful.

Originally posted by zeram1
So that does mean that "free DiscHD" is system/region-specific, such that those of us in the 750+ areas (as most if not all of SF has been upgraded) do not get it from Comcast? Definitely. Comcast sent letters to subscribers in 550 Mhz areas ONLY stating that Discovery HD would be added for free. Everywhere else, it is part of the Digital Classic tier (although it may still be unencrypted in a few random 750 Mhz areas; if so, it would only be so because equipment needs to be installed or fixed or because of human error).

Three days running now w/o a picture freeze. Has anyone seen one since the software download? I didn't have the TV on much this weekend. At any rate, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Haven't noticed a freeze since the update. Did the update correct anything else in particular?

Originally posted by nereus
Will do. At present, no splitters 'cept the comcast one & the one in the TV. And all signals (except 702) look ok, just the numbers (diagnostics page) look bad.

But I'll report back. Picked up a cable amp (actually the shack) with 54-1000MHz specs. Film whenever...

Original problem
Originally posted by nereus
SNR for HD channels @ ~33 dB, AGC @ 99% (== really bad)

Over the weekend, installed Radio Shack 1-in/2-out cable amp. AGC dropped to ~50-55%, SNR up to ~34.x dB. I wasn't around, though, to see if droppouts/pixelation changed. But numbers are better.

For reference, turns out my configuration was not as I remembered it. There was a 2GHz splitter instead of the WEGA internal one. So still one splitter, but it was external (radio shack, but correct freq. range). Could be that it "went bad" or that something in Comcast-land changed. Will continue to monitor...

Originally posted by dmlove51
Haven't noticed a freeze since the update. Did the update correct anything else in particular?

Well, it significantly reduced the size of the window allocated to keep showing the program you're watching when you're in the iguide. Funny thing is, the reduction in window size isn't used for anything-- just black space around a smaller picture. Anyone know if this can be changed back to the way it was-- the picture now is so small it's virtually useless.

The new KGO/ABC-7 Master Control room went on the air as if 7 am Saturday morning, and they're experiencing occasional problems with the animation system. As the Operations Manager wrote:

"You will probably see (and hear) some anomalies as we get used to the new controls and systems. There seems to be an occasional bug popping up in the new automation software."

There are now separate switchers and automation systems for 7.0 NTSC, 7.1 HD, and 7.2 SD. Each channel now runs independently of the others. The facilities for 7.1 are now capable of HD for local commercials and programs!

Channel 7.2 (24.2) now has a regular schedule of programming showing repeats of local ABC-7 and ABC network news programs. With the shut down of "ABC News Now", they've put together a schedule of news programs for 7.2. The news programs, both local and national, are repeated after their normal airing on 7.0/7.1. You'll find repeats of "Good Morning America", "20/20", "Primetime", "Nightline", "This Week..." and other shows from the network, plus locally produced shows like "Sunday on 7", "Beyond the Headlines", "Assignment 7 Weekend", etc. You'll find the schedule for KGO-DT2 on the Titan TV Schedule listings: http://www.titantv.com/TTV/Grid/Grid.aspx

(With all this info, you'd think I still worked at KGO. For some reason they still include me on informational emailings about the status of things at the station. Maybe it's so that I can pass them on to you. ??)

Larry
KGO-TV TD retired
SF

Originally posted by Larry Kenney
The facilities for 7.1 are now capable of HD for local commercials and programs! Outstanding!

I have been speculating recently about which local station will be the first to do their news in HD (or at least one of their weekly news magazine-type programs). KGO is now that much closer.

It seems like KNTV and KGO have (or soon will have) the most up to date engineering/production facilities and thus one of them would be the first to go HD with a regularly scheduled program.

Anyone else care to hazard a guess?

P.S. Will Comcast be carrying the 7.2 feed, as a replacement for ABC News Now or otherwise?

Lets hope not so 7.2 withers away and they devote full bandwidth to 7.1

Now if Comcast could just change the Call Letters on KGO-DT from "KGO" to something distinct from the "KGO" they use on KGO-NTSC, all (or at least one small part) would be right with the Comcast KGO world :-)

I wonder if anyone at KGO is aware of the iGuide problem with KGO-DT/ABC HD recordings. As mentioned, all that needs to be done is for Gemstar/TV Guide to rename 707 from "KGO" to "KGODT" or "KGO-D" or "KGOHD" or ...

