Can someone post or PM me an email address for Mr. Johnson, or some other reasonably senior Comcast exec? I'd like to forward to them the wonderful email I get monthly telling all of us about upcoming HD programming. In particular, I intend to highlight the impressive programming that ISN'T available to those of us in the limited channel areas (I get hit twice, with homes in both Los Gatos and Aptos!), like INHD 1 and 2, and even ABCHD, which isn't available in Aptos.
Amazing in this day of computers and customer lists that they can't at least mail an appropriate advertisement to the right people without shooting themselves in the foot (again).
Thanks in advance.
Mike

Personally, I suggest first thing you do is complain to Comcast about poor signal strength. There have been a few instances where they just install an Electroline amp for free (after confirming weak signal). Other cases, they charge you something like $25-$30 for the amp.

I haven't used the Motorolas, but they look fine.

Won't they only give it to you for free if the weak signal is coming from the sidewalk? I thought once the cable hits your house, it's your problem.

I've been meaning to post this question for a week or two. Has anyone else not been getting INHD when they are supposed (digital tier or better sub)? I get everything else I'm supposed, but INHD just gives blank screen.

Best,
jeff

I've been meaning to post this question for a week or two. Has anyone else not been getting INHD when they are supposed (digital tier or better sub)?

Yeah, about 15% of the bay area...but I doubt that's what you meant. :)

Kevin

Won't they only give it to you for free if the weak signal is coming from the sidewalk? I thought once the cable hits your house, it's your problem.
Depends who you get and how your conversation goes. Worse case, usually when they sell it to you it is cheaper than buying it yourself. They can't expect you to connect your TV at the drop point. The signal needs to be strong enough to be reasonably distributed in your house. If the signal they give you can't survive a 4-split followed by 2-split, then I think it is their problem. A 4-split followed by 4-split is borderline. If you are doing an 8-split followed by 8-split, then it is probably your problem, but there's no hard and fast rule. If your inside wiring is screwed, then that is your problem, but they'll fix it for a fee.

The way it's listed on my bill,

Digital Platinum....(includes, blah blah.etc...and digital converter and remote if applicable)....53.95

DVR service with HDTV....9.95

Digital Addl Outlet...(includes: Digital converter and remote if applicable)...6.95

I'm, pretty sure an additional DVR would only be 9.95

I had a DVR first and then added CableCARD.

My bill looks similar to this, but in addition there is a 5.00 HDTV charge. I have one HD cable box and a DVR. Is a separate $5.00 HDTV fee charged for each HDTV box? or should there only be one 5.00 HDTV charge per household? My DVR Service line is annotated AO (which I assume means additional outlet) If that is true, I am being charged for two additional outlets, but I only have two outlets and therefore only one should be "additional." Call me confused.

Digital Platinum....(includes, blah blah.etc...and digital converter and remote applicable)....53.95

DVR service W/hdtv AO....9.95

High Definition TV.......5.00

Digital Addl Outlet...(includes: Digital converter and remote if applicable)...6.95

My bill looks similar to this, but in addition there is a 5.00 HDTV charge. I have one HD cable box and a DVR. Is a separate $5.00 HDTV fee charged for each HDTV box? or should there only be one 5.00 HDTV charge per household? My DVR Service line is annotated AO (which I assume means additional outlet) If that is true, I am being charged for two additional outlets, but I only have two outlets and therefore only one should be "additional." Call me confused.

Digital Platinum....(includes, blah blah.etc...and digital converter and remote applicable)....53.95

DVR service W/hdtv AO....9.95

High Definition TV.......5.00

Digital Addl Outlet...(includes: Digital converter and remote if applicable)...6.95

These charges are on top of that for the basic, standard cable, right?

These charges are on top of that for the basic, standard cable, right?

Yes, I have
Limited Basic......10.74

My bill looks similar to this, but in addition there is a 5.00 HDTV charge. I have one HD cable box and a DVR. Is a separate $5.00 HDTV fee charged for each HDTV box? or should there only be one 5.00 HDTV charge per household? My DVR Service line is annotated AO (which I assume means additional outlet) If that is true, I am being charged for two additional outlets, but I only have two outlets and therefore only one should be "additional." Call me confused.

Digital Platinum....(includes, blah blah.etc...and digital converter and remote applicable)....53.95

DVR service W/hdtv AO....9.95

High Definition TV.......5.00

Digital Addl Outlet...(includes: Digital converter and remote if applicable)...6.95


The $5 "HD" Fee is a "premium/uplift" for the fancy HD Capable box (to help recover there cost since the box is more expensive than a regular Digital box)...The charge is not for the signal itself...so yes, it would be per Box

Yes, I have
Limited Basic......10.74

Which of course gives you all broadcast HD channels, and for me - a few other SD (standard definition) Digital cable channels and sometimes some HD premium channels (they come and go)

peter

Personally, I suggest first thing you do is complain to Comcast about poor signal strength. There have been a few instances where they just install an Electroline amp for free (after confirming weak signal). Other cases, they charge you something like $25-$30 for the amp.

I haven't used the Motorolas, but they look fine.It's way easier to spend the $43, and take 10 minutes to hook it up myself, than to waste hours waiting for the cable guy to show up, and then get charged $30 anyway.

Regarding the Motorola line amp I added, I recorded an analog and an HD show at the same time as I watched a third HD show through the CC feed, all 3 programs played flawlessly, something I couldn't do before. I'm happy.

Personally, I suggest first thing you do is complain to Comcast about poor signal strength. There have been a few instances where they just install an Electroline amp for free (after confirming weak signal). Other cases, they charge you something like $25-$30 for the amp.

I haven't used the Motorolas, but they look fine.

I purchased an amplifier/splitter combo from here CableTVAmps.Com (http://www.cabletvamps.com/drop%20amps.htm) and now my picture is clear and steady. Their professional quality (though more expensive) and work great. There's a whole series of products to fit most needs.

If the $5 is for the HD upgrade box then he shouldn't also be charged for the add'l outlet - he's being charged for 3 boxes basically. Digital includes 1 box, which if you upgrade to HD is another $5, then the DVR box is $9.95, that's all he should be paying, he shouldn't be charged the $6.95 for "AO". Right?

I have just 1 HD box and only pay the $5. If I upgrade to DVR are they gonna charge $9.95 for the DVR -AND- the $5 for HD? I mean, they don't have a non-HD DVR do they? If someone wants DVR but not HD they get the same box as everyone else.. why not just don't tell them you want HDTV, you'll get the same channels won't you? I guess I could call them...

My bill looks similar to this, but in addition there is a 5.00 HDTV charge. I have one HD cable box and a DVR. Is a separate $5.00 HDTV fee charged for each HDTV box? or should there only be one 5.00 HDTV charge per household? My DVR Service line is annotated AO (which I assume means additional outlet) If that is true, I am being charged for two additional outlets, but I only have two outlets and therefore only one should be "additional." Call me confused.

Digital Platinum....(includes, blah blah.etc...and digital converter and remote applicable)....53.95

DVR service W/hdtv AO....9.95

High Definition TV.......5.00

Digital Addl Outlet...(includes: Digital converter and remote if applicable)...6.95


How are you managing to get Digital Platinum for $53.95? In my area it is listed at $99.94!

How are you managing to get Digital Platinum for $53.95? In my area it is listed at $99.94!
That price doesn't include Standard Cable, it's broken out separately on the bill. Where I'm at Standard Cable is $43.99, plus Platinum at $53.95, for a total of $97.94.

I purchased an amplifier/splitter combo from here CableTVAmps.Com (http://www.cabletvamps.com/drop%20amps.htm) and now my picture is clear and steady. Their professional quality (though more expensive) and work great. There's a whole series of products to fit most needs.
Those are the Electroline amps referred to earlier, good stuff.

I would recommend people try the cable company route first as too strong a signal can make things just as bad. I would have preferred an amp that had an adjustable gain but the Moto unit seems to play nice with the rest of my setup. Reason I did it on my own was the 2 times I had talked to Comcast about signal strength problems they basically pooh-poohed it as in fact, at the time they were here, the signals were strong enough to get pictures, even though the AGC and SNR readings were terrible. Now I get pictures on all 3 feeds and the numbers are good as well. Plus, I can take the thing with me if I move.

One caveat, I don't have HSI and although the documentation says the Moto amp works with HSI, I cannot verify that.

The 6412 Moto DVR that I now have from COMCAST has DVI output. Is there a DVR available from them that has HDMI output?

No, not yet anyway. Such a beast exists but not here.

Those are the Electroline amps referred to earlier, good stuff.

I would recommend people try the cable company route first as too strong a signal can make things just as bad. I would have preferred an amp that had an adjustable gain but the Moto unit seems to play nice with the rest of my setup. Reason I did it on my own was the 2 times I had talked to Comcast about signal strength problems they basically pooh-poohed it as in fact, at the time they were here, the signals were strong enough to get pictures, even though the AGC and SNR readings were terrible. Now I get pictures on all 3 feeds and the numbers are good as well. Plus, I can take the thing with me if I move.

One caveat, I don't have HSI and although the documentation says the Moto amp works with HSI, I cannot verify that.
Years ago when AT&T installed digital cable at our house, the analog reception was horrible. So the tech replaced the old 4-way splitter at the line drop with a 4-way Electroline amp (for free), and my analog & digital reception has been perfect in all 4 rooms ever since. And it stayed perfect when I installed 3 6412's 8 months ago. :cool:

I purchased an amplifier/splitter combo from here CableTVAmps.Com (http://www.cabletvamps.com/drop%20amps.htm) and now my picture is clear and steady. Their professional quality (though more expensive) and work great. There's a whole series of products to fit most needs.
Yah, I have Electroline EDA-2400 also. It is definitely professional quality and built like a tank, but doesn't necessarily cost more. Mine cost $28 including shipping and also came with the power inserter accessory, which cabletvamps doesn't include.

Those are the Electroline amps referred to earlier, good stuff.

I would recommend people try the cable company route first as too strong a signal can make things just as bad. I would have preferred an amp that had an adjustable gain but the Moto unit seems to play nice with the rest of my setup. Reason I did it on my own was the 2 times I had talked to Comcast about signal strength problems they basically pooh-poohed it as in fact, at the time they were here, the signals were strong enough to get pictures, even though the AGC and SNR readings were terrible. Now I get pictures on all 3 feeds and the numbers are good as well. Plus, I can take the thing with me if I move.

One caveat, I don't have HSI and although the documentation says the Moto amp works with HSI, I cannot verify that.

I can confirm that the Motorola plays nice with High Speed Internet. I have one at the feed into my house before it feeds three rooms and multiple outlets in each room (i.e. lots of splitters).

I have a JVC HD-DVR that I connect via firewire from my 6412. Seems to work fine.
Mike

Tuesday night I set the Comcast DVR to record the Giants game at 12:30pm Wednesday on channel 720 . Wednesday evening I check and the recording is not there. I check the schedule (using my Replay TV - the Comcast box does not go back in time) and see that the game was not broadcast on 720 as indicated Tuesday night, but instead on channel 40.

So why can't Comcast and FSN get their act together? It isn't like they woke up Wednesday morning and were shocked to learn that the Giants were playing that day - the schedule was set before the season started. But trying to figure out where FSN and FSNBA+ will show up is a lot like playing 3-card monte, i.e., a game of hide the pea.

I don't know if this is due to simple incompetence or a lingering symptom of the Comcast/Fox/Cox game of chicken that led to doubts about whether we would get the Super Bowl in HD until the last minute. But getting the channel guide right and deciding where to put the game seems to me to be a Comcast issue. A month or so ago I called Comcast to ask where a Giants game that was to be broadcast but that was not listed on the channel guide would be, and asked why it wasn't listed. I got an incoherent answer that included a comment that Comcast channels vary by my location. But if the channel guide can get I Love Lucy reruns right, why not a baseball game?

On Monday, the channel guide on the Comcast box showed the Giants game would be on both channels 719 and 720. I figured this was bogus. The Replay channel guide (which I assume is based on info provided by Comcast) showed the game only on 719. So I set up to record the game on 719. An hour into the game I checked and the game was on 720.

Can it really be this hard to know a day in advance where the game will show up?

Tuesday night I set the Comcast DVR to record the Giants game at 12:30pm Wednesday on channel 720 . Wednesday evening I check and the recording is not there. I check the schedule (using my Replay TV - the Comcast box does not go back in time) and see that the game was not broadcast on 720 as indicated Tuesday night, but instead on channel 40.

So why can't Comcast and FSN get their act together? It isn't like they woke up Wednesday morning and were shocked to learn that the Giants were playing that day - the schedule was set before the season started. But trying to figure out where FSN and FSNBA+ will show up is a lot like playing 3-card monte, i.e., a game of hide the pea.

I don't know if this is due to simple incompetence or a lingering symptom of the Comcast/Fox/Cox game of chicken that led to doubts about whether we would get the Super Bowl in HD until the last minute. But getting the channel guide right and deciding where to put the game seems to me to be a Comcast issue. A month or so ago I called Comcast to ask where a Giants game that was to be broadcast but that was not listed on the channel guide would be, and asked why it wasn't listed. I got an incoherent answer that included a comment that Comcast channels vary by my location. But if the channel guide can get I Love Lucy reruns right, why not a baseball game?

On Monday, the channel guide on the Comcast box showed the Giants game would be on both channels 719 and 720. I figured this was bogus. The Replay channel guide (which I assume is based on info provided by Comcast) showed the game only on 719. So I set up to record the game on 719. An hour into the game I checked and the game was on 720.

Can it really be this hard to know a day in advance where the game will show up?

Well I have some similar problems with A's games and Warriors games in HD, but I can solve one of your issues. You will NEVER see coverage of a Giants or A's game in the bay area on channel 719. That's the InHD games and they're blacked out in our area. The 720 listing is the Fox Sports HD.

The problems I've had are that sometimes local sports HD recording get corrupt and have all sorts of weird problems on the 6412 box but ONLY with the A's/Giants/Warriors coverage. I think it has to do with the weird scheduling and program changes.

On Monday, the channel guide on the Comcast box showed the Giants game would be on both channels 719 and 720. I figured this was bogus. The Replay channel guide (which I assume is based on info provided by Comcast) showed the game only on 719. So I set up to record the game on 719. An hour into the game I checked and the game was on 720.

Can it really be this hard to know a day in advance where the game will show up?
For my area's ReplayTV channel guide, 720 is INHD2 and they use non-existent 721 to display the FSBAHD guide. This pretty much makes it impossible to record FSBAHD stuff (using ReplayTV) with the correct show information, but I do get to see when FSBAHD deviates from INHD2.

Yeah, I agree the guide info is unreliable. In general, I've programmed my head to equate 720 with FSBAHD and 719 in INHD baseball (as previous poster mentioned)

Did anybody else's 6412 go complete stupid today?

When I came home the box could tune channels (on 1 tuner only) but had lost contact with its Hardrive (no recordings showed up and if you look in the diags it said no harddrive was attached).

I pulled the power so it did a hard reset and no it looks like it found the HD again (whew)...just have to wait for it to pull down the entire guide again :(

It does look like I'm running Firmware 9.19 now...I'm not sure if that happened today (and was what caused the problem) or if the upgrade had happened earlier and this was unrelated to that

-steve

Did anybody else's 6412 go complete stupid today?

When I came home the box could tune channels (on 1 tuner only) but had lost contact with its Hardrive (no recordings showed up and if you look in the diags it said no harddrive was attached).

