I don't look forward to the comcast bill once I have to start renting all of the boxs. And I hope they don't charge a digital premium, like they do today.
Yeah, I hope the future is different also.

As it stands today, $6.95/stb which runs at least 24watts 24/7 whether turned on or off, which is another $3.50/month, for a total incremental cost of $10.45/month (not to mention feeding our voracious country-wide appetite for energy)

Maybe the future STBs will be more power efficient. Maybe you'll get more of them bundled in your subscription. Maybe the prices won't change from what we see today. Lot's of maybes.

Yeah, I hope the future is different also.

As it stands today, $6.95/stb which runs at least 24watts 24/7 whether turned on or off, which is another $3.50/month, for a total incremental cost of $10.45/month (not to mention feeding our voracious country-wide appetite for energy)

Maybe the future STBs will be more power efficient. Maybe you'll get more of them bundled in your subscription. Maybe the prices won't change from what we see today. Lot's of maybes.

I would think (the operative word being "think") Comcast will offer the converters at very little or no cost. It's obvious by reading this forum that many people are already not going to be happy with having to add an additional box and having to pay for it could be the final straw. I highly doubt Comcast will have a separate line item for these boxes if they do choose to charge customers...you will just conveniently see a $4 increase in your regular monthly charges. :)

I haven't seen them locally but Keenan and others have mentioned the DCT-700s are supposed to STB of choice for switching to digital. I think though in past plans even a switch to digital still included local stations in analog (at least that was what was how service in the all digital test areas was described).

In order to ease the transition, the games will continue to be available on Limited Basic until May 2, 2006. After May 2nd, the games will only be available on channel 410.

Current customers who subscribe to the Limited Basic level of video service will no longer find FSN Plus games on Limited Basic after May 2, 2006. Current customers who subscribe to the Digital Classic level of video service will find FSN plus games on channel 410 beginning on March 23rd.


I have to say that the loss of this channel for Limited Basic peeves me.

Will 410 be in the clear so at least those of us with a STBs can view the programming?

Moves like this over time are a hidden rate hike because it forces an upgrade to more expensive programming levels.

Kevin

It wouldn't surprise me if that channel stayed right where it is in Santa Rosa, where ever that is or was, we are just not on the same road to upgrade/transition that the rest of the bay area is.

It wouldn't surprise me if that channel stayed right where it is in Santa Rosa, where ever that is or was, we are just not on the same road to upgrade/transition that the rest of the bay area is.

You are so polite. What you really mean is that we are stuck in the mud and not moving an inch. :)

More like cement. :p

Reading the past few posts, I want to make sure I get this:

1) Comcast wants to eliminate their analog stations, to free up bandwidth such that they can provide more content

2) But that will P.O. a bunch of those out there that "like" jacking in just the cable feed to their TV, VCR, DVR, whatever, and getting channels 2 - 82 (or whatever it is), and needing no cable box.

3) So they're dragging their feet

Then why the hell the fight against CableCard (yes, I get the loss of STB rental revs, no On Demand, no PPV, loss of program guide ad revenues, etc.)? But CableCards were <specifically> designed to allow someone w/a DCR TV simply to plug the coaxial cable feed directly to the set, and voila, all stations, including HD and premiums, are available, all without a cable box, just like the old days.

Yes, we all know the hatchet job they've done in implementing/supporting CableCard, but again, why are they fighting it, if they'd like to move to all-digital transmission? And for that matter, why not get behind bi-directional CableCards, which would allow On Demand, PPV, their own guide, etc.?

I'm afraid I know the overall answer, all too common it seems for just about everything nowadays: GREED.

I'd love for that exec from Comcast who monitors this forum to chime in with a direct response: if it's not greed, why not FULLY get behind bi-directional CableCards? If you and TWC would truly do this (hell, you fund CableLab in the first place), wouldn't it be a good thing? AND a big competitive advantage over satellite, which for the foreseeable future <always> require a STB?

Reading the past few posts, I want to make sure I get this:

1) Comcast wants to eliminate their analog stations, to free up bandwidth such that they can provide more content

2) But that will P.O. a bunch of those out there that "like" jacking in just the cable feed to their TV, VCR, DVR, whatever, and getting channels 2 - 82 (or whatever it is), and needing no cable box.

3) So they're dragging their feet

Then why the hell the fight against CableCard (yes, I get the loss of STB rental revs, no On Demand, no PPV, loss of program guide ad revenues, etc.)? But CableCards were <specifically> designed to allow someone w/a DCR TV simply to plug the coaxial cable feed directly to the set, and voila, all stations, including HD and premiums, are available, all without a cable box, just like the old days.

Yes, we all know the hatchet job they've done in implementing/supporting CableCard, but again, why are they fighting it, if they'd like to move to all-digital transmission? And for that matter, why not get behind bi-directional CableCards, which would allow On Demand, PPV, their own guide, etc.?

I'm afraid I know the overall answer, all too common it seems for just about everything nowadays: GREED.

I'd love for that exec from Comcast who monitors this forum to chime in with a direct response: if it's not greed, why not FULLY get behind bi-directional CableCards? If you and TWC would truly do this (hell, you fund CableLab in the first place), wouldn't it be a good thing? AND a big competitive advantage over satellite, which for the foreseeable future <always> require a STB?


The problem with "getting behind CableCARD 2.0" is that not everyone is doing it. In fact, most people say it will die out in the next few years, mainly because not everyone agrees with it's copyright protection. The networks are saying there's not enough there and it's too vulnerable for cracking. It seems like the "next big thing" is going to be the OpenCable standard. Wiki it for more info.

OK - excuse my ignorance, re: OpenCable vs. bi-directional CableCard. Then fine - are you saying Comcast and TWC are 100% behind this initiative?

OK - excuse my ignorance, re: OpenCable vs. bi-directional CableCard. Then fine - are you saying Comcast and TWC are 100% behind this initiative?

From what I've read, enough companies are backing it (iincluding the FCC) to where any MSO that doesn't adopt it will risk being the odd man out. OpenCable is supposed to be very well structured and is getting input from all sides of the table where as the CableCARD standard was sort of "hacked" out by a few companies. But to answer your question, no, I don't think Comcast has officially come out and said they will fully support the OpenCable standard. Anyone know any different? MikeFS, maybe you can ask Mr. Johnson about this when you talk/write to him next.

I spent a good portion of Sunday and a check for KQED HD on Monday compiling a list of the QAM channels for various channels on Comcast cable. These are the "in the clear", non-scrambled channels that a QAM tuner such as my MDP-130 can pick up.

I am in Lafayette. In think the head end is in Concord or Martinez so others in northern Contra Costa with the same head end might find this useful.

Of note, not only are the sub KQED channels available, I have them repeated in two different locations.

Also, it seems that all the analogue channels are now repeated in digital QAM channels. I have channel 2-33 in QAM (I didn't list the various shopping channels) and I assume that the other analogue channels are also there but scrambled as they are not in the basic cable tier. Lafayette is a 750-860MHz system but they seem to be ready for an all digital rollout. The digital versions certainly look better than the analogue versions on both the 6412 and MDP-130 tuners.

INHD, ESPN-HD and Discovery HD seem to be scrambled for me.

Also the QAM channels 101-104 seem to be channels carrying on-demand, PPV programs but they were not scrambled. I saw parts of Batman Begins,Sky Captain Tomorrow (title?), and the Soprano on the channels but they were not listed as being should on any channel. Sometimes the same program/movie was on two of the channels. They also were unstable with one movie often not on the same channel if I changed channels and then went back to the original channel. Not sure if you could she all of a PPV if you didn't change the channel.

Only KTVU and KPIX had PSIP (?- mapping digital channels to analogue channel numbers) working for their digital channels.

The attached file is a doc file as the original xls is not a valid attachment.

- Phil

I hope the additon of FSN+ on 410 isn't the reason they dropped WeatherScan on 178. That only leaves us with another "quality" KNTV product, the KNTV Weather channel.

fitprod

I see a lot of posts where people talk about the Analog-Digital simulcast channels they are able to receive on their QAM capable tuners. Why doesn't Comcast enable their STB's to show these?

If they are there, I want to see them! I'm tired of the grainy analog channels. And, in most cases, I don't need the disk-space-hogging HD broadcasts filling up our DVR. SD digital broadcasts would do just fine.

Come on Comcast. Open up our boxes to receive the ADS channels NOW. It will only help your cause to convince people that this change will be good, once they see for themselves the superior picture quality.

Do it. Come on. Do it.

I spent a good portion of Sunday and a check for KQED HD on Monday compiling a list of the QAM channels for various channels on Comcast cable. These are the "in the clear", non-scrambled channels that a QAM tuner such as my MDP-130 can pick up.
If your area is anywhere like mine, you'll find every week to 2 weeks there will be slight changes in the channel locations, so if you need to depend on the channels being where they are (as in you are recording them) then it can become a burdensome process. On the other hand if you just want to know roughly where to look for a channel, the list will be fine.

From what I've read, enough companies are backing it (iincluding the FCC) to where any MSO that doesn't adopt it will risk being the odd man out. OpenCable is supposed to be very well structured and is getting input from all sides of the table where as the CableCARD standard was sort of "hacked" out by a few companies.
I think you are getting into an area which is extremely political and depending on who you talk to (or which side you talk to) you will get wildly different spins on what is going on.

I think the bottom line is the MSOs want control of your TV-top and they won't promote any technology for usage on their systems until that is achieved.

CableCARD is perfectly functional from an end-user perspective (you are able to watch and record encrypted channels that you pay for), but it doesn't satisfy the goals of the MSOs, so it will never be promoted and will likely just fade away.

Remember, CableCARD was born specifically because the FCC wanted to foster innovation in the PVR area and also untie the consumer from being forced to lease equipment from the cable companies. The FCC mandated that MSOs support portable encryption by a certain date. In addition all cable company STBs were supposed to use the same portable encryption by the mandated date. The thinking was if cable company equipment was forced to use the portable encryption, that technology could not be artificially handicapped. However effective lobbying delayed the process, so you are left with the current situation.

CableCARD was designed by the MSOs through CableLABs to satisfy the FCC mandate, so while it could potentially have been rushed, it was built and designed by the cable companies and their proxies and not just hacked together.

Well stated, sfhub. While I admit I haven't been following every single word regarding the debate between CableCARD vs. OpenCable, I think people are more excited about OpenCable because many more companies from all sides of the table (i.e. cable MSO's, PVR builders, Networks, etc.) are getting their input on it. Saying that CableCARD was a "hack" was probably a bad term and I apologize for it. However while it was developed by CableLabs (coincidentally the same company that's driving the OpenCable standard) very few companies had a say in what when it to it. And as you stated, the standard was rushed in order to appease the FCC gods and I think OpenCable is a more thought-out, more well-planned standard.

Speaking of cable cards, anybody know the current firmware version being used on comcast cards in the bay area? I believe in boston, they are at v4.21, but I'm curious where things are at out here (before I take the plunge).

I hope the additon of FSN+ on 410 isn't the reason they dropped WeatherScan on 178. That only leaves us with another "quality" KNTV product, the KNTV Weather channel.

fitprod
Look at channel 195, that's the new ABC Accu-Weather channel... :rolleyes:
The movement of FSN+ has nothing to do with the dropping of the other weather channel. You now have 3 weather channels, NBC, ABC and the actually Weather Channel ( 4 weather channels if you want to count the one in the Guide it's self ).

Laters,
Mikef5

Well, that's one good thing about being in Comcast's Death Valley of cable service, no room for all those weather channels.. :)

Copied from the Hot Off The Press thread, gotta love that competition, fair or otherwise.... :)

The Business of TV
Indiana Passes Statewide Video Franchise Law

By Jay Sherman TVWeek.com March 14, 2006

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed statewide legislation into law Tuesday, joining Texas as the only states in the U.S. that allow phone companies to offer video services by obtaining a franchise license at the state level.

The new law will mean that telephone companies such as AT&T will no longer have to seek town-by-town approvals to offer video and can instead seek approval from the state. The new law also requires that applicants get an answer within 15 days of applying. The law applies to cable operators as well.

Indiana becomes the second state in the United States to pass the video franchising reform, which was helped along by the telco industry's heavy lobbying to ease the application process involved in offering video.

Virginia last week passed a law that expedites the video franchise application process but still leaves the ultimate decision to local municipalities. To enact a statewide video franchise rule would have required changing the Virginia Constitution-considered a long shot.

Other states are expected to take up the statewide video franchising issue in the coming weeks, with legislatures in New Jersey, Kansas, Missouri, California, Florida and South Carolina all in various stages of debating the topic.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=9546

Very cool. Does this mean the franchise fees go to the state or do the local governements still get a piece?