Larry, do you happen to know?

Comcast and Gemstar are aware of the problem, but maybe we will get the fix quicker if someone from KGO makes a phone call.

Originally posted by nereus
Original problem


Over the weekend, installed Radio Shack 1-in/2-out cable amp. AGC dropped to ~50-55%, SNR up to ~34.x dB. I wasn't around, though, to see if droppouts/pixelation changed. But numbers are better.

For reference, turns out my configuration was not as I remembered it. There was a 2GHz splitter instead of the WEGA internal one. So still one splitter, but it was external (radio shack, but correct freq. range). Could be that it "went bad" or that something in Comcast-land changed. Will continue to monitor... Unless it specifically says it supports 2-way and 1Ghz comms, the splitter in your TV will not be appropriate for HDTV use (or VOD or any other 2-way ie HSI use). My new Sony tv even says it's not for "digital cable" use. I suppose it's only good for passing standard cable to a VHS, etc.

Those radio shack drop-amps are not that great. If the cable co comes out and see it, they will complain that your problems are not their fault. Look HERE (http://www.cabletvamps.com/drop%20amps.htm) for some high quality drop amps. In fact these are the same ones that comcast uses.

Best,
jeff

Originally posted by nereus
Original problem


Over the weekend, installed Radio Shack 1-in/2-out cable amp. AGC dropped to ~50-55%, SNR up to ~34.x dB. I wasn't around, though, to see if droppouts/pixelation changed. But numbers are better.

For reference, turns out my configuration was not as I remembered it. There was a 2GHz splitter instead of the WEGA internal one. So still one splitter, but it was external (radio shack, but correct freq. range). Could be that it "went bad" or that something in Comcast-land changed. Will continue to monitor...

Since I don't have Comcast (I get all of my HD OTA), I don't know if 7.2 is on cable or not... or if it will be.

As for the iGuide problem with KGO-DT, I suggest someone who's familiar with the problem call the station during business hours (415-954-7777) and ask for the TV Engineering office and speak to one of the staff.

Larry

Originally posted by greeno
Those radio shack drop-amps are not that great. If the cable co comes out and see it, they will complain that your problems are not their fault. Look HERE (http://www.cabletvamps.com/drop%20amps.htm) for some high quality drop amps. In fact these are the same ones that comcast uses.

Best,
jeff

Understood. But it is/was an expedient way to test the hypothesis. If things generally appear better after a bit, a more permanent & lasting solution can be built.

Thanks, though, for the pointer...

Originally posted by greeno
Those radio shack drop-amps are not that great. If the cable co comes out and see it, they will complain that your problems are not their fault. Look HERE (http://www.cabletvamps.com/drop%20amps.htm) for some high quality drop amps. In fact these are the same ones that comcast uses.

Best,
jeff

Jeff, you're right. I bought an 8-port amp from these guys and it works great. Better picture on all TVs and no problem with HD. I was able to eliminate all splitters by using the 8-port amp; not cheap but works great.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
No way to record an On Demand show to the 6412's hard drive. This is by design.

All premium channels, SD and HD, can be recorded to the hard drive.

You can also record Pay Per Views to the 6412 by doing a manual recording.

Originally posted by zeram1
So that does mean that "free DiscHD" is system/region-specific, such that those of us in the 750+ areas (as most if not all of SF has been upgraded) do not get it from Comcast?

No matter which area you are in, the minimum package requirements for Discovery HD are Standard Cable and Digital Classic.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Definitely. Comcast sent letters to subscribers in 550 Mhz areas ONLY stating that Discovery HD would be added for free. Everywhere else, it is part of the Digital Classic tier (although it may still be unencrypted in a few random 750 Mhz areas; if so, it would only be so because equipment needs to be installed or fixed or because of human error).

This is not true, at least for me. I do not get DiscHD on my analog basic+extended service.

Area code 95403.

Kevin

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Will Comcast be carrying the 7.2 feed, as a replacement for ABC News Now or otherwise?

Comcast is carrying 7.2 (KGO Plus) on channel 194, the same channel that ABC News Now used to be.