I pulled the power so it did a hard reset and no it looks like it found the HD again (whew)...just have to wait for it to pull down the entire guide again :(

It does look like I'm running Firmware 9.19 now...I'm not sure if that happened today (and was what caused the problem) or if the upgrade had happened earlier and this was unrelated to that

-steve
I've been experiencing lass than normal performance from my 6412 for a few days now. It seems unusually slow to change channels. I hit the channel up or down button, wait, and press again when I get no response. After a few iterations the dvr acts on all the button pushes and I end up somewhere real strange. It's not just the typical slowness we're used to. The dvr is just behaving strangely. There was a note on 7/20 advising that work was going to be done...

Does anybody know what the work is that was scheduled for 7/20? QAM256 upgrades? Digital simulcasting? Removal of all reality programming. (The last one is only wishful thinking.)

The work is phase 3 of the 256QAM upgrades or perhaps phase 4.

The last couple weeks I have had trouble recording the A's games. They record o.k. (most of the time) but often can not, in the middle of recording, start to watch the game from the beginning. Usually what will happen is I can watch, but can't fast forward or skip.
Last nite I set the recording option to add an extra hour. Once again wanted to start watching a couple hours later and had to suffer thru commercials because I couldn't FF or skip. To make matters worse, the recording stopped at 3 hrs. - didn't continue the next hour. Missed the last couple innings!

I only have had trouble recording/watching one program other than HD baseball. That program, while listed, was inaccessible on my box and wound up going thru a couple hoops to delete it.

Guess as early adopters have to put up w. some glitches.

BTW, speaking of baseball, there have been a few times when a game is showing on the guide, but can't access it. Basically get some kind of frozen picture.

...mike

Does anybody know what the work is that was scheduled for 7/20? QAM256 upgrades? Digital simulcasting? Removal of all reality programming. (The last one is only wishful thinking.)

It was Phase 4 in Fremont, it depends on the area. They completed all of phase 4 successfully in Fremont on Wednesday.

Kevin

They still haven't done diddly in Santa Rosa...

But they have in Rohnert Park, ya gotta move a little south........ :)

I know, I visited a friend yesterday in Larkfield and he's got all the goodies, has a 6mbps download speed as well.

Maybe Santa Rosa will become a Historical Landmark to ancient cable TV systems.. :D

Maybe Santa Rosa will become a Historical Landmark to ancient cable TV systems.. :D

That's hysterical.... :D

The last couple weeks I have had trouble recording the A's games. They record o.k. (most of the time) but often can not, in the middle of recording, start to watch the game from the beginning. Usually what will happen is I can watch, but can't fast forward or skip.
Last nite I set the recording option to add an extra hour. Once again wanted to start watching a couple hours later and had to suffer thru commercials because I couldn't FF or skip. To make matters worse, the recording stopped at 3 hrs. - didn't continue the next hour. Missed the last couple innings!

I only have had trouble recording/watching one program other than HD baseball. That program, while listed, was inaccessible on my box and wound up going thru a couple hoops to delete it.

Guess as early adopters have to put up w. some glitches.

BTW, speaking of baseball, there have been a few times when a game is showing on the guide, but can't access it. Basically get some kind of frozen picture.

...mike

Let me field this one.

1. The no-fastforward bug is a really annoying one and it seems to only apply to games recorded on 720 that are FSBAHD. Never had it with anything but A's and Warriors games(I don't watch giants games but I'm sure it's the same). Best way to "fix" it is to start recording the game slightly late. The problem occurs I believe because they for some reason set it to switch programs in the middle of the first minute or so and it messes up the 6412's software or something. Fortunately you can still watch the game with commercials but that's obviously a bummer. If I'm at work I always call my girlfriend and ask her to check up on the game to make sure it's not acting funny. 9 times out of 10 it is and she has to stop it and start it again and everything is fine.

2. The "frozen" thing is because the game you're trying to watch is blacked out by MLB blackout restrictions. Personally I think whoever came up with the blackout restrictions should be shot 99 times in the groin until they bleed to death.

I use the 6412 for Giants games, including last night's on channel 720. I had no problem skipping, and it recorded the extra hour and a half that I set it up to record. Last night I did start it when the game was about 40 minutes in progress (I originally started recording the game on channel 40 because when I set it to record, the game was not listed on 720), but started recording on 720 when I noticed; watched the channel 40 recording until I was 40 minutes in, and then deleted the channel 40 recording and switched to 720. Other times when I record the game on 720, skip and ff work fine.

I've been experiencing lass than normal performance from my 6412 for a few days now. It seems unusually slow to change channels. I hit the channel up or down button, wait, and press again when I get no response. After a few iterations the dvr acts on all the button pushes and I end up somewhere real strange. It's not just the typical slowness we're used to. The dvr is just behaving strangely. There was a note on 7/20 advising that work was going to be done...

Justsc,
You're not the only one. This is happening to me as well. Anyone else?

Mine seems to be working as it should, once in awhile I will have remote lag, but not very often.

Ditto

About three weeks ago we just got the Comcast HiDef on the Dual Tuner DVR/Hi Def Motorola box, and it's been great down here in Monterey!

Except for some reason INHD2 (INHD1 is fine) isn't showing and the screen says "Unauthorized viewing, call to subscribe" which is odd because it's been part of my package and the guy at Comcast reverified that. He's sent commands over the line to my box and we've done the unplug/reset thing, but INHD2 still hasn't returned. Now they say they'll have to send someone out, but I just can't see taking another four hours off of work waiting for them.

Anybody else have this kind of problem?

Yah, I have Electroline EDA-2400 also. It is definitely professional quality and built like a tank, but doesn't necessarily cost more. Mine cost $28 including shipping and also came with the power inserter accessory, which cabletvamps doesn't include.

The electrolines are pretty good. Adjustability is nice, but fixed attentuators can also do the job of an adjustable gain control if needed. I have an channel plus unit that has adjustable gain and runs to 1 GHz in the forward, and it works very well. Some amps also have tilt compensators in them, but they shouldn't be necessary as long as you keep the coax runs modest in terms of length, or use quad shield or other kinds of high quality coax for long runs.

If you aren't modulating channels, it's not a big deal to set the gain, but if you are, you want to make sure you inject the modulated signal into the input of the amp at about the same power level of the CATV feed. Otherwise you'll have a wide variation of signal strength at the endpoints between the CATV signal and your modulated channels. Worse yet, if you drive the amp too strongly at the input, it could clip causing a lot of problems. You want to pay attention to the max signal level spec in the amp, and make sure you feed it signals at or below that number minus the gain of the amp.

I also split off a special run of RG-6 to my cable modem before I feed the signal to the distribution network, but technically this shouldn't be necessary if the amp passes the 5-42 in the reverse. Also, I terminate all unused feeds at the socket with terminators, yo make sure I'm not feeding any ingress back into the network. It's not just good engineering, but improves the reliability of your reverse services.

Thanks,
Mike

The electrolines are pretty good. Adjustability is nice, but fixed attentuators can also do the job of an adjustable gain control if needed.
...
Umm, did you quote the right post? All I was commenting on there was the price of Electrolines not necessarily being expensive.

anyone here in hayward?

a coworker called and said no for hayward residents.

i wonder if she just got a bad CSR...

No what? Bananas? Midegets? Pro baseball team?

Anyone else going to the Grand Prix this weekend?

Anyone know what the television schedule is supposed to be? Any chance any of it is HD? (hoping maybe on InHD or something?)

Both SPEED and KNTV have coverage on 7/31. No HD, according to Titan.tv.

BTW, you won't catch me anywhere near downtown from 7/28 to 7/31. Good luck with your little trek.

Let us know how the traffic is. I was thinking of going but I am a little leary of transportation in the area.

For the last few days, I've had a strange problem with my 6412.

When it is powered on, it will output only the on-screen display, but no picture for the selected channel. ie. it will show that it is tuned to EPSN, show program info, but no image from ESPN.

If I start playing a recorded show, the box returns to functioning normally, and continues to work normally in all respects until powered off. Will show both live broadcast and recorded shows normally. Once powered off, it reverts and I need to play a recording to get it back to working.

Anyone else seen this? Is the box going bad or is there a fix?

Thanks,

B

For the last few days, I've had a strange problem with my 6412.

When it is powered on, it will output only the on-screen display, but no picture for the selected channel. ie. it will show that it is tuned to EPSN, show program info, but no image from ESPN.

If I start playing a recorded show, the box returns to functioning normally, and continues to work normally in all respects until powered off. Will show both live broadcast and recorded shows normally. Once powered off, it reverts and I need to play a recording to get it back to working.

Anyone else seen this? Is the box going bad or is there a fix?

Thanks,

B

bfisch

This is a very common issue when you power the box off, it is a software issue there is nothing wrong with the box. The best fix is just to leave the box on all the time. There are hundreds of posts on this issue in the 6412 thread.

Kevin

This is a very common issue when you power the box off, it is a software issue there is nothing wrong with the box. The best fix is just to leave the box on all the time. There are hundreds of posts on this issue in the 6412 thread.
Don't take this the wrong way, I know what you mean, nothing wrong with the hardware, another box will perform the same... but I just thought this read funny.

Software problem, box is working fine, you just can't turn it off, ever.

bfisch

This is a very common issue when you power the box off, it is a software issue there is nothing wrong with the box. The best fix is just to leave the box on all the time. There are hundreds of posts on this issue in the 6412 thread. Indeed. What sfhub said. There's certainly something wrong with an appliance that you have to leave on all the time for proper function! You could report Comcast to the EPA (presuming that there's the usual "Energy Star" sticker on the box) for false advertising. :eek:

Indeed. What sfhub said. There's certainly something wrong with an appliance that you have to leave on all the time for proper function! You could report Comcast to the EPA (presuming that there's the usual "Energy Star" sticker on the box) for false advertising. :eek:


:) Too true, you can guess what I do for a living :)

Kevin

There's certainly something wrong with an appliance that you have to leave on all the time for proper function!
How about a refrigerator.... :p

or a clock!

Thanks for the feedback.

B

or a clock!

Thanks for the feedback.

B
They should have left the power button off, that would have cut down the bugs!

Kevin

How about a refrigerator.... :pThe compressor motor and interior lights both cycle on and off. If they didn't (a la the DVR under discussion) I'd say that the fridge was broken too. ;)

And I expect that the DVR's "clock" does run when it's "off".

Enough of silly answers! It just isn't acceptable for consumer appliances to run up unnecessary power bills to save the designers effort. Collectively, these are costing us all in many ways.

They should have left the power button off, that would have cut down the bugs!

Kevin


:D :D :D :D :D :eek: :eek: :eek:

bfisch

This is a very common issue when you power the box off, it is a software issue there is nothing wrong with the box. The best fix is just to leave the box on all the time. There are hundreds of posts on this issue in the 6412 thread.

Kevin

actually, this bug can happen not just when you power the 6412 off, but even if you keep it on all the time. with this bug, even when first turning on a TV with the 6412 always on there can be no picture unless you play a pre-recorded show. this has happened to me twice in six months. the fix is to unplug the 6412 for a few minutes, then plug it back in. you'll have to wait for your guide data to come back, but you'll be able to see a channel immediately upon turning on the TV.

Anyone know which HD channels broadcast in 16:9 format vs. 4:3 format? Or is it program/content dependent and not channel dependent?

the fix is to unplug the 6412 for a few minutes, then plug it back in. you'll have to wait for your guide data to come back, but you'll be able to see a channel immediately upon turning on the TV.
Ok, we are making progress. The real fix then is to buy an old school vacation timer and set it to cut the power to the box at 4am when you are asleep so when you get around to watching tv, everything will be fine.

So it is a software problem that can be resolved with hardware.

Anyone know which HD channels broadcast in 16:9 format vs. 4:3 format? Or is it program/content dependent and not channel dependent?
HD channels always broadcast in 16:9 format. If the picture doesn't fill your screen and you have black bars on the side, that is the station taking 4:3 content and sending that out on the 16:9 HD channel. The black bars are not produced by your TV, they are actually part of the transmission, so you have a 16:9 picture, except the left and right side consist of black content.

Your real question then is which channels have 16:9 content. Well most of the locals will only have 16:9 after 8pm, CBS has a soap in 16:9, some sporting events are 16:9 but most still are not, InHD1/2, Discovery HD, KRON/HDNET loop are always 16:9. ESPN-HD is technically always 16:9, but sometimes the content is 4:3 and they just stick some background on the sides.

Anyone know which HD channels broadcast in 16:9 format vs. 4:3 format? Or is it program/content dependent and not channel dependent?

Program dependent, even scene by scene if the programmers desire.

Individual commercials and promos can theortically switch automatically between HDTV and SDTV and/or 16:9 and 4x3. For 4x3 the channel can switch to SDTV or just show the scaled 4x3 window with sidebars within a 16:9 HDTV frame. Normally the latter is done.

I've never had this bug, and I power off the box multiple times each day.

Program dependent, even scene by scene if the programmers desire.

Individual commercials and promos can theortically switch automatically between HDTV and SDTV and/or 16:9 and 4x3. For 4x3 the channel can switch to SDTV or just show the scaled 4x3 window with sidebars within a 16:9 HDTV frame. Normally the latter is done.

One my 4:3 HDTV set, I've seen weirdness where the screen will switch from 16:9 to 4:3 and back to 16:9 in the blink of an eye. I always assumed that the problem was either bad stream encoding, bad signal or both.

Kevin

Individual commercials and promos can theortically switch automatically between HDTV and SDTV and/or 16:9 and 4x3.
Possible in theory, but in practice I have very rarely seen an HD 720p/1080i channel switch to SD 480p/480i in midstream. I have only seen it with KQED broadcasting their blue SD "we'll be back at 8pm" screen then switching to HD at 8pm, but they do that because they need the bandwidth for the other SD subchannels during the day (and I think the switchoff causes problems with LG tuners). I have never seen an HD channel switch to SD for commercials, but of course have seen many times 4:3 commercial in 16:9 HD frame.

Possible in theory, but in practice I have very rarely seen an HD 720p/1080i channel switch to SD 480p/480i in midstream. I have only seen it with KQED broadcasting their blue SD "we'll be back at 8pm" screen then switching to HD at 8pm, but they do that because they need the bandwidth for the other SD subchannels during the day (and I think the switchoff causes problems with LG tuners). I have never seen an HD channel switch to SD for commercials, but of course have seen many times 4:3 commercial in 16:9 HD frame.

True, I was responding in theory. In practice the major stations will stick to HDTV 16x9 for the main channel and upscale SDTV content to 1080 or 720 lines vertically filling the sides for 4:3 content. But when they do this they are still consuming full HDTV bandwidth. There may be more reluctance to waste this bandwidth as uses are found for the subchannels and data broadcasting.

Digital SDTV channels can and do switch between 4:3 and 16:9 on the fly (including commercials) and could also change from interlace to progressive but that tends to disturb current generation CRT sets.

As DTV spreads to the minor TV stations expect more mode switiching on air as they reconfigure their subchannel mix during the broadcast day.

Hi guys,

I am moving from Berkeley to either San Ramon or Pleasanton. Previously, I was getting my signals OTA, but anticipate that I will need to make a deal with the devil (Comcast) if I want to get my HD channels again.

I've scanned the thread and it seems like people are able to receive the local HD feeds and possibly more with just limited basic programming and a HD QAM capable tuner with the total fee coming out to 10-17$ (for limited basic) + 5$ "HD charge" + 6.95 STB rental. My question is this: Theoretically, if I already have a tuner capable of tuning QAM, I should be able to receive the channel without the extra 5$ HD charge and 6.95 STB rental. Is this a correct assumption? Also, does anyone know the local bandwidth in San Ramon and Pleasanton?