I don't know, I know that ATT has volunteered to pay a franchise fee equal to what cable pays in some locations, but as far whether they have to pay one at all, I'm not sure. Their position is that IPTV is not "cable" and is not subject to the rules that cable has to play by.

There's a thread with a lot of news reports from across the country regarding ATT/IPTV,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=638947
AT&T Lightspeed - AVS Forum

Has anyone gotten a good answer from Comcast as to why the guide for KRON HD is wrong 100% of the time? I know it is an HDNET loop, but that should make it all the easier to know what is on, how freaken hard could it be. Somehow tv.yahoo.com has it correct, but comcast can't?

What a joke.

Comcast is not in control of the guide information. They receive that from TV Guide. That's the one that is incorrect.

Interesting article in this morning's SF Chronicle about Comcast and a la carte service. The link is Lazarus column. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/03/15/BUG6LHO48K1.DTL)

cgw, thanks for that link, I posted the article in the ALC thread.

Interesting article in this morning's SF Chronicle about Comcast and a la carte service. The link is Lazarus column. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/03/15/BUG6LHO48K1.DTL)

LOL. I love this quote from that piece:

"If an a la carte regime were pro-consumer, then surely one of the numerous competitors in the marketplace ... would have adopted that model by now to distinguish themselves from their competitors," he said.

Like Comcast or any other TV provider has suddenly gone "pro consumer"? ROFL. It's all about the bottom line, baby. They'll only go a la carte if a gun is held to their heads. Even then, what will result is a probably MORE confusing montly bill than what you already receive and somehow, some way they will figure a way around it and you'll end up paying more.

Has anyone ever seen their TV bill go down when one of these new ideas actually hits the streets?

Has anyone gotten a good answer from Comcast as to why the guide for KRON HD is wrong 100% of the time? I know it is an HDNET loop, but that should make it all the easier to know what is on, how freaken hard could it be. Somehow tv.yahoo.com has it correct, but comcast can't?

What a joke.

It looks like the HDNet loop is about to end. From KRON:

Brian,

Thanks for your note. We are in the process of updating the channel and we have changed the system we use to create the program schedule so hopefully, we’ll have these problems resolved soon. With regard to content, most of our programming has been provided by HDNet. We had an affiliation agreement with them but they discontinued the “over-the-air” service. They did, however, agree to provide us with programming for a period of time via hard drives. We are in the process of replacing the “tired” HDNet programming with our own local HD productions such as Bay Area Backroads, Henry’s Garden, etc. as quickly as we can get it produced. So we are well aware of the problems and we are working to solve them. Thanks again for writing and watching.



Pat Patton

Vice President, Programming

KRON-TV

Look at channel 195, that's the new ABC Accu-Weather channel...
You now have 3 weather channels, NBC, ABC and the actually Weather Channel ( 4 weather channels if you want to count the one in the Guide it's self ).

Nope, only 2 weather channel in Ghettocast. We've never had the Weather Channel...
Much like KRON HD, INHD and others...
BTW, It would have been nice if Comcast had sent out a notice that they were adding the ABC Accu-Weather channel.

fitprod

LOL. I love this quote from that piece:

"If an a la carte regime were pro-consumer, then surely one of the numerous competitors in the marketplace ... would have adopted that model by now to distinguish themselves from their competitors," he said.

Like Comcast or any other TV provider has suddenly gone "pro consumer"? ROFL. It's all about the bottom line, baby. They'll only go a la carte if a gun is held to their heads. Even then, what will result is a probably MORE confusing montly bill than what you already receive and somehow, some way they will figure a way around it and you'll end up paying more.

Has anyone ever seen their TV bill go down when one of these new ideas actually hits the streets?
In my experience the most common way to render a-la-carte a non-starter is to take the few channels people really care about and price them a-la-carte so that the total is $2 less than the package price. Then folks think I'm only paying $2 for 30 channels I don't care about, it isn't worth it to switch.

Nope, only 2 weather channel in Ghettocast. We've never had the Weather Channel...
Much like KRON HD, INHD and others...
BTW, It would have been nice if Comcast had sent out a notice that they were adding the ABC Accu-Weather channel.

fitprod
I got the message on the Motorola box about the change if you didn't you need to let Comcast know about it so you will in the future. Do you get channel 61 TWC ( The Weather Center ) ??? . You should get 195, 186 and 61, all the weather channels that are in my loop.

Laters,
Mikef5

bay area backroads in HD would be awesome!! KRONHD might actually get my (some of my) viewing attention now.

In my experience the most common way to render a-la-carte a non-starter is to take the few channels people really care about and price them a-la-carte so that the total is $2 less than the package price. Then folks think I'm only paying $2 for 30 channels I don't care about, it isn't worth it to switch.

We should remember that the recent push for a la carte from the FCC is not based on a concern with the cost of cable; it is so "decent folks" can block unsuitable programming and prevent the corruption of our children. Or something along those lines that plays well in red states. This seems to be the lingering effect of a certain superbowl halftime show. As one of my co-workers said at the time: "What's the big deal, I've seen one of those before."

We should remember that the recent push for a la carte from the FCC is not based on a concern with the cost of cable; it is so "decent folks" can block unsuitable programming and prevent the corruption of our children.
I don't think the "decent folks" have all their ducks lined up either
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20051130/0949200_F.shtml

Ah yes, The Church of the Almighty Dollar, trumps indecency issues every time.

My cablecard installed 7/2004 by comcast is version 3.34.

@> fender4645

I think a few pages back you mentioned you wonder what would you miss if you gave up the digital classic package and go with bare minimums?

Well I have basic cable in Sunnyvale $14.68 a month. I get all the broadcast channels except KRON in HD through my HDTV QAM Tuner. I record Lost, The Unit, Desperate Housewives (for the GF), and CSI in HD. That gets me by for the week.

Plus I spend most of my time playing video games or hitting the gym.

I just called up Comcast and they said for me to get ESPN-HD & Discovery in HD I would have to go to the Digital classic route plus standard cable which would amount to be $71+ for a HD box and HD subscribtion.

So to do the math. $71 - $15 = $56 for 2 HD channels and a bunch of other digital classic junkie channels that I don't have time for. ESPN would be cool in HD, but it's not football season nor do they carry the NFL network.

Is the NFL network in HD BTW?. I think I'm gonna go with Direct TV just to get the Ticket anyways.

Also another question for the folks out there with the firewire recording to a HTPC like Windows Media Center, If you have the digital classic, can you record ESPN-HD and Disovery-HD onto windows media center? How about HBO-HD assuming you subscribe to it in HD?

Thanks.

that's how they get u to get the digital packages... ESPNHD........... drool....... i personally couldn't live w/o my espnhd. and hopefully they'll add espn2hd and forsake me to my couch until my death.

Do you get channel 61 TWC ( The Weather Center ) ???

We've never had it out here in Bay Point, we get some Spanish station called Gala for short.

fitprod

how come the korea japan wbc game is on chan 194, i think its a KGO sub?? so weird, i thought that game wasn't gonna be on until tape delay 12 midnight...

Because KGO is showing it on their subchannel.

and why? i am not complaining, i did wanna see this game, but i was just shocked to find it on my guide....... but why would a local abc affiliate show this game, that espn couldn't even play live?

... I just called up Comcast and they said for me to get ESPN-HD & Discovery in HD I would have to go to the Digital classic route plus standard cable which would amount to be $71+ for a HD box and HD subscribtion.er digital classic junkie channels that I don't have time for. ...I think the CSR was wrong about the cost. Here in Novato, I have Limited Basic ($15.80/mo) and Digital Classic tier ($9.95/mo) and DCT-6200 HD box ($5.00/mo) for a total of $30.75/mo plus taxes. I get all HD channels, including ESPNHD and DiscoveryHD, excluding premiums.

We should remember that the recent push for a la carte from the FCC is not based on a concern with the cost of cable; it is so "decent folks" can block unsuitable programming and prevent the corruption of our children. Or something along those lines that plays well in red states. This seems to be the lingering effect of a certain superbowl halftime show. As one of my co-workers said at the time: "What's the big deal, I've seen one of those before."

That technology already exists in the form of V-chip.

I think the CSR was wrong about the cost. Here in Novato, I have Limited Basic ($15.80/mo) and Digital Classic tier ($9.95/mo) and DCT-6200 HD box ($5.00/mo) for a total of $30.75/mo plus taxes. I get all HD channels, including ESPNHD and DiscoveryHD, excluding premiums.

Well I hope your right. I'm gonna call up again today and ask for just that + HBO and see what they say.

BTW have you tried the recording from the firewire to Windows Media Center or to XP? If so do you get to record ESPNHD & DiscoveryHD?

I think the CSR was wrong about the cost. Here in Novato, I have Limited Basic ($15.80/mo) and Digital Classic tier ($9.95/mo) and DCT-6200 HD box ($5.00/mo) for a total of $30.75/mo plus taxes. I get all HD channels, including ESPNHD and DiscoveryHD, excluding premiums.
I have called at least 3 times over the past 6-9 months and the answer is always the same as reported by "jondoms" in his/her earlier post - I need to get standard cable in order to add on the digital classic tier which would then allow me Discovery-HD, INHD1/2 etc. The cost is then about $70.

I hope you find out differently ;-)

Peter
p.s it may depend where you live

I have called at least 3 times over the past 6-9 months and the answer is always the same as reported by "jondoms" in his/her earlier post - I need to get standard cable in order to add on the digital classic tier which would then allow me Discovery-HD, INHD1/2 etc. The cost is then about $70.

I hope you find out differently ;-)

Peter
p.s it may depend where you live

You can get the 6200 with just the digital classic tier and basic cable. It is when you want the 6412 DVR that you are forced to standard cable.

So you are both right :)

Kevin

Why doesn't Comcast turn on the HD this afternoon for the NCAA tourny?

There are a bunch of games in HD and they arent showing them on the live drop ins.

Finally

Why doesn't Comcast turn on the HD this afternoon for the NCAA tourny?

Comcast had nothing to do with it, KPIX screwed up...

And before the question pops up, CBS' facilities can't switch between HD feeds on the fly, that is why the live cut in's are in SD. I sure the subject is being discussed in these threads:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=656257

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=656821

fitprod

Soo has anyone gotten this to work:

Recording from the firewire to Windows Media Center or to XP? If so do you get to record ESPNHD & DiscoveryHD?

I have called at least 3 times over the past 6-9 months and the answer is always the same as reported by "jondoms" in his/her earlier post - I need to get standard cable in order to add on the digital classic tier which would then allow me Discovery-HD, INHD1/2 etc. The cost is then about $70.

I hope you find out differently ;-)

Peter
p.s it may depend where you live

Ok called and got a Patricia and she was cool with hooking me up with just Digital Classic + HD + my current basic cable plan for $30. and some change! I live in Sunnyvale so Fremont might be different but I doubt it. You just have to ask the right questions in the rightr way I guess.

If I wanted to step up to HBO it would be $52. Still not bad but I don't really want it at this time. Torrents FTW.

So next Tuesday I will fill you guys in on the ESPN-HD and Dsicovery-HD over firewire. If I can't record those than back it goes.

Also another question for the folks out there with the firewire recording to a HTPC like Windows Media Center, If you have the digital classic, can you record ESPN-HD and Disovery-HD onto windows media center? How about HBO-HD assuming you subscribe to it in HD?

If your QAM tuner cannot see it, your PC cannot see it. Those channels in most places are 5C encrypted, now.

Ok called and got a Patricia and she was cool with hooking me up with just Digital Classic + HD + my current basic cable plan for $30. and some change! I live in Sunnyvale so Fremont might be different but I doubt it. You just have to ask the right questions in the rightr way I guess.

If I wanted to step up to HBO it would be $52. Still not bad but I don't really want it at this time. Torrents FTW.


Looks like Sunnyvale negotiated different policies than San Jose. In San Jose, it costs about $35 more than that.

I don't think Comcast has officially come out and said they will fully support the OpenCable standard. Anyone know any different?Sure they have. At a CES press conference in January Brian Roberts (together with the other largest MSO's execs) all committed to deploying OCAP starting this year. Comcast committed to Philadelphia, Denver, and other cities, while other MSO's committed to their primary cities. "Full deployment", meaning all systems will be OCAP-capable, by 2009. OCAP is the software portion of OpenCable allowing for interactivity, so by definition a system support OCAP is OpenCable.

Maybe fender meant that Comcast may not support all aspects of OCAP, sort of how Comcast doesn't support everything the Moto STBs can do, e.g..external storage, etc..

The FSN HD As and Giants schedules are finally up:

http://fsnbayarea.com/HD_Giants.jsp
http://fsnbayarea.com/HD_Athletics.jsp

Sigh....yet another year has gone by and still no HD baseball in Santa Rosa...