Originally posted by avekevin
This is not true, at least for me. I do not get DiscHD on my analog basic+extended service. Assuming you are in the 550 Mhz area of Santa Rosa, which includes the vast majority of S.R., you should call and point out the letter and ask why you aren't getting Discovery HD with your service.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
I wonder if anyone at KGO is aware of the iGuide problem with KGO-DT/ABC HD recordings. As mentioned, all that needs to be done is for Gemstar/TV Guide to rename 707 from "KGO" to "KGODT" or "KGO-D" or "KGOHD" or ...

Larry, do you happen to know?

Comcast and Gemstar are aware of the problem, but maybe we will get the fix quicker if someone from KGO makes a phone call.

Hopefully not KGODT, since that's the name of channel 194, at least in Mountain View. Then we'd just end up recording the news instead of "Lost", "Alias", etc., which would be even worse than just recording in SD.

My wife was in the Pleasant Hill Comcast office yesterday exchanging one of our DVR's and the person in front of her was getting some monthly fees credited for a special Comcast had. He mentioned they had a promotion for up to 4 DVR's for the price of one. Has anyone heard of this?

Thanks,

Kris

Originally posted by KGD_007
My wife was in the Pleasant Hill Comcast office yesterday exchanging one of our DVR's and the person in front of her was getting some monthly fees credited for a special Comcast had. He mentioned they had a promotion for up to 4 DVR's for the price of one. Has anyone heard of this?

There is no promotion for DVR's. The rep is giving out incorrect information.

Originally posted by rshaw
Jeff, you're right. I bought an 8-port amp from these guys and it works great. Better picture on all TVs and no problem with HD. I was able to eliminate all splitters by using the 8-port amp; not cheap but works great.

Rshaw,
I was pointed towards these amps by this forum.
I looked at the 8 port one as I've got an 8-way splitter in my new house. Instead, I was able to re-use the "ramped" amp I had at my old house and just put that upstream of the 8-way. The ramped amp was best for me as my lower analog channels were fine. It was the upper analogs that needed the boost. It works great. These are pricey, but they are sort of a life-time purchase.

Best,
jeff

Originally posted by walk
Unless it specifically says it supports 2-way and 1Ghz comms, the splitter in your TV will not be appropriate for HDTV use (or VOD or any other 2-way ie HSI use).

I understand why a 2-way (bi-directional) amp would be needed for HSI or VOD, but why would it be necessary for HDTV? How is HDTV bi-directional? Isn't 2-way only necessary for pay per view or VOD? What other signals are sent from the decoder box (the 6412 in particular) upstream? Why is a 1-way amp not appropriate specifically for HDTV?

The reason I ask is that I insert channels using a RF modulator in the unused portion of the analog channel lineup (channels 88, 90, 92) to distribute other inputs (tivo, dvd, security cam) to others tv's throughout the house that also receive basic cable on the same line of coax that is carrying my inhouse 88,90, and 92. My understanding is that a 1-way amp blocks the in-house signal from going out into the neighborhood, whereas a bi-directional would pass it through.

Also, for what it's worth, last time someone from comcast was out, he said he didn't care if my inhouse signal went upstream or not since it was over 550mhz and I'm on a 550 system.

Originally posted by tivoyahoo
I understand why a 2-way (bi-directional) amp would be needed for HSI, but why would it be necessary for HDTV? How is HDTV bi-directional? Isn't 2-way only necessary for pay per view? What other signals are sent from the decoder box (the 6412 in particular) upstream? Why is a 1-way amp not appropriate for HDTV?

... I'm on a 550 system. You need 2-way for VOD, including HD VOD. Of course, none of the 550 Mhz systems appear to have VOD right now, so it's probably not a concern for you.

And yes, it's needed for interactive pay-per-view ordering.

I don't know if anything else gets sent upstream from an HD STB. Maybe a prompt for new firmware upgrades? I doubt it.

Also, for what it's worth, last time someone from comcast was out, he said he didn't care if my inhouse signal went upstream or not since it was over 550mhz and I'm on a 550 system.

He's not quite right. The bidirectional amp wouldn't let the signals out either, because the reverse operates in 5-42 Mhz, and the forward operates in 50-860 or however high your system goes.

If you add channels after an amp, you're fine, but most people combine channels before the amp, and in this case your modulated channels would leak out of the house without a low pass filter in place. It wouldn't get far, but your neighbors hung off the same tap would likely see your channels, even if it is only a 550 Mhz system.