Thanks

Hi guys,

I am moving from Berkeley to either San Ramon or Pleasanton. Previously, I was getting my signals OTA, but anticipate that I will need to make a deal with the devil (Comcast) if I want to get my HD channels again.

I've scanned the thread and it seems like people are able to receive the local HD feeds and possibly more with just limited basic programming and a HD QAM capable tuner with the total fee coming out to 10-17$ (for limited basic) + 5$ "HD charge" + 6.95 STB rental. My question is this: Theoretically, if I already have a tuner capable of tuning QAM, I should be able to receive the channel without the extra 5$ HD charge and 6.95 STB rental. Is this a correct assumption? Also, does anyone know the local bandwidth in San Ramon and Pleasanton?

Thanks
If you have a QAM capable tuner and all you want are the locals, all you need is the Limited Basic package, no STB or HD charge. You should get KTVU, KNTV, KPIX, KGO, KQED, all in HD. Some systems also have ESPN-HD and Discovery-HD in the clear. I believe you will also get the KNTV and KGO sub-channels, I think they are channels 186 and 187.

To the best of my knowledge, San Ramon and Pleasanton are at least 750Mhz systems, so you should have the full offering of channels and services, although someone from that area will have to verify that.

I have the limited basic and get the HD channels mentioned by Keenan with both a QAM tuner and the basic HD box, Motorola 6200 for $5 from Comcast.
I find it worth it to use the Motorola box as the channel tuning makes more sense. Chs 702, 703, etc. and up for channels 2 through 11.
The LG QAM tuner puts the channels in strange orders. But that is just my preference.

This is an update to phase 5 of the conversion to 256 QAM given to me by Mr. Johnson, who has allowed me to post it here. Some good news and some bad....
____________________________________________________________ ___________


FYI-You may share the information with the Forum.

We have pushed back the fifth, and final phase, of the 256 QAM
conversion for 30 days. We now anticipate tackling Phase 5 in
September.

We have a number of our technical teammates who are involved with the
project taking some time off with their families before the School Year
begins.

Given the complexities of the migration, we elected to push back the
schedule so we can take advantage of their experience with the first
four phases of the project.

To recap, here were the original Phase 5 schedule/channels.

Phase 5
8/3/05 to 8/17/05

Display Channel Programming
64 VH-1 West
65 Comedy Central West
66 E! West
441 NBA PPV 1
442 NBA PPV 2
443 NBA PPV 3
444 NBA PPV 4
445 NBA PPV 5
446 NBA PPV 6
447 NBA PPV 7
448 NBA PPV 8
449 NBA PPV 9
450 NBA PPV 10
451 NBA PPV 11
461 NHL/MLB PPV 1
462 NHL/MLB PPV 2
463 NHL/MLB PPV 3
464 NHL/MLB PPV 4
465 NHL/MLB PPV 5
466 NHL/MLB PPV 6
467 NHL/MLB PPV 7
468 NHL/MLB PPV 8
469 NHL/MLB PPV 9
470 NHL/MLB PPV 10

____________________________________________________________ _________

Not such great news about the delay but even Comcast people have families and need to take care of personal business once in a while and is totally understandable, but at least the conversion is almost done and digital simulcasting such not be very far behind, when I find that out I'll let the forum know.

Laters,
Mikef5

This is an update to phase 5 of the conversion to 256 QAM given to me by Mr. Johnson, who has allowed me to post it here. Some good news and some bad....
____________________________________________________________ _______



Mike, can you ask him what the heck, if anything, they are doing in Santa Rosa? Nothing has been converted here. The 256 QAM channels we have are the ones we've always had since day 1.

My suspicion is that anything being done in Santa Rosa is on hold until the City and Comcast can work out their differences brought up in the City Council meeting months ago. I hope that's not the case.

Mike, can you ask him what the heck, if anything, they are doing in Santa Rosa? Nothing has been converted here. The 256 QAM channels we have are the ones we've always had since day 1.

My suspicion is that anything being done in Santa Rosa is on hold until the City and Comcast can work out their differences brought up in the City Council meeting months ago. I hope that's not the case.

I can ask but he does read this forum or someone from Comcast reads these forums and reports to him but it can't hurt to ask. If Santa Rosa is having franchise disagreements then you are probably right that you guys are on hold until the disagreement is settled, I'm not really up to date on what's happening there in Santa Rosa, something like Walnut Creek ???

Laters,
Mikef5

I can ask but he does read this forum or someone from Comcast reads these forums and reports to him but it can't hurt to ask. If Santa Rosa is having franchise disagreements then you are probably right that you guys are on hold until the disagreement is settled, I'm not really up to date on what's happening there in Santa Rosa, something like Walnut Creek ???

Laters,
Mikef5
No, not really, there is an agreement in place until 2010 I believe. The "dispute" is over some monies owed the City and monies owed to Comcast over a variety of things. A matter of who pays who what and how much type of thing...the last "upgrade" done in Santa Rosa was back in March when they added HSI citywide, but since then, nothing has happened up here. With the HSI rollout already in progress during the last Council meeting, and the fact that nothing else has happened since, makes me wonder if it is indeed due to some differences between the City and Comcast.

With no QAM coversion taking place, we have become the lowest of the low on the totem pole... :(

hey keenan is the cable card good to have or not good to have. because
i was thinking geting one with a cable card.

thanks
usc10

hey keenan is the cable card good to have or not good to have. because
i was thinking geting one with a cable card.

thanks
usc10
Yes and no. If you have a lot of programs you like to record, it's nice because you can use the DVR to record 2 programs and watch a third, all airing at the same time. Depending on the processing equipment in your display, CableCARD can give you a somewhat better picture than you can get from the STB.

If you have a CableCARD equipped display you have to decide how much you want the premium and digital channels that the card decrypts. You will receive all the locals in HD without the card, and on some systems, like Santa Rosa, you'll get ESPN-HD and Discovery-HD in the clear also.

If you already have an STB then the card will cost an additional $6.95 a month. If the card would be the only digital equipment you have from Comcast then it's included in the Digital programming price. You get no program guide information with the card although some displays have onboard PGs that do extract some PG info from the cable feed, like TVGOS and ChannelView depending on the make.

I'm still undecided whether I'm going to keep the card or not as I'd only be missing the 3 movie channels and the digital cable channels, and as far as the digital channels, my DirecTV feed still looks better when it comes to those. The analog channels are better than the STB but still not as good as DirecTV.

If I were you I would at least try it and see how you like it. Before you get the card installed I would check with the maker of your display and see if there are any firmware upgrades specific to CableCARD. Mine wouldn't work correctly until I received a FW upgrade from Mitsubishi. Certain Sony and Sharp displays seem to have some initial trouble with the cards as well.

Is it just me or is channel 704 not working? All I get is a black screen. Everything else is fine though.

Is it just me or is channel 704 not working? All I get is a black screen. Everything else is fine though.
Same here in Palo Alto.

thanks kennan for the info. i am getting a sharp this week. i just want say it sucks to be on a 550 system. i wish for more hdtv channels. sorry for the late reply. took the kids to practice. so just trade digital cable box for hdtv box.

thanks for info kennan you been very helpfull

:)

Yes, 550 sucks big time.. :(

How do I find out what system I'm on? I'm in San Francisco. Sorry if this has been posted in this thread before, but it's too big to search.

As of this AM, I get a black screen in Rohnert Park.

How do I find out what system I'm on? I'm in San Francisco. Sorry if this has been posted in this thread before, but it's too big to search.
The quick way to tell is if you have lots of HD channels, you are on 750 or 860. Otherwise you are on 550. I believe 550 doesn't get inHD1/inHD2.

Is it just me or is channel 704 not working? All I get is a black screen. Everything else is fine though.
I got some "black screen" last night on 704. Actually, I'd rather they leave it black, then it would be easier to surf past. Frankly, I don't know why KRON puts anything on 704. There's only a very few actual "programs" broadcast there and they're all repeats from who knows when.

Does anyone actually know if there's a useful future intended for this channel?

The quick way to tell is if you have lots of HD channels, you are on 750 or 860. Otherwise you are on 550. I believe 550 doesn't get inHD1/inHD2.
No they don't, also no Showtime-HD and a host of other standard digital channels as well...and no KRON-HD black screen either... :)

You non-550 folks may get lucky and get another HD channel if 704 is going dark for KRON, which doesn't have any HD content anyway...

The channels I get are KTVU-HD, KNTV-HD, KRON-HD, KPIX-HD, KGO-HD, KQED-HD, INHD1, INHD2, Discovery HD, ESPNHD, HD Special Events, and the premium channels in HD (Starz, Max, Showtime, HBO). That makes 16 total. Would that be the 750 or 860 system?

...You non-550 folks may get lucky and get another HD channel if 704 is going dark for KRON, which doesn't have any HD content anyway...
I don't understand. I assume I'm a "non-550" type since I do get INHD, etc., but I'm confused with what you're saying about 704. I "do" get 704, which just seems to be repeated hd material 24hrs/day. It did go dark for a bit last night.

What's this about a new channel? My appologies - I'm kinda new to Comcast digital cable so I'm not that familiar with the discussion.

I don't understand. I assume I'm a "non-550" type since I do get INHD, etc., but I'm confused with what you're saying about 704. I "do" get 704, which just seems to be repeated hd material 24hrs/day. It did go dark for a bit last night.

What's this about a new channel? My appologies - I'm kinda new to Comcast digital cable so I'm not that familiar with the discussion.
I was joking and speculating that since you guys have said that 704 has gone dark that Comcast may dump it(KRON) and replace it with a channel that has some actual compelling HD material. I have always thought that 704 was a place holder for KRON for when/if they ever had any HD content to put on it. Two and three year old re-runs of HDNet is not compelling content anymore. I would hope that Comcast has some recourse regarding KRON where they could dump it for another content provider that had some current programming. 704 is basically a 24 hr running ad for HDNet, a channel that Comcast does not even carry, and I can't imagine that sits too well with them. It's an infomercial channel, a complete waste of valuable bandwidth.

Channel 704 has returned with the same old garbage it always has. Good point Keenan, it'd be nice if they put something good there like ESPN2. College football is about ready to start.

I was joking and speculating that since you guys have said that 704 has gone dark that Comcast may dump it(KRON) and replace it with a channel that has some actual compelling HD material. I have always thought that 704 was a place holder for KRON for when/if they ever had any HD content to put on it. Two and three year old re-runs of HDNet is not compelling content anymore. I would hope that Comcast has some recourse regarding KRON where they could dump it for another content provider that had some current programming. 704 is basically a 24 hr running ad for HDNet, a channel that Comcast does not even carry, and I can't imagine that sits too well with them. It's an infomercial channel, a complete waste of valuable bandwidth.
Totally agree. I'd rather they gave me another quality SD channel than keep running that nonsense on 704.

This is an update to phase 5 of the conversion to 256 QAM given to me by Mr. Johnson, who has allowed me to post it here. Some good news and some bad....
No sign of Phase 4 yet here in Novato. Has anyone gotten phase 4?

No sign of Phase 4 yet here in Novato. Has anyone gotten phase 4?

phase 4 was completed a while back in the South Bay (SJ Area)...on schedule

Phase 4 is not complete in Rohnert Park.

The channels I get are KTVU-HD, KNTV-HD, KRON-HD, KPIX-HD, KGO-HD, KQED-HD, INHD1, INHD2, Discovery HD, ESPNHD, HD Special Events, and the premium channels in HD (Starz, Max, Showtime, HBO). That makes 16 total. Would that be the 750 or 860 system?
At this point, I don't think their is any difference between 750 and 860 in terms of programming.

Someone at Comcast can tell you pretty easily what your area is. Not sure what is the best way to figure it out yourself. I know I'm on 860 as I have a QAM tuner where I see the real RF frequencies rather than the Comcast virtual mappings and they briefly had some test channels at RF 119, which is 765 Mhz. You can also see the frequency with the cable box by going in the diagnostic menu (tune to channel, power off, immediately press Ok, option D06 current channel status). You may or may not see anything above 750. If you see something in 760 range, then you are on 860. Otherwise this test tells you nothing as you could be on either. You might be on 860 and they aren't using the extra bandwidth of you could be on 750.

From CED Broadband Direct,

http://www.cedmagazine.com/cedailydirect/2005/0805/cedaily050802.htm
CED Broadband Direct News

Comcast's second-quarter profit rises 64%

CBS MarketWatch

August 2, 2005 Tuesday 10:22 AM

David B. Wilkerson, MarketWatch

From Lexis Nexis

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Comcast Corp., the largest U.S. cable-television operator, said Tuesday that second-quarter profit rose 64% on increased demand for digital video and broadband services.

Philadelphia-based Comcast (CMCSA) (CMCSK) reported earnings of $430 million, or 19 cents a share, up from $262 million, or 12 cents, earned in the year-ago second quarter.

Revenue rose 10.5%, reaching $5.6 billion from $5.07 billion.

Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had been expecting a profit of 15 cents a share on revenue of $5.54 billion.

Comcast's shares rose 37 cents, or 1.2%, to stand at $30.98 in morning trading.

"We are extending our competitive advantage with industry-leading products," said Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts in assessing Comcast's results.

Cable revenue rose 10% to $5.33 billion in the latest quarter, with video revenue up 6% to $3.44 billion.

Basic cable subscribers fell by 77,000 customers in the period, as Comcast ended the quarter with 21.4 million.

Comcast added 284,000 new digital cable customers, for a total of 9.14 million.

Broadband revenue rose 29% to $982 million, as the company added 297,000 customers to end the quarter with 7.7 million high-speed users.

Average monthly revenue per Internet subscriber rose to $43.34 from $42.81 in the first quarter of 2005, Comcast said.

The company added 15,000 digital telephone subscribers in the quarter.

Advertising revenue rose 10% to $362 million.

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

This company is awash in a sea of cash and I can't even see the Giants in HD...

I can highly recommend Electroline drop amps. I have an EDA-2400 that has done great things for both analog and digital signal strength. There's a longish writeup about my experiences here:

http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3725649#post3725649

2) power is supplied via RG6 cable. I found this a very useful feature as
my drop point doesn't have any power outlets nearby, so I just stuck the
transformer in a room which didn't need cable, connected it to the wall
coax jack, then at the drop point, connected the cable from that bedroom
to the amp, and the green power light was lit



I'm a little unclear on how power is applied to the electroline amp. Are you saying you have to run a RG cable from a wall socket to the Comcast drop point ? Is that why it looks like there's an extra female connector on each amp ?

At this point, I don't think their is any difference between 750 and 860 in terms of programming.

Someone at Comcast can tell you pretty easily what your area is. Not sure what is the best way to figure it out yourself. I know I'm on 860 as I have a QAM tuner where I see the real RF frequencies rather than the Comcast virtual mappings and they briefly had some test channels at RF 119, which is 765 Mhz. You can also see the frequency with the cable box by going in the diagnostic menu (tune to channel, power off, immediately press Ok, option D06 current channel status). You may or may not see anything above 750. If you see something in 760 range, then you are on 860. Otherwise this test tells you nothing as you could be on either. You might be on 860 and they aren't using the extra bandwidth of you could be on 750.

It varies. If I tune to an HD channel I get in the upper 700's, if I'm on a digital channel it's in the 200-300's, and under 100 if i'm on an analog channel, it's below 100. Is that supposed to happen?

Yes and no. If you have a lot of programs you like to record, it's nice because you can use the DVR to record 2 programs and watch a third, all airing at the same time. Depending on the processing equipment in your display, CableCARD can give you a somewhat better picture than you can get from the STB.