Go Yankees on DirecTV!! :p

Young Broadcasting Signs With My Network TV

By John M. Higgins -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/16/2006 4:17:00 PM

Abandoning its status as an independent station, Young Broadcasting's KRON San Francisco agreed to become an affiliate of Fox's My Network TV.

The station is the biggest My Network TV outlet so far that is not owned by the Fox Television Group. San Francisco is the sixth-largest market.

My Network TV is cleared in 52 markets throughout the U.S, representing 51% of the nation. The network launches Sept. 5.

The deal is a further blow to Gray Television, whose KBWB San Francisco is losing its affiliation with the soon-to-die The WB but who loses out on a deal with either successor, The CW or My Network TV.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6316537.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228
Broadcasting & Cable: The Business of Television

If your QAM tuner cannot see it, your PC cannot see it. Those channels in most places are 5C encrypted, now.
5C isn't encryption, it is an availability flag.

The FSN HD As and Giants schedules are finally up:

In the "PLUS" column, what does "JIP on main channel" mean?

In the "PLUS" column, what does "JIP on main channel" mean?
JIP = Joined in progress

My Network TV press release:
http://www.newscorp.com/news/news_277.html

Here are FSN HD As and Giants schedules:

http://fsnbayarea.com/HD_Giants.jsp
http://fsnbayarea.com/HD_Athletics.jsp

Only 54 of the 162 Giants games in HD? That sux.

Question: What is the bare bones cheapest way to get the Giants in HD via Comcast? My dad has an HDTV and Dish Network, but is disappointed because of the pathetic deal that makes Giants HD a Comcast Exclusive.

What is the bare minimum he would have to pay to Comcast to get the Giants in HD?

Thanks.

Digital "Classic" plus HD

54 games is pretty good, seems like a bit more than last year.
Plus we'll probably get a couple more on ESPN (Sat/Sun nite games). Especially if Bonds is close to breaking the record. (Despite how much the blowdried airheads on that channel have been calling for Bond's head on a platter, you know they will hype the HR chase as much as they can if they can make a profit off it...)

Only 54 of the 162 Giants games in HD? That sux.

Question: What is the bare bones cheapest way to get the Giants in HD via Comcast? My dad has an HDTV and Dish Network, but is disappointed because of the pathetic deal that makes Giants HD a Comcast Exclusive.

What is the bare minimum he would have to pay to Comcast to get the Giants in HD?

Thanks.
It should be around $33/mo but will vary from town to town. Some locations do not get FSNBA-HD at all. See my post here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7316705&&#post7316705) as to what specifically is minimum. FSNBA-HD here is on InHD2 chan 720 when there is a game.

Only 54 of the 162 Giants games in HD? That sux.

Question: What is the bare bones cheapest way to get the Giants in HD via Comcast? My dad has an HDTV and Dish Network, but is disappointed because of the pathetic deal that makes Giants HD a Comcast Exclusive.

What is the bare minimum he would have to pay to Comcast to get the Giants in HD?

Thanks.
To be fair FSN is doing only 105 of the 162, so over half of the games on FSN will be in HD. They also have to do As games in HD. Plus some games on KTVU and ESPN/EPSN2 will be in HD.

Keenan, it is just unbelievable that Comcast won't put FSN-HD on the TV guide Channel. What is the matter with them?? No brains??!!

Keenan, it is just unbelievable that Comcast won't put FSN-HD on the TV guide Channel. What is the matter with them?? No brains??!!
I can understand not putting it there as that is where all the analog customers get their guide info.

As far as Santa Rosa goes, I'm pretty much sick of it, to the best of my knowledge, Comcast is the one that is dragging it's ass up here and basically, things are going to change whenever they decide to do it. The City's position is undeniably clear, Comcast can do any upgrades it wants, there is nothing blocking that happening, and until someone shows me otherwise, it's Comcast I blame for the crappy situation here.

BTW, apparently the hybrid system here is FTTN with 1500 homes passed per node. Seems like a lot to me...

It should be around $33/mo but will vary from town to town. Some locations do not get FSNBA-HD at all. See my post here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7316705&&#post7316705) as to what specifically is minimum. FSNBA-HD here is on InHD2 chan 720 when there is a game.

In San Jose, it's about $60.

I can understand not putting it there as that is where all the analog customers get their guide info.

As far as Santa Rosa goes, I'm pretty much sick of it, to the best of my knowledge, Comcast is the one that is dragging it's ass up here and basically, things are going to change whenever they decide to do it. The City's position is undeniably clear, Comcast can do any upgrades it wants, there is nothing blocking that happening, and until someone shows me otherwise, it's Comcast I blame for the crappy situation here.

BTW, apparently the hybrid system here is FTTN with 1500 homes passed per node. Seems like a lot to me...
That is where they have been putting FSN+ for me. Now that they've moved it to 410 it seems like a no brainer to me.

This may be slightly off-topic, but someone recently gave me a fairly recent vintage Toshiba CRT 27" SD-TV. This TV has both S-Video and component inputs, but the digital cable box Comcast provided for the room where this TV is located is a General Instruments "Interactive Digital Communications" black box that has only composite or coax outputs. Does Bay Area Comcast provide a non-HD digital box with better than composite outputs?

A second question is, what would component inputs to an SD TV give me? Is it likely that this TV supports progressive (480p) scan? Thanks.

AT&T brings competition into county

"AT&T wants to muscle its way into San Mateo County and compete with Comcast and RCN to provide Internet-based television and faster Internet services.

Anthony Thomas, telecommunications lobbyist for the League of California Cities, worries that cable providers will question the validity of their local franchise agreements with cities if AT&T is spared from paying the fees.

Meanwhile, there is a spot bill in the Senate that could do away with the city-by-city franchise negotiation process."

Full text here (http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_3618525?source=rss).

The underlined part is what Santa Rosa city officials suspect Comcast is waiting for before doing much else of anything up here.

This may be slightly off-topic, but someone recently gave me a fairly recent vintage Toshiba CRT 27" SD-TV. This TV has both S-Video and component inputs, but the digital cable box Comcast provided for the room where this TV is located is a General Instruments "Interactive Digital Communications" black box that has only composite or coax outputs. Does Bay Area Comcast provide a non-HD digital box with better than composite outputs?

A second question is, what would component inputs to an SD TV give me? Is it likely that this TV supports progressive (480p) scan? Thanks.
I think only the 6xxx series boxes offer component outputs, the 5100 did but I don't think they are available anymore.

I have a black motorola box (no DVR, no HDTV) with component output, and Dolby Digital. I think it's model 54XX, but I'm not sure about that. I have that box connected to a 32'' CRT SD TV through component.

I don't think your 27'' SD TV could be able to ouput to 480p.

Does anybody else experience KQED HD Comcast channel 709 sound out of sync with picture?

Stephen

I have a black motorola box (no DVR, no HDTV) with component output, and Dolby Digital. I think it's model 54XX, but I'm not sure about that. I have that box connected to a 32'' CRT SD TV through component.

I don't think your 27'' SD TV could be able to ouput to 480p.

What is the advantage of an SD TV with component inputs then? Will it give better PQ than S-video.

What is the advantage of an SD TV with component inputs then? Will it give better PQ than S-video.

Technically it will, but it probably won't be too noticeable. Component carries the Red, Blue, and Green signals separately which in turn speeds up the RGB mapping for a more accurate picture. S-Video only separates the luminance and chrominance -- the colour information is still carried on a single signal. S-Video is still far better then composite (where all of the video information is transmitted on the same signal). While you may not see a huge difference between component and S-Video on a SD television (i.e. 480i), component does have the ability to transmit progressive scanned sources (480p) while S-Video does not.

Technically....Component carries the Red, Blue, and Green signals separately....Actually...it doesn't. ;)

Component = YPrPb, where Y, Pr, and Pb are all functions of R, G, and B. :D

Component carries the Red, Blue, and Green signals separately which in turn speeds up the RGB mapping for a more accurate picture. S-Video only separates the luminance and chrominance -- the colour information is still carried on a single signal.
As Terry mentioned, Component carries the information as Y Pb Pr. Y is equivalent to luma in the svideo cable (in fact if you connect Y to a composite port you'll see a black/white picture, assuming you are sending 480i). Pb and Pr are the blue and red differentials and they correspond to the chroma in the svideo cable. Component is spec'd to go higher than 480i and the bandwidth devoted to color is greater, however it is not as large as RGB.

Sorry...you guys are right. I just didn't want to get into all of the variances. There are actually a number of componentization schemes, 2 of which are RGB and YPbPr. There's also YUV, YCbCr, YIQ, etc. But as sfhub and TPetersen pointed out, most North American-based devices use the YPbPr scheme.

While we are on the subject of Component YPbPr...
I have been looking for a simple adapter to convert a 480i component YPbPr signal to a 480i composite or S-Video signal. No other formats are involved, just 480i. Seems like it should be relatively simple electronics.
Anyone know of such an adapter?

Any video switch should be able to do that. If you have an audio receiver and it has a inputs and outputs for video it should be able to do that.

I just ordered Comcast here in Nor. Cal and specified that I wanted the Series III box, which I understand has an HDMI port (although the Motorola website makes no mention of this in its description of the box; odd). Is this port enabled on shipping or do I have to connect via component or some such thing prior to enabling it via an onscreen menu?

Thx.
John

Any video switch should be able to do that. If you have an audio receiver and it has a inputs and outputs for video it should be able to do that.
I haven't located any simple adapter, component 480i to composite 480i. The only solution I've found is to use 2 adapters, a component to VGA and a VGA to composite. The resulting video quality is poor with this solution.
Any other ideas?

Keenan, it is just unbelievable that Comcast won't put FSN-HD on the TV guide Channel. What is the matter with them?? No brains??!!

I watched the "HD" Sharks game on Sunday..that was HD? It looked horrid!

Does anybody else experience KQED HD Comcast channel 709 sound out of sync with picture?
Stephen

Yes, along with terrible PQ, during the "Niagara" program late Sunday night.

I haven't located any simple adapter, component 480i to composite 480i. The only solution I've found is to use 2 adapters, a component to VGA and a VGA to composite. The resulting video quality is poor with this solution.
Any other ideas?
Why do you want to convert component to composite? Most of the time people want to go the other way around because they want to run one set of component cables to their display. Why couldn't you just use the composite output of your device instead of trying to convert component to composite?

Should hit the streets next month in DS areas.

I have not sought one out to see what it's all about, so bear with me. First impression is the size. Same width of a 6412, but less deep.

Same host of connections, component-HDMI-line level-optical-etc.

Missing totally is are the A/V inputs. Missing from the front panel is the USB port (less explaining to do! There is USB on the back, useful when using one of those laptop fan panels to cool it).

Has RF out. No chrome box stuck on back. PIII style fan on bottom.

So relieved about the size and appearance - easy to seperate from 6412s.

Should hit the streets next month in ADS areas.

I have not sought one out to see what it's all about, so bear with me. First impression is the size. Same width of a 6412, but less deep.

Same host of connections, component-HDMI-line level-optical-etc.

Missing totally is are the A/V inputs. Missing from the front panel is the USB port (less explaining to do! There is USB on the back, useful when using one of those laptop fan panels to cool it).

Has RF out. No chrome box stuck on back. PIII style fan on bottom.

So relieved about the size and appearance - easy to seperate from 6412s.

Thanks for the update, Barovelli. Will these boxes be needed in order to tune to the digital versions the normally-analog channels? Or can the current 64xx boxes do that?

Thanks for the update, Barovelli. Will these boxes be needed in order to tune to the digital versions the normally-analog channels? Or can the current 64xx boxes do that?

All DCTs can remap the DS lineup with the exception of the DCT1000 and DCT1200.

All DCTs can remap the ADS lineup with the exception of the DCT1000 and DCT1200.

What's the benefit then to the new box? Is the digital tuner better then the one on the 6412?

What's the benefit then to the new box? Is the digital tuner better then the one on the 6412?

Supply for one :p

The rest remains to be seen when some get fired up.

Hey! I JUST NOW got VOD. I really, really wish some genius could restore the Three Stooges in HD!

Supply for one :p

The rest remains to be seen when some get fired up.

Hey! I JUST NOW got VOD. I really, really wish some genius could restore the Three Stooges in HD!
You got VOD ??? Now I am jealous, I've been trying to get VOD for the SaraMilgatos area for the last year with no luck :(
I guess I'll just have to go and sit in the corner and watch the new weather channel :)

Laters,
Mikef5

I just ordered Comcast here in Nor. Cal and specified that I wanted the Series III box, which I understand has an HDMI port (although the Motorola website makes no mention of this in its description of the box; odd). Is this port enabled on shipping or do I have to connect via component or some such thing prior to enabling it via an onscreen menu?