Thanks,
Mike

You need 2-way to poll the box on occasion.

If it does not answer back, it is subject to shutdown.

Ah...my problems with 702 are gone. Family watched American Idol tonight and they reported not one picture breakup of any kind. 702 is now perfect just like the rest of my channels. Just letting everybody know.

This is a rant, justifiable though it may be.

What about?

6412 Problems

1) Ever since we replaced the DCT6200 with the 6412 we get what I believe is macroblocking about 12-15 times per hour: specifically, the image freezes and pixellates and the audio freezes for 1-2 seconds. Comcast says they're aware of the problem.

No more FM radio

2) Yesterday we were listening to KQED (88.5/89.3) our SF Public Radio station. The only way we get a good FM signal at our house is via cable to the FM tuner. Cable operators have provided this service in Marin County for at least the past 20 years. Yesterday KQED went dark; I assumed it was a transmission problem. Today, the usual morning ritual of coffee and KQED was missing a critical element - NPR audio. Called Comcast. They said, "oh didn't you know, we're discontinuing our retransmission of Bay Area FM radio signals via cable!"


Online Bill Pay for Comcast

3) Oh yeh, and if you pay your monthly cable bill via an online banking service, be sure to check the PO Box address that the bill is supposed to go to on a monthly basis - seems Comcast likes to change the address your payment is supposed to go to -- several times a year. Called Comcast and they said, in effect, "yeh, we're all in the same building, but you've got to make sure your payment goes to the correct virtual address, because we just can't be bothered to route your payment check from desk A to desk C."

Originally posted by CraigSharrow
This is a rant, justifiable though it may be.

What about?

6412 Problems

1) Ever since we replaced the DCT6200 with the 6412 we get what I believe is macroblocking about 12-15 times per hour: specifically, the image freezes and pixellates and the audio freezes for 1-2 seconds. Comcast says they're aware of the problem. Nobody else in Marin has reported such a problem, so unless it's a node problem (unlikely), the problem is either with your 6412 (get it replaced) or with the signal coming into your 6412 (too weak or too strong). Either way, you need to schedule a tech to come out to your residence to fix it. You could also swap the box yourself at a local Comast office, but that would be a waste of time if the problem is with the signal in your house.

Even if the issue is the internal wiring in your house, it should be Comcast's responsibility because the tech should have checked signal strength when he/she installed your 6412. (Do you remember the tech doing this?)

I did call Comcast and described the problem in detail. They're the one who told me it was a 6412 issue that they were aware of and were working to resolve. Comcast techs have been out to our home several times - and I've had them check signal quality each time - they report that the signal was good to very good.

If you're correct, then I guess that even when Comcast admits to having a problem you can't believe them.

It could be your signal was TOO strong but the techs didn't realize it. If not, then it's probably the specific 6412 you are using and it needs to be replaced.

What the heck did the techs say about the problem? Were they able to actually see the pixellation when they came to your house? Does it only happen on the HD channels? Digital channels? Analog channels?

Originally posted by CraigSharrow
Comcast techs have been out to our home several times - and I've had them check signal quality each time - they report that the signal was good to very good. Let's be clear-- you are talking about them being out to your house AFTER you started experiencing the 6412 problem, correct?

Nobody else in Marin has reported such problems, so I suggest you call Comcast back and confront them with this information and ask that a tech field supervisor come to your house. Make sure it is a field supervisor, NOT a regular tech.

No techs have been to see the 6412 problem - it did not appear immediately after installation, but appears to be getting worse since the 6412 was installed in December.

I've scheduled a service call for tomorrow morning and requested a field supervisor.

Originally posted by CraigSharrow

No more FM radio

2) Yesterday we were listening to KQED (88.5/89.3) our SF Public Radio station. The only way we get a good FM signal at our house is via cable to the FM tuner. Cable operators have provided this service in Marin County for at least the past 20 years. Yesterday KQED went dark; I assumed it was a transmission problem. Today, the usual morning ritual of coffee and KQED was missing a critical element - NPR audio. Called Comcast. They said, "oh didn't you know, we're discontinuing our retransmission of Bay Area FM radio signals via cable!"


[/B]

Talk about a waste of spectrum! I didn't know anybody still did this. It's a real pain for the MSO's to support this too - balancing signal levels and all the FM antenna feeds.