If you have a CableCARD equipped display you have to decide how much you want the premium and digital channels that the card decrypts. You will receive all the locals in HD without the card, and on some systems, like Santa Rosa, you'll get ESPN-HD and Discovery-HD in the clear also.

If you already have an STB then the card will cost an additional $6.95 a month. If the card would be the only digital equipment you have from Comcast then it's included in the Digital programming price. You get no program guide information with the card although some displays have onboard PGs that do extract some PG info from the cable feed, like TVGOS and ChannelView depending on the make.

I'm still undecided whether I'm going to keep the card or not as I'd only be missing the 3 movie channels and the digital cable channels, and as far as the digital channels, my DirecTV feed still looks better when it comes to those. The analog channels are better than the STB but still not as good as DirecTV.

If I were you I would at least try it and see how you like it. Before you get the card installed I would check with the maker of your display and see if there are any firmware upgrades specific to CableCARD. Mine wouldn't work correctly until I received a FW upgrade from Mitsubishi. Certain Sony and Sharp displays seem to have some initial trouble with the cards as well.

To be honest I've been pulling my hair out over this since I got my new hd plasma with qam tuner/cablecard slot. For whatever reason the dvi out to hdmi input method on my TV comes in way too bright and somewhat hazy, no where near the awesome contrast I get with the built in tuner. The built in tuner looks fantastic and there are obviously no issues. Here's what I don't understand. Why on earth don't they:

1. Make an output on the DVR that simply outputs QAM/ATSC signals on something like channel 1. You could use it like an old nintendo and there would be no issues with calibration problems that me and others experience.

2. Make a digital format that actually works. Why is the hdmi performance so poor? It should be perfect and it's not, it just doesn't make sense. 5Gbs? How about just get the blacks outputting correctly.

3. Make a cable card based DVR. I realize this would have to be way too small but it could have a box with something plugged in. okay, I know this is a pipe dream.....

I would for sure get a cablecard to fix the problems I'm having but I'm horribly addicted to my DVR now. I would like more than anything to just get the DVI to HDMI interface to just work well. I would hate to have to get a cable card just to watch live TV then switch over every time I want to watch something recorded. I do this already for I bought a new dvi-to-hdmi cable that should show up soon(I was previously using a monster converter). Do you think there is any chance that one of the new 6412 boxes with HDMI output would fix my problem or is it just a general problem with the format?


p.s. bummer on phase 5 not being complete soon. I watch a lot of baseball on 461-470 and I can't wait for them to upgrade it. Some people say they don't see the difference between the qam64 and qam256 signals. To me the difference is bright and clear.

I'm a little unclear on how power is applied to the electroline amp. Are you saying you have to run a RG cable from a wall socket to the Comcast drop point ? Is that why it looks like there's an extra female connector on each amp ?
There's a wall wart AC/DC converter that plugs into the wall and then the RG6 cable plugs into it and connects to the amp.

It varies. If I tune to an HD channel I get in the upper 700's, if I'm on a digital channel it's in the 200-300's, and under 100 if i'm on an analog channel, it's below 100. Is that supposed to happen?


For the digital channels....the "channel" that shows on the Cable box has nothing to do with what frequency the channel is actually on. Comcast uses Virtual channel mapping to make them appear on your STB under a specific channel #. You have to go into the diagnositic menus on the box to see the frequency they are using.

Where's a moderator when you need one, ain't a one online right now for this forum..

why do you want a mod? are you offended by sex?
If this were a sex forum, maybe. Personally, not me. I really Hope this poster gets banned!

why do you want a mod? are you offended by sex?
hello im 20 and play with wrestling figures, aww dammit wrong forum :(

If this were a sex forum, maybe. Personally, not me. I really Hope this poster gets banned!
Oh, you can take that to the bank..

If this were a sex forum, maybe. Personally, not me. I really Hope this poster gets banned!
you love it.

Oh, you can take that to the bank..
How long has Nexum been a cheque for?
*confused*
stupid terminology of other people.

*leaves*

This is obviously a unified attack. Looks like you guys have too much time on your hands, among other things.....

For the digital channels....the "channel" that shows on the Cable box has nothing to do with what frequency the channel is actually on. Comcast uses Virtual channel mapping to make them appear on your STB under a specific channel #. You have to go into the diagnositic menus on the box to see the frequency they are using.

Yeah I did that, I went to option #6, just like sfhub suggested. Is that the right option? I'm using a Moto 6412 DVR, btw.

To be honest I've been pulling my hair out over this since I got my new hd plasma with qam tuner/cablecard slot. For whatever reason the dvi out to hdmi input method on my TV comes in way too bright and somewhat hazy, no where near the awesome contrast I get with the built in tuner. The built in tuner looks fantastic and there are obviously no issues. Here's what I don't understand. Why on earth don't they:

1. Make an output on the DVR that simply outputs QAM/ATSC signals on something like channel 1. You could use it like an old nintendo and there would be no issues with calibration problems that me and others experience.

2. Make a digital format that actually works. Why is the hdmi performance so poor? It should be perfect and it's not, it just doesn't make sense. 5Gbs? How about just get the blacks outputting correctly.

3. Make a cable card based DVR. I realize this would have to be way too small but it could have a box with something plugged in. okay, I know this is a pipe dream.....

I would for sure get a cablecard to fix the problems I'm having but I'm horribly addicted to my DVR now. I would like more than anything to just get the DVI to HDMI interface to just work well. I would hate to have to get a cable card just to watch live TV then switch over every time I want to watch something recorded. I do this already for I bought a new dvi-to-hdmi cable that should show up soon(I was previously using a monster converter). Do you think there is any chance that one of the new 6412 boxes with HDMI output would fix my problem or is it just a general problem with the format?


p.s. bummer on phase 5 not being complete soon. I watch a lot of baseball on 461-470 and I can't wait for them to upgrade it. Some people say they don't see the difference between the qam64 and qam256 signals. To me the difference is bright and clear.

Does your display have a setting for the HDMI input, maybe for PC or Video, maybe it's set to the wrong one..?

Have you tried the component out from the 6412? That's what I use, I tried the DVI when I had a 5100 and I wasn't all that impressed.

Have you had the display calibrated?

Sony makes a CableCARD DVR but from what little I have read, it's fairly buggy and it's only a single tuner model.

Haven't had a chance to test this out myself but does anyone know if you get longer pause times on QAM256? If I remember correctly, QAM64 allowed for 2 hours of pause time. I would think if they are using a higher compression ratio then more video can fit on the hard drive, hence getting longer pause times. That's the one thing I miss about my Replay...it would pause for however much hard drive space you had left. Sometimes I would pause, leave for 7 hours, come back and start right where I left off.

p.s. bummer on phase 5 not being complete soon. I watch a lot of baseball on 461-470 and I can't wait for them to upgrade it. Some people say they don't see the difference between the qam64 and qam256 signals. To me the difference is bright and clear.
Which QAM modulation they use, qam64 or qam256, has nothing to do with how the picture looks. It has everything to do with bandwidth utilization. If, as a result of the "extra" bandwidth freed up by qam64->qam256, Comcast decided to increase the bitrates and/or frame size, then you would see an improvement, but most channels (I don't watch digital cable that much so I don't want to say all) have the same bitrate and frame size before and after the conversion. Maybe some areas have received improvements and others have not.

I'm a little unclear on how power is applied to the electroline amp. Are you saying you have to run a RG cable from a wall socket to the Comcast drop point ? Is that why it looks like there's an extra female connector on each amp ?
For the Electroline amps:
The only way to supply power is by RG cable. I use RG6.

The amp comes with an AC adapter that plugs into a standard 110V wall socket and has a female coax RG connector. You connect your RG cable from the adapter to the coax RG "power in" connector on the Electroline amp. Basically the same thing you'd do for any AC adapter, except instead of the mini power connector, you are using RG cable instead.

This gives you the flexibility of locating the Electroline amp in the room you want to use it and alternatively at the Comcast drop point (where it may be inconvenient to run power to)

In case you don't have a free coax cable running from one of your rooms to the the drop point, Electroline also has a "power inserter" adapter that is included in some of their kits, but also sold separately. This allows you to combine "power" and cable signal onto the same coax cable. The Electroline amp has a separate "power" in for the standard RG cable which only supplies power, but it can also accept "power" on split #1, which basically can work as both a splitter and power input. In the room where split #1 goes to, you attach the "power" inserter to the wall coax socket, and the power inserter provides 2 female coax RG connectors. One connector is for the cable signal to your device. The other connector is used to connect with the AC adapter mentioned above.

It varies. If I tune to an HD channel I get in the upper 700's, if I'm on a digital channel it's in the 200-300's, and under 100 if i'm on an analog channel, it's below 100. Is that supposed to happen?
Yup, currently, in our area, anything under 100 is analog cable and the analog cable channels basically correspond to the actual RF frequencies. Above 100 are digital channels and their is a virtual mapping system so the channel # could have no relation to the actual RF frequency it is sent on.

If you see any channel above 760, you are most likely on 860 Mhz system. Otherwise you could be on either. The stuff in the mid 700s is usually HD channels and latin music channels.

Yeah all channels in the 700s are HD channels. MaxHD and StarzHD are at 763 mhz, but the other HD channels are below. This means that I'm on the 860 mhz system, though, right?

Yeah all channels in the 700s are HD channels. MaxHD and StarzHD are at 763 mhz, but the other HD channels are below. This means that I'm on the 860 mhz system, though, right?
That is my understanding. Someone with more knowledge of Comcast equipment will probably correct me if I'm wrong.

For the Electroline amps:
The only way to supply power is by RG cable. I use RG6.

The amp comes with an AC adapter that plugs into a standard 110V wall socket and has a female coax RG connector. You connect your RG cable from the adapter to the coax RG "power in" connector on the Electroline amp. Basically the same thing you'd do for any AC adapter, except instead of the mini power connector, you are using RG cable instead.

This gives you the flexibility of locating the Electroline amp in the room you want to use it and alternatively at the Comcast drop point (where it may be inconvenient to run power to)

In case you don't have a free coax cable running from one of your rooms to the the drop point, Electroline also has a "power inserter" adapter that is included in some of their kits, but also sold separately. This allows you to combine "power" and cable signal onto the same coax cable. The Electroline amp has a separate "power" in for the standard RG cable which only supplies power, but it can also accept "power" on split #1, which basically can work as both a splitter and power input. In the room where split #1 goes to, you attach the "power" inserter to the wall coax socket, and the power inserter provides 2 female coax RG connectors. One connector is for the cable signal to your device. The other connector is used to connect with the AC adapter mentioned above.

Thanks for the info. The website doesn't mention it at all that I could find.

I'm thinking of picking up the motorola booster locally and it appears to have a similar set up: power in through a RG cable. (Maybe it's really an Electoline OEM) I've got enough splitters in my room to justify it, but it would be nice to put it at the lock box 75' upstream. That probably won't happen unless comcast wants to install it all for free and supply the power too.

I live in a three plex and the incoming cable is apparently split three or more ways at the input lock box. There's no power I can see so I guess the splitter is passive with lots of signal loss. Unless of course Comcast uses their own "inserter", but I seriously doubt that. The building is 75' long and four stories high. We've only got the standard thin RG cable coming in. Now I'm wondering how those new THICK cables you see going into apartment buildings work. I wonder if they include a power feed for amplifiers at the drop box.

I hate dealing with Comcast. Just recently they came in and DESTROYED a perfectly good ground wire set up for the whole building and replaced it with the WORST excuse for a ground termination I've seen. The guy tried to scrape some paint off an electric meter box with a screwdriver and then put a screwball metal clamp on the (painted) lip of the box that affects a ground connection by a screw touching the box where he DIDN'T remove all the paint. I asked him what he thought he was doing, but he just laughed and left. He claimed it was all an "update". Some update.

Then there was the original comcast cable installer who bent the cable 90 degrees around each door corner leaving a physical crease in the cable 1/3 the way through.

Anyone in the South San Jose area lost all their channels today? All 4 of my TV's are out.

Yeah all channels in the 700s are HD channels. MaxHD and StarzHD are at 763 mhz, but the other HD channels are below. This means that I'm on the 860 mhz system, though, right?


Not necessarily. You can get a few Mhz about the cutoff of the system in many cases, but I am not sure why Comcast would risk that unless they were really hurting for spectrum, which they shouldn't be on a 750 Mhz system. Are you in San Francisco? I didn't think that was rebuilt to 860, but I could be wrong on that.

Thanks,
Mike

For the Electroline amps:
.......In case you don't have a free coax cable running from one of your rooms to the the drop point, Electroline also has a "power inserter" adapter that is included in some of their kits, but also sold separately. This allows you to combine "power" and cable signal onto the same coax cable. The Electroline amp has a separate "power" in for the standard RG cable which only supplies power, but it can also accept "power" on split #1, which basically can work as both a splitter and power input. In the room where split #1 goes to, you attach the "power" inserter to the wall coax socket, and the power inserter provides 2 female coax RG connectors. One connector is for the cable signal to your device. The other connector is used to connect with the AC adapter mentioned above.
This is exactly how my Electroline amp is installed. Very neat and clean and works like a charm. There's absolutely no loss in picture quality due to the use of the splitter.

Not necessarily. You can get a few Mhz about the cutoff of the system in many cases, but I am not sure why Comcast would risk that unless they were really hurting for spectrum, which they shouldn't be on a 750 Mhz system. Are you in San Francisco? I didn't think that was rebuilt to 860, but I could be wrong on that.

Thanks,
Mike

Yeah I'm in San Francisco. Well I guess only way to find out is once they start adding more channels. Doesn't really matter now anyway, I guess.

Just replaced my oldest 6412 DVR. I'm pretty sure the hard drive was failing (maybe b/c it got too warm) - I was experiencing audio dropouts at very frequent, regular intervals on recordings. The Comcast service people agreed I should just swap it out, which I did.

The "new" DVR was set to record Lance Armstrong's farewell interview, post-TdF while I was away earlier this week. Just checked it, and the entire recording has a black rectangular bar in the very middle of the screen (conveniently covering the middle of all faces on camera :(), with red hatches within the black bar all the way across - almost like a barcode on packages at the checkout counter.

Any idea what this is? A defective DVR?

Any idea if the phase 3 6412 has made an appearance in the Bay area?

Any idea if the phase 3 6412 has made an appearance in the Bay area?
What improvements are in the "phase 3" 6412? I hadn't heard of it before, so I'm curious.

It adds this array of connections,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/keenanj/6412-HDMI.jpg
whether all or any are to be supported is unknown, although I'm sure the HDMI will be. There's another pic of the complete back panel in one of the hardware threads but I don't recall which one. Might be the 6412 thread..

I don't care about the HDMI, personally, as I'd have to buy a new cable. But, the SATA port is very interesting. There is really only one thing it could be used for, an external hdd. That is big news.

What I don't understand is why they didn't just put a bigger hdd in the Phase 3, as long as they were making these other improvements. After all, the small hdd is the 6412's biggest shortcoming, by far.

BTW, is there an ethernet port on the existing 6412's? I never noticed, and am not near mine to check.

Anyone know what happened to the scheduled HD broadcast of the Giants vs Rockies game yesterday? I turned it on and they were showing a kendo match. I watched the SD version on FSN and they even said it was being simulcast in HD.

It adds this array of connections,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/keenanj/6412-HDMI.jpg
whether all or any are to be supported is unknown, although I'm sure the HDMI will be. There's another pic of the complete back panel in one of the hardware threads but I don't recall which one. Might be the 6412 thread..

Considering the DVI-to-HDMI connection we're stuck with right now works very poorly for what should be a "perfect" digital connection, I want this more than anything in the world. If anybody has info on how I can aquire one let me know. I'm in oakland(94618) if that helps.