Thx.
John

I got a 6412 sIII 3 weeks ago and it came with an HDMI output. Yes, it's active.

bw

How is analog PQ with 6412 sIII? As good as CC?

Stephen

How is analog PQ with 6412 sIII? As good as CC?

Stephen

I think so.

I think so.

And see below from: http://www.answers.com/topic/motorola-6412

the Phase III has better analog picture quality

Is there a non-DVR box available with HDMI output, and is there a DVR box with DVI output?

Reason I ask is I have a HDTV in the living room with DVI and a non-DVR box with DVI, but I want to move that into the bedroom where I just got a LCD with HDMI input, then get a DVR box for the living room. Seems like it would be silly to get a DVI to HDMI converter for the bedroom AND a HDMI to DVI converter for the living room...

I guess I could use analog component, but what about when they close the "analog hole"? I guess I could worry about that then... anyone know when that will happen?

walk,
All you need is a HDMI to DVI cable, no converter is needed. You can get the cable at monoprice.com for about $10 delivered, product id 2404. So I would get any box or DVR you want, most have digital out.

I have a DVR with DVI output. It's the 6412 series II.

I don't know how available they are now that the series III is out.

Hey everybody, long time listener, first time caller.

Anyhow, I'm using my QAM tuner on my hdtv to watch the unencrypted channels off my analogue (standard) cable, and today I noticed that Fox HD and CBS HD moved! They used to be at 2.1 and 5.1, respectively, which was nice since standard fox and cbs are at 2 and 5, but now they live at 79.1 and 79.2. Anyone else notice this? This is for San Mateo Comcast.

Thanks,
Mike

Mike the 2.1 and 5.1 designations are the "virtual channels" given in the PSIP data by the broadcasters. When that PSIP data is not present, your TV is telling you the actual channel locations, which have always been 79.1 and 79.2.

Hi,
I just got a new HDTV (55HDX62 - Hitachi) and I have regular analog cable (standard) channels 2-78. I plugged the TV into the cable and ran the channel search and came up with a bunch of channels that not even comcast knows what they are??? I was hoping someone could help me.
I get the regulars, 2-78, then 80-1, -2, -3, 81-1, -2, -3, etc etc etc all the way up to 118-54 which are radio stations with no video only sound?
Can someone help me out with this, I am having comcast come out friday to install a cable to card to the TV but was wondering what the difference is going to be and if I should even bother?
Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi,
I just got a new HDTV (55HDX62 - Hitachi) and I have regular analog cable (standard) channels 2-78. I plugged the TV into the cable and ran the channel search and came up with a bunch of channels that not even comcast knows what they are??? I was hoping someone could help me.
I get the regulars, 2-78, then 80-1, -2, -3, 81-1, -2, -3, etc etc etc all the way up to 118-54 which are radio stations with no video only sound?
Can someone help me out with this, I am having comcast come out friday to install a cable to card to the TV but was wondering what the difference is going to be and if I should even bother?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Sounds like you have a Digital QAM tuner (digital cable) in your TV and when you did a channel scan it found a bunch of digital channels as well. A lot of the unscrambled digital channels broadcasted by comcast, which a typical QAM tuner can pick up, are music channels, that's why you hear sound but no video.... although on my TV, the music channels broadcasted by comcast usually have a still picture with the artist and title.

bw,
You shouldn't feel so bad. Things could be worse. I live in the cable slums of Sunnyvale. My HD channel line up consists of 702, 703, 705, 707, 709, 722, 723 & 730 (HBO). We don't have VOD in my area. So, a whopping 8 HD channels, seven if I didn't subscribe to HBO.

I'm in the same boat as well. Ironic, considering the "high-tech" Silicon Valley. Any word on when (or if) the city is going to get into the 21st century and provide the necessary bandwidth? I wrote to the city and supposedly will hear back within 24 hours.

Rerics

I have to say that the loss of this channel for Limited Basic peeves me.

Will 410 be in the clear so at least those of us with a STBs can view the programming?

Moves like this over time are a hidden rate hike because it forces an upgrade to more expensive programming levels.

Kevin
Having just heard about this watching the Giants spring training game tonight, I called Comcast and the CSR said it will be available to me with my STB, even though I don't have a digital cable package. I hope he knew what he was talking about.

On Comcast, 2.1 and 5.1 disappeared sometime after 24 was finished. 7.1 and 9.1 are still on. 11.1 has never been on my tuner and I find it on 116.1.

"2.1" and "5.1" are probably on 79.x "11.1" won't be on your tuner until Comcast starts carrying KNTV's PSIP. Dunno why they don't have that but do have ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS PSIP (most of the time).

So I just bought and installed my first HD plasma, an NEC 50XR5A.

I've been a DirecTV customer for years and after all the threads discussing how DirecTV doesn't really offer true HD, I signed up with Comcast. I've got both units set up at the moment and I must say I'm a bit dissapointed... perhaps it's a testament to the amazing scaler in the NEC, but recorded SD programming on DirecTV over an s-video connection looks notably BETTER than SD programming from Comcast over an HDMI connection. FWIW, I've got the Moto 6412 III.

I mean, I've always known that DirecTV has better SD quality than cable, but the NEC sure makes the difference blatantly noticeable. Don't get me wrong, the small collection of HD channels Comcast offers look positively gorgeous in comparison to everything else but I have to wonder if it's worth the trade-off. A handful of awesome HD instead of good-to-great quality for everything else? Hmm. Thankfully, Comcast doesn't require a commitment so I can dump it if I change my mind. I must admit, I'm going to probably rethink this when the next round of DirecTV HD/DVR's come out.

If only the 6412 could be programmed to set 480i/720p/1080i output per channel ...

I was trying to program the 6412 to record all my usual shows and I can't find half of them. Does this thing need to sit overnight to build a full catalog of programming - or am I going to have to catch them as they come along and set season-recording options at that point?

anyone watch "evidence" last night on ABC? i didn't watch for the show, i watched for the many cut scenes of SF. this is the first show i've seen in HD that is featured in SF. hopefully csi never comes to SF and oversaturates our beautiful city with needless colors.

If only the 6412 could be programmed to set 480i/720p/1080i output per channel ...
It can't do 720p/1080i per channel, but it can be configured to passthrough 480i as 480i so your TV can deinterlace/scale. 720p/1080i will still get processed by the box. On the remote, press power (to turn the box off) then immediately press menu.

SD digital cable looks horrible (to me) They use 520x480i frame. Crap in, crap out.

SD digital simulcast analog looks ok. SD digital PPV looks ok. These use 704x480i frames.

HD on Comcast isn't HD-lite, so that is a bonus.

It can't do 720p/1080i per channel, but it can be configured to passthrough 480i as 480i so your TV can deinterlace/scale. 720p/1080i will still get processed by the box. On the remote, press power (to turn the box off) then immediately press menu.

Wait... so if I set the box to 480i (I was poking around in this menu last night) it will still output 720p/1080i for HD stations? I would hate for the box to downrez the HD resolutions to 480i and then have my TV uprez them again, that's sure to kill quality. I'll give it a try tonight and see what happens...

So I just bought and installed my first HD plasma, an NEC 50XR5A.

I've been a DirecTV customer for years and after all the threads discussing how DirecTV doesn't really offer true HD, I signed up with Comcast. I've got both units set up at the moment and I must say I'm a bit dissapointed... perhaps it's a testament to the amazing scaler in the NEC, but recorded SD programming on DirecTV over an s-video connection looks notably BETTER than SD programming from Comcast over an HDMI connection. FWIW, I've got the Moto 6412 III.

I mean, I've always known that DirecTV has better SD quality than cable, but the NEC sure makes the difference blatantly noticeable. Don't get me wrong, the small collection of HD channels Comcast offers look positively gorgeous in comparison to everything else but I have to wonder if it's worth the trade-off. A handful of awesome HD instead of good-to-great quality for everything else? Hmm. Thankfully, Comcast doesn't require a commitment so I can dump it if I change my mind. I must admit, I'm going to probably rethink this when the next round of DirecTV HD/DVR's come out.

If only the 6412 could be programmed to set 480i/720p/1080i output per channel ...

I was trying to program the 6412 to record all my usual shows and I can't find half of them. Does this thing need to sit overnight to build a full catalog of programming - or am I going to have to catch them as they come along and set season-recording options at that point?

I can't speak for the recording issue--mine just worked right out of the box. Couldn't be happier with it.

Regarding changing the output setting: you can hook up an svideo cable to the 6412 and run it in parallel to your plasma in addition to the HDMI. The svideo out is always 480i, I believe. Then you can switch to the svideo input on your PDP for SD channels, and the HDMI input for HD channels.

I've done this, and it works, but I myself don't see much if any difference in PQ of SD either way, so I don't bother to do it any more. But it's still hooked up that way. I have a Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK, which has component, rgb, svideo and (with extra purchase) hdmi input. Not sure if your pdp can do this.

bw

Regarding changing the output setting: you can hook up an svideo cable to the 6412 and run it in parallel to your plasma in addition to the HDMI. The svideo out is always 480i, I believe. Then you can switch to the svideo input on your PDP for SD channels, and the HDMI input for HD channels.

I've done this, and it works, but I myself don't see much if any difference in PQ of SD either way, so I don't bother to do it any more. But it's still hooked up that way. I have a Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK, which has component, rgb, svideo and (with extra purchase) hdmi input. Not sure if your pdp can do this.

Brilliant! I believe that will work perfectly. The NEC has a positively wonderful scaler, so I'm betting it looks much better than the upscaled 720p/1080i content that the 6412 is outputting. I definitely don't mind switching inputs for SD, especially if the quality improves over what I'm getting on HDMI/SD right now.

I'll give it a whirl tonight!

Wait... so if I set the box to 480i (I was poking around in this menu last night) it will still output 720p/1080i for HD stations? I would hate for the box to downrez the HD resolutions to 480i and then have my TV uprez them again, that's sure to kill quality. I'll give it a try tonight and see what happens...
There are 2 settings for you to be concerned about:

YPbPr Output, which you can set for 720p or 1080i. If you don't do anything special, the cable box will convert everything into what you have this setting configured at.

However, people complained that the scaler/deinterlacer in the Motorola box wasn't very good, so they added an option under

4:3 override. If you set this for 480i, 480i content will leave the box as 480i, but 720p/1080i content will still get converted to what you have YPbPr set to.

This should get you what you want and with the bonus that you won't need to switch inputs to svideo.

Gotcha, that makes a lot of sense. I'm going to set it to exactly that tonight and see how it looks, I think you've hit the nail on the head. Thanks again!! :)

Having just heard about this watching the Giants spring training game tonight, I called Comcast and the CSR said it will be available to me with my STB, even though I don't have a digital cable package. I hope he knew what he was talking about.
Well, the guy lied. FSN+ requires the silver package. I called back, and for the first time ever, I got a friendly, knowledgable CSR. He gave me digital cable and HBO for $40 for 3 months, and he gave me his extension and the hours he works, so I don't have to deal with morons anymore. He felt pity for me with our limited channel lineup and the fact that we're now being asked to pay more just to keep FSN+.

The best part of the conversation was when he told me to turn to a certain channel to check if the upgrade was working, and he chose a channel not available in Santa Rosa. Heh.

not sure if someone already mentioned it, but right now on KRON HD, it's showing the Bay Cafe in HD. Now only if there is accurate listing for KRON HD.

Will KTVU be broadcasting Giants games this season in HIGH DEF via Comcast 702?

Will KTVU be broadcasting Giants games this season in HIGH DEF via Comcast 702?
I don't see any listed here (http://www.hdsportsguide.com/mlb.php), but there are a lot on FSN BA HD, you should see on InHD2 720.

Will KTVU be broadcasting Giants games this season in HIGH DEF via Comcast 702?
I guess I wouldn't count on it unless it is a game going to a national feed. I'm not sure if they have the equipment yet to do that.

I guess I wouldn't count on it unless it is a game going to a national feed. I'm not sure if they have the equipment yet to do that.

KTVU did local home games (jon miller and mike krukow) in HD last season...... so my money is yes there will be the same this year.

KTVU did local home games (jon miller and mike krukow) in HD last season...... so my money is yes there will be the same this year.
Practically nothing though compared to FSNBA, if you don't have INHD in the bay area you really don't see much local HD baseball at all.

I bought a new MITS WD-52525 about a month ago that has an HD tuner. I connected it to my Comcast cable and was pleased to find I was getting HD and DTV channels in addition to the analog that I had before with the stand-alone TiVo and 9 year old Toshiba. I did not get any of the premium [HBO, etc.] channels of course - just the big 5 - NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX & PBS plus KRON4 and the SD digital channels.