Craig, have you heard of something called the INTERNET? I understand a lot of radio stations are over that newfangled contraption. All digital, and takes a fraction of the network resources of an FM signal. Wow, even KQED-FM is available as a streaming source.

Good for comcast for turning this off - it'll make more room for digital simulcast, HD, and other useful services.

Thanks,
Mike

Nah, FM takes up less spectrum than a single TV channel. In fact the entire FM band is located *between* channels 3 and 4.

That isn't why they are removing it. It's a cost cutting measure.

Here in Petaluma they shut off FM last summer sometime. Truthfully, I won't miss it much since the reception was worse than OTA!

Originally posted by MikeSM
Talk about a waste of spectrum! I didn't know anybody still did this. It's a real pain for the MSO's to support this too - balancing signal levels and all the FM antenna feeds.

Thanks,
Mike

I didn't think they did this either anymore, it may be that the cable is acting as an antenna and that's where he's been getting his FM signal, when they hooked up the 6412 something in the cabling changed...

Originally posted by tivoyahoo
[B]I understand why a 2-way (bi-directional) amp would be needed for HSI or VOD, but why would it be necessary for HDTV? How is HDTV bi-directional? Isn't 2-way only necessary for pay per view or VOD? What other signals are sent from the decoder box (the 6412 in particular) upstream? Why is a 1-way amp not appropriate specifically for HDTV?


2-way is required for "digital" cable, not specifically HDTV, but all digital cable. Unless you have a telco return, but I think they stopped doing that years ago... depends on your local system I guess.

Originally posted by walk
Nah, FM takes up less spectrum than a single TV channel. In fact the entire FM band is located *between* channels 3 and 4.



It's between 6 and 7..:)

Ch 6 is 83.25 and ch 7 is 175.25

Walk, I think the FM band runs from 88-108 Mhz, and while it does lie between channel 6 and 7, it is at least 3 analog channels. Channels 95-99 in Cable map roughly to the FM band. Few people put analog programming there, but I know several that put digital carriers there.

The fact that the quality is worse that OTA doesn't surprise me, it's not easy to to FM retransmission well, since it requires balancing of a lot of analog signals (usually you have to have multiple directional attennas to pick up all the stations, and they are recieved at different levels). You have to be careful - too high a signal and you could push the forward laser into clipping.

It's all pretty much obselete these days given digital technology, and I haven't seen Comcast ever advertise such a service.

Thanks,
Mike

Originally posted by walk
2-way is required for "digital" cable, not specifically HDTV, but all digital cable. Unless you have a telco return, but I think they stopped doing that years ago... depends on your local system I guess.

I don't have a telco return, but based on MikeSM's post, it looks like a bi-directional amp will still block anything over 42 mhz from going upstream, so I may go that route since I could boost the signal going to the cable modem as well, whereas right now the cable modem sits on a separate line separate from the tv feeds.

But I still don't understand why 2-way is required for digital (on a 550mhz system with no VOD) unless it's for polling the box as Barovelli wrote. What is polling? Is polling the process where pay per view orders are collected from the STB? Is it part of the authorization process for channels you are supposed to receive?

Long-time reader (just registered as User) with several questions . . .

Bought new HDTV (Sony LCD RP) last week with built-in HD tuner. Hooked up extended basic analog cable from Comcast (never had STB) and discovered not only the HD stations and digital content, but received a large number of premium (HBO, Showtime) channels. Is this typical?

I searched this thread for a QAM or PSIP channel lineup, but did not find a full listing. So, made an effort to create a lineup with cross-reference to the Comcast channels (as best as I could align between what I was seeing on the TV with their TV listings) - see attached for all the channels I was able to pull in.

Questions:

1. Is it typical for customers without a STB to have unfiltered/unencrypted content to the extent I am seeing (see attached)? Did they forget to put a band-pass filter on my analog cable?

2. Some channels, including some of the HBO channels, are not always active (sometimes see content, other times see "No Signal" even though TV guide is showing a broadcast). Any background or links to other posts that explain this?

3. Since I am not paying for the premium channels I am receiving, no need to have Comcast come out and turn it off. However, any suggestions on best source for TV guide info and HD DVR capability that bypass the need for Comcast's STB?

Thanks in advance to all!