-Zack

Hey guys,

I have another question about Comcast's use of the Motorola HD DVR if you don't mind.

I am getting Comcast cable with this dual tuner HD DVR installed tomorrow. What I want to know is whether Comcast here in the Bay Area (Fremont) disables the composite/ s-video outputs.

I ask because I use a projector for HD, but most of my TV viewing is SD with a regular TV. I only want to have one box (the dual tuner DVR) for both purposes, with the TV hooked up using composite or s-video and my projector connected via component video.

I don't need them both hooked up at the same time, but I remember when I was in KC with Time Warner Cable and their SA dual tuner HD DVR, they actually disabled the composite and s-video out. The "worst" you could do was output 480i via component video.

Will this be a problem for me?

Thanks!

Hey guys,

I have another question about Comcast's use of the Motorola HD DVR if you don't mind.

I am getting Comcast cable with this dual tuner HD DVR installed tomorrow. What I want to know is whether Comcast here in the Bay Area (Fremont) disables the composite/ s-video outputs.

I ask because I use a projector for HD, but most of my TV viewing is SD with a regular TV. I only want to have one box (the dual tuner DVR) for both purposes, with the TV hooked up using composite or s-video and my projector connected via component video.

I don't need them both hooked up at the same time, but I remember when I was in KC with Time Warner Cable and their SA dual tuner HD DVR, they actually disabled the composite and s-video out. The "worst" you could do was output 480i via component video.

Will this be a problem for me?

Thanks!

Not a problem at all, I'm set up that way. The composite/S-video is on all the time as well as the component. I actually have both set up into my RPTV and just change the inputs when I go from SD to HD.

I don't care about the HDMI, personally, as I'd have to buy a new cable. But, the SATA port is very interesting. There is really only one thing it could be used for, an external hdd. That is big news.

What I don't understand is why they didn't just put a bigger hdd in the Phase 3, as long as they were making these other improvements. After all, the small hdd is the 6412's biggest shortcoming, by far.

BTW, is there an ethernet port on the existing 6412's? I never noticed, and am not near mine to check.

There is an ethernet port on the exisiting 6412s but it is inactive. Word is that in the future we will be able to add on an external hard drive to get additonal space.

What improvements are in the "phase 3" 6412? I hadn't heard of it before, so I'm curious.

Improvement:
1. CPU is changed to latest chipset.
2. SATA to replace EIDE.

Actually this is totally re-designed box from previous versions. You will see totally different bugs for it. :)

Improvement:
1. CPU is changed to latest chipset.
2. SATA to replace EIDE.

Actually this is totally re-designed box from previous versions. You will see totally different bugs for it. :)


The reports are the new MPEG encoder is much better. Of course this will be a non issue soon with DS.

There is an ethernet port on the exisiting 6412s but it is inactive. Word is that in the future we will be able to add on an external hard drive to get additonal space.
Ethernet port for external hard drive? Kinda strange. I would think the USB ports, maybe. Couldn't the ethernet be used for some kind of networking use, like playing PC media files on your TV a la MediaPortal, or programming the unit via the internet a la Tivo?

The reports are the new MPEG encoder is much better. Of course this will be a non issue soon with DS.
DS?

DS = digital simulcast

Ethernet port is not to add storage. That is what (presumably) the SATA port will allow for.

The question remains: What is the intended purpose of the ethernet port?

Kevini - How will digital simulcast render the MPEG decoder a non-issue? How are the two related?


Oh. And another improvement to the Phase 3 is the inclussion of an RF output. That really comes in handy for distributing signal thoughout the house. If you combine it with an RF remote extender, it's possible to have one DVR for the entire home. (as long as you don't have a million family members wanting to view different DVR events and/or digital programming simultaneously.)

Ethernet port is for HSI. The 6412 includes a DOCIS modem. Comcast hasn't enabled it. Yet.

Not a problem at all, I'm set up that way. The composite/S-video is on all the time as well as the component. I actually have both set up into my RPTV and just change the inputs when I go from SD to HD.

It should be fine, for SD broadcasts. Pretty nice signal out (at least from digital SD sources :) )

Note that for me, on HD/widescreen programs, the S-video out ALWAYS letterboxes stuff.
Even though I have my prefs/setup menu set to 16:9 TV. eg it's hardcoded to assume Svideo= 4:3 ratio.

This means if I record any HD programs out via the Svideo to DVD-R or VHS, the widescreen is letterboxed; and when I play that back, it's all squished on my 16:9 TV.
Very annoying.
Would be a useful feature to output svideo to a 4:3 TV, but if I want to watch/record widescreen stuff via svideo on my 16:9 TV, I'm screwed. Not sure why it doesn't respect the "TV aspect ratio" settings.

Anybody got any fixes for that? Maybe phase3 box? ;)

Ethernet port is for HSI. The 6412 includes a DOCIS modem. Comcast hasn't enabled it. Yet.
The ethernet port could also be used for a home networking setup Motorola/Comcast are supposedly working on.

The RF port may or may not be active, the RF port on the current Comcast 6200-6412 has been blocked off. They may do the same when these ever/finally get here.

Whether or not any/all of these ports are active depends on how much Comcast wants to support/hassle with. I'm inclined to think that unless mandated(IEEE1394) or it suits a purpose that Comcast wants to provide as a service(pay) that the ports will probably remain inactive.

I returned my hdtv the other day and since I have gotten rid of my old tv I was left to attach my 21" PC (4 x 3)monitor to my Motorola 6412 DVR box.

My monitor has the following inputs:
- dvi-d
- composite
- s-video

I have hooked the dvr box up to each of these and none of them work properly. Here are the results of each:

1) DVI-D. When I turn the moto dvr box on I do get a picture that is stretched up from widescreen to 4x3 (even Craig Stadler looks thin) but that only lasts about 5 seconds and it goes blank.

2) S-VIDEO. I get a good enough picture but cannot use the on screen TV Guide or On Demand.

3) COMPOSITE. Same as S-VIDEO.

I called the comcast customer support line and got into a bizarre conversation with a rep who kept telling me that she could not understand why the tv guide would not work because she had it connected the same way (via s-video) at home. In fact she "knew how to fix these things before she even came to work for comcast because she had had a dvr for the past year".

She was insisting it was the dvr box that was at fault and had already sent 2 depth charges, or whatever they are, to it. Anyway after me pushing her that it must have something to do with the new monitor, after all nothing else had changed to the setup she says "Well there's a guy who knows a lot about computers here so I'll go and talk to him". He happened to be over the other side of the building so 5 minutes later she was back to tell me that he said I need to go and buy a connector from Radio Shack. Of course she being an old pro was referring to it is "the Shack". When I asked her what kind of connector I should get she said "I cannot remember what the computer expert told me a few minuts ago but they'll know at the Shack". Unreal...

You must be patient with these people however otherwise they get even worse. I asked her what connection out of the DVR I should use and what connection into my monitor I should use. This had her stumped and lumbering back across the building to the computer expert. Closer to 10 minutes later she was back. The walk seemed to overexert her as when she came back she was huffing and puffing like an old steam train. Anyway this time she had a completely different story for me. "Oh it's because you have a PC monitor that you cannot get the TV Guide. TV's have special stuff in them that prevents copyright theft and that's why you cannot ge the TV Guide. We even tried it out on his PC and it would not work - that's why I was so long."

At this point I gave up, thanked her kindly for her time and hung up. It blows my mind that Comcast does not have some kind of script that they run through to diagnose problems or at least a knowledge base to search on. Management is truly pathetic.

Now I know there are some real experts on this forum so can you give me any suggestions as to why I cannot use the guide on a PC monitor, regular Dell LCD with svideo, composite and dvi-d in?

Postscript: Wow I cannot believe I wrote for this long but it really is bugging me as my dvr is recording away and I cannot watch any of the programs.

InHD1/2 Coming to the Southbay (SaraMilGatos) 550Mhz Systems on Sept 7th ! (?)

...just got a broadcast message on the 6412 that InHD1/2 will be launched 9/7 on our systems....Fingers crossed that this holds true (it seems to line up with the completion of the QAM256 Conversion that has been in the works to free up some bandwidth)

InHD1/2 Coming to the Southbay (SaraMilGatos) 550Mhz Systems on Sept 7th ! (?)

...just got a broadcast message on the 6412 that InHD1/2 will be launched 9/7 on our systems....Fingers crossed that this holds true (it seems to line up with the completion of the QAM256 Conversion that has been in the works to free up some bandwidth)

That's strange that you got a message on the 6412 and in Milpitas I didn't get the message, even though we are on the same loop, that doesn't make sense but then again I've given up on making sense on these things :rolleyes:
Maybe it was lost in the mail.... :D

Laters,
Mikef5

Kevini - How will digital simulcast render the MPEG decoder a non-issue? How are the two related?


Garypen, it is not a new MPEG decoder it is a new MPEG encoder. Since there will be no analog tuner needed with Digital simulcast you don't need an MPEG encoder.

InHD1/2 Coming to the Southbay (SaraMilGatos) 550Mhz Systems on Sept 7th ! (?)

...just got a broadcast message on the 6412 that InHD1/2 will be launched 9/7 on our systems....Fingers crossed that this holds true (it seems to line up with the completion of the QAM256 Conversion that has been in the works to free up some bandwidth)
Okay, I'm officially pissed now, the only message I had was that I'm eligible to win a Honda in Fairfield. :rolleyes:

It sucks to be in Santa Rosa with Comcast, still no QAM conversion happening...

That's strange that you got a message on the 6412 and in Milpitas I didn't get the message, even though we are on the same loop, that doesn't make sense but then again I've given up on making sense on these things :rolleyes:
Maybe it was lost in the mail.... :D

Laters,
Mikef5

Yes...strange...The message was dated 8/5, and I saw it this morning...Thought it was going to be about another PPV Boxing Event, but the title was 'More HD Coming.."

In the body it said new HD channels launching iu your area on 9/7...It actually called them InDemand 1/2 but refered to them as InHD in the description that followed (said they carried HD Sports, Movies etc...)

Not that it should matter but I actually did a Hard Reset on my box last night to see if it could fix issues I have been having for a couple weeks..the stupid 6412 has been nothing but trouble since the firmware was upgraded to 9.19 (random reboots, bad recordings, recordings stopping midway, occasionally unable to pause/rewind live TV etc...all of that after the box being just fine for 9 months on older firmware).

Hey but if a hard reset gets me InHD1/2 I'll be glad that I blew away all of my old recordings in return

Okay, I'm officially pissed now, the only message I had was that I'm eligible to win a Honda in Fairfield. :rolleyes:

It sucks to be in Santa Rosa with Comcast, still no QAM conversion happening...


I almost sent you a PM this morning to warn you to take your valium before you read my post :D

I almost sent you a PM this morning to warn you to take your valium before you read my post :D
I sort of wish you would have. :D

It's only TV but this is really getting to be some tired old BS...that is one of my biggest gripes about the Comcast service here in Santa Rosa, because Rainbow Media doesn't have an agreement with DirecTV to carry FSNBA in HD, presumably because it's on Comcast, I can't ever see the Giants or A's in HD because I don't get INHD either. It flat out sucks and Fox pours salt into the wound by showing their crappy SD baseball games on Saturday(eliminating any other HD broadcast of any games anywhere BTW) which happens to be the Giants today.. :rolleyes:

I sort of wish you would have. :D

It's only TV but this is really getting to be some tired old BS...that is one of my biggest gripes about the Comcast service here in Santa Rosa, because Rainbow Media doesn't have an agreement with DirecTV to carry FSNBA in HD, presumably because it's on Comcast, I can't ever see the Giants or A's in HD because I don't get INHD either. It flat out sucks and Fox pours salt into the wound by showing their crappy SD baseball games on Saturday(eliminating any other HD broadcast of any games anywhere BTW) which happens to be the Giants today.. :rolleyes:

Keenan,

Giants are right now in HD on channel 702, I can't believe it, I can actually watch the Giants lose in HD :D
OMG, they are actually winning..... for now.... :)

Laters,
Mikef5

Is it just me or does the Giants game on FOX-HD look really bad? The colors are really washed out and the sharpness isn't the best. I know it isn't my TV because when I flip to INHD or Discovery HD, I get a great picture.

Keenan,

Giants are right now in HD on channel 702, I can't believe it, I can actually watch the Giants lose in HD :D
OMG, they are actually winning..... for now.... :)

Laters,
Mikef5


MikeF5,

That is not HD they are showing...it is their poor imitation called "Fox Widescreen" (shot in 19:9 vice 4x3 and up'd to 480p)..better than Analog but...

although its nice to see the Giants winning for once

-Steve

MikeF5,

That is not HD they are showing...it is their poor imitation called "Fox Widescreen" (shot in widescreen vice 4x3 and up'd to 480p)

although its nice to see the Giants for once

-Stev

Actually, it's shown in 720p and they do have HD cameras but most of them are SD and are upcoverted to 720p and 16x9, I know because the people that do the programming for local Fox sports ( actually Cox here in the Bay Area ) is Fox Sports Net Bay Area and I've had several conversations with their Communications VP about their programming and trying to get FSN-HD for the SaraMilgatos area.
I usually bypass the Motorola box and use my LG 4200a which has a native mode on it and it helps alot with the picture.
Anyway, it's better than a stick in the eye and the Giants just scored again.... :)

Laters,
Mikef5

Actually, it's shown in 720p and they do have HD cameras but most of them are SD and are upcoverted to 720p and 16x9, I know because the people that do the programming for local Fox sports ( actually Cox here in the Bay Area ) is Fox Sports Net Bay Area and I've had several conversations with their Communications VP about their programming and trying to get FSN-HD for the SaraMilgatos area.
I usually bypass the Motorola box and use my LG 4200a which has a native mode on it and it helps alot with the picture.
Anyway, it's better than a stick in the eye and the Giants just scored again.... :)

Laters,
Mikef5
But what we're seeing on 702 is the Fox network feed, it's the same broadcast on DirecTV FOX-W. What we are seeing is analog upcoverted to 720p.

But what we're seeing on 702 is the Fox network feed, it's the same broadcast on DirecTV FOX-W. What we are seeing is analog upcoverted to 720p.

So just to clarify things for me.... DirecTV Fox-W shows the national Fox feeds and when the games are shown in HD it shows up on that channel as HD and today it is showing the Giants game in SD so the national feed is SD and Cox is upconverting it to 720p ?? :eek:
I hope that is not what is happening, that would be a total farce.

Laters,
Mikef5

The game is not HD anywhere. Many Giants games on Fox SportsNet are in HD, but when it's a National Fox broadcast they do thier bogus "Widescreen" presentation. SOme games on KTVU have been HD this year, but not when it's a national feed.

So just to clarify things for me.... DirecTV Fox-W shows the national Fox feeds and when the games are shown in HD it shows up on that channel as HD and today it is showing the Giants game in SD so the national feed is SD and Cox is upconverting it to 720p ?? :eek:
I hope that is not what is happening, that would be a total farce.

Laters,
Mikef5
There are no FOX network games in HD except the All-Star and playoff games. The game that is on 702 is the same feed from the FOX network that is on all the FOX stations in the west, (it's not being broadcast in the east), and is being broadcast in 720p as that is all the network is capable of transmitting. To the best of my knowledge, the signal is a standard 480i capture and is upconverted to 720p by the network to enable transmission to it's stations and that's why it looks so bad.

The game is not HD anywhere. Many Giants games on Fox SportsNet are in HD, but when it's a National Fox broadcast they do thier bogus "Widescreen" presentation. SOme games on KTVU have been HD this year, but not when it's a national feed.