Then about a week ago all the digital channels disappeared and have not returned. I still get all the analog that I had before. I did a re-tune with no change.

So what happened? No, I am not paying for digital and so I am not sure if this is the result of something that Comcast did or if my TV's ATSC tuner has failed. As far as I can tell, no Comcast employee has set foot on my property and I don't see any filter on my coax downlead. How can I tell? :confused:

Jet--

Not exactly a filter, but Comcast is juggling things here and there and dropping the part of the DTV data stream called the PSIP that tells your TV that, e.g., channel 79.1 is really KPIX 5.1 that they're retransmitting. I presume that they'll have the PSIP back sometime. In the meanwhile, perhaps you can try tuning the TV to the actual rf channels (which are listed in other posts in this thread for several Bay Area locations).

I think I mislead you. I got 6 HD channels as 79.2, 116.1, 111.8, 79.2, 7.1, 9.1 plus perhaps 30 or 40 DTV channels for the first month. Now, I get none of these HD or SDTV at all, only analog.

I just installed a monster OTA UHF antenna on the roof, aimed it NW, hooked it to Ant-2 [Comcast is on Ant-1] on the MITS WD-52525 and did a re-scan. I now get tons of analog UHF channels [and a few of the VHF weakly] but still no digital channels.

I'll call MITS on Monday. :mad:

So what happened? No, I am not paying for digital and so I am not sure if this is the result of something that Comcast did or if my TV's ATSC tuner has failed. As far as I can tell, no Comcast employee has set foot on my property and I don't see any filter on my coax downlead. How can I tell? :confused:
Well, if you are scanning ATSC on the Comcast line, then you won't get any channels. You need to scan for QAM channels. They might be the same scan or different scans depending on TV.

Also not all the coax ports are used for digital. Some sets have special coax inputs for digital and separate ones for analog.

Are you absolutely sure nothing changed on your end? or were you doing some reconfigs?

I'm sure there would be more people complaining if there was widespread outage and I doubt Comcast did something specific to your line.

Something else is likely going on.

I'm not sure if this is the right thread to post this. I just received my HDMI cable from monoprice.com (http://www.monoprice.com). I hooked it up to my Samsung HL-R5067W DLP and to the DVI output on my Motorola HD STB (Comcast DCT-6200/2005) via an DVI-HDMI adapter, also from monoprice.com (http://www.monoprice.com). On some channels (200-557 range), the right edge of the picture has a "dashed line" effect from the top to the bottom of the screen when watching in 4:3 mode. It's only on channels in this limited range, but it's not always there. If it's there, it's there on all channels in the range. If it's not there, it's not on any of these channels. Is it safe to presume that it is something in the broadcast signal? Has anyone experienced this at all?

MANNAXMAN,
Try setting the 4:3 Override to 480i so that the 4:3 SD channels fill the 16:9 screen. See this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7363453&&#post7363453).

I bought a new MITS WD-52525 about a month ago that has an HD tuner. I connected it to my Comcast cable and was pleased to find I was getting HD and DTV channels in addition to the analog that I had before with the stand-alone TiVo and 9 year old Toshiba. I did not get any of the premium [HBO, etc.] channels of course - just the big 5 - NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX & PBS plus KRON4 and the SD digital channels.

Then about a week ago all the digital channels disappeared and have not returned. I still get all the analog that I had before. I did a re-tune with no change.

So what happened? No, I am not paying for digital and so I am not sure if this is the result of something that Comcast did or if my TV's ATSC tuner has failed. As far as I can tell, no Comcast employee has set foot on my property and I don't see any filter on my coax downlead. How can I tell? :confused:

Having a similiar problem. Got a new vizio plasma with a QAM tuner. Plugged my analog Comcast cable in and did a scan. Found over 100 DTV channels, but all were either in SD or where music channels. I'm in San Francisco

KTVU did local home games (jon miller and mike krukow) in HD last season...... so my money is yes there will be the same this year.

I believe they borrow the HD truck Comcast so sleazily offered FSNBA in exchange for exclusivity, so if the A's/Warriors/Sharks are supposed to be in HD on a night for a KTVU game, don't count on the Giants being in HD that night via KTVU.

On a related note, any idea when this exclusive Comcast thing might end? Is there any ray of hope for DirecTV/Dish network people.

My dad says FSN and Comcast should be sued because in the beginning of every Giants game that will be in HD on FSNBA, they say "In HD Where Available." and my dad thinks that is false advertising and that it should say "In HD On Comcast Only."

As a lawyer, I find it amusing but it still hacks me off he can see FSNBA HD on Dish.

I believe they borrow the HD truck Comcast so sleazily offered FSNBA in exchange for exclusivity, so if the A's/Warriors/Sharks are supposed to be in HD on a night for a KTVU game, don't count on the Giants being in HD that night via KTVU.

On a related note, any idea when this exclusive Comcast thing might end? Is there any ray of hope for DirecTV/Dish network people.

My dad says FSN and Comcast should be sued because in the beginning of every Giants game that will be in HD on FSNBA, they say "In HD Where Available." and my dad thinks that is false advertising and that it should say "In HD On Comcast Only."

As a lawyer, I find it amusing but it still hacks me off he can see FSNBA HD on Dish.

I wouldn't count on seeing FSN being on anything other then Comcast any time soon. FSN, which is owned by Rainbow Media, has many other deals with Comcast in regards to content providing. In fact, I think Comcast evens holds a stake in Rainbow Media (I believe Comcast aquired the stake when they aquired AT&T's cable division).

And then there's the poor slobs in the 15% or so of Comcast Bay Area systems that can't see FSNBA-HD baseball games at any price, from any provider.

As I've mentioned before, I live in the cable slums of Sunnyvale. My Samsung DLP is hooked up via a HD STB. I recently split the signal and have fed the signal directly to the TV to take advantage of the PIP function. I did an auto scan and the TV found ~140 channels. The scan only found one HD channel - NBC at 33.1. Earlier tonight, I manually scanned through channels 2-120 or so. I was able to find 2.1 (KTVU-HD) and 5.1 (KPIX-HD). I looked for ABC-HD on 7.1 to 7.12. I've tried a few other channels mentioned on this thread to look for other HD channels to no avail. Can anyone help me find the channel for ABC-HD and any other HD channels (KQED? KRON?) that might be available in Sunnyvale? Any help would be appreciated.

Mannax--

If you're really in the 550-MHz "slums", you needn't scan past about ch 80, since that's your highest rf channel. The HD channels elsewhere in the Bay Area are all at or above ch 79 (CBS & Fox), so our lineup isn't likely to help your search. :(

As I've mentioned before, I live in the cable slums of Sunnyvale. My Samsung DLP is hooked up via a HD STB. I recently split the signal and have fed the signal directly to the TV to take advantage of the PIP function. I did an auto scan and the TV found ~140 channels. The scan only found one HD channel - NBC at 33.1. Earlier tonight, I manually scanned through channels 2-120 or so. I was able to find 2.1 (KTVU-HD) and 5.1 (KPIX-HD). I looked for ABC-HD on 7.1 to 7.12. I've tried a few other channels mentioned on this thread to look for other HD channels to no avail. Can anyone help me find the channel for ABC-HD and any other HD channels (KQED? KRON?) that might be available in Sunnyvale? Any help would be appreciated.
Mannaxman,
Look at channels in the 99 area. In my area ABC-HD is on 99.1 and the KQED stations are from 99.2 through 99.6. I think that 99.7 is ABC-SD ( 7.2 OTA ) and that 99.8 is the ABC AccuWeather channel. This is what's on in the SaraMilgatos area but it's worth a shot. Also, it depends on what tuner you are using to get the channels. They are different on my LG-4200 than on my Sony TV tuner but it might give you a channel area to check.

Laters,
Mikef5

A new bonus plan for Comcast Corp.'s top executives has an annual ceiling of $12 million apiece, the cable company said yesterday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

While the cable operator's shares fell 22 percent last year, Brian Roberts took in $12.8 million: $2.37 million in salary, a bonus of $7.7 million, and other compensation of $2.7 million.

Gee, I guess it's going to be mac and cheese in the Robert's household, next year...

...all I want is to see my local teams in HD...

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/business/14209347.htm
Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/29/2006 | Comcast limiting bonuses at the top

Please excuse the post if it was elsewhere but I failed in finding it in a search. But in any event, I have a 6412 Phase III. While watching the Soprano's last night in DD5.1, I had to pause to do something and then when I went live, I lost the DD5.1 stream. Has anyone else seen this? Found a fix?

Thx.
John

Mannaxman,
Look at channels in the 99 area. In my area ABC-HD is on 99.1 and the KQED stations are from 99.2 through 99.6. I think that 99.7 is ABC-SD ( 7.2 OTA ) and that 99.8 is the ABC AccuWeather channel. This is what's on in the SaraMilgatos area but it's worth a shot. Also, it depends on what tuner you are using to get the channels. They are different on my LG-4200 than on my Sony TV tuner but it might give you a channel area to check.

Laters,
Mikef5
Thanks for that info, Mike. I have family in Milpitas and when I've been over there, I've noticed that their channel line up seems to be identical to the Sunnyvale region that I'm in. I'll give those channels a try.

Please excuse the post if it was elsewhere but I failed in finding it in a search. But in any event, I have a 6412 Phase III. While watching the Soprano's last night in DD5.1, I had to pause to do something and then when I went live, I lost the DD5.1 stream. Has anyone else seen this? Found a fix?

Thx.
John

whenever you play recorded video (whether it be playing paused tv, playing a recorded show), the audio stream changes from DD 5.1 to DD pro logic. it is a well known bug with the IIIs when connected with HDMI. I think mike said there is a fix coming to the bay area soon but no one really knows when.

the only fix right now is to use component cables.

I think mike said there is a fix coming to the bay area soon but no one really knows when.


Supposed to be in April.

Thanks for the reply but I am using the SPDIF output. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the reply but I am using the SPDIF output. Any thoughts?
The issue is still with the HDMI output, you would have to ask the rocket scientists at Motorola why it does that, my guess is sloppy implementation of HDMI. When the HDMI port is in use is when the problem occurs.

Something of interest for those of you with Comcast High Speed Internet.

I just got a letter from Comcast, dated March 20, 2006, stating that HSI will no longer use fixed IP addresses for DNS. You may need to change your computer network settings to use dynamic DNS.
They give a web site for information on how to do this at:
http://www.comcast.net/help/faq/index.jsp?faq=Connection117638

Greg

Actually it is DHCP, instead of DNS.

In San Jose we have always had DHCP.

As I've mentioned before, I live in the cable slums of Sunnyvale. My Samsung DLP is hooked up via a HD STB. I recently split the signal and have fed the signal directly to the TV to take advantage of the PIP function. I did an auto scan and the TV found ~140 channels. The scan only found one HD channel - NBC at 33.1. Earlier tonight, I manually scanned through channels 2-120 or so. I was able to find 2.1 (KTVU-HD) and 5.1 (KPIX-HD). I looked for ABC-HD on 7.1 to 7.12. I've tried a few other channels mentioned on this thread to look for other HD channels to no avail. Can anyone help me find the channel for ABC-HD and any other HD channels (KQED? KRON?) that might be available in Sunnyvale? Any help would be appreciated.

MANNAXMAN,
I'm also in the Sunnyvale area.
I have analog cable, and get the following HD channels:
2.1
5.1
7.1
9.1
33.1

At one point I had lost 9.1 (and all the 9.x). Manually selecting 9.1 wouldn't work. Auto scanning didn't work either. One day, fooling around with the TV set's settings I managed to wipe out all the station settings. The set basically went into a factory setting state, with only the default channel 1. I had to re-scan from scratch and magically 9.1 appeared again.

Durny1

MANNAXMAN,
I'm also in the Sunnyvale area.
I have analog cable, and get the following HD channels:
2.1
5.1
7.1
9.1
33.1

At one point I had lost 9.1 (and all the 9.x). Manually selecting 9.1 wouldn't work. Auto scanning didn't work either. One day, fooling around with the TV set's settings I managed to wipe out all the station settings. The set basically went into a factory setting state, with only the default channel 1. I had to re-scan from scratch and magically 9.1 appeared again.

Durny1Of course not--the channel isn't "9.1". In my case, it's 117.2, but it must be different in Sunnyvale where you don't have 850-MHz cabling. You can help MANNAXMAN by telling him what the actual rf channels are for your list above.

MANNAXMAN--You may find that a "factory reset" is needed for your TV too to get it to discover again the virtual channel info from the stations' PSIP data.

Of course not--the channel isn't "9.1". In my case, it's 117.2, but it must be different in Sunnyvale where you don't have 850-MHz cabling. You can help MANNAXMAN by telling him what the actual rf channels are for your list above.