If you record ABC HD on your 6412, please be aware:

707, formerly "KGO", has just been renamed "DKGO" off the Rohnert Park headend, and probably most, if not all, other Bay Area headends.

Any scheduled recordings, whether manual or otherwise, have reverted to SD channel 7. You will have to reschedule all of them.

Right now, the iGuide for 707 is all "To Be Announced" in 30 min. segments, so you may have to set up manual recordings to tonight's and/or tomorrow night's ABC HD programming if the programming data does not download in time.

This will fix the problem of scheduled HD recordings on 707 reverting to SD recordings on analog channel 7.

Thank you, Comcast Bay Area management, for correcting this problem relatively quickly after becoming aware of it.

P.S. 707 has also been added to the HD channel menu. 730 and 736 are now the only HD channels missing from that list.

Originally posted by scatmandoo

Questions:

1. Is it typical for customers without a STB to have unfiltered/unencrypted content to the extent I am seeing (see attached)? Did they forget to put a band-pass filter on my analog cable?

2. Some channels, including some of the HBO channels, are not always active (sometimes see content, other times see "No Signal" even though TV guide is showing a broadcast). Any background or links to other posts that explain this?

3. Since I am not paying for the premium channels I am receiving, no need to have Comcast come out and turn it off. However, any suggestions on best source for TV guide info and HD DVR capability that bypass the need for Comcast's STB?

Thanks in advance to all!

1. Yes. No.
2. Not sure about this one.
3. HTPC for DVR. Comcast's box will block what you don't pay for.

Best,
jeff

Originally posted by scatmandoo
Long-time reader (just registered as User) with several questions . . .



Questions:

1. Is it typical for customers without a STB to have unfiltered/unencrypted content to the extent I am seeing (see attached)? Did they forget to put a band-pass filter on my analog cable?



3. Since I am not paying for the premium channels I am receiving, no need to have Comcast come out and turn it off. However, any suggestions on best source for TV guide info and HD DVR capability that bypass the need for Comcast's STB?

Thanks in advance to all!

When you first sign-up for service they dangle the carrot with those premium channels, eventually they will go dark...

Originally posted by tivoyahoo
I don't have a telco return, but based on MikeSM's post, it looks like a bi-directional amp will still block anything over 42 mhz from going upstream, so I may go that route since I could boost the signal going to the cable modem as well, whereas right now the cable modem sits on a separate line separate from the tv feeds.

But I still don't understand why 2-way is required for digital (on a 550mhz system with no VOD) unless it's for polling the box as Barovelli wrote. What is polling? Is polling the process where pay per view orders are collected from the STB? Is it part of the authorization process for channels you are supposed to receive?

Right, you should be fine IF you combine channels after the amp. Generally this not what you want to do since people use amps to boost power into a distribution system. In my house, I have about 16 CATV feeds off my distribution network (not all are in use), and I amplify the signal from comcast so that at the end of each coax drop the signal is the same as the input to the amp (sometikmes referred to as unity gain in the distribution system). If I combined the modulators after the amp, the modulators would have too weak a signal at the drop compared to the Comcast feed.

Technically, I think you could wire the STB without a reverse enabled and it would still work. No PPV (eventually), and no VOD, but other functions should work fine. PPV isn't authorized in realtime. When you "buy" a movie, the box notes this in memory, and when polled from the network it passes this info upstream. If the "credits" reach a certain point and the box hasn't been polled, it will stop letting you watch PPV. When you terminate service, and hand the box in, if there are "credits" that haven't been uploaded, they will at that time and you'll get a nice bill for all the movies you watched but didn't pay for.

The ads for these silly "Free PPV" devices are just 2-way filters that kill the 5-42 band and prevent the STB's responses to polling from getting back to the headend. It's not free in the end because they query boxes for these credits when the box is turned in.

Thanks,
Mike

Quick question for the group. Is anyone in the SaraMilgatos area NOT receiving HBO-HD ?? It's off on mine and the CSR doesn't have a clue, just wondering if it's just me or an area problem.

Laters,
Mikef5

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
If you record ABC HD on your 6412, please be aware:
707, formerly "KGO", has just been renamed "DKGO" off the Rohnert Park headend, and probably most, if not all, other Bay Area headends.