Ok, now I understand. Most of the time Cox gets it's HD programming from Fox Sports Net Bay Area ( for the local stuff ) but today it was taking the National Fox feed which was SD and what Cox did locally was upconvert that signal to a mock HD program and tried to pass it off as HD..... shame on you Cox... :rolleyes:

Laters,
Mikef5

Ok, now I understand. Most of the time Cox gets it's HD programming from Fox Sports Net Bay Area ( for the local stuff ) but today it was taking the National Fox feed which was SD and what Cox did locally was upconvert that signal to a mock HD program and tried to pass it off as HD..... shame on you Cox... :rolleyes:

Laters,
Mikef5
Sort of, it's not any fault of Cox, the splicer technology FOX uses for it's digital stations is only capable of passing a 720p stream so all Cox is doing is inserting local ads and sending the feed otherwise untouched.

Sort of, it's not any fault of Cox, the splicer technology FOX uses for it's digital stations is only capable of passing a 720p stream so all Cox is doing is inserting local ads and sending the feed otherwise untouched.

Actually, the 720p signal can look good, look at ABC-HD and ESPN-HD both are 720p and look alot better than the crud that Fox was showing today. Also, when I watch House it is done very good and not at all what I would concider sub par, granted 1080i does look sharper in some situations but 720p is good also. I don't know the bandwidth requirements for the two resolutions, 720p and 1080i, but I would think that showing a prgressive scan signal would be a lot harder than an interlaced one but I could be wrong.. :)
The only good thing was that the Giants won but now I don't know if it was the REAL Giants or an upconvert team posing as the Giants..... :D

Laters,
Mikef5

Actually, the 720p signal can look good, look at ABC-HD and ESPN-HD both are 720p and look alot better than the crud that Fox was showing today. Also, when I watch House it is done very good and not at all what I would concider sub par, granted 1080i does look sharper in some situations but 720p is good also. I don't know the bandwidth requirements for the two resolutions, 720p and 1080i, but I would think that showing a prgressive scan signal would be a lot harder than an interlaced one but I could be wrong.. :)
The only good thing was that the Giants won but now I don't know if it was the REAL Giants or an upconvert team posing as the Giants..... :D

Laters,
Mikef5

I dont think keenan was saying that there is anything wrong with a 720p HD signal (when its feed by a real 720p feed)...He was saying that since Fox was sending a non-720 signal, KTVU had to upconvert it since they can only send out 720.

This one was an obvious upconvert...just look at the text/score boxes they had up on top of the picture..they should have been crisp despite the camera's that were feeding the main picture...but they were a little ragged and a little ghosty.


anyway..generally 720p is a little better for sports (since its got a faster scan) and 1080i is a little better for scenery (since it has more pixels)...I've seen both look great for Baseball.

and hopefully you and I will get to see the last 1 or 2 homestands in HD (on FSNBA-HD..in 1080i)!... (Sorry Keenan)

and hopefully you and I will get to see the last 1 or 2 homestands in HD (on FSNBA-HD..in 1080i)!... (Sorry Keenan)

I really hope that you are right about the addition of those 2 channels for our area but it seems strange that it showed up on your box and not mine.

Has anyone in the SaraMilgatos area gotten the message on your box about the addition of INHD 1 and 2 ???

Another thing that is odd is that Mr. J. has been pretty good about letting me know the status of the upgrades for the Bay Area and I've been a real pest in getting the info from him and it would stand to reason that he would've let me know of this just to get me to shut up for a while.... :) he keeps telling me I need to be patient but that's hard to do.... :p
but I've got my fingers crossed that you are right.

Laters,
Mikef5

I dont think keenan was saying that there is anything wrong with a 720p HD signal (when its feed by a real 720p feed)...
No, I wasn't, 720p is as good as 1080i depending on material and who's signal it is.


He was saying that since Fox was sending a non-720 signal, KTVU had to upconvert it since they can only send out 720.

Not quite..let me try again.. :p The signal that comes from the FOX network feed, the signal that they send to their stations, is always 720p in format. It's the only way they send it. If I have my facts correct, what happens is FOX takes the analog feed and upconverts it to 720p in order to send to their digital stations. Now, that up-conversion is probably from a standard 480i signal, so even though it's in a 720p format, it still looks like crap because the original signal was crap. KTVU is only passing on what the network has sent them. To the best of my knowledge, the FOX splicer system prohibits any manipulation of the signal received from the network, so KTVU couldn't do anything to it, upconvert-downconvert, even if they wanted to.


and hopefully you and I will get to see the last 1 or 2 homestands in HD (on FSNBA-HD..in 1080i)!... (Sorry Keenan)
Thanks for the consideration. :)
I still can't believe your 550 system is getting INHD and NOTHING has happened up here.. :p :D

I really hope that you are right about the addition of those 2 channels for our area but it seems strange that it showed up on your box and not mine.
I think he's pulling our legs, we should make him provide a screen shot as proof... :p :D

Another thing that is odd is that Mr. J. has been pretty good about letting me know the status of the upgrades for the Bay Area...

Laters,
Mikef5
No response about us peasants up here yet...?

I think he's pulling our legs, we should make him provide a screen shot as proof... :p :D


No response about us peasants up here yet...?

So Keenan, have you taken your valium yet ???? cause you're going to be pi**ed at me.
You know when you hit the big five-O your memory kind of has lapses and you sort of forget to do stuff...... are you sitting down.... I just sent a message today to Mr. J. about the Santa Rosa problem.... :eek: :eek: :eek:
But as soon as I get a response I'll let you know.... If....I..... what was I talking about ??? oh yeah, I'll let you know.... :p
I really am sorry I forgot, I should've written down, man I feel bad... :( but at least I did send it off, I think.

Laters,
Mikef5

:D :D :D Thanks..

I think he's pulling our legs, we should make him provide a screen shot as proof... :p :D

haha...I did think about taking a digi-photo just to dig it in...(dont ask now, I delete it to make the stupid light go off)

...and I did think that maybe after the hard reboot the thing was screwed up and queing messages from August 5th 2004 (that went to our 750Mhz brethen)...so I even dug back in the forums to a year ago to see if that's when everybody got InHd, but no it was launched well before that.

Sadly the posts one year ago was still us 550Mhz folks bitching the same old stuff (where's our InHD and FSNBA-HD)...my how time flies (and almost nothing gets done).

It will be funny if the stupid message system actually scoops the info before the AJ the VP.

...and there goes my 6412 doing another Random Reboot grrrr....now to wait for the guide to reload (again)....so much for the hard reboot fixing it, time to swap it out :(

I've got another Motorola HD DVR dual tuner q.

I got it installed today, and am quite happy, except for one thing.

I was watching a show and decided to tape it, so I hit the record button. It started recording, fine.

BUT I tried to change the channel and it wouldn't let me unless I stop recording the show I was watching. The thing is, I was not recording anything else, and on the front of the box it says Dual Tuner DVR, so shouldn't I be able to record a program and then change the channel and watching something else?

Thanks!

I've got another Motorola HD DVR dual tuner q.

I got it installed today, and am quite happy, except for one thing.

I was watching a show and decided to tape it, so I hit the record button. It started recording, fine.

BUT I tried to change the channel and it wouldn't let me unless I stop recording the show I was watching. The thing is, I was not recording anything else, and on the front of the box it says Dual Tuner DVR, so shouldn't I be able to record a program and then change the channel and watching something else?

Thanks!
Hit the swap button that will put you on the other tuner and you can watch what you want to.

Laters,
Mikef5

Sadly the posts one year ago was still us 550Mhz folks bitching the same old stuff (where's our InHD and FSNBA-HD)...my how time flies (and almost nothing gets done).
Wow...It's been that long...? That disgusts me even more... :mad:

It will be funny if the stupid message system actually scoops the info before the AJ the VP.

Maybe there is a ghost in the machine and Comcast employees don't know anything until the machine tells them.. :eek: :D

Garypen, it is not a new MPEG decoder it is a new MPEG encoder. Since there will be no analog tuner needed with Digital simulcast you don't need an MPEG encoder.So, the MPEG encoder is used for converting analog signals? "DS" would certainly render that moot, if that's the case.

So, the MPEG encoder is used for converting analog signals? "DS" would certainly render that moot, if that's the case.


Yes it will, the MPEG encoder makes the 6412 expensive and large too. And DS (Digital Simulcast) will also allow cable to finally say they are 100% digital like DBS.

For people who live close to the transmitters and suffer from ingress on the low channels DS will make a huge difference.

Would you know where I can find this list of 22 FM stations, and the frequency on which they're carried over cable?

The SF Comcast system still carries FM service, and has for decades. I have used it with various tuners for years. It has been removed on other systems , but not SF. Here is a list of channels:
KQED 89.1
KPOO 89.9
KSFB 90.5
CityCollege 90.9
KCSM 92.6
KRZZ 93.7
KPFA 94.1
KYLD 95.3
KOIT 96.9
KLLC 97.3
KISQ 97.7
KEMR 99.3
KFRC 100.1
KSFS 100.7
KIOI 101.7
KDFC 102.5
KBLX 102.9
KALW 103.3
KFOG 104.1
KITS 104.9
KMEL 105.7
KKSF 107.3
Just thought I'd report back that I finally had a chance to do this, and it worked like a charm! The FM stations come in crystal clear :thumbup:

The only station I've not been able to locate on the Comcast feed is Energy 92.7 (http://www.energy927fm.com/); their website (which bloze, btw!) has no info re: the frequency they're on over cable, nor can I find the info through Comcast. I tried scanning up/down through several frequencies around 92.7, but couldn't locate this.

Any ideas? I'd be surprised if the cable feed didn't carry this station, since it's an SF-local radio station.

Silly question - if a non-subscriber were to hook up one's QAM-capable HD tuner (e.g., LG LST-4200a) to the incoming cable signal, would one expect to see unencrypted cable stations, including local HD channels?

Silly question - if a non-subscriber were to hook up one's QAM-capable HD tuner (e.g., LG LST-4200a) to the incoming cable signal, would one expect to see unencrypted cable stations, including local HD channels?

If the cable is attached at the pole or pedestal end, then yes, you'd get service. That is, theft of service..............

Silly question - if a non-subscriber were to hook up one's QAM-capable HD tuner (e.g., LG LST-4200a) to the incoming cable signal, would one expect to see unencrypted cable stations, including local HD channels?

How could you be a non-subscriber and still get an "incoming cable signal" unless you hack in to the line?

pete

Silly question - if a non-subscriber were to hook up one's QAM-capable HD tuner (e.g., LG LST-4200a) to the incoming cable signal, would one expect to see unencrypted cable stations, including local HD channels?


hmmmm, you might want to avoid statements like this on this board. Don't forget comcast gives people discounts for reporting people that are stealing cable, which is what this would be I believe.


Best way to get truely "free' HD service is OTA ASTC tuner.

Yes it will, the MPEG encoder makes the 6412 expensive and large too. And DS (Digital Simulcast) will also allow cable to finally say they are 100% digital like DBS.

For people who live close to the transmitters and suffer from ingress on the low channels DS will make a huge difference.I've been looking forward to digital simulcasting. I know it's been discussed a bunch on this thread. Any updates on when we might see it in SJ?

Also, do they have the ability to remap the channels at the receiver, the way Dish does, so that channel 11 appears on channel 11 instead of 3, 26 on 26 instead of 8, etc? My biggest gripe with Comcast is the painfully stupid channel assignments. As much as I dislike Dish Network's way of doing many many things, they could at least get a simple task like logical and orderly channel assignements correct. Sports grouped together, News, Kids, Entertainment, Locals, etc.

Gary,

The Bay area has had many unusual cable channel assignments for years. I remember when Showtime was on Channel 3. Of course that was 20 some years ago. The problem now is that most cable subs recognize that channel 11 comes in on channel 3. In fact, KNTV actually calls itself cable channel 3. It's a hard sell to bring things back into the proper order.

Davisdog,

You were not dreaming and the message on your box was correct. The people in the SaraMilgatos area will be getting INHD 1 and 2, channels 719 and 720, on or about 7 Sept. So it looks like we will in fact be able to watch the Giants in HD, when available, for the rest of the season :) Now if the Giants could just play as well as the A's are doing life would be sweet, and thank you Mr. J. for confirming this for me it is appreciated.

Laters,
Mikef5

:( :mad:

A question for the group.

Did anyone in the Saratoga, Milpitas or Los Gatos loop get the message about INHD being added to our lineup on their boxes ??? I'm just checking to see what areas got the message and what areas did not, this is just for the SaraMilgatos areas. Thanks.

Laters,
Mikef5

Gary,

The Bay area has had many unusual cable channel assignments for years. I remember when Showtime was on Channel 3. Of course that was 20 some years ago. The problem now is that most cable subs recognize that channel 11 comes in on channel 3. In fact, KNTV actually calls itself cable channel 3. It's a hard sell to bring things back into the proper order.
It's not only the local channels. It's basically all of the analog channels. I hope that Comcast puts them in appropriate groupings in the digital channel range. And, even if some people are used to 11 being on 3, or 26 being on 8, 36 on 6, etc, they should remap on the digital boxes them where they belong. The kind of people that would be upset by them moving to where they belong, probably just use the analog connection to their TV's anyway.

It's not only the local channels. It's basically all of the analog channels. I hope that Comcast puts them in appropriate groupings in the digital channel range. And, even if some people are used to 11 being on 3, or 26 being on 8, 36 on 6, etc, they should remap on the digital boxes them where they belong. The kind of people that would be upset by them moving to where they belong, probably just use the analog connection to their TV's anyway.
They can and do virtual channel mapping for the digital channels. In regards to your suggestion, I suspect channel mappings is an area where you will not get agreement and what is good for one person is not good for someone else. Most people probably just got used to the current mapping and have no desire to have it changed.

It's not only the local channels. It's basically all of the analog channels. I hope that Comcast puts them in appropriate groupings in the digital channel range. And, even if some people are used to 11 being on 3, or 26 being on 8, 36 on 6, etc, they should remap on the digital boxes them where they belong. The kind of people that would be upset by them moving to where they belong, probably just use the analog connection to their TV's anyway.

This is much more complex than you might think. Channel numbering affects program guide info given to newspapers, and folks like tribune, that generate program guide info for Tivo's and Replays, etc... Changing a channel line up is VERY Painful, and noone likes to do it.

From what I understand, once the digital simulcasting goes production, they will remap the analog channels into their digital equivalents. For example, you won't see a digital version of fox news on the program guide - when you tune to channel 59 on the DCT (the analog fox news today), the box will remap that to the digital stream if available and viloa! You'll see the digital picture without any changes on your end at all.

They couldn't do this for HD for a variety of reasons, but for SD analog the transition should be completely transparent to you, except for better picture quality.

Thanks,
Mike

From what I understand, once the digital simulcasting goes production, they will remap the analog channels into their digital equivalents. For example, you won't see a digital version of fox news on the program guide - when you tune to channel 59 on the DCT (the analog fox news today), the box will remap that to the digital stream if available and viloa! You'll see the digital picture without any changes on your end at all.
Personally, I would prefer to see the digital channel mapping in the EPG, as long as they do the sensible thing, and map it to a grouping appropriate for it's programming type. (Of course, I'm not sure Fox belongs grouped with actual news channels. )

As for changing program guides, it isn't that difficult a task. Just because they've been doing the channel assigments incorrectly for all these years, is no reason to continue doing so, especially since they now have the technology to correct it.

... but for SD analog the transition should be completely transparent to you, except for better picture quality....except, of course, that I don't want the channel assignments to stay the same.