MANNAXMAN--You may find that a "factory reset" is needed for your TV too to get it to discover again the virtual channel info from the stations' PSIP data.
It also depends on your digital tuner. My Sony tv says channel 2 HD is 2.1 but my LG-4200 says it's 24.9 and they are different on almost all the channels. Again this is in the SaraMilgatos area and is probably different in different areas but I think the big thing is your tuner and how it reads or doesn't read the PSIP data.

Laters,
Mikef5

Mike--

I don't have the same hw (or cable) but I'd guess from your observations that "virtual channel" 2.1 is actually subchannel 9 on rf channel 24 in your area.

Not sure if I like this.

http://news.com.com/Comcast,+Time+Warner+back+Cablevision+DVR+plan/2100-1033_3-6056149.html?tag=nefd.top

Durny1, TPeterson and Mike5f,

Thanks for all the input. I actually did some re-wiring of my cable, including shortening the cable length of the main cable coming out of the wall by about 12-14 feet (long story) and did a re-scan. Several channels showed up that the initial scan wasn't able to find, including KGO-HD and KQED-HD. I guess we don't get KRON-HD in the 550MHz area of Sunnyvale. :(

Not sure if I like this.

http://news.com.com/Comcast,+Time+Warner+back+Cablevision+DVR+plan/2100-1033_3-6056149.html?tag=nefd.top
They talked about this remote dvr service before and nothing came of it but it looks like it might have wings this time. My only problem with it is Cablevision is only offering 80 gigs for storage, that's no were close to what is required to do HD. You might be able to store 4 or 5 HD programs, depending on the length of the show, I have problems now with the 120 gig drives that we have now. My other concern is that they will offer the 80 gigs and then want you to pony up more money for more space . :eek:
The bright side is that I'm in the slums of the 550 MHz area and we don't even get Video on Demand so how are they going to do this remote dvr thing ??? :p

Laters,
Mikef5

Has anyone in the San Francisco area noticed that comcast has pretty much completely rearranged their HDTV channel lineup? As in, the channels come in under different numbers now? It used to be I would get fox on 2.1, nbc on 11.3, cbs on 5.1, and abc on 7.1 (where sd comes in on 2, 3, 5, and 7, respectively), but now the channels come in in the 113+ range. I had to have my tv do a complete rescan in order to tune the channels in, and now for my MythTV box I can't get my HD-3000 card to tune in nbc or abc - fox and cbs still come in just fine. The frequencies that nbc and abc were on have completely changed - I've used all the dvb-apps, and dvbtraffic gives a shitload of low bandwidth results, which is no good...Anyone know what the deal is?

If you're really in the 550-MHz "slums", you needn't scan past about ch 80, since that's your highest rf channel. The HD channels elsewhere in the Bay Area are all at or above ch 79 (CBS & Fox), so our lineup isn't likely to help your search. :(I'm in Sunnyvale near the Los Altos border at Fremont and 85. I have analog cable, get up to channel 80 or so, although a year ago a few channels were in the 96-100 range. I'm planning to get a Fusion HDTV card, would like to know whether I'm in 550MHz or better. How can I find out definitively?

Actually it is DHCP, instead of DNS.

In San Jose we have always had DHCP.

Some people might have actually put static DNS IP addresses in conjunction with DHCP. The letter basically says to remove the static DNS IP address references and allow the DHCP server to automatically set the DNS servers.

I'm in Sunnyvale near the Los Altos border at Fremont and 85. I have analog cable, get up to channel 80 or so, although a year ago a few channels were in the 96-100 range. I'm planning to get a Fusion HDTV card, would like to know whether I'm in 550MHz or better. How can I find out definitively?
If you are wondering what the Fusion card will be able to pick up, it doesn't matter what area you are in. All area's have the local HD stations in the clear and the KQED stations and that's about it. Here's what's in the clear ( unencrypted signals) in the SaraMilgatos area. ABC-HD, CBS-HD, NBC-HD, KQED-HD and that's it for the HD stations. There are digital SD channels for ABC, it's weather channel, NBC's weather channel and the KQED digital SD stations and Comcast's sports channel. Everything else is encrypted and requires a cable box or cable card to view. It's beginning to look like Comcast is going to be like the satellite providers and require you to have a box on every tv to view their content. Very inconvenient if you ask me. :(
Oh, I forgot there are also a lot of useless music channels available that you will be able to receive. Hope this helps you.

Laters,
Mikef5

You missed FOX-HD(KTVU).

You missed FOX-HD(KTVU).
Thanks Keenan, I'm only on my 2nd pot of coffee :p
Don't know how I could've missed that with the Giants playing today on that channel :)

Laters,
Mikef5

eh..baseball starts tomorrow..today is the NCAA Final Four!! :p :D

eh..baseball starts tomorrow..today is the NCAA Final Four!! :p :D
Exhibition game A's and Giants play at 1 pm and what's a Final Four is that basketballs or something ?? :D
Not much of a B ball watcher rather watch grass grow... if it's in HD or course :p

Laters,
Mikef5

Exhibition game A's and Giants play at 1 pm and what's a Final Four is that basketballs or something ?? :D
Not much of a B ball watcher rather watch grass grow... if it's in HD or course :p

Laters,
Mikef5
Almost every game has been in HD this year, college basketball, especially in March is pretty darn exciting, there's been some unbelievable finishes in the last couple of rounds, great stuff. March Madness is like the Super Bowl of college basketball. 65 teams, one winner. :)

I have a new Sony KDLV40xbr1 that has a real ATSC tuner, that has the same problem on the San Mateo Comcast system. OK Mid Mar now 2.1 & 5.1 missing off the channel map. They are physically at C79.2 and C79.1, respectively (~ 555 MHz) by scanning through the channels. After a service call today that did not fix the problem, it appears that the Comcast Headend PSIP (check that organization's web site) mapping is wrong for those 2 channels. By ATSC convention all Digital channels have mapping data that points the tuner & tv display to grouped or associated channels using the x.y display notation, and labeled with the TV station code.

I asked them to fix this situation, which the telephone person said they may do by sending a message to the "Headend" office.
hdred

Almost every game has been in HD this year, college basketball, especially in March is pretty darn exciting, there's been some unbelievable finishes in the last couple of rounds, great stuff. March Madness is like the Super Bowl of college basketball. 65 teams, one winner. :)
Actually, I have been watching the games and I've been really impressed by the CBS coverage of the games. Lots of HD and it seems CBS does it right, very nice picture. Really hope to see George Mason go to the finals but that's a real long shot but then again no one thought they'd make it as far as they have :D

Laters,
Mikef5

Actually, I have been watching the games and I've been really impressed by the CBS coverage of the games. Lots of HD and it seems CBS does it right, very nice picture. Really hope to see George Mason go to the finals but that's a real long shot but then again no one thought they'd make it as far as they have :D

Laters,
Mikef5
Exactly, that one of the things that makes these games so much fun, seeing the unexpected happen, heck, this year there's not a single No.1 seed in these last 3 games.

Actually, I have been watching the games and I've been really impressed by the CBS coverage of the games. Lots of HD and it seems CBS does it right, very nice picture.
Laters,
Mikef5

I also watch some of Saturday's final four games, but noticed quite a bit of pixelation when the action gets fast and furious...where is the bottleneck causing that? With CBS, Comcast, the 6412, or my TV?

MM

I also watch some of Saturday's final four games, but noticed quite a bit of pixelation when the action gets fast and furious...where is the bottleneck causing that? With CBS, Comcast, the 6412, or my TV?

MM
I rarely see any pixelation on CBS, it's one of the better stations for Hd content but once in a while the picture will freeze for a split second and then it's fine, I think that is cause by the 6412 because it doesn't do it on my other box. As far as the game, I didn't watch it all but what I did watch there was no pixelation that I noticed.

Laters,
Mikef5

I am in the San Jose/Campbell area.
Why is Comcast continuously moving the HD channels around???
Today I was looking for ABC-HD, which was previously on 7.1, then moved to 88.1. Today I cannot find it (it's not on 99.1).
Does anybody know the location of the 5 or so HD channels we get for free?
Does Comcast publish their location?
Thanks.

ABC-HD was never on 7.1. That's its "virtual channel number", which has no relation whatever with its physical channel. Even the OTA "7.1" signal is on 24.1. It appeared on your DTV to be on 7.1 and then on 88.1 (the real channel location) because sometimes Comcast "forgets" to include the PSIP data that should be carried along with the program data for OTA retransmissions. The PSIP data told your TV set that the program it found on 88.1 should be called "7.1". If ABC-HD has actually been moved from 88.1 in your area, you may need to do a rescan of channels on your TV.

From the Mercury News,

AT&T going after Comcast's cable market

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/14230847.htm
MercuryNews.com | 03/31/2006 | AT&T going after Comcast's cable market

From the above link, While Mangers swears by the franchise system, San Jose's efforts to strike a long-term agreement with Comcast have dragged on for more than six years. Changes in cable-company ownership, disputes about community services and technological delays have brought the dispute as far as federal court. The case is currently in mediation, and Comcast has been operating on a month-to-month franchise.

Gee, that sounds familiar, of course we, in Santa Rosa, haven't gone to federal mediation, yet...

Regarding the red-lining claim made by the cable folks about AT&T, Comcast does the same thing, only they redline whole cities...

I am in the San Jose/Campbell area.

Today I was looking for ABC-HD, which was previously on 7.1, then moved to 88.1. Today I cannot find it (it's not on 99.1).
Does anybody know the location of the 5 or so HD channels we get for free?


Last night,
CBS 78.1
Fox 78.2
NBC 79.1
ABC 80.1
KQED 80.2

I am in downtown San Jose, 95112/95113 area.

Hey peeps,

So I recently made the switch from DirecTV to Comcast.

One *really annoying* thing I've discovered is that I cannot set my Comcast DVR (Moto 6412 III) to automatically record racing events! I'm a big fan of MotoGP, World Superbike and Formula One racing, but it seems like I have to manually assign a recording for each and every race!

Frankly, this is about as close as I've come to a deal breaker with the Comcast service so far, it really takes the fun out of having a DVR to have to remember to manually record shows all the time.

So am I doing something wrong? Is there a way to do this? I can set series recordings just fine for prime time shows and things like Showtime dramas, just no love with motorsports.. is this even possible?

!!! i never really cared much about MLB distribution rules, but now that i have hdtv for the 06 season, i do. i don't mind that i have to tune into my local sports channel to watch giants/a's, but there is no local HD today, and both openers will be on espn2HD (which of course is kinda moot because we don't even have espn2HD, but if we did i'd be even more pissed). Also road games all season would be carried on local SD even tho espn might carry it on HD, and this will go on and on all season.

i much much rather see FOXBA go all HD because PQ is great, local commentators are great, and we don't have bottom ticker, 10/30 updates, endless mobile espn ads etc... but who knows when that'll happen. in the meantime there is no local HD for any of the openers today, and the a's play the yankees!!

end rant.

my apologies to all the 550ers who probably can't see any giants or a's game on hdtv all season.

Comcast's lack of ESPN2-HD is ridiculous, both Dish and DirecTV have it, I guess Comcast is more interested in selling OnDemand, of course the redlined areas don't get that either. :rolleyes:

I have more HD baseball than I can watch today from DirecTV.

i hate ondemand, i am not as smart as comcast thinks i am at choosing what i want to watch. i don't want to change my viewing habits to the point that i have to plan what i should watch, rather than channel flipping, which is my couch potato moment. just put it out there and if i like it i'll continue to watch.

there was a post on the programming forum that said comcast is trying to grow an ondemand market that just isn't there. hdtv programming has much more growth potential for both providers and manufacturers.

re: ... she was cool with hooking me up with just Digital Classic + HD + my current basic cable plan for $30 and some change!

Although she "asserted" her position that it wouldn't work, my Comcast rep did place an order to add Digital Classic ($9.99), Cablecard (n/c), HD Service ($5.00) and installation ($19.95 once) onto my existing Limited Basic account. Installation for this Saturday.

As she said, "you can try it and see". I guess I'll see on Saturday if I can get the 6 new HD channels over my current locals in HD! Btw, I'm in Cupertino.

Thanks for all the good info on this thread!

Tim

I am hoping the negotiation will be done before the World Cup start in June this summer. Perhaps Comcast can bring ESPN2-HD on earlier; does anyone have an idea how soon we can watch ESPN2 in HD?

Yeah, I'm with you on this one. I'm currently setting up a new home theatre specifically for this (ok, well not specifically, but it was a major impetus). I basically have everything decided, apart from which TV service to use: D* or Comcast cable. Whilst I would rather have D* in the long term I was all set to go for Comcast in the short term until the whole D* MPEG4/HD/DVR issue settled down, but since I've learned that Comcast doesn't carry ESPN2-HD and that most of the World Cup games are going to be shown on ESPN2, it looks like I'll be going for D* anyway.

Ky

Anyone notice that channel 410 is also broadcasting the Giants game? The quality is much better over the analog version.

And as for ESPN2HD, shame, Comcast. I would really like to have watched the Red Sox/Rangers game in HD. If I were able to get DSL, I'd switch to Dish in a second.

If I were able to get DSL, I'd switch to Dish in a second. You mean you only have cable TV because cable internet service is the only high speed option for where you live?

410 is FSNBA+ and should be switching over to Sharks game at 5:30.

You mean you only have cable TV because cable internet service is the only high speed option for where you live?

Yeah, and because I've gotten so used to the dual tuner, I can't live without it, and paying $300 and a monthly fee of $10 from Dish seems like too much.

Also, I've compared prices and Dish Network would cost more if I switched because of the internet.

but since I've learned that Comcast doesn't carry ESPN2-HD and that most of the World Cup games are going to be shown on ESPN2, it looks like I'll be going for D* anyway.

Ky
Dish carries ESPN2-HD also and they already have a MPEG4-HD-DVR. In fact Dish has more HD than any of the services.

Well, no FSN Plus channel 410 in Milpitas, just the old This channel will be available soon message. Nice.... not a happy camper ....again.. :(

Laters,
Mikef5

No 410 in Los Gatos 550 slum either. The channel guide info shows up but no picture. Up until the last couple of days I got a black screen. Now I get the "One Moment Please/this channel should be available shortly" message.

Well, I knew I shouldn't have done it but I called the CSR for Comcast and of course they had no clue about what to do about the missing channel 410 except that the problem must be with my box and I could turn it in for a new one or they would send a tech out with a new box. Well, both my boxes don't get 410 so the chances that it's a box problem is slim to say the lest, both failing with the same missing channel ???? Not likely..so everyone in the SaraMilgatos area call Comcast's reps and let them know that you are not receiving this channel. I'll try and get hold of the supervisor for our headend and see what the problem really is tomorrow. I will be major p*ssed if I don't get to see the Giants game tomorrow. Yes, I know it's only a baseball game but..........

Laters,
Mikef5

Dish carries ESPN2-HD also and they already have a MPEG4-HD-DVR. In fact Dish has more HD than any of the services.

Indeed, but no HD locals in San Francisco, and some of the games will be on ABC-HD. Compromises, always compromises :rolleyes:

Ky

Indeed, but no HD locals in San Francisco, and some of the games will be on ABC-HD. Compromises, always compromises :rolleyes:

Ky
Dish will have SF locals(big 4) within the next 2 months.

Comcast sucks. The DVR is just garbage. Today, it decided to record the Sharks game at 7pm instead of 5:30pm, even though the guide shows it as starting at 5:30. Nice. :rolleyes:

To add insult to injury, the game is on FSN, channel 40...that lovely analog fuzz. Extra Nice. :eek:

I can't wait until HD-DVD/Blu-Ray gets going. I'll go back to rooftop antenna for the HD locals and get my movies/TV shows thru DVD. I can't believe I have to pay $80/month to watch ~5 channels on cable and get faulty hardware. :mad:

Ok, I thought something happened when the cable guys were working on my line a few weeks back. I've been w/o HD (not a big deal for me) for 2 weeks and finally had time to come here.

I read that I should look +80 for the HD channels, and lo and behold, channels 93.1-93.10 have all the major networks!

My questions:
1) the lack of PSIP is annoying and as comcast seems to change the lineup, would a cable card make these pop back to their "usual" channel number (i.e, 7.1, 11.1, etc).

2) the quality doesn't look as good as I remembered a few weeks ago. Would the tinkering at comcast have something to do w/ this? Can service guys do anything to fix HD reception (especially since they come when nothing is being broadcast in HD).

Thanks

Robert

I read that I should look +80 for the HD channels, and lo and behold, channels 93.1-93.10 have all the major networks!

My questions:
1) the lack of PSIP is annoying and as comcast seems to change the lineup, would a cable card make these pop back to their "usual" channel number (i.e, 7.1, 11.1, etc).

2) the quality doesn't look as good as I remembered a few weeks ago. Would the tinkering at comcast have something to do w/ this? Can service guys do anything to fix HD reception (especially since they come when nothing is being broadcast in HD).

1) with cableCARD the channels won't be 7.1 11.1, they will be at the same channels #s as the cable box, 702, 703, 704, 707...

2) those channels you found are digital simulcast channels. Basically those are your SD analog channels converted and sent digital by Comcast. Those aren't the HD channels, which is why the PQ is not as good as you remember. The easy way to tell is they can normally fit about 2 HD channels per 6MHz with current bitrates. The channels you found had at least 10 channels. Also if you can bring up the info page for your QAM receiver it will say 480i.

Comcast has been a bad experience for me. I'm thinking of going back to basic cable with no HD.

Really, maybe if youre a sports fan HD from Comcast may be worth it but I was a Discovery HD fan but I dont think its worth it now.

I'm not missing anything.

Last night,
CBS 78.1
Fox 78.2
NBC 79.1
ABC 80.1
KQED 80.2

I am in downtown San Jose, 95112/95113 area.

Thanks. As of tonight, I have:

Fox 2.1 (720p)
CBS 5.1 (1080i)
ABC 80.1 (720p)
KQED 80.2 (1080i)
NBC 79.1 (1080i)

Go figure.

Ok, if those were digital simulcast channels, what are the current HD channels (broadcast QAM) in San Francisco?

Thanks.

Robert

Thanks. As of tonight, I have:

Fox 2.1 (720p)
CBS 5.1 (1080i)
ABC 80.1 (720p)
KQED 80.2 (1080i)
NBC 79.1 (1080i)

Go figure.It's actually easy to figure. Comcast is sending the PSIP virtual channel info for the OTA stations on rf channel 78 and not sending it on channels 79 and 80. So your DTV is reporting the VC ids for the ones it can and the actual rf channels for the ones it has no VC info. If you can find a way to display the actual rf channel information you'd see the 2.1 and 5.1 real channel (presumably 78).

What's not easy to figure is why Comcast is doing that. :rolleyes:

Update for firmware update and problem with FSN Plus

I just received this from Mr. J to post to the Forum
____________________________________________________________ ________

The firmware download for the Phase 3 DVR 6412's is scheduled to be
implemented early tomorrow morning, April 5th, beginning at 3am and
concluding by 6am.

Customers will have a "D" on the front of the LED display for
approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

The latest version will address, among other issues, the long awaited
audio patch that has been the focus of many discussions on the Forum.

I'm also investigating the issue you had last night with Fox Sports Plus
programming this morning.
____________________________________________________________

So it looks like we will be getting the firmware to fix the HDMI audio problem and hopefully a resolution to the no show of FSN Plus in the SaraMilgatos area. Of course after watching the Giants and A's play last night it could be a long season.... :eek:

whoohoo now i can throw away my component cables!!

Comcast has been a bad experience for me. I'm thinking of going back to basic cable with no HD.

<snip>.

Actually you do get HD with basic cable - 4 networks plus KQED's channels.

peter

btw i can't believe i am happy about something in reality doesn't mean much and should've been fixed before the boxes were shipped out. however, right now i am beaming.

now... might we get new hd channels??

Regarding the firmware update, will we need to do anything to reboot or reset the box for the firmware to implement itself?

Thx.
John

Regarding the firmware update, will we need to do anything to reboot or reset the box for the firmware to implement itself?

Thx.
John
The update will happen all by it's self, you don't have to do anything.

Laters,
Mikef5

Comcast's lack of ESPN2-HD is ridiculous, both Dish and DirecTV have it, I guess Comcast is more interested in selling OnDemand, of course the redlined areas don't get that either. :rolleyes:

I have more HD baseball than I can watch today from DirecTV.

Keenan,
Is this because of MLB extra innings, or just ESPN and ESPN2 HD? Is MLB extra innings offering any games in HD on directv or dish? I don't see any on the schedule.

I'd be willing to bet that ESPN is purposely putting games on ESPN2HD in order to force the cable companies, like Comcast to pick up the channel. Same thing with the World Cup. I'd imagine there are going to be a lot of complaints from Comcast customers about the lack of this particular channel.

Dish will have SF locals(big 4) within the next 2 months.

Well that would be a good start but I won't hold my breath. Also I read (although I forget where) that only one of the two tuners in the Vip622 can record HD - the other is SD only. So, again, compromises!

Ky

Keenan,
Is this because of MLB extra innings, or just ESPN and ESPN2 HD? Is MLB extra innings offering any games in HD on directv or dish? I don't see any on the schedule.
DirecTV offered about 4-5 games a week in HD last season with MLBEI, lots of Yankee/YES broadcasts. They've already shown one this season as well. The guide at DirecTV is not very accurate, the best way is to just check the HD special events channels, 90-99.

Well that would be a good start but I won't hold my breath. Also I read (although I forget where) that only one of the two tuners in the Vip622 can record HD - the other is SD only. So, again, compromises!

Ky
I don't believe that is true, but I don't have a 622 so I can't verify. The 942(MPEG2) HD-DVR records 2 HD programs at once and the 622 is essentially a 942 with MPEG4 capability.

I don't believe that is true, but I don't have a 622 so I can't verify. The 942(MPEG2) HD-DVR records 2 HD programs at once and the 622 is essentially a 942 with MPEG4 capability.

You're right; according to the the review I found here:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=53590

"All three tuners [2 satellite, 1 OTA] can record HD (and/or SD) simultaneously, while watching a fourth (in Single User mode) and a fifth (in Dual User mode) prerecorded HD or SD program."

So I'll wait until my HDTV actually arrives and see what HD I can get OTA. Thanks for your info, Keenan.

Ky

I don't believe that is true, but I don't have a 622 so I can't verify. The 942(MPEG2) HD-DVR records 2 HD programs at once and the 622 is essentially a 942 with MPEG4 capability.
Keenan,
I have the manual for the Dish 622 DVR and it says that you can record 2 programs and watch another pre-recorded program at the same time. It doesn't differentiate between it being HD or SD, just says 2 at a time. I've been looking at Dish to suppliment my HD content, never can have too much HD :p


Laters,
Mikef5

Keenan,
I have the manual for the Dish 622 DVR and it says that you can record 2 programs and watch another pre-recorded program at the same time. It doesn't differentiate between it being HD or SD, just says 2 at a time. I've been looking at Dish to suppliment my HD content, never can have too much HD :p


Laters,
Mikef5
Yes, as soon as Dish has the SF locals, and I see what the PQ looks like, I will be dropping Comcast. The only thing Comcast would have over Dish is KQED-HD and FSNBA-HD, and we don't get FSNBA-HD up here anyways so it's no loss.

Yes, as soon as Dish has the SF locals, and I see what the PQ looks like, I will be dropping Comcast. The only thing Comcast would have over Dish is KQED-HD and FSNBA-HD, and we don't get FSNBA-HD up here anyways so it's no loss.
I don't blame you, I don't see the problem with the Santa Rosa area getting resolved any time soon. I plan on keeping Comcast and seeing what I can get from Dish to supplement the HD I already have. Don't know if they will let you just subscribe to just HD or you have to get at least their lowest tier and add HD to that. I think Larry Kennedy is a Dish person here in the Bay Area, maybe he might know.

On a side note, it will be interesting to see if we in the SaraMilgatos will be able to watch the Giants game tonight on channel 410. Susan, the supervisor for our area headend is working on it so if she's involved I'm pretty sure it'll get done. But if not, the people of our area need to call Comcast and insure they are aware of this problem.

Laters,
Mikef5

Yes, as soon as Dish has the SF locals, and I see what the PQ looks like, I will be dropping Comcast. The only thing Comcast would have over Dish is KQED-HD and FSNBA-HD, and we don't get FSNBA-HD up here anyways so it's no loss.

but you'll be greatly missed on this thread!!

and i've only been around 4 months.

Just got an update on the channel 410 problem in the SaraMilgatos area. Here's part of it.
____________________________________________________________ ___________
Here is an update.

Our South Bay Technical Team investigated and determined that last night
we had a problem with the mux box for Channel 410.

We have worked with the vendor all day to ensure the problem with our
BMR muxing unit has been repaired.

We will monitor tonight's event and ensure there are no further issues
____________________________________________________________ _______

Hopefully it has been fixed, if there are problems please call Comcast to let them know or post here and I will contact the people working on it.
Thanks to Ms. Nichol and Mr. J.

Laters,
Mikef5

Update for firmware update

The firmware download for the Phase 3 DVR 6412's is scheduled to be
implemented early tomorrow morning, April 5th, beginning at 3am and
concluding by 6am.

Customers will have a "D" on the front of the LED display for
approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

The latest version will address, among other issues, the long awaited
audio patch that has been the focus of many discussions on the Forum.


Should see a 'dL' for download. Should fix the "Matrix" style green screen. May see a resolve to that long asked question "what's the front panel RCA jacks for?" on Phase IIIs.

Should see a 'dL' for download. Should fix the "Matrix" style green screen. May see a resolve to that long asked question "what's the front panel RCA jacks for?" on Phase IIIs.
Hear any thing about them adding a native resolution for the display instead of the static 1080i or 720p resolution ??? Can't understand why they don't have that, just about every other box has it. I would prefer that my tv resolve the resolution and receive the signal as it is sent by the station.

Laters,
Mikef5

Why are the giant's game not on INHD like they were last year?

Hear any thing about them adding a native resolution for the display instead of the static 1080i or 720p resolution ??? Can't understand why they don't have that, just about every other box has it. I would prefer that my tv resolve the resolution and receive the signal as it is sent by the station.

Laters,
Mikef5

Just now getting to the HDMI/Audio thing - that's asking alot of the ol' batwing people for something so cutting edge ;)

Can anybody tell me if they're getting the A's/Yankees game tonight (Tuesday) on the FSN HD channel 720? It is listed as a HD broadcast on the FSN Bay Area website, but it's not coming in here in the Solano/Sacramento area (it's only on the standard FSN channel). Thanks.
A's on FSN HD: http://fsnbayarea.com/HD_Athletics.jsp

The A's game is on in Palo Alto. The screen usually goes black when they switch to FSN. Try changing the channel and going back.

Can anybody tell me if they're getting the A's/Yankees game tonight (Tuesday) on the FSN HD channel 720? It is listed as a HD broadcast on the FSN Bay Area website, but it's not coming in here in the Solano/Sacramento area (it's only on the standard FSN channel). Thanks.
A's on FSN HD: http://fsnbayarea.com/HD_Athletics.jsp

NO, I'm getting the A's on channel FSN 27 and SF Giants on FSN+ 410, but no bay games in hd

I just switch over to comcast 920 and the A's game is on

Thanks. It magically came on the HD channel at 7:30 in the 2nd inning here. Did anybody notice if the A's/Yankees broadcast started on time (7:00) on their HD channel 720? Thanks.

I live in Newark and I just tuned into channel 702 to watch KTVU-D and all I see is a music choice channel when I tune it.

Anyone else experiencing this??

I don't blame you, I don't see the problem with the Santa Rosa area getting resolved any time soon.
I don't either, it seems pretty clear that Comcast isn't going to do squat up here until they get what they want and as long as local franchises are the status quo the City is not going to roll over. Once regional, or statewide franchises are put into law is when I think Comcast will do something and not before. It wouldn't surprise me if Santa Rosa was a CableOne system that Comcast never wanted in the first place as they sure treat it that way.

I live in Newark and I just tuned into channel 702 to watch KTVU-D and all I see is a music choice channel when I tune it.

Anyone else experiencing this??
I have the right programming on 702 but the picture and audio are breaking up badly.

I have the right programming on 702 but the picture and audio are breaking up badly.

Thanks.

Anyone else experiencing what I am?? It's just so odd to see a Music Choice channel on 702, and it is starting to tick me off. I just hate calling Comcast about HD channels because they are so ignorant about the HD stuff, but if this keeps up, I'll have to.

Here in S.F. I get the A's in HD on 720 but the Giants game on 410 (FSN+) is black screen with no audio. Picture from previous channel stays stuck frozen on the screen when I change to 410. Nunca nada.

Here in S.F. I get the A's in HD on 720 but the Giants game on 410 (FSN+) is black screen with no audio. Picture from previous channel stays stuck frozen on the screen when I change to 410. Nunca nada.

Giants game was rained out.

Giants game was rained out.
It figures, after all the trouble to get 410 to work in the SaraMilgatos area, the game gets rained out but at least the channel is working. I got to watch the people in the Padre statium watch the A's game on their big screen at the park :p
Also the A's were on 720 and in HD so it wasn't a complete bust.

Laters,
Mikef5

I live in Newark and I just tuned into channel 702 to watch KTVU-D and all I see is a music choice channel when I tune it.

Anyone else experiencing this??
I have exactly the same problem in Newark also. I even called comcast and the clueless CS rep did not know anything. All he did was remotely reboot the box. That did not fix the problem and he said it might be a box issue and that I should exchange it for a new one. I told him I had unwatched shows and he said they cannot help me there. Good thing I monitor this thread and looked here and found the exact same probelm as you. I hope someone fixes it soon.

Firmware is downloading right now! Hopefully that fixes all the known issues.

I woke up this AM to a frozen 6412. The remote had no effect at all. I tried to turn the box off with the power button on the box itself, no effect. I depowered the box and it came back to life. I now have firmware 12.31. I haven't had time to see what effect it has.

I woke up this AM to a frozen 6412. The remote had no effect at all. I tried to turn the box off with the power button on the box itself, no effect. I depowered the box and it came back to life. I now have firmware 12.31. I haven't had time to see what effect it has.

corrects the HDMI/DD 5.1 bug!! finally!! it works like a charm!! whoohoo!!

Have 12.31 firmware also in Berkeley.

PIIIs should also play better with HDMI repeaters.

Firmware 12.31 in Milpitas even. Must of been late this morning because it's still downloading the guide data, I have only about 8 hours of listings showing. Well, at least we got updated just like the high rent areas.

Laters,
Mikef5

I live in Newark and I just tuned into channel 702 to watch KTVU-D and all I see is a music choice channel when I tune it.

Anyone else experiencing this??

I'm in Fremont. It seems to me Comcast has started doing digital simucast. 555MHz becomes SD channels. I don't see the music choise channel, but my 705 KPIX-HD becomes jewelry tv.

The new location for KTVU-HD and KPIX-HD, according to my lastest scan, is at 717MHz.

Firmware 12.31 in Milpitas even. Must of been late this morning because it's still downloading the guide data, I have only about 8 hours of listings showing. Well, at least we got updated just like the high rent areas.

Laters,
Mikef5

I also have 12.31 in Saratoga. I'm interested to know if this also fixes the problem I wrote about in February. I hooked up the Cable Box to my Pioneer Elite VSX-74TxVi and had to use component cables as the HDMI protocol from the old firmware 12.13 didn't match up with the receiver. Does this new firmware fix allow me to now use the HDMI output on the cable box to the receiver?

I'm in Fremont. It seems to me Comcast has started doing digital simucast. 555MHz becomes SD channels. I don't see the music choise channel, but my 705 KPIX-HD becomes jewelry tv.

The new location for KTVU-HD and KPIX-HD, according to my lastest scan, is at 717MHz.

Maybe that is why the ESPN2 is clearer than before. At least the soccer game is sharper. Will check the tuner to see if it locks to digital or analog. :confused:
Based on the installer told me last Friday, they will put some new channels in May.
:eek:

Firmware 12.31 in Milpitas even. Must of been late this morning because it's still downloading the guide data, I have only about 8 hours of listings showing. Well, at least we got updated just like the high rent areas.

Laters,
Mikef5

Fremont is 12.31 too. Finally can free one of the component slots for Xbox 360. :)

Are they doing the rollout of digital simulcast by discrete location or is it broadly done? I am in San Carlos, 94070.

Thx.
John

'Tain't here yet....

Nor here.....

...and certainly not in Santa Rosa... :D

No joy for those of us waiting for a fix so that our foolish investment in HDMI switching would pay off. (I've got the Denon 4806 receiver.) After 12.31 arrived, I eagerly cracked out the HDMI cable and reconfigured the receiver to use HDMI for the TV input. You briefly get a 4:3 squeezed HD picture with a blue message box overlay. It says something to the effect of "SET TOP DOES NOT SUPPORT HD CONTENT PROTECTED REPEATERS -- CONNECT YOUR SET USING THE Y PB PR CONNECTION." Thanks Motorola and Comcast.

BTW, I'm in Mill Valley.

Not really Comcast-related but interesting none of the less:

http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2006/mft06040513.htm

Those of us with Denon switchers (the 4806 and 5805 receivers) have been grousing about this problem for months. For a while we beat up Denon about it, but we for the most part accepted Denon's position that it wasn't their problem. It is clear that the blue screen warning I saw with 12.31 is generated by the Motorola box, and it seems to say "we don't support "HDMI repeating." One wonders if they ever intend to do anything about that, particularly as those of us with switchers (either in receivers or stand alone) are a miniscule part of the market. It's like my experience with the 6412 generally--"you get what you pay for", which is almost nothing.

Those of us with Denon switchers (the 4806 and 5805 receivers) have been grousing about this problem for months. For a while we beat up Denon about it, but we for the most part accepted Denon's position that it wasn't their problem. It is clear that the blue screen warning I saw with 12.31 is generated by the Motorola box, and it seems to say "we don't support "HDMI repeating." One wonders if they ever intend to do anything about that, particularly as those of us with switchers (either in receivers or stand alone) are a miniscule part of the market. It's like my experience with the 6412 generally--"you get what you pay for", which is almost nothing.
I know it bites, and Motorola/Comcast should realy fix the problem, but if you wanted to get switching working, use a passthrough switcher. Monoprice has a 5x1 HDMI switch which works with the Motorola boxes for $136.

Those switches passthrough the HDCP directly to the display. Repeater-style switches decrypt, then reencrypt the signal. The latter has a more involved HDCP negotiation phase because the repeater needs to validate its own keys as well as everyone down the line. It is that second step where the Motorola is having issues. Denon could "fix" the problem if they wanted, but they would have to strip the HDCP and that would violate their HDCP agreement.

i discovered something else 12.31 does... when you set a manual recording you can press and hold to adjust the time and it'll start moving in 30 minute increments.

Any thoughts on the best Web-based guide for Comcast subscribers? I've been pretty happy with TitanTV, especially its ability to filter for HD broadcasts. But it seems to fall short in showing when FSN is on 720 in place of INHD2.

An update on ESPN2-HD and ADS status and just so there's no confusion I will post it verbatim.....
____________________________________________________________ _________

Mike F5: You can post this on the Forum

Spent last night working from home trying to track down some issues that
were raised in the Forum the past few days....

(1) ESPN2 HD

The launch of ESPN2 HD in the Bay Area is directly tied to the ongoing
negotiations between ABC/Disney and Comcast. As you know, we have been
in active discussions with ABC/Disney on gaining the rights to carry the
wide variety of programming they own and once an agreement is reached,
we anticipate having the ability to launch ESPN2HD in the Bay Area.

(2) Problems with KTVU Channel 702 in Newark

Yesterday morning (Wednesday), I noticed on the Forum a couple of Newark
participants had problems with KTVUHD-Channel 702. I raised the issue
to our Engineering Team who discovered by 8:47am that we had a technical
problem with a piece of equipment that serves that region and
immediately corrected the problem. I received confirmation that the
issue was resolved before 9:00am

(3) All Digital Simulcast

As we have discussed in previous emails, in order to prepare for an All
Digital Simulcast (ADS) launch we will be performing headend work during
routine maintenance windows (usually between midnight and 6:00am).

ADS will enable customers to receive all of the channels to which they
subscribe, including broadcast channels, in digital format. This will
provide benefits to our customers including a sharper, cleaner picture
quality and enhanced audio. It will also allow Comcast to provide
customers with a smaller, less obtrusive converter and free up bandwidth
to launch additional services.

As you know, given the large geographic region we operate in, and the
amount of customers we serve, we've elected to perform the work in
phases. Our goal is to complete the project for the entire Bay Area in
the August/September timeframe.

MikeF5, as always, thank you for taking the time to bring the critical
issues to my attention. While I certainly try to check the Forum on a
regular basis, it is extremely valuable to have you raise the important
and critical issues that are impacting our customers to my attention.

____________________________________________________________ _____

Ok, so it looks like ESPN2-HD is in the works but still in negotiations. I would imagine that Disney is trying to do a whole package deal with ESPN2-HD as part of it.

For those that had problems with channel 702, do you still have the problem ???

You might want to know why I posted the whole message. Some information was given to me from another source which dealt with the ADS and what was going to happen with it and it did not set well with me. This seems to answer that question as it states the ENTIRE Bay Area will be completed by the Aug/Sept time frame. So this, to me, means the 550 MHz areas ARE included. We are still low man on the totem pole and need this to happen before the rest of the areas just to get us up to the level that the rest of the Bay Area already is at.
Ok, enough soap box for now :)

As I have told you before Mr. J. does sometimes gets a chance to read this forum and tries to get these issues solved when he can so keep posting and call Comcast when you have a problem. I know it's difficult to get those CSR's to understand but you got to make the problem known to get it solved.

Laters,
Mikef5