Thanks Comcast, and thanks for the alert, SonomaSearcher - I know you were instumental in bringing it to their attention. I'll be anxious to check my system when I get home tonight. BTW, my system (San Jose) also has the same issue with KPIX (CBS-HD). Any word on that fix?

Originally posted by Mikef5
Quick question for the group. Is anyone in the SaraMilgatos area NOT receiving HBO-HD ?? It's off on mine and the CSR doesn't have a clue, just wondering if it's just me or an area problem.

Laters,
Mikef5

Mike,

I just checked and I also am not getting HBO-HD now (shows "subscription service" even though I subscribe) ....I am still getting the other HBO channels okay though

So looks like it is an area problem

Originally posted by mds54
Thanks Comcast, and thanks for the alert, SonomaSearcher - I know you were instumental in bringing it to their attention. I'll be anxious to check my system when I get home tonight. BTW, my system (San Jose) also has the same issue with KPIX (CBS-HD). Any word on that fix?

705/KPIX hasn't been fixed yet. :(

I called and let a CSR know about this when I called because my box froze when trying to set up a series recording for Lost on DKGO. Hopefully my box will regain functionality by 8pm, otherwise it's time to break out the antenna.

Originally posted by davisdog
Mike,

I just checked and I also am not getting HBO-HD now (shows "subscription service" even though I subscribe) ....I am still getting the other HBO channels okay though

So looks like it is an area problem

Thanks, that's what I thought, but the CSR was sure no one else had the problem, so anyone in the SaraMilgatos area please call the CSR's and let them know that it's an area problem. The CSR wanted to send a reset signal but I knew that wouldn't do it but I let him do it anyway. So now he's sending a tech out tomorrow to look at the problem ( we'll both sit there and stare at the not authorized message ) Man, these guys are really jacking my jaw... :rolleyes:
Thanks Davisdog, at least I can rest easy knowing it's not me.... :)

Laters,
Mikef5

Actually, it might be worth it to have the CSR send a soft hit to attempt to authorize HBO HD (not a hard hit, which might cause you lose the programming data on your STB). Sometimes the DAC gets screwed up for whatever reason (work at the headend?) and they simply need to re-authorize you for particular HD channels.

It's happened to me before and the CSR has been able to reauthorize a channel for me by sending the right "hit."

You might also see what the diagnostic settings are for HBO HD. If the channel status is "Enc" and "Authorized" says "No", then it is something that can surely be fixed by a CSR soft hit.

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
Actually, it might be worth it to have the CSR send a soft hit to attempt to authorize HBO HD (not a hard hit, which might cause you lose the programming data on your STB). Sometimes the DAC gets screwed up for whatever reason (work at the headend?) and they simply need to re-authorize you for particular HD channels.

It's happened to me before and the CSR has been able to reauthorize a channel for me by sending the right "hit."

You might also see what the diagnostic settings are for HBO HD. If the channel status is "Enc" and "Authorized" says "No", then it is something that can surely be fixed by a CSR soft hit.

That's exactly what the diagnostic menu says but the reset didn't work and when he did the reset I didn't lose any guide info, so it must of been a soft hit. I really want the tech to come out so I can get another dvr for my other HD set :p Thanks for the info though, it'll give me something else to show the tech tomorrow.

Laters,
Mikef5

FYI - I got the following response today from FSBA re: HD on 550Mhz systems.

Less than encouraging....

Kevin

Thank you for your feedback.

We are fully aware of the challenges Comcast is facing in bringing high
definition programming to the entire Bay Area. Obviously, we'd prefer
it that our entire fan base would have access to this product, and
Comcast shares that desire. As the programmer our hands are tied, but
we're confident that Comcast will do everything in their power to make
HD a reality for all available subscribers.

I'd strongly recommend pushing Comcast on this issue. Comcast knows our
position, but ultimately a consumer's voice will be heard louder than
ours. Please contact them directly at 1(800) Comcast.

Thanks, and go A's,
-Jen

Jen Franklin
Marketing Manager
FSN Bay Area
fsnbayarea.com

Originally posted by avekevin
FYI - I got the following response today from FSBA re: HD on 550Mhz systems.

Less than encouraging....

Kevin


He's an A's Fan...what do you expect :(

Call 1-800-COMCAST....

lots of good that will do

Originally posted by davisdog
He's an A's Fan...what do you expect :(

Careful son... :D