(Of course, I'm not sure Fox belongs grouped with actual news channels. )


;)

From Multichannel News (www.multichannel.com/article/CA632995.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP)

Comcast Nears S.F. Franchise Extension
By Linda Haugsted 8/8/2005 3:51:00 PM

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors should vote soon on a four-year franchise extension for Comcast Corp., contingent on a promised payment of nearly $8 million in cash and public-access support by the operator to resolve alleged franchise-noncompliance issues.

The board’s rules committee recently voted to send the proposal to the full board, but without a “pass” recommendation.

Since Comcast took over operations in the region as part of its acquisition of AT&T Broadband, the company has argued with the city over whether municipal approval was necessary for the transfer of ownership.

Andrew Johnson, vice president of communications for Comcast in the area, said the original franchise, dating to the Viacom Cable era, does not specifically state that municipal approval is required -- an assertion not shared by the city and county of San Francisco.

Comcast also inherited franchise-noncompliance issues from AT&T Broadband. When that company took over city operations from Tele-Communications Inc., it promised a plant upgrade and agreed upon a specific date. But AT&T Broadband did not complete the build-out on time.

San Francisco also dunned past operators for failing to live up to a clause in the contract calling for an “independent evaluator” to annually vet operation of the system.

Due to the disputes, Comcast and San Francisco agreed to negotiate a settlement tied to a franchise extension, rather than tackling the disagreements and crafting a long-term refranchise at the same time. The current franchise for the city and county expires in December.

The settlement that will be presented to the Board of Supervisors will include a onetime payment of $3.5 million. Comcast also agreed to a stable funding source for the local-access corporation of $500,000 per year, in addition to 52 cents per customer, per month. That totals approximately $4.4 million in access support over the four years, according to Johnson.

The board’s agenda had not been posted by late last week, but the topic was expected to be included in Tuesday’s meeting.

A majority of the 11-member board would have to approve the pact, and some members have already publicly expressed the opinion that the city could get a better deal. One supervisor, Ross Mirkarimi, said he would like officials to press Comcast for a way to deliver the city’s government channel, known as SFGTV, free to all residents. He hasn’t suggested how the cable service would be delivered to noncable homes.

If the extension is approved, the parties will only have a few months before the window opens for formal negotiations on the refranchise for the region.

I returned my hdtv the other day and since I have gotten rid of my old tv I was left to attach my 21" PC (4 x 3)monitor to my Motorola 6412 DVR box.

My monitor has the following inputs:
- dvi-d
- composite
- s-video

I have hooked the dvr box up to each of these and none of them work properly. Here are the results of each:

1) DVI-D. When I turn the moto dvr box on I do get a picture that is stretched up from widescreen to 4x3 (even Craig Stadler looks thin) but that only lasts about 5 seconds and it goes blank.

2) S-VIDEO. I get a good enough picture but cannot use the on screen TV Guide or On Demand.

3) COMPOSITE. Same as S-VIDEO.
...

Yah, fun dealing w/ the CSRs :)

The "no guide" problem on Svideo is because it only renders a single resolution for the guide/menus.
By default it will be 1080i (HD) or something, and 480i Svideo output won't see any of those gfx.

So, go into your setup menu (power off, OK button w/in 2secs (or is it Menu?), and change the primary TV output resolution to 480i / 4:3 etc,
and you should see menus etc.
Now primary (component/DVI) output should match your Svideo output res, and menus should show up.
Right now, in meantime, if you change to SD (or analog) channels, the res switches to 480i and you should see some menus...

Changing the res might help fix the DVI output also, but I think there are differences between DVI computer and video standards...

Does anyone have the Comcast digital channel mappings for the Santa Rosa area? I did a search and didn't find anything. (Well, I actually found about 50 pages worth of stuff. :eek: )

A question for the group.

Did anyone in the Saratoga, Milpitas or Los Gatos loop get the message about INHD being added to our lineup on their boxes ??? I'm just checking to see what areas got the message and what areas did not, this is just for the SaraMilgatos areas. Thanks.

Laters,
Mikef5


Guess what...I stopped by the Santa Clara office to swap out my 6412 (still was screwed up after the hard reset I did)...and within 30 minutes of plugging in the new box I got the message on it also

Maybe I'm the only house getting the upgrade

:)

Guess what...I stopped by the Santa Clara office to swap out my 6412 (still was screwed up after the hard reset I did)...and within 30 minutes of plugging in the new box I got the message on it also

Maybe I'm the only house getting the upgrade

:)

Well, the message is real, I verified it with Mr. J. but it seems really strange that only one person has seen it. Maybe everyone else has left and we are the last 2 people in the SaraMilgatos area :D

Laters,
Mikef5

Well, the message is real, I verified it with Mr. J. but it seems really strange that only one person has seen it. Maybe everyone else has left and we are the last 2 people in the SaraMilgatos area :D

Laters,
Mikef5

I am still here in Milpitas. I also did not get any messages on my box.

Mike, do you think they will make other services available in the SaraMilgatos area available also, such as VOD, digital simulcast, or ShowTime HD, etc...

I am looking forward to getting up to par with 750Mhz areas.

hmmmm, you might want to avoid statements like this on this board. Don't forget comcast gives people discounts for reporting people that are stealing cable, which is what this would be I believe.


Best way to get truely "free' HD service is OTA ASTC tuner.
Actually, OTA is exactly what I'm doing/using for HD (personally, I don't believe in the whole "pay $45+/month for the privilege of watching our commericals" concept ;)); besides, OTA generally results in (significantly?) better pic quality.

The reason I asked is because we're in the middle of a remodel, during which I'm putting in a structured wiring system; although we don't intend to use cable, I don't want to ignore it (e.g., if we sell and the next owner decides to do so); so I'm extending the incoming RG59 cable feed to the media panel ... but I'd like to test it to confirm there's no issue with the new run I've added, and was trying to figure out a cheap, effective way of doing so.

Hope that clears things up!

Netarc-

I'd consider using RG6 over RG-59. Not a major difference for cable, but if your next owner wants satellite instead of cable, you'll need the RG6. Also, make all the connections home runs into a panel instead of putting splitters in the walls. Satellite feeds won't work with splitters.

(I apologize for crapping on this Comcast thread with satellite talk.) Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

(I apologize for crapping on this Comcast thread with satellite talk.) Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Everything you suggested makes sense for Comcast cable also. OP might as well put in the quad-shield RG6 because the cost differential for material is minor compared to installation costs. Make sure there are no right-angle bends and don't run the RG6 cable in the same bundle as the electrical lines. If you have electricians put in the cable, some of them save time by reusing the same holes in the 2x4's to run electricity, phone, network, cable, etc.

Netarc-

I'd consider using RG6 over RG-59. Not a major difference for cable, ....Actually, it is. RG6 will last longer, resist interference better, and lose less signal, regardless of whether it used for cable, dbs, or OTA.

Hey everyone. I've been away from the board for a while since we finally got HD over here in Santa Cruz. So far, I've had no issues with the service what so ever other than the overall lack of channels available. So with that said, and the fact that football is just around the corner, does anyone have information on when we might get the HD-ABC feed happening here? Or the INHD channels?

Netarc-

I'd consider using RG6 over RG-59. Not a major difference for cable, but if your next owner wants satellite instead of cable, you'll need the RG6. Also, make all the connections home runs into a panel instead of putting splitters in the walls. Satellite feeds won't work with splitters.

(I apologize for crapping on this Comcast thread with satellite talk.) Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
My bad, should've mentioned I'm extending the incoming RG59 cable feed (not long enough to reach the media panel) by connecting it w/F-barrel connector to a home-runned RG6.

As for satellite, I have 3-4 runs of RG6 & Cat5e going up to the roof for OTA, Sat and whatever else may come out in the next few years ;)

Lawong?!? ... Leonard, is that you, dude??

From Multichannel News (www.multichannel.com/article/CA633983.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP)

S.F. Franchise Vote Held Up
Linda Haugsted 8/10/2005 5:25:00 PM

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has delayed a vote on a four-year contract extension for Comcast Corp.

Lawmakers dropped the item from the board’s Aug. 9 agenda. It has not been rescheduled.

Comcast has a tentative deal with regulators to extend its authority to operate a cable system until 2009. In return, the Philadelphia-based MSO has agreed to a one-time payment of $3 million to resolve franchise compliance problems it inherited from AT&T Broadband; and about $5 million over the period of the extension in public access support.

Without the extension, Comcast’s franchise expires Dec. 31, 2005.

I noticed that channel 725 is blacked out. Isn't it supposed to be showing the NFL Network game in HD? Any idea why it's blacked out?

I noticed that channel 725 is blacked out. Isn't it supposed to be showing the NFL Network game in HD? Any idea why it's blacked out?

If you're talking about the Lions-Jets game, I don't believe that one is in HD so there is no reason for it to be on 725. The only NFL Channel game in HD today is the Niners Raiders game and it is blacked out on 725 because it is on both of the local networks in San Francisco, KPIX and KTVU. KTVU's coverage is in HD. I'm doubtful if the KPIX version will be.

Take a look at this website to see what sports are being broadcast across the country in HD for the next two weeks.

http://www.hdsportsguide.com/

edit: I am partially wrong, the New England- Cincinnati game should be in HD at 12 Noon.

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/8664135

Great. Thanks for the help.

Of course now I notice that the Bengal-Patriot game is not in HD on any channel. The NFL Network channels are showing it in SD but 725 and the INHDs are not showing it.

It's in HD on D*. But I don't pay for SundayTicket so I'm SOL there too.
What the hell is HDSE good for anyway?

Yeah I noticed it isn't in HD also. Oh well, watching Angels/Mariners.

What pisses me off though is that they're showing this, but won't show the Twins/A's game.

It's in HD on D*. But I don't pay for SundayTicket so I'm SOL there too.
What the hell is HDSE good for anyway?
It doesn't look all that great. Does the NFL channel always have their bug in the far upper right...?

Well, the 49ers vs Raiders game is in HD in KPIX and not in KTVU. I was thinking like Bobby C, but it seems that KPIX was able to show the game in HD.

Picture looks really good, I'm really liking the presentation.

Well, the 49ers vs Raiders game is in HD in KPIX and not in KTVU. I was thinking like Bobby C, but it seems that KPIX was able to show the game in HD.

Picture looks really good, I'm really liking the presentation.

KPIX's coverage of the game was downright incredible. The shots seemed even better than HD football looked last year. I'm a huge A's fan and not much of a football fan but it's going to be pretty tempting to have big football parties at my place if they keep giving us great presentations of it like this. It's better than being at the game, seriously.

Bobby C is actually pretty upset. I DVR'd the game on KTVU and it is in SD. I'm glad I saw the game live, such as it was, because I'd really be very upset if I went to a party or something and recorded the game on the wrong channel based on the information we had in advance.

I've been away from the thread for a while, so excuse me if this has been discussed. I was an early adopter of the Comcast Motorola 6412 DVR. I have now upgraded my HDTV to a newer model that has HDMI inputs. I have been running the 6412 with a DVI to HDMI cable on my new TV. But, I was wondering if Comcast has upgraded (or is planning to upgrade) the DVR offered in the SF Bay Area above the 6412?

I currently have expanded basic (analog) cable and pay the $5 for the HD box. I don't find the added expense for digital cable is worth it, not to mention that I have TiVo and I don't want to worry about channel misses if I have the TiVo change the channels on the digital cable box with the IR blaster.

Anyway, can anyone tell me if you previously pay $5 for HD and then get the DVR, is it an additional $10 (total $15) or does the $10 for DVR also include the cost of HD?

I love my TiVo but I really want a dual tuner HD DVR.

Thanks for your input.

You can't get the 6412 unless you subscribe to digital cable.

http://comcast.com/Buyflow/default.ashx?

You can't get the 6412 unless you subscribe to digital cable.



I believe some people have had success signing up for digital, keeping it for 3 months, and then canceling but keeping the DVR. Not sure if Comcast has closed this loophole though.

Isn't all HD sent by comcast digital? I didn't realize you could get HD without getting digital. If you are not using a set top box and you are using your TV tuner, it seems like you wouldn't need to pay the 5.00 HD charge either.

Isn't all HD sent by comcast digital? I didn't realize you could get HD without getting digital. If you are not using a set top box and you are using your TV tuner, it seems like you wouldn't need to pay the 5.00 HD charge either.

While the HD is "digital", some channels do not fall under Comcast's Digital Tier offerings. For the most part, only network channels (CBS, NBC, ABC, KQED, etc.) are available without needing a Digital subscription. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe you need the Digital package in order to get ESPN-HD, DiscoveryHD, and INHD.

Hi,

I just switched from SD DirecTiVo to Comcast digital HD with a 6412 (hooked up to a new Samsung 6168 DLP). Overall, I'm a little disappointed in the recording quality of the 6412. While HD generally looks great from standard viewing distances, in scenes with a lot of small fast-moving objects, MPEG artifacting is very clearly visible. I particularly noticed this in watching a recording of Hellboy--specifically, in some of the opening rainy scenes, the rain seemed pretty artifacty, and (SPOILER)when Liz burns out the egg heap near the end(/SPOILER) the pixelation was really bad.

Is this generally true with the 6412s or with Comcast cable, or is it possibly something specific to my box? Is it really a recording issue, or a source issue (i.e. is stuff already precompressed coming down the wire, as it was with DirecTV)?

SD recording quality also looks really bad to me, but I haven't done an A/B comparison with my DTiVo recordings yet--this could just be because I'm viewing the 6412 recordings on a 61" TV, whereas I was watching DTiVo on a 27" CRT. I'm going to reserve judgment on this until I can compare them more closely.

Keenan (or anyone else): can you post your SNR/AGC values after you put in your signal amp? I just picked up the Radio Shack bi-directional and I'm curious as to how much yours helped. I put my amp before a 2 way splitter (one goes to STB, one to cable modem) and I'm thinking of trying a 3-way to go to a computer as well. Here are mine:

Before
SNR: 33dB
AGC 75%

After
SNR: 36.7dB
AGC: 43%

Thanks!

Castro Valley - Does anyone know when we will finally get On Demand and DVR capability here? I have talked to CSRs who seem not to know or give conflicting info. We're upgrading to plasma and lcd tvs and some CSRs said we don't even have HD capability here yet. Anyone in the know? Thanks.

Keenan (or anyone else): can you post your SNR/AGC values after you put in your signal amp? I just picked up the Radio Shack bi-directional and I'm curious as to how much yours helped. I put my amp before a 2 way splitter (one goes to STB, one to cable modem) and I'm thinking of trying a 3-way to go to a computer as well. Here are mine:

Before
SNR: 33dB
AGC 75%

After
SNR: 36.7dB
AGC: 43%

Thanks!
Those numbers look real good, the AGC number is the best I've seen. Keep an eye on things to make sure you are not over-driving the system. Not sure what you would look for, but maybe excess noise on analog channels, erratic behavior with the STB...

Those numbers look real good, the AGC number is the best I've seen. Keep an eye on things to make sure you are not over-driving the system. Not sure what you would look for, but maybe excess noise on analog channels, erratic behavior with the STB...

I was suprised too about the AGC. I'll add the 3-way and see how much the numbers drop.

Before
SNR: 33dB
AGC 75%

After
SNR: 36.7dB
AGC: 43%

Thanks!
I'm getting between SNR: 34.8 - 36.8 AGC: 47 - 49

This is using a 4-split Electroline at the drop point, followed by another 4-split (passive) before the STB. The lower frequencies attenuate less than higher frequencies, so your numbers will vary a little depending on which channel you use to display info.

For my network, NOGN at 120/85.4/591Mhz is near the lowest. There might be some chinese channel 251 CCTV9 which is lower, but I don't remember. Near the highest would be KGO-HD at 707/RF117.1/753Mhz

I introduced a 4-way splitter (only one I had lying around) and the SNR stayed the same but the AGC jumped back up to around 73%. I'm noticing any visual signal degredation so I think I'm ok. What exactly is AGC anyway??

It's the automatic gain control. It controls the gain of the input signal in order to maintain a linear amplitude or constant level signal. If the AGC is reading a high number it means it's working harder to maintain a constant level signal. The input signal is fluctuating or is weaker than normal. I would not use the 4-way and just use a 1-in-2-out if that is all you need, never use a splitter that has more outputs than you need. You might be okay with a 73% reading, but when I had that type of reading is when I would get no signal or pixelation on tuner-2 on some channels.

never use a splitter that has more outputs than you need.Sometimes this is the quick and dirty way to fix a signal that is too strong :)

Sometimes this is the quick and dirty way to fix a signal that is too strong :)
Yup, I had a splitter ready to use exactly for that when I installed my Moto amp, just in case.. :D

On a different subject, the Phase 3 Moto boxes with/HDMI have been showing up in the Chicago market...

Mikef5, the next time you talk to Mr. Johnson could you ask him about these STBs, when they might be available here..?

Yup, I had a splitter ready to use exactly for that when I installed my Moto amp, just in case.. :D

On a different subject, the Phase 3 Moto boxes with/HDMI have been showing up in the Chicago market...

Mikef5, the next time you talk to Mr. Johnson could you ask him about these STBs, when they might be available here..?

I would almost bet that we will not see the new STBs until after the shift to digital simulcasting is complete and all the bugs worked out. It only makes sense not to change the hardware in use right now while you're trying to go to an all digital network. It helps eliminate potential problems like, is it the new hardware causing the problem or is it the shift to digital that is causing the problem ?? But I can ask him when he thinks the digital simulcasting might begin.. :)

Laters,
Mikef5

Cool. It's basically the same box with different outputs so I don't imagine it would have a significant effect on the transmission or reception of the signal, but you're right, change one thing at a time, and make sure it works before you move on.. :)

and to tell you truth, there are many other things I'd like to see before getting a new box.. :D

I would almost bet that we will not see the new STBs until after the shift to digital simulcasting is complete and all the bugs worked out. It only makes sense not to change the hardware in use right now while you're trying to go to an all digital network. It helps eliminate potential problems like, is it the new hardware causing the problem or is it the shift to digital that is causing the problem ?? But I can ask him when he thinks the digital simulcasting might begin.. :)

Laters,
Mikef5


Poor Keenan...at the rate they will going in Santa Rosa, I suspect he will be of retirement age before they are upgraded :(

of course that's not that far away :D

It's not the recording but the source. the HD premium channels are getting shorted bits from the sat. transmission. This shows up as pixelation during lots of motion such as during rain scenes as you observe. This has been brought up several times before. The only thing I can suggest is to complain frequently to your comcast office about "insert premiums name" pq on HD offerings. I sent an email to SHO once about this issue on their HD and never got a reply. At least contacting comcast about the issue will get you in touch with an actual person.

Best,
jeff

Hi,

I just switched from SD DirecTiVo to Comcast digital HD with a 6412 (hooked up to a new Samsung 6168 DLP). Overall, I'm a little disappointed in the recording quality of the 6412. While HD generally looks great from standard viewing distances, in scenes with a lot of small fast-moving objects, MPEG artifacting is very clearly visible. I particularly noticed this in watching a recording of Hellboy--specifically, in some of the opening rainy scenes, the rain seemed pretty artifacty, and (SPOILER)when Liz burns out the egg heap near the end(/SPOILER) the pixelation was really bad.

Is this generally true with the 6412s or with Comcast cable, or is it possibly something specific to my box? Is it really a recording issue, or a source issue (i.e. is stuff already precompressed coming down the wire, as it was with DirecTV)?

SD recording quality also looks really bad to me, but I haven't done an A/B comparison with my DTiVo recordings yet--this could just be because I'm viewing the 6412 recordings on a 61" TV, whereas I was watching DTiVo on a 27" CRT. I'm going to reserve judgment on this until I can compare them more closely.

It's probably been stated many times before, but I'm too lazy to dig for it, does anyone know what chipset is in the current 6412?

I see the series III boxes will have onboard software drivers for Tivo support, and the new chipset support multiple PIP for two sets. So chipset capability is there for some new features and I'm wondering if this an indicator of what direction Comcast might be going in the short term.

Poor Keenan...at the rate they will going in Santa Rosa, I suspect he will be of retirement age before they are upgraded :(

of course that's not that far away :D
Funny... :p :D

(BTW, for any of you that also subscribe to DirecTV, they are practically giving away the HD-TiVo(HR10-250) right now...just ordered one today, my cost out of pocket....$33. :eek: :))

Funny... :p :D

(BTW, for any of you that also subscribe to DirecTV, they are practically giving away the HD-TiVo(HR10-250) right now...just ordered one today, my cost out of pocket....$33. :eek: :))

How does the quality of HD via DirecTV compare to Comcast HD? I jumped the gun and got cable installed because the HD-TiVo was so expensive, but I was planning to give DirecTV a last chance to keep me when I call to cancel...

It's probably been stated many times before, but I'm too lazy to dig for it, does anyone know what chipset is in the current 6412?

I see the series III boxes will have onboard software drivers for Tivo support, and the new chipset support multiple PIP for two sets. So chipset capability is there for some new features and I'm wondering if this an indicator of what direction Comcast might be going in the short term.
AIUS, the new box will be using a Broadcom chipset, I think the current boxes use a Broadcom chipset as well. I have no idea what model or revision...

How does the quality of HD via DirecTV compare to Comcast HD? I jumped the gun and got cable installed because the HD-TiVo was so expensive, but I was planning to give DirecTV a last chance to keep me when I call to cancel...
Cable is better, but not by much, honestly. DirecTV has some channels that just have a soft look to them, like UniversalHD, but stuff like HDNet looks spectacular, many of the live sports broadcasts look great too, like YES network Yankees games, those guys know how to present a very nice HD picture and DirecTV doesn't appear to be messing with it too much from what I can tell.

I would never have considered the TiVo box at $1000, and even when it dropped to $700, then $600 I wasn't interested. At $299 I was thinking about it but what pushed me over the edge was the $100 rebate and $181 in programming credits, plus, it gives me something to bargain with when they come out with their new stuff next year. Some folks have had DirecTV literally pay them to take the TiVo unit after all the rebates, discounts and programming credits are added up. It comes with a new 2 year commitment but I'm wasn't leaving DirecTV as long as they have ST anyway.

I had the impression DirecTV had a frame size with less horizontal resolution than 1920, something in the range of 1200.

1280x1080, but the frame size is still 16x9(rectangle pixels). What comes out of these Moto STBs is around 1335x1080 so there is an edge in resolution to go along with the bandwidth cable has so the cable PQ is better, but not by leaps and bounds. DirecTV has had to fight bandwidth limitations along with adding channels so the PQ is compromised. They recently increased the resolution on HDNet to 1920X1080 but used the same BW and the image exhibited pixelation and artifacting, so it was lowered back down.

The thing with 1920x1080 vs 1280x1080 is that first, most HD TV is captured at 1440 x1080 AIUI, and the resulting signal fed to cable and sat is even less, two, very few displays are capable of resolving a 1920x1080 image anyway...some of the 9" CRT models can get to the 1300-1600 line range, even the new 1080P "wobulated" digital displays are not putting a true 1920x1080P image on the screen, although I imagine they do look pretty good.

The biggest issue I see with DirecTV's PQ is the video noise from the less than ideal BW they are forced to use currently. I have a hard time finding a lot of difference in static image detail, especially with channels like DiscoveryHD or CBS. There is a difference, but it's not much at all. I see more issues that are a result of the signal being fed to the providers(cable and sat) than I do with a Comcast vs DirecTV image quality thing. As far as analog channels like FX and USA, DirecTV wins hands down, even SciFi looks better to me on DirecTV than on Comcast.

It's probably been stated many times before, but I'm too lazy to dig for it, does anyone know what chipset is in the current 6412?

I see the series III boxes will have onboard software drivers for Tivo support, and the new chipset support multiple PIP for two sets. So chipset capability is there for some new features and I'm wondering if this an indicator of what direction Comcast might be going in the short term.
The Phase 3 DCT-6412 uses the Broadcom BCM-7038 decoder. I'm not sure what
the earlier 6412's used, but DCT-6200's use the Broadcom BCM-7035 decoder.

Ron

I would almost bet that we will not see the new STBs until after the shift to digital simulcasting is complete and all the bugs worked out. It only makes sense not to change the hardware in use right now while you're trying to go to an all digital network. It helps eliminate potential problems like, is it the new hardware causing the problem or is it the shift to digital that is causing the problem ?? But I can ask him when he thinks the digital simulcasting might begin.. :)

Laters,
Mikef5
Motorola has ceased production of Phase 2 boxes and is now only manufacturing Phase 3 boxes. It's only a matter of time before the current supply of Phase 2 boxes runs out and Phase 3 boxes show up everywhere.

Ron

The Phase 3 DCT-6412 uses the Broadcom BCM-7038 decoder. I'm not sure what
the earlier 6412's used, but DCT-6200's use the Broadcom BCM-7035 decoder.

Ron

Thanks.

It would appear looking at the chipset features and the connectivity they have included in Phase III, that this could serve as a platform for a home media center and the planned Tivo option for those so inclined. Would you agree?

I'm viewing this as a very interesting development, somewhat under the radar.

So i heard a rumor that WB was being added to comcasts high definition lineup on September 1st. Can anyone confirm that for the SF Bay Area?

Sorry if this was mentioned before but i went about 10 pages back and i didnt see anything.

Thanks for the help.

The Phase 3 DCT-6412 uses the Broadcom BCM-7038 decoder. I'm not sure what
the earlier 6412's used, but DCT-6200's use the Broadcom BCM-7035 decoder.

Ron
Sounds like a nice decoder if Comcast uses all of it's capabilities,

BCM7038
Dual High-Definition Digital Video System-on-Chip Solution for Cable, Satellite, and DTV
The BCM7038 is an advanced dual channel HD video/audio/graphics and personal video recording (PVR) chip that enables manufacturers to economically incorporate high-quality HDTV capability and PVR features into digital televisions, cable set-top boxes, satellite receivers and HD-DVD players. The chip's dual video/audio channels simultaneously support dual televisions, with independent picture-in-picture support on main and secondary. Advanced video and graphics features, such as on-chip 3D Y/C separation circuit multi-frame de-interlacing, and quad video scalars with single pass processing, significantly improve the HD picture quality, by removing unwanted noise and artifacts from the television image. The chip supports common PVR functions such as pausing live programming, recording, and forwarding and reversing through recorded programs, as well as incorporates software drivers to support industry standard PVR platforms, including TiVo® and XTV™.

The BCM7038 incorporates a 300 MHz 64-bit MIPS® CPU, along with floating point processor, which has a very fast path o 400 MHz DDR system memory to support the high-performance needs required by advanced applications. Numerous other cost saving features have been incorporated into the chip, enabling manufacturers to be more competitive in the HD market.
Features

Two complete HD/SD video/audio channels with quad video scalers
Multi-frame per pixel motion adaptive de-interlacer circuit
Picture Enhancement Processing (PEP) for DTV
3D Y/C comb separation circuit for analog video decode
Triple PVR with copy protection and trick mode support
On-chip 300 MHz 64-bit CPU

http://www.broadcom.com/products/Cable/HDTV-SDTV-Video,-Graphics-%26-Receiver-Chips/BCM7038
Broadcom Corporation - BCM7038 - Dual High-Definition Digital Video System-on-Chip Solution for Cable, Satellite, and DTV

Sounds like a nice decoder if Comcast uses all of it's capabilities,



It's the first piece of hardware I've seen rolled out with multi-HD stream capability and multiple PVRs in one chip. The I/O would appear to be in que since the chipset supports it and the connectors are in place. Not cheap to put those features in a box and I can't see why they would unless they intend to use them.

That 64-bit MIPS processor with that memory interface could really push some video streams around. Anyone with a Phase III box know what they actually put onboard for memory? Are they assembled such that popping the lid would obviously create a warranty issue?

It's the first piece of hardware I've seen rolled out with multi-HD stream capability and multiple PVRs in one chip.
Yes, I thought that part was interesting as well.

It's the first piece of hardware I've seen rolled out with multi-HD stream capability and multiple PVRs in one chip. The I/O would appear to be in que since the chipset supports it and the connectors are in place. Not cheap to put those features in a box and I can't see why they would unless they intend to use them.

That 64-bit MIPS processor with that memory interface could really push some video streams around. Anyone with a Phase III box know what they actually put onboard for memory? Are they assembled such that popping the lid would obviously create a warranty issue?
128 Megabytes. But remember, the BCM-7038 MIPS CPU does everything. It's the only general purpose CPU in the box.

Other chips:

BCM-3250

http://www.broadcom.com/products/Cable/Cable-Set-top-Box-Chips/BCM3250

BCM-3349

http://www.broadcom.com/products/Cable/Cable-Modem-Solutions/BCM3349

And the new analog MPEG-2 encoder:

DMN-8802

http://www.lsilogic.com/products/recorder_dvd_dvr_dtr/dmn_8802.html

http://www.lsilogic.com/files/docs/marketing_docs/consumer/dmn-8802_pb.pdf

Ron

128 Megabytes. But remember, the BCM-7038 MIPS CPU does everything. It's the only general purpose CPU in the box.

Other chips:

BCM-3250

http://www.broadcom.com/products/Cable/Cable-Set-top-Box-Chips/BCM3250

BCM-3349

http://www.broadcom.com/products/Cable/Cable-Modem-Solutions/BCM3349

And the new analog MPEG-2 encoder:

DMN-8802

http://www.lsilogic.com/products/recorder_dvd_dvr_dtr/dmn_8802.html

http://www.lsilogic.com/files/docs/marketing_docs/consumer/dmn-8802_pb.pdf

Ron

All of those are in this box? If that's the case, there's no question this is the platform of the future for Comcast.

VOIP features, DOCSIS 2.0, etc. It's an all-in-one solution.

Hi,

I'm in milpitas and have the basic comcast service, i'm using the fusionHDTV tuner and i can get ABC, fox, NBC, CBS, and ESPNHD, but no DiscoveryHD, according to comcast, DiscoveryHD is available starting 2/2/2005, i'm wondering if it's because of the tuner or something else, if i buy a sharp with QAM tuner, will i be able to get the discHD?

Anyone in that area gets the DiscHD?

thx
BXZ

Hi,

I'm in milpitas and have the basic comcast service, i'm using the fusionHDTV tuner and i can get ABC, fox, NBC, CBS, and ESPNHD, but no DiscoveryHD, according to comcast, DiscoveryHD is available starting 2/2/2005, i'm wondering if it's because of the tuner or something else, if i buy a sharp with QAM tuner, will i be able to get the discHD?

Anyone in that area gets the DiscHD?

Maybe someone from Milpitas will chime in, but DiscHD is likely encrypted in your area. If it's unencrypted, the Fusion should receive it on 115.3.

I believe Milpitas is a 550Mhz system, try looking for DiscoveryHD at 76.4, that's where it is in Santa Rosa, another 550Mhz system.

I believe Milpitas is a 550Mhz system, try looking for DiscoveryHD at 76.4, that's where it is in Santa Rosa, another 550Mhz system.

Nope, try 72.4, it's unencrypted for now but probably not for much longer...

Laters,
Mikef5