What about those with OTA, are you seeing it there as well? When I moved 1.5 years ago, I have been without OTA.

I'm not anxious to upgrade to HD-DVD or BR. both of my display's are component only. I think I read that HD-DVD players, at least right now, are outputing hi-res via component, but that could change at any time. Right now and have been for about 3 years, I use upconverting DVD players and haven't looked back ;-)
For OTA, the KQED stuff used to be excellent, but then they started various levels of multicasting and I don't think they ever recovered their old quality.

I don't think Comcast does too much to the signal they receive from the local stations. Whenever I've noticed pixelation on the Comcast channel I've noticed it on OTA, but I don't check that much anymore. Based on bitrate usage, it looks like Comcast is taking whatever it gets and rebroadcasting it.

I'm going to predict you will have component output on HD-DVD and BluRay for some time. The low end Sony PS3 cut the HDMI port to save money so Sony is backpedaling and saying HDMI isn't very important. I happen to agree, but it is of course funny to hear all the hype about HDMI then when it isn't in the cards for Sony, all of a sudden HDMI isn't so important anymore.

If PS3 is supposed to be the BluRay trojan horse, then Sony and its cadre of studios will make sure ICT flag is not enabled. No guarantees for other studios, but the likelihood is they will all follow suit, despite years of telling us they wouldn't release any HD stuff without HDCP.

So I don't suppose Comcast will get their act together and offer ESPN2 HD for the World Cup for us soccer fanatics by this Friday. Are us SF Bay Areans the only Comcast customers getting the shaft here, or do the rest of Comcast's customers across the country also get short-changed? 30 of the 48 group-play games will be shown on ESPN2 HD. One would think that the nation's largest cable provider could do better for the world's greatest sporting event. Hell, I'd even pay extra for it (at least for the duration of the Cup). Or am I the only HD enthusiast soccer fan out there?

I don't believe ESPN2-HD is on any Comcast system yet. It's showing on the online guide in Maryland I think, but it's not on the system itself.

...am I the only HD enthusiast soccer fan out there?

Of course, not.

But you are one of them sticking with an archaic provider. Those in the know (like myself) already moved on to DISH, and few others to DirecTV, quite a while ago. Both of them have ESPN2-HD, although picture quality is better on DISH than DirecTV.

Of course, not.

But you are one of them sticking with an archaic provider. Those in the know (like myself) already moved on to DISH, and few others to DirecTV, quite a while ago. Both of them have ESPN2-HD, although picture quality is better on DISH than DirecTV.


If it wasn't for the fact that I already paid for MLB Extra Innings on Comcast, and that you have to shell out a few hundred bucks for an HD DVR on Dish, I would have made the change. We can still be pissed at comcast though for dropping the ball. I think the backlash will turn out to be greater than comcast expected.

As a customer in both Los Gatos at 550, and Aptos at something less that that, I am ready to sign up for whatever campaign is necessary to let Comcast know how we feel. I don't expect that it will cause Comcast to change anything, but it will make me feel better.
We pay too much for too little compared to comparable markets around the country, including Comcast markets.
If it wasn't for hearing about the reduced quality HD coming down from the satellites, I would be out of here right away. The only thing I would miss about Comcast would be their monopolized transmission of local HD sports, but I would get over that (I hope).
And of course, the fact that Comcast constantly rubs our nose in what we don't have (On Demand, channels we don't have, etc...) doesn't help. I sort of understand the difficulty they face in television advertising, since it is a broadcast medium, and how it would be difficult to somehow tailor that advertising to each subsystem (although not impossible). But, for the life of me, I can't understand why they still send me emails and snailmails touting stuff I can't get.
OK, I am done now, and I don't really feel any better.
Mike

Mike,
check out this link: http://www.cavideochoice.org/

I saw a tv add last night featuring this website/faq.

I also found this:
http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~bigyale/cable/

jeff

Someone posted on the 'What's the next HD channel for Comcast" thread an email that supposedly came from Steve Burke saying that ESPN2 HD would be added soon. Take it for what it's worth...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7791567&&#post7791567

Someone posted on the 'What's the next HD channel for Comcast" thread an email that supposedly came from Steve Burke saying that ESPN2 HD would be added soon. Take it for what it's worth...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7791567&&#post7791567
You're getting my hopes up by pointing me to that thread...

From JWhip,

I have it on very good authority that ESPN2HD will be up and running on Comcast systems with available bandwidth, pre-world cup.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7793979#post7793979
ESPN2 HD on Comcast July 1st? In some areas? - AVS Forum

what a big shaft if it doesn't come to the bay area. guess we'll know by tomorrow.

Maybe MikeF5 can email Mr. Johnson and ask if we're going to get it.

well if mr. J doesn't reply, it is terrible news. i'm scared. other local threads are reporting espn2HD will be on their systems 2nite!

Today will be a loooong day.

*Tension begins*

well if mr. J doesn't reply, it is terrible news. i'm scared. other local threads are reporting espn2HD will be on their systems 2nite!
I've not heard anything from Mr. J. My last email was about the on going negotiations with ABC but normally if there is going to be any change in the channel lineup they are suppose to give 30 days notice prior to that change ( might be wrong on the amount of time required but I'm pretty sure that's correct ). Since I've not heard or seen any official notice of any change to channel lineup, my guess is you'll be lucky if it happens in time for the World Cup. But the day is early and stranger things have happened.

Laters,
Mikef5

By July 1st, most of the matches will be over.

I've not heard anything from Mr. J. My last email was about the on going negotiations with ABC but normally if there is going to be any change in the channel lineup they are suppose to give 30 days notice prior to that change ( might be wrong on the amount of time required but I'm pretty sure that's correct ). Since I've not heard or seen any official notice of any change to channel lineup, my guess is you'll be lucky if it happens in time for the World Cup. But the day is early and stranger things have happened.

Laters,
Mikef5

I think the 30 day notice is for when existing channels are moved/removed in the process of adding new channels. Now if they were to add an additional channel without taking away... They could always use the HDSE channel -- with the NFL not in progress right now, that channel is pretty much useless.

Well I got my Firewire recorder hooked up, but there isn't very much I can record, because Comcast puts 5c on it. Even some things that don't have 5c (according to the service menu anyway) I can't record!

702 - clear, recordable.. grabbed a bit of "Lost" or something
703 - clear, oh boy I can record Jay Leno!
704 - clear I think, but was only showing a "KRON-HD" title screen(?)
705 - no 5c but not recordable for some reason??
707- clear during "CSI" last night but "Toy Story" which I DVRed the other day was not recordable??
709 - clear
719 - 5c, not recordable
720 - 5c, including one of the Giants game I had recorded a couple weeks ago (Bonds hitting #715)
722 - 5c
723 - 5c

So that sucks pretty much. I guess I have to look into a component capture card?

By July 1st, most of the matches will be over.
I should clarify my last statement. Normally 30 days notice of channel change, that doesn't mean they can't do it in one day as a special event, like they did with the Olympics. It just seems unlikely, since they normally would like to let people know that they had intentions of doing that and as of today I've seen no official notice of this.

Laters,
Mikef5

Well I got my Firewire recorder hooked up, but there isn't very much I can record, because Comcast puts 5c on it. Even some things that don't have 5c (according to the service menu anyway) I can't record!

702 - clear, recordable.. grabbed a bit of "Lost" or something
703 - clear, oh boy I can record Jay Leno!
704 - clear I think, but was only showing a "KRON-HD" title screen(?)
705 - no 5c but not recordable for some reason??
707- clear during "CSI" last night but "Toy Story" which I DVRed the other day was not recordable??
709 - clear
719 - 5c, not recordable
720 - 5c, including one of the Giants game I had recorded a couple weeks ago (Bonds hitting #715)
722 - 5c
723 - 5c

So that sucks pretty much. I guess I have to look into a component capture card?

I haven't recorded off the moto box in quite a while. I'll try it this weekend and let you know the results. The last I checked (which was 6+ months ago) nothing was 5c on my box. I remember recording down some HBO-HD and INHD stuff.

I think the 30 day notice is for when existing channels are moved/removed in the process of adding new channels. Now if they were to add an additional channel without taking away... They could always use the HDSE channel -- with the NFL not in progress right now, that channel is pretty much useless.
Yes, and that assumes you can get the HDSE channel. If you remember the Olympics coverage they were going to use that channel but because of us poor people in the 550 MHz areas they showed it on INHD2 which most of the Bay Area gets. Gee, wasn't that the Universal HD channel that was suppose to be coming to the Bay Area that was doing the coverage...... and where is THAT channel.

Laters,
Mikef5

A year ago, all of the "7xx" channels listed above were sent (in my area) in the clear, so ordinary QAM tuners could show them all. But now the ones above 709 are all encrypted on my cable (as well as presumably being flagged with 5c copy-never).

Today will be a loooong day.

*Tension begins*
Keeping my fingers crossed...

someone is reporting in the programming thread that 725 is showing espnHD... anyone confirm?

someone is reporting in the programming thread that 725 is showing espnHD... anyone confirm?

Yes. In Fremont, 723 and 725 are ESPN HD now. So 90% we get ESPN2 HD on 725 tonight.

Yes. In Fremont, 723 and 725 are ESPN HD now. So 90% we get ESPN2 HD on 725 tonight.

this raises a few questions... 725 is gonna be NFL network right? espn2HD may not be a permanent addition then... yikes... i would love to see more baseball and college football on espn2HD well after the world cup.

looks official, espn2hd is showing up on other systems. cmon bay area!!

I forgot...do all 550 system NOT have channel 725 (HDSE)?

725 is a "NO GO" in Sunnyvale. :mad:

No HDSE channel in Santa Rosa either. ESPN2-HD will probably be a non-event for most 550 systems. I'd expect we'll see Jesus himself walk the streets of San Francisco before we get another HD channel in my area.

Meanwhile, Dish is expected to launch 2, maybe 4, more HD channels today.

Yes. In Fremont, 723 and 725 are ESPN HD now. So 90% we get ESPN2 HD on 725 tonight.

Just checked -- here in San Carlos, 725 is also now broadcasting ESPNHD.

I forgot...do all 550 system NOT have channel 725 (HDSE)?
I don't think any of the 550 MHz areas get channel 725.

Laters,
Mikef5

725 showing ESPN HD in South San Jose too.

No HDSE channel in Santa Rosa either. ESPN2-HD will probably be a non-event for most 550 systems. I'd expect we'll see Jesus himself walk the streets of San Francisco before we get another HD channel in my area.

Meanwhile, Dish is expected to launch 2, maybe 4, more HD channels today.

and here we are getting excited over 1! and its just the second channel of one we already have! lol. but yea i'm pretty excited to get that one.

ESPN HD on 725 in Rohnert Park

I'm not excited about ESPN2HD by itself. I'm excited because I'll be able to watch all the World Cup games in HD. After that I don't know if I'll care more about ESPN2HD. I'd prefer to have Universal HD than ESPN2HD.

I'm not excited about ESPN2HD by itself. I'm excited because I'll be able to watch all the World Cup games in HD. After that I don't know if I'll care more about ESPN2HD. I'd prefer to have Universal HD than ESPN2HD.

Yeah - I'm not thrilled with the prospect of ESPN2 HD itself - I just want it during the Cup.

I'm not excited about ESPN2HD by itself. I'm excited because I'll be able to watch all the World Cup games in HD. After that I don't know if I'll care more about ESPN2HD. I'd prefer to have Universal HD than ESPN2HD.

i disagree, if you like espnHD as i do, espn2HD is the only logical complement. i would however, like to see more alternative HD programming available, ie HGTV or food network... that would give me a break from all the sports i do watch. discoveryHD provides that somewhat, but i'd like another.

... and I'd prefer TNT-HD after the world cup of course ;-) Maybe comcast does listen a little bit...

jeff

Universal HD was pretty nice.

Comcast, the country's leading
provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services,
today announced that ESPN2 HD, the high-definition simulcast of ESPN2, will
be added to its HDTV lineup in several markets beginning Friday, June 9.


http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-08-2006/0004377475&EDATE=

so i guess the only question is... are we "several"? or nothing?

Reporting in that 725 is now showing ESPN HD in Portola Valley.

Showing up here in Moraga.

725 is going to become Bay Area Rotisserie HD.

Based on voting, customer complaints, and world events, it will rotate between ESPN2-HD, TNT-HD, U-HD, NFL HD and whatever other channel we are being deprived of.

the rotisserie HD channel is now showing nothing. lol.

w00t first to report: ESPN2HD is on 725!

Same here. Red Sox vs Yankees.

INHD broadcast of the game looks better to me, but beggars can't be choosey.

inHD baseball games always looks better than espn, and yes i agree with your assessment. woohoo i hope this is a permanent addition!!

725 is now ESPN-2 here.

Oops beaten. Well it's interesting that the game is on both 719 and 725. That's not supposed to happen. Someone screwed up bigtime.

INHD = 1080i
ESPN = 720p
That's why it looks better. "But 720 is better for sports!!" Uh no, not really.

is channel 725 in sf used for hdse usually? im in sacramento has channel 925 reserved for hdse also, but espn2hd hasnt shown up yet :(

725 is now ESPN-2 here.

Oops beaten. Well it's interesting that the game is on both 719 and 725. That's not supposed to happen. Someone screwed up bigtime.

INHD = 1080i
ESPN = 720p
That's why it looks better. "But 720 is better for sports!!" Uh no, not really.

there's no blackout rules unless its ur local team playing... i think
its not the first time i've seen yankee redsox play on both espnhd and inhd.

is channel 725 in sf used for hdse usually? im in sacramento has channel 925 reserved for hdse also, but espn2hd hasnt shown up yet :(

yes HDSE... so chances are your 925 will be used for espn2 too... my only concern is that this looks more like a temporary replacement...

i dont really care if its temporary as long as its used for world cup exclusively for a month

Fremont uses 725 for ESPN2HD too. But no EPG yet.

I hope the guide shows up soon...need to schedule tomorrow's games. I guess I could just do a time-based recording.

I hope the guide shows up soon...need to schedule tomorrow's games. I guess I could just do a time-based recording.

En. First need to cancel all ESPN2 recording. I have configured for next two weeks. :eek: But I am happy to do that.

It's working here in San Jose too.

oakland has espn2hd now....no guide yet though

550ers... i am afraid to ask you guys, but... yeah... shafted?? u should complain a bit!

vallejo, ca now active for espn2hd. 725. No guide, doesnt show as espn2 on guide either, but its got the feed.

550ers... i am afraid to ask you guys, but... yeah... shafted?? u should complain a bit!
Of course not, Comcast's ghetto systems don't get squat, business as usual.

550ers... i am afraid to ask you guys, but... yeah... shafted?? u should complain a bit!
Not going to complain, I expected this from Comcast and it hasn't done any good to complain to them about this on going problem.

Laters,
Mikef5

Not going to complain, I expected this from Comcast and it hasn't done any good to complain to them about this on going problem.

Laters,
Mikef5

They are already getting peoples money in our 550mhz cities and knowing how people are I bet most dont even realize they are on a bandwith starved system that is missing out.

They get the same exact price no matter what from people and if they have the same number of subscribers in a 550mhz town basically as a upgraded one, you can easily see comcast basically leaving things be.

If your some suit at a corporation like that your lookin at big maps and could care less about the few little blips that are not blending in.

But people are going to want more HD at a ever increasing pace and only a matter of time before their paying customers notice if they dont have it.

Viewing options
COMCAST SCORES WITH ESPN2 HD
By John Ryan
Mercury News

It must be something about sports with goals, because the most dramatic contrasts between high-definition and standard TV come in hockey and soccer.

And after a late scramble, Comcast's HDTV subscribers will be able to see for themselves. The cable company announced an agreement Thursday to add ESPN2 HD, on Channel 725 for the World Cup and on Channel 724 thereafter.

Disney, ESPN's papa, had been holding ESPN2 HD as part of negotiations to get its entire channel lineup on Comcast. As of early this week, HDTV-subscribing soccer fans were likely to pay the price, with 33 of 64 World Cup games slated for ESPN2. But the companies worked out a deal for the one channel, beginning with the Germany-Costa Rica opener at 9 a.m. today and continuing most prominently with U.S.-Czech Republic on Monday.

A downer: Because of bandwidth limitations, ESPN2 HD isn't available in many Bay Area cities, including Saratoga, Los Gatos, Milpitas and Sunnyvale. It's the same problem that prevented some Sharks fans from seeing playoff games on OLN. (Other than telling you to move, we have no solutions. Sorry.)

How can Morning Buzz explain the difference between HDTV and regular? We've tried, but we can't do it justice. Suffice to say, earlier this week, we explained the quandary to a co-worker who responded, ``Well, you'll still get the game, just not HD.''

Sigh. Education is a lifelong endeavor.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/14776856.htm

So this confirms espn2HD will move to 724 after the world up :) and that the slums (why do you guys call it the slums when there are such nice houses in saramilgatos?) are very bandwidth starved.

The story so far...

I live in Los Altos 94022. A couple of months ago I got tired of paying $90 a month for hdtv cable with HBO and Showtime so I cancelled. However Comcast only seems to have turned off the channels below 81. So I can still use their 8412 box to get anything above that including everything in the 7XX (hi def channels) range which are the only channels I watch these days. The only problem is the box is not able to do anything other than act as a dumb hdtv tuner and I really want to be able to record teh world cup matches.

I have an Fusion 5 hdtv tuner card so I thought I would use this to record the matches. I did an auto scan and as a result I can get from a bunch of channels whcih seem to be either basic cable or extended basic. They do not include ESPN or ESPN2 (now on channel 725) or any of the 7XX channels which i really want (ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, HBO, SHOWTIME).

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might be able to get and record ESPNHD and ESPN2HD? The world cup starts today!!

Thanks, Lloyd

Try resubscribing, it works......

You know...if comcast was creative they would show ESPN2 Worldcup games on channel 720/INHD2 on 550Mhz systems that supported that, just like they did for the olympics...
but it looks like they arent going to do that (we get to watch HD Travel tips instead :(

I was going to dump Comcast as soon as College Football season started, but with ESPN2HD they'll keep my business for a while. I'm still paying way to much for cable, but untill one of the other services get FSNHD I'm staying...

So, anyways, I got 4 new HD channels this morning from Dish, and I've had 0 HD channel additions from Comcast in the last 2 years.

Dish lineup,

KTVU-HD
KNTV-HD
KPIX-HD
KGO-HD
Showtime HD
Starz HDTV
HBO HD
Animania HD
Family Room HD
GamePlay HD
Discovery HD Theater
Equator HD
National Geographic Channel HD
DISH Network PPV in HD
Film Fest HD
HDNet Movies
Kung Fu HD
Monsters HD
World Cinema HD
HDNews
Rave HD
ESPN HD
ESPN2 HD
NFL Network HD
Rush HD
WorldSport HD
Gallery HD
HDNet
HGTV HD
TNT HD
Treasure HD
Ultra HD
Universal HD


Comcast's PATHETIC!! lineup,

KTVU
KNTV
KPIX
KGO
KQED
Discovery
ESPN
HBO
Cinemax
Starz

"Comcast, the leader in the least HD programming"

Ok, I've had my fun this morning... :p :D

Corrected the listings, HBO, SHO, and Starz were listed twice.

I was going to dump Comcast as soon as College Football season started, but with ESPN2HD they'll keep my business for a while. I'm still paying way to much for cable, but untill one of the other services get FSNHD I'm staying...

That's just want the comcast management that reads this forum wants to hear :D

They love how their customers have a short term memory and every once in a while you throw them a little bone and they keep sending that $100/mth (isnt Comcast's autopay feature great...set it once and forget...comcast just sucks it down while you sleep)

:eek:

its all a matter of preference:

i wouldn't give up my giants/a's/warriors in HD for family room HD. i wouldn't say E* offerings are exactly quality. comcast has almost all the available HD channels that i would like, and giving us espn2hd is the right step. but i'm looking forward to seeing lightspeed around these parts.

keenan,
Did you install Dish 1000 or Dish 500 and separate dish for the 129?

Comcast and FSN HD
Can someone explain why Comast has a monopoly on FSN HD in the Bay Area? Is there any reasonable chance that other companies (satellite or ATT Lightspeed) will have access to this HD programming? If not, it looks like I'm stuck with Comcast for the duration.

keenan,
Did you install Dish 1000 or Dish 500 and separate dish for the 129?
Dish 500 and separate dish for 129. Tree issues prevented using a 1000, couldn't see 129, not a wide enough angle at the 500 location. Using a separate dish for 129 is recommended anyway I believe as 129 is dying and has signal power issues if you don't have it dialed directly in line to it. I'm getting a very good signal strength of 80 which I doubt I'd get with a 3-LNB(1000) dish.

Since I mostly watch sports, I don't care much about many of those channels, but I would like TNTHD, National Geographic HD, and Food Channel HD when it becomes available.

In the near future the difference between the services will probably be enough that I will give up my A's and Warriors games in HD for better content. I am happy Comcast added ESPN2, but I am still very unhappy with their service as a whole.

Comcast and FSN HD
Can someone explain why Comast has a monopoly on FSN HD in the Bay Area? Is there any reasonable chance that other companies (satellite or ATT Lightspeed) will have access to this HD programming? If not, it looks like I'm stuck with Comcast for the duration.
Because they can. Currents regs allow cable from keeping the signal off sat if it is generated and transmitted terrestrially. The below link is an article where Comcast has refused to let sat carry the local Sportsnet in Philadelphia.

http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2006/06/05/daily13.html?page=1
Comcast says no Sportsnet for satellite - Philadelphia Business Journal:

Comcast and FSN HD
Can someone explain why Comast has a monopoly on FSN HD in the Bay Area? Is there any reasonable chance that other companies (satellite or ATT Lightspeed) will have access to this HD programming? If not, it looks like I'm stuck with Comcast for the duration.

i think someone mentioned that FSN's HD equipment is partially financed by comcast, or they have some kind of lease agreement. very smart move, otherwise there would far fewer comcast HD subs.

but comcast does have excellent PQ. that in itself is reason to put down 100 bucks/mo. i don't think i can give up comcast until a provider can give me PQ and quantity because i'll always pick quality first.

i agree with the previous poster. there is plenty of sports in HD now. i want to see HGTV, NGHD, FOXHD, TNTHD, FOODHD or any combination, permutation of that set. :D

posted by JWhip (read: reliable) on the programming thread:

Just a guess guys. More HD is coming but I do not have a time table. Certainly by the end of the summer. I know what people have been asking for and it ain't MTV. I have heard whispers about National Geographic but just whispers. It seems to have good content. Maybe UHD first? I do know that Comcast does look at content in addition to demand as well as $$ considerations in deciding what to add.

we already know 550ers will not get new additions, at least until ADS is completed. i wonder if the rest of the bay area will be included in this next batch of additions. sorry 550ers, i have to root that they do add it for us and not you. because if they want to add it for you guys, we'd have to wait a long time. hopefully they will start pricing these packages correctly because the product differentiation is becoming more and more apparent.

I have an Fusion 5 hdtv tuner card so I thought I would use this to record the matches. I did an auto scan and as a result I can get from a bunch of channels whcih seem to be either basic cable or extended basic. They do not include ESPN or ESPN2 (now on channel 725) or any of the 7XX channels which i really want (ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, HBO, SHOWTIME).

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might be able to get and record ESPNHD and ESPN2HD? The world cup starts today!!
You can't pick up ESPN-HD and ESPN2-HD because they are encrypted.

ABC-HD (KGO-HD) has some limited World Cup coverage and isn't encrypted. I don't know specifically why your Fusion5 isn't picking it up. Maybe you are looking at the virtual rather than physical channel? For my area, ABC is at 117.x

posted by JWhip (read: reliable) on the programming thread:



we already know 550ers will not get new additions, at least until ADS is completed. i wonder if the rest of the bay area will be included in this next batch of additions. sorry 550ers, i have to root that they do add it for us and not you. because if they want to add it for you guys, we'd have to wait a long time. hopefully they will start pricing these packages correctly because the product differentiation is becoming more and more apparent.
Nikeykid,
Don't feel bad about wanting more to be added to your area. If I was in a fully upgraded area I'd be doing the same thing that you are. The problem is I'm not and for the near future nothing is going to be done in the 550 MHz areas, that is the reason I'm going with Dish. Dish offers much more than I can get from Comcast and at a cheaper price. My advise to anyone in the 550 MHz areas who is unhappy with what Comcast is giving you is to leave with your wallets. That's the only thing they understand. If you are happy with your situation or are willing to wait and hope that Comcast will finally do the right thing and upgrade our area, then definitely stay. Cable does have it's advantages and in a fully upgraded system has a better product to provide at this time but that is changing very fast and in my opinion Comcast is to slow to change and adapt. Corporations care about one thing, the bottom line and not the individual customer. If your are in a fully upgraded system then go for as much as you can get, it's just very sad that Comcast will exclude areas from upgrades because they are not cost effective enough to do so.

Laters,
Mikef5

i still don't understand their cost/benefit analysis on saramilgatos... its not like these places are dirt poor. quite the opposite. if i were on comcast's board, i'd be asking them why the hell they aren't upgrading the bay area as quickly as they could. but then again, maybe the board won't notice until there's a mass exodus. i think its a mistake not to provide the best they can for these communities with so much high net worth individuals.

That's a shame ESPN2HD isn't available in Sunnyvale, and strange. I'm in Mountain View (next door) and I am getting it...

The Germany/CostaRica match is pretty good.

i still don't understand their cost/benefit analysis on saramilgatos... its not like these places are dirt poor. quite the opposite. if i were on comcast's board, i'd be asking them why the hell they aren't upgrading the bay area as quickly as they could. but then again, maybe the board won't notice until there's a mass exodus. i think its a mistake not to provide the best they can for these communities with so much high net worth individuals.
Oh, I understand the business model. They look at the cost to upgrade the areas and factor in what the revenue is in that area and decide wether or not it's cost effective to do that upgrade. Since most people in this area loves their analog tv and seem to be happy with it, Comcast sees no reason to invest in this area. That's business and in the business world that works. In the consumer world it sucks but it's the bottom line that counts to the corporations.
What they fail to see is that they are driving away the customers in that area that they need to keep so that area will develop. People like myself and others that are mostly interested in digital and computer products and services are the people that others will go to for advise and opinions on what they should buy or not buy. By losing those people the area will never go beyond what it is now because those people will not advise people to buy cable but to go else where. So this area will stay in it's analog world and will be excluded in any upgrades to the system because you don't have the room to grow, you're not cost effective enough to upgrade and the people that can get others to go with digital are gone.

Laters,
Mikef5

Since most people in this area loves their analog tv and seem to be happy with it, Comcast sees no reason to invest in this area.

i can't believe i live in the silicon valley. but i've been fighting this, by inviting people over to watch my hdtv. i want my peers to be excited, to spread word. to not be satisfied until they get one too. now that i think about it, i should be on sony and comcast's payroll :D

What doesn't make sense to me is what is taking them so long to prune the analog channels. There are clearly at least 2-3 channels they could easily prune and add 4-6 HD channels which would satisfy most of the HD customers in those areas for the next year.

posted by JWhip (read: reliable) on the programming thread:



we already know 550ers will not get new additions, at least until ADS is completed. i wonder if the rest of the bay area will be included in this next batch of additions. sorry 550ers, i have to root that they do add it for us and not you. because if they want to add it for you guys, we'd have to wait a long time. hopefully they will start pricing these packages correctly because the product differentiation is becoming more and more apparent.
I saw that post by JWhip and thought "another nail in the coffin for 550'ers".

To the best of my knowledge, ADS can't be done on 550 systems, no room. Only salvation I see for 550 is dropping some of the analog channels and who knows when that will happen.

People like myself and others that are mostly interested in digital and computer products and services are the people that others will go to for advise and opinions on what they should buy or not buy.
Laters,
Mikef5
Comcast will start feeling heat on their internet service, I just got a flyer from AT&T to upgrade to their 6mbps download DSL for $27 a month. That's $2 more a month than what I'm paying from 3mbps.

Dish lineup,

KTVU-HD
KNTV-HD
KPIX-HD
KGO-HD
Showtime HD
Starz HDTV
HBO HD
Animania HD
Family Room HD
GamePlay HD
Discovery HD Theater
Equator HD
National Geographic Channel HD
DISH Network PPV in HD
Film Fest HD
HDNet Movies
Kung Fu HD
Monsters HD
World Cinema HD
HDNews
Rave HD
HBO HD
Showtime HD
Starz HDTV
ESPN HD
ESPN2 HD
NFL Network HD
Rush HD
WorldSport HD
Gallery HD
HDNet
HGTV HD
TNT HD
Treasure HD
Ultra HD
Universal HD
Keenan, I know you are excited but isn't this lineup stuffing? :)

To the best of my knowledge, ADS can't be done on 550 systems, no room. Only salvation I see for 550 is dropping some of the analog channels and who knows when that will happen.
I thought one of the main reasons for the QAM64 -> QAM256 shift was to make room for ADS? What happened to the extra bandwidth 550 got from the move to QAM256? Did it go to HSI or something?

Keenan, I know you are excited but isn't this lineup stuffing? :)
Yes, I corrected at the same time you posted, that's the way they had it at the Dish site. :D

Theoretically, there are 2 separate HBO and Showtime feeds, both higher quality from sat 148 but they are the same programming.

I'm not sure what happened with 64>256QAM, frankly, I don't think it's even been completed here, I haven't checked in awhile, mostly because I really don't care much anymore. Another issue is I don't believe there has been any movement due to a dispute between Comcast and the City of Santa Rosa.

What doesn't make sense to me is what is taking them so long to prune the analog channels. There are clearly at least 2-3 channels they could easily prune and add 4-6 HD channels which would satisfy most of the HD customers in those areas for the next year.
It's called contracts. I've tried to get channels moved to the digital tier but because of contracts they have to stay analog because this area is in love with their analog channels and that's were the revenue comes from in this area. I really wish it was as simple as moving or dropping channels but it's not. Like I said in the business world it makes sense but sucks for consumers like us in the 550 MHz areas.

Laters,
Mikef5

wow i'm like JWhip's messenger boy today

Keep an eye out for the removal of analog channels to the digital tier only. That is done, in part, to free up bandwidth to add HD channels. Two HD channels per one analog channel space for now.

so to answer ur questions, it looks like that might happen very soon.

I thought I'd check -- Comcast has ESPN2HD on 725. Wow! I missed the Germany - Costa Rica opener in HD, but I guess I will now get *every* match in HD.

The guide does not indicate this (yet), so I programmed by hand the World Cup matches through Sunday.

Comcast will start feeling heat on their internet service, I just got a flyer from AT&T to upgrade to their 6mbps download DSL for $27 a month. That's $2 more a month than what I'm paying from 3mbps.

Does DSL still require an active copper-based phone line? I've been wanting to swith back to DSL for years however I don't want to have to pay for a land-line in order to get it (it would negate the cost difference between AT&T and Comcast).

It's called contracts. I've tried to get channels moved to the digital tier but because of contracts they have to stay analog because this area is in love with their analog channels and that's were the revenue comes from in this area. I really wish it was as simple as moving or dropping channels but it's not. Like I said in the business world it makes sense but sucks for consumers like us in the 550 MHz areas.

Laters,
Mikef5
The content provider is really the driving the force in wanting the channels to stay on analog, that's where are the eyeballs are, put the channels on a digital tier and they've instantly lost over half their audience. Limited Basic and to a large extent, Extended Basic are prime beach-front property when it comes to cable TV channel locations, it's the penthouse of cable carriage.

Does DSL still require an active copper-based phone line? I've been wanting to swith back to DSL for years however I don't want to have to pay for a land-line in order to get it (it would negate the cost difference between AT&T and Comcast).
As far as I know, yes, it does, I pay about $50 a month for DSL and regular phone service but I seem to recall that phone service was not required anymore, but I'm not sure about that. Do a wireless ethernet connection with your neighbor and cut the cost in half. :p

Since most people in this area loves their analog tv and seem to be happy with it, Comcast sees no reason to invest in this area.

"Sara" in Saramilgatos stands for "Saratoga", correct? If yes, I don't understand above statement. Because Saratoga is one of the most affluent cities in the Bay Area. I would expect very high rates of HD adoption, as well as non-insistence of wanting to stay with analog there. :confused:

wow i'm like JWhip's messenger boy today



so to answer ur questions, it looks like that might happen very soon.
Don't hold your breath, lot more involved than just moving the channels, in fact that's the easy part, getting the clearance from the provider is the hard part and that can take years, look how long it's taken to get some of the HD channels, KTVU comes to mind. :)

"Sara" in Saramilgatos stands for "Saratoga", correct? If yes, I don't understand above statement. Because Saratoga is one of the most affluent cities in the Bay Area. I would expect very high rates of HD adoption, as well as non-insistence of wanting to stay with analog there. :confused:

that's what i was wondering too, there are very affluent people in saratoga and los gatos and parts of milpitas... probably mike's part lol. HD penetration is still very small. it is however growing very fast and people will wake up one day and figure it out. teleco's entrance into television will help this process too. remember we're still pretty early adopters.

It's called contracts. I've tried to get channels moved to the digital tier but because of contracts they have to stay analog because this area is in love with their analog channels and that's were the revenue comes from in this area. I really wish it was as simple as moving or dropping channels but it's not. Like I said in the business world it makes sense but sucks for consumers like us in the 550 MHz areas.
I can buy that argument for a couple of years, but not year after year. Contracts eventually expire. Also from the earlier post, 550 areas have SciFi and Bravo sitting on analog, which are digital-tier only for many other bay area systems, even ones that have bandwidth for them in analog.

Don't hold your breath, lot more involved than just moving the channels, in fact that's the easy part, getting the clearance from the provider is the hard part and that can take years, look how long it's taken to get some of the HD channels, KTVU comes to mind. :)

i must have come on at the right time, when i got comcast HD in may 05, ktvuHD was already on. thank goodness, i really wanted to see 24 in HD. there are definitely channels they can get rid of NOW and i wouldn't even blink an eye. like AZN channel. their target demographic is probably someone like me but 5 years younger. i know for a fact 5 years ago i wouldn't have watched that crap. OR the golf channel. please if you love golf enough to watch a 24 hour channel about it, you can afford to get digital cable. it maybe easier to list the analog channels that HAVE to stay (assuming they don't go HD): cartoon network, cnbc, cnn/foxnews, comedy central. the 70+ other analog channels can go away because i wouldn't watch them or have it already in HD. sigh... fantasizing again.

this is why a la carte sounds so enticing.

"Sara" in Saramilgatos stands for "Saratoga", correct? If yes, I don't understand above statement. Because Saratoga is one of the most affluent cities in the Bay Area. I would expect very high rates of HD adoption, as well as non-insistence of wanting to stay with analog there. :confused:
I think the way it worked was certain areas got upgraded early to 550, before the advent of 750/860. When it came time to upgrade the other areas, 750/860 were current technology. By the time it came back to upgrade the earlier 550 systems, MSOs priorities had changed and upgrading was seen more as a cost than an investment.

that's what i was wondering too, there are very affluent people in saratoga and los gatos and parts of milpitas... probably mike's part lol. HD penetration is still very small. it is however growing very fast and people will wake up one day and figure it out. teleco's entrance into television will help this process too. remember we're still pretty early adopters.
The wealth of people in any particular area is not what drives Comcast to invest in an area or not. It's the revenue they get from that area and since most of the revenue comes from people that want analog in this area Comcast has no incentive to invest in upgrading this area even though in the long run it would benefit Comcast and the customers to upgrade. Comcast also doesn't think that there is much revenue in digital and HD tv or that it's more down the line for them. They seem to be concentrating on VOIP, which they see as a more lucrative market than HD programing. Like I said Comcast is to slow to adapt and thinks short term, bottom line, and not long term, like developing and upgrading all areas and investing for the future.

Laters,
Mikef5

this is why a la carte sounds so enticing.
You are making assumptions about a-la-carte that are not guaranteed and if past history serves, will not hold.

Every attempt in the past to give the consumer more choice to minimize paying for stuff they don't need has ended up increasing your payments with little benefit.

You are making assumptions about a-la-carte that are not guaranteed and if past history serves, will not hold.

Every attempt in the past to give the consumer more choice to minimize paying for stuff they don't need has ended up increasing your payments with little benefit.

i understand a la carte would undermine the cableco's economies of scale, however, i'm sure IPTV is much better suited to offer choice because they don't have to send every channel down the pipeline. and cableco will have no choice but to adjust as well. i'm an optimist.

You are making assumptions about a-la-carte that are not guaranteed and if past history serves, will not hold.

Every attempt in the past to give the consumer more choice to minimize paying for stuff they don't need has ended up increasing your payments with little benefit.
To continue that idea. In the 550 MHz areas what do I have to pick a-la-carte ??? Not a whole lot to pick from. That doesn't fix the problem. Now video switching would but that would mean a major investment for Comcast to install and upgrade the system to allow that to work, a major undertaking, and so far Comcast has not impressed me with it's efforts.

Laters,
Mikef5

To continue that idea. In the 550 MHz areas what do I have to pick a-la-carte ??? Not a whole lot to pick from. That doesn't fix the problem. Now video switching would but that would mean a major investment for Comcast to install and upgrade the system to allow that to work, a major undertaking, and so far Comcast has not impressed me with it's efforts.


From the few articles that have been coming out recently, I was under the impression that implementing switched broadcasting is much cheaper, at least in comparison to full-scale upgrades. Switched broadcasting is replacing equipment at the head-end and local switching stations. While I'm sure this isn't cheap, it's much cheaper (and probably faster) then to dig up and replace existing cable in every neighborhood. This is just a guess..

From the few articles that have been coming out recently, I was under the impression that implementing switched broadcasting is much cheaper, at least in comparison to full-scale upgrades. Switched broadcasting is replacing equipment at the head-end and local switching stations. While I'm sure this isn't cheap, it's much cheaper (and probably faster) then to dig up and replace existing cable in every neighborhood. This is just a guess..
I don't understand why they would have to dig up cable to do a system upgrade or replace cable. To increase capacity requires upgrades to the headend and it's supporting equipment to deliver it not the customers cable lines, maybe Dave could tell us the differences and what's involved in doing them. Which is cheaper ??? I bet they're both expensive and not easy to implement. Either way Comcast doesn't see it cost effective to do either at this time or in the near future for the 550 MHz areas. Once the other areas start pushing the limits of their bandwidth they then might implement video switching for the entire Bay Area but for the forseeable future we're just not that important to them.

Laters,
Mikef5

anyone noticing "stuttering" in video on 703, 704 and 705? This is really odd. I've not seen this before with HD programming. It looks like judder does on PAL pans...

jeff

edited later: played with swapping tuners and pause/play. The issue went away... bogus dvr

I don't understand why they would have to dig up cable to do a system upgrade or replace cable. To increase capacity requires upgrades to the headend and it's supporting equipment to deliver it not the customers cable lines, maybe Dave could tell us the differences and what's involved in doing them. Which is cheaper ??? I bet they're both expensive and not easy to implement. Either way Comcast doesn't see it cost effective to do either at this time or in the near future for the 550 MHz areas. Once the other areas start pushing the limits of their bandwidth they then might implement video switching for the entire Bay Area but for the forseeable future we're just not that important to them.

Laters,
Mikef5
AFAIK, most Comcast systems in the bay area are hybrid-fiber/wire systems. The amount of homes passed per node weighs on how much can be "pushed" through the pipe. The smaller the node numbers, the better chance of getting more through the pipe. I'm probably not explaining it right...the closer the fiber is to the home, the better. For example, in Santa Rosa the average node size is 1500 homes passed, meaning that every one of those homes is being fed by amplified signal over wire cable from a node being fed a fiber signal. In order to get higher throughput, the node size has to come down, the less leaks(homes) in the pipe, the higher the pressure(bandwidth/signal strength). From what I understand, 1500 is 3 times larger than optimum, so more nodes need to be added to increase the throughput.

..or something like that... :p

I can buy that argument for a couple of years, but not year after year. Contracts eventually expire. Also from the earlier post, 550 areas have SciFi and Bravo sitting on analog, which are digital-tier only for many other bay area systems, even ones that have bandwidth for them in analog.
SciFi has been on digital channel 160 for a long time up here, long as I can remember, I don't think you could squeeze a fart out of the bandwidth we have it's so tight.

I think the way it worked was certain areas got upgraded early to 550, before the advent of 750/860. When it came time to upgrade the other areas, 750/860 were current technology. By the time it came back to upgrade the earlier 550 systems, MSOs priorities had changed and upgrading was seen more as a cost than an investment.
That's a huge part of it, when Comcast came to the bay area the AT&T systems had been already been upgraded to 550, top of the line at the time. The systems with less bandwidth, like the old A/B switch types, 330Mhz systems, were upgraded by Comcast to 750-860. All Comcast basically did is throw a Comcast logo on the door and started to collect subscriber money. From a business standpoint, 550 systems have probably been excellent investments, very little capitol expense(no upgrading) and have no doubt been turning profits much earlier than recently upgraded systems. People don't appear to be leaving, so why mess with it? Look at it this way, 550 system customers have been footing a big part of the bill so you 750-860 folks can have all the bandwidth and goodies. Your welcome... :p

I don't understand why they would have to dig up cable to do a system upgrade or replace cable. To increase capacity requires upgrades to the headend and it's supporting equipment to deliver it not the customers cable lines

More than fun-n-splices, a rise in the bandwidth (usually upwards) requires re-spacing the amplifiers because signal loss is greater at higher frequencies. That or fiber to RF hardware is introduced in places it was not at before. System distribution cables get replaced for signal needs or because of excessive existing splices. If it's direct buried it needs to be dug up, if it's in conduit you pray that a tree root or other diggers have not crushed it.

Those respaced amplifiers often have to be replaced for they were built to only increase signals from 50 to 550. Same may apply for the directional taps and other passives on the distribution plant. More amplifiers need more power - there are power supplies that need to be added or moved.

Is the weight of that new stuff on poles going to compromise the safety of the overhead lines? Need to test & have changes approved by several different bureaucracies.

If an underground access point that once housed a directional tap now needs to house an amplfier, it needs to be expanded. If that point is in the middle of a sidewalk, get out the jackhammer and only after you have secured permission with the owner of said sidewalk (what was that about bureaucracies?).

More than fun-n-splices, a rise in the bandwidth (usually upwards) requires re-spacing the amplifiers because signal loss is greater at higher frequencies. That or fiber to RF hardware is introduced in places it was not at before. System distribution cables get replaced for signal needs or because of excessive existing splices. If it's direct buried it needs to be dug up, if it's in conduit you pray that a tree root or other diggers have not crushed it.

Those respaced amplifiers often have to be replaced for they were built to only increase signals from 50 to 550. Same may apply for the directional taps and other passives on the distribution plant. More amplifiers need more power - there are power supplies that need to be added or moved.

Is the weight of that new stuff on poles going to compromise the safety of the overhead lines? Need to test & have changes approved by several different bureaucracies.

If an underground access point that once housed a directional tap now needs to house an amplfier, it needs to be expanded. If that point is in the middle of a sidewalk, get out the jackhammer and only after you have secured permission with the owner of said sidewalk (what was that about bureaucracies?).
Wow, that's a little more complicated than I thought
So....... when can you guys get started..... :D :p

I think the way it worked was certain areas got upgraded early to 550, before the advent of 750/860. When it came time to upgrade the other areas, 750/860 were current technology. By the time it came back to upgrade the earlier 550 systems, MSOs priorities had changed and upgrading was seen more as a cost than an investment.

My wild guesses/theories are:

1: In Saratoga and Los Gatos, mountains and trees prevent a clear line of sight for a satellite dish. Therefore, Comcast has a captive audience.

2: Affluent homeowners might be more likely to balk at a sat dish on the roof due
to cosmetic reasons. Therefore, Comcast has a captive audience.

3: Lot sizes in Saratoga and Los Gatos are bigger. Plop a node down in a neighborhood
where each house sits on a half acre lot and you'll have longer cable runs to
reach 500 homes than if each lot were 6000sqft.

4: Affluent homeowners tend to mean older homeowners and perhaps they are
either less tech savvy or are unwilling to upgrade their legacy equipment to
take advantage of HDTV for whatever reason (this one is really out there b/c I
really don't know much about the demographics of that region and their buying
attitudes).

5: Affluent areas typically mean stricter rules and more beaurocracy. Maybe the city isn't willing to put up with adding amplifiers, changing existing equipment, etc
for whatever reason.

3: Lot sizes in Saratoga and Los Gatos are bigger. Plop a node down in a neighborhood
where each house sits on a half acre lot and you'll have longer cable runs to
reach 500 homes than if each lot were 6000sqft.
I think it boils down to cost/return ratio. How much needs to be invested compared to how much return. It is no doubt a big PITA to upgrade a system.

If I were running a business #3 would be the one to convince me to either not upgrade or try a different solution.

If you are in a dense neighborhood, the VOD/PPV/HSI/VOIP/etc. potential return will be higher than a low density area while the fixed costs are probably similar between low density and high density areas.

Those are my wild guesses/theories.

It is ironic lawmakers are discussing "red-lining" when in Bay Area, it seems there is reverse "red-lining", at least reverse according to lawmakers' point of view.

http://www.freepress.net/news/14744
In an interview for C-SPAN’s The Communicators series, he said that Wynn and Bobby Rush of Illinois, another African American Democrat, are reportedly working on strong language to add to the bill to insure against “red lining”—not providing service to less lucrative customers, often rural or poorer areas.

I think it boils down to cost/return ratio. How much needs to be invested compared to how much return. It is no doubt a big PITA to upgrade a system.


With HD, there's a lot of cost and virtually no return. The only way to get a return is to provide the HD channels in bigger and more expensive programming packages. To stay competitive Comcast is going to have to lower the entry programming cost required to get those HD channels and the HD-DVR. Currently with Comcast it costs about $75 a month to get just the locals, ESPN-HD and DiscHD/(INHD in other areas) with a HD-DVR.

With sat all you need is the lowest price programming package, Dish is currently about $30 a month, and add the HD packages. There is no requirement beyond the the basic package to get(buy-rent) the HD-DVR. With Dish I'm getting 38 different HD channels, 3 of which are special event/PPV channels, 4 local HD channels, and currently 1 DNS, KCBS-HD from LA, all for about $95 a month. For about $15 more, I could get every single channel Dish offers, but I don't watch them(SD), so $15 is $15. To get every HD channel Comcast offers here, which is only 10, it would cost me about $125 a month. Comcast is simply not competitive where my programming wants are concerned.

My 6412 is most likely going to be dropped at the Comcast office on Monday for a few reasons. Comcast is simply not a good deal for what I want, there is really no programming that Comcast provides that I want during the summer(I may re-subscribe in the fall-depends on what sort of deal I can get), and because after 2 visits to the office and over a week's time, in which I was told twice that I would be contacted, Comcast still has not responded to my request for information about the HD-DVR. I have to assume they don't care so I'll spend my money elsewhere.

Is anyone who has ESPN2HD getting guide data for it? It still shows up as HDSE with no guide data at all on my 6412.

the guide is TO BE ANNOUNCED hehe.. there may be no data until 725 changes to 724. i hope they move it sooner than later, because that will definitely make it permanent.

Mine doesn't even say that. All it says is "OFF AIR," which is what it said when ESPN2HD wasn't on the HDSE channel. So basically my guide doesn't realize that ESPN2HD was added to channel 725. Anything I can do to change that?

Ok, reboot #3 in less than a month for the 3412. This time the DVR portion just completely stopped working. Wouldn't pause or rewind live TV, and wouldn't play back any of the recorded programs.

One more and it's going back. After baseball season I'll seriously start thinking about satellite. I live in a rented house but I'm sure I could convince my landlord to let me install a dish.

Ok, reboot #3 in less than a month for the 3412. This time the DVR portion just completely stopped working. Wouldn't pause or rewind live TV, and wouldn't play back any of the recorded programs.
I had the exact same problem with my 3412. Even after power-cycle, the problem eventually returned. I swapped out the box and after a few days, the problem came back again. This time, however, I did something that caused everything to work correctly -- I think I changed the channel or something. That was about 2 weeks ago and haven't seen the problem since.

I changed channels, I turned the box on/off a few times, I checked the service menu, I pushed the SWAP key which would change the channel number displayed on the LED and the OSM but not actually change the channel.... nothing worked.

Ok, reboot #3 in less than a month for the 3412. This time the DVR portion just completely stopped working. Wouldn't pause or rewind live TV, and wouldn't play back any of the recorded programs.

One more and it's going back. After baseball season I'll seriously start thinking about satellite. I live in a rented house but I'm sure I could convince my landlord to let me install a dish.
With the 3412/6412 do you lose your recorded shows with the "reboot" or is it just a reset with your recorded shows still available?

It keeps what you have recorded, it just loses all the guide data, which takes up to 24 hours to fully restore.. maybe more. It stores almost a month of schedule I think, unlike the non-DVR boxes which only store a day or 2.

It's just friggin annoying to have to reach around back and unplug the power.. plus not being able to see what's on the guide for a good hour or so afterwards.

I changed channels, I turned the box on/off a few times, I checked the service menu, I pushed the SWAP key which would change the channel number displayed on the LED and the OSM but not actually change the channel.... nothing worked.

Yeah, I remember thinking to myself "that's all I had to do?" when it started working. I was pushing buttons left and right so it could have any number of things. I don't know what I did but it's been working (knock on wood).

More shennanigans:

705 won't record but 5 will. Neither channel has 5c according to the service menu, but 705 just will not record (using CapDVHS). They are showing the same program so it's obviously something Comcast does.

Same for ch 40 and 720 I guess. "Analog" channel 40 / FSN does not have 5c and is recordable, but when they show games in HD on 720 they do have 5c. What gives here? Comcast asleep at the switch again I assume.

It was also my assumption that 5c was not supposed to prevent recording, only copying. HOME PRIVATE USE IS LEGAL. What's going on here? I know this is out of the scope of this discussion a little. Maybe I should be asking, where are the 5c-enabled HD recorders?

It was also my assumption that 5c was not supposed to prevent recording, only copying. HOME PRIVATE USE IS LEGAL. What's going on here? I know this is out of the scope of this discussion a little. Maybe I should be asking, where are the 5c-enabled HD recorders?

5c can either be 'copy all', 'copy once' or 'copy none' depending on the paramters set on the flag.

Yeah, I remember thinking to myself "that's all I had to do?" when it started working. I was pushing buttons left and right so it could have any number of things. I don't know what I did but it's been working (knock on wood).

I just happen to me too that my HD-DVR stop working normally. So I finally unpluged the power cord and re-pluged it to make it works normally again. It is just so annoying!! Yes, I will lose all the programming guild and should be restored by itself. When Camcast is going to come out with a better product as we are paying so much now!!

The NY Times has seen the future and it is: Multicasting.

A short quotation from the start of the article:

* * *
Coming Soon (Maybe): Even More TV Channels:

LET'S take a poll, couch potatoes. Raise your hand if you are excited about the possibilities of television multicasting.

We jest, of course. Chances are that only people who work as lobbyists or media executives have a vague notion what multicasting means, though it has been kicking around for years.

But the word is likely to gain a much higher profile in coming weeks — not just because a regulatory showdown is looming but also because of a wave of new television channels and ventures that are suddenly being hatched.

Indeed, as America careers toward its much-touted conversion to the all-digital transmission of television signals — the digital switchover is now set in stone for February 2009 — the debate over multicasting is looking like another shining example of the law of unintended consequences when technology comes into play.

Multicasting, by the way, is the entertainment industry term for broadcasting several television channels in the space, or bandwidth, of a current analog broadcast signal.

There are technical issues related to this, but the upshot is that with new digital frequencies and equipment, a local station can now beam roughly four digital channels on its signal where a single analog channel once existed. Or it can broadcast the current signal and sublet the extra spectrum, or space, for other purposes, like Internet access, infomercials or pay-TV services.

* * *

Of course everone here knows about multicasting and its associated joys. Cable impacts are discussed.

The citation for the entire article: (registration may be required)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/business/yourmoney/11frenzy.html

I don't want more crappy channels. I want the channels I care about in better quality. There are so many channels I never even tune to eating up bandwidth. How many freaking 24/7 weather or news channels do we need?

I think it is inevitable though. People think digital cutoff means everything will be HD. In reality you may end up just getting more SD channels during daytime and HD during primetime.

In reality you may end up just getting more SD channels during daytime and HD during primetime....if ever.

The NY Times has seen the future and it is: Multicasting.

A short quotation from the start of the article:

* * *
Coming Soon (Maybe): Even More TV Channels:

LET'S take a poll, couch potatoes. Raise your hand if you are excited about the possibilities of television multicasting. ...

I wave my arm wildly for the FOX all-police-chase channel. Or the soothing blue light station, brought to you by the same company that brought you the HD Purple Channel.

;) Broadcasters are going to be scraping the barrels to fill more than ONE channel.

What ever happened to the over the air Pay TV where you bought a set top box from Wall Mart and b'casters rented out the multicast channels? It was going to change the world.

Over-the-air pay TV service unveils national plans

Mar 22, 2004 12:00 PM

A new type of multichannel pay television service — using the transmitters of local digital broadcast stations — has announced plans to go nationwide. U.S. Digital Television, or USDTV, based in Salt Lake City, now delivers 26 channels to viewers for $19.95 a month.

So far, USDTV has about 1000 subscribers who can receive all the digital broadcast signals in their local market plus Fox News Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, Toon Disney, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Discovery Channel, HGTV and the Food Network. As a premium service, USDTV is also offering movie channel Starz! to subscribers willing to pay extra.
http://broadcastengineering.com/news/broadcasting_overtheair_pay_tv/index.html

I notice more and more audio sync [lip sync] issues with ABC HD [707] channel. I started noticing it while watching "Lost" and since then it seems that everything I watch on that channel is having the lip-sync problems. Anyone else noticing this and/or getting bothered by it?

IV

I notice more and more audio sync [lip sync] issues with ABC HD [707] channel. I started noticing it while watching "Lost" and since then it seems that everything I watch on that channel is having the lip-sync problems. Anyone else noticing this and/or getting bothered by it?

IV

Yeah, I noticed it too while watching Toy Story 2 tonight... which looks supurb in HD, btw.

Yes 707 is always out of sync.

Reboot update: reboot #4, third time in 3 days, a disturbing trend. This time I was watching the Giants game, wanted to pause it and watch a good play in slow-mo, when it just froze up.. wouldn't play, wouldn't rewind, wouldn't change channels, nothing. This is crap... I'd even say it's Craptastic!

I just ran across this article on Yahoo! Anyone heard any more details? Any thoughts on impact?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060611/ap_on_bi_ge/cable_competition

By DEBORAH YAO, AP Business Writer
Sun Jun 11, 2:32 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA - Looking to quickly leap into the business of delivering TV broadcasts, telephone companies are leading efforts to rewrite the rules that for decades have given local governments control over who provides cable television in their areas.

Under bills passed or being considered in at least 14 states and Congress, pay-TV authority would shift to state governments or even a national process. That would mean both phone and cable companies no longer would have to negotiate individual franchise deals with hundreds of communities.

Supporters are touting the bills as pro-consumer, saying competition from Verizon Communications Inc.'s and AT&T Inc.'s video services will lower prices.

But several groups and municipalities are crying foul, arguing that the bills give away too many consumer protections to two companies that are almost monopolies.

The fear is that new entrants will offer their services in more affluent neighborhoods that tend to spend more, while ignoring working-class or poor areas. That means wealthier areas mainly would see the benefits of competition — lower prices, better services, faster upgrades.

"AT&T has been very clear its business plan is to target the high-value customer. Where Verizon has sought local franchise agreements, it has sought them only in the wealthiest communities," said Jeannine Kenney, senior policy analyst for Consumers Union. "Consumers who most need relief from monopolistic cable prices are the least likely to get it."

Texas, Indiana, Kansas and South Carolina already have signed into law a state-approval process. Virginia passed a variation that speeds up the local approval process by setting deadlines. Similar bills are pending in Pennsylvania, California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Tennessee, North Carolina and Louisiana. Connecticut recently ruled that AT&T doesn't need franchises for its service on any level.

The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday calling for a national franchise process, with a similar bill pending in the Senate. Passage nationally, however, is complicated by a number of factors, including the debate over whether all Internet traffic should be treated equally as video traffic is expected to surge.

Consumer groups are upset that the legislation lets new video providers choose which communities they want to serve. Currently, cable companies generally are required to serve all neighborhoods in any city they enter — the so-called "buildout" requirement.

"We're afraid that either state or federal bills will allow the phone companies to redline some neighborhoods, to price gouge others, to eliminate benefits to the local community and allow the existing cable company to backslide," said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

Phone companies say they are spending billions of dollars to offer video and high-speed Internet services over fiber-optic connections to the home or the neighborhood, so it makes sense to offer them initially in areas where they're likely to get the most business.

Ed Whitacre, AT&T's chief executive, told the Detroit Economic Club in early May that the initial rollout of TV will reach 5.5 million low-income households in 41 markets.

Verizon said its entry into video is good for consumers because it'll force cable to cut prices.

"It's perfectly evident, if you think about it for three minutes, that the system that's in place now just protects the incumbent monopoly cable provider," said Verizon spokesman Eric Rabe.

"Cable has been the last telecom monopoly and they have taken full advantage of that by raising prices on an annual basis for years," he said.

From 1993 to 2003, cable rates have risen by 53 percent, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Local phone rates in urban areas have risen by 23 percent from 1994 to 2004.

A March 2006 study by Thomas Hazlett, a professor at George Mason University in Virginia, said wireline video competition would save consumers $9 billion a year.

Verizon also says its upgrade of the phone network to optical fiber, which can carry TV service, is done town by town with no regard to neighborhoods or demographics.

"Our strategy is to go in and do the entire town," said Paul Lacouture, Verizon's vice president of engineering and technology. "That's how you get the operational savings."

But it's not just the telephone companies backing the legislation in some states.

Several bills have a provision that has consumer groups outraged: Cable companies can back out of existing contracts with municipalities and get the same rights as the new video provider. If the new video provider doesn't have to serve all communities, cable wouldn't have to, either.

That's one reason why the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, generally wary of state franchise legislation, now backs some state bills and the two bills in Congress.

Brian Dietz, spokesman for the national cable association, said the industry's goal was to have a level playing field "so the marketplace decides winners and losers, not regulations."

Cable supporters say the industry will still offer their services to all areas even if they get the right to choose communities, since they've already built out their systems.

However, cable won't have an incentive to offer better prices and services if competition doesn't enter these areas, according to the League of Kansas Municipalities, which represents 576 communities.

"Cable changed their posture to get as much as they could out of it," said Don Moler, the league's executive director. "They can choose to get out of existing franchises and have the new law apply to them."

One aspect, or result of the current CA bill, is that Comcast in Santa Rosa will continue to piss around until it gets to the point that they won't have to deal with The City in the manner they are required to do now. The City Manager's office feels fairly certain that it is a prime reason why nothing seems to be getting done up here, they have felt that way for over a year now.

The good part is that if AT&T comes to town with their product(Santa Rosa is already AT&T country) then Comcast will have some real competition and I have no doubt rates will go down(rates are around 15% lower in areas where the cableco has direct wire-style competition), and they will probably be forced to expand their services. The trick will be to get AT&T to rollout in SR.

Anyone else seeing smearing and momentary blurrieness with fast action in the NBA Finals?

I thought it was a problem with ABC and the nature of NBA action, being closer up than baseball and football, with a lot of motion. I figured it was motion artifacts.

But in addition to KGO-HD on Comcast, I also have the LA feed of the ABC station on Direct TV. And I don't notice this smearing/blurrieness on that broadcast.

Anyone else seeing smearing and momentary blurrieness with fast action in the NBA Finals?

I thought it was a problem with ABC and the nature of NBA action, being closer up than baseball and football, with a lot of motion. I figured it was motion artifacts.

But in addition to KGO-HD on Comcast, I also have the LA feed of the ABC station on Direct TV. And I don't notice this smearing/blurrieness on that broadcast.
Yes, it was doing this last year as well. Apparently it's an issue with the encoder KGO uses, I believe it's a Harris, but supposedly it is something that can be fixed. OTOH, KGO has had audio/video sync issues for days and nobody has fixed it so to get them to fix this is a long shot. I'm going to call tomorrow while someone is there.

There are no problems with NFL or World Cup.

That's saying something when HD-Lite on D* looks better than the local feed, which Comcast supposedly doesn't re-compress.

I'm beginning to wonder if Comcast is the problem. I just looked at the Dish KGO feed, which is picked up from OTA, and it does not exhibit that behavior, the PQ is every bit as good as Comcast and in fact, much sharper in areas where the Comcast feed looks like mud. And you're right, the KABC feed isn't doing it either.

Just got off the phone with Comcast...BOY are there phone guys dumb. I had a simple question - when will 725 be updated in the guide? I kept on getting told how to make a manual recording, which I have already done for tomorrow's game. I wanna know when I can do it in the guide. They didn't know.

I assume this won't be sticking around after the World Cup, like Universal HD and the Olympics? (Boy was I bummed about that...Galactica in HD is NICE.)

Anyone else seeing smearing and momentary blurrieness with fast action in the NBA Finals?

I thought it was a problem with ABC and the nature of NBA action, being closer up than baseball and football, with a lot of motion. I figured it was motion artifacts.

But in addition to KGO-HD on Comcast, I also have the LA feed of the ABC station on Direct TV. And I don't notice this smearing/blurrieness on that broadcast.
I recently checked the bit rate on my HD channels (Fremont) and KGO, KTVU, and ESPN2 are all pretty low between 13-14 mb/s. It appears that KGO and KTVU are STAT-MUXing their channels directly to Comcast explaining the lower bit rates. I don't understand why ESPN2 has a reduced bit rate.

INHD2 also broadcasts a very low bit rate for non live programs (8-10 mb/s) but the bit rate goes up to about 18 mb/s on live regional sports.

The difference was quite noticeable when watching the World Cup on ABC and ESPN2 as compared to the highlights on ESPN (bit rate 19 mb/s). The long views really showed up the fuzzyness on ABC and ESPN2.

Maybe, the bit rate is causing the artifacts.

I recently checked the bit rate on my HD channels (Fremont) and KGO, KTVU, and ESPN2 are all pretty low between 13-14 mb/s. It appears that KGO and KTVU are STAT-MUXing their channels directly to Comcast explaining the lower bit rates. I don't understand why ESPN2 has a reduced bit rate.

INHD2 also broadcasts a very low bit rate for non live programs (8-10 mb/s) but the bit rate goes up to about 18 mb/s on live regional sports.

The difference was quite noticeable when watching the World Cup on ABC and ESPN2 as compared to the highlights on ESPN (bit rate 19 mb/s). The long views really showed up the fuzzyness on ABC and ESPN2.

Maybe, the bit rate is causing the artifacts.

I have checked out all these problems with my QAM tuner Sony SXRD. Here is what I have learned:

1) The bluriness is in the host signal, as it is bad via 6412 or direct cable feed.

2) KTVU and KGO are almost always broadcasting at 720p, vs other HD channels at 1080i. There is a difference that you can see.

3) It's great we now have ESPN2HD, but have not seen a single HD broadcast on it yet, its all been SD. Wondering if USA soccer today (though my World Cup schedule said it would be in SD).

3) It's great we now have ESPN2HD, but have not seen a single HD broadcast on it yet, its all been SD. Wondering if USA soccer today (though my World Cup schedule said it would be in SD).
Huh? All the matches I've watched on ESPN2HD have been in HD. I haven't watched all of them, but I wasn't aware any of the ESPN2HD matches were in SD.

Huh? All the matches I've watched on ESPN2HD have been in HD. I haven't watched all of them, but I wasn't aware any of the ESPN2HD matches were in SD.
All 64 games have been/will be in HD, and they will all be broadcast live.

Well, the USA plays today on ( you guessed it ) ESPN2-HD and of course the 550 MHz areas will not see it.... oh yeah.. watch it on an analog channel... thanks.
You know if Comcast had just dropped the analog channel for ESPN2 ( channel 39) and moved it to a digital channel they could have put ESPN2-HD in it's place but nnnnnoooooo !!!

Laters,
Mikef5

For the lucky people who have ESPN2 HD now - Can you still tune to channel 720 INHD2 or is that gone now? Here in Solano County, INHD2 still appears in the guide ... but when you try to tune to channel 720, nothing is there.
Edit: Contacted Comcast & INHD2 is back on now.

ALL of the WC matches are in HD -- ABC, ESPN, and ESPN 2. If your schedule says they're in SD then your schedule is wrong.

...unless you're watching an SDTV station. ;)

Sorry for the cross post (originally in the OTA forum), but I think it's overlooked by the readers here:

keenan,
I've seen/reported this problem before. at scene change, it's blurring then sharpens up in a fraction of a second. it's the adaptive mux'ing they use. I had some contact with one of the engineering departments (email exchange with janice reyes @kgo engineering). she said they use the harris flexicoder with statistical multiplexing enabled so that if the hd channel nees full bitrate, it'll get it. it gets it, but it's about 1/2 second late... maybe start email kgo engineering again?

jeff

Sorry for the cross post (originally in the OTA forum), but I think it's overlooked by the readers here:

keenan,
I've seen/reported this problem before. at scene change, it's blurring then sharpens up in a fraction of a second. it's the adaptive mux'ing they use. I had some contact with one of the engineering departments (email exchange with janice reyes @kgo engineering). she said they use the harris flexicoder with statistical multiplexing enabled so that if the hd channel nees full bitrate, it'll get it. it gets it, but it's about 1/2 second late... maybe start email kgo engineering again?

jeff
Yes, but I don't know if it's something that they can fix is it? We need someone who knows what they are talking about to talk to the engineering dept, I wouldn't know what to say, other than it's not working right.

I just thought of somebody, I'll PM him and see what he says.

Is that email address correct in form?

Quick update, I talked to a fellow in the engineering department at KGO. I've forwarded the link to this thread and the OTA thread. He said they'd take a look into this issue.

Best,
jeff

Excellent. :)

keenan,
I pm'd you back...

jef

Well, the USA plays today on ( you guessed it ) ESPN2-HD and of course the 550 MHz areas will not see it.... oh yeah.. watch it on an analog channel... thanks.
You know if Comcast had just dropped the analog channel for ESPN2 ( channel 39) and moved it to a digital channel they could have put ESPN2-HD in it's place but nnnnnoooooo !!!

Laters,
Mikef5

The way USA played they might as well been blocked out! I seen more heart in a special olympics relay team than watching team USA. They are done now since they have to basically beat Italy and that's not going to happen. 1 shot on goal? My godness, if I was the coach I would have resigned after that pathetic showing.

The way USA played they might as well been blocked out! I seen more heart in a special olympics relay team than watching team USA. They are done now since they have to basically beat Italy and that's not going to happen. 1 shot on goal? My godness, if I was the coach I would have resigned after that pathetic showing.
No kidding, a rather lackluster performance at best, and I agree, no way USA will take Italy.

Any one know how the RF Bypass works on this box? I turned on RF Bypass in the menu, but I don't get any output when I connect it to my TV.

Thanks!

Russ

France has red white and blue colors too. If you watch the matches in SD, you might confuse them for the US and see some wins.

:p

Any one know how the RF Bypass works on this box? I turned on RF Bypass in the menu, but I don't get any output when I connect it to my TV.

Thanks!

Russ
Which box? Tune the TV to channel 3, you should see whatever channel the box is tuned to. That's about all it will do, it doesn't pass thru the full signal unfortunately, just whatever the box is tuned to, on ch. 3.

Which box? Tune the TV to channel 3, you should see whatever channel the box is tuned to. That's about all it will do, it doesn't pass thru the full signal unfortunately, just whatever the box is tuned to, on ch. 3.

Well crap, that's pretty lame... so it's not like an internal splitter or something. The reason for me doing this is if I split the signal before the box, the signal becomes pretty weak and I don't get guide information and the analog signal is pretty week and a lot of channels are fuzzy. If I don't split it, then everything works great.... I guess I'm at the limit of the number of splits in my line....

Well crap, that's pretty lame... so it's not like an internal splitter or something. The reason for me doing this is if I split the signal before the box, the signal becomes pretty weak and I don't get guide information and the analog signal is pretty week and a lot of channels are fuzzy. If I don't split it, then everything works great.... I guess I'm at the limit of the number of splits in my line....

Have you tried a signal amp?

Yeah, I already have one at the main entry into the house... I have a lot of splits.... this particular location just happens to be the farthest down the chain.... oh well...

3) It's great we now have ESPN2HD, but have not seen a single HD broadcast on it yet, its all been SD. Wondering if USA soccer today (though my World Cup schedule said it would be in SD).

Sorry for the confusion I generated with this. I am in San Carlos and we only got ESPN2 HD on Sat eve (TIVO picked it up the change in the other room). So we tuned to ESPN2 HD (725 with no channel guide as others have described) and we watched college world series and a few other events all in SD. So I posted to make sure there was actually HD content someone had seen.

Then yesterday we saw the USA soccer game in HD.

Like others have posted I sure hope ESPN2 stays around after the WC. I got hooked on Universal HD during the Olympics have have called Comcast multiple times about bringing it back.

Why don't we get to keep these HD stations??? I know HD users are only 10-15% of Comcast customers, but we gotta start demanding!

Sorry for the confusion I generated with this. I am in San Carlos and we only got ESPN2 HD on Sat eve (TIVO picked it up the change in the other room). So we tuned to ESPN2 HD (725 with no channel guide as others have described) and we watched college world series and a few other events all in SD. So I posted to make sure there was actually HD content someone had seen.

Then yesterday we saw the USA soccer game in HD.

Like others have posted I sure hope ESPN2 stays around after the WC. I got hooked on Universal HD during the Olympics have have called Comcast multiple times about bringing it back.

Why don't we get to keep these HD stations??? I know HD users are only 10-15% of Comcast customers, but we gotta start demanding!

according to the san jose mercury, (go back and see my older post, i have a link) espn2HD is going to stay on comcast bay area on 724 after the world cup.

Well crap, that's pretty lame... so it's not like an internal splitter or something. The reason for me doing this is if I split the signal before the box, the signal becomes pretty weak and I don't get guide information and the analog signal is pretty week and a lot of channels are fuzzy. If I don't split it, then everything works great.... I guess I'm at the limit of the number of splits in my line....
Many "passthrough" are actually implemented as internal splits rather than true switched passthrough. The reason being the cable box still needs access to the line for authorization, guide, etc. Also DVRs need to be able to record even if you are using passthrough.

What kind of amplifier do you have at the drop point? Some amps are better than others. Also what kind of splitter are you using at the box? A 2split will result in less signal loss than 3/4split. Always use as few splits as possible unless you are purposely trying to attenuate a signal that is too strong.

I'm not sure what happened with 64>256QAM, frankly, I don't think it's even been completed here, I haven't checked in awhile, mostly because I really don't care much anymore. Another issue is I don't believe there has been any movement due to a dispute between Comcast and the City of Santa Rosa.

I noticed that the digital music channels in Santa Rosa went to 256QAM, so they are finally starting to change over. The handful of SD digital channels that I checked were all still 64QAM.

This conversion will free up some bandwidth, but I have little hope of more HD channels in the next year or two. I'll probably switch to Dish network at some point. Is Dish ever going to get KQED? Is the mpeg4 conversion issue settled?

Cripes almighty!!! Is KGO ever going to fix their audio/video sync problem...? KABC is fine, but KGO is waaay off...is there anyone awake at KGO...?

I noticed that the digital music channels in Santa Rosa went to 256QAM, so they are finally starting to change over. The handful of SD digital channels that I checked were all still 64QAM.

This conversion will free up some bandwidth, but I have little hope of more HD channels in the next year or two. I'll probably switch to Dish network at some point. Is Dish ever going to get KQED? Is the mpeg4 conversion issue settled?

Santa Rosa still hasn't switched over to 256QAM for their digital channels????? Why not?

I noticed that the digital music channels in Santa Rosa went to 256QAM, so they are finally starting to change over. The handful of SD digital channels that I checked were all still 64QAM.

This conversion will free up some bandwidth, but I have little hope of more HD channels in the next year or two. I'll probably switch to Dish network at some point. Is Dish ever going to get KQED? Is the mpeg4 conversion issue settled?
Have they all gone 256QAM? I recall months ago that some of them had switched but there was still many that were not, same with the few SD channels we get.

Dish will eventually get KQED, but I have no idea when, I would guess 6mos-a year..?

Not sure what you mean by MPEG4 issue, the current MPEG4 HD-DVR has worked fine since I've had it. There are some problems with the local HD but I haven't watched too much network programming as there hasn't been much on, so it may have gotten better. The PQ on KGO and KTVU looked good the last time I looked, although the audio was screwed up on KGO but I'm certain that's a KGO issue as it's screwed up on Comcast as well.

Frank, you're welcome to come by and take a look for yourself, just PM me and let me know when it's convenient.

Santa Rosa still hasn't switched over to 256QAM for their digital channels????? Why not?
Because Comcast is playing games, as I noted before, the City is pretty much convinced that Comcast is going to wait it out until such time that they don't have to deal with the City anymore.

As far as upgrading/converting here, there are ABSOLUTELY no roadblocks on the City's end of things so the only conclusion to be drawn is that Comcast is F'ing around for reasons known only to them.

And if anyone from Comcast is reading this, feel free to tell me where I'm wrong, publicly or privately, you have my contact info.

Talked to KGO a few minutes ago, we'll see if they fix it.

Cable is still using the antiquated MPEG-2 standard, not MPEG-4. The promise of MPEG-4 is, of course, lower bandwidth for similar/superior picture quality.

MPEG-4 is common on home computers (MSMPEG4, DIVX and XVID, as well as Quicktime and WMV's H.264 codec) but not yet on cable/satellite systems. The main roadblock as I understand it is, yep you guessed it, upgrades needed to head-ends and all new set-top boxes. In other words, $$$$$$$$.

Cable is still using the antiquated MPEG-2 standard, not MPEG-4. The promise of MPEG-4 is, of course, lower bandwidth for similar/superior picture quality.

MPEG-4 is common on home computers (MSMPEG4, DIVX and XVID, as well as Quicktime and WMV's H.264 codec) but not yet on cable/satellite systems. The main roadblock as I understand it is, yep you guessed it, upgrades needed to head-ends and all new set-top boxes. In other words, $$$$$$$$.Actually, MPEG-2 is also built into the ATSC standard, so cutting over to MPEG-4 would/will strand all of us with DTVs built to ATSC and/or QAM specs--a daily growing legacy, BTW--so the $$$ wouldn't all be out of cableco pockets. :(

Dish will eventually get KQED, but I have no idea when, I would guess 6mos-a year..?


I hope they add KQED before I switch ;)

The kids (age 4 and 6) just love Jakers!...its a great HD Cartoon (even I like to watch)

ps...encouraging that Dish said they are going to start adding the local RSN-HD channels this fall....I sure hope FSNBA-HD is on the top of the list :D

Me too, but like with anything with any of these providers, I'll believe it when I see it. :p

Because Comcast is playing games, as I noted before, the City is pretty much convinced that Comcast is going to wait it out until such time that they don't have to deal with the City anymore.

As far as upgrading/converting here, there are ABSOLUTELY no roadblocks on the City's end of things so the only conclusion to be drawn is that Comcast is F'ing around for reasons known only to them.

And if anyone from Comcast is reading this, feel free to tell me where I'm wrong, publicly or privately, you have my contact info.


That's just horrible. From what I understand, moving to QAM256 requires very minimal upgrades to the head-end and of course will result in....wait for it.....more bandwidth!! It's one thing to try and put off major upgrades that could cost 10's of millions of dollars, but it's another to blatantly hold a community/region down due to petty politics. My sympathy for you guys just went up a notch.

Did anyone's DVR reset 4 or 5 times tonight? I found it very annoying because not only did it make watching TV a pain, it also made me lose all my program data. I wonder if there's a reason behind this.

Anyone else having problems in the south bay with comcast? I have a sharp lcd with built in hd qam tuner, and for months I've been able to receive FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS in HD channels.

About a week ago ABC HD (7.1 on my tv), and all the PBS HD channels no longer recieve any signal (9.1,9.2,9.3,9.4). Also, while not HD, there used to be two other ABC channels that are gone as well. A re-scan of the tv does not help. So after a couple conversations with their clueless tech support that claim nothing has changed, they sent a tech out who didn't do anything but tell me they moved some channels and I can no longer recieve them unless I upgrade to expanded basic from limited basic.

I feel pretty upset about this because the only thing I watch are the "regular" off the air networks and pbs, now they want to charge extra for something that is aired free?

Stevengg,

Although I think I remember Sunnyvale being more Comcast 'challenged' than Cupertino, my experience may be useful.

On my post on 04-08-06 I mentioned how I got HD channels without going to EXPANDED BASIC, albeit paying more than Limited Basic but a DEAL nevertheless.

When I say 'Incremental' I mean ESPN-HD, Discovery-HD, FSN-HD, etc. This is in addition to the normal Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS in HD. When I say STANDARD CABLE I mean paying for Expanded Basic over Limited Basic.

Here is what I said:

Well, I'm pleased to confirm that, at least here in Cupertino, it is possible to get the incremental, non-premium HD channels for around $30/Mo.

I just got my cableCARD ($00), Digital Classic ($9.99), HD Service ($5.00) added to my current Limited Basic ($15.10) service.

The CSR that took my order absolutely stated, even argued, that getting Digital Classic, without also getting STANDARD CABLE too, would not allow me to get the additional HD channels over the locals in HD, that I already had at $00. (INHD1/2, DiscoverHD, ESPNHD). --- Not sure about FSNBA as nothing is on at the moment. (edit: Yep, getting the Giants on 720 now)

Of course I have CableCard capability on my set.

Maybe something similar might work for you too?

Tim

Tim,

thanks for your useful info. i'm holding my breathe right now as i am dealing with a different situation. i'm currently paying $19/mo (~12 limited basic + 5 HD + taxes) and get all the incremental stations. but...i'm unfortunately moving into a new house. what makes it more complicated is that i'm departing my current house a full 6 weeks before i move into the new one which is a new construction. i've been told that if they can show the service people that my new house will be connected, i might be able to transfer my account and all of my "grandfathered in"stations even with the short hiatus...only time will tell.

but i digress: if not, i will pursue the route you suggest. while $10 more, it certainly better than paying $60 for the other stations i don't watch/need.

if your strategy fails and my account can't get transferred, i'll certainly be looking at satellite TV to get my HD. (all i really care about are locals and FSN-HD: let's hope the latter finds its way to satellite in the near future so we all have some real choices)

Update (a few hours later): speak of the devil...just got a call from Comcast: no dice in getting the transfer to my new address since it's a new construction that is not "currently" serviceable. oh well...i spoke with a CSR who was adamant that i should have been getting those stations anyway, but whatever. i did ask the person who disconnected me (yet another rep: 3 people in one phone call) that i would be able to get limited basic + HD + digital class for $25 + taxes. so, that shouldn't be bad. i just hope that digital classic will get me FSN-HD. that extra few bucks will be worth it to me, but if i don't...then i'll drop back down to limited basic + HD, else go to satellite.


Stevengg,

Although I think I remember Sunnyvale being more Comcast 'challenged' than Cupertino, my experience may be useful.

On my post on 04-08-06 I mentioned how I got HD channels without going to EXPANDED BASIC, albeit paying more than Limited Basic but a DEAL nevertheless.

When I say 'Incremental' I mean ESPN-HD, Discovery-HD, FSN-HD, etc. This is in addition to the normal Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS in HD. When I say STANDARD CABLE I mean paying for Expanded Basic over Limited Basic.

Here is what I said:

Well, I'm pleased to confirm that, at least here in Cupertino, it is possible to get the incremental, non-premium HD channels for around $30/Mo.

I just got my cableCARD ($00), Digital Classic ($9.99), HD Service ($5.00) added to my current Limited Basic ($15.10) service.

The CSR that took my order absolutely stated, even argued, that getting Digital Classic, without also getting STANDARD CABLE too, would not allow me to get the additional HD channels over the locals in HD, that I already had at $00. (INHD1/2, DiscoverHD, ESPNHD). --- Not sure about FSNBA as nothing is on at the moment. (edit: Yep, getting the Giants on 720 now)

Of course I have CableCard capability on my set.

Maybe something similar might work for you too?

Tim

Anyone else having problems in the south bay with comcast? I have a sharp lcd with built in hd qam tuner, and for months I've been able to receive FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS in HD channels.

About a week ago ABC HD (7.1 on my tv), and all the PBS HD channels no longer recieve any signal (9.1,9.2,9.3,9.4). Also, while not HD, there used to be two other ABC channels that are gone as well. A re-scan of the tv does not help. So after a couple conversations with their clueless tech support that claim nothing has changed, they sent a tech out who didn't do anything but tell me they moved some channels and I can no longer recieve them unless I upgrade to expanded basic from limited basic.

I feel pretty upset about this because the only thing I watch are the "regular" off the air networks and pbs, now they want to charge extra for something that is aired free?

I'm also in Sunnyvale and still getting the HD channels with my QAM (HP6580n). I once had a similar issue in that I had lost all the 9.x channels. Entering 9.x wouldn't do it. Re-scanning wouldn't do it. It was by accident that I reset all the channel settings (i.e. wiped out all the presets.) I had to re-scan from scratch. Once the the re-scanning was done, magically the 9.x channels were back. To try this you will need to reset to the factory settings. The downside is that any PQ settings you might have defined will likely go away.

Durny1

So anyways....has KGO become a video only channel...don't bother with the audio because we can't get it in sync...?? Maybe KGO radio has a sub-channel that's in sync with the video...closed captioning, that's what we're supposed to use..problem solved. :rolleyes:

So anyways....has KGO become a video only channel...don't bother with the audio because we can't get it in sync...?? Maybe KGO radio has a sub-channel that's in sync with the video...closed captioning, that's what we're supposed to use..problem solved. :rolleyes:
:D

Luckily the only thing I've been watching on KGO lately is the WC games and the audio sync problem doesn't really matter. It is quite hard to believe, though, that they've let this obvious problem go on for so long. If I remember correctly, this started back in late April/early May. Hopefully Larry can use some of his contacts and kick their butt in to gear.

Last night and tonight again - on 702 watching the Giants game, as soon as the 3rd out in an inning is made, I get break up. I could set my watch by it, happens every time at the end of an inning. The game isn't even in HD, so I dunno what's up. Something wrong with the feed from Arizona, or a local problem??

:D

Luckily the only thing I've been watching on KGO lately is the WC games and the audio sync problem doesn't really matter. It is quite hard to believe, though, that they've let this obvious problem go on for so long. If I remember correctly, this started back in late April/early May. Hopefully Larry can use some of his contacts and kick their butt in to gear.
I watched the NBA game last night on KABC-LA because of the audio problem and the blurring problem, KABC does not suffer from either problem.

It is incredible that they haven't fixed either problem, I called last night and the guy said he would forward the info as nobody could be reached in engineering! :rolleyes:

OH, and then I paused it for 30 secs to take a whiz and the DVR LOCKED UP. Wohoo!

Anyone else having problems in the south bay with comcast? I have a sharp lcd with built in hd qam tuner, and for months I've been able to receive FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS in HD channels.

About a week ago ABC HD (7.1 on my tv), and all the PBS HD channels no longer recieve any signal (9.1,9.2,9.3,9.4). Also, while not HD, there used to be two other ABC channels that are gone as well. A re-scan of the tv does not help. So after a couple conversations with their clueless tech support that claim nothing has changed, they sent a tech out who didn't do anything but tell me they moved some channels and I can no longer recieve them unless I upgrade to expanded basic from limited basic.

I feel pretty upset about this because the only thing I watch are the "regular" off the air networks and pbs, now they want to charge extra for something that is aired free?
I have a Sharp LCD and I'm receiving all the channels you mentioned. In fact it is better now than a couple of months ago because they fixed the PSIP info and the channels are mapped to 2.x, 5.x, 7.x and 9.x again.

Now I totally lost 702. It's a garbled mess.

Now I totally lost 702. It's a garbled mess.

Looks okay for me. Is it just FOX that's giving you problems?

Now I totally lost 702. It's a garbled mess.

Same here in Saratoga...I ended up watching it on 2/Analog which didnt have problems (other than being analog quality). Must have been a problem with KTVU digital feed

Same here in Saratoga...I ended up watching it on 2/Analog which didnt have problems (other than being analog quality). Must have been a problem with KTVU digital feed

When I saw Walk's message, I tuned to 702 and didn't see any problems. Granted I only watched it for about 5 minutes but it was 5 minutes of blissfull upconverted SD TV. :)

It was ok most of the time, only breaking up at the end of each inning or segment (like pitching changes) - ie when they switched from the remote Arizona feed to the local feed for commercials. Then about 9:15 it was all broken up for a good 5-10 minutes.. then came back to "normal".

2nd day in a row though, where it breaks up before the commercials. Something is obviously "up" with the feed.

Yes, every other channel, HD or otherwise, appeared fine. A's on 720 was good for the few minutes I watched it.

Walk,
That's exactly the same as what we were seeing down in the south bay.

It was ok most of the time, only breaking up at the end of each inning or segment (like pitching changes) - ie when they switched from the remote Arizona feed to the local feed for commercials. Then about 9:15 it was all broken up for a good 5-10 minutes.. then came back to "normal".

Gotcha. I must have missed it then since everyone else seems to have seen the problem.

A's on 720 was good for the few minutes I watched it.
I think that's God's way of telling you to become an A's fan :D

Walk,
That's exactly the same as what we were seeing down in the south bay.
It was the same in Milpitas. The problem was not with Comcast because I watched it on my OTA setup and the problem persisted so it was the feed from the station. I don't know if it was local or a national fox problem but it was annoying to say the least.

Laters,
Mikef5

I think that's God's way of telling you to become an A's fan :D
Then God is a cruel, cruel person.... :p :D
Actually, I'm a closet A's fan.... :eek:

Laters,
Mikef5

Well when the Giants are on 720 and the A's are stuck on *ugh* channel 6 (has to be the worst PQ in the history of television) then we'll see who's talking! 8)

Check this out, got this off Yahoo this morning from an article praising Comcast for adding new HD channels for Fathers day..
Comcast now offers 20 HD channels and services with the addition of NESN HD and ESPN2 HD, including CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, PBS, UPN, WB, ESPN HD, TNT HD, Universal HD, Discovery Theatre HD, HBO HD, Cinemax HD, Showtime HD, Starz HD, INHD, INHD2 and Fox Sports New England Celtics Games. :rolleyes:

two things i noticed on the programming forum:

-MHD is showing up on some comcast systems. how soon before we have it?

-INHD2 is rumored to go off air. where are the fsn games going if so?

Well when the Giants are on 720 and the A's are stuck on *ugh* channel 6 (has to be the worst PQ in the history of television) then we'll see who's talking! 8)

Check this out, got this off Yahoo this morning from an article praising Comcast for adding new HD channels for Fathers day..
:rolleyes:
Comcast now offers 20 HD channels and services with the addition of NESN HD and ESPN2 HD, including CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, PBS, UPN, WB, ESPN HD, TNT HD, Universal HD, Discovery Theatre HD, HBO HD, Cinemax HD, Showtime HD, Starz HD, INHD, INHD2 and Fox Sports New England Celtics Games.
Nice huh? And if you're in Boston, where the above lineup is probably from, you don't have to sub to a bargeload of crap you don't want to get the DVR. With just Limited Basic and Digital Classic you can have all the above HD minus the premium channels, and the DVR.

Unlike the bay area, where the DVR costs about $27 a month above Limited and Classic.

Nice huh? And if you're in Boston, where the above lineup is probably from, you don't have to sub to a bargeload of crap you don't want to get the DVR. With just Limited Basic and Digital Classic you can have all the above HD minus the premium channels, and the DVR.

Unlike the bay area, where the DVR costs about $27 a month above Limited and Classic.

Gee...and I wonder if that's because that's where Comcast is headquartered and all their execs live????

Gee...and I wonder if that's because that's where Comcast is headquartered and all their execs live????
They would never treat one area better than another area would they?? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Laters,
Mikef5

Gee...and I wonder if that's because that's where Comcast is headquartered and all their execs live????
No, Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia, close though. :p

They would never treat one area better than another area would they?? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Laters,
Mikef5
Absolutely, yes, they do, that's a proven fact. :mad:

Absolutely, yes, they do, that's a proven fact. :mad:
Keenan,
Sarcasm was intended, see the double rolling eyes in my post. It bothers me alot since I've been trying to get Comcast to do the right thing and upgrade ALL AREAS to the same level but to no avail which is why I'm going with Dish.

Laters,
Mikef5

No, I realized that, you know me, any chance to take a valid shot at Comcast, I'll take it. :D

P.S. Took a shot at Comcast in Goodman's blog page today as well. :p

No, I realized that, you know me, any chance to take a valid shot at Comcast, I'll take it. :D

P.S. Took a shot at Comcast in Goodman's blog page today as well. :p
I just started reading his blog a little while ago, he's quite good and does some excellent commentarys. Guess I should subscribe to the Chronicle newspaper.... nah !! :D

Laters,
Mikef5

As nikeykid already noted, MTVHD has been added by Comcast...yet another HD channel we won't see here... :rolleyes:

"Comcast, the leader in HDTV programming"...yeah right!!! :D

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=688505
MTV HD added to Comcast: - AVS Forum

No, Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia, close though. :p

My bad. I guess we should be more general: Comcast favors the North East.

As nikeykid already noted, MTVHD has been added by Comcast...yet another HD channel we won't see here... :rolleyes:

No one will see it here? Or just the 550ers?

Do you just feel neglected, or do you actually want to watch MTV (in HD or any other way)?

My bad. I guess we should be more general: Comcast favors the North East.
Yes they do, those back-east systems are always ahead of the rest of the country, actually everywhere is ahead of the bay area. The TiVo based STBs are already being tested in a few markets back there, any guess when we'll see it here, by the end of the decade maybe??... :D

Do you just feel neglected, or do you actually want to watch MTV (in HD or any other way)?

i want it because they have it.

i want it because we pay more than they do.

its the principle (at first). then i won't watch it again.

No one will see it here? Or just the 550ers?
I really have no idea other than past history, it's practically a guarantee that 550 systems won't get any channel additions though, I've never had any HD additions in the over 2 years or so that I've subscribed to Comcast, and absolutely no reason to believe that will change anytime time soon.

actually everywhere is ahead of the bay area.

Actually, Sacramento doesn't even have ESPN2HD yet, and they're not even a 550er (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7825615&&#post7825615), but a 750er. :(

I really have no idea other than past history, it's practically a guarantee that 550 systems won't get any channel additions though, I've never had any HD additions in the over 2 years or so that I've subscribed to Comcast, and absolutely no reason to believe that will change anytime time soon.

uhh uhhh, they haven't given us non-550ers TNT-HD. so i doubt mhd will be coming here anytime soon... isn't there a pecking order of channels?? we haven't even gotten the one channel in HD that carries the highest cable ratings!!

If I got MTV-HD on my system, I would like Comcast to give me a partial refund for sending that signal to my home.

If I got MTV-HD on my system, I would like Comcast to give me a partial refund for sending that signal to my home.

:D

i want it because they have it.

i want it because we pay more than they do.

its the principle (at first). then i won't watch it again.

I LOVE IT. Reminds me of the line Kevin Costner has in Silverado..."That's what I told 'em!"

I feel exactly the same way. You got it, I want it, I paid for the right to NOT watch that stupid channel!

Is anyone else having this problem with the audio: The volume will suddenly drop drastically so that it's almost impossible to hear. If I switch channels, and then switch back the volume returns to normal. This happens live and on recorded programs as well.

Last night I noticed that channel 724 was active with the ESPN2 guide, but the channel itself was "not available" as it is still broadcasting on channel 725. So, I guess that ESPN2 is a permanent addition to the lineup. :D

I'm afraid they will do something brilliant like move it from 725 to 724 in the middle of the night before the World Cup is over and my manual settings for that day's games will be crap. Does anyone here think they're too smart to do something like this?

It's already active on 724. It works on both 724 and 725, but there's no guide data for 725.

Yippee. They did it right.

Not here on 6200. No 724 and no guide data on 725.

It's already active on 724. It works on both 724 and 725, but there's no guide data for 725.

You guys have ESPN2HD on two channels, but Sacramento still has it on none. :(

That's not a knock on you guys, more power to you. :)

Does anyone here have an MDP-130 tuner card and ADS turned on in their area? I'd like to know how well the MyHD can handle the digital version of the broadcast channels, and if they are encrypted. There's a sale on the MyHD that ends on the 30th.

No need to add general comments on the card, unless you want to for others' benefit. I already have an MDP-100.

xlurkr--

Yes, the ADS channels are (currently) unencrypted and the MyHD and FusionHDTV cards have no trouble with them. However, I regard it as only a matter of time until Comcast encrypts those new channels, so I wouldn't recommend purchasing a DTV tuner card to receive them. (The HD channels are another story and I'd be surprised to see them "go away")

Incidently, with the addition of ESPN2-HD, it looks like Comcast has shown it can fit 3 HD channels on a single 6MHz slot. 2x1080i and 1x720p. INHD1/2 and ESPN2-HD share the same channel in my area.

So 550 folks can potentially get 3 HD channels for every analog channel that gets pruned (assuming QAM256)

xlurkr-
Here, I have Limited Basic and I can find only the ADS channels I am authorized to view using built-in QAM tuner in Sharp TV. In other words, I can't find any ADS channels in the Expanded Basic pkg like ESPN, CNN, etc so I assume those ADS channels are encrypted. I believe they plan keep it that way for every area which makes sense since they don't want to give Limited Basic subs access.

hiker--

Thanks for waking me up. :) Yes, the unencrypted ADS channels here are also, mainly, only the ones from the Basic Cable tier. I've heard that even these have become encrypted in some other Comcast areas, however, so I'm braced for that shoe to drop.

Thanks all.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough, but I'm not looking to receive channels I don't subscribe to. I'm a basic subscriber. I'd just like to be able to record the networks.

I had read about the channels moving around a lot, and also that one could record a single frequency and get several networks simultaneously as subchannels. The former would be an annoyance, and the latter would be handy. It's that kind of thing I wanted to know about.

Also the info TPeterson sent about the lower-tier ADS being (currently) unencrypted. I know it's no guarantee that they will be forever, but if they already were encrypted that'd kill the upgrade bug.

Incidently, with the addition of ESPN2-HD, it looks like Comcast has shown it can fit 3 HD channels on a single 6MHz slot. 2x1080i and 1x720p. INHD1/2 and ESPN2-HD share the same channel in my area.

So 550 folks can potentially get 3 HD channels for every analog channel that gets pruned (assuming QAM256)
So, HD-Lite has finally made it to Comcast. How's that look BTW, much be some fairly low bitrate stuff on the INHDs to not suffer from image degradation?

And I wonder if that's contributing to why KGO has looked so crappy lately during the BB games..I'll have to check tonight and see where KGO sits and if there's anything other than 1 more station with it.

keenan--

Dunno about your feed, but in most of the Bay Area I think KGO's 3 subchannels share the same rf channel as KQED's 5 subchannels. However, when I last checked on this the Comcast bitstreams seemed to be pretty much the same as the OTA originals--maybe even identical. A single 256QAM rf channel carries about 40 Mbps v. the OTA 8VSB's 20 Mbps. Lately, KQED's 1080i streams with their new encoder (which netted some well-deserved criticism during their run up the learning curve) have been looking pretty decent at just a bit over 10 Mbps, so getting three "real" HD streams in one cable channel isn't pushing the envelope too hard.

I've been watching all the NBA Finals in HD on ABC with Comcast and it's been looking great. Last night, I watched the game at a friend's in HD with Dish Network.

I gotta say, I was expecting a worse picture than the one I get (after all this "HD-Lite" talk), but it looked awesome. Just as good as my Comcast picture - and I'm very picky about PQ.

We watched some of his other 50000 HD channels, and they all looked awesome.

I think this HD-Lite hysteria may be a bit overblown. The Dish HD feeds look great. I really couldn't say to my friend (as much as I wanted to, in retaliation for him having so many HD channels) that my PQ is superior to his. I really don't think it is - at least not for HD stuff.

-=Brazil=-

I haven't looked at KQED recently, it's good to hear that is has improved though. Getting 3 channels in one 256QAM slot is possible I guess with the right equipment, I do recall KGO taking a hit when they added another sub-channel...do they have 2 or 3 sub-channels in addition to the main DT-HD feed? I never look at those channels so I don't recall how many they have.

The problems I've seen with KGO, the on and off softness, or focus, has been happening with their BB broadcasts for over year, it was really bad last night...I've been watching the games on KABC as there is not a hint of the blurriness that there is with KGO.

I seem to recall dr1394 mentioning here that the problem is caused or related to the Harris encoder KGO uses, and that it is something that can be fixed, a setting of some sort. I've called twice and was told the message would be relayed to engineering(no one there when I called) but so far, nothing has changed.

It would be interesting to see a BB game on ESPN2, a hockey game on INHD and some high bitrate stuff on INHD2 and see how well they all look. (Of course, we don't get any of the channels here) :p

I don't get any of those channels either...but, then, that's because I don't pay for them. ;)

I've been watching all the NBA Finals in HD on ABC with Comcast and it's been looking great. Last night, I watched the game at a friend's in HD with Dish Network.
On the Comcast feed, you didn't see any blurriness that comes and goes? It's very easy to see if you watch the scorebar, it's actually very hard on the eyes as they try to focus in on the suddenly blurry image.

I gotta say, I was expecting a worse picture than the one I get (after all this "HD-Lite" talk), but it looked awesome. Just as good as my Comcast picture - and I'm very picky about PQ.

We watched some of his other 50000 HD channels, and they all looked awesome.

I think this HD-Lite hysteria may be a bit overblown. The Dish HD feeds look great. I really couldn't say to my friend (as much as I wanted to, in retaliation for him having so many HD channels) that my PQ is superior to his. I really don't think it is - at least not for HD stuff.

-=Brazil=-
Regarding Dish and DirecTV HD, the 720p channels will, and do, look every bit as good as Comcast since they are not being down-rezzed. Most of the 1080i channels on Dish are not down-rezzed either, I watched The Closer on TNT-HD last Monday and it looked darn near like a live video feed it was so sharp, the local HD and I believe StarzHD are MPEG4 and 1080i does not seem to be playing nice with that compression scheme. Some known issue with the encoders Dish is using. DirecTV is a different story as all their 1080i channels are down-rezzed to 1280 from 1920 and it shows on a large display.

So far, everything other than the local 1080i channels look as good as Comcast to me, the Voom channels I've watched look fine as well even though those are reduced resolution from the original.

I don't get any of those channels either...but, then, that's because I don't pay for them. ;)
:p

At least you have the option. :D

On the Comcast feed, you didn't see any blurriness that comes and goes? It's very easy to see if you watch the scorebar, it's actually very hard on the eyes as they try to focus in on the suddenly blurry image.


Regarding Dish and DirecTV HD, the 720p channels will, and do, look every bit as good as Comcast since they are not being down-rezzed. Most of the 1080i channels on Dish are not down-rezzed either, I watched The Closer on TNT-HD last Monday and it looked darn near like a live video feed it was so sharp, the local HD and I believe StarzHD are MPEG4 and 1080i does not seem to be playing nice with that compression scheme. Some known issue with the encoders Dish is using. DirecTV is a different story as all their 1080i channels are down-rezzed to 1280 from 1920 and it shows on a large display.

So far, everything other than the local 1080i channels look as good as Comcast to me, the Voom channels I've watched look fine as well even though those are reduced resolution from the original.

On my 1024x768 plasma, even that DirecTV down-rezzing wouldn't really matter. Unless their scaler is a total piece.

Although I gotta say, DirecTV looked pretty bad on my SD TV - I can't imagine what their SD channels would look like on my plasma. Comcast SD channels actually look pretty good on the plasma - better than I thought they were. I'm pretty impressed with the panasonic plasma scalers.

Lately, KQED's 1080i streams with their new encoder (which netted some well-deserved criticism during their run up the learning curve) have been looking pretty decent at just a bit over 10 Mbps, so getting three "real" HD streams in one cable channel isn't pushing the envelope too hard.

I'm less interested in "pretty decent" and more interested in real HD. If you can't give me 15Mps or better the picture suffers, and on large screens, it's really apparent. Now, can you give me 45Mps on one cable channel? If not, why bother....

The problems I've seen with KGO, the on and off softness, or focus, has been happening with their BB broadcasts for over year, it was really bad last night...I've been watching the games on KABC as there is not a hint of the blurriness that there is with KGO.

I seem to recall dr1394 mentioning here that the problem is caused or related to the Harris encoder KGO uses, and that it is something that can be fixed, a setting of some sort. I've called twice and was told the message would be relayed to engineering(no one there when I called) but so far, nothing has changed.



Keenan,
You might ping the kgo contact I sent you if it was bad again last night...

jeff

Keenan,
You might ping the kgo contact I sent you if it was bad again last night...

jeff
Thanks, yes, I'll do that. I noticed they finally got the audio in sync, don't want to put too much pressure on them all at once. :p

The following are some of the bit rates that I checked on the Fremont CA 760 MHz system. As you can see, Comcast or the provider is not keeping the bit rates up on some channels. Also you'll notice that live baseball games on INHD2 have a much higher bit rate than recorded programs.

FOX - KTVU - 702

June 9, 2006 The Animal 12.383
June 10, 2006 Seinfeld (SD) 10.044
June 10, 2006 MLB Oakland vs. New York Yankees 14.335
June 11, 2006 NASCAR Racing 13.946

KNTV - NBC –703

June 7, 2006 Tonight Show with Jay Leno 17.905
June 10, 2006 Hockey Carolina vs. Edmonton 17.904
June 10, 2006 NBC News at 11 Bay Area (SD) 17.914

KRON - 704

June 8, 2006 Bay Area Back Roads 13.739
June 11, 2006 Harlem Globetrotters 14.081

KPIX - CBS – 705

June 8, 2006 CSI 18.203
June 9, 2006 Late Night with David Letterman 18.502
June 10, 2006 CBS 5 Eyewitness News (SD) 17.322
June 10, 2006 NCIS 18.503

KGO - ABC – 707

June 07, 2006 Lost 12.037
June 8, 2006 NBA FinalsMiami vs. Dallas 14.247
June 10, 2006 Oprah Winfery(SD) 11.642
June 10, 2006 World Cup England vs. Paraguay 14.769
June 10, 2006 Belmont Stakes 13.874

KQED - PBS – 709

June 9, 2006 R. Steves Europe 11.949
June 10, 2006 Austin City Limits 11.822

INHD - 719

June 9, 2006 Rugby Union 14.932
June 9, 2006 Classic Tennis 14.470
June 11, 2006 Fusion (Surfing) 14.028
June 16, 2006 MLB Baltimore vs. New York Mets 14.524

INHD2 - 720

June 9, 2006 MLB Pittsburgh vs. San Francisco 18.306
June 9, 2006 Solarmax 8.062
June 11, 2006 Haunted (movie) 9.563
June 11, 2006 MLB Oakland vs. New York Yankees 17.901

Discovery – 722

June 8, 2006 Extreme Engineering 18.203
June 9, 2006 Last Man Eater:Killer Tigers 18.799
June 11, 2006 Concord 17.607

ESPN - 723

June 8, 2006 Sports Center 19.294
June 11, 2006 College Baseball (SD) 19.149
June 11, 2006 MLB Cleveland vs. Chicago White Sox 19.107
June 15, 2006 US Open Golf 19.26

ESPN2 - 725

June 9, 2006 World Cup Poland vs. Ecuador 14.326
June 11, 2006 World CupPortugal vs. Angola 14.080
June 11, 2006 Drag Racing 13.734
June 11, 2006 College Baseball Miss vs. Mia (SD) 12.546
June 12, 2006 World Cup USA vs. CHEZ 13.723

HBO – 730

May 23, 2006 Batman Begins 10.503

STARZ – 734

June 8, 2006 Havoc 11.937

SHOWTIME – 736

May 20, 2006 Crash 11.040

yeesh, as i always suspected, premium channels have really crap bitrates, which makes for great macroblocking viewing on fast moving shots.

725 looks slightly different when i flip to it now, there's an additional ondemand tab that shows up and allows me to go watch some SD nfl network stuff. right now they are still showing espn2hd video. but it looks like it will switch over to NFL network HD as soon as the football season starts. nice to see espn2hd have a permenant